Chicago IASA,IASB,IASBO Conference Part II

I am not one that is usually impressed with keynote speakers. So many times they are dry and could make their point in a much shorter time. The keynote addresses at the Triple I were a stark contrast to my expectations! Day two's key note speaker was Mark Scharenbroich. He was fantastic, funny, and carried a strong message. He had the audience rolling with laughter and wiping away tears. He talked about the human side of things and how we all need to feel accepted and valued. He told a story about the best way to make a Harley rider feel good. All you have to tell them is "nice bike" and mean it! Everyone knows that we all have the need to feel valued, yet so often we neglect to value people, especially those we teach and work with everyday. I think Mr. Schrenbroich, of all the things I saw in Chicago, had the biggest affect on me. It is so easy to take people and what they do for granted without telling them "nice bike". Knowing people by name and acknowledging them for who they are and what they are good at is something we all need to do more often. I think our mentoring program is a great step in the right direction. We are building positive relationships with our students. Remember, we cannot take those relationships for granted. We must work on them every chance we get ( I know, I know....lets see if he practices what he preaches). Take the time every day to try to make someone feel special. It will pay big dividends for all of us! Remember to say "hey, nice bike" every once in awhile! This video is a brief taste of Mark's address to us. If you have seven minutes to spare, you will enjoy this little anecdote!

Chicago IASA,IASB,IASBO Conference Part I

Jason Ryan Dorsey was the opening keynote speaker for the 2009 Triple I Conference. An incredibly witty presenter with a story about how generations differ and the affect of that difference on interactions in the workplace. As I reflect on what he had to say, I find that we truly do have to consider how to today's students are different. They do have different values. Values that come from the way they have been raised and the cultural influences they have experienced. We cannot change those values and if we are going to reach our students we must understand where they are coming from and teach them to capitalize on their strengths. We must also teach them about the values and expectations of our generation(s) (we have multiple generations on this staff). One of the ways we can do this for them is to create real world expectations here in school and get them ready for a "Baby Boomer" boss that is probably in their future. We need to hold our students to the expectations that we have. It starts as simple as being on time to following through on committments (hint: ENFORCE TARDIES!) I bought one of his books while at the conference entitled "Fifty Ways to Improve Schools for Under Fifty Bucks". You may borrow it any time. It has a lot of good ideas! Below are some of the highlights of his presentation. If you have ten minutes to watch this video, I believe it will be worth your time.

RT @rvoltz Top Ten Things High Schools Can Do To Improve Achievement

Top Ten Things High Schools Can Do To Improve Achievement NOW

by Dr. Douglas B. Reeves 

1.         Start a WIN – Work in Now! – Program. The reason many high school students fail is missing homework. Some schools are dramatically reducing course failures by requiring SAME DAY after-school detention for ANY missing homework. Students quickly find that it’s more convenient to get the work done.

 

2.         DOUBLE the time devoted to literacy and math. When students are struggling in 9^th grade English and math classes, they are very likely struggling in every other class as well. Schools that have doubled time in these subjects significantly reduce the failure rate. Sometimes, this means moving a science and social studies sequence from grades 9, 10, 11 to grades 10, 11, 12. Increasing time on literacy reduces the dropout rate because it reduces grade 9 failures.

 

3.         EXTEND the time when grades are due from teachers to the administration after final exams. One high school reduced 9^th grade course failures from over 1,000 to fewer than 400 when it gave teachers four weeks after finals to turn in grades. During that time, students facing failure were able to complete missing labs, finish term papers, or do other projects. If they were missing only a single major project, it did not make sense for them to repeat the entire class.

 

4.         TEACH project management, time management, and self-discipline. One recent study found that these skills are significantly more influential on high school success than IQ in predicting high school grades and post-secondary education participation.

 

5.         RESTRICT student choice for any student reading below grade level. Students do not have a constitutional right to electives. In fact, the best way to increase electives is to decrease choice for students who are risking failure. After all, students who drop out of school are not taking electives in 11^th and 12^th grade. 

 

6.         Require NONFICTION WRITING in every class. One high school developed a simplified rubric for nonfiction writing and required every class – no exceptions – to have at least one nonfiction writing assessment every semester.

 

7.         INCREASE student feedback, providing daily or weekly feedback. The typical 9-week report card is too late – an educational autopsy. If students are to use feedback to improve performance, then the feedback must be immediate.

 

8.         COLLABORATE among teachers for the evaluation of core skills. If teachers do not agree on what the word “proficient” means, then students will get mixed messages about what level of quality is acceptable. Only when teachers look at the same piece of anonymous student work and collaboratively score that work will there be a true professional learning community.

 

9.         Create COMMON ASSESSMENTS at least once per quarter. Certainly teachers can have freedom and flexibility in many areas, but the core expectations of a class must be consistent. It is the only way that students have an equal and fair opportunity to be prepared for the next level of instruction. Curriculum mapping is not enough. Teachers must have Power Standards and common assessments, agreeing on the most important standards and agreeing on what they will assess.

 

10.      BAN ADMINISTRATIVE ANNOUNCEMENTS in faculty meetings. Time in meetings is too precious to waste on announcements that could be made by e-mail or delivered in writing. Use every second of meeting time for professional collaboration.

via leadandlearn.com

I do not see any reason not to do everything we can to implement the above!

Posted via web from phsprincipal's posterous

Quote from Meet the Press on Sunday, November 15, 2009

GREGORY: Parents matter. Parents have to say, "We have expectations for you."


SEC'Y DUNCAN: Absolutely. We all have to take responsibility: parents, teachers, principals, school board members, students themselves, most importantly. We all have to step up. Parents matter tremendously. Parents are always going to be our students' first teachers, and they're always going to be our students most important teachers. That's never going to change. Parents have to be full and equal partners with teachers. When that happens, great things happen with children. When that doesn't happen, when the adults fight, when there's adult dysfunction, guess what, children lose.

For a complete transcript go to http://tinyurl.com/ygdtj2s

Veteran's Day

I can remember school assemblies when I was in grade school about Veteran's Day. They were really special because every year we were able to see the same veterans and they told us intriguing stories about their experiences. One of the veterans that came to speak to us year after year was a very old gentleman that was a veteran of WWI. I can distinctively remember the gleam in his eye and the way he whistled, snapped his feet and fingers as he came to attention. To a kid of eight years of age he seemed really cool and very "with it" for an octogenarian. Sadly, he died shortly before Veteran's Day when I was in the fifth grade. That year we got to hear the real story behind his service during WWI. With tears in his eyes and breaks in his voice, the post commander told us of the old vet's experience in the Argonne Forest in 1918. I do not remember all of the detail of the stories he told us that day, but I do remember watching a grown man in uniform cry before an entire school of children. After that Veteran's Day I think I was better able to relate to sense of loss that many Americans deal with every day because of either their service to the country or someone close to them sacrificed their life serving this great country of ours. I had an uncle that I never met who died in the Korean War. The family had a hard time dealing with the loss of their brother. His loss created a wound that left a large visible scar. He and another brother, Bill, were both in Korea when Bob was killed in action. My Uncle Bill escorted Bob’s coffin home from Korea. As a non veteran, I have no way of knowing the true sacrifice made by those who have served this country both in wartime and in peace. I do know this; I am thankful and know that there is no way for me to individually pay back all those I owe a debt of gratitude to. I am determined to “pay forward” and try my best to do all I can to honor today’s veterans as well as do what I can to make America a better place. I implore our students to talk to their families about their history of serving this nation in the armed forces. You may find out things you never knew about your family and make connections that were never there before. You will also get a chance to say thank you!