Back to work

I've had July off from work - and since it's the end of July, I'll be going back soon. It's a good job by almost every standard. I like the people I work for and with. My office is nice, pay is good, I feel valued, I'm pretty high on the food chain, and I'm in a position to direct my my day so that it's interesting and fun. So why is my resume ready. Well there's overload - too much in too little time - there's weariness with State mandates from politicians who are clueless about the realities of education - there's convoluted attitudes, beliefs & assumptions about what education can and can not accomplish - and worst of all, there's can't wait to go home and there's wondering what else is out there.

I've worked in Education all my life. My job has certainly has changed over the past 25 years - and so have the students we serve. But Education hasn't really changed - still the old agrarian model with summers off, still the sacred cows (don't mess with the sports schedule, don't mess with "neighborhood schools") ; still the "educators are paid too much" moaning, still the philosophy of do more with less, still the dumping ground where all social problems must be solved. So, the computers are ancient, the roofs are leaking and the class sizes are going up, and good teachers (young and old) are leaving the profession in droves. At the same time, the expectations are out of sight. Without a partnership model, schools are responsible for translating content benchmarks into life lessons for all students, no matter the social, economic or biological baggage he or she may bring to the school. - a sows ear into a silk purse - no exceptions so get busy. And of course, if those scores on the ever changing tests don't rise, the politicians need only point fingers toward the smucks at the local level.

Alfie Kohn is one of my favorite writers. (http://www.alfiekohn.org/index.html) He once wrote me that if your tired of dancing to their tune, start making some music of your own. I don't know how to do that without getting smacked down with the attitudes, beliefs, & assumptions part.

So, I'll keep going to work - and doing my best, but my resume is out there. I can contribute A LOT- but I don't think I can do it in education. I'm not worn out, just spinning my wheels. There's got to be more.

Education & systems thinking

Been reading Obama's book The Audacity of Hope. Quite impressive philosophy on education, considering that he's not worked in education. He writes that it doesn't much matter how much money we put into education if the kids don't come to school willing to work hard and delay gratification. That means that someone at home has to influence the kids about why education, or lack thereof, can seriously impact quality of life. They do that by show & tell - and most of all follow-thru.

Schools can do better. But even if everything about the schools is outstanding, there still has to be a compliment of components in place to affect a child's future in a positive way. Her natural ability, the teachers, the parents, the resources, the attitudes, beliefs & assumptions about public education. Think of the possibilities if all of these components were in place!! Think of the constant battle necessary to get there and stay there.

I am interested in the change process. It's been my observation that people don't change and that most change we see is only a veneer. The real change comes when we dig out those attitudes, beliefs and assumptions - those unconscious mental models formed long ago of how the world works - bring them to the forefront of consciousness, see how self defeating they are, and then challenge them. When the damage they cause and the legacy they leave are exposed to the light of day, we may see real change.

Unexpected image

I'm the photographer and also can be seen in this photo 3 times - I'm the stick figure taking the photo on the rear center and a little higher on the left and right. Anyone want to guess what this is?? Never mind. It's the famous bean in Chicago Millennium Park- "Cloud Gate" designed by Anish Kapoor, and created by the City of Chicago Millennium Park Project team.

Both my kids live in Chicago. I like to visit - especially now that I have a sweet granddaughter to hold. But the kids can only take so much of me, so there's time to roam around downtown, take pictures and watch people.

People watching is one of my favorite pastimes-- goes with photography. I like to sit at an outdoor cafe with my coffee and flit from face to face until I find someone I want to light upon. There are alot of beggars in downtown Chicago. Inevitably, they greet me as I walk by their corner or stoop. Just a "good morning" with a shake of the cup. I always turned away, uncomfortable because I fear that they would gain an advantage if I looked at them --if I let my guard down. But that's not true. By not looking at them, I'm denying their humanity - and I'm not going to do that anymore.

Glenn stands in front of a Starbucks on MI avenue with his quiet smile. He hails all who pass by with a greeting. There's an outdoor seating area in front of his Starbucks, so it's easy to sit, sip coffee, and observe those who must pass him by. Some mumble something to his greeting but look down, maybe give him a few coins. Most people just pretend that he's not there. Somehow, he maintains his dignity. Just goes to show it's not someone else who gives you your dignity.

Every one of us seems to have an innate ability to sense an advantage when it comes her way. Hell, my cat can do that. That doesn't mean that her motives are sinister. It's about survival.

Somebody said that we'll be judged on how we treat the least fortunate among us.
I think we're in trouble.

Victoria Island

I was on Victoria Island a few years back. It's a beautiful walkers' paradise. Everywhere I walked, there were benches placed in scenic spots just calling to you to sit a spell and take in the glorious view. They were pretty comfortable -made of some recyclable materials, had back rests, arm rests, long enough to lie down, but not stretch out. Each bench had a dedication in the form of a little plaque in the top/center of the back rest. I wondered then how I could get a bench dedicated to me and if I'd be able to choose where that bench would be placed. Maybe high on the bluff, overlooking the ocean, so when someone sat down they could think of me dedicating this bench so they could sit down and watch the seals play in the ocean below.

There's probably a waiting list for bench dedications. I'm sure it's not free. You probably have to be important - or know somebody who is important. I bet you have to be Canadian. You might even have to be dead. And after going through all of that hassle to get a bench, who decides where your bench goes? I don't really want a bench on a highway next to the trash bin or in a rest stop near the bathroom door. But, Canadians are pretty thoughtful. There are probably standards for bench placement. Even so, I wouldn't want that thankless job.

Audrey

Audrey is just 37 days old. On day 3, when it was time to go home from the hospital, Audrey could track her mother's voice. Basic survival skill, I know, but when such a tiny baby turns her head to make eye contact with her mom - that's got to be the closest thing to pure love that I've ever seen. Let's hope all babies go home with that.

That connection forged-from the very beginning- between mother and baby is the starting gate for her education. Words are an essential part of that bond. The more words, the more complex and varied the thoughts. How can you think without words?

The problem is that children don't all come to Kindergarten with the same arsenal of words. Some come unpracticed in basic thinking - because they don't have the words with which to think. Some have never been read to or taught to hold a pencil. The potential of these little vessels is massive. The problem has everything to do with who's pouring.

It's not that these children are not loved. We'd be in a lot worse shape if they came to school unloved. But they need books - and hundreds of thousands of words - and someone to sit down and read with them, talk with them, and help them coax meaning out of the pictures and words.


Dolly Parton is one of my heroes. The mission of her organization, "Imagination Library" is to get age appropriate, new books into the hands of children every single month from birth until they turn 5, regardless of their family's income. (http://www.imaginationlibrary.com) I like Dolly's voice, I like her smile, I like her style, but mostly I like how she focuses her star power to get kids the tools they need to think.

Parents are a child's first and most important teachers. If we want to insure health & prosperity and the very future of our country, we'd better make sure the books and words are there from the very beginning of a child's life.

It's all been said before. Why is something so obvious shoved off the table? Does public education have so little credulity? Why is education NOT a priority?

My cat doesn't generally exhibit much foresight, but she gets pretty concerned if I don't fill her bowl - long before that bowl is empty - and starts complaining about it long and loud. Maybe our leaders are more like her than not - they certainly appear to have the wherewithal to predict the dire consequences of a short sited education system, but as long as their bowls, and their constituents bowls, are full it's not really something to worry about.

About me

I'm a proud liberal, weary of sound bites and phonies pretending to care. I'm tired of being afraid. I think that's why I'm not making a difference. I'm trying to figure out what's real and what's an illusion--It seems everything I think I have control over is an illusion.

I admire people who's beauty is quiet; who aren't preachy or pithy; who walk more than they talk, who are comfortable with who they are, and who know the core of what they believe. My heroes are smart, don't swagger, have a sense of humor and are mostly kind.

I'm writing this blog to flesh out my philosophy on why education matters and why choices matter. I plan to dig, try to understand what's down there, and then reshape and relocate what I find in a whole new location. More than likely most things will be buried again, just from the sheer force of so many other things to exhume & explore. I plan not to approach this dig with fear or revulsion. We'll see how far I get.