We mourn the sudden loss of our school families

As my daughter who is a third grade teacher in her second year of teaching closed up her classroom last night, not knowing for sure when she and her students will be back, she posted this picture.

Her private words: "After being at school for ten hours today.... Where I could only reach some of my kiddos.... So.... Sad."

While we know we are doing the right thing by closing and staying close to home to quit spreading these dangerous germs around, we mourn the sudden loss of our classroom families, and we worry.

We will struggle to provide what we can for our students while we are apart, but we know the real solution is to come back together as soon as this is over, so we can again grow and learn together.

A Letter to Future School Administrators

I have been completely out of touch with blogging the past couple of years. I've been more involved in some of the educational aspects of our school district than I was in the past, and in my opinion, it's been productive for both me and my district. With technology being so entrenched in education, employment, communication, research, publishing, creating, and day to day living, it only makes sense that a Tech Director's time be divided between working on/planning for/deploying tech AND figuring out how best to use that tech for learning and to work. That being said, there are things I hope future administrators will think about.

First, my nightmare scenario is a technology roll out of some new technology with a headline focusing on the hardware or the software. In my opinion that's educational malpractice. The reporting should emphasize the learning initiative and the way the new purchases will affect students. How many times have you seen a headline declaring that a district has spent several hundred thousand dollars on Chromebooks/iPads/Computers or on some software suite only to have no plan for how it is going to change education for the better long term? How many times have those initiatives completely failed, because no one looked past the shiny new toy feel of the purchase and planned for the success of the initiative?

Second, vendors are there for one reason: To sell you things. If they go behind the back of your tech department or try to keep the tech department out of the meetings, beware. All of them will promise you the moon, but their products always need to be vetted and compared to other products before you make a decision as to what to buy. Your tech department can help you with that. It's what they do.

Third, it's easy to follow the trends for the newest shiny toy every couple of years. It allows you to publicize the new stuff, but it keeps your staff and students from having to really learn how to use a tool well for learning and for your students to reap the benefits. Be careful with the term "engaged" and how you use it. Remember that the excitement over the new things does not equate with better learning.

Fourth, with rare exceptions (which is a whole other problem/story), the tech department is not your enemy. They are there to work with you to improve education in the district. There are far better paying jobs out there for tech people. Those who stay (and who are any good) are there because they truly think they can contribute to a better education for kids. Welcome their help. Seek it out.

And finally, I am convinced that only you have the ultimate power to make technology a powerful learning tool in your district. Tech Directors can provide the stuff and train the staff and play cheerleader for the learning tools. Individual teachers can shine on their own. However, to transform a district requires a dedicated administrator. You can learn how to use technology. You can use technology to do your job better. You can model technology use in PD. You can highlight your people and your students with social media. You can make robust technology use a part of your walk through and staff evaluation criteria. You can give your tech department time to educate staff members. And, you can reward the teachers who use technology effectively thus pushing others to follow suit. The bottom line is it's important that you take a look at the ISTE Standards for Education Leaders and take a leadership role along side your Technology Director.

What these things all have in common is teamwork. My advice is that you make the tech department an important part of your team and work together. If you do, your students will benefit. After 23 years of doing this, this is one of the few things I am absolutely certain of. Trite as it sounds, we're better together.

Tornado Pride

There was no logical reason for my applying for the job of District Technology Director for the Storm Lake Community School District twelve years ago. I was a late comer to education, a HS English teacher of ten years who spent most of those years also teaching technology classes while learning to manage all the technology needs of a small private school. For some reason I thought it was a good idea to shoot for the moon and throw my resume out there to a much larger school, and for some reason the Storm Lake Community School District said, "Why not?"

There have been many moments over the past twelve years that have made it clear to me why I am so very happy that the universe brought me here. Today was one of those moments.

Dakota Caldwell's presentation to the high school student body about the importance of technology to the quality of his life was inspiring. I met Dakota in my office a couple of months ago when he had some questions about a project he was working on. I was impressed with him then, and I was impressed with him today. He is well spoken, self assured, and intelligent. His message of encouraging more innovation was just what our students need to hear in this world of ever changing job markets and societal needs.

Dakota's presentation was followed by a group of student dancers who showed the rest of us grace, beauty, and the results of hard work and dedication. The athleticism that dancing had to have taken was phenomenal, and the pride in culture was apparent.

Both of these performances were awe inspiring, but there was something else that put me into that special place of "there is nowhere else I would rather be." That was the reaction of the entire student body. Both groups received rapt attention from the crowd. There was laughter. There were tears. There were appropriate whoops and hollers. There was complete silence. There were lit cell phones in appreciation of the dancers. And, there were spontaneous standing ovations for both of these performances. The appreciation of the talents of their peers was evident and palpable.

I don't know why I was so lucky as to have the universe align in some strange twist of life events to bring me to Storm Lake twelve years ago, but I do know this. Our schools are a model for the entire country. We are a community of learners who although far from perfect, as human beings are, come together over and over and over again in respect and caring for one another. I've seen and felt it a million times here at SLCSD. Today was one of those days.

#SLChangeMakers

Vote Yes for Kids

Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities,

because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled,

can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength for our nation.

--John F. Kennedy

Think about every problem, every challenge, we face.

The solution to each starts with education.

--George H. W. Bush

Tomorrow Storm Lake voters go to the polls to vote on supporting the building of a new early childhood facility to accommodate our growing numbers of students.

If the question is:

What's best for kids? - Then you will vote yes.

If the question is:

What's best for Storm Lake? - Then you will vote yes.

If the question is:

What's best for society? - Then you will vote yes.

If you have any questions, take a look at this website.

http://www.slcsd.org/bond

But then I urge you to vote yes on both ballot measures. Our kids deserve it.

#SLChangeMakers

Fight for What's Right, but See the Good

My father died in August. I've mentioned him in this blog before. He retired from practicing law in his sixties but then proceeded to do pro bono work for Legal Aid for many, many years. His mission was to fight for the rights of the little guy, the person in poverty, the person whose life had led to desperate life situations. He fought for what was right, and he saw the good in people in all walks of life. He believed strongly in the right of every person, old or young, rich or poor, right or wrong, to legal representation, and he lived those beliefs working tirelessly and for free practically until his dying breaths.

This all comes to mind again this week with the passing of President George H.W. Bush. I watched the reactions of the various pundits, the current and previous Presidents, his political adversaries, and his friends. All I could think was how much I disagree with those who believe we can't honor the good a person does in a lifetime without agreeing with every life or policy choice. I felt the same way as I watched the celebration of Senator John McCain's life. Both of these men, despite many things I would disagree with politically, lived lives of public service and have long lists of good things they did for this world.

What, you may ask, does this have to do with education?

Our schools are microcosms of this political society. They are filled with people from all walks of life with thoughts and opinions as diverse as snowflakes on an Iowa winter day. However, they are also filled with people, staff and students, who are trying to make a difference in this world. We don't always agree on the best way to do that. Sometimes we make poor decisions and stumble along the way. Yet, despite our differences, we are all here learning together. We are committed to one another. Let us debate our educational beliefs strenuously, but let us always see the good in one another, especially the good in our students, and always honor that.

Be Here Now

My word for 2018 has been "mindfulness." My goal is to focus on what's going on not only inside of me but also outside of me in my day to day life. It's far too easy to let the regular days pass by as I wait for the next big event or the much anticipated moment, but in the meantime, miss out on things that are quite remarkable if I just pay attention.

I was musing just the other day about how my dog, Lady, has not only so much love to give that she greets me at the door EVERY time I come home, and she snuggles up close to me EVERY chance she gets; but she also has the most beautiful tail. ❤

What are you missing out on in your day to day? How could we use the concept of mindfulness to improve the learning experiences of our students?

Our Why Needs to be Bigger

I have four grandchildren. Louis will be in second grade. Sarah will be in kindergarten. Scout is almost a year old. And, Quinn is 6 months old. They will always be in the front of my thoughts when it comes to my views on education - And my drive to fight for what's right. They deserve all the best our schools have to offer.

 

However, my why can't stop there. My why must include my friends' and neighbors' children. It must include all the children in my community - The children in my state - In my nation - And in the world. It is not enough that my grandchildren receive an excellent education. It is important that all children receive an excellent education. Our world has become far too intent on demanding the golden ring for ourselves and then blaming others who haven't been so fortunate. This shortsighted selfishness must stop - And it must never be a part of our schools.

Education must be accessible to everyone. Education must teach us to both critically evaluate the facts and also to be empathetic and kind to our fellow man. There is nothing more important than this. Coming from a family of educators, there have been times that family had to take a back seat to the work that needed to be done for others, and that is a good thing. It has created adults who have chosen lives of service and love.

Can you expand your why?

EdTech Planning and Funding

It's still November, and we've already begun the process of planning for next year's EdTech purchases. In some ways we have it down to a science. What's five years old? Time to replace it. Recycle those things that don't work very well anymore and re-purpose the rest. Then ask for input from administrators and teachers as to what they perceive are their EdTech needs for next year. Compile all of that and then contemplate changes or additions. Then prioritize, knowing funding will never cover everything but wanting to fulfill the most requests we possibly can.

That all seems pretty straight forward, but here's where the difficulties always arise. It's the answer to the email or the form field or interview question that asks something like:

Exactly what are students going to do with these devices or programs? How will the technology increase or at least enhance student learning?

I informally evaluate the state of our instructional strategies in classrooms and the understanding of the potential of technology for learning from these answers, and honestly, it's disappointing some years. Research, reading, mechanical tech skill development, weekly or standardized assessments, canned curriculum, and writing papers aren't very good answers. While yes, students should and do use devices for these purposes, these uses don't come close to realizing the potential of technology for learning. Tech is only a substitute for the same old way of teaching and learning, meaning tech's desirable but not really necessary, rather than tech's a trans-formative way to learn in ways that were never possible before, under which circumstances tech becomes a necessity.

Take a look at the SAMR model that describes a way to analyze how students are using technology in the classroom. Kathy Schrock has many resources related to SAMR: http://www.schrockguide.net/samr.html. While all student tech use doesn't have to approach the redefinition level of this model, some of that use certainly should.

Take a look at the new ISTE Standards for Students: https://www.iste.org/standards/for-students. There is almost no correlation from the student uses listed above to the potential these standards provide for student learning. Students collaborating with others outside their town or state or country, creating musical compositions or business models, or contributing to the solution of real life problems are very real, viable, trans-formative things students can do with technology.

Finally, take a look at the other initiatives in your districts. How does technology integration fit in? It shouldn't be an isolated, add-on activity anymore. It should be intrinsic to learning. The excuse that teachers are too busy with other things mandated by the state and the district doesn't fly anymore. Technology is, can be, or should be a part of every other initiative in a district. It's how business is done in the real world, and the real world needs to be reflected in the work our students do in school.

Can you argue your district doesn't have enough technology to easily implement some of the instructional strategies I'm suggesting? You bet. This would certainly be true of my district. However, that becomes a lame excuse when the request for more EdTech is not based on transformation but is based on students doing research, taking assessments, accessing canned curriculum, and practicing mechanical tech skills. Continuing to use traditional and often antiquated instructional strategies may require a certain level of EdTech access, but it isn't a very compelling way to persuade those in charge of funding to prioritize and spend more money on EdTech.

Think about it.

New Beginnings

I've been contemplating how hard it is to let go of what we've done in the past - Things we were proud of - To move on to the new. Why is this on my mind? Because I have an old website that I used for many years that had become horribly outdated. However, there were years of work and memories there, and I hated to just pitch it and start over.

I did it, though. I've decommissioned my old website, and I've started over on my new one. Is there much there? Nope. There isn't much at all. However, it is current and just waiting for me to edit it with useful information about EdTech and the Storm Lake Community School District.

Sometimes you just have to say, "Out with the old and in with the new" - No matter how nostalgic you are.

https://sites.google.com/slcsd.org/stormlakecsdedtech

Where were you?

Eligible voters, all I can say is, "Shame on you." A less than nine percent turnout to vote yesterday. Come on! If we want our schools to be great, we ALL need to participate. We need to be informed. We need to ask questions. We need to show up, for goodness sake. It's no wonder that our national government has taken charge of education. Our local citizens don't seem to care if they have a say.

Clearly, voters who sat at home were not seriously contemplating, "What's best for kids?"

Congratulations to Peter Steinfeld and Erika Dierking who were elected to the Storm Lake Community School District Board of Education, and "Way to go," Stephanie Wilhelm, for choosing to run in this local election. Thank you to all three of you for participating. Thank you for being informed. And, thank you for asking the tough questions.

It's time to get involved, Storm Lakers. To butcher a famous quote, attributed to several in various forms: "If not now, when? If not you, who?"

"This is my home"

Interesting article in the Pilot Tribune last week.

http://www.stormlakepilottribune.com/story/2442383.html

I can't help picturing my own young adult children who are all peers of the Dreamers - who I moved several times, with absolutely no input from them, starting when the oldest was 2 years old. What if they were suddenly dropped in a foreign country where they didn't know the language, knew no one, and had no job or place to live?

America, where is our heart?

"We view our diversity as a strength..."

Hats off to Iowa City's Superintendent and his kind letter to his school community yesterday:

Message to Our Community

Dear Members of the Iowa City Community School District Family,

Today it was announced that the Department of Homeland Security rescinded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy and will stop processing any new applications for the program. To all of our students who are impacted by this decision – and to their friends, classmates and teachers who are also concerned because of this decision – know that the Iowa City Community School District stands by you. We serve all families in our District and we want our students to be safe, to feel welcome, and to learn and succeed in our schools and community. The Iowa City Community School District does not condone nor support any action that demonstrates intolerance, bigotry, or that promotes discrimination. As a District, we remain committed to celebrating and embracing our diversity, as that diversity makes us stronger.

Our District has a responsibility to provide a safe, secure, and nurturing environment for all of our students to participate in their education. We do not tolerate discrimination because these actions impact all of us and detract from an inclusive educational environment. Over the next few months as this issue makes its way through Congress, there will be teachable moments during which we can discuss the democratic process, how to resolve differences, how to deal with conflict, and how to reconcile diverse and contradictory values. Living in a democracy affords us this opportunity. Teaching our students how to process the outcome of the DACA decision is a privilege that we have as educators and adults.

As a district, we place great value in building an inclusive culture of learning where all students and families feel welcome, safe, and secure. Please know that the District will never give out immigrant status information and we are proud to stand with our DACA students and families. We view our diversity as a strength and celebrate the fact that over 70 languages are spoken throughout our buildings. We are proud to stand by, support and celebrate each and every unique individual within our District.

Thank you to everyone for helping our students understand this decision and how best to move forward. I have no doubt that questions and concerns will linger and that we will need to continue our vigilance in monitoring the health and safety of our students and schools. The District has resources to provide assistance to students and families who may need additional support. Please reach out through our School Counselors and Student and Family Advocates if you, a student, or a District family has unmet needs. We will do our best to provide support or assist them in finding the support they need in our broader community.

Sincerely,

Stephen F. Murley
Superintendent
Iowa City Community School District

https://www.iowacityschools.org/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&DomainID=8&ModuleInstanceID=11948&ViewID=6446EE88-D30C-497E-9316-3F8874B3E108&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=28281&PageID=9

Are you ready for some football?

Video by @PhillipXou and @samidamanhoury

Happy First Day of School!

As I was pulling out of my driveway this morning, a lone acorn rolled off the top of my car and over my windshield. A flood of first day of school memories washed over me.

• The smell of new tablets and crayons and first day of school clothes
• The view of the sunlight on the trees as summer starts to wind down
• The excitement to see friends unseen since the last day of school
• The trepidation of getting to know a new teacher
• The anticipation for fall sports and marching band

I grew up in a household where fall rather than January was considered the beginning of the new year - where resolutions were made - and everyone knew that anything was possible.

May all of our students experience the joy of a new school year and the love of our SLCSD family. Welcome back!

Education is our best hope

Education is our best hope for the future of our world. Therefore, it is immeasurably important that all of our students feel welcome in our schools. Every. Single. One. Of. Our. Students.

This post is from Twitter a few days ago:

And this photo was taken of a classroom door at Maple Grove Elementary in West Des Moines posted on Facebook several months ago:

Education is our best hope for the future of the world, students, and you are most welcome here.

All of you.

Patriotism and Love

Tomorrow we go to the polls and cast our ballots during the most divisive political climate of my lifetime. I have strong feelings about who should be elected as I hope you do, too. The people in charge of our government are important, and everyone should analyze the issues and decide what's best for our country and VOTE.

This isn't a political blog post, though. This is a post about patriotism and love. Some of us are going to be heartbroken when this is all over. Some of us are going to be angry. Some of us are going to be disillusioned. And, while all of these emotions are valid, here is my cautionary advice:

We must support the word of the people. Then if we think the system could be better, we must work together to change it. We must be willing to compromise to solve our problems. We must put love of country above politics. We must remember that democracy is messy and scary and mean sometimes, but when it comes down to it, it's the best system in the world.

I don't know where you stand on the issues or the candidates, and I wouldn't hold that against you if I did. What I will hold against you, though, is refusing to come together and work together once the people have spoken. We are all in this together, and we will have only ourselves to blame if we don't walk away from the "us and them" mentality of the election and move towards the middle to "we."

If we all love our country, and I think we do, then we better learn to love our fellow Americans, even those we adamantly disagree with.

Winning at Sports and Powerful Educational Experiences

As the Storm Lake Tornado football team prepares to play their first ever football playoff game tonight, and as Dylan Cavanaugh prepares to run in the state cross country meet tomorrow, I can't help but ponder the importance of these experiences to our students' education. We spend far too much time trying to quantify and analyze learning through tests and grading when what we should really be working on are the learning experiences we create for our students.

As our community members, parents, and students decorate their houses, write their thoughts, and create videos of this magical football season, I think about how we could make sure all of our students have amazing experiences like these. Winning sports seasons are intrinsically memorable learning experiences - for the whole community. However, there are so many ways to create other, although less dramatic, memories for our students. Memories that coincidentally teach valuable lessons and increase learning.

Two books talk about the importance of innovative new learning experiences for our students: Teach Like a Pirate by Dave Burgess and Kids Deserve It by Todd Nesloney and Adam Welcome. I recommend you take a look at them. They veer away from curriculum, standards, and assessments and talk instead about instructional strategies and relationships.

Think about what our athletes have gained this fall. Perhaps we need to consider how we can provide that for everyone.

Our students need to feel special. They need to feel like a part of a community. They need to experience things in life that touch their hearts. They deserve an education that emphasizes the whole life learning experience, not just math reasoning, historical facts, and reading fluency. In fact, if we really want our students to learn curricular things, we better work harder at creating an environment that makes being absent unthinkable because of the amazing experiences students know they will miss if they are gone.

Wouldn't it be great if we could create exciting highlight videos for each and every one of our classrooms each year?

Good luck, tonight and tomorrow, Storm Lake athletes. These are precious moments in time, and none of us want to miss a second of the experience.

Reluctant to bring up politics

I became politically active long before I was old enough to vote. In the beginning, my views were based on what my parents believed, but as I progressed in my education and became a debater in high school, I discovered that rarely is anything in life clear-cut and easy. I learned to research both sides of an issue and present a compelling, substantiated argument for either side. I learned to weigh pros and cons. I learned to read and listen to opinions that differed from my own without getting angry. I found politics fascinating and often hard to discern. Sometimes, if you thought about it, choosing who to vote for was hard.

This has been a strange election cycle, though. This is the first time in my whole life when I have been reluctant to bring politics up. Somewhere along the line, the norm is no longer the give and take of information, it has become agreement or dismissal. It is to label people as “good or evil,” “us or them,” “intelligent or ignorant,” and even “American or un-American.” The norm is to agree and mutually deride the other side or to disagree and dismiss, scoff, yell, spew vitriol, unfriend, stomp off mad, and avoid.

This has got to stop. We are a country of vast differences and vastly different needs. Surely, though, we can agree to try to understand one another, to care for one another, and to work together for solutions. Standing firm on principle is your right, but it is not democracy in action. Compromise is.

"When you teach a man to hate and fear his brother, when you teach that he is a lesser man because of his color or his beliefs or the policies he pursues, when you teach that those who differ from you threaten your freedom or your job or your family, then you also learn to confront others not as fellow citizens but as enemies...

"We must admit the vanity of our false distinctions among men and learn to find our own advancement in the search for the advancement of all. We must admit in ourselves that our own children's future cannot be built on the misfortunes of others. We must recognize that this short life can neither be ennobled or enriched by hatred or revenge.

"... we can perhaps remember - even if only for a time - that those who live with us are our brothers, that they share with us the same short movement of life, that they seek - as we do - nothing but the chance to live out their lives in purpose and happiness, winning what satisfaction and fulfillment they can.

"...Surely we can learn, at least, to look at those around us as fellow men and surely we can begin to work a little harder to bind up the wounds among us and to become in our hearts brothers and countrymen once again."

--Robert F. Kennedy, 1968

The key is to notice

The man I bought my coffee from greeted me when I drove up; and when he handed me my change, he told me to have a blessed day. Love.

The woman who handed me my coffee held it out the drive up window - as if we could negotiate a handoff without my stopping. Laughter.

The sunrise as I pulled up to work was a beautiful masterpiece of promise and color. Awe.

Sometimes my world just feels right.

The key to life is to notice these moments, isn't it? Mindfulness.

Have a great Friday, everyone!

Winning has brought us together

The Storm Lake football team heads to Spirit Lake tonight with a 6-0 record, determined to make it 7-0. Packed pep buses will bring students and staff members. Parents, families, and friends will be there. The various news media will cover the action, and many at home will tune into news and social media to stay on top of the game.

The truth is a winning team has brought us closer together. It has reinforced our pride in the green and white and our love for one another. Winning teams do that, and we should all be savoring every moment of joy.

Good luck tonight, Tornado football players. Our hearts will be beating as one as you take that field.