To encourage dialogue and reflection about hope and intentions in the new calendar year, our question for this week is: Please complete this statement: This year (2023) I hope to… Starting with Hope (Week of 1/1/23) (This is an anonymous Google Form)
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Our Essential Question: How can we cultivate and curate the progression of student learning and growth?
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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
Happy New Year! With the busyness and excitement of the holidays, it always takes a few days for me to settle in and let the days off of vacation be just that - days off. Our week was pretty quiet, enjoying time to read, rest, take walks, and enjoy some time by the fire - hoping to carry forth some of this energy into 2023. The words below from Rilke comfort me at the start of each new year - whether it be the school year or the calendar year…
At our faculty meeting on Tuesday, we will be asking everyone (myself included) to respond to these prompts on different color sticky notes…
- Share a success from the 2022 calendar year
- Share a hope you have for the 2023 calendar year
the intentional ‘naming of good things’ taking place in our lives and schools. This practice is one I have done sporadically, both individually and collectively at meetings, but it is something I believe would be helpful to spread and weave more consistently into the culture of our school. This is not to say that we will ignore or ‘gloss over’ the issues at hand and the challenges we are facing; rather, it will hopefully serve as a mechanism or lever to see all the good things taking place - as ironic as it may seem, they are often quickly noted and then brushed aside (not sure if others find this to be true, but it certainly is for me).
This practice at the start of meetings has helped to share positivity, optimism, and hope - three things I know we can never have too much of for ourselves and our students. Last year I shared the words below from E.B. White - they were part of an end-of-year e-mail from Spark Kindness and they really spoke to me…
In 1973, when E. B. White was in his 70s, he received a letter from a man named Mr. Nadeau. Nadeau had expressed a bleak and hopeless attitude about humanity’s future and was reaching out to White for some inspiration.
Here is White’s response:
North Brooklin, Maine,
30 March 1973
Dear Mr. Nadeau:
As long as there is one upright man, as long as there is one compassionate woman, the contagion may spread and the scene is not desolate. Hope is the thing that is left to us, in a bad time. I shall get up Sunday morning and wind the clock, as a contribution to order and steadfastness.
Sailors have an expression about the weather: they say, the weather is a great bluffer. I guess the same is true of our human society—things can look dark, then a break shows in the clouds, and all is changed, sometimes rather suddenly. It is quite obvious that the human race has made a queer mess of life on this planet. But as a people we probably harbor seeds of goodness that have lain for a long time waiting to sprout when the conditions are right. Man’s curiosity, his relentlessness, his inventiveness, his ingenuity have led him into deep trouble. We can only hope that these same traits will enable him to claw his way out.
Hang on to your hat. Hang on to your hope. And wind the clock, for tomorrow is another day.
Sincerely,
E. B. White
If You’re Feeling Down Right Now, You’re Not Alone. Here Are Secrets to Finding Hope in the Smallest Moments
by Elizabeth Lesser
…E.B. White’s optimism and steadfastness are evergreen; they are for all people and all times. We need his words now. I need them.
I like the way White encourages Mr. Nadeau without shaming him—the way he rallies him to hope without sugar-coating the bad times, the troubles inflicted, the messes we have made. I especially like the way he compares human society to the weather: “Things can look dark, then a break shows in the clouds, and all is changed, sometimes rather suddenly.” Who knows? Some of the most grievous issues in our own lives and in our times—the pandemic, the climate crisis, the great divisions in our country—may change and brighten sooner than our fearful hearts dare to imagine.
I consider myself a pragmatist and realist, but the practice and promise of ‘hope’ is one I have been increasingly working towards integrating into my day-to-day reality - through sharing, listening, and reflection. The words below from Howard Zinn along with the post from last year are ones I keep coming back to, providing inspiration and a path forward - two ‘things’ we want to make sure we give to all of our students each and every day.
by Heidi Stevens and Tribune News Service from Chicago Tribune
“We need hope like we need air. To live without hope is to risk suffocating on hopelessness and despair, risk being crushed by the belief that there is no way out of what is holding us back, no way to get to what we desperately need.”
“Hope is a function of struggle,” Brown writes. “We develop hope not during the easy or comfortable times, but through adversity and discomfort. Hope is forged when our goals, pathways and agency are tested and when change is actually possible.”
“Love and belonging are irreducible needs for all people,” she writes. “In the absence of these experiences, there is always suffering.”
With the spirit of hope, promise, and reflection at the forefront of my own thinking along with the intent of openly engaging in an ongoing dialogue and culture of shared learning, this ‘New Year’s sharing’ is one I am continuing from prior years…sharing several ‘end-of-year’ posts/lists, a few ‘big picture posts’ to keep our vision/mission on the forefront of our minds/thoughts, a sampling of responses from our community about ‘learning in 2022’, and some ‘annual shares’ as we begin anew. I hope that these posts and responses will prompt and provide discussion, questions, dialogue, action, and hope – for our community and students throughout this year (as always, I welcome and would love to engage in dialogue, thought, and action with others)...
Some Year-End Lists and Reflections, Predictions
All End-Of-Year “Best” Lists For 2022 In One Place! | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day…
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 2022. I recommend bookmarking this site.
The Best Resources On Instruction In 2022 – Part Two | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day…
by Larry Ferlazzo (@larryferlazzo)
ASCD’s Most Popular Blog Posts of 2022
Compiled by Estaban Bachelet in ASCD
2022 Social and Emotional Learning Year in Review - CASEL
Compiled by CASEL Staff
2022 was a year with midterm elections, where education and parent voice became a major part of the political dialogue. It was a year of countless headlines on the issues facing our students and educators—school safety, mental health crises, significant declines in academic scores, and widening opportunity gaps. And it was a year that highlighted the power of relationships across our schools, communities, and lives.
Through it all, the vitality of social and emotional learning (SEL) was clearer than ever. Young people, educators, families, business leaders, policymakers, and others focused on the critical skills and environments needed not only for academic success, but also for healthy relationships, overall well-being, and brighter futures.
The 12 Most Popular Edutopia Stories of 2022
by Paige Tutt in Edutopia
As 2022 draws to a close, we took a look back at our most popular feature stories, blogs, and videos of the year, the ones you read and watched the most, discussed and shared with your colleagues many thousands of times over.
The Teaching Profession in 2022 (in Charts)
By Madelinen Will in Education Week
Teaching in 2022 was a wild ride. This calendar year marked a return to normal schooling since the start of the pandemic: Nearly all districts resumed full in-person instruction, and most dropped their masking requirements. Yet some of the most pressing challenges of the past three years—staffing shortages, academic declines, the lingering effects of sickness, mental health issues, and teacher stress and burnout—still plagued schools. And the politicization of education continued, with public scrutiny and debate on how teachers taught about race, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Attempts to ban books from schools and classrooms expanded.
The 10 Most Significant Education Studies of 2022
by Youki Terada and Stephen Merrill in Edutopia
In our annual ritual, we pored over hundreds of educational studies and pulled out the most impactful—from a new study on the sneaky power of sketchnotes to research that linked relationships and rigor.
What Teachers Were Reading This Year: Top 10 Stories
by Stacey Decker in Education Week
Teachers faced some of the most daunting challenges of their careers in 2022. They had to help students catch up on “unfinished learning” from the pandemic, find ways to cope with shortages of critical staff, and address the rising mental health challenges of students. But the challenge that was really top of mind for teachers was reading instruction, which dominated a list of 10 Education Week stories that resonated the most with teachers. (The ranking of the list is based on a combination of how many people read the story, how much time they spent reading it, and the engagement it generated on social media.)
2022's 10 Biggest Education Stories, in Photos
by Stacey Decker & Jaclyn Borowski in Education Week
Helping students recover from academic setbacks? Feeling the strain of staff shortages? Dealing with restrictions on classroom topics and prescriptions for reading? Grieving for the lives lost in Uvalde? Watching students champion causes ... or vote for the first time? These were some of the major themes and milestones in 2022, a daunting year for those working in America’s schools. Take a look back at the year’s 10 major education stories—in photos.
10 Predictions for Education in 2023 — A.J. Juliani
by AJ Juliani (@ajjuliani)
Prediction #1: Artificial Intelligence goes mainstream https://chat.openai.com/chat
Prediction #2; Archaic systems unravel fairly quickly https://twitter.com/ajjuliani/status/...
Prediction #3: Archaic practices fight back
Prediction #4: Accessibility is a must-have https://www.edvative.com/accessibilit...
Prediction #5; PBL Finally Has It’s Day https://www.edutopia.org/article/new-...
Prediction #6: Then try to box in PBL
Prediction #7: Performance Tasks are the new “Standards” https://www.solutiontree.com/blog/its...
Prediction #8: Ground-Up Innovation https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
Prediction #9: Personalization for the adults too https://www.pdpass.com/
Prediction #10: The Creator Economy continues to grow
100 Best Education Blogs in 2023 for Educators and Teachers
The best Education blogs from thousands of blogs on the web and ranked by traffic, social media followers, domain authority & freshness.
Some ‘Big Picture’ Posts
Our public schools have long been a catalyst for progress
by Don Haddad in The Longmont Leader
It is widely accepted that a quality education system is a primary prerequisite for the future success of our children, but some may not readily and fully realize the crucial role public schools play in the strength, growth, safety, health, and well-being of our society.
Our public schools have long been a catalyst for progress, having an immeasurable impact on the strength and advancement of our nation. Our educators should be celebrated and revered for the amazing things they do to advance our children as individuals and our country as a whole. Public school graduates become our nation’s doctors, service industry workers, first responders, engineers, teachers, scientists, and leaders who provide the backbone of our country.
…somewhere in the national debate, some appear to have lost sight of the impact and importance of a strong, high-quality public education system. Today, we are experiencing environments that continue to focus on somewhat antiquated standardized measures of progress, while the world around us continues to accelerate at an unprecedented rate. Now, schools must be ready to keep pace with industry to prepare students for future jobs, many of which do not even exist today. We can no longer ask students what they aspire to be when they grow up, but rather, we must ask them what problems they want to solve and what advancements they want to lead for our world and nation.
It is imperative that we understand the rapid pace of change and, accordingly, prepare our students to be successful in our complex, globalized, highly-competitive economy.
We believe that students are not simply a statistic or a test score, but their full potential should be recognized and their passions cultivated and ignited. Our schools serve as much more than a place to learn. While this is extremely important, they are also pivotal in supporting student health and well-being, including counseling and health services and access to food and other basic needs.
Schools are a place where students can advance to their full potential and discover what they value in a safe environment that encourages movement beyond their comfort zone. Schools should be places of agile learning that empowers self-expression, creative analysis, gratitude, deeper and higher-level thought, innovation, and emotional intelligence to best prepare our students for success in our complex, globalized world.
Progressive with a Capital P?
by Dr. Amber Strong Makaiau - Human Restoration Project |
When we don’t use the word “progressive” to describe a school’s philosophy or program–slowly and incrementally over time–the teachers, administrators, families, and the students become detached from the strong foundation that the progressive education tradition can provide. This is where the movement dies. When we do use the word “progressive” to describe our teaching, learning, and schools, we stand on the shoulders of giants. We use the understandings gained by some of the major thinkers who have come before us in order to make intellectual progress and improve education, society, and the lives of individuals. Progressive education becomes a compass or North Star when we lose our way, or more importantly when we adapt what we are doing with children in schools to better respond to our changing world.
An Open Letter to Teachers Everywhere
by Rhonda Thomason in Learning for Justice
I want a revolution of hope. I want educators to seize a golden opportunity to rethink the nature and purpose of public education.
Imagine an educational system in which educators invoke standards of compassion, empathy, action and reason as they question the deep regularities that suppress achievement. Imagine the power of educators valuing dissent and affirming what students can achieve rather than magnifying what they can’t.
As an educator, I often skated on the edge of revolution and compliance. While compliance may secure careers and livelihoods, it can leave teachers depleted, students tested rather than taught and marginalized rather than empowered. Compliance feeds mediocrity. Boldness is a catalyst for grassroots revolution—a revolution that serves our students as they enter the challenges of a wonderful and sometimes cruel world.
May we become educators who seek out students’ experiences, interests and talents as a means of engagement, and may our passion empower those who have little power. Authentic caring is a powerful force, and it always is worth the cost.
The Resilient Educator / How Year-End Reflection Fosters Resilience
by Elena Aguilar in ASCD
We know from research that we build resilience when we go through rough times and emerge stronger than before—yet sometimes we don't recognize that growth unless we stop, look back, feel the emotions that arise, and process them.
The story we tell about anything that happens will boost or drain our resilience—be it a year of pandemic teaching and racial reckoning, or an incident with a student at school. At the end of each calendar year, we have an opportunity to craft a narrative about the year we're closing out. This must come before setting goals, resolutions, or intentions for the coming year. Through the reflection process, we'll understand ourselves better and take those learnings into our hopes for the new year.
My favorite activity for thinking ahead to the next year is this: Imagine it's the final day of that year (in this case: December 31, 2022) and write yourself a letter, as if you were writing on that day about the year that's ending. What do you want to say about 2022 when it comes to a close? That "This year was the one in which I finally started that grad school program I've always wanted to do. I also developed a new network of colleagues that I can lean on for all things professional. …" Be honest with yourself about your needs and wants.
Know Thyself
by Angela Duckworth
When you affirm a core personal value, you shore up your sense of self-worth. You broaden your perspective: Instead of zooming in on your inadequacies, you switch to a wide-angle view that includes your resources and opportunities. Research also shows that the majority of adults spontaneously engage in some form of values affirmation. And the more people are in the habit of doing so, the happier, healthier, and more hopeful they are.
Take a moment and think of a value you hold dear, whether it’s kindness, creativity, gratitude, or integrity. Whatever it is, name it. And then say to yourself: Come what may, I know who I am. Your values are your foundation and your compass, too. Trust them, and they will lead you home.
Much Ado About Trusting the World
by Jill Donovan in NAIS Online
Perhaps trusting the world is a gateway to higher innocence. Of course, we need to use common sense, and we should not (as Bono recently said in an NPR interview) become complacent about the injustices all around us. But choosing to believe instead of doubt, hope instead of despair, trust instead of mistrust opens our heart and life to all kinds of joy and delight.
“I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart,” wrote Anne Frank. “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice,” asserted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Perhaps we make progress the more we adopt the courageous assertions of these two momentous souls. Although daily news reports can be crushing, they are not—in the end—the only story. We can choose to look and listen for the deeper, higher, more eternal news: news of the good, true, and beautiful. That posture requires trust, hope, and faith—a spiritual trio that is well worth making much ado about.
Does education really need to change?
by AJ Juliani (@ajjuliani)
Ask yourself this question: What is the last invention that was created solely for the purpose of learning? The last invention that was made for education?
It’s hard to answer. Many of the innovative technologies (I say this with a hint of sarcasm) we see in schools today were created for business or some other field and then transferred into education for learning/teaching purposes.
First-principles brings us back to asking questions like:
- How do we learn best?
- Why do we learn?
- How is learning changing? Why does it need to change?
- How can we teach and guide the learning process in the best possible way?
I do not have the answers. But I want to explore the possibilities. I want to look at the research, trends, and ideas that are disrupting learning right now, and potentially impacting our educational system for years to come.
I believe we need to take a first principles approach to discuss our current educational system and how we can learn better, not only in the future but also right now.
Best Of: Who Wins — and Who Loses — in the A.I. Revolution?
(1 hr 12 min)
from The Ezra Klein Show Podcast
This past year, we’ve witnessed considerable progress in the development of artificial intelligence, from the release of the image generators like DALL-E 2 to chat bots like ChatGPT and Cicero to a flurry of self-driving cars. So this week, we’re revisiting some of our favorite conversations about the rise of A.I. and what it means for the world.
Today’s conversation is with Sam Altman. He’s the C.E.O. of OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. When I talked to him in June 2021, ChatGPT was still over a year away from being available to the public for testing. But the A.I. developments since then have only increased the salience of the questions Altman raised in his 2021 essay “Moore’s Law for Everything.”
Altman’ argument is this: Since the 1970s, computers have gotten exponentially better even as they’re gotten cheaper, a phenomenon known as Moore’s Law. Altman believes that A.I. could get us closer to Moore’s Law for everything: it could make everything better even as it makes it cheaper. Housing, health care, education, you name it.
But what struck me about his essay is that last clause: “if we as a society manage it responsibly.” Because, as Altman also admits, if he is right then A.I. will generate phenomenal wealth largely by destroying countless jobs — that’s a big part of how everything gets cheaper — and shifting huge amounts of wealth from labor to capital. And whether that world becomes a post-scarcity utopia or a feudal dystopia hinges on how wealth, power and dignity are then distributed — it hinges, in other words, on politics.
NEURODIVERSITY: Why No Two Brains Are Alike
(1 hr 11 min)
from The Next Big Idea Podcast
There's no such thing as a "normal" brain. And according to Dr. Chantel Prat, a neuroscientist at the University of Washington, that's a very good thing indeed. In her new book, "The Neuroscience of You," Chantel tells readers how their brains got to be the way they are, and today on the show, she explains how to get the most out of the brain you've got.
Two Bits of Optimism with Brené Brown and Adam Grant: Part One
(38 min 3 sec)
from A Bit of Optimism Podcast
What separates exceptional ideas from good ideas?
Here’s an example of a good idea: Book two podcast guests and meticulously plan a conversation about creativity.Now, here’s an exceptional idea: Get Brené Brown and Adam Grant to join you on a call, have absolutely NO plan, and hit record.
Two Bits of Optimism with Brené Brown and Adam Grant: Part Two
(26 min 28 sec)
from A Bit of Optimism Podcast
Remember how it was an incredible idea to get Brené Brown and Adam Grant on a call, have absolutely NO plan, and hit record?Well, this is the second part of that lovely, free-flowing conversation where we talk about creativity, leadership, and if the three of us love each other.
Sampling of Responses from Last Week’s ‘Question of the Week’: When thinking back on 2022, what have you learned about yourself and how have you grown as a learner?
- In 2022, I learned that even though I can be strong when working independently, I can be stronger when working with others.
- I've learned that I will always be learning and growing! You can't be 'afraid' to not know or understand something - advocate when you need answers and don't hesitate to ask questions!
- I learned more about every subject I've studied, ESPECIALLY science.
- I have learned about myself that I can do great things and I have grown by getting better at math.
- I have gone from hiding in the shadows to an (Almost) social butterfly. :)
- I think that I have improved in subjects because of my teachers
- I have learned that I need time to think about things. I’m improving on subjects that I wasn’t doing well in before.
- I think that I have learned that I need to take a break with things and give different things a try. I have grown so much and I have learned a lot about myself.
- I think I did well during the school year and think of myself having a great lacrosse and educational year
My Annual Shares
5 Media Resolutions Every Family Should Make in 2019
by Caroline Knorr in Common Sense Media
Written and posted three years ago, Knorr’s advice for how families can try and make sense of the benefits and challenges that we all encounter and embrace with the media are worthy of reflection. 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 find that they resonate each time I come back to them. #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.' As with many posts that hold meaning, we could substitute many 'gifts/possessions' for the 'iPhone' and the essence will ring true.
Each new year brings forth the promise of ‘new’ - hope, excitement, worries, challenges, successes, and many more emotions and realities. I believe it is important that we name, acknowledge, and embrace them (as hard as it is to do - speaking from the ‘I’, for sure!) with intention, commitment, and hope - with a full understanding and awareness that we may not solve them. Rather, our resolve will come forth and to fruition in the willingness to dive in collectively to grow, learn, and improve - that is at the heart of our mission and at the heart of our work...
Each and every school day will bring tens of thousands of reasons to celebrate in schools across the country. - Bill Ivey
And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom. - Anais Nin
Many eyes go through the meadow, but few see the flowers. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
What if we realized the best way to ensure an effective educational system is not by standardizing our curricula and tests but by standardizing the opportunities available to all students? - Ibram X. Kendi
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Take care.
Nat