To help encourage conversations and dialogue about the ways that we impact one another, our question of the week is: What are some ways that we can help others succeed? Be specific. Impacting Others (Week of 2/21/21) (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 most important attitude that can be formed is that of desire to go on learning. - John Dewey
You cannot teach today the same way you did yesterday to prepare students for tomorrow. - John Dewey
February vacation provided a welcome break from the routines and, although we did not do too much, it sure went by quickly! I felt a real sense of appreciation and gratitude for the time to catch up on some reading, naps, podcasts, yoga, and walks. Although I long for the days of spring and extended light, I do not want to wish time away - I’m trying to focus on the beauty of the snow and keep coming back to this sentiment shared by poet Anne Bradstreet: “If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome." I hope that the time allowed for whatever ‘fills your cup’ and that you and your families and ‘circles’ are healthy and safe.
Heading into the vacation week, my answer to last week’s question (Hopes for vacation week - sampling of responses below) was to read, catch up on some podcasts, and build in some down time. As shared above, I feel quite fortunate that I was able to do those things. Through both reading and listening to podcasts (I highly recommend Jon Meacham’s It Was Said series) over the last week, I found myself jotting down notes and reflecting upon the ways that our words and actions impact one another. These two quotes have stayed with me...
“Education is really the only equalizer we have.”
—Robyn Jackson, ASCD Author
Grading for Equity
From the Harvard Edcast Podcast
(32 minutes)
When Joe Feldman, author of Grading for Equity, looked closer at grading practices in schools across the country, he realized many practices are outdated, inconsistent, and inequitable. Today he helps educators develop strategies that tackle inconsistent grading practices. In doing so, Feldman tells the Harvard EdCast how shifting grading practices can change the landscape of schools and potentially the future for students.
Grading for Equity
From the CS-Ed Podcast
(35 minutes)
Joining us today is Joe Feldman, author of Grading for Equity and the CEO of Crescendo Education Group. We discuss the historical overview of grading and why now is a good time to rethink our grading process to make it more equitable. We got concrete by discussing our host's, Kristin Stephens-Martinez's, syllabus for her class and changes she was considering after reading Grading for Equity. One significant point Joe made is that grades should only convey the student's level of mastery, not their behavior. Finally, we closed the episode with him pointing out we should do small experiments, iterate, and over time transition our classes to be more equitable, as well as discussed ways to normalize the new practices in the classroom. If you are interested in learning more, there is not only the book but also an online class.
How They See Us
from The Hidden Brain podcast
(50 minutes)
Stereotypes are all around us, shaping how we see the world – and how the world sees us. On the surface, the stereotypes that other people hold shouldn’t affect the way we think or act. But our concerns about other people’s perceptions have a way of burrowing deep into our minds. This week, social psychologist Claude Steele explains the psychology of “stereotype threat.”
School Rankings, Ratings, and Wrongdoing
from the Have You Heard podcast
(39 minutes)
The brutal pessimism of school rankings and ratings, starring Akil Bello, Senior Director of Advocacy and Advancement at FairTest.
Along with Jackson and Grant’s words and the ways we impact others through our actions, I have been thinking a great deal about the drivers in our practices with students and these words (I’ve shared these a lot this year!)...
At our rescheduled faculty meeting this week, we will be taking intentional time to discuss our experiences and the experiences of our students over the course of the last (almost) 12 months with an eye towards archiving and capturing the lessons learned/affirmed. One concept that Adam Grant speaks to in his work is that of ‘Post-traumatic growth’ (the resource is shared below) and it is in this vein that I believe we can help articulate and implement systems and practices from our own learning growth (and more importantly, the learning of our students)...
Post-traumatic growth is about recognizing that these challenges do make us stronger in some ways. If you break down post-traumatic growth, the most common forms of growth in the face of tragedy are gaining perspective and strengthened gratitude. Saying,“Okay, I got through that. I can get through almost anything.” Appreciating things that you might've taken for granted before. There's also, for many people, a sense of new possibilities or new meaning around saying, “Okay, you know what, I need to take a step back and really figure out what matters in my life and what's important to me.” Now again, that's not to say that anybody is going to appreciate the pandemic and all of the struggles and tragedies that have come from it. But recognizing that once we make it through this experience, there are ways in which we're going to grow from it, I think that gives us a chance to at least see some silver linings that we might've missed otherwise.
In addition to the sampling of responses from our pre-vacation Question of the Week, the resources shared below have served as prompts for my own reflection - and, I hope they will serve as sources for the reflection of others as well. As always, I welcome thoughts, dialogue, push back, questions, and action - it’s important and necessary...
Sampling of Responses from Last Week’s ‘Question of the Week’: What are you looking forward to doing or hoping to do over the vacation week?
- Reading a good book. Creating some art.
- Reading! Reading! Reading!
- I can't wait to put the final preparations together for the Fall 2 season. Football in February / March is still football!
- Watching shows, reading and playing with my pets
- Spending time with my family, and reading at least 25 books!
- I am hoping to go skiing.
- Just to relax and have fun.
- I am looking forward to spending time with my family.
- Skiing
- Playing piano and tetris
Trust in the Time of COVID
by Jonathan Landman
Landman references the work of Ronald Heifetz and Marty Linsky (A Survival Guide for Leaders), encouraging leaders and schools to ‘get up on the balcony’ to note lessons and opportunities learned and gained since March, 2020. The tenor of this post is excellent, emphasizing the importance of embracing vulnerability as a key ingredient for growth and learning.
To start with, there has never been a moment in our careers like this one - when veterans and novices, school leaders and teachers - have all been forced to learn so much so fast. Since last March, I cannot count how often I have heard experienced professionals say they’ve felt like they were back at square one, like new teachers or new leaders. As a consequence, whether we wanted to or not, all of us have had to air our vulnerabilities; all of us have had to take risks.
The interesting thing is that this vulnerability and risk-taking are very good for learning organizations. For professionals engaged in complex, challenging work, vulnerability is essential to growth.
Beyond the Time of COVID, the collaborative habits we build now can be transformative. In my experience, schools have always been at their best when colleagues have come together to rise to a challenge. If we come out of this time proceeding on the presumptions that we do not have all the answers; that we can grow through openly sharing and tackling our challenges with our colleagues; that we can learn from one another, then our in-person practice next year and beyond may be enhanced by the hard-won lessons learned in this year of crisis.
Children Will Eventually Return To Schools, But Schools Won't Be The Same
Transcript of Lulu Garcia-Navarro’s interview with Theresa Thayer Snyder via NPR Weekend Edition
Theresa Thayer Snyder is a former Superintendent of Schools in Voorheesville, NY and shares her view that schools can not (and should not) return ‘back to normal’ - rather, they need to recognize the needs of our students and make adjustments to support all of our learners and families. Earlier during the school year Diane Ravitch shared a post from Snyder that is worth reading (linked below).
I think my biggest concern is that we're going to be very caught up in what we're considering for lost time, and we're going to be working very hard to catch the children up to where we think they should be. And I really fear that because I really believe that we have to greet them where they are and understand that they haven't stopped growing in this last year of a pandemic. They've been growing maybe not with traditional school curriculum, but certainly, they've been growing and maturing and thinking. And I believe that when we reenter schools, we need to celebrate that and welcome them back.
I would hope that it would be a place where children would rather be than any place else. I have a 13-year-old granddaughter who was a straight-A student. And in the first quarter, she just plummeted. And I said to her, you know, it isn't normal for an eighth-grader to be learning in isolation. And even with all the drama of middle school that we all remember and we all know very well, that's also part of human growth and development. And I also think that the curriculum will take care of itself. There are children in many places in the world where a curriculum has been interrupted. And yet when they came back to a school setting, they've been fine. They've thrived, and they've managed to achieve. I think that sometimes we underestimate the capacity of the human child.
Teresa Thayer Snyder: What Shall We Do About the Children After the Pandemic
Posted by Diane Ravitch
I sincerely plead with my colleagues, to surrender the artificial constructs that measure achievement and greet the children where they are, not where we think they “should be.” Greet them with art supplies and writing materials, and music and dance and so many other avenues to help them express what has happened to them in their lives during this horrific year. Greet them with stories and books that will help them make sense of an upside-down world. They missed you. They did not miss the test prep. They did not miss the worksheets. They did not miss the reading groups. They did not miss the homework. They missed you.
Masters of Scale with Reid Hoffman: Rapid Response: Why we need to think again, w/Adam Grant on Apple Podcasts
(30 minutes)
“Why we need to think again, w/Adam Grant” - Transcript
This podcast is worth listening to - highlighting aspects of Grant’s new book and sharing the importance of reconsidering our preconceived notions and ideas.
As we grapple with pandemic-charged change in business and as a society, we’ve become more fractured, more divisive, and more vulnerable. Adam Grant, best-selling author and professor at the Wharton School, argues that recognizing what we don't know is the key step on the road to insight, competitive advantage, and community peace. In his new book, "Think Again," Grant illuminates why taking a fresh look at our assumptions, about others and about ourselves, is such a powerful tool. His in-the-trenches research – from Silicon Valley's halls of power to the beliefs of anti-vaxxers – provides actionable advice for all of us.
Students Respond to Adults' Fixation on 'Learning Loss' (Opinion)
by Neema Avashia (@avashianeema) via Larry Ferlazzo’s (@larryferlazzo) blog in Education Week
Larry Ferlazzo is a prolific blogger, sharing resources and perspectives on ‘all things education’. Here he shares the perspective from educator Neema Avashia in response to this prompt: There’s a lot of talk about students suffering “learning loss” because of the pandemic—what does that mean, and how concerned should we be? ‘Learning loss’ is an important conversation to be had and Neema’s perspective should be given serious consideration. Within she shares three questions she asked her own students along with the themes that emerged...
Three questions asked of students…
- During the pandemic, what are things that you feel like you’ve lost?
- During the pandemic, what are the ways that you have seen yourself grow or learn new things?
- Many adults in education right now are very focused on the idea of “learning loss.” They think that kids are falling behind academically during the pandemic. What do you want those adults to know about you and your experience during the pandemic?
- Post-pandemic schooling needs to focus on relationships.
- Post-pandemic schooling needs to prioritize mental health and wellness.
- Postpandemic schooling needs to take a less-is-more approach.
If our educational response to the pandemic is more of the same tired approaches that we were already trying before the pandemic—pages of standards, longer school days, more and more and more assessment—it will fail, just as it was failing prior to the pandemic. We have an opportunity to think and plan differently in this moment—to build a system that is responsive to the needs of the students it purports to serve. Doing so requires that we begin by listening to those young people and amplifying what they say they need, as opposed to what we as adults think they need.
Here’s the truth that too many adults who don’t directly work with young people refuse to acknowledge: When our youths are frightened, disconnected, grieving, or anxious, they aren’t learning. Their brains aren’t taking in our lessons, or holding on to the Common Core standards. Their amygdalas are in charge, and adults just sound like Charlie Brown’s teacher. If we are going to address the academic loss that may have occurred during the pandemic, then we also need to fully understand the other kinds of loss our young people have experienced and have plans in place to support them through those losses.
Let’s not return to our previous ways of educating students. We have an opportunity to think and plan differently in this moment. To build a system that is responsive to the needs of the students it purports to serve. A first step in doing so is to listen to our students.
What Is The #New Curriculum? | Will Richardson
by Will Richardson (@willrich45)
Richardson continues to push my own thinking towards productive and necessary changes in our education system. Here he poses an important question about our curriculum and the need to collectively reflect and define our #newcurriculum for our students, sharing four examples that are pressing...
- Algorithmic Literacy — So much of how we experience the world is now mediated by technology and driven by algorithms. The explosion of AI, VR, AR, and other initials require each of us to have a deep understanding of how what we read and hear, and experience is driven by code and a skillset to combat the ill effects of that.
- Racial and Social Justice — The furor of last summer may have died down a bit, but it is not going away. Nor should it. And the deeply colonial roots of our current curriculum is doing nothing to advance the conversations we need to be having and the questions we need to be asking around race and equity.
- Power — There are huge shifts in power that are happening in the world today, politically, economically, and socially. These shifts are rarely interrogated in schools, but if we want to help students develop into adults who can create a more equitable future for all, we need to examine them and equip them to use their growing power well.
- Climate — Many are suggesting that the pandemic was just a light jab compared to the looming uppercut that climate change is about to hit us with. Part of the work is to solve the problems that are causing the crisis. But another part is helping students develop the social and emotional coping skills necessary to deal with what’s to come.
The reality is the moment we’re in is seriously pushing against the what and why of curriculum in schools. I know, colleges require it, and parents expect it. But that doesn’t absolve us of the need (and duty) to interrogate just how well the current offering is actually preparing kids for a world that in large measure colleges and parents don’t fully understand.
We don’t have to guess any longer what topics and skills kids need to learn in school. They’re staring us in the face. And they are urgent. Now the question is do we have the courage to build a more relevant, just, and equitable #newcurriculum with our students.
As we enter the last week of February and #BlackHistoryMonth, these words from James Baldwin are relevant for our learning community, as well as the community that extends beyond our school - embracing a willingness to reflect, acknowledge, and face our current challenges and realities; being open to changes for improvement; and, most important - acting on the lessons learned for real, sustainable change.
As always, let me know of any questions/concerns.
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Take care.
Nat
#willfulhope #willfulaction #longasIcanseethelight