Principal's Blog

It's About the People

2/13/2019

February 13, 2019

To help encourage conversations and dialogue about the impact relationships have on learning and how we can foster connections, our topic/question of the week is: What helps to establish strong relationships between students and teachers? It's About The People (Week of 2/10/19) (This is an anonymous Google Form)

Blake's Guiding Lights
Our Students
Blake's Core Values: Respect, Responsibility, Resourcefulness, Reflection
Our Essential Question: How can we cultivate and curate the progression of student learning and growth?
Our Mission: Blake Middle School believes in a living mission statement, based on the concept that our community seeks and respects knowledge, integrity, character, wisdom, and the willingness to adapt to a continually evolving world.

We had a pretty quiet weekend - Katie had her first weekend of a yoga teacher training course, and there were only a few ‘commitments’. The down time was lovely - playing ping pong, hanging out, and taking a few walks. My Saturday morning run was beautiful, but the wind and cool temps made me long for the weather we had at the start of the week! Sunday evening we had a nice time celebrating (albeit, a few days late) Katie’s birthday, centering ourselves before the cuckoo ‘week before vacation’ begins.

Since our work together as a staff with Dr. Nathaniel Brown this past Wednesday during the PD afternoon, it has been centering and inspiring to engage in conversations about lessons learned, connections being made, and the next steps to take. Calibrating our practices with a specific and targeted focus on partial credit (as he shared, we all give ‘partial credit’ - it is just how we define it) is a key lynchpin in our efforts to synthesize our beliefs with our practices to improve student learning. I would be remiss if I did not thank the MCPE for their generosity and support of this endeavor!

My hope (and from conversations and responses via our feedback from staff, I know this is a shared hope) is that we take this learning, move forward, and act upon it in a cohesive manner. Like the work with our students, this is easier said than done, but I look forward to our path along the way. At the end of the afternoon’s work, Nathaniel and I touched base and talked a bit about the challenges that currently exist and lie ahead. Our culture at Blake is a strong one and I think the relationships we have within our community (student-staff, staff-staff, staff-parent, parent-student, etc.) will sustain us. Our culture is not a perfect culture and we certainly have our areas for growth and improvement. That said, the relationships and shared beliefs we have are the levers that allow progress to take place.

Time is always ‘the challenge’ (time for collaboration, time for planning, time for listening, time for reflection, etc.), and this week will naturally be a busy one - aren’t they all?!? To help with my own reflection, and maybe others as well, I am sharing some notes/ideas/mindsets that have stayed with me since our afternoon (credit given to others who shared their notes with me, too!)…

People hate grades, but people also hate it when we don’t give grades
Focus on the process, not the product
Everyone thinks we know how to assess yet many of us are unhappy with our product
Partial Merit rather than Partial Credit
Partially Correct rather than Partially Incorrect
Grading Myths…
- Quantitative grades are more subjective
- Grades motivate students to learn
General movement to go gradeless - but what’s the alternative?
How can we come up with a system that does what we need?
Perfection is easy to define; imperfection is hard
‘I want you to tell me the one thing I need to focus on…’
Progress Maps lead to Progress Profiles
Not coming to a definition of fair - coming to an understanding of did the students learn…

What else do you know about this subject? (A key question to ask)
Not coming to a definition of fair - coming to an understanding of did the students learn…
A lot of what we do prevents students from taking action, but then we put things in place that don’t allow them to take action
One of the horrifying secrets of assessment - there is a huge margin of error
Knowing is a state of being - you know/understand so that allows you to do something
Focus on the action the students need to take to get there - not what they produce
Feedback should provide an indication of progress and whether that is where they should be etc - provides an area to focus on to encourage growth

The post Association for Middle Level Education along with a sampling of responses to last week’s topic/question are highlighted below, and the strategies within will help all of us to stay focused on one of our fundamental goals - to foster and make connections with our students and one another...

Topic/Question (Week of 2/3/19): What helps you stay focused on your goals and dreams?

Making sure they are refined and important enough that they will continuously be important for me to follow. Also writing them down and making clear plans for how I will pursue them.
an ongoing to-do list, writing things down for reminders
Helping others achieve their dreams.
Thinking about them.
When others support me and when they say I can’t do it.
Believing
small steps or maneuver in the new direction slowly. Practice, repeat, practice.
Remembering why I make goals and have dreams.
A schedule and ambition
Support, encouragement and help from others keeps me focused on my goals and dreams. Also, always knowing that no matter what, there is always another minute, hour, day. Time is precious, never take it for granted.
Music
To keep going no matter what
I have a journal that logs my goals and "bucket list" whenever I am feeling discouraged I look back at my notes to motivate myself to keep at the end result.

Curriculum is Not the Answer
by Peter Crable in AMLE
Crable’s post speaks directly to the heart of what I believe we strive for every day at Blake - strong relationships and a true belief that every student can learn. As the sub-title of this post reads, ‘It’s about the people who bring learning to life’.
Curriculum, in its ideal state, should define the learning and pedagogical priorities of a school...Additionally, curriculum should reflect the pedagogical preferences of a teacher, school, or district.

...I concluded that curriculum is not the answer...teaching is still a teaching business...The quality of the individual that the students see every day makes a greater difference in student engagement than the content they learn. Students will learn about dramatically less intrinsically interesting subjects if they believe in the adult in their classroom and know that the adult in their classroom believes in them.

As schools continue to look for ways to engage students as 21st century learners, by all means, examine curriculum and get the best of what's available. Don't forget, however, that curriculum alone will not magically improve a school. The deft hands of an expert are needed to mold that curriculum to the needs of the students in their classroom.

Throughout this month I want to continue highlighting some words in honor of Black History Month. Kelly C. shared these words from Maya Angelou and Angie Thomas, author of The Hate U Give, and they really resonated - the importance of sharing one’s voice/thoughts, speaking one’s truth, and taking action…

I look forward to the work that lies ahead for all of us.
Please click here for Blake Updates.
Please click here for Thursday Packet Information.
Enjoy the week and take care.
Nat

Refining (Redefining?) Our Vision

2/8/2019

February 5, 2019

To help encourage conversations and dialogue about focus points, dreams, and vision,
our topic/question of the week is: What helps you stay focused on your goals and dreams? Refining (Redefining?) the Vision (Week of 2/3/19) (This is an anonymous Google Form)

Blake's Guiding Lights
Our Students
Blake's Core Values: Respect, Responsibility, Resourcefulness, Reflection
Our Essential Question: How can we cultivate and curate the progression of student learning and growth?
Our Mission: Blake Middle School believes in a living mission statement, based on the concept that our community seeks and respects knowledge, integrity, character, wisdom, and the willingness to adapt to a continually evolving world.

The cold weather at the end of the week made the weekend feel balmy and warm! After enjoying watching the boys play basketball on Saturday, Katie and I had a nice evening in Cambridge for dinner and seeing Rayland Baxter sing at The Sinclair - music really is a connector in so many ways. We had a Boston sports-filled Sunday with a trip to the Celtics game (boys had the luck and good fortune of being able to be ‘ball kids’!) and a fun Super Bowl celebration at night!

This week’s topic/question essentially sums up what is and has been on my mind as of late - What helps you stay focused on your goals and dreams? Whether it has been in my professional life (meetings, classroom observations, curriculum review planning, attendance at conferences, discussions about students, etc.) or my personal life (child-rearing, balance of work/family, responsibilities/chores/tasks around the house, etc.), I keep thinking about this - what is the end game? What is going to guide my/our decisions and plans?

As I ask myself (and others) these questions, I need to make sure I am focusing first on my own ‘practice’ towards my dreams and goals. By practice I mean the way in which I am acting and living my fundamental beliefs. The word ‘practice’ is important here - it’s not finite and fixed - rather, it’s an ongoing process towards progress. One key goal that I am continually refining and practicing is that of ‘stepping back’ and ‘slowing down’. By doing so (when I have found some success), I have been able to gain clarity and purpose in my ‘work’. In turn, the vision has been honed and my practice has improved.

With a continuous effort to learn and grow in a community at the heart of our mission, as educators and students we must always be willing to be part of this process of growth and refinement. The post below is one that speaks to this - an articulation of a problem, a refocusing of areas of focus (learning vs embedment, an examination of practices, and acknowledgement of ‘broken models), and an eye towards progress.

Learning vs. Embedment: The Core Problem for 21st Century Learning
by Todd M. Warner
As learning professionals, we should all be terrified. The evidence overwhelmingly suggests that what we’ve been doing under the banner of “learning” is wasteful and ineffective. We need to fundamentally rethink how we conceptualize what learning is and what it does in organizations.

For learning to work in the 21st century, we have to move beyond our fascination with content and start to develop a deeper fascination with the context of how work gets done. Leverage exists for learning in every organization, and we need to prioritize making learning more applied as a means to enable new ideas and ways of working to flourish.

Learning is critical to competition in the 21st century. Unfortunately, we are relying on broken models and assumptions that are keeping us from focusing on where learning can truly transform how organizations operate. The step toward a focus on embedment is critical for us to begin this journey.

In looking at some of the responses from last week’s topic/question, it is clear that the qualities and characteristics that we want/need from our teachers are important indicators for our vision and refinement of focus points...

Topic/Question (Week of 1/27/19): What qualities and characteristics in your teachers help you learn?

When I look back on the classes in middle and high school where I felt the most success, the teachers were funny, personable, and I felt like they really liked me. Subject matter didn't matter!
It is their ability to both preach and practice!
Respect
The teacher leaves me with open ended responses to questions. The teacher has a sense of humor about life and learning in "good ways".
A caring, knowledgeable attitude and making an effort to connect with me as a person.
openness to different ideas
Excitement around the curriculum.
Ability to make learning fun.
To be better at listening 👂
They are very kind, and they never yell at you or are disappointed from you when you get something wrong.
They are funny and chill about things. They will print you copies of the homework if you don’t have WiFi
Perseverance and Confidence
They are funny, smart, nice
Humor and kindness
My teachers help me learn teamwork, cooperation, forgiveness, and gratitude.

February 1 marked the beginning of Black History Month and also the birthday of Harlem Renaissance leader, Langston Hughes. Social Media was full of poems and quotes from Hughes on Friday, and his poem entitled Dreams resonated with me. It speaks to the importance of keeping and holding on to the dreams - they guide our work...

I look forward to the work that lies ahead for all of us.
Please click here for Blake Updates.
Please click here for Thursday Packet Information.
Take care.
Nat

Articulating Influences

1/28/2019

January 29, 2019

To help encourage conversations and dialogue about the traits that help us learn and what has influenced us, our topic/question of the week is: What qualities and characteristics in your teachers help you learn? Articulating Influences (Week of 1/27/19) (This is an anonymous Google Form)

Blake's Guiding Lights
Our Students
Blake's Core Values: Respect, Responsibility, Resourcefulness, Reflection
Our Essential Question: How can we cultivate and curate the progression of student learning and growth?
Our Mission: Blake Middle School believes in a living mission statement, based on the concept that our community seeks and respects knowledge, integrity, character, wisdom, and the willingness to adapt to a continually evolving world.

It is hard to believe that January is coming to an end this week and we are approaching the midpoint of 18-19 year! Our weekend ended up being much quieter than usual as we laid low to stay healthy with a sick child - so much going around, so basketball games were something we had to miss. On Sunday we enjoyed Grayden’s piano recital and a nice dinner as a family by the fire.

Coming off a week focused on Social Emotional Learning, communication, and professional development, I found myself in a ‘big picture’ state of reflection about my and our work as educators. Through different meetings and conversations with students, parents, and teachers/colleagues, several questions were circulating in my head…

What is our ultimate goal?
What does ‘preparation’ mean?
What does innovation really look like?
If we want to meet the needs of our students, have we defined the needs?
How do we foster and articulate coherence?
What is it that we should be talking about?
What are ‘the things’ we need to talk about at school to improve the learning environment for our students?
How are we measuring our work?
What’s next?

These questions stemmed from various influences/meetings...SEL Task Force Scheduling sub-committee, meeting with Colby Swettberg about potential work with our students and community, outlining some future work for our staff on calibration/assessments/feedback, parent ed workshop Tuesday night, and formative meetings with teachers. These questions are now new and are not profound, but they are ones that I believe we need to keep thinking about.

As I reflect on the big questions, I know it is important to continue to ‘zoom in and out’ from the big picture to the ‘day-to-day’ - if I’m being honest (thinking about John D’Auria’s ‘truth serum’ lens), one of my worries/fears is that I will lose sight of the ‘day-to-day work’ in the classroom. And, I believe this is true for all of us - continually going back and forth on the ‘zoom settings’ so that the day-to-day work is always in context of the bigger picture. At the heart of both lenses (wide and close zoom) is the foundational work we establish in the relationships we have with our students and one another.

As caring adults, whether we are parents or educators or both, we are in roles of influence. And, as such, we need to continually ask and reflect upon what ‘influences the influence’. In other words...What is it that impacts influence? What fosters positive vs negative influence? Have we asked this of our students? Our ultimate goal is learning and growth (and I think that’s something we can all agree on), but to get there or make progress on that path we need to keep naming and asking of our learners these questions. In essence, we need to build and establish a practice of and space for reflection.

Last week’s topic/question of the week and blog post (Supporting and Serving Others) connects to the factors that influence our learning, and the posts below help to both broaden and hone perspectives on our role as both educators and learners...

Topic/Question (Week of 1/20/19): What does it look like to support and serve others?

Always being open to lending a helping hand and having a mindset that leans towards rising to opportunities when they present themselves.
Giving them the means to succeed and making sure they do.
Supporting and serving others can take two forms: it can bring calm or it can create frenzy. Either way, it is active toward the goal of happiness.
Asking people what is wrong, being approachable.
Help the person problem solve but don't do the work for them. Coach them with verbal and visual and ask questions to the person that needs support so you can clearly understand their support needs.
Making sure that people we see every day are being taken care of with basic needs--be aware that people in every community struggle.
To forgive and help someone, no matter how they behave towards you. To always be there for them. The small things matter.
I think it is finding a way to help others, by finding your own interests and passions. That may sound selfish, but if you have a passion for what you are doing to help. I think one is more likely to go all out and start to change the world.
To help people when there struggling
Being there for them if they are going through a tough time.
It looks like helping, and caring for others.
It looks like helping people out when they are in tough times.
Help others in their day to day lives as well as long term dreams by being interested in a caring about them in word and action - make suggestions if they ask but don't criticize and potentially kill their dreams - be kind and never forget to adhere to the Golden Rule!
It looks like people helping out their community and always putting others first before yourself. It looks like people working together to achieve a goal, and always being there for each other.
Helping other people.

Teaching: Just Like Performing Magic
by Jessica Lahey (@jesslahey) in The Atlantic
This post from a couple of years ago highlights an interview with Teller (of the magician duo, Penn and Teller), who was a Latin teacher prior to his career change. Within the post Teller shares his views on education and ‘performance’, influenced by Alfred North Whitehead’s ‘rhythm of education’ and three stages of learning: romance, precision, and generalization.
Education, at its most engaging, is performance art. From the moment a teacher steps into the classroom, students look to him or her to set the tone and course of study for everyone, from the most enthusiastic to the most apathetic students. Even teachers who have moved away from the traditional lecture format, toward more learner autonomy-supportive approaches such as project-based and peer-to-peer learning, still need to engage students in the process, and serve as a vital conduit between learner and subject matter.

When I go outside at night and look up at the stars, the feeling that I get is not comfort. The feeling that I get is a kind of delicious discomfort at knowing that there is so much out there that I do not understand and the joy in recognizing that there is enormous mystery, which is not a comfortable thing. This, I think, is the principal gift of education.

Students Learn From People They Love
by David Brooks (@nytdavidbrooks) in The New York Times
This post from Brooks is one that has been tweeted and retweeted by many over the past week - I have come back to it several times and have received it in my inbox from several colleagues. It holds true on many levels and gets to the foundation of our work: The bottom line is this, a defining question for any school or company is: What is the quality of the emotional relationships here? Within the post Brooks references ‘A Nation at Hope’ - worth checking out!
That early neuroscience breakthrough reminded us that a key job of a school is to give students new things to love — an exciting field of study, new friends. It reminded us that what teachers really teach is themselves — their contagious passion for their subjects and students. It reminded us that children learn from people they love, and that love in this context means willing the good of another, and offering active care for the whole person.

Even when conditions are ideal, think of all the emotions that are involved in mastering a hard subject like algebra: curiosity, excitement, frustration, confusion, dread, delight, worry and, hopefully, perseverance and joy. You’ve got to have an educated emotional vocabulary to maneuver through all those stages.

The good news is the social and emotional learning movement has been steadily gaining strength. This week the Aspen Institute (where I lead a program) published a national commission report called “From a Nation at Risk to a Nation at Hope.” Social and emotional learning is not an add-on curriculum; one educator said at the report’s launch, “It’s the way we do school.”

Principal (Teacher?): “Everyone a leader, everyone a learner.”
by Jonathon Medeiros (@JonMedeiros)
In this insightful post Medeiros explores the word ‘principal’ and aims for a shift in thinking to that of ‘principal teacher’ - emphasizing the importance of everyone learning in a collaborative fashion.
A principal is different than a principal teacher, who is the first to understand something while remaining a practitioner, in Schatz’s version and in my vision. That person, the principal teacher, is best positioned to lead through experience, through teaching, and through continued learning.

As 2018 National Teacher of the Year Mandy Manning, NBCT writes, rigid education systems forget their paramount purpose, a purpose that is in theory shared by all of us in education, to serve the needs of our students. Flexibility in the public education system is necessary. Schools and districts need to become more flexible, need to return to the older sense of the word principal, need to embrace Mr. Schatz’s sense of the term principal teacher.

We need to find the flexibility to re-embrace the ideas inherent to principal teachers. We need to do the difficult things required of real change, which would have us break our rigid ideas and structures, and start over. We cannot continue to snip and adjust around the edges of an inflexible core, our teacher and administrator prep programs and school systems. We need to do those difficult things and recreate a more flexible education system that values learning and leadership from all and requires leaders to be expert practitioners.

Our roles as educators, parents, and caring adults are complex, nuanced, and to put it simply - hard. The more we connect and talk with one another, and more importantly listen to one another, the more progress we will make. Channeling the words below from Justin Reich (@bjfr) and James Ryan (@presjimryan), I believe our unique and individualized strengths and influences will help to bridge the gap between ‘aspirations and reality’ in a coherent manner for our students and ourselves.

I look forward to the work that lies ahead for all of us.
Please click here for Blake Updates.
Please click here for Thursday Packet Information.
Enjoy the week and take care.
Nat

Supporting and Serving Others

1/22/2019

January 22, 2019

To help encourage conversations and dialogue about supporting one another, fostering community, and serving others, our topic/question of the week is: What does it look like to support and serve others? Supporting and Serving Others (Week of 1/20/19) (This is an anonymous Google Form)

Blake's Guiding Lights
Our Students
Blake's Core Values: Respect, Responsibility, Resourcefulness, Reflection
Our Essential Question: How can we cultivate and curate the progression of student learning and growth?
Our Mission: Blake Middle School believes in a living mission statement, based on the concept that our community seeks and respects knowledge, integrity, character, wisdom, and the willingness to adapt to a continually evolving world.

Hopefully our no homework weekend was relaxing and restful for all and that the storm (between sessions of shoveling and cleaning up) provided a great reason to just simply slow it down. After a day of basketball on Saturday we took it easy on Sunday, cooking and enjoying the playoff games as a family. Monday’s Day of Service is always a great way to honor Dr. King - thanks so much to Cynthia McClelland for her leadership and to all of the students and staff who supported and participated in this annual tradition of service!

I did my best this weekend to limit school work and set it aside with the intent of being present and #slowingitdown - this is always a challenge for me, but similar to our students, the structured and defined break certainly helps foster habits! At Friday afternoon’s meeting we watched a segment of Dr. King’s last speech (Martin Luther King's Last Speech: I've Been to the Mountaintop) and this excerpt from this speech have stayed with me…
Now let me say as I move to my conclusion that we've got to give ourselves to this struggle until the end. Nothing would be more tragic than to stop at this point in Memphis. We've got to see it through. And when we have our march, you need to be there. If it means leaving work, if it means leaving school, be there. Be concerned about your brother. You may not be on strike, but either we go up together or we go down together. Let us develop a kind of dangerous unselfishness. -- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
With the down time this weekend I enjoyed perusing and reading more about Dr. King, viewing some speeches, and learning. I hope we can find ways to make more connections for our students and our community about the impact service and speaking/living one’s core beliefs has on one another and oneself - and the direct impact on growth and learning.

The responses to last week’s question (How can you help others improve as learners?), along with a couple of posts of interest and some more words from Dr. King, will hopefully help foster conversations and reflection about service, support, coherence, and learning for our community...into our conversations

Topic/Question (Week of 1/20/19): How can you help others improve as learners?

By modeling our own learning process and allowing others to see that learning is a life-long process.
I can speak slowly, and carry a big question.
share valuable life experiences and skills. Include and share ideas. It is beneficial to ALL!
Talk slower when I’m explaining things
1. Individual and small group conferencing...2. Model presentation format/practices, then let them present content to their classmates; either individually or in small groups.
Being respectful and nice
I can model my thinking and reasoning processes as I am working with staff and students to help them see how I am reaching conclusions or making decisions. I can work individually with students to help them understand their disability and self-advocate.
To inspire other people instead of telling them how to learn
Be kind and patient with them, and do not distract them from their learning.
Teach don’t tell, don’t give people answers, help get them out of them.
Be patient and supportive. Mistakes are not wrong; mistakes are part of the process. Whether is content, skill or maturity based.
Actually 1 on 1 teacher student time
To help students with work they’re having trouble on
Listen to them, hear what they need and adjust.
Help them find the correct answer and show them why they got it wrong.
Support them in all the achievements they want to achieve. Help them out! 😊
Model patience and curiosity, and continue to reinforce other strategies that help in learning
Stay with them...listen...give your own vantage point in a low key way. It helps if you were not such a good learner so they can reflect in their own way when it applies.

Why Competency-Based Education Is Exciting And Where It May Stumble
by Katrina Schwartz (@KSchwart) in MindShift
This post references some of the challenges we face when transforming towards a competency-based framework of education and highlights some of the work that Justin Reich (@bjfr) has done in this field. I appreciate the underlying premise that Justin promotes - that of coherence - and the recognition that it is a process.
Educators all over the world are thinking creatively about ways to transform the traditional education system into an experience that will propel students forward into the world ready to take on its complex challenges. Competency-based education has piqued the interest of many communities because of its promise to make learning a more personal experience for students….Wouldn’t it make more sense if everyone could move at their own pace, investigate their unique interests and demonstrate their knowledge in the ways that are most meaningful to them? In its purest form, that’s what proponents of competency-based education want to see.

“It forces or compels people to think really carefully about what it is we want students to know, to do, to believe, and to have conversations that are not just within one person’s classroom or department, but across departments, “ Reich said. “They’re thinking really carefully about what it looks like for students to be on a trajectory.”

That kind of coherence is key to innovative change, Reich said. And often it's the incremental changes, not the huge innovations, that ultimately transform systems. So while competency-based education in its most radical form may not end up being a viable solution for many schools, elements of the reform may make a big difference for educators and students where these conversations are happening.

How to Help Tweens and Teens Manage Social Conflict
by Lisa Damour (@LDamour) in The New York Times
As both a parent and educator of tweens the title of this post jumped out at me. It provides a nice framework of thought for support with three strategies: Don’t confuse conflict with bullying; Teach healthy conflict; Let them pick their battles. I particularly like the metaphor of setting up bumpers along the bowling alley.
Indeed, as children turn into teenagers they become more devoted to their peers, but also more likely to come into conflict with them. In middle and high school, social friction and hurt feelings often come with the territory, with the risk of causing intense emotional stressboth for the tweens and teenagers themselves, and also for the grown-ups who care for them.

While there are times when adults should step in, according to Blake Revelle, principal of Indian Hills Middle School, a public school in Prairie Village, Kan., “our job as parents and educators is to set up some bumpers on the bowling alley, not to dictate the exact way the ball goes down the lane.” Grown-ups are probably most helpful to young people when we take their social turmoil in stride and have strategies to coach them along as they work to resolve things on their own.

As Ms. Shaffer notes, “we don’t have emotional Bubble Wrap for children, but we do have ways to help them develop the emotional agility to navigate through difficult situations.”

Words from Dr. King
“So even though we face difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream.”
“Find a voice in a whisper.”
“There is no such thing as separate but equal. Separation, segregation, inevitably makes for inequality.”

I look forward to the work that lies ahead for all of us.
Enjoy the week and take care.
Nat

Emerging From Within

1/14/2019

January 15, 2019

To help encourage conversations and dialogue about collective learning and how individual contributions help groups improve, our topic/question of the week is: How can you help others improve as learners? Emerging From Within (Week of 1/13/19) (This is an anonymous Google Form)

Blake's Guiding Lights
Our Students
Blake's Core Values: Respect, Responsibility, Resourcefulness, Reflection
Our Essential Question: How can we cultivate and curate the progression of student learning and growth?
Our Mission: Blake Middle School believes in a living mission statement, based on the concept that our community seeks and respects knowledge, integrity, character, wisdom, and the willingness to adapt to a continually evolving world.

Hope everyone is staying warm - we certainly have had a mild winter this far, so the cold temps certainly woke us up! After a full week of learning and engagement - attending a Race and Racism workshop in Westwood and our Signs of Suicide Presentation with Samaritans, hosting education students from Mary Immaculate College through a partnership with BC, and the everyday learning within the halls of Blake, the dance on Friday evening was a nice way to ground the learning with a focus on our students. Big thanks to the staff who chaperoned, helping to provide and a safe and fun night for our students: Elise Malone, Lisa Matthews, Kelly Ruminski, Jillian Shaw, Kelly Campbell, Brian Gavaghan, Matt Marenghi, Deb Manning, and Amy Cuomo. Katie was away for the weekend with some friends and the kids and I had a relatively quiet weekend - some basketball games, walks outside, playing some ping pong (a family Christmas gift), and watching some playoff football!

At our faculty meeting this past week, we took some time together to share some reflections from our (almost) first half of the year and reflect on some recent learning and ‘big picture ideas’. I always (as you know) wish that we had more time together and we will be exploring more in the future. It has been great to read the ‘opening and closing prompts’ from everyone - sharing #onewords, resolutions/intentions, and hopes for students in 2019 - as they help to open up doors, make connections, and continue building our community of learners. Similarly I hope that the responses from last week’s question, sharing of my own resolutions/intentions, and the highlighted posts will open up more doors for personal, professional, and collective learning and exploration.

Topic/Question (Week of 1/13/19): What are you hoping to learn about in 2019?

Different forms of assessment and feedback to best assist student learning.
Stronger open responses
How to better deal with stress
Algebra
I want to learn how to draw people
How to become a better writer and person
I'm hoping to learn and practice balance. Finding that nice balance between work and home life.
How to make food that’s not just good but good for you
I want to learn about the Greeks.
I want to learn more math, and more English, so I can get better at writing.
I want to learn more about current events
I am hoping to learn about the organization of Standards Based Tests.

Resolutions/Intentions for the 2019 calendar year (some carry-overs from 2018)...

#slowingitdown
Defining ‘personal time’ and ‘professional time’ (an uphill climb for me)
Embrace hope (#willfulhope)
Explore musical interests (playing and listening)
Listening to understand rather than listening to respond
Embrace and model authenticity and vulnerability
Explore ways to 'go deeper' and find more meaning
Practice intentional time for self-reflection, mindfulness, and growth
Think about ways to connect more directly with students (focus groups, check-ins, discussions)
Broaden and redefine some methods of sharing and growing (networking, connecting, collaborating) within Blake, Medfield, and beyond

My Annual Resolutions/Intentions

Be open to the ideology of those who do not share my thinking and better understand those views (ask questions and be genuinely curious for feedback)
Be a mirror for others and ask others to do the same for me
Articulate and focus on the 'good problems'
Foster leadership at all levels (students, staff, parents, and community), balancing ownership with healthy delegation and growth for others
Stay the course and keep the 'big picture' in mind at all times
'Lean towards yes' and maintain the mission of our mantra, 'a willingness to adapt'

Willing to Be Disturbed
by Margaret Wheatley
This piece is an excerpt from Wheatley’s book, Turning to One Another: Simple Conversations to Restore Hope to the Future, and the phrase ‘willing to be disturbed’ is one that helps to open up conversations. This mantra will help us to listen to one another and examine our own practices - a key component of a learning community. There is much about this excerpt that I love, but the creativity element really speaks to me today.
As we work together to restore hope to the future, we need to include a new and strange ally—our willingness to be disturbed. Our willingness to have our beliefs and ideas challenged by what others think. No one person or perspective can give us the answers we need to the problems of today. Paradoxically, we can only find those answers by admitting we don’t know. We have to be willing to let go of our certainty and expect ourselves to be confused for a time.

It is very difficult to give up our certainties—our positions, our beliefs, our explanations. These help define us; they lie at the heart of our personal identity. Yet I believe we will succeed in changing this world only if we can think and work together in new ways. Curiosity is what we need. We don’t have to let go of what we believe, but we do need to be curious about what someone else believes. We do need to acknowledge that their way of interpreting the world might be essential to our survival.

Sometimes we hesitate to listen for differences because we don’t want to change. We’re comfortable with our lives, and if we listened to anyone who raised questions, we’d have to get engaged in changing things. If we don’t listen, things can stay as they are and we won’t have to expend any energy. But most of us do see things in our life or in the world that we would like to be different. If that’s true, we have to listen more, not less. And we have to be willing to move into the very uncomfortable place of uncertainty.

We can’t be creative if we refuse to be confused. Change always starts with confusion; cherished interpretations must dissolve to make way for the new. Of course it’s scary to give up what we know, but the abyss is where newness lives. Great ideas and inventions miraculously appear in the space of not knowing. If we can move through the fear and enter the abyss, we are rewarded greatly. We rediscover we’re creative.

Modern Learners 2018 Provocation of the Year
by Bruce Dixon
(I shared this post last week - it’s worth re-sharing as the ‘willing to be disturbed’ mantra has a direct connection to the notion and mantra of ‘provocation’.)
Dixon, one of the co-founders of Modern Learners, is worth following and this post does an excellent job of framing the need for communication with all stakeholders. I particularly like the notion that we are becoming ‘comfortable at being comfortable’, the need to ‘stand for what you believe’, and the meaningful role provocation can play in our work.
2018 has indeed been a very different year, in so many ways. Economically volatile, politically unpredictable, while in education it’s also fair to say the conversation is changing quite dramatically. While we’d all like to think we are a small part of making that happen, there are now many more diverse voices calling for us to rethink what school could and should be. At long last we are starting to become comfortable at being uncomfortable.

...you can only get those vibrant, thoughtful, deep conversations when listening is preferred above speaking, when questions are prioritized above answers, and when provocation presents a platform for new ideas, for a different perspective that might otherwise never have been heard. In this context, provocation is therefore about deconstructing meanings and hidden agendas, challenging assumptions and seeking new ways of thinking not just about what we do, or how we do it, but most importantly, why we do what we do. It is in this context that the choice for our 2018 Provocation of the Year came down to a single word… assessment.

So that sets an agenda for all of us in 2019. I think we have to think about how we can take this provocation to the wider community: our parents, our students, and importantly to those in the public media. We can’t repeat the mistakes of previous iterations and assume the community understands why we think this is so important and what they can do about it.

It takes us back to where we started the year, to our beliefs around learning. If we can’t anchor our conversations around a topic as provocative as assessment in our beliefs around learning, then frankly, all is lost. So maybe that even sets up a possible resolution for 2019. Stand by what you believe. It’s surely the foundation for the most productive conversations you can have with peers and your school community, and it gives you a strong foundation to lead deeper conversations around a provocative topic like assessment.

Taking Beautiful Risks in Education
by Ronald A. Beghetto in Educational Leadership
This recent post is one that speaks to the importance of educators fostering creativity, challenging assumptions, and allowing students to grow from an open premise of possibility. Within, Beghetto introduces three ‘beautiful risks’: Rethink the Formula for School Success; Share "Favorite Failures"; Building an Unshakeable Sense of Possibility Thinking.
Creativity is risky. It takes courage. Revolutionary artists such as Henri Matisse recognized this about creativity. But you don't have to be a famous artist to understand that creative expression, while often beneficial to oneself and others, comes with its share of hazards. Creativity is risky because it requires doing things differently. And whenever we try to do something new or different, we make ourselves vulnerable to making mistakes, appearing foolish, and even being ridiculed. Put simply, creative endeavors don't always work out.

A beautiful risk is different from both good and bad risks. A beautiful risk involves taking actions that have the potential to make a positive and lasting contribution to the learning and lives of others (Beghetto, in press)...Establishing openings in our curriculum to foster creative expression is also a beautiful risk. Although doing so requires us to let go of some of the certainty of more defined and structured approaches, the potential benefits to our students include deepening their engagement, developing their creative confidence, and providing them with opportunities to contribute to their own and others' learning.

Although educators face many constraints when it comes to fostering student creativity in the classroom, the greatest barrier to creativity isn't the constraints. There will always be constraints. The greatest barrier is often ourselves and our timidity about exploring new territory. The key is to have the courage to take the beautiful risks necessary for supporting our students' (and our own) creativity.

The Paradox of Leading for Deeper Learning
by Jal Mehta (@jal_mehta) in Education Week
Mehta’s post addresses the paradox that leaders face as we look for ‘deeper learning’. Two strategies to help with this paradox are outlined - teaching and ‘emergence’. The shifts within speak to the importance of an active and open community of learners.
In the past few months, I have been talking with a number of district leaders who are trying to move their districts toward deeper learning for all. This, in itself, is a heartening development. The problem is that it is not easy to discern exactly what such a strategy might look like. At the heart of the problem is a paradox: Most of the people who would need to implement such a strategy—namely teachers, administrators, and students—have little experience with deeper learning. But, if the strategy is to work, those are precisely the people who would need to develop and own the strategy.

The first strategy is teaching, in the broadest possible sense of the term. If people cannot create what they haven't experienced, then it is on the leadership of districts to create the kinds of experiences that would help people see what they are trying to create, a principle that I and others have called symmetry.

A second strategy is what Margaret Wheatley and others have labeled "emergence." The core idea here is that there is already a lot of potential in any given system, and the role of the leader is to name, connect, nurture, and grow this promising work. Emergence offers a third way between top-down and bottom-up; it is a way of seeing where there is energy and interest in the system and then finding ways to grow that by connecting people with one another and creating opportunities for sharing and growth.

Twentieth-century management paradigms are not sufficient to tackle 21st-century challenges. What appears as a paradox when viewed at one point in time—how can people who haven't experienced deep learning own a system full of deep learning—looks more tractable when considered as a question of adult learning that unfolds over time. We can build 21st-century districts; it will just require a lot of learning on all of our parts.

Earlier this week I took a look back at my ‘2018 resolutions post’ (A Concerted Focus) one year ago, and I had written this...
With resolutions, goals, new beginnings, I am still working on realizing that this is always a process.
That statement is one that I probably will be writing each and every day as each new situation or encounter helps me to see ‘more shades of gray’. As I often say, I hope that in sharing I have opened the door to connections and accountability - I need all of the help I can get so please give me reminders and hold me accountable so that I can grow and learn with you. I hope we can collectively reflect and embrace the mantras and beliefs noted above - willing to be disturbed, provocation, beautiful risks, teaching, and emergence - so that we can individually and, in turn, collectively grow and learn.

I look forward to the work that lies ahead for all of us.
Please click here for Blake Updates.
Please click here for Thursday Packet Information.
Enjoy the week and take care.

Nat

Moving Forward

1/9/2019

January 8, 2019

To help encourage conversations and dialogue about curiosity, learning, and moving forward, our topic/question of the week is: What are you hoping to learn about in 2019? Moving Forward (Week of 1/6/19) (This is an anonymous Google Form)

Blake's Guiding Lights
Our Students
Blake's Core Values: Respect, Responsibility, Resourcefulness, Reflection
Our Essential Question: How can we cultivate and curate the progression of student learning and growth?
Our Mission: Blake Middle School believes in a living mission statement, based on the concept that our community seeks and respects knowledge, integrity, character, wisdom, and the willingness to adapt to a continually evolving world.

With only three days back to school it sure feels as though we are back in the swing of things as we start 2019 together. With the rainy weather on Saturday, the boys and I had a pretty quiet day beyond their weekly town basketball games. Katie took Maggie and a few friends away to celebrate her upcoming 15th birthday - I know I say it every year, but it sure is amazing how quickly time goes by! I vividly remember 15 years ago - getting ‘the call’ from Katie, walking out of the sixth grade wing, and telling Keri Sperling that ‘it was time’ - boy was I scared! Katie and I feel so appreciative of and for the Blake and Medfield community and culture of care with our children and family over these years - truly.

At this week’s faculty meeting we will be taking some time to step back, reflect together, and ‘check in’ at the ‘almost midpoint’ of our school year. Blake is a busy and engaged place with lots of excellent work taking place on all levels (classroom, cluster, grade level, department, school - and all of these interwoven as well) and I believe it is important from time to time to talk about this web and share some ideas as well. As John Hattie’s research has shown (see below), ‘collective teacher efficacy’ has a positive impact ‘beyond the zone of desired effects’ on student learning - and, at the core of this work is both individual and collective professional development.

Directly tied to this research is the work and words from Marc Brackett, founding Director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, that I heard at Challenge Success - one I have shared several times...

The # 1 predictor of engagement is relevance
The # 1 priority is adult development (‘adult development over child development’) - ‘we can’t ask people to do things we don’t do ourselves’
The # 1 challenge we face is getting adults to see it as their inherent responsibility to do their own professional development

As such I hope that our time this week together as a staff can be another step along our path of collective learning and growth. I shared last week that one of my rituals at the end of one calendar year and beginning of the next is to take a look back and highlight some readings and posts that have resonated with me, challenged me, and sustained me (Giving Gifts to Oneself, Tangible Learning, Protective Factors). This process of ‘looking back’ has been a critical component for me as we transition to ‘look forward’, and hopefully ‘move forward’. For this year’s reflection I am sharing some words from Walt Disney, a post from my dear friend and colleague Beth Holland (@brholland), some responses from last week’s topic/question of the week, and 2018’s influential posts - I look forward to conversations and dialogue that they hopefully spark...

The Year of Learning
by Beth Holland (@brholland)
I always look forward to Beth’s annual posts (The Year of Agency - 2016, The Year of Agency Take 2 - 2017, It’s always darkest before the dawn… - 2018 (Focus on Hope)) as I appreciate her perspective - grounded in research and pedagogy with a focus on relevance and student-centered learning.
I am looking ahead to 2019 knowing that I not only survived the last few years, but that I also developed what may be the most valuable skill that I will need for the rest of my career: I learned how to learn.

In the industrial era, a person could develop a single skill and then be set for life. On the contrary, in a networked society that values innovation, the ability to solve unstructured problems, adaptability, and the capacity to construct new knowledge, the need for learning has re-emerged. Therefore, I think that 2019 may be the Year of Learning.

Though my schooling may be complete, I realize that I still have much to learn. After surviving the past few years, I am very confident about the gaps in my knowledge as well as my own ability to fill them. Given our current social, political, and economic climate, there is no telling what may come in the next twelve months. However, if we all consider this the Year of Learning, imagine what may be possible in our schools, our classrooms, and in our communities.

Topic/Question (Week of 1/6/19): Please complete this statement: For 2019, I am committed to these 1-2 resolutions...

To read a pleasure reading book for at least 20 minutes each day / To recommit to good eating habits
less social media...more happiness. Not making resolutions just making plans!!!
I will compromise! :)
Do 3 good things for people every day. Exercise in walking every day. Paint or draw every day.
Get better grades, try hard
I want to be more organize
1) To volunteer more 2) to check over all my work in math.
Getting up earlier
Getting my book published n becoming a more calm person

2018’s Influential Posts
These are not necessarily the ‘top posts’ - rather that are ones that have held meaning for me, our collective work, and our community of learners…
Is It the End of Math Homework?
by AJ Juliani (@ajjuliani)
Are We Getting Better at the Wrong Things?
by Katie Martin (@katiemartinedu)
Will Letter Grades Survive?
by Laura McKenna in Edutopia
Interactive Competence
by Esko Kilpi (@EskoKilpi)
We’re Trying To Do “The Wrong Thing Right” in Schools
by Will Richardson (@willrich45)
We’re in the Learning Business, Yet...
by Michael Bostwick (@M_Bostwick)
The Lost Art of Listening
by Eric Sheninger (@E_Sheninger)
5 Questions Every Kid Is Trying to Answer
by David Guerin (@DavidGuerin)
A Pernicious Myth: Basics Before Deeper Learning
by Jal Mehta (@jal_mehta) in Education Week
No Place for Social-Emotional Learning In Schools? Are You Sure?
by Peter DeWitt (@PeterMDeWitt) in Education Week
Do Educators Really Want Parents to Be Held Accountable?
by Peter DeWitt (@PeterMDeWitt) in Education Week
Courage Over Comfort: Rumbling with Shame, Accountability, and Failure at Work
by Brene Brown (@BreneBrown)
School Without Scoreboards
by Arthur Chiaravalli (@hhschiaravalli)
Wanted: Professional Learners
by Will Richardson (@willrich45)
Learning Is a Learned Behavior. Here’s How to Get Better at It
by Ulrich Boser in Harvard Business Review
Why Change School?
by Will Richardson (@willrich45)
From Final Exam to Defense of Learning
by Beth Holland (@brholland) in Education Week
Be Firm in Your Principles. Be Flexible in Your Practices
By David Guerin (@DavidGuerin)
Attaching Complexity With Confidence
by Jonathan Rochelle, Katherine Prince, and Tom Vander Ark in Getting Smart
To Raise Independent Kids, Treat Middle School Like a Dress Rehearsal for Life
by Braden Bell in The Washington Post
Why parents should try to be happy, even when their child isn’t
by KJ Dell’Antonia in The Washington Post
The Problem with, "Show Me the Research" Thinking
by Rick Wormeli (@rickwormeli2) in AMLE Magazine
The Most Important Skill at the Office Isn't Being Taught in School
in Entrepreneur
The Most Important Skill for the Future: Being Human
by Will Richardson (@willrich45)
How to Plan and Implement Continuous Improvement In Schools
by Katrina Schwartz (@KSchwart) in MindShift

As I reflect and look back with an eye to move forward (and with a nod towards traditions), I am ending this post with some quotations from last year’s end of-year post - they are ones that continue to offer perspective, inspiration, guidance, and hope...

That which is unspeakable is unmanageable. - Colby Swettberg
We are going to make the path by walking it. - Colby Swettberg
We can't teach what we don't know. We can't lead where we won't go. - Malcolm X
If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn. - Charlie Parker

I look forward to the work that lies ahead for all of us.
Please click here for Blake Updates.
Please click here for Thursday Packet Information.
Enjoy the week and take care.
Nat

What Lies Ahead

1/2/2019

January 2, 2019

To help encourage conversations and dialogue about resolutions, beginnings, and renewal as we welcome in 2019, our topic/question of the week is: Please complete this statement: For 2019, I am committed to these 1-2 resolutions...
What Lies Ahead (Week of 1/1/19) (This is an anonymous Google Form)

Blake's Guiding Lights
Our Students
Blake's Core Values: Respect, Responsibility, Resourcefulness, Reflection
Our Essential Question: How can we cultivate and curate the progression of student learning and growth?
Our Mission: Blake Middle School believes in a living mission statement, based on the concept that our community seeks and respects knowledge, integrity, character, wisdom, and the willingness to adapt to a continually evolving world.

Happy New Year! Hopefully you are reading this in a rested and relaxed state of mind, as we say goodbye to 2018 and hello to 2019. After a festive and celebratory first few days of vacation with family and friends (including the annual holiday party I have been attending as long as I can remember in Sherborn), our week was pretty unscheduled and relaxed. My pre-vacation blog post (Making Room for Growth) helped lay my own ground work for reflective thought - looking back on 2018 and looking forward to what lies ahead, all the while trying to frame the thoughts and hopes of under the ‘umbrella’ of #willfulhope (a mantra from a dear friend that I have embraced). I have shared before that one of my favorite parts about ‘externally influenced’ down time (i.e. vacations and weekends) is that I am given the opportunity to practice my goal/resolution to #slowitdown and reflect. In this season of resolutions and intentions, I appreciated the structured break to diverge from my daily routine and take advantage of this ‘space’ (as is often the case, I think there are important implications for our work with students and our own professional development that we can think about incorporating - good ‘food for thought’ for future discussions).

As we embark upon a new calendar year together (always strange in some ways as our New Year’s Day as educators and students comes in late August/early September around Labor Day), I am continuing my practice of sharing some 'end-of-year' posts/lists/readings that have been of interest for me (I will be sharing my own version next week), along with some responses from our pre-vacation topic/question (some vacation ‘hopes’). I hope others find meaning in these as well as we look to further foster meaningful dialogue in 2019...

Topic/Question (Week of 12/16/18): What are you hoping to do and/or looking forward to do during the vacation?

Relax and spend time with family and friends.
I'm looking forward to playing with my kids and getting into a book or two that I have been looking forward to reading.
Going to galleries/museums looking at art. Doing a lot of walking every day.
My Relatives Coming!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Singing in church
I am looking forward to going to Jamaica and making gingerbread houses on Christmas
Having a break from homework
Ski
Relax with friends and family
I am looking forward to traveling to Raleigh to see my family.
I am looking forward to relaxing and eating amazing foods during the vacation.
Seeing my family
Spending time with family and getting to unwind and relax.
I’m looking forward to Christmas and the New Year
Seeing my cousins and extended family
My grandma coming to visit from Indiana
De-stress, reconnect with family, come back fresh and ready for the new year.
Celebrating the holidays with family
For Christmas I am going to my grandparent’s house who live in Walpole for brunch, and for dinner I am going to my great aunt and uncle’s house. They also live in Walpole.
Christmas
I am really looking forward to chilling out and really being in the moment. I also can't wait to read a book just for fun.
Sleep
See my family that lives far away and finally relax

Some Year-End Lists and Reflections/Predictions
Finished! Here Are All Thirty-One 2018 “Best” Lists
by Larry Ferlazzo (@larryferlazzo)
This list is always my 'first stop' for reflections upon the year. Ferlazzo is a prolific writer, reader, archivist, and blogger of 'all things education' and this link has over 15 lists, from content-specific 'best of' to recommendations to predictions for 2019. I recommend bookmarking this site.

12 Areas School Leaders Should Focus on in 2019
by Peter DeWitt (@PeterMDeWitt) in Education Week

The Year's Most Usable The articles that resonated most with Usable Knowledge readers in 2018
from HGSE’s Usable Knowledge

2018 Education Research Highlights
by Youki Terada in Edutopia
Education research continues to remind us of the powerful impact teachers have on children. This impact is overwhelmingly positive—the studies we highlight here demonstrate specific ways in which teachers can or already do help students feel a sense of belonging in school and make gains in learning.

The Best Parent Engagement Resources – 2018
by Larry Ferlazzo (@LarryFerlazzo)

Top Education Stories of 2018: Education Week’s Most Viewed
Compiled by the editors at Education Week

Top Teacher Stories of 2018: Education Week's Most Viewed
Compiled by the editors at Education Week

Top Education Videos of 2018: Education Week’s Most Viewed
Compiled by the editors at Education Week

Top 20 Posts from 2018
Selected by the Getting Smart Staff

Top 100 Education Blogs in 2019 for Educators and Teachers
from Feedspot Education Blogs List.
The Best Education blogs from thousands of top Education blogs in our index using search and social metrics. Data will be refreshed once a week. Also check out Educational Podcasts and Educational Videos from Top 100 Educational Youtube Channels.

A Few 'Big Picture' Posts
Modern Learners 2018 Provocation of the Year
by Bruce Dixon
Dixon, one of the co-founders of Modern Learners, is worth following and this post does an excellent job of framing the need for communication with all stakeholders. I particularly like the notion that we are becoming ‘comfortable at being comfortable’, the need to ‘stand for what you believe’, and the meaningful role provocation can play in our work.
2018 has indeed been a very different year, in so many ways. Economically volatile, politically unpredictable, while in education it’s also fair to say the conversation is changing quite dramatically. While we’d all like to think we are a small part of making that happen, there are now many more diverse voices calling for us to rethink what school could and should be. At long last we are starting to become comfortable at being uncomfortable.

...you can only get those vibrant, thoughtful, deep conversations when listening is preferred above speaking, when questions are prioritized above answers, and when provocation presents a platform for new ideas, for a different perspective that might otherwise never have been heard. In this context, provocation is therefore about deconstructing meanings and hidden agendas, challenging assumptions and seeking new ways of thinking not just about what we do, or how we do it, but most importantly, why we do what we do. It is in this context that the choice for our 2018 Provocation of the Year came down to a single word… assessment.

So that sets an agenda for all of us in 2019. I think we have to think about how we can take this provocation to the wider community: our parents, our students, and importantly to those in the public media. We can’t repeat the mistakes of previous iterations and assume the community understands why we think this is so important and what they can do about it.

It takes us back to where we started the year, to our beliefs around learning. If we can’t anchor our conversations around a topic as provocative as assessment in our beliefs around learning, then frankly, all is lost. So maybe that even sets up a possible resolution for 2019. Stand by what you believe. It’s surely the foundation for the most productive conversations you can have with peers and your school community, and it gives you a strong foundation to lead deeper conversations around a provocative topic like assessment.

The Fallacy of the ‘I Turned Out Fine’ Argument
by Justin Coulson in The New York Times
I read this after Thanksgiving this year and have come back to it several times since then. I’ve shared it with a number of people as it really resonated with me as a parent and educator. We often hear the 'kids these days' narrative and I find the 'I turned out fine' to be similar.
The “I turned out just fine” argument is popular. It means that based on our personal experience we know what works and what doesn’t. But the argument has fatal flaws...It’s what’s known as an anecdotal fallacy...It relies on a decision-making shortcut known as the availability heuristic...It dismisses well-substantiated, scientific evidence...It leads to entrenched attitudes.

Where is the threshold for what constitutes having turned out fine? If it means we avoided prison, we may be setting the bar too low. Gainfully employed and have a family of our own? Still a pretty basic standard. It is as reasonable to say “I turned out fine because of this” as it is to say “I turned out fine in spite of this.”

We expect our children to embrace learning and to progress in their thinking as they grow older. They deserve to expect the same from us.

Is Assessment Ready to Move Beyond Standardized Tests? These MIT Researchers Think So.
by Emily Tate in EdSurge
As we continue to grow as an educational community, it is important to stay ‘in the know’ with current trends in education. The concept of ‘playful assessment’ is one worthy of serious consideration, as we look to foster, teach, and assess curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking.
Playful assessment, not to be mistaken for gamification, seeks to capture student mastery in many of the areas that are hard to gauge. Louisa Rosenheck, a research manager at MIT with experience in game design, says the idea is to measure “all the things we say we care about”—like curiosity, creativity and critical thinking—but that traditional assessments miss. “By making assessment playful, we can get closer to measuring the things we actually value,” she says.

The beauty of playful assessment, she says, is that it can be done without interrupting the rhythm of learning, thereby alleviating student anxiety around testing. “Kids don’t even have to know they are being assessed,” Rosenheck tells EdSurge.

How to Wrap Advice as a Gift a Teenager Might Open
by Lisa Damour in The New York Times
This is a wonderful post by Damour and is a ‘must read’ for all parents and educators - a nice reminder of ‘intent and impact’ and the importance of keeping your ‘audience in mind’.
The giving season is again upon us and if there’s anything adults are always eager to share with our teenagers, it’s our own hard-earned wisdom. But why do our well-meaning efforts to advise our teenagers often get a chilly reception? Usually, it’s because we’ve got our attention trained on the wrong thing: the thoughts we’re hoping to pass along, and not how it feels to be on the receiving end of such lessons.

As much as we might want to simply tell our teenagers what to do, we equally know that doing so won’t serve them well in the long run. Our aim, of course, should be to help them learn to make good decisions on their own. And when we do have hard-won perspective that we’re longing to share, let’s package it so that our teenagers are most likely to be receptive — both during this gift-giving season and all year round.

12 Alternatives To Letter Grades In Education
by Terry Heick in TeachThought
Heick’s posts are always thought-provoking and the ideas within are ones worthy of our reflection as we continue to find meaningful ways to provide feedback for our students in the pursuit of reflective learning.
The letter grade fails because its job–to communicate learning results to learners and families—cannot possibly be performed a single symbol. Further, the letter grade “pauses” learning–basically says that at this point, if I had to average all of your understanding, progress, success, and performance into a single alphanumeric character, it’d be this, but really this is over-simplifying things because learning is messy and understanding is highly dynamic.

But parents don’t want to hear about understanding because it’s grey area that doesn’t make sense. It sounds like spin. It’s subjective. Complex. They want it to be distilled for them–and rightfully so, but that reduction dissolves the honesty of the learning process. Conversations with parents turn most frequently on missing work, learner temperament and/or attendance, and the letter grade, but rarely on knowledge, curiosity, or the ability to evaluate information.

My Annual Shares
5 Media Resolutions Every Family Should Make in 2019
by Caroline Knorr in Common Sense Media
Each year Knorr shares her advice for how families can try and make sense of the benefits and challenges that we all encounter and embrace with media. Common Sense Media is a phenomenal resource and these resolutions hold meaning for educators and families alike - as we do each year, Katie and I will be reflecting upon them for our own household.
What do you remember from 2018? Did you share pics of your kid on Facebook? Did you sneak a peek at their texts with their friends? Did you yell at them to get off their devices? Did you watch a movie that made you both laugh (or cry)? Did they send you a text that filled your heart and reminded you of why you had kids in the first place? So much of our daily lives revolves around media and tech that we barely notice it anymore. But we should. Why? Because these moments are the stuff of life. And the way we use technology really matters.

The start of a new year is a perfect time to reflect on the role you want media and tech to play in your family's lives. After all, media and tech are just the enablers. Learning, connecting, growing -- even setting a positive example for your kids -- are where the real magic happens.

Help your kids become more aware of their own online time and help them take control of their use, too. You don't have to shut everything down. But really focus on what you're doing, when you're doing it, and why. The way you use media and tech has a huge influence on your kids, and you can be a great role model for using them mindfully.

To My 13-Year-Old, An iPhone Contract From Your Mom, With Love and To My 13-Year-Old, An iPhone Contract From Your Mom, With Love
by Janell Burley Hoffman in The Huffington Post
I share these posts each year and I find it resonates each time I come back to it. # 18 is wonderful - 'You will mess up. I will take away your phone. We will sit down and talk about it. We will start over again. You and I, we are always learning. I am on your team. We are in this together.'

We need to remember to look forward to build and to know we have the strength and collective capacity within…

Over the next week I will set aside some some time to formally name my resolutions for 2019, and I look forward to hearing and learning about yours as well. I hope the renewed energy and spirit from vacation will carry forth into our work. The last few years I have borrowed Larry Ferlazzo's sharing of Bill Ivey's words to foster optimism, gratitude, and recognition for education - a nice way to start anew each year...
Each and every school day will bring tens of thousands of reasons to celebrate in schools across the country. - Bill Ivey
I also want to share and highlight these quotes - affirming progress, embracing resistance, and the importance of 'finding flowers'...

If what you are doing is important, you will encounter resistance. If what you are doing isn't important it will be easy. - Aaron Hogan
Many eyes go through the meadow, but few see the flowers. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

I look forward to the work that lies ahead for all of us.
Please click here for Blake Updates.
Please click here for Thursday Packet Information.
Take care.
Nat

Making Room for Growth

12/17/2018

December 18, 2018

To help encourage conversations and dialogue about the need to step back and reflect to improve and grow, our topic/question for the dinner table is: What are you hoping to do and/or looking forward to do during the vacation? Making Room for Growth (Week of 12/16/18) (This is an anonymous Google Form)

Blake's Guiding Lights
Our Students
Blake's Core Values: Respect, Responsibility, Resourcefulness, Reflection
Our Essential Question: How can we cultivate and curate the progression of student learning and growth?
Our Mission: Blake Middle School believes in a living mission statement, based on the concept that our community seeks and respects knowledge, integrity, character, wisdom, and the willingness to adapt to a continually evolving world.

After the lovely holiday get-together at Deeni’s house on Friday (thanks to Deeni and all of the Stevens!), Katie and I ventured into Cambridge to hear Chris Pureka at Club Passim. This was Katie’s birthday gift to me this past August and we had a wonderful time. Saturday and Sunday consisted of ‘holiday craze’ and basketball - the milder weather was lovely!

Although I have been enjoying re-reading our Site Council book, What School Could Be by Ted Dintersmith, I have not found as much time as I would like to read and reflect over the past couple of weeks. This past Thursday morning, however, I set an intention to ‘catch up’ on some bookmarked posts and articles. Through one of the e-mail lists I am on, I came across these words from writer and management consultant, Margaret Wheatley…
There is no power equal to a community discovering what it cares about.

I am somewhat familiar with Wheatley’s work as a writer who studies organizational behavior, but the words really spoke to me and I dug a bit deeper. These words came from her book, Turning To One Another: Simple Conversations to Restore Hope to the Future, in the context of this larger ‘section’...

The previous afternoon the district-wide SEL Task Force had met at Medfield High School and we were essentially saying and (hopefully) doing ‘this very thing’ - gathering together as a community to talk about and articulate what we ‘care about’. By their very nature, our schools and the education of our students will often feel like a ‘breeding ground’ for disagreement and discord about ‘directions to take’ and the ‘proper direction for the future’. Our work and decisions will invigorate some and may (hopefully not too much) deflate others. One key is that we keep offering forums and places for individual and collective dialogue and conversations - and, our doors need to be and remain open as a space for questions, possibilities, and listening.

After sending along that quote to a few people, I ‘mentally bookmarked it’ and went on with the day. That night, after attending the Blake chorus concert, I put on one of my Spotify playlists and a favorite song came on - ‘Let’s Be Still’ by The Head and the Heart. Having felt pretty tired at this point as we were approaching Friday, the lyrics seemed to jump out at me...
The world's just spinning
A little too fast
If things don't slow down soon
we might not last
The world's not forgiving
Of everyone's fears
The days turn into months the months turn into years
So just for a moment, let's be still

Where is this going and why am I referencing Wheatley’s words and one of my favorite songs? As a caveat I am one who loves to ‘find meaning’ in experiences, but this felt real to me - encouraging conversations and stillness as a means for rejuvenation, growth, and improvement. Finding stillness may just be what is needed, amidst our daily work. This week will certainly be full of fun and energy and will require our presence and patience. With this in mind, I hope that we can take the words of Peter Drucker (often shared before summer and vacations) to help us to step back, listen, relax, and reflect - this practice will allow us and our students to improve and move forward...

A few responses from last week’s topic/question (focusing on interests) along with two posts (one focusing on a framework for growth and one encouraging self-care) below will hopefully set the stage for a necessary and reflective break...

Topic/Question (Week of 12/9/18): What are some areas of interest you would like to spend more time learning or exploring?

Student-led conferences
Book Club
Incorporating mindfulness into classes
Other countries
Student-led IEP meetings
Painting

How to Plan and Implement Continuous Improvement In Schools
by Katrina Schwartz (@KSchwart) in MindShift
I may have shared this post in the past and came across it again this week - it speaks to the challenges school face in implementing change, and offers a framework from the Carnegie Foundation: Understanding the Problem; Define the Goals and Focus Collective Effort; Test and Build Evidence; Spread and Scale. As we look at the work we have in place and ahead of us, this model will serve our students and community well.
'You have to have a lot of humility to come to the realization that you don't have the answers, and that you're going to learn your way into this.' - Dr. Manuelito Biag, Carnegie Foundation

The basic tenets of the process involve understanding the problem, defining a manageable goal, identifying the drivers that could help reach that goal, and then testing small ideas to change those drivers. When done in a network, this cycle of improvement is expedited as various participants test different change ideas and share their findings with the group. Through a constant interplay of these elements a few change ideas will rise to the top and can be scaled across a system.

To see measurable progress on some of the most intransigent problems in education requires a systematic focus on improving in every aspect of the system. It’s not enough for one teacher to be amazing, or one school to outshine the others around it. All kids deserve an incredible education; and that can only happen by building on the strengths already found in the system.

In This Season, May I Receive
by Elena Aguilar (@brightmorningtm)
Aguilar’s post is one that resonated with me as I often feel ‘depleted’ at the end of a school day, week, or at certain times of the year (the holidays being one, for sure). As educators we are, by nature, ‘givers and providers’, and it is critical that we practice self-care so that we can open to ‘receiving’. This is a goal I have for this ‘stretch’ and for the coming year - hoping we can all work on this together, and in turn, help our students to acquire this practice.
In this season of giving, I encourage you to practice receiving. The majority of you are likely skilled at giving to students, children, family and friends, and most likely, not that good at receiving. I encourage you to challenge the notion that “It is better to give than to receive.” All dichotomies are false; there is simply no truth to a mental model that posits an either/or.

Sometimes I’ve felt empty because I give so much—I feel like I pour myself out into my writing, my teaching, my workshops, my team, my family—and that all that pouring leaves me empty. Now I stop when I notice these thoughts surfacing. I recognize that “pouring” is my choice and that I can give from a different place. When I do this, the energy I put out is transformed and returns to me as sustenance. I fuel myself through my offerings.

As I shift my intentions when I give, I’m also making a conscious daily intention to receive. In retrospect, I can see appreciations coming my way, but it’s like those offerings flew right past me—because for whatever reason, I wasn’t open to receiving them. All those expressions of gratitude whizzed right past me, unable to find a landing place in my being. I didn’t reject them, I just didn’t notice them at times.

I know I’m worthy of appreciation, but I think I’ve missed many opportunities. Perhaps because I was too busy or focused on giving, or had complex emotions connected to receiving. These days, as part of my meditation practice, I’m setting an intention: May I be open to receiving all the wonders and joy and love that’s available; May I receive. It’s simple and feels transformational.

Looking back at prior December posts from years post, I typically share a ‘summarizing’ or ‘end-of-the-year’ reflection, but for now I simply want to try and be present so that we can look forward. (Although I plan on setting aside the devices and ‘work’ during the time off, I do indeed look forward to ‘looking back’ and offering a reflection - stay tuned.) As we end one calendar year and transition into 2019, I hope that the words/images (our mission, vision, and hopes) below will help keep us grounded on our ‘imperfect journey’...

I look forward to the work that lies ahead for all of us.
Please click here for Blake Updates.
Please click here for Thursday Packet Information.
Take care.
Nat

Making Time

12/11/2018

December 11, 2018

To help encourage conversations and dialogue about the importance of slowing down and making time for our interests, our topic/question for the dinner table is: What are some areas of interest you would like to spend more time learning or exploring? Making Time (Week of 12/9/18) (This is an anonymous Google Form)

Blake's Guiding Lights
Our Students
Blake's Core Values: Respect, Responsibility, Resourcefulness, Reflection
Our Essential Question: How can we cultivate and curate the progression of student learning and growth?
Our Mission: Blake Middle School believes in a living mission statement, based on the concept that our community seeks and respects knowledge, integrity, character, wisdom, and the willingness to adapt to a continually evolving world.

We enjoyed a festive weekend, getting together with friends both Friday and Saturday night to celebrate the holiday season. I am not a ‘social butterfly’ and definitely experience some anticipatory social angst, but these annual get-togethers with friends are always nice and centering in many ways. They are also great opportunities for me to stretch myself a bit out of my comfort zone! We also enjoyed basketball games with the boys and I was glad to find/make time for some morning runs - something I neglected to do this past week.

As one who often makes excuses for not ‘finding/making time’, I came across this quote from Brené Brown this week and it really spoke to me...

Channeling John D’Auria’s prompt regarding ‘truth serum moments’ (‘If I were served truth serum, what would I say?), I am one that often utilizes the ‘crazy-busy’ phrase and mantra as a ‘badge of honor’ or accomplishment. And, yet, I often ‘preach’ about my goal to #slowitdown and to embrace a mindful approach towards balance. Having read Brown’s words, I found myself once again coming back to the work of Marc Brackett, founding Director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. His work has had a profound impact on me and I often think about his comment (articulated in an ironic tone) - ‘If you think you can ignore your feelings, good luck and see how that works out for you!’ Here are some of the notes I took from his presentations (some have been shared before)...

What keeps me up at night is how people feel
It’s everyone’s responsibility to create a healthy climate
Emotions always have a seat at the table
It is a disservice to find the ‘quick tool’ to delve into emotional intelligence
Emotions are driving people’s thought processes
Emotions drive engagement
We grossly underestimate the roles of emotion in regulation
We need to understand how our emotions and feeling interact with our personalities
Introverts and Extroverts need different support systems - we need to understand who we are
‘It’s all about the feelings’

Although I do believe I am one who does take a lot of time to think about feelings and social/emotional learning and how they connect with the greater scope of our actions and environment, I also know that I can often ignore aspects within my own development. I do not think that is an uncommon phenomenon - ‘we’ can all often give advice better than follow it for ourselves. With these ideas in mind I am sharing a post about the ‘benefits of procrastination’ and a sampling of responses from last week’s question - both have helped me to reflect on a deeper level and they may do the same for others...

Why Procrastination Can Be Good (Unless You Want To Be Productive)
from Knowledge@Wharton
This post is an edited transcript of a conversation with journalist Andrew Santella, author of Soon: An Overdue History of Procrastination, from Leonardo and Darwin to You and Me. As one who does not like to put things off or procrastinate, I sometimes have the ‘opposite’ challenge - slowing it down and actually allowing myself to procrastinate! It is an interesting read/listen.
It’s interesting to find that even great thinkers could become a little more understandable to us, a little more accessible to us, even to regular schmoes like me, because we all share that pretty human tendency to put off the things that we dread doing….When it comes to creative thinking and problem-solving, there’s no one efficient path to follow. Sometimes the ideas will come to you when you least expect it, and sometimes ideas will come to you when you’re doing anything to avoid them.

It might seem easy to blame information technology for our tendency to procrastinate, but one of the history lessons of procrastination is that people have been finding ways to put off what they don’t want to do for as long as there have been things to do. It long predates the internet. It long predates my Twitter account.

I would take issue with the premise of productivity tools and productivity in general. I think procrastination is something that we should tolerate and try to understand better. If we try to use it as a way to get things done, then we’re just falling prey to the same sort of devotion to efficiency that doesn’t work for us in the first place. I think we should listen to the procrastination, try to understand what it’s trying to tell us about ourselves, try to reflect honestly about what we’re putting off and why we’re putting it off. That might help us understand what really matters to us and how we can get things done better and more quickly...I hope that they’ll be more tolerant of procrastination in others and in themselves. We’re all human. We’re all wrestling with the same demons. So, that’s the first thing: a plea for tolerance for the world’s procrastinators. And I would ask them to embrace and understand the history of procrastination.

Topic/Question (Week of 12/2/18): What can we do as a school community to help students better understand themselves?

We can challenge them to see how they are similar to others
Answer questions
We need to explicitly teach learning strategies and give students numerous opportunities to reflect on the skills they have and the deficits that they still need to address.
Mirror them. Repeat what they say and put it in the context where it may belong. Maybe have students mirror the teacher...(in communication or expression), to understand how we are viewed by students.
Give more exploratory lessons in our classes so students can experience different aspects of a subject.
Having lots of things to do that they are passionate about
We can give compliments and encourage students that they are good at what they do so they can become more confident and sure of themselves.
Give positive feedback
Take time for students to reflect on their learning and seek their input about what kind of learners they are.

As we get closer to the end of the 2018 calendar year, it becomes time for reflection and resolutions. This can bring about a sense of ‘pressure’ (at least for me) - Did I accomplish what I set out to this year? What do I need or want to do next year? How did I measure up? Trying to channel some of the ideas from Brown, Brackett, and Santella, I am seeing more and more that it is more about the practice of introspection and reflection than it is about the actual ‘task at hand’. And, really, it is important to ‘find/make the time’ to do just that. I would love to hear and reflect upon these ideas with others - thinking about our students, our school community, and the environment we are hoping to foster.

I look forward to the work that lies ahead for all of us.
Enjoy the week and take care.

Nat

Understanding Oneself

12/5/2018

December 4, 2018

To help encourage conversations and dialogue about the importance of knowing and understanding oneself, our topic/question for the dinner table is: What can we do as a school community to help students better understand themselves? Understanding Oneself (Week of 12/2/18) (This is an anonymous Google Form)

Blake's Guiding Lights
Our Students
Blake's Core Values: Respect, Responsibility, Resourcefulness, Reflection
Our Essential Question: How can we cultivate and curate the progression of student learning and growth?
Our Mission: Blake Middle School believes in a living mission statement, based on the concept that our community seeks and respects knowledge, integrity, character, wisdom, and the willingness to adapt to a continually evolving world.

After a pretty full week back after Thanksgiving, this weekend has felt like ‘the calm before the storm of the holiday craze’. Owen and I participated in the Angel Run on Sunday (such a wonderful community event!) and we then enjoyed the Patriots game and dinner as a family - a far too rare event these days with the busy schedules at this time of year.

Earlier this week a friend and I had a conversation about her high school child - besides catching up about interests and endeavors, the ‘seemingly inevitable subject’ of college came up. It seems as though it comes up in every conversation about learning in secondary education and I asked, ‘Does he know what he wants or is interested in?’ She shook her head no and shared, ‘I still don’t know what I want.’ It is true for me as well - despite having a job I love and feeling as though my interests and passions match my vocation, that feeling of ‘anticipation, unknown, and wonder’ is still very present for me.

In conversations with friends, family members, and parents I know my friend and I are not alone, either - it is certainly a shared sentiment. So, if that is the case what is that we should be focusing on for our students? Should we be trying to better hone in on ‘vocational pathways’, defined paths, Myers-Briggs personality exercises, or enhancing the ‘delivery of content’? Is that the right path? The more I have reflected, read, and listened, I am not sure we are really going to actually find the right answer - but, the work we are aiming to do to help our students understand their own learning and development seems right. This is incredibly complex work and, like our mission, is constantly evolving. With all of this in mind, our steadfast commitment to a ‘willingness to adapt’ is and will continue to be a key guiding compass point for us.

Through intentional listening and active learning our sense of self will become more defined and that is a lifelong process. I am struck by how often I find myself coming back to the message from Marc Brackett, founding Director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, that I heard at Challenge Success - one I have shared several times...

The # 1 predictor of engagement is relevance
The # 1 priority is adult development (‘adult development over child development’) - ‘we can’t ask people to do things we don’t do ourselves’
The # 1 challenge we face is getting adults to see it as their inherent responsibility to do their own professional development

In the spirit of sharing my own learning (a practice I hope our students and staff continue to do for one another), here are some ‘artifacts of learning’ I have experienced over the last week - a sampling of responses to last week’s question, notes from #MedfieldTalks, and a post by Will Richardson (@willrich45)...

Notes from James McCauley, Riverside Trauma Center

Concept of 'gatekeepers' - we can all serve as keepers of the gate
Concept of 'environmental impact of care' (a nice mantra for a school environment)
For every risk factor there are Protective Factors - We can all be protective factors
Resilience: Increase Prosociality, Psychological Flexibility; Decrease Toxic Influences
Compassionate Presence - another great mantra to embrace
We can build a 'competent community'
Resilience as a theme - 'Some day it could be better...'
'If you think something's wrong, it doesn't hurt to ask'
Just ask - it does not plant the idea
‘Treat everyone like they are vulnerable’
85% of any type of therapy's efficacy is dependent on the relationship - lots of implications here for all of our work
Important question - Who are the adults that really ‘get’ kids?
Two stages of grief - who you were before and who you were after
Timeframe of hopelessness for adults- 2-3 years; children- 2-3 weeks
Distraction and structure are powerful coping strategies
‘If you’re about to open your mouth to make someone feel better- don’t ‘

The Most Important Skill for the Future: Being Human
by Will Richardson (@willrich45)
As we continue to think and reflect upon the skills we want our students to have so that they are prepared, Richardson advocates for the active development and promotion of choice and agency - with the goal of helping our students to understand themselves as humans.
...for all of our flagellation over the skills that our kids will need to thrive in the future, we may be missing the most important yet eternal skill of all: knowing thyself.

...if we don’t have a clear understanding of who we are and how we interact with the world around us at the moment we will be losing an important battle for what it means to be human, to maintain our agency in a world that is increasingly trying to manipulate us through the technologies we use...We seem increasingly willing to let others, people or algorithms, make choices for us. To me, that’s less about technology and more about disposition. We seem increasingly disposed to let others’ choices determine our lives. Maybe because it’s easier, because it requires less bandwidth, or because we’re too scared to make the wrong choice.

Seymour Papert famously asked “Does the child program the computer or does the computer program the child?” I’d tweak that a bit: “Does the school program the child, or does the child program the school?” Meaning, of course, does the child have choice and agency over what happens while in school. If Harari and Rushkoff are right, if truly thriving in whatever world evolves means being fully conscious of who we are as humans and exercising our ability to choose for ourselves based on our understanding of who we are and what’s best for us, we should focus all of our efforts on building our students capacity to be fully human.

Topic/Question (Week of 11/25/18): How can curiosity and imagination help you to learn and change?

It can help us transform what we already have into something that shines!
You find new things you never knew you knew
They can help us learn better
You have more answers and ideas 💡🤯
When I was young, curiosity took me out of the usual patterns of the day and the wandering in other areas was not always noticed by my parents. In this case and for those that are curious, we become self-learners which is a life skill and causes us to be imaginative and creative in the self-learning, (wandering, tinkering), process.
It is the pathway to humor, and humor is a great learning tool
It will help you to think outside the box in ways you never have thought of
You can discover new things that help you think about things in different ways
If you are more curious and imaginative you will be more successful in life
You can become more creative
It can help you go outside your comfort zone
Imagination especially can drive you a long way. Curiosity can sometimes lead you to knowing things you’ve never learned before. Curiosity kind of connects to education, if you’re curious about something in education, you’ll learn about it and maybe be an expert at it someday.
Curiosity and imagination can help you see what you wish to learn or be and then you try to be that way and you change or learn. Using your imagination. Sometimes if you wonder about something you think about that one thing for a while and then you become the thing you want to be or were thinking about without even realizing it.
Being curious can help you learn because you’re more interested in what is happening

I have often shared how fortunate I feel that my professional and personal lives intertwine and that growth and learning is two-fold. A hope I have for our students and community of learners is that we can foster this ‘intersection’ as a reality, no matter what path is chosen. Through intentional and purposeful reflection we can make individual progress, increase our collective understanding, and allow more doors of learning and opportunity to be opened and navigated. In turn, these new doors will provide a greater insight into ourselves and growth will take place.

I look forward to the work that lies ahead for all of us.
Please click here for Blake Updates.
Enjoy the week and take care.

Nat

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