Still Struggling and Learning

The Covid-19 pandemic changed our world forever. As a retired educator, I was very concerned about how this pandemic would affect our schools. I know that change is hard and takes time and commitment, but there was no time for a smooth transition. Suddenly, providing education via distance learning was the norm, and schools had to scramble to address the challenges. It was my concern for schools, students, educators, staff, and school communities that led me to write my second book, Educating with Aloha: Reflections from the Heart on Teaching and Learning. I wanted to challenge the status quo, to encourage anyone who is interested in education to reflect on whether we are preparing our students to become the problem-finders, problem-solvers, and the innovative and empathetic leaders we will need in our future.  I hoped this book could lead to honest and open discussions about how we can improve our schools. But as other authors have shared, launching a book during a pandemic is a challenge. 

Therefore, I was excited when I was asked to present at the Schools of the Future Conference. I was concerned, though, because I had not presented virtually before. I was more comfortable having a talk story session sharing my book through conversation rather than through a formal presentation. I realized though that this was an opportunity to grow, and if there's anything I've learned in my life, it's that we need to be open to new experiences. So I gratefully accepted the invitation.

I was a lot more concerned about my presentation than I would like to admit. I knew what my message would be: that educators need to write and share their stories. It took me awhile to work on my slides and a week before my presentation date, I practiced with my husband. He has always been my most honest critic, and as a non-educator, he sees things from a different lens. As usual, he asked the best questions, and I ended up changing the way I approached my presentation. 

I contacted the host who had been assigned to assist/support me during my presentation. I told him that having retired in 2018, I have not had much experience with Zoom other than attending meetings. We scheduled two sessions where I was able to get comfortable with him and to practice sharing my screen so I could share my slides. It worked just fine, and when I shared my presentation with my husband, he stated that it was much improved.

It's amazing how large conferences have adapted during this pandemic, and SOTF is no exception. The conference organizers communicated regularly via email and held a virtual meeting to share information for the presenters. If I had questions, I could email and I received a response immediately. I was able to view some of the presentations from the comfort of my home, and I appreciated that I had so many choices. The great thing about a virtual conference is that everything was recorded so if I couldn't attend a session at the time it was presented, I can watch it later since the videos will be available until January. 

I wish I could say that everything went smoothly with my session, but for some reason, I couldn't share my screen despite the fact that my host and I had practiced twice and I had used Zoom to share my presentation with my husband. Ordinarily, if something like this happened to me, whether in-person or virtually, I would have panicked, but luckily, the host for my session stepped in and volunteered to share the screen with the audience. Whew!

I will be viewing my presentation when it is uploaded to the SOTF website. This is also something new for me. In the past, I haven't had the opportunity to critique myself after a presentation. It's not something I'm comfortable with yet, but I know that watching it with a critical eye will help me in the future whether in-person or virtually. Hopefully, I'll have more opportunities. 

Should Students Create a Blog?

Our niece sent a copy of an essay that her daughter, S, a sophomore in high school, had written for an assignment at school. I was so impressed; I think it is wonderfully-written, so descriptive and filled with imagery.  I asked if I could share this essay in a blog, and they agreed, so here it is: "The Paint of the Past". 

I had questions for S which she answered willingly. She shared that the topic of her essay was to describe a time when she misunderstood a situation and understood its significance when she got older. She said that there was an opportunity for classmates and the teacher to give her feedback, but no one did. And she said she had not published anything on a public site, had never thought about starting a blog, but was open to the idea. 

When I first began blogging in 2012, it was because I had read "Blogging is the New Persuasive Essay"  I felt that students should be writing and sharing their ideas with their classmates, and  I saw that blogging could be a way for students to do real writing, to get feedback not just from their teacher or their classmates but from others on the internet. And I loved the idea that students would strive to do quality work if they knew their writing could be viewed publicly. 

Blogging with students did not take off the way I hoped. I had envisioned students writing and sharing their blogs and people from all over the world reading and responding. I had hoped that students could realize that their work matters. It would help our young people to recognize the power of writing to make connections with others, to be open to receiving critical feedback that can take their work to a higher level, and to share their opinions or ideas with others.  

Starting and maintaining a blog can be challenging for high school students with all the other academic requirements, extracurricular activities, and home or work responsibilities. Yet, I believe that today's students have the skills to create a way to showcase meaningful work, to share their accomplishments, and to reflect on their learnings. These authentic evidences can set them apart from others when it comes time to apply to colleges or seek employment. S is a writer, but her blog or virtual portfolio can include  work samples from other courses she takes and from  activities she participates in, both in and out of school. It could include photos and links to her various accomplishments as well as reflections about what she learned.

I remember when our elementary students learned how to create their own websites. They were so excited to personalize their site and to include links or photos of work that they were proud of. Many of them continued to add to their web page at home because they were so motivated. If we can get students to start a blog, a web page, or a virtual portfolio when they are in elementary school, they will be ahead-of-the-game when they start to think about their post-high school plans. Let's get them started!

Writer’s Block

 Things are not going well in our state and in our country. So many problems. So many differing opinions. So many unhappy people. It began to weigh on me, and I found myself with writer’s block. I had ideas about what to blog about, but I just couldn’t get started. I knew that whatever I wrote would reflect my mood, and I chose not to be judgmental or condescending to those with different viewpoints or opinions from me. I decided I needed a break.

I realize that it's okay. I am not on a timeline. I blog when I have something to share - an idea, a reflection, an experience, a question - and it's not necessary to feel pressured to write regularly. I am no longer at a school, experiencing the challenges of running a school while Covid numbers increase across our state and our nation. It's been way too long, and because we thought things were getting better, it's even more frustrating. People - including teachers and parents - are upset. I empathize with their anxiety, but really, what could I say to make things better? So it's been over a month since I wrote my last blog post.

I've had writer's block before ("Back to Blogging"). I found that the best thing was to not push myself  to publish something I wouldn't be proud of. Eventually, I was able to find my voice again. In fact, my second book, Educating with Aloha: Reflections from the Heart on Teaching and Learning is a compilation of selected posts from this blog. I really hope it will be helpful as a resource to inspire discussions from school communities about "What School Could Be". Our world is changing, and our schools need to change, too. I invite you to join in the conversation.  

Using the Olympics to Build Community in the Classroom

One of my first blogs, written back in 2012, was titled, “It’s Time for the Olympics!”  Four years later, I wrote  “Using the Olympics to Excite and Engage.” I really enjoyed writing these blogs and now seemed like a good time to reread them. 

Covid-19 forced the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics from 2020 to this year with the hope that the worldwide pandemic would be over by now and life would return to normal. It hasn’t. This year's events look different with no fans in the stands. Yet the Olympics goes on and elite athletes from around the world are in Tokyo, representing their countries with pride. The stories of perseverance and mental wellness provide opportunities for discussions about taking care of ourselves so we can be our best. 

With students returning to school next week in Hawaii and other parts of the country, teachers can use the Olympics as a theme to build community within the classroom. Share videos and articles and have students generate questions. Divide students into teams to research and share information with their classmates. Good questions lead to more questions and hopefully, students will continue to dig deeper to learn more and to understand the history of the Olympic Games. There are so many inspirational stories as well: Who does not appreciate Suni Lee's individual all-around gold medal in gymnastics and what it means to the Hmong community? I watched as two 13-year-old girls took the gold and silver medals in skateboarding. They were fearless and it was joyous to watch their excitement and energy.  Jordan Windle was adopted from an orphanage in Cambodia by a single dad and is representing the United States in diving.  And here in Hawaii, we cheered for our very own Carissa Moore who took the very first gold medal in women's surfing. There are many other individual stories about the athletes who are competing. Their pride at representing their country is evident, and the commitment to give their all and to do their best is admirable. 

Wouldn't it be fun to end the week with an Olympics-style event? Students can be divided into teams and come up with their own team name. They can design a flag to represent their team and have a parade much like the Opening Ceremonies. Students can think of Olympic-type activities that don't necessarily rely on athleticism such as a shot put event with an aluminum foil ball or a discus throw with paper plates. Brainstorm and make sure everyone is involved in some way; the emphasis is on sportsmanship and teamwork. 

As schools resume to full-time in-person learning, building relationships and community within the classroom are essential. If we want students to be invested in their own learning, we need to engage them as learners. The Olympics can encompass every content area - language arts, math, science, social studies, the arts, physical education. Let's use this worldwide event to engage our students in their own learning and set the tone for the rest of the school year.

“What School Could Be”

This book was published in 2018 and was written by Ted Dintersmith after a year-long trip across our country to visit schools in all fifty states. I had already watched Ted’s film, “Most Likely to Succeed” and had attended a local conference where Ted was the featured speaker. I definitely related to his message about schools needing to change in this, the 21st century. I eagerly read “What School Could Be” and was hopeful for the future of education in our state and our country.

I retired as a school principal shortly after reading the book, and a lot happened in that time. The Covid-19 pandemic changed the way we live, and schools were forced to change as well. It concerns me that schools seem to be going back to the same-old, same-old pre-pandemic educational system. Didn't we learn anything about students, teaching, and learning during the past year? Recently, I decided to reread What School Could Be. This time, I was not going to rush through to finish it. Instead, I would treat it as if I were doing a shared reading with other educators or community leaders because that is the power of this book; we should all read, reflect, and discuss how we can do school better. It was inspiring to reread the stories of innovative schools and districts.

It got me asking questions about what school could be. Why aren’t schools and educators trying new ideas to engage students? Why do schools continue to be judged by test scores rather than the ability to engage and empower students to be self-directed, community-minded problem-solvers? How can we expect our students to know how to collaborate, to be good listeners as well as clear communicators, to have empathy for others, to ask questions and research to find their own answers or solutions to problems, or to be able to separate facts from opinions if we expect them to be passive receptors of content rather than active learners of knowledge? Why aren't students given opportunities to work with others on important issues that concern them now and will impact them in the future? How can we involve our school communities - educators, students, parents, businesses, higher education, and government leaders - to discuss how we can make education more relevant in this, the 21st century? 

There are many resources out there - books, articles, films, social media communities, podcasts. How do we start conversations and excite school leaders, teachers, students, parents, and the community? What if we treat this issue like we would if we implemented epic learning or project-based learning in our classrooms? We could start with an entry event for the community and invite them to view a video. Here in Hawaii, we have two excellent documentaries: “The Innovation Playlist” and “Ka Helena A`o: The Learning Walk” about transforming education in our state in this, the 21st century. Then we break into smaller groups to address a driving question such as "Why should we care about education in our community?" or "How can we involve all sectors of our community to ensure a meaningful future for our children?" I am sure participants can come up with a driving question that is unique to their community. If we plan the event carefully to include all community members - students, educators, parents, complex area or district staff, businesses, coaches, lawmakers, higher education, etc. - and if we create opportunities to continue the discussion and to share ideas and successes, we can transform education, one community at a time. We want concerned citizens who think critically about issues that are relevant to them and who can work collaboratively with others to engage in discussions, problem-solve, and come up with workable solutions. Waiting until our children become adults is too late; they can and should be involved in examining issues that impact their world today and in the future. 

William Butler Yeats stated, “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” Unless we actively make the effort, though, we may not be aware of how students at public, charter, and private schools are taking ownership of their own learning and really making a difference for themselves and for others. The educators at these schools were willing to step out of our comfort zones and see the whole world as an educational opportunity and resource for their students, and the results speak for themselves: engaged, empowered, enthusiastic young people who are making a difference in their communities and who will hopefully continue to be involved, informed citizens in the future. 

Note: Ted Dintersmith recently launched a What School Could Be community to share ideas and learn from each other. Join the conversation at https://whatschoolcouldbe.org/

I Did It (Again) 😊

 Two years ago, I shared about writing my first book in a blog “I Did It 😊”  At the time, I shared about how much I had learned, not just about the process but about myself. 

I was often asked when I would write a second book. I had not given it any thought, but when COVID-19 forced us to stay at home, I found myself worrying about what would happen within our educational system. How would schools provide teachers with the tools and the support to ensure that students would be engaged and empowered via distance learning? I realized that I wanted to write another book. I had a foundation - this blog - which I started back in 2012. 

When I began writing this blog, I had no idea how long I could or would continue, but today, I am still writing and sharing my thoughts, my opinions, my hopes, and my experiences as someone who will always be an educator even if I am retired. It is not my intention to tell others how to lead or how to teach. Rather, I hope that my blog and my books will encourage conversations and reflections within our communities amongst those who are passionate about improving education to be more relevant in today’s society. These discussions should include educational leaders, teachers, students, parents, and community and business leaders. 

 Experienced principals have shared with me that school year 2020-2021 was their most challenging year ever, and they are proud of their school communities for persevering through all the changes and the challenges that were necessitated by COVID-19. I am hopeful that the lessons they learned will lead to changes in how schools view education. 

My new book, Educating with Aloha: Reflections from the Heart on Teaching and Learning, is now at the printer and will hopefully be ready for purchase later this summer. I am grateful to those who read my earlier manuscripts and provided me with feedback because my book changed a lot from beginning to end. Writers benefit from feedback and questions. The sometimes-frank and honest comments and questions helped me to reflect and to make the necessary changes to address those concerns, and I am proud of the final copy. The book is divided into chapters:

1. A Culture of Aloha
2. Positive Relationships with Our Students
3. Explore, Discover, Create, and Share
4. Build Teacher Capacity
5. Partnering with Families and the Community
6. What Does the Future Hold for Education?

Leading with Aloha: From the Pineapple Fields to the Principal’s Office was a reflection of my life and how my early life experiences impacted how I led our school. Educating with Aloha is about my experiences as an educator. I hope it can serve as a tool for discussions about how we can work together to make the changes in our schools to prepare our students for their futures. 

W.B. Yeats once said, “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” We should not be filling students with information that they may forget soon after leaving school. Now is the time to reimagine education so that students and teachers are truly engaged and empowered to be innovative, lifelong learners. 

I love this cover! I am not an artist so I depended on my publisher to assist me by providing choices. 

Ted Dintersmith, Peter DeWitt, Cris Waldfogel, Josh Reppun, Chad Keone Farias, and Derek Minakami read my manuscript and wrote such wonderful testimonials. I am grateful to them. 

Teacher Leaders

 Recently, I followed a conversation on social media on why anyone would want to leave the classroom to become a teacher leader. Some of the comments were what I considered “brutal.” The implications were that teacher leaders were “bossy” and were there to tell a colleague what to do or how to teach. Another comment was that principals put teachers in those positions to get them out of the classroom, implying that these teacher leaders were ineffective. Other tweets accused  teacher leaders of being “above” classroom teachers because they were considered part of administration and even helped with evaluations.  As a retired principal who viewed our teacher leaders as essential to teaching and learning at our school, many of those comments surprised and saddened me. 

In a school where relationships matter, teacher leaders follow the lead of administrators. If there is a culture of trust, respect, teamwork, and continuous improvement at the school, teacher leaders can play a key role in partnering with the administration to provide support and guidance. 

As a principal, I believed in helping all of our teachers gain skills and strategies that would help them to be even better. Sometimes that meant taking a teacher out of the classroom to gain a different perspective. Our  teacher leaders were more like coaches or mentors, helping their colleagues to reflect and to improve their craft through guided discussions, informal conversations, classroom observations, and reflective questions. When a teacher was feeling overwhelmed, it was often easier to speak confidentially with a teacher leader rather than with an administrator who also happens to be the evaluator. 

Selecting the right person for a teacher leader position can be tough. Good teachers love being with their students, but they are not always confident that they can work effectively with adults. As a principal, I sometimes needed to convince teachers that they could do the job and that I thought they would not only be effective, they would also enjoy the new experience. And they did! 

These coaches/mentors guided grade level curricular discussions, helped to analyze student work, shared resources and strategies, and helped to plan grade level activities. They co-planned lessons with new teachers and co-taught lessons with them, reflecting afterwards about what worked and what didn’t. They observed new teachers using the Department’s evaluative tool, shared their evidences from the observation, and helped these teachers to reflect on what they could do to improve their lessons. They realized that new teachers needed opportunities to be part of a professional learning community, and they asked for release time so these teachers could get together during the school day to receive training or to share with each other. These coaches/mentors were able to take new teachers to visit other classrooms and debrief afterwards to set goals or to commit to trying a new idea. In short, these teacher leaders were able to provide the support, training, and guidance that was so crucial to keep our school moving forward.

I recently had a conversation with Sandy Cameli, facilitator of  Na Kumu Alaka`i - Hawaii Teacher Leader Academy. Sandy and her team continue to train teachers from every island and every complex area in the Hawaii Department of Education. Some of these teachers may eventually go into administration, but many just want to be better leaders at their school or in their complex area or district. I feel there should be some way of compensating these teacher leaders. National Board Certified teachers receive annual bonuses; perhaps those teachers who complete training with the Hawaii Teacher Leader Academy and who commit to serving in a leadership capacity in the Department of Education could receive compensation as well. Another idea would be for the Department to negotiate with the teacher’s union to create a separate category for teacher leaders who would then receive a slight bump in their salary. That may encourage more teachers to agree to take on leadership roles. 

Teacher leaders are important, and I believe that in that role, they gain skills that help them to be more confident and contributing members of their school communities. They experience teaching and learning from a different perspective, and if they decide to return to the classroom, they do so with new skills and strategies under their belt. 

As a principal, I appreciated our teacher leaders; they provided crucial support for their colleagues and were important members of our Leadership Team. We ensured that they were not quasi-administrators; their roles were strictly as support for our teachers. As such, they were essential to improving teaching and learning at our school.