The Difficult Conversations

There are some realities in everyone's life.  One of those realities is that there are some conversations that are hard to have, those that do not have simple answers or quick fixes, and yet they are often the most important conversations to have.

Difficult Conversations:
A beloved pet has to be put to sleep.
A friend/ colleague/ mentor dies seemingly without warning.
A child dies from cancer.
A family member is sick.
There just is not enough money for what everyone else seems to have.
The storms were incredibly strong and houses and lives were destroyed.

Now imagine having all of these conversations with a group of eight year olds in the course of one school year.  For my class this year, these conversations have been part of what has shaped us as a class.  It has been hard.  

But...
The unbelievable part of having these conversations is all that we have to learn from the children in our lives.  I am thirty-four years old and finding myself having many of these conversations for the first time, so how is an eight year old equipped to engage in these conversations?  The truth is that they approach them the only way they know how....honestly.  They feel deeply and genuinely and their actions and words reflect those feelings.  They value honesty over politeness and they work through the hard parts.  They are unashamed to move forward admitting that they don't understand and often the important work is the conversation not finding a tidy explanation or universal solution.  They accept that their world is forever changed and they don't dwell on trying to make it into what it has always been before.

We are facing a time in education when there are many difficult conversations that need to be had and they will not be tidy, black and white decisions.  In some cases they are the same conversations that perhaps my third grade teacher faced.  That may be what is most difficult of all.  The world has changed,  is changing.  Can we still do what we have always done?

I had the privilege of being a part of a professional development opportunity today as a participant in Edcamp Birmingham.  This was a day lead by learners, for learners.  A chance to share passions and unearth some of the difficult conversations that for some of us,and by us I mean me, are still a running inner dialogue because the conversations are too hard to have out loud.  

The beauty of this day for me is the creation of a space, and a community of people who are willing to have the hard conversations.  Over 80 participants showed up because they wanted to, not because they were required to.  They studied what they were interested in and "voted with their feet" to travel between sessions that would enrich their teaching and their thinking.  They moved between sessions honestly, not just politely, and developed a sense of community.  Many of these encounters were an exciting opportunity to put a twitter name with a face.  Connections have been made and conversations started.

So what are the hard conversations facing education today?  What are the things that need to change?  What are the things we need to stop trying to change?  Are we ready to bring a child-like honesty to these conversations?

What do you think?  Join the conversation!

Once more...with feeling!

I have been somewhat "unplugged" this weekend,  but with a new school week approaching I spent some time catching up on what my PLN had to say via twitter this weekend.  I came across a tweet from @gcouros which shared this blog post from Bud The Teacher.    Take just a moment  to click on this link, read the comments, and watch the video.   

http://budtheteacher.com/blog/2011/03/05/what-do-you-do-with-the-mad-that-you-feel/


There are so many feelings floating around the world of education right now; anger, disappointment, grief, and befuddlement. Feelings which have their roots in funding and program cuts or eliminations. Many of these feelings come from professionals who have had life changing experiences due to programs that are seemingly deemed unimportant or "extra".  Programs that have made "the" difference for teachers and students alike are fat to be trimmed away.  These are dark days and there will be more.  

But....

These are not the only feelings floating around in the world of education.  Just a few more feelings to add to the mix might include inspired, creative, purposed, innovative, reflective, and connected.  These are the powerful feelings I get from my PLN.  

When the headlines become too much to take, I seek these feelings shared with other educators across the world and in my own backyard.  And what do I do with those feelings?  I seek to make connections.  I contribute.  I become part of the conversation.

  In the video above Mr. Rogers asks simply to have a conversation.  He does not want to read a proposal although the written ideas are of great importance to him.  He instead wants to reach out and make a human connection.  We must never forget what to do with our feelings.  Mr. Rogers would have us turn those feelings into action.  How we act is up to us.

What do you do with the mad that you feel?

What do you do with the glad that you feel?

Join the conversation.

Time to Play

Today I had the opportunity to sit down with another teacher in my school and “play on the computer.”  We used glogster.com to create pages for her wiki space, created slide shows to display class pictures on her wiki, and discussed uploading a video that she had just made with her class.  To hear us talking you would have thought we had just won the lottery, and in many ways I guess we had.  A student working nearby actually looked up and said, “Wow, y’all are having fun!”  The truth was we were, or at least I was.  

School had ended for the day.  It is cold and rainy here.  Tomorrow is the last day before spring break and testing starts the week we return.  I actually spent some time on test prep with my students today.  All of these things could tend to dampen my mood, and yet fifteen minutes of sharing something I was excited about with someone else who shared my excitement cleared the skies and put a smile on my face.  Fifteen minutes.  That is all it took.

What kind of a difference could I make in a student’s day if I gave them each their fifteen minutes?  

Now to be clear, I think choice in the classroom is very important.  I believe student interest is vital in the classroom and we work largely on projects and problem solving.  But as my kids walked out the door today I am afraid that what they will remember from today is: desks in rows, silent practice, and a bubble sheet.  

I find myself conflicted.  In fairness to my students I want them to be prepared for the format and procedures of testing.  They do not line up with our usual classroom procedures.  I need to expose them to that, but at what price?  

So today I had my fifteen minutes.  And tomorrow, I hope it continues to remind me that we all learn more when we learn from each other.  I hope that my students head into their spring break excited about what we are learning.  I hope that they  leave having had  their own time to “play.”

Joining in...Stepping out

Sitting in the classroom as a third grader I vividly remember wanting to be near wherever the teacher was going to meet with students. Even then I wanted to be near the conversation. Now as a teacher in my own third grade classroom my favorite place to be is in conversation...in conversation with students, teachers, parents. It is a powerful feeling to truly share a conversation with someone else. It might even be an art form, the perfect balance between listening and contributing.

For the last two years I have had Twitter accounts for both myself and my class. We have enjoyed connecting with other classes and sending out updates about what we were reading or projects we were working on. It was not until recently that I truly began to understand the power of using tools like Twitter to develop a PLN. As is the case with most of the technology I use, I am realizing that it is not the tool, but the power it has to create connections and start conversations that is so valuable.

I have a tendency to sit back and enjoy conversations around me while not always contributing. Having a chance to read the blogs of others has inspired me to try my own. Do I think this post will change the world? No. Have I realized the worth in reflecting , sharing, and challenging my ideas and the ideas of others? Absolutely.

I am not a runner. Occasionally I pretend that I can jog and have even participated in a race or two. I am lucky enough to have friends that will tolerate my slow pace and just let me enjoy the journey. One of these friends is married to a man who truly is a runner. We talked once about why he enjoyed the sport so much. He believes it is such a great sport because it is one where those at the top of their game participate in the same events as those people like me who are just trying it out.

As teachers, learners, students, and parents this format of PLN via social media does the same thing. I am excited to learn from thinkers who are at the top of their game. I am excited to have the opportunity to contribute my own ideas to this community. I am excited to stretch the power of collaboration from across the hall to across the world.

So rather than sit back and watch people pass by I am stepping out and joining the conversation with my own voice. May this be just the starting line of many rich conversations to come.