Leveraging Learning

Maps have entered into my conversations a great deal in the last week.  A friend stopped by asking, "isn't there a better way to get here?"  At Christmas dinner a fellow guest shared his passion for cartography.  On Boxing Day, we programmed the GPS to get us to Washington, D.C.  We looked at a friend's house in Sweden on Google maps just last night (see below). Maps are an old idea.  I'm sure my son, a map-enthusiast, could give you the history of maps.  He could certainly find you the most useful map with the best route for where ever you need to get.  He has an internal map which he supplements with paper and digital maps to find the best route to get anywhere. As educators, we often lack a good map.  Sure, we have a general idea about our destination and we do some research to discover the different paths and routes available to us, but often schools and classrooms find themselves asking "how will we get there?" I've spent a great deal o...

Happy Birthday, Emily Dickinson!  We spent some time in class talking about her life, her influences and her poems today.  My favorite has always been #314.  There is something lovely in the idea that hope "sings the tune without the words and never stops at all." In addition to being a thing with feathers, hope is a thing we all need.  As both a noun and a verb, it is a thing that we have and a thing that we do. For me, the noun kind of hope is more important than the verb variety.  We all hope (verb) for things - new cars, better shoes, a day off - and these change with our needs. But the hope that we have - the belief or trust in something or someone - needs to be more constant.  We need to have hope that our schools are making appropriate decisions and implementing wise practices.  We need to have hope that our students are being challenged and supported.  We need to have hope that what we do today will have a positive impact on the futu...

Kindness is important.  But unlike other important things, it really isn't that hard to do.  If you pay attention to those around you, you can figure out what they need.  Often, the things they need aren't all that difficult to provide - a little of your time, a listening ear, a compliment, a joke.  These are things we can give without much effort or investment. In spite of the ease with which they are given, these little things so a really long way.  Think back to the moments and people in your life that touched you.  It was cold and the kids were cranky, but the guys at the Dunkin Donuts had my order ready as I walked in the door.  Riddled with self-doubt about a decision and my brother said, "you should go for it."  Bored on a Saturday night, and my son asked me to play the Wii with him.  While buying produce on a busy day, the shop keeper gave me a few apples for free. These acts of kindness took almost no effort on the part of the ot...

If you have never met my mom, you are really missing out.  She is remarkable.  She raised seven children into (mostly) productive adulthood.  She is a grandmother to ten grandchildren.  She has a beautiful garden and makes wonderful parties.  No one ever feels lonely when they are with her. Life has not always been easy for Maggie.  She was the oldest of three and grew up in a difficult household.  She was the first of her family to go to college.  There, she met my dad and they inadvertently started a family.  The kids kept coming and the money wasn't always there.  Even so, Maggie made sure everyone was provided for. She had trained to be a teacher.  Once the children were old enough for her to enter the workforce, she began teaching at a parochial school in Newark, New Jersey.  There, she found out that she hated teaching. She enrolled in nursing school, but found out she was pregnant at the start of her first semester...

It is cold and snowy today, but I can't complain because I had the the day off.  Not having to instruct, facilitate or conference has been delightful.  I folded laundry, finished the crossword puzzle and played (and lost) a game of Trivial Pursuit with my kids.  Really, from the moment I woke up, today has been filled with simple joys (and it is only 3:30!). But if I were pressed, I'd have to say the three simple things that give me the most joy are: Sunshine.   I know this makes me sound either like a huge John Denver fan or a beach bum (both of which are true for me occasionally), but sunshine is the best.  At the pool or the beach I am sometimes so happy to be in the sun that I jump up and down or cry.  (I never said this was normal).  On winter afternoon, I know exactly where to sit on the sofa to maximize the late afternoon rays.  When it is cold, I park the car in the sun so I can close my eyes and feel the warmth.  Something about...

I am bad with time.  Sometimes the period ends and we have more learning and thinking to do.  Other times, we finish the the project or issue at hand and there are still several minutes before the end of the period.  I prefer this to the first option, but still. Wouldn't it be great if we could let go of the schedules that limit or restrict the time we can spend on a project or idea?  In all honesty, I haven't figured out a practical solution.  I just know that I want one, because if I could let go of one thing, it would be the clock.

When I think about what school should look like in the future, I think of the word OPEN. An open book - Things will be transparent for all stakeholders. Open arms - The way in which we will welcome all students and new ideas. Open floor plan - Classrooms will provide more space for collaboration and projects. Open to new ideas - Schools will be receptive to change and progress. Keep our options open - Schools will not limit themselves by old ways and ideas. Open - Like the U.S. Open, in which everyone can play. Open enrollment - Schools will accept students when it is an appropriate time and not be guided by arbitrary dates. Open season - Opportunities for learning will exists all year long, so that student can have safe places to learn and grow. Open access - All students will have the technology needed for success. The word open has many uses, but basically means to un-close or unfasten.  It is high time we open quality education up for everyone and remove existing ...