Reflections on the New School

It has been a really long time since I have written here... but not for lack of material.  This summer I was at a friends wedding and several people asked me if I was going to continue to  blog about my work.  It was a tremendous compliment to know that folks were reading and connecting with me via the blog.  Since then I have thought about writing many times.  I have been working more than I ever have in my life and have often found myself too tired to think about writing and posting or too drained to think about teaching and education (lately I feel like it is almost all I think or talk about).  It wasn't until today, however that I actually realized how much valuable reflection I have been missing by not writing.  So... here is what is on my mind today.

Just a little over a month ago, the doors of Clark Street Community School opened for the first time.  We have about 110 students in grades 9-12.  (Interesting note: I have never ever taught a ninth grader until this year.  Turns out they are generally sweet and small.)  I have an advisory made up of 15 kiddos who I meet with on a daily basis.  I am also co-teaching a seminar (group project) with our science teacher called Paths of Discovery.  The remainder of my time is spent working on our leadership team, meeting with community partners, re-working our schedule, serving on our governance board, managing communications, and working with the many nuts and bolts of starting up.  In all of these endeavors I am aided by my talented and hard working colleagues and/or community members.  

People who know about the school often ask me how things are going.  My usual answer is that things are really, really good and really, really hard.  Last year, our staff all took the Myers-Briggs test to know more about how each of us work and how we work as a team.  I can't remember the letters that were assigned to me, but one of the characteristics of my type that I remember and reflect on often is that my type is known to have "unrealistic expectations".  Since we have shared and discussed the results of the test, my colleagues have gotten several good laughs at my "unrealistic expectations" (which I really think are just "high" expectations) that I reveal on a regular basis.  Whether my expectations are high or unrealistic, they manifest themselves in two ways.  One, I tend to over-notice what is not going well instead of having a more balanced perspective.  So some days things feel really, really good, but if I am honest, I often focus on what is really, really hard.  That said, I have to imagine that this is how all brand new things feel to anyone who is involved in their start-up.  Two, no matter how really, really hard something feels, I never cease to believe that we can't do exactly what we had planned to do with unwavering success.  What I am finding is that when something is new, you can't always be everything you want to be right away; you have to grow into it.  I often have a hard time being patient with this, but I understand it in a new way now which I think is helpful and important.

What I feel really good about is that in many ways, slowly but surely, I see that our work and our conversations are un-schooling our students, our families and ourselves.  Teachers are schooled to tell students what and how to do things; students are schooled to be told what and how to do everything.  In our current work I see students and teachers moving away from this model and connecting with what it means to really learn something; this unfolds into how do you show that you have learned something?  How do you accurately assess learning?  How can we support deep, meaningful learning experiences?  There is a lot of transitioning on behalf of all parties, students, teachers and families.  Sometimes when it feels like things are not working, I think it is really the transition of un-schooling taking place.

Things I need to work on include striking a better balance.  It is Sunday evening and I have worked quite a bit this weekend.  I had a lot of work to do, but I also find myself thinking about work often.  While I enjoy most of what I get to do in my job and feel more professionally fulfilled now than I ever have, I know that I need to shut it off every now and then so that I can refresh.  I know that will in the end make me much better and happier at my job.  

Thanks for reading.  

The book that is changing my life

Not to be demanding or anything, but I am going to need everyone I know to purchase and read Walk Walk Out, Walk On but Margaret Wheatley and Deborah Frieze.  I have given you a hyper link, so go on, click and purchase.  Thanks.

Now that we have that accomplished... I would like to tell you a little bit about where I am coming from here.  For the past six months, my principal has said to me: "Have I told you about Walk Out, Walk On?" or "This is just like in Walk Out, Walk On..." or "Since reading Walk Out, Walk On..." at least once a day.  This week one of the authors, Deborah Frieze came to Madison to talk about her work.  As I walked away from the discussion that night, I knew that in the coming years, I would look back at that event as a seminal time that changed the way I think about my work. 

As I finished reading the book this morning, I so badly wanted to write a blog entry about it, but right now, I think my mind is really just marinating in the stories and ideas and I can't seem to come up with one or two coherent thoughts. (Aren't you glad you are reading this blog?)

So, as I need some time to work with these ideas, I decided to share some of the most powerful selections from the book with you.  If for some unknown reason you have not yet ordered your own copy, this should change your mind.  Warning: some of these quotes reveal the really challenging ideas (and I would say truths) about living and working with others.  Prepare to be disrupted. 

Walk Out, Walk On Principals
Start anywhere, follow it everywhere.
We make our path by walking.
We have what we need.
The leaders we need are already here.
We are living the worlds we want today.
We walk at the pace of the slowest.
We listen, even to the whispers.
We turn to one another.

On playing instead of working...

"When we play, we're in a constant process of discovery, experimentation, risk-taking, and creation.  We tinker.  We invent.  We dream and we imagine and we make believe until it's time to go our there and build the world we dream of" (59).

"Yes, play creates chaos and redundancy and confusion.  But it also creates the space in which we invent together, we inspire each other, and we talk through our differences" (61).

Assumptions that limit our ability to play...
-The answers exist out there - and the experts have them.
-To get things done, you need people of power and influence to champion your cause.
-Plan ahead and stick to your plan.
-Nothing gets done right unless you're in control.
-Don't ask for other people's opinions.
-We don't have time to experiment and tinker around.
-We mustn't fail!  (And when we do, find someone to blame). (62)

"Play returns us to a state in which we can see what's possible - not what's so" (64).

On problems...
"What if we experts could acknowledge our frustration and become curious?  What if we got interested in the interconnectedness of a problem rather than trying to hold it all within our one speciality?  What if we noticed all the others who are connected to this problem, who are motivated to solve it?... We discover more is possible with curiosity than with certainty.  We discover that not being right opens the space for other people's good ideas.  We discover there are many people just like us, deeply committed to finding a solution" (96-97). 

On gifting...
"We all have different needs for safety and security.  But security can also come from relationships rather than stuff, and gift culture is an invitation to deepen our relationships" (145).

On intervention...
"However well intentioned the intervention might be, it is always rooted in the belief that people need help, they can't help themselves, and it is our duty to 'interrupt' their experience on their behalf" (170).

"Intervention is not fundamentally flawed... But it's a short-term strategy for the immediate situation; any longer-term change requires the engagement of the person or people" (171).

On becoming a host rather than a hero...
"'We believe that when human beings are invited to work together on what truly matters to them, they will take ownership and responsibility for moving their issues and ideas into wiser actions than the last'" (191). 

"And it is time for us to give up our personal attempts at heroism.  Are you acting as a hero?  Here's how you know.  You're acting as a hero when you believe that if you just work harder and put in more hours, you'll fix things; that if you just become smarter or learn a new technique, you'll be able to solve problems for others.  You're acting as a hero if you take on more and more projects or causes, no matter how worthy, and have less time for the people you love and the activities that nourish you.  You're playing the hero if you still hold the belief that it's up to you to save the situation, the person, the world" (210). 

On Learning...
"Learning is not about getting it right or becoming the expert; it is about creating an environment of conviviality, discovery, and joyfulness" (25).

On Forgiveness...
"'To forgive is not to be altruistic.  It is the best form of self-interest.  What dehumanizes you, inexorably dehumanizes me.  Forgiveness gives people resilience, enabling them to survive and emerge still human despite all the efforts to dehumanize them'" (82).



There is so much more I want to write, but I will leave it at that.  I am excited to take up this lens with my work.  There are some aspects that will be much harder for me than others, but I believe that I can do more through my community than I can do alone. 

If you feel confused, intrigued, excited, I encourage you to read more.  I would love to talk with anyone who does.

Go Big Read

In my Life Skills class we have a traditional circle question at the start of each new week: a low (challenging part) of your weekend, a high (great part) of your weekend, and a goal for your week.  I am going to follow this format for my entry about the Go Big Read because it is a perfect way to tell the story.

Low

7 October 2011

Yesterday I took my students on a ropes course field trip.  It was a beautiful October day and my kiddos were fantastic.  They surprised themselves with how much they could accomplish, how well they could support each other, and how much fun they had. 

After school yesterday, I attended a workshop on Socratic Seminars.  I am a newbie to this form of discussion, so I won't go on about it now, except to say that I am super excited to work with this method in the future. 

Between the ropes course and the workshop I stopped back at my classroom to see how things went while I was away.  One of my classes is taking part in a community conversation in connection with the University of Wisconsin - Madison Go Big Read program.  They are reading a book called Enrique's Journey by Sonia Nazario which tells the story of one young man and his journey from Honduras to the United States to find his mother.  I am planning this conversation for students with several other teachers, mainly folks I met this summer during the Summer Institute.  The workshop I mentioned previously was part of the preparation for our event.  Lots of time, money, and energy has been spent to make this event special and meaningful for the students involved.  Returning to my classroom after the ropes course, I found a report from the sub explaining that not one of my students had completed the first reading assignment for the day. 

I love - love - my students in so many ways.  They are challenging, insightful, real.  I wouldn't for a second go back to students who only want to know if what I am saying is going to be on the test or why they have an A- and not an A.  But sometimes, it feels so very hard to teach the students I have.  Swim through concrete.  Nail Jello to a wall.  Read 44 pages over three days - why couldn't they do that much?

At the Socratic Seminar workshop, the presenter described the seminars as focused and intelligent dialogue that interrogates a text.  While I understand the value of the metaphor of my students completing a high ropes course, I don't want to watch teenagers do trust falls all day.  It is focused and intellectual dialogue that makes my heart skip a beat. 

Sometimes teaching is really hard.  Sometimes you are unsuccessful no matter how hard you work.  Today was disappointing. 

High

19 October 2011

The Go Big Read event was one of the coolest educational opportunities I have been involved in.  Despite my concern, the majority of my students completed the reading, prepared for our event, and participated.  With much help from many talented and dedicated teachers, we brought in two speakers, Professor Susan Robinson from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication who spoke to the students about the method of storytelling that Nazaro engages and Professor Petra Guerra, Associate Director of Chicano and Latino Studies who spoke about immigrant representation in mass media.  UW freshman from English 100 courses lead groups of students in seminars.  

I think there were so many directly and indirectly positive things that came out of this event: our students got to visit UW Madison, talk with college students, hear college professors, see the media coverage of an event they were a part of.  They talked about the book they read, heard stories, asked questions, made connections.  We were able to share with them the heart of the Go Big Read - engaging in conversation over a thought provoking text.  It is, of course, how "real people" (as opposed to "high school students") really read and learn (why is there a difference??).  We ended the event asking students to write on a post it note what they had learned, thought about, or realized during their experience.  At the very end, we invited students to stand and share what they wrote.  After a few minutes of awkward silence, one by one, students stood and said a few words about what this book and this experience meant to them. 

What I like the most about the Go Big Read is, as my friend Lauren so eloquently said (and I will be stealing to use again), is that we don't read or write in isolation and events like ours and the Go Big Read provide the opportunity for people to come together and talk about their reading.  For me, reading and writing are infinitely more powerful and profound when shared with others.  I hope that with this event we begin a tradition of bringing high school students into the conversation at this annual university community read.

Goal

I learned a lot from the highs and lows of this experience.  I know that I would like to continue having students read the GBR book selections and participate in the many community discussions and activities that take place.  Early on, much of my frustration came from the fact that I was working so hard to provide them with an authentic learning experience (which they should be so excited and grateful for because they are stuck inside schools and desks all day), but they are stuck inside schools and desks all day and they don't remember how fun authentic learning experiences can be.   

 

Coming away from this event, my goal is to use what I learned to create a school where students have more choice and therefore (hopefully) more ownership of their learning.  But more importantly (to me) is that they remember how fun learning, discussing, and questioning can be.  I want to create many more opportunities for this kind of learning to happen and I want to be patient as my students learn to remember.    

For more on this event:

UW Students Lead Go Big Read Discussions

Students Engage in Socratic Discussions of Enrique's Journey

Oh right... I have a blog.

For anyone who read this blog at any regular interval, I apologize for the extreme lack of content for the past several months.  Something that happens to teachers (me, at least) is that we have grand plans over the summer as to what our lives can be like during the school year: I am going to read, blog, and make dinner every day.  At some point, the honeymoon of summer wears off, you haven't read anything that you are not also grading, you forgot you ever created a blog, and you are eating take-out from Qdoba. 

I am being dramatic, but as I tell my husband, no one knows the difference and it always makes the story better. 

In truth, I haven't been writing much at all for myself since the start of the school year.  I didn't realize how  much I missed it until I got together with some of my Greater Madison Writing Project peeps a few weeks ago.  We caught up, reminisced about the summer, and wrote together with a prompt from Lynda Barry's book What It Is. 
I left our get together bought my own copy of Barry's book (I recommend that you do too) and made a list of all the events, ideas, questions, growing pains I wish I had written about in a timely fashion this year.  So, better late than never, perhaps, I am going to go back and share some of the happenings of my year with you. 

I look forward to reflecting as well as catching up.  Thanks for reading.