I Used to Think...

This post stems from a reflective writing assignment in my current graduate course, EDUC 564: Management and School Improvement. These are 3 "I used to think...but now..." statements related to education based on my observations over time.

I Used to Think…

1. I used to think having a staff of like-minded individuals would be the best culture for a school, but now I see the value in having a staff of differing backgrounds, personalities, and viewpoints. All the staff members should be in agreement with the mission of the school, but beyond that, there is high value in having a diverse group of teachers within a building. Before, I thought conflict should be avoided, as it can cause divisions and damage relationships. However, by having a staff that embraces that tension through their different views and perspectives will also allow for conversations that deepen the school and provide for growth. A well balanced staff lends itself to using the gifts of the staff members to further its mission. By having a well rounded skill set, a school can continue to move forward instead of lacking in one area or needed to look outside for help.

2. I used to think giving a letter grade was an accurate report of a student’s learning, but now I see the value in crafting proper feedback for students and parents and measuring learning against specific standards and learning targets. Giving an A, B, C etc... has long been the standard of reporting student learning within school systems. It is a comfortable way to report grades as it gives parents, who had the same grading system, a standard to measure by from when they were in school. I now see that these letter grades often do not have much meaning to them and are too rigid. Learning is a process and involves many different topics within a particular subject area. Receiving a B+ in Math on a report card says nothing about a student’s understanding of fractions, ratios, or algebraic expressions.

3. I used to think the staff members within the school were the primary skilled knowledge kits, musicians, performers, creators, and leaders for the students, but now I see how gifted students are in many areas, starting at a very young age. With the technology and opportunities available for students to have their hands on, students have become increasingly skilled and at times far surpass the abilities of their teachers. Whether it is a middle school praise band leading chapel, a 3rd grade student showing off his 3-D printed object, or a 7th grader showing a teacher how to program a robot, students have become more and more knowledgeable about an array of topics. It creates a shift that teachers need to have in their minds, with an increased focus on guiding students in their knowledge to help them process and prioritize the information available to them. Instead of taking just the role of presenter of knowledge, a teacher and school also increasingly becomes a facilitator of knowledge, recognizing the importance of providing different learning experiences for students to be involved with.

Devotional: Safety Warnings

This post is a devotional I gave at a PCGS staff devotion during the 2015-16 school year

Safety warnings. They are everywhere and on everything. From the annoying, but useful, beeping of a truck backing up, to the “danger: electrical shock” to the “warning: contains peanuts” on the outside of a peanuts package, we are constantly surrounded by reminders and people set up to provide protection and safety.  Unfortunately, having safety rules and regulations does not always mean that a person’s life will be problem free.

Thinking back to three jobs I had growing up, that statement is definitely true. My first real job was cleaning up in a meat department. With lots of sharp equipment, safety is of high importance, and if one is not paying attention, a slice to the finger can easily happen. Unfortunately, this is something by which have first hand experience with. As I was wiping off the meat slicer, my finger got too close and very easily, the slicer did its job. Thankfully, my boss was close by and had some gauze and we wrapped it up quickly, easing the pain and worry in my mind.  A second job, and interesting one, was working on a mink farm. Mink do not like being grabbed by the tail or leg, especially when being vaccinated, and they will let you know by not only trying to bite you, but also directing their spray at you. One way to protect yourself was by wearing thick gloves. A glove with holes in it or one that is not very thick, does not offer much protection to the hand inside as the teeth come biting after you. Again….I can speak from experience. My gloves were wearing thin and a bite was easily felt. And again, thankfully, my boss was close by, and after seeing and hearing my reaction to one of these attacks, he gave me his gloves for the rest of the day. His act allowed me to keep going with less worry. A third job was working at a furniture store. On deliveries, it is critical that before you leave to make sure the taller items are tied up securely in the back of the truck. I realized the importance of this my first summer. When we opened up the back of the truck at our stop to deliver some pieces of furniture, the 5 drawer chest I “tied” up an hour beforehand had been playing a nice little game of pinball in the back of the truck the whole trip. Needless to say, it was in no shape to be given to someone. My boss, who was with me, took it in stride and let the customer know that one more piece was still on its way to the store, and it would be delivered next time we came that way. I could tell he was unhappy, but not once did he get upset at me. Let’s just say I spent a lot of time practicing knots when I got back and never made the mistake again.  My boss’ words, actions, and grace shown to me in a time where I thought I would have to pay for the new piece of furniture allowed us to form a great relationship for the next 6 summers.

Although these examples of misfortune in my life are seemingly meaningless and had no long-term ill effects on me, they do provide a great lesson for what happens when life throws curveballs at you or hardships happen. As much as humans can try to be prepared for certain situations by reading up and getting educated on topics, eating healthy, exercising, and living safe, things will happen in life that that will hurt and make us stop in our tracks, they are just out of our hands. Fortunately, all is not lost, and we are not alone in the journey.

So who are the “bosses” that help us get through? For one, they are the people around you. The relationships formed with other people are very important, and set up opportunities for support. This means that you also are the ones who be that hand for others. John Ortberg in his book The Me I Want To Be states that “there the 3 laws of relationships: observation, observation, observation. People who give life to us are people who notice us. They know what we love and fear. When we work to truly notice someone else, love for them grows.” So take notice of others, and give them life. If you know someone who needs help and support to clean up physical, emotional, or spiritual wounds, pray for them, make them a meal, be an ear for them, encourage them, or write a note.

The most helpful “boss” that provides help and comfort is God.  God, as described in Psalm 3, is “a shield around me, my glory, the one who lifts my head high…he answers me from his holy mountain. I lie down and sleep, I wake again because the Lord sustains me. I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side.”  Isaiah 43 also gives a reassurance of God providing protection and safety. It does not promise a problem free life, but does promise his care.

When in a time of hardship or when someone you know it, place your/his/her name in the blanks below and know that God is there.

Isaiah 43: 1-3

For Prayer:

Lord, help remind me of the following and that you provide:

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed ________

    I have summoned _____ by name; ____ is mine.

When __________ pass through the waters,

    I will be with _______.

and when ________ pass through the rivers,

    the rivers will not sweep over _______.

When __________ walk through the fire,

______ will not be burned;

    the flames will not set _____ ablaze.

For you are the Lord our God,

the Holy One of Israel, our Savior;

Amen.

Devotional: His Plans > my plans

The following is a devotional I wrote for our staff devotions at Pella Christian Grade School for the morning of Sept. 12, 2016.

His Plans > my plans

I am not in control. This has been a phrase that has made itself clearly evident to me through various events and conversations with people over the past several months. It is also still one I need to continue to remind myself of often. Most recently, I was reminded of it over the weekend how little control I have. I am definitely not in control of if or when a torrential downpour comes the night of the school's fall event.

We want to plan ahead, be aware of upcoming schedules, and organize for future events. This gives us security and comfort that we are not going to be thrown any curveballs or given any unforeseen additional tasks. We put reminders on our Reminders app, we schedule events on our Calendar app, we write things in our daily planner, and we jot down future plans on our fridge calendar. We plan for what we see and what we believe we will be seeing. However, our human eyes and minds are not able to see the whole picture. Proverbs 19:21 shows us that “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.” Plans can be made, but it is ultimately God’s plan that will come through.

This summer I had the opportunity to be accepted to and attend a weeklong Christian school leadership training conference in Canada where we were assigned to read a portion of Spiritual Leadership by Henry Blackaby. Included in this reading is the following excerpt that Blackaby used to describe how Jesus carried out his work:

Jesus was never required to develop ministry goals or action plans. He was sent to follow the Father’s plan. . . Jesus came to fulfill his Father’s plans of salvation. He spent each day looking to see what the Father would reveal about his will. When he observed the Father at work, Jesus adjusted his life to join him. . .  Had Jesus entered [Jericho] planning to have lunch with [Zacchaeus] the most notorious sinner of the region? No. He had simply watched for the first sign of the Father’s activity. Once he was where the Father was working, Jesus immediately knew the agenda for his ministry. . . even in the most difficult assignments, including the cross, Jesus accepted his Father’s will unwaveringly. Jesus left his future, as well as his Second Coming, for the Father to determine. [Jesus said in Matt. 24:36: No one knows about that day or hours, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.] Jesus characterized his entire ministry with these words: “By myself I can do nothing.” John 5:30

As uncertain and frustrating as it may be at times, I am glad I am not in control. A Bible verse that is the most reassuring verse for me, and although not an easy one to swallow in the moment, is also from Proverbs, in chapter 3:5-6. “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

I am not saying goals and planning have no worth. God has given us phenomenal minds to create and execute plans, and he works through us in making goals for the future. However, there are times where plans do change. Whether planning for a vacation, relocating to a new area, communicating weekly school events, or making a School Improvement Plan, it is important to keep our eyes open for, as Mr. T started off the year with, “the next right step.” These steps will only become more clear to us when we are able to walk with our Father so closely that when he reveals something to us, we willingly change our own personal agenda to what he wants for our lives.

Prayer:

Lord, thank your for who you made each of us to be. You gave us each different gifts and abilities in order to carry out your work in your kingdom. You have placed all of us here for reasons only you know. Help us each to walk more closely with you in order to further understand what your plans are not only for this day, but in coming days, months, and years. Forgive us when we think our plans are better than yours or when we do not look to you when seeking guidance. Thank you for providing an example of the best follower there ever was, your Son.

Rethinking Reading

Reading is something I have enjoyed quite a bit over the past few years, but I really have not done much of it. Is that an oxymoron? I suppose it is. When faced with a book or asked why I do not read much I usually come up with great excuses for why I don’t/can’t read. Excuses such as...I am too busy with school, homework, life in general, or just too tired at night to pay attention to my reading. Things are beginning to change for me though after reading a book during Christmas break when I “finally” had the free time to sit down and just read, and I absolutely loved it. I read The Digital Invasion, which brought to light many of the effects technology is having on people, their minds, and relationships with others and God. The focus is bent slightly towards the youth and how they are living in such a different age than their parents are. One part of the book that really stuck out to me was about how people, and students specifically, are not able to think as critically as before because all their information is at their fingertips and they do not have to reason or think as hard as they used to in order to find answers. And when new information is learned, immediately another task is begun. We try to multitask and do not fully get engaged in the task at hand. This does not allow us to take time to stop and think about the information we just learned. If time is not spent thinking about the information or the brain is not allowed down time, the information is not as likely to stay with the person.

As a teacher, this kind of scared me. We have 1:1 iPads with the middle school students where I teach. Students are on their iPads often and more than often, they are on them at unnecessary times. (Hard to believe for middle school students huh? J) I need to evaluate the way I have them use their iPad so they are not just skipping from one app to another, but also actually learning one thing after another. 

After having those thoughts about my students as I was reading the book, I sat there and stared in front of me and had my own realization. I had by book in front of me with my laptop on my lap, iPad on one arm of my recliner and phone on the other arm. There I was, surrounded by technology and setting myself up for distraction that came my way. I realized that I often have all of these right next to me when I don’t really need to have them next to me. Granted I do not have a smartphone, but a text or call could still come in at anytime and take me away from whatever task I am currently doing. When planning lessons for school or writing a paper for class, the scene usually looks like was described above. I have all these devices next to me and am always moving from one to another. I get my work done, but is it the quality of work that it would normally be? Most likely not. Actually, definitely not. I made the decision to make some technology changes in my life and I hope they will allow me to have some more free time to be more thorough with school and have more time to read and reflect.

I received a book for Christmas, Crazy Love by Francis Chan, that I am now currently reading. After reading the first chapter, I decided to start writing about each of the chapters I read. I am going to take to heart what I read in the other book in making sure I take time to stop and reflect on what I am reading. Initially I was going to just write these on a document on my laptop, but a friend of mine and fellow educator recently urged teachers to start a blog. So here it is. It is crazy to see all the little things God put in a row over the last month to lead me to writing a blog. I know God leading someone to write a blog seems like not that big of a deal, but it is still pretty awesome. If you are not impressed by that story, keep following along and hopefully better stories and ideas will come around. I know for sure that the following post about the first chapter of the book will show some awesome things about God. God is a pretty amazing God if you stop to take the time to reflect upon it!

The following posts will be my responses to what I read in books as well as topics in the field of education that are on my mind as well. Hopefully this keeps up at a decent pace and I do not make more excuses that I do not have “free time.”