Category: Education

Restoring the childhood we stole from kids

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As a society we are pontificating about how to stop school violence. The focus is on shootings at the moment, but there are other forms of harm that are rampant in our schools. In these ‘debates’ the question is often given, “What are your solutions?!” The reality is there is a cost of stealing the soul of childhood from our kids. Shootings, bullying, drug abuse, etc. are symptoms of soul robbery. I humbly recommend the following to help restore childhood. I admit this is very boy focus, as that is where the biggest issues exist.

More art. More play.
As both of these dropped over the course of the last 30 years, look at what also increased. True, this could be correlation not causation, but I doubt that. Art & play help kids process, socialize, and learn. It’s a big part in how they learn to interact with the world they live in. Maybe if we stopped robbing what is the soul of being kids, they may not be maladjusted adults. Over the last 27 years I’ve seen a massive drop in kids abilities for imaginative play and also a drop in their ability to get along with their peers. Art gets increasingly dropped as it’s viewed as non-essential, but it’s a huge part in how we process and communicate. Art is very essential to being human.

Change the narrative on marriages. Champion fatherhood.
The break down of family is a significant contributor to mental health and violence. We are reaping the costs of a coupe generations of broken families and fatherless homes. We need a fresh narrative on marriage that sees its joys and delights. That it can be done, healthy, and amazing. We need dads who are passionate about their families. And we need to view both of those things as good, ideal even. Children are a reflection of us. If they’re more violent, bullying, and destructive, we need to do a better job modeling.

End organized sports for kids. Allow sparing.
Back in the sandlot days kids had to figure out the rules and how to manage play. They created games and had to figure out how to play well together. Yes fights and arguments often happened. Failure is part of learning. What free play allowed was learning interpersonal dynamics. Sparing was a concept used in the summer camp world. It’s play where boys rough house. Dodge ball and other like games were part of this. Yes, it was a dominance and honor thing. Yes fights broke out and people got hurt. But we learned from failure and it helped teach how to manage anger, frustration, aggression, etc. Overly programmed overly protective aspects robbed kids of essential life lessons.

Allow danger. Build steps to manhood.
I remember reading an article that raised the question if we are protecting out kids too much. That they’re losing the ability to weigh the consequences of their actions by not engaging in dangerous endeavors. No one is arguing for negligence, but learning how to manage danger is important. Robbing people of failure can lead to robbing them of success. There was a time when kids could openly play with guns, like cops and robbers. In this kids are processing aspects of justice, human interaction, problem solving, etc. As danger and gun play has decreased, looked at what has also increased. Steps to manhood is another critical need. Many cultures have ceremony that signifies the end of childhood and start of adulthood. Part of this was the understanding that one must mature and become a man. (yes, we need this for women as well.) The cost of the egalitarianism movement is that we sacrificed manhood and have too many boys who can shave. Or worse, they’re aimless not knowing what to do.We are discovering that is dangerous for society.

Let kids be kids
All the above relate to things that have wrecked the soul of childhood. All the things above lead to discussions on how we can bring it back. They are not immediate solutions, but they will have immediate impact. If we followed through on them years ago they’d be in place now. We cannot be shocked by todays outcomes after we’ve essentially robbed kids of their childhood. Let them chase butterflies, get muddy. Let dads culturally be heroes again. Let romance be a husband and wife walking hand in hand in the sunset years of their life. Let kids be kids.

An uncommon defense of Common Core: Parents are key

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IMG_1795Educators cannot say this, but I can: Parents, you and I need to up our game! We need to do the hard work that makes great education possible. We need to lead our families to help those who are disadvantaged to do the same. No law, amount of money or education system can overcome our lack of engagement or community involvement. Parental engagement is not the norm based on my interactions with educators from many states.

The number one problem with education is not education. I am fully convinced that culture is chasing down the wrong issue. Parents are key. In my last post on defending Common Core State Standards (CCSS) I will address what is the real issue: parents. This post may sting a bit. I would rather our national education discussion be on family involvement instead of arguing against CCSS.

Unchanged factors
A wise teacher once stated there are three things a teacher cannot change: 1) A child’s IQ, 2) A child unwilling to learn, and 3) Parental apathy. A child with a 70 IQ will not perform the same as a child with an IQ of 130. That doesn’t mean one child will not have a profound impact on society, but it is a reality of academic performance. A teacher cannot force a student to learn. At the end of the day a student who refuses to learn wont. A teacher has no control over what goes on in the home. Teachers cannot change parental apathy. Key navigating this: parents.

Unchanged problems
Many of the argument against CCSS already existed. Standardized testing, curriculum decisions, Federal overreach, issues with math education, etc existed prior to CCSS being implemented. For my conservative friends, I am confident you would add teacher unions to this list. Many of these issues exploded in 2001 with the advent of No Child Left Behind. There are serious issues that need addressing. These issues are related to CCSS, but existed before CCSS. Stop CCSS and we’re left with the problems. Key to changing this: parents.

I sense we are uninformed on eduction
I thought I was informed on education, then I spent a year volunteering in a school. I was not as informed as I thought. Over the course of two years, especially this last year, I have seen remarkable things by some sweet teachers. I saw them have great days and incredibly challenging days. Here is the conclusion I reached: Education is not dry cleaning. We do not drop off our kids and return to pick up a cleaned and improved product. Education is fundamentally a community partnership and we, as parents, too often drop the ball.

A glimpse into schools
Often people ask why I support CCSS and why I argue for teachers. That is not the norm for someone more conservative minded, let alone a pastor. Let me give you a glimpse of what I see based on watching some classy friends do their job:

  • Teachers work long hours and weeks that run almost non-stop, except for the summer. For the summer there is much work to prepare for the long work hours and weeks that almost run non-stop. During the school year teachers often don’t have a life. They are not lazy.
  • Teachers are continually working on their trade and work towards advanced degrees. They are trained, evaluated, retrained, re-evaluated and this process continues. They collaborate, they self-initiate learning and they love it. Teachers are not dumb.
  • Teachers struggle with the same things you and I do. Some struggle with their marriages, some with dying friends or family. They have good days and bad days, and like all want to know they are making a difference. Teachers are not different from us.
  • Teachers are frustrated when they see a student underperform when they know they can do better. They are frustrated when a struggling student is doing great but others see it as not good enough. They are frustrated with the great middle that need time and investment too.They are frustrated when they, the teacher, drop the ball. Teachers are not content.
  • Teachers are scared and waiting for when goal posts (made by people untrained int heir field) are moved… again. They are often scared at interacting with us as parents, because the trend is see them as the problem. They are more and more scared for theirs and their students safety. They are scared about the family life of some students. They are scared about approaches to teacher accountability that actually undermines and not help. Teachers are scared that they expend all this time an energy for nothing. Teachers are not secure.
  • Teachers are classy. Despite all this they smile at students. They champion students. They push students. They give to their community- on top of their work. They go the extra mile for their peers- on top of their work. They improve their classrooms, curriculum, etc out of their own pocket. Teachers are not slaves, but they are heroes.

Parents: Want to improve education?

  • Parents, we must stop treating our kids as pets and our schools like a dry cleaning service. Get involved. Being informed does not equal involvement. Be the parent: play, read, argue, champion, cry, cheer, get thrown up on, etc with your kids. When your kids head to school remember it is your child’s job and not their babysitter.
  • Parents, we must listen, trust, and allow our children to fail. When schools/teachers inform us, listen and ask questions. If you have no question, ask: “What I’m hearing you say is…., correct?” Trust that the time and investment the teacher made in their career means they are a professional and know what they’re doing. Meaning: when a teacher approaches you about your child assume the best and focus on your child’s performance and not the teacher’s. A teacher works WITH you not FOR you.
  • Parents, encourage your child AND their teacher. Write a note out of the blue, go out of your way to interact with them. Ask how they are doing. Share humorous stories about your child, or even concerns you have when they’re struggling.
  • Parents, volunteer at least an hour a week in school. It is hard to understand education without being there. Society’s promotion of volunteerism often leaves avenues for you to take work time and volunteer in your community.
  • Parents, seek to understand then be understood. I find often the goal of educators and parents are the same, but we, the parents, often don’t listen. When your school has a school improvement meeting be there!
  • Parents, when you do the above and there is a serious issue you need to address, you will be addressing partners and friends who will hear you. You will know how to interact with them best. There are bad teachers, but I’d submit that is not the majority. I find most people have enough critics but what they lack is cheerleaders. That’s a choice we as parents have to make. Issues from cheerleaders are heard louder than those of critics.
  • Parents, our homes hold the key to our schools’ success. Work on building a healthy and safe home. Help your neighbors do the same. Why? No one learns or works well when they are stressed out. No education system can control this but it is THE issue effecting education. Healthy homes, healthy kids, healthy schools.

The bottom line:
I support CCSS because my education partners say it is a helpful tool. I support CCSS because I took time to listen and understand my education friends. Common Core makes sense. There are issues that my educator partners and I want addressed. These issues are related to CCSS but were not started by it and will likely continue unless we as parents step up. Why? The key to education is the home. You and I hold the key to great education.

An uncommon defense of Common Core: Local Control of Curriculum

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IMG_3143I support CCSS for three key reasons. First, I believe national standards are a prudent measure in an increasingly mobile society. Second, I believe that such standards should put local districts and teachers in control of curriculum decisions. Third, I believe that the main problem in education is a lack of parental engagement, understanding, and effective support. If opponents are successful in stopping CCSS, the three issues are still in play. I often ask my proverbial question: You get rid of CCSS, then what do you do? In this post I will be addressing how CCSS puts teachers in control of curriculum choices.

Education is locally controlled
CCSS is not a Federal curriculum being forced on educators. Reports against Common Core are often poor curriculum choices. While sitting on a schools Quality Assurance Review, the conversation on certain curriculums delighted me. The challenge they were working through was having curriculum options while having a consistent vocabulary & ‘language.’ The teachers understood they were different in their gifting, that various classes may learn differently, and they need to have consistent communication with each other and parents. This situation demonstrates this:

  1. CCSS is standards not curriculum. There were multiple curriculum options that support CCSS. Some curriculums were rejected, others were accepted. They investigated the curriculum choices based on data and performance. Much of this done over and above the teachers classroom work.
  2. CCSS did not Federally mandate how the teachers were to work. Through collaboration, understanding who they are as teachers, understanding their students via data, the teachers of my local school district made curriculum decisions that were best for the students. The curriculum choices were local, made by the school district in conjunction with teachers.
  3. As a parent, the district informed me of and sought input in the process. In this case through being on the Quality Assurance Review process. This review is part of a broader process to help the school district maintain system(district) wide accreditation via a third party. (They could just go through the state for accreditation, but the district chose a harder standard to achieve.)

Common Core arguments are red herrings
The biggest thrust I see against CCSS is Federal overreach. The issue of Federal and even state government intrusion is a vital one and one that educators often share. For example, Federal overreach in the school lunch program left a mess. There is concern that the same thing can happen with CCSS. The arguments against CCSS are a distraction from real issues related to but not a result of CCSS. We must deal with real issues and not be distracted by CCSS. Why?

News Flash: Congress tells Tiger Woods how to play Golf!
Education is becoming a field where people who are not trained in education are telling trained advanced degree educators how to do their job. Imagine congress or state legislators passing laws to instruct Tiger Woods how he should play golf? (His game lately needs some help!) We would think that is crazy: 1) They’re not PGA professionals 2) It’s not their role. 3) Just because you play gold doesn’t mean you know how to coach or play professionally. This is exactly what we as a society do with educators. Arguments against CCSS are a distraction from legitimate issues with education.

Data Mining
Another concern raised with CCSS is data mining. Again, this is a distraction. Everyone of my teachers data mined. It’s called a report card. As a society we want our schools to perform well, but how is that done without data? As a country we want our schools to be competitive with other countries. That requires data. I am at a lost on how to educate without collecting data while also determining performance and competitiveness. For example, the big issue with GM is a problem in how data was mined or not mined regarding an ignition switch. Not all data collection is inherently evil. We don’t seem to mind data mining of sports performance…

Guide posts
CCSS and data collection give local school districts guide posts on curriculum choices. CCSS is a collaborative effort to establish consistency between schools. CCSS at the same time allows the art of teaching to thrive and local control of curriculum choices to exist. Though I am fully in support of intuitive choices, collecting and wisely using data is essential to solid education. Analytical approaches to things are not in opposition to intuition. The fight against CCSS and data goes against helpful guideposts. It comes across to educators as “we want you to do your job but not have the needed guide posts to do it.” This sentiment is bad in parenting, leading and educating.

Education’s mission
Educator’s mission is to reach in retrospect the goal posts constantly change before them by the government. Being a part of my school districts review process, I learned of the infamous writing goal problem. As the state had set a standard that triggered the district’s response and everything was in place, the state moved the goal posts voiding the work. This left educators with a crazy time frame to deal with the new goal post. This was not a unique experience to educators. Being professionals, they got the job done. As a parent, I was and am very frustrated, but not at the teachers. We are making educators task impossible.

Many, not all, of my educators friends are for CCSS because it is helpful. There is work that needs to be done to improve upon CCSS and to communicate what CCSS is, especially in math. But the issue of Federal overreach (no child, race to the top, etc), States moving the goal posts (like previous example) and inconsistency between school districts existed long before Common Core. CCSS helps with consistency, but the issue of government overreach is solved by parents. Defeating CCSS doesn’t solve the real issues, and leaves unresolved an important issue.

The bottom line: Educators real mission is…
Teachers want to teach. Let us stop focussing on clearly bad examples of teachers or curriculum choices. Focus on the majority of teachers who want to help our kids think and achieve their dreams. The issues of standardized testing and government overreach are real, but CCSS is not the problem. Rather than chase after the red herring we made CCSS, listen to trained professionals who are also our neighbors.

CCSS are standards and not curriculum. Local school districts and teachers are fully in charge of curriculum decisions and CCSS keeps the art of teaching alive in the classroom. The viewpoint that CCSS is a Federal take over of education does not match the reality of how education works. Yes, Federal and even State overreach is an issue and a concern that educators share. Using CCSS as a figured head is in poor taste. I will discuss in the next post the essential thing needed : Engaged parents partnering with educators.

An uncommon defense of common core: We need a standard

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IMG_1559The news and my social media feed, not to mention various conversations, filled up with discussion of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Discussion, particularly from a ‘conservative’ perspective go against CCSS. The viewpoint declares CCSS is a Federal take over of education. Given our fractured society, CCSS became a figurehead for fear of Federal intrusion. Where do I stand?

I support CCSS for three key reasons. First, I believe national standards are a prudent measure in an increasingly mobile society. Second, I believe that such standards should put local districts and teachers in control of curriculum decisions. Third, I believe that the main problem in education is a lack of parental engagement, understanding, and effective support. If opponents are successful in stopping CCSS, the three issues are still in play. I often ask my proverbial question: You get rid of CCSS, then what do you do? This post will deal with the need to national standards.

I drive therefore I can build a car…
In researching this issue as well as becoming a cheerleader for my local school district, one thing became clear: As a society we are woefully uninformed about education. I hope in reading this more grace and understanding is offered to our educator neighbors. For those who are parents reading this: we hold the trump card to radically improving education. We must not consider ourselves consumers of schools, but rather as engaged participants. Too many think they understand how education should work by virtue of being a student. This would be like saying we know how to design and build a car after driving it and doing standard maintenance.

National Standards are prudent
The first question to think through is: should there be national standards? An entire discussion could start and end right there. Our society is increasingly mobile. People growing up and staying in a certain geographical region is dropping. Society is becoming increasingly more urban. A key demographic in mobility is our military community. Having a national set of standards for education makes sense. If I move from one part of the country to another, it would be nice to have consistency. Also, a national set of standards helps benchmark our educational system to that of other countries.

Who should make the decision in developing national standards is a difficult one. My preference would be for states to collaborate together as well as with private enterprise. CCSS fits this model. While there is concern with some involved, such as Bill Gates, I prefer a state & private enterprise approach than a Federally controlled or mandated one. If Federal government started CCSS, I would not favor CCSS even though I do favor national standards.

We’ve been here before
The discussion is not new. An educator friend handed me the report of the Council of Ten, dated July 9th, 1892. The report deals with the matter of uniformity in education. It details standards for certain areas, and delegates others, such as the arts. A criticism often leveled at educational standards is that it diminishes the arts. Given this, there has always been a tension in education over should and what should be uniformed in education. Page 48 under the heading “Explanation of the Sample Programmes” it states this:

“The omission of music, drawing, and elocution from the programmes offered by the committee was not intended to imply that these subjects ought to receive no systemic attention. It was merely thought best to leave it to local school authorities to determine, without suggestions from the committee, how these subjects should be introduced into the programmes in addition to the subjects reported on by the Conferences.”

Standards vs Standardization
Things such as the arts have often taken the back seat in education. The highly viewed TED talks by Sir Ken Robinson attest to this fact. The challenge with any semblance of uniforimity is standards vs. standardization. Jacqueline Grennon Brooks and Mary E. Dietz discuss this danger of CCSS. They explicitly state that the standards are not the issue, but that “the initiative conflate standards with standardization.” (Educational Leadership Dec ’12/Jan ’13, p.65) Much criticism of CCSS seems more an issue of assumed standardization vs the standards themselves.

For example:
There are standards for english literature. News reports came out that “CCSS” are forcing students to read a book some disagreed with. While the book might be on a list of examples, we should note that “the only reading explicitly required in the CCSS is the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, a Shakespeare play and one play by an American dramatist.” (CCSS Introduction, Aspen Institute) Timothy Shanahan illustrates how people took recommendations as standardization in his article “The CC Ate My Baby. (Educational leadership, Dec’12/Jan’13)

Curriculum choice is the real issue
Common Core is to education what HTML5 is to Web browsers. HTML5 is a web standard. There are multiple web browsers that interface with HTML5. Some do not interact well with HTML5- Internet Explorer. Some do a suburb job, like Safari. (I’m a mac.) Some curriculum and districts will interact well with the CCSS and some will not. Many of the criticisms of CCSS seem to be curriculum decisions, not necessarily the standards themselves. CCSS is not a curriculum. It is a set of standards.

The bottom line:
I believe we need national standards. Such is helpful to educating our children. These standards should be established by states, educators and private enterprise- the world which most will work. Common Core does this. There are things that can and need to be improved upon, as the issue of standards vs standardization illustrates. However, media punditry is making that needed interaction difficult. Rather than attacking CCSS, partner with your educator neighbors to do what’s best for kids. Why? The standards are not as much an issue as the curriculum choices are. Part two will deal with curriculum.

Parents, Common Core and FoxNews, Oh, my!

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IMG_1139Let me say this up front: The key and the missing link to vibrant education in our country is parents. As I’ve written before, education is profoundly a local issue. We, as parents and guardians, could do a better job building healthy relationships with our educators. When getting involved in my sons’ school district I felt ashamed of how little I knew about the world of educators. I am was profoundly impressed with the level of passion and professionalism. My boys have great teachers… and the curriculum is being conformed to common core!

For those who follow me of a conservative nature, you may want to sit down for this… Common Core is not some evil grand federal government conspiracy. It was started by states to create a consistent set minimum standards for our children. This concept existed for some time. In fact, how Common Core came about is much like any industry. Given our increasingly mobile society, Common Core is needed.

In getting to know my sons’ school district, I sat in meetings discussing curriculum options. The options upheld the Common Core standards, were tested and were examined in light of teachers using it. There was even recognition that different methods were ok given the differences of teachers, but the same standard was set as the goal. This is very much local control and the art of teaching being allowed to thrive. Also, as a parent, the district requested input from me as a parent. After all, we’re one community.

Why write all this? Two reasons: 1) I appreciate those called to education. It is not an easy field. Too often we polarize things instead of seeking first to understand. Before getting all worked up about Common Core or even teacher unions, get to actually know your educators. It’s easier to work through differences of your friends than your ‘enemies.’ Teachers are not your enemy, they are your neighbors. 2) Don’t get you news from only one news source! Read broadly! Personally, I think the articles posted by FoxNews on this matter mischaracterize Common Core and promotes an unhealthy environment between educators and parents.

My bottom line is this: Parents and guardians, our children are our most precious gift. To best show their value, get involved in their school district! Get to understand the world of educators, be informed. Many of us have plenty of critics, but seldom have enough cheerleaders. Partner with your teachers, don’t treat them like a vendor. Jesus did say we should love our neighbors, and that is who educators are… neighbors.

Thoughts on Public Schooling

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I grew up through public schools. Over the last few months I’ve had the honor to help out a public school district. I’m seeing and sensing a greater antagonism towards public education that is unhelpful. Here is my bottom line: Public schooling is profoundly local, requires parental engagement and is not the enemy. I encourage you to consider these thoughts:

Educators are our neighbors
If you’re stressed from family life, the inner-workings of your job and wanting to make a difference, then you’re like many of our educators. Most educators are concerned with how to help kids learn how to read, write, etc., while also walking through life. They do have a life outside of school in the communities we reside in and the churches we attend. I’ve heard from many public educators that they sometimes feel like second class church members because they teach in a public school. This is a sin churches should repent of! Think of educators as your neighbors.

Parents are wanted
The number one issue I hear from my educator friends is this: There is often a lack of parent engagement. I’ll repeat that for those who may be shocked: Educators have as a primary concern the lack of parental involvement in their child’s education. Many schools are what’s known as Title 1. To be a Title 1 school, the school is required to support parental engagement. Parents and guardians, we’re the ones that need to step up and improve education. By just engaging with our children and partnering with our educator neighbors we can make a difference. Ok, I know we’re all busy, but family comes first. Our kids are worth it.

Apathy is the enemy
Too often people view public education through the lens of national news, especially if one comes form a politically conservative viewpoint. It is easy to attack public education through a national viewpoint because we don’t have to act. Public education is a profoundly local issue. Teachers are very open to parental involvement. They conduct themselves with class and professionalism. Are there things we disagree with? I’m sure if it. The issue is we’re often not willing to engage with our community and make it a better place. Rather than being apathetic, let us be the cheerleaders of great educators.

Trust is the issue
Many fear public education because trust and a sense of community has eroded in our culture. It is hard to trust someone you don’t know. It is hard to effect change through antagonism. We listen close to those we consider friends. We don’t presume to tell our doctors how to do their job, but we wisely partner with them for better heath. The same is true of education. Be patient, take time and be involved. Your community and your public schools will be better for it. Work on building trust, and remember they’re human just like you!

A huge thanks to my sons’ school district!
I’m fortunate that my boys are a part of an excellent school district that puts kids first. I am a better leader and parent because of my interaction with my district’s educators. I’m amazed by their passion, class and professionalism. My community is a much better place because of their efforts!