To help encourage conversations about the role vulnerability plays in learning, our topic/question of the week is...
"...a person with nobility already values vulnerability"
"True nobility lies in being superior to your former self."
Do these two statements compare or contrast, work better together or apart?
Please see link to Google Form to share your responses: Vulnerability and Nobility (This is an anonymous Google Form)
I hope that everyone enjoyed the lovely, unseasonal weather and had a nice weekend. After dinner out with the kids Friday evening, our Saturday was full of sports and parties for the kids. On Sunday we headed into Boston for lunch and The Nutcracker with Katie's mom. There is definitely some excitement in the air at our house!
Does anyone else feel like time is moving quicker than ever? I can not believe it is December 15 and 2016 is on our doorstep! Even though our days are full and the weeks are busy, it seems as though they blur together and it is hard to slow the clock down a bit. As I shared last week I look forward to the opportunity each week to reflect and share what is on my mind and to think about implications for our students and one another. I have been thinking a great deal about the notion of the mantra for Blake ('a willingness to adapt') and I experienced several examples at Blake and beyond the last few days (these are just a few)...
- At each of our winter concerts, I saw students listening and adapting to the respective directors and their peers in an effort to contribute to their ensembles
- At my monthly job-alike meeting with other middle school principals, we took time to examine each other's master schedules - sharing ideas and thinking about ways to improve the programming at our schools
- Teachers discussing ways to improve their instruction to better meet the needs of students and understand the perspectives of parents
- During our #hourofcode teachers and students challenging some traditional ways of thinking to try something new and stretch their comfort zones
- Discussing ways to rethink our physical space at Blake to accommodate and adapt to new ways of 'teaching, thinking, and doing'
- At classroom observation follow-up meetings, chatting with teachers about some different questioning and feedback techniques they have implemented or are simply thinking about
- Having some individual conversations with teachers about their 'current state of thinking' and some long-term hopes for their own career paths
In order for us to adopt this willingness to adapt, I think it is important to identify what needs to happen first - a non-defensive openness to feedback and self-reflection. In essence I think it is very much a willingness to be transparent and vulnerable. Although it is often perceived in this manner, vulnerability is by no means a sign of weakness and it is an attribute we want to nurture in our students. In reality it is a significant contributor to growth - 'I need help with this...I am unsure...I want to get better...I want to improve...' I am sharing three posts this week - the first two directly connect to this notion of vulnerability as a part of learning, and the third post is one that I have shared in past years around the holiday season where new gifts may be given to students.
Why The Best Leaders View Vulnerability as a Strength
post by Jim Haudan
Although the intended audience for this post is leaders, the implications for our students and all of us is clear in the learning process. He suggests three key steps: Change your view on vulnerability; Accept vulnerability as a strength; Practice and be a student of vulnerability. We could simply substitute 'leaders' with 'students, teachers, administrators, colleagues, parents, friends, etc.' and it would hold great meaning.
Almost everyone seems to think that being vulnerable is a bad thing – it implies that you’re weak or defenseless. In fact, when someone is willing to admit they’re vulnerable, it demonstrates a level of trust and respect with the person or people they’re opening up to. Great leaders recognize the importance of bringing vulnerability to work because it is the foundation for open and nonjudgmental communications. The boldest act of a leader is to be publicly vulnerable.
Being vulnerable at work simply means you are ready to let your guard down, put aside any pretenses, and be your real self. A vulnerable leader is one who checks his or her ego at the door, is comfortable with not having all the answers, and is ready to wholeheartedly embrace the perspectives, opinions, and thoughts of his or her people.
Quit Blaming the Devices
post by John Spencer (@spencerideas)
Spencer's post grabbed me right away as he looks at the shifting the mindset of 'solitude' in learning. The notion of 'openly admitting one's frustration' is true sign of growth and is one that we should welcome in our students and ourselves.
See, lively and talkative are great components of a classroom. However, so are silence and solitude. Susan Cain reminded us in Quiet that we need space of silence in our classrooms. Loud, noisy, and chaotic are great. But so are silence and solitude. It's not just a matter of accommodating introverts. It's a valuable part of introspection and deep thinking.
We have developed nuanced positions for other strategies and materials because they are so ubiquitous to the learning experience. However, iPads or Chromebooks seem so different that a teacher, suddenly faced with new challenges, will be tempted to focus on the device rather than rethink her pedagogy.
After making sense out of the technology journey and openly admitting their frustration, teachers were able to think about integration and transformation. I challenged them to ditch the device part of the time but plan a few intentionally transformative learning experiences. As they planned out video projects, podcasts, and collaborative blogging projects, teachers were able to build student discourse into the process.
To My 13-Year-Old, An iPhone Contract From Your Mom, With Love
by Janell Burley Hoffman in The Huffington Post
This post was in the Huffington Post one year ago, but I believe it is worth sharing and reading once again. I think it has great implications for us as adults (educators, parents, aunts/uncles, family members) who are invested in the care and development of our students and children. I love Hoffman's transparent and open sharing of her values.
It is my hope that you can agree to these terms. Most of the lessons listed here do not just apply to the iPhone, but to life. You are growing up in a fast and ever changing world. It is exciting and enticing. Keep it simple every chance you get. Trust your powerful mind and giant heart above any machine. I love you. I hope you enjoy your awesome new iPhone.
With seven days of school left in 2015, I encourage our entire community to take some time to reflect upon the accomplishments of the year and to think about the goals or resolutions you have in mind for 2016. For a resolution to be set we must embrace vulnerability and be open to what we want to do and know. Katie's mother, Betsy, was a fourth grade teacher for many years and Greece was the Central Subject for the thematic curriculum. She has traveled there a great deal with families and every few trips brings back a t-shirt for me with the following quote from Socrates: The only thing I know is that I don't know anything. I love the openness and sense of possibility in these words and it is a culture I hope we can continue to foster along with our 'willingness to adapt' at Blake. We have a supportive community and I look forward to sharing my own thoughts/resolutions/hopes and hearing the thoughts/resolutions/hopes of others in the near future.
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Take care.
Nat Vaughn