One of the most evident things in education that is very obvious is that experienced teachers are reluctant to change whereas new teachers embrace the new ideologies. Dr. Phil Schlecty talks of this concept and refers to the change embracers as “trailblazers” and the reluctant ones as sitting on the porch or saboteurs.

21st century leaders will continue to be challenged by the porch sitters or saboteurs because their way is the way they have always done it. It is the leaders’ job to convince the reluctant educators that the new way is the better way to challenge their students or “customers”, as Dr. Jim Hawkins would say. How does a leader convince someone to change that is reluctant to it? A leader needs to show empirical research that proves the system works as well as get them to buy into the system as best practice.   

Research drives everything. In the business world there is continual research in order to provide a better product to consumers. The same goes for all areas outside of education. Education there is tons of research done and as doctoral students we will provide more to this industry however, will it be enough to convince current educators that there should be a change? Some leaders will begin the change process but will either be released from their duties or give in to old habits when met with constant resistance.

Although philosophically things may look like the right thing on paper, stakeholders still need to see the cold hard evidence. As a leader you will need to ensure that there is research to back up your proposed change in order to begin to change the porch sitters or saboteurs to do best practice for our customers.

Technology now has students challenging teachers on who is the expert. With the increase in technology and teachers wanting to incorporate it into their classrooms it can lead to ethical implications. Knowing that certain sources on the internet are not reliable, it can lead to misinformation of knowledge.

So what is the best way students learn? We know lessons have to be engaging and challenging for students to learn. We also know that sometimes students learn best when taught by their peers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frwP9f85TnU,  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhvaDFwmfBY This next video link shows shows how education needs to change in order for students to be successful in the 21st century. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-644gVjock However, if we increase the use of technology in the classroom will it lead to students finding information that is not appropriate for schools? Or can we as educators become educated enough to teach our students to understand the nature of knowledge, how it is constructed, and how knowledge reflects the values, perspectives, and experiences of its creators?

As a school leader I must make sure the knowledge that my teachers are giving my students is current and does not have an expired “copyright” date.

Until Sunday she never really knew what it was like to be a great-grandmother. Sunday that was made possible. My wife, my girls, and I loaded up in my truck and drove to my mother’s house so that my girls could meet my grandmother and spend some time with her. My grandmother hugged and loved on my girls just like their GiGi (my mom) does. My grandmother from what I remembered as a child was never one for showing a lot of emotion. On Sunday she either made a liar out of me or has changed her philosophy on life.

My mother shared with me when we arrived at her house that my grandmother made the comment this morning that she wished she was at home. I am hoping after today and the holidays coming up that she realizes that this is a great place to be. I will continue to pray that she sees the love that our family has for her and each other and that she is wanted here.

I am very excited that she is here and hope that she stays here for many years to come. I really never had an opportunity growing up to know my grandmother and I think this is God’s way of letting her and I have that opportunity. I am truly blessed to have this opportunity and I do not plan on letting it slip away.

The  International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) is trying to teach true citizenship one school at a time. The mission of the IBO is to create life long learners who appreciate and understand people of different cultures. http://www.ibo.org/mission/  As Peter mentioned in his blog the IBO uses “profiles and attitudes” to teach empathy through planners http://peterhartley.blogspot.com/. Planners are Programmes of Inquiry that focus on six transdisciplinary themes. Here is link to an example of Programmes of Inquiry for a school http://www.ismoshi.org/PriPOI.pdf. As you can see it really gives a student an appreciation for other cultures and themselves through these units of study.

I believe if we are able to teach students empathy for other cultures that our students will be better prepared to be productive citizens of the world. Therefore, to give an answer to focus question three I would say that not at this point are global entities constructing new concepts of citizenship because of the many conflicts around the world. However, something can be done. It will take many of us to help make this happen but I know of 23 people including myself that want a better future for our students. Remember, “We are the hope.”

*Disclaimer: I have heard talk in the last couple of years of the United States, Canada, and Mexico going to the same form of currency and eventually the world. I am not advocating for this to happen. I am still a conservative in my way of thinking about the world. I really do believe if this happened it would be the downfall of the US economy. I know our economy is not in the greatest shape but I do believe there is still hope. *

All of that to get to this. As a leader we often are faced with tragedies that must be addressed. We are counted on to say something motivational and sympathetic. I was very disappointed how the president took this opportunity to address someone who supposedly he had been dying to give a shout out to before speaking about the tragedy that had just happenend on Fort Hood.

Maybe I am to conservative ion my views but my thoughts are that was not appropriate reaction to be taken by our commander chief of the armed forces. This has really impacted me because even though we are in a changing global market some things should be handled with a little dignity.

The current workforce has approximatley three different generations of workers. They are the Baby Boomer , GenerationX (latch key), and Generation Y/Millenials. All three of these genrations having their own unique spin how to do perform at their job. So what does a leader in the education realm need to do to reach their teachers and students? I think there are three leadership imperatives that address this need. They are trust, innovation, and relevance.

Covey via Skip Reardon’s blog,  says that trust needs to be built. A leader must be able to garner those relationships with their employees.  http://sixdisciplines.blogspot.com/2007/12/coveys-four-imperatives-of-leadership.html Trust is key in building any relationship. Let’s take the coveted experience of marriage. You have two people who enter into a relationship that is built on trust. They both trust each other and believe that each other will live up to the vows that they said to each other on that special day in front of family and friends. Your employees and students must be able to trust that you will do what you say. If you break that bond of trust you have then tainted that relationship.

The next imperative covey says “is to clarify purpose”, or in my words the relevance. Why I am teaching this or why do I have to learn this? It is important to be able to explain to your teachers, leaders, and/or students why this is important. If people do not see the relevance in the task you can’t use that old addage that I have heard so many parents say “because I said so”. That phrase does not work anymore, with most people. I still fall for it sometimes but it is only because I see the relevance of the task.

The last imperative has to be innovation. Here comes another story for you…yes another one. There is a student who does not do any work in class but when asked to explain a concept he/she can spout it off to you in depth. It is very possible the child has ADHD but is currently not been diagnosed. We will call this child Johnny for the sake of gender identification. Johnny’s teacher is very frustrated because she cannot get him to complete any of his assignments. Them one done Johnny’s teacher puts a copy of the newspaper on Johnny’s desk. He ask is this for me? with excitement in his voice. The teacher right then has an idea…and says yes Johnny but only after you finish your work. From that point until currently Johnny is completing every assignement in class and is full of the latest news. Johnny’s teacher was innovative in her thinking and was bale to get Johnny to complete his work. However, the work Johnny was doing his teacher failed to point out the relevance of it and that is where the problem began.   

This link from CBS news explains millenials coming into the workforce and what current leaders in the workforce should be trying to do to reach these young workers. http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4126233n&tag=related;photovideo

ENJOY!

Often times as puberty kicks in to children we notice a shift in the participation from girls. Educators tend to notice that girls do not particpate as much and their grades tend to drop in the areas of science and math. One theory is that girls do not want boys to see how smart they are because they are afraid the boys will not like them. Another theory is that boys are exposed to more mechanical and problem solving techniques which results in better understanding of math and science concepts.

As leaders in education we need to find a way to close this gap. One way would be to do homogenous grouping classes by gender so that girls are not intimadated by the boys and feel free to answer and participate. I know in public schools this is not a feasible option to exercise. Another option to try is to do rotations done by gender and then ability amongst the genders. Of course this is not a problem in private institutions but the issue here is money. Not everyone can afford to have their child privately educated so we must find a way to do this publicly so that girls and boys scores in the area of math and science are equal.

Here is a link that explains it all. Okay maybe not all but I thought it fit with my blog. Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1X2l7jgAx8

Have you ever met anyone who is so negative that their negativity begins to rub off on you, you pop off at the mouth at them, or just walk away? Well this is the world I am living in right now, and I am afraid that I am going to offend somebody. It is very hard because they are very negative about my chosen profession because they do not like it. You know I have a hard time when someone bags on my lively hood especially when I love it so much. I could never ever see myself doing anything else except what it best for kids especially in education.  The negativity that radiates from them has thrown me off my game. I am not the administrator I was last year, or the student I used to be. I find myself so exhausted at the end of the day that I do not want to do anything but veg out. This is really hard for me because I am usually a very positive person and try to have a smile on my face. Lately I have been felling like I need some bipolar medication or Prozac (not sure on the spelling).

My mother has been my rock my entire life. Well tonight I was very tempted to go see my rock.

I am going to end this edition of JT’s World with a prayer. Please do not feel obligated to read it, but I really have to say it at this point. I am sorry if I have shared more than you wanted read about my personal life but I had to vent. Thank you for letting me.

Dear Lord,

Thank you for all my blessings in this world. You are truly my rock. Please look over my family and friends in their future endeavors this week. Lord please give me the strength and patience to handle and deal with the pressures I am currently feeling, because I feel as if I am going to breakdown and cry. You know I have a hard time letting go when I put things in your hands. Please help me let go and help others do the same because only then do our problems present a solution. 

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

So what are the copyright dates of our fellow colleagues in education? Do different copyright dates affect the relationships between teachers to administrators, teachers to students, and teachers to teachers? Is the copyright date amongst fellow educators a bigger diversity challenge than that of race/ethnicity?

Traditionally, Asian students have always recieved a more rigourous education than Americans.Why is that or is it even the case today? In the book “Catching Up or Leading the Way: American Education in the Age of Globalization”, by Yong Zhao, the author’s intention was to look at the rigourous education system of the Chinese. However, the author came to realize, after beginning his research, that the Chinese have moved away from this type of curriculum and have moved to more of a discovery or self directed model of learning. Why? It is of course in relation to the change of the global market.  Zhao then discovered that America has moved to the rigorous type of education system that once was so popular and successful with the Chinese.

As we reflect in history on education we have made great strides when it comes to whom we teach in our classes. Let’s take it back for a minute and think about when schools were segragated. I think this is best portrayed in the movie “Remember the Titans”. This link will show the beginnig of the unification of the team http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbWVJM2m_VI. At this point in American Education race/ethnicity was the issue. Does it still seem to be a problem today or are educators to stuck in their ways of this is the way I have always done it?

This next link from Sierra College talks about generational diveristy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PW1dpqLQNSo and what their staff should be aware of when teaching their students. Myself beign a Gen Xer I think it is hard to sometimes believe how Millenials function. Millenials are truly the masters of multi tasking. As educators we must recognize this and be able to conform to their needs. If we do not do it soon then we will soon be faced with another event in schools much like desegragation and could leave many educators out of work.

So let me end with asking you this question, what is your copyright date?

Do educators and stakeholders in education know what it takes to reach today’s student? Are we doing what it takes to make a good case for our students? Current and future leaders in education should be involving all stakeholders in education. Leaders should be a walking commercial for their school/district to make stakeholders want to come and visit and see what you keep bragging about. One of things I have learned from one of the upcoming leaders in this state is to make yourself visible. I have noticed the respect this person has gained from doing this, but even more than this I have noticed the inquiry from others (stakeholders) into what has been done to create success. I will end with the famous line from the movie Field of Dreams, “If you build it they will come”. Get the stakeholders in the door and they will continue to come and support the schools/district in its ventures.