The ISTE Bends and how to Fix Them (Draft 1)

The ISTE BENDS

SCUBA DIVE?

Sorry to be such a nerd sometimes- but this is how my brain works and like the song from the Greatest Showman says, “This is Me.” I can’t help it. 

I might be the only one in the world who is 10 inches away from a coral reef, 100 feet down in the water off Roatan Island thinking…  “Abraham Lincoln would be jealous.” And then I thought "So would George Washington, King David, etc." How many in history have NEVER laid eyes on what I was able to see now because of technology. Yes- I know. WHO puts Abraham Lincoln and Scuba together? There is more where that came from- like what connects the tongue to Columbus? My theory is that if we had no taste buds we would not have a Columbus, Ohio- instead we would have a Nipmuc, England- sorry for those of you that just went BOOM. I know, I know, my brain does this all the time.

So I am blogging- I have read about this recently in Innovator’s Mindset- and I see this topic pop up throughout my ISTE experience. 

Why blog? To capture and share my learning, my experience, and my heart. Sharing gets this experience out there so I can go back and learn later in my life – and maybe even have my girls learn about their daddy through these words someday.

Specifically, today- I write out of a response to a post I read from Sarah Thomas. She made me cry. Not on purpose- she just wrote about how this conference experience is not always easy on people. She spoke of spending time in her room cuddled up in blankets staring at the ceiling. During the conference, sometimes. Parallels here- I could not wait to get to my hotel (First because I hate the thought of how much I am spending per night- had to squeeze out as much as I could- I even requested thumbtacks for my poster session and they gave them to me!) I used that hot tub- I used that sauna- I used the towels- the soaps- you get the point. 

What I liked about ISTE 2018...

I liked my alone time.

I also liked my friend time. The special sauce of a great conference- it brought me opportunities and gave me some great friends. Encouraging- dinners- boat tours- even ping pong.

I liked the vendors- new things are coming to education and I learned so much from them! Love the start up section especially.

I also liked that I learned from participants in my poster and workshop sessions!

I learned from the Keynotes- still live off of Caleb Harper’s speech from Denver.

I was honored to be selected to present this year. In my career , this was a milestone for me. Yet, I crashed after my session. Crashed! Felt like a complete failure. Months of work- no financial help to pay for registration- not even a Danish- and I walked out the doors of my session wondering why I put myself out there. No one to welcome me to my session, or say thank you at the end. Silence. I even spent the first day in my hotel room preparing and going over the session. So I did not attend two days of the conference (though I paid for the days). The crowd was hard to read and I hoped they were able to take just one thing to make the lives of their students more extraordinary. That is what is all about for me. Making the world awesome for the kids.

I was so excited- the proposal was accepted! 2 weeks ago when the session was sold out and over 100 signed up I was anxious but really happy. 

The session was at 1- so Paul from Boston and I (from Colorado) met to go over everything over and over and over. We were ready. See Paul came to my ISTE playground last year and met me- he was like my brother from another mother. A principal in Boston that went through some of the hardships I went through… all of us have hardships. ALL of us have some hard cards dealt.

Last summer I flew into San Antonio (where I went to college, Trinity University, and where my mom lived) to attend the conference and my mom did not pick me up from the airport. An old friend took me to her house- seeing her in a condition I've never seen before, so frail and hardly breathing. I dropped my bags and took her to the ER immediately. After they rushed her in the back and the team of 8 pulled away from her the doctor pulled me aside to say she only had a couple of months to live.

Mom is the world to me. Mom was stable. Mom was in good hands. I was able to keep my commitment to the 1-in-3 speeches I had, I kept my playground session too. Rushed after the conference to the hospital every night. 

Some Context... 2018 ISTE San Antonio

I had just gone through 8 months of unemployment and financial crisis. Which can crush you in itself- just was hired by D49 and the CEO of the district who saw promise in my leadership. That is the context that Paul met me- and inspired me because he loved the ideas I brought to ISTE. 

Mom is still alive- as stubborn as ever. She is doing better than the doctor told me.

ISTE 2019...

This summer- while walking between the Expo and the Blogger Cafe- I got a call from my little sister in Florida. Dad just got the results back- a brain tumor. 6 to 12 months left. Everything seemed to fade, time stood still as people walked around me. I saw Amanda Glover (met at ISTE 2018) and Devyn and shared my shock- they hugged me and were so cool- so encouraging. The power of connection- connections because I came to ISTE.

Do you ever feel like Rocky Balboa with that busted up face and eye swollen shut? 

Rocky took a punch, a hundred punches, and he didn't quit. He got back up.

So I walked around ISTE with all this inside- but I am great at compartmentalizing see… I turned some things off- and turned other things on. SWITCH… I was almost catatonic. 

So what? How did the ISTE conference fit into my crowded life? 

Let's learn from our friends who scuba dive. Scuba Divers know to stop before they come out of the water to decompress… to avoid the bends.

The bends- “decompression sickness- DCS- Diver’s Disease, aerobullosis- describes a condition arising from dissolved gases coming out of solution into bubbles inside the body on depressurization.” From Wikipedia. It is painful. You have to control your ascent speed. You have to pause. You have to rest. If it is happening- they treat it with a hyperbaric oxygen therapy in a recompression center.

SO- wouldn't you say that when you "dive" into a conference you can go deep- you can reflect- you can learn? I know I went deep- I know I dove into topics for the first time and it was amazing (Abraham Lincoln would be jealous).

So what can we learn here? Maybe that we need time to sit, pause, reflect, and rest more often than we think. ISTE- the next step for you might just be to have a place to go after a session and talk to an ISTE vet for encouragement- Maybe even offer to have someone come to a session and provide feedback upon requests… I want to grow! Make a decompression room!

My Hyperbaric Chamber- I am going away to rest- I am committed to unplugging for about 5 days. I am going to put my toes in water. I hope this is my recompression center- I hope it works. 

Perhaps Paul and I will continue our tour next summer- and maybe a few will join us. 

Meanwhile, Self-Sabotage gang- I know your colors and your ways- back off. Sarah- there is one thing I can do. I can step up- and when that gang shows its head again, I can get shoulder to shoulder with you and all our friends and fight them back. 

Even if it is with one eye swollen shut- that is why the song is called the EYE (singular) of the Tiger. (Get it- not the Eyes of the Tiger- Ok there is that nerd thing again)

Peace,

Michael

MakerRecess Session - The WHY

One day I was walking out to recess duty and saw an awesome teacher- we talked about how there were so many opportunities at recess that we had failed to utilize.

Primary educators understand the value of environmental print. Gifted Education Teachers understand that connecting learning to the real world, to movement, to cross curricular connections deepens learning.

So what could we do better? George Couros (a educational reformer and thought leader) says,
"We must be willing to look with fresh eyes at what we do and ask, 'Is there a better way?" 

So- is there a better way to design school play?

What does your particular student population struggle with? Multiplication? Geography? Science?
What if you created a way to enhance their experiences through a small changes in your play spaces?

Environmental print- putting a decal on your slide that says, "Inclined Plane"... 

Creating a student team to design new games (Think Hunger Games but much safer) that emphasize the skills needed. For example- they can have a basket ball game where points are multiplied and each quarter the number gets higher? 1st Quarter x2, 2nd x 4, 3rd x 5, 4th x 6...

If kids could jump around the world and land on capitals- or play Mancala like they do in Africa where there are actually holes in the dirt and rocks used to play. 

The point is- the innovations on our play spaces are limitless- because everyone reading this has unique contexts and needs to address. It is what makes our work fun- we learn from each other!

So I am using the Launch process by Spencer and Juliani- spiced up with a little of Snyder's Hope Theory and a touch of the Knoster Model. 

Mu hope is that by the end of our session- each participant will walk out with a plan they are excited about. 
Link https://sites.google.com/view/makerrecess/home  

INTENTIONAL SCHOOL CULTURE SCOOP

What a journey the last three months has been.
A 9 word sentence that will never capture the true meaning- the true metamorphosis- the true measure of what has happened.

Educators are familiar with the term, "Life-long learners." For some of us- we just threw up in our mouths a little. Cliche' or not- what if we modeled this in our own lives.

Even principals can learn and grow. When we embrace feedback (even the kind that has a bitter, ugly taste to it) we can find power to move. Move up... or as my immediate supervisor says, "Rise Up." She leant me a book by Brene' Brown called Rising Up. In my morning read today I came across this passage:

"When a group of team first comes together (form), it's often rocky for a time while members figure out the dynamics (storm). At some point, the group finds its groove (norm) and starts to make headway (perform). Storm occupies the middle space. It's not only a dark and vulnerable time, but also one that's often turbulent. People find all kinds of creative ways to resist the dark, including taking issue with each other." She says- we need to acknowledge it is coming and "STAY THE COURSE.... the middle is messy, but it is also where the magic happens."

Our school uses the Fill The Bucket metaphor by Wrath and Clifton. In their book they attribute a toxic, negative culture to what they call "Active Disengagement." When times get tough, in that storming stage, it is easy for all of us to actively disengage.

I received some feedback this year that showed evidence of our storming stage. I could have pulled back and become actively disengaged. It was tempting. Instead- I listened- and made some adjustments. I engaged more. I put time into reading, reflecting, and listening. The result- I matured a little more- I gained new perspective- and I am leading differently. There is a joy that fills my insides when I see how far I have come... if you are a school leader or a future principal- maybe something I learned here can help you on your journey. I have the staff at Vera Scott and Falcon Elementary to thank for my growth. Here are some specific things I have learned (so far):

1. You are a driver- no longer a passenger. When you are in a car and shift from the passenger to the driver- everything changes. You need situational awareness. Speed, fuel levels, other cars, laws, hazards, road conditions, passenger needs (bathroom, siblings fighting, hungry passengers), and more enter the picture. Gone are the days of watching the cows or prairie dogs on the side of the road. When we walk down the hall of the school- we must have strong situational awareness.

2. Lead in a way that people's brains can follow. Clarity, Focus, eliminate distractions... you can't ask people to juggle lots of initiatives... so prioritize and focus then help others keep the main thing- the main thing. Leadership Blueprint Trainers (The Flippen Group) taught us that clarity reduces social anxiety. So communicate and limit the number of new ideas we are bringing in. I have created three committees that each have one question to address- One focus.

In addition, the brain shuts down in socially toxic environments. We must not tolerate or give permission for folks to sabotage our community. In my case- I needed to create avenues for folks to vent and share concerns in a way that they felt valued and safe. I used back door channels like Today's Meet to set up concern retrieval anonymously. I also created a weekly voluntary huddle for folks to come together around things that they wanted addressed.

LEAD LIKE a MECHANIC METAPHOR
If a school were a car- leading so brains can follow is like having a clean windshield. We can see where we are going. Sometimes you need good wipers to push away distractions. Some headlights for when it is dark- some cleaner and fluid when stuff tried to stick that is just blocking our vision. And as a driver- we need to push those buttons and turn things on and off when they are useful.

Leaders have to manage clarity and focus. Clarity is also a part of our "Dashboards." Keeping focus on the right metrics and measures. Maybe there is a fuel gage to check on morale- maybe there is a data wall measuring our key initiatives.

Brains can't function in stressful, toxic environments. Like a car- moving parts create friction. Engines create exhaust like teachers feel exhausted right before a break (If you are married to an educator you know what I am talking about).
Cars have systems to take care of the heat and friction- they have systems to take out the exhaust in safe ways.

We can create systems in our schools to also manage friction and exhaustion. We can make safe pathways for hot communication and burning topics.

Intentional school cultures have some pillars that make the place thrive:
1. Loyalty- they commit to each other through thick and thin.
2. Clear Vision- always led by the organizational mission... that builds momentum to get past the smaller conflicts. Vision is KING!
3. Long term thinking... we are part of a long journey- we need each other... our students need us to think about 2,5,6 years out.
4. Joy- We know how shot life is- and we want to enjoy the journey with the ones we have.

So- I am committed to the wonderful Falcon Elementary staff and community. I am pushing myself to lead in ways that brains can follow- to confront the behaviors that do not fit our cultural expectations of active engagement and positive interactions... and to keep the main things the main things...

Something Small but Huge at the Same Time

Something Small but Huge at the same time.

This is Mikayla. She is small. She is 10 months old. She can't walk, stand, or crawl yet. She can't really talk to us either. Yet she can demonstrate leadership.

Huh? You ask...

There are HUGE lessons I learn everyday about leadership from being a dad. This is one of them.

See that little pink box in the picture? It has one button. When pushed it starts music and lights up the ceiling.

She decides when to push it.

She owns the room- when she hits the button- things happen.

(I didn't have cool stuff like this when I was a baby- we didn't get indoor playgrounds at McDonalds. But I digress.)

Mikayla chooses to push the button. Momma and Daddy are not setting up a plan- we don't tell her the windows of time to push the button. She chooses to- often we hear it in the middle of the night. Maybe she was scared and it soothed her? Maybe she was bored and it entertained her? We will never know. We love seeing her develop a sense of independence and ownership in her life... now its not like we are out of the picture.

Who bought that pink box? Who set it up? Who changes the batteries? Who set it in the crib in the first place?

Maybe leaders set the conditions and design the environments so that others grow? Can we replicate something about this scenario in our schools? What buttons have we designed for students to own?

Personalization promises to offer this for our students. I would love to hear a conference between a teacher and student where the student looks at the data, sets goals, and creates a pathway to reach those goals in the context of this supportive, warm, constructive teacher.

I can see those synapsis firing already. I can predict the exponential growth too.

Something small- but when we turn over some of our power as educators- it can be huge!

Walmart Schools and How to Fix Them

Over the past several months I have been able to visit a lot of schools. There are so many things that begin to look the same- so many things that become identifiers... kind of like Walmart.

No matter what city you travel to- you know where to find the candy and the car batteries in that store. The milk will always be in the back.

When schools start to look like that- feel like that- even sound like that- there is a problem.

Our students deserve intelligent and adaptive design.

So- what are some things that show that kind of design thinking are taking place? Perhaps playgrounds that are vocabulary rich? When was the last time you saw "INCLINED PLANE" on the side of a slide? What if we enhance the place with a small stage/amphitheater so kids can pretend performances?

What about halls that are buzzing with Shakespeare and student-run stores? What about lobbies with interactive maps and a learning target arrival board?

Student produced books in the library?
A recess design team where student leaders invent new games and experiences.

No more students in time out at recess.

Maybe no principal's office... she is too busy being in classrooms to get stuck in the office.

What would schools look like if a group of counselors designed everything? I would love to get a room full of compassionate and smart counselors just to see what they come up with...

Maybe the morning announcements are more like a morning show- DJs and sound effects.

Maybe the lunch room has a performance stage- so students can sign up and perform.

What if there was a student bank- where they learn financial literacy and learn online ways of saving and spending?

What if there was a service Wall of Fame- where students are making an international impact?
What if there were more maps (Big Wall Maps) and geography was a huge part of the learning?

What about building Maker Spaces and nurturing the Entrepreneurship spirit?

Enough of the copier rooms and worksheets lining the halls. Enough with adult centric designs and environments.

We can do better- we can think about ergonomics theory and develop customized schools. We can make environments that inspire and develop leadership in our students.

I want more than the same old, boring, industrial/factory model.

Think like a kid- get on their level- build something they like. Every day we have the opportunity to take one more step in that direction.

Just wanted to share that little thought today.

Teachers: How to Avoid Becoming Stale

Think about it... you know what you know. You went to study during your era- the professors gave you what was in their bag of tricks. The teacher next door may have gone to school during a different era- and the young teachers coming out today may have even a different experience than both of you... What are you doing to stay fresh?

Here are some tips:

1. Cultivate the Growth Mindset. Carol Dweck writes about this Growth Mindset- and one way to keep fresh is to browse the latest literature in education and learn. There are several ways to keep growth in your life:

• Subscribe to innovative podcasts. You learn from people all over the world that are doing wonderful things! I learned about Anastasis Academy- went to visit the school- and met the founder Kelly Tenkely. I found inspiration! I listened to the Getting Smart podcast and learned about Placed-Based Learning (awfully close to the school design I am developing).
• Search Twitter. You learn to use hashtags well and you will open a door to more international innovators and mentors that you could have ever imagined. I had a teacher try this and the next thing I knew he had a teleconference with a class in Minnesota (we work in Colorado) so students could share their genius hour project together (#geniushour)...

2. Develop the Shared Classroom. This involves two-way communication. List all the ways in which your students can give you input, feedback, or any communication in your classroom. We become stale when we are not responding to our audience- we need fresh ideas- there is the word again- "Fresh".

Here are some ideas you can use to help build the shared classroom:

• Create your class mission and vision together. I usually start off with giving them a copy of all the vision statements under which they sit... on one sheet they read the National Department of Education vision, the state Department of Education vision, the District vision, and the School vision. We look for common themes. We identify WHO is important in these visions... and it all points to the kids. They are valuable- worth millions and worth thousands of hours from all these employees. I even point out that there are hundreds of building built just for them. They then look at the standards for their year and develop a mission for the class.
• Create a feedback routine after lessons. So typically we would end the school day with a plus and delta chart- with a third column for the prescription. Ask the students- how did we do today? What lessons helped us accomplish our mission? Is there any part in the day we can improve to better meet our vision? They share ideas.
• Create a Class Dashboard. This has academic goals and data showing progress. We usually put this up below the mission- front and center. Write to me if you'd like an example- in any case. The data becomes a catalyst for two-way communication. "What does this graph tell us? What can we celebrate? What opportunities for improvement do you see? Then we brainstorm action plans together.
• Create a wonder wall and open the planning up for student voice. A wonder wall is a place where students can put any ideas they think are interesting. These become catalysts for student projects. If you decide to use the genius hour structure- students will develop projects based on their interests that will bring new ideas into your classroom. One student began to work on the urban farming project that Caleb Harper started at MIT. I learned so much from this project. When teachers are learning- there is no room to get stale!

The influx of new ideas from students and from what you are reading- from podcasts and what you are tweeting... all of these things can keep you from becoming the stale teacher. The side effect is this- you gain joy. It is fun to learn- you having joy makes our whole school a joyful place... and that is what you and our kids deserve...

M