Not Sure I am There Yet . . . but

Gever Tulley, founder of the Tinkering School presented this funny but interesting TED Talk, "5 Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Children Do." View this 8-minute video for yourself and decide if you buy into what Tulley is saying.

Getting to Know Jacqueline Woodson

    Yesterday our Lower Elementary and Upper Elementary students got to listen to Jacqueline Woodson in our library.  Author of over 30 books, Woodson enchanted and inspired students about writing. I could see in the faces of those assembled that students were taking in all that she had to offer.  A multiple Newbery Honor and Caldecott Honor winner, Woodson recited chapters from memory from her books.  The students and I loved it when she read from her picture book, Show Way holding the book for all to view while she recited word-for-word the rich history of her family.
    My own read of her books Maizon at Blue Hill and If You Come Softly confirmed for me her gift as a writer and an author who understands the world of young adult readers.

The Bear That Wasn't

     On May 22, 1980 I was leading a group of ninth grade students through Quincy Market in Boston, and I sauntered into a bookstore.  As I was pawing through books in the children's section, I came across The Bear Who Wanted to Be a Bear, fell in love with it, and purchased it for my sons.  This past holiday season my younger son asked me if I remembered the book and had the copy I bought all those years ago.  In fact, I did; I vividly remembered the copy; it had illustrations that reminded me of the 1962 Stanley Kubrick movie A Clockwork Orange.  The original story, written by Frank Tashlin, has a bit of a Simpsonesque feel to it — it's eloquently written for both children and adults. I bought my son his own copy.
     Listening to Weekend Edition (scroll down a bit to get to the reading) recently, I heard Scott Simon and Daniel Pinkwater read Tashlin's original book, The Bear That Wasn't on the occasion of its re-issuance by the New York Review of Books Children's Collection.  In case you missed reading the book in your parenting or teaching work, here it is in full color.

Controlling Laptop Use in Class

     "Put Away That Laptop: Professors Pull the Plug" a four-minute report on Weekend Edition caught my ear Saturday morning.  
     From requiring students to have laptops in class to banning laptops from class, teachers are upset with the way students are using their laptops in class.  Ebay, shopping, email, and browsing instead of taking notes are getting in the way.  Yet students complain that teachers need to move beyond "Death by Power Point" classes.  As mentioned in this Weekend Edition piece, here is what one professor did to make his point.

Shakespeare's 446th Birthday Celebration

     This past week our elementary and middle school students and teachers donned their best face-painted Shakespearean moustache to make ready for an assembly that included a prelude to The Tempest (this year's middle school production), a scene from The Tempest acted by the eighth grade leads, a happy birthday sing, and a large cake with the bard's portrait iced on top.
     An unforgettable part of the assembly was when teachers were pitted one-on-one, using Shakespeare insult language.  It was hard to contain the laughter from students AND teachers.

The Genius in All of Us

     I loved Carol Dweck's book Mindset, especially when she writes about "growth mindset" trumping "fixed mindset" and how intelligence can be nurtured over years rather than thinking you get what you get when you are born.  
     Here is a new book about intelligence, The Genius in All of Us: Why Everything You've Been Told About, Genetics, Talent, and IQ is Wrong by David Shenk.  While you are at amazon, use the "Click to LOOK INSIDE" feature and be sure to read the first chapter; it's right there, free.  If you do read the first chapter and you are a baseball fan, you'll love what Shenk says about Boston Red Sox superstar Ted Williams.  
     Also, you can read this NYTimes review by Annie Murphy Paul.  

Test Prep For 4-year Olds?

    In the February issue of New York Magazine the cover article "The Junior Meritocracy" talks about testing 4-year olds for admission to New York City schools.  Four-year olds?  Yup.

     The idea of selling a book to prep preschoolers to take these tests is capitalism at its worst.  $499.00 will get you a copy of the Aristotle Circle workbook.

    "Tips For the Admission Test . . . to Kindergarten," and "Connecting Anxious Parents and Educators, at $450 an Hour" recent NYTimes articles tell a sad tale for our children. . . and their parents.

     How did we get to this point?

Teaching About Greed

     I read to the middle school students the other day Leo Tolstoy's "How Much Land Does a Man Need?"  It is an eloquent story that can help teens understand the obsession and destruction of greed.  And of course, for us adults, the Oliver Stone 1987 movie Wall Street character Gordon Gecko played by Michael Douglas brought greed to the big screen and in an image that updates Tolstoy's farmer.
     Another story "The Fisherman and His Wife" by the Brothers Grimm is excellent for teaching greed to younger children.

Students Who Imagine, Write, and Enjoy Their Work

     You may have noticed that my beaver, Paddlefoot, holds my office door open.  He's not just a doorstop; he is a welcoming friend to all who pass my door.  My littlest friends, the pre-two-year old sibs of enrolled students, are fascinated by the beaver sitting against my door.  I catch myself staring at the toddling tots as they cautiously approach Paddlefoot and size up whether this furry, buck-toothed rodent is real.  With their imagination’s a swirl, some will walk away only to come back relatively soon to explore some more.  Others creep closer and touch Paddlefoot with the encouragement of Mom or Dad. 

      This time of the year, Lower Elementary students share their own stuffed-pet friends with each other.  They bring their fluffy friends into class where these cute, cuddly creatures provide an inspiration for telling stories and creative writing. 

      As part of the occasion, I was invited to introduce Paddlefoot to the LE students.  It was fun to tell them about New York's state animal that weighs around 40 pounds and let the students know that beavers have a reputation for being affable and practical jokers.  At one point, I stopped mid-sentence, opened my eyes wide and said, "Paddlefoot, what did you do?"  After lifting him off of my lap, the students could see that he left something in my lap.  The students erupted into giggles and the teachers rolled their eyes when the mischievous Paddlefoot misbehaved during his visit.

      When I asked the class the question, “Why do beavers dam streams to make ponds?”  Here is the answer I got from an eager second grader: “Beavers build their lodges in the middle of the pond to protect themselves from natural predators.”  My response was, “Wow, great answer.  How did you know that?”  Whereupon he said, “I just watched a nature program about beavers.”  Gotta love the television!  It does teach sometime.

      Here is proof that stuffed animals can inspire six-to-nine-year olds’ writing.  One of the third graders stopped by my office the other day and asked if he could read his stuffed-pet-inspired story to me.  Delighted, I said, "How exciting and what a treat.  Have a seat and please do share your story with me.”  Reading from his beautifully illustrated paper, the main character — the stuffed animal of my reader, Leapy — with his friends Jumpy, James Bear, and John were in a battle in their battleships.  At one point, my friend had to stop reading so that he could demonstrate how the battleship caused the enemy ship to crash.  Using both hands, he maneuvered them in a way that made the story even clearer.  He could tell that he was entertaining his audience.

      The idea that young people can be intrinsically motivated to exercise their imagination, work hard, AND enjoy the whole experience is part of what a Montessori education is all about.  You might read Daniel Pink’s newest NYTimes bestselling book Drive to hear him explain what motivates people and read the endorsement he gives to the Montessori philosophy.  How wonderful it is to see students (and adults, for that matter) eagerly busy enjoying hard work just for the sake of mastery of a skill.

Interviewing Daniel Pink

     As part of my time at the American Montessori Society (AMS) Annual Conference in March, I had the opportunity to sit with bestselling author Daniel Pink and interview him for an article I was assigned to write for Montessori Life magazine.  Our time together was spent just before his conference closing keynote address to over 1,000 Montessori educators.  The article is scheduled to appear in a future issue of Montessori Life.

Readability

     Check out this nifty website. 

     Readability cuts out all of the distracting stuff surrounding articles you would want to read on the Internet.  See the "BEFORE" and "AFTER" in the image to the right.


     It's simple to install and use and makes for reading without flashing distractions.

A Parent-Child Love

One section of the NYTimes that I read faithfully is the Sunday Styles, Modern Love column.  Various writers comment on the different kinds of love we bump into in our modern world.  On Sunday, February 28 a particularly poignant piece caught my attention and heart.  "A Family Label, Ungarbled" by Harriet Brown is honest, beautifully written, and uncovers a description of parent-child love that we often take for granted.  See if you agree. 

Maximize Professional Development Opportunities

     One of the best—and least expensive—ways to maximize professional development opportunities at school is to have conference, workshop, or school-visit experiences brought back to your school by those who attend.  A quick email summarizing the experience or a presentation at faculty and staff meetings, sharing the experience helps everyone learn from the experience.  Here is a recent email I sent to my school colleagues:

Having just returned from attending the 50^th Anniversary Annual Conference of AMS in Boston, I wanted to share with you some of the highlights of my professional development experience.  Being among 3,000 Montessori educators, networking, talking about BHMS, and learning was a treat.  It was during our spring break so I could be there and not have to feel guilty about missing school!

Speakers Heard & Sessions Attended
• Maren Schmidt, author of the book Understanding Montessori A Guide for Parents
• Dr. Stephanie Pace Marshall - Transforming Minds: Reimaging Learning and Schooling for the 21^st Century
• Judi Bauerlein - Living Legacy recipient for 2010 (I had the good fortune to work with her on an accreditation.)
• Dr. Diane Levin - So Sexy So Soon: How Media and Marketing Affect Our Children . . . and What We Can Do to protect Them
• Daniel Pink - author of the bestselling book Drive.  I had the good fortune to interview him for a future article in Montessori Life.
• A session on On-line learning
• A session on what is new in and the future of Montessori research projects and programs
• A session on Montessori research
• Annual AMS Meeting
• Attend a Heads' networking session with over 100 heads of Montessori schools from all over the country.  Many thoughts and ideas were exchanged.

Purchased signed books and CDs for our professional development library
• Montessori in Practice by Lakshmi A. Kripalani - Observations from someone who learned and worked with Dr. Montessori.
• Building Cathedrals Not Walls by Maren Schmidt - Essays for parents and teachers
• Montessori Comes to America by Phyllis Povell - The leadership of Maria Montessori and Nancy McCormick Rambusch - I was able to attend a session to hear Phyllis read from her book.

As an AMS Board member, I had the privilege to be with some of the best and brightest in Montessori education.  Part of our time together was a dinner for the Board hosted by the Kingsley School, a nearby Montessori school for toddlers through sixth grade.  Also, I attended a Gala dinner in celebration of Nancy McCormick Rambusch, founder of AMS, and the Society's 50^th Anniversary.

Present a session to 65 heads, trustees, and administrators with Bob Fricker (a consultant BHMS used on strategic planning) on building a healthy board.

Meeting new people throughout my time is always a treat.

AMS Conference

     I am attending the American Montessori Society (AMS) Annual Conference where 3,000 Montessori educators have gathered in Back Bay Boston to celebrate AMS's 50th anniversary.  It was in 1960 when Dr. Nancy McCormick Rambusch reintroduced America to Dr. Montessori's philosophy, started the Whitby School in Greenwich, CT, and formed AMS.  Made up of 1,100 Montessori schools and 11,000 members, the organization holds its annual conference each year in a major city in the U.S.  This year Dr. Diane Levin (author of So Sexy So Soon), Dr. Stephanie Pace Marshall (author of The Power to Transform: Leadership That Brings Learning and Schooling to Life), and Daniel Pink (bestselling author of A Whole New Mind and Drive) are keynote speakers.  

Ned Hallowell Visit

     Recently, faculty, staff, and parents were fortunate to have Dr. Ned Hallowell spend time at our school.  "Driven From Distraction" and "Childhood Roots of Adult Happiness" were topics all appreciated hearing Dr. Hallowell present.  The best part of our time together was his affable, genial, and expert delivery that is so much a part of Dr. Hallowell's work and approach to supporting children and families.  Visit his comprehensive website to learn more about this author (18 books and growing), psychiatrist, educator, and father of three.

Driving to Year 3

     It was two years ago on March 19, 2008 that this blog took to the Internet with the post "Learning About Montessori."  Oddly enough, the second post was "A Whole New Mind," Daniel Pink's popular, bestselling book.  Having attended the NAIS Annual conference the month before, I was inspired to read the book and write that post.  
     This time I have read his newest book, Drive, and will see him next week at the American Montessori Society Annual conference in Boston.

Small to Big <-> Big to Small

If you are teaching the size of small particles like molecules, atoms, and quarks OR on the other end, large things like planets, solar systems, and galaxies, click below to view the 1977 short documentary film "Powers of Ten" written and directed by Ray Eames.

Drive by Pink via TED - Part 2

     Daniel Pink's newest book Drive has many exceptional ideas and philosophy. He makes a compelling argument for moving from a 20th Century Motivation 2.0 operating system that employs the old "carrot and stick" motivators to a much improved Motivation 3.0 system that advocates for more intrinsic motivators, using autonomy, mastery, and purpose.
     If you don't have time to read his book and want to get an 18-minute insight into Drive click on the TED Talk below.

Drive to ROWE

     I was first inspired when I read Jim Collins' book How the Mighty Fall and he talks about employees who look at their work as a responsibility rather than a job (see my August 28, 2009 post "Job or Responsibility").
     In Daniel Pink's newest book Drive he writes convincingly about motivation and how people accomplish their work.  The book is fascinating.  There is one section of the book where he introduces Jeff Gunther, CEO of Meddius a small company based in Charlottesville, Virginia.  Gunther decided to make his company a "results-only work environment" or ROWE.  In Dirve Pink states "ROWEs are the brainchild of Cali Ressler and Jody Thompson, two former human resources executives at retailer Best Buy.  In a ROWE workplace, people don't have schedules.  They show up when they want.  They don't have to be in the office at a certain time—or any time for that matter.  They just have to get their work done.  How they do it, when they do it, and where they do it is up to them."
     Can this really work?  Get a copy of Drive and learn much much more about how people are motivated.

A Beautiful Father/Son Story - Part 2

A few posts ago I offered a link to a StoryCorps story about a 16-year old father who raised his son.  The following week, StoryCorps presented a sequel that revealed another twist to the original beautiful story.  Very touching, listen to the 2-minute piece ->

Prophetic Pacyderms

     I love John Godfrey Saxe's version of “The Blind Men and the Elephant” where six blind men are positioned at different locations around the elephant each describing what he senses.  

     In my reading, I came across another beautiful piece using the majestic elephant.

      “I was at a meeting recently when a colleague told a story of being in India, where an educator there asked her, somewhat skeptically, ‘In America, you test your students a lot, don’t you?’  She replied, ‘Well, indeed, the United States has a national policy that requires testing of all students in certain grades.’  The Indian educator said, ‘Here, when we want the elephant to grow, we feed the elephant.  We don’t weigh the elephant.’ “

Taken from the article, “Don’t Weigh the Elephant—Feed the Elephant: Feedback Is Key in Assessment,” by Milton Chen, Executive director of the George Lucas Educational Foundation; edutopia.org 

Executive Functioning & Self-regulation in Children

         As reported by our Head of Preschool to parents and faculty: 


"We were fortunate to have New York University Professor Clancy Blair give two inspiring presentations to preschool teachers and parents on his current research, which is studying the development of self-regulation in children using measures of executive functioning and stress physiology and relating these to measures of children’s temperament, adjustment to preschool, and early academic growth.  Executive functions (EFs) are aspects of cognition that are called upon when brain and behavior cannot simply run on automatic, and when one has to stop and exert effort to process information and manage behavior.  In general, EFs are aspects of cognition that are important for planning, future directed thinking, and monitoring of behavior.  Therefore, they are essential for school readiness and early school achievement.  Professor Blair’s research, and that of others in child development, has shown that EFs are better predictors of academic achievement than general intelligence."

A Beautiful Father/Son Story

Click on the picture to hear this beautiful 2 minute, StoryCorps story.

Give Back

     One of the best ways to become involved in professional development for yourself and for educators new to the profession is to have experienced educators mentor new teachers, administrators, and heads of school.  I began mentoring my eighth aspiring head through the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Fellowship for Aspiring School Heads program.  Here a description of the program as presented on the NAIS website:
     "The NAIS Fellowship for Aspiring School Heads is a one-year professional development program for individuals at NAIS member schools who wish to become heads of independent schools. Through programming, mentorship, and a school project, fellows develop their own leadership styles, learn key issues and skills, and develop a strong network. The fellowship is a critical component of NAIS's leadership development philosophy. We invest in this program because we believe strongly in the importance of nurturing the next generation of independent school leaders. Equally important is the investment that fellows, their schools, and their mentors are making in their own leadership development."
     Keep in mind, to have a true mentor/protege relationship there has to be give and receive at both ends — not just mentor giving to protege.  Get involved in mentoring a colleague and GIVE BACK to the profession.

Pink & 930: An Article

     After listening to Daniel Pink author of A Whole New Mind, I was inspired to take what he said and write an article right after I heard him in February 2008 at the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) annual conference in New York.  The article eventually appeared in the September 2009 issue of the American Montessori Society (AMS) Newsletter "Daniel Pink Presentation Sparks Revelation of Long-Held Secret: '930'”
     I am looking forward to seeing him at the AMS annual conference in Boston the end of March.  To get primed to hear him, I picked up his newest book Drive; it was no surprise to read his glowing references to Howard Gardner, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Robert Sternberg, Carol Dweck, etc. as those who were instrumental in the analysis of his motivation operating systems: Motivation 2.0 and Motivation 3.0.
    See what you think about the article.

Faculty & Staff Meetings

There are department faculty meetings, and there are division faculty meetings, and there are school meetings for all employees.  Author Thomas Hoerr discusses these meetings by asking  What If Faculty Meetings Were Voluntary? in his December 2 edweek.org piece.  I enjoyed reading his five myths and how he addresses each.  Here are the five:


Myth No.1. Faculty meetings are good times to share information.
Myth No. 2. Faculty meetings belong to administrators.
Myth No. 3. Faculty meetings are times for administrators to be in charge.
Myth No. 4. Faculty meetings should focus only on content.
Myth No. 5. Faculty meetings are serious, and a smile means we’re not being productive.

The Hunger Games

     The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is a must-read for middle school students and teachers.  It is the first book in a trilogy by Collins.  I thought of S. E. Hinton's The Outsiders while I read the drama-packed Hunger Games and the gang mentality of the characters.  It is one of those books that captures the life of teen years in a very unusual setting.  Snippets of Orwell's Animal Farm came through as well as I read about the Capitol government and big brother hovering over district citizens and tributes.  Click here to get a glimpse of images that depict scenes from the book, but do read the book and get ready for the movie.  
     I'm off to read Catching Fire, the second book in the Hunger Games Trilogy.

Idiom

     Recently while I was at the front doors of the School greeting students and parents at the beginning of school, I noticed a father with his second and fourth grade children approaching.  The father recently changed jobs and was about to begin his first day of his new job.  So, as the three of them entered, I said to the father with a wink of the eye, "Hey, David, break a leg."  He smiled and said, "Thanks."  Immediately the second grader looked up at Dad and said, "Why would Dane tell you to break your leg?"  I had to trust Dad would explain what an idiomatic expression is.  In case you forgot, check out this great site: Using English.com.

More Online Education Resources

     Online resource from Apple:

"iTunesU, part of the iTunes Store, is possibly the world’s greatest collection of free educational media available to students, teachers, and lifelong learners. With over 200,000 educational audio and video files available, iTunes U has quickly become the engine for the mobile learning movement. It puts the power of the iTunes Store in the hands of qualifying universities so they can distribute their educational media to their students or to the world." 
     Visit iTunes U and click on the demonstration video. Pretty amazing.

     Also, you might click on British TV's teachers.tv.

Author, Ventriloquist, Magician

When I walked into our school library during the annual book fair, I knew I would be listening to author Grace Chang read from her book Jin Jin the Dragon.  What I did not expect to see was 40 children and adults mesmerized by this very talented woman.  Jin Jin the dragon came alive with a voice and jaw-dropping magic that captured everyone's imagination.  Visit her website to see a bit of what I am writing about.