Law of the Lost

In a letter to the Danbury Baptists in 1802, Thomas Jefferson stated that the legislature "should make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free excercise thereof."

This letter was not an official government declaration, it was a man interpreting the laws for a fellow countryman. However, since he was a founding father, we should give due respect his interpretation. If we do so for the first part of his statement though, should we not also address the second part of his statement..."Or prohibiting the free excercise thereof?"

If we are going to take the first part of Jefferson's statement as a basis for creating laws, why would we not take the second portion of the statement as well? Groups like those involved in the Engle vs Vitale case of 1962, or the infamous (and missing) Madalyn Murray O'Hair, have taken their cases to court, and all parties, including the Supreme Court seem to cross out the final words of this statement..."or prohiubiting the free excercise thereof?" (The same words is used in the First Ammendment).

So, as a Christian, where is my right to to freely excercise my religion? Why can I not say a prayer in school if this is my choice? Under that same First Ammendment right, could I not peacefully assemble a group at school to have a prayer? And lastly, since O'Hair has taken this right away from a majority of American's who are a predominately God-fearing people, why not take a look at the benefits of what she has done for the American people. Skyrocketing crime rates, massive increase in teenage pregnancies, contraceptives are being sold in the school restrooms, immodesty and immorality, general lack of respect for life and a disregard for authority figures like educators and parents. We have to create additional laws to compensate because the students have no morale compass with which to govern themselves!

How has this "law" impacted our students quality of life in the classroom? Why did they not have the number of assessments in the 1960's that public educator's are now required to give? Is it because their is a a lack accountability by individuals that was present in a 1960's child and student that has been evolved out of them? I cannot recall seeing a single picture of a high school from before these "No God in school" rulings that shows a security check and a school security guard. It is my opinion that when we allowed government to take away our freedoms, to freely excercise our relgious rights, that we also gave away our integrity as citizens, our belief in something greater than us that drove us to be the best version of ourselves? Hey, who am I to tread on someone else's rights, just because you treaded on mine? Just the educator that has to tolerate the culmination of half a decade of moral decay. Perhaps this is why teaching has become just as much parenting as it is educating.

Education reform is a big topic these days. The sad part is that "reform" is mostly discussed by those who are not in power to do anything about it. After researching the candidates for our new Sate Superintendent of Public Instruction, I had decided to no longer support the Republican candidate that we currently have in office, but to support a new comer instead. Why? Well, I am anxious to see some reform of my own.
Recently our local high school students were given a test, it was a workforce preparedness test. The report that I received through the grapevine is that most of the students at the high school did not pass this test.
Back in December I was invited to present my workforce development program to school administrators from across the area. At least ten high schools were represented I was told. Most left right after lunch and right before we spoke. I had brought two of my students with me to speak about the impact that the program had upon them and their preparation for their future. My students did not let me down, they were amazing. I was so proud of them. The college that I was working with then said that in about a week they would follow-up with the schools to see who wanted to sign up for the program.
I waited for nearly three months. E-mailing and phoning about every three weeks to see where we were at, and how many schools had signed up. The college never actually contacted the schools, they waited for the schools to contact them! That did not happen. My two biggest clients, the pilot schools, did not even call. It was speculated that because I personally could not teach the courses for them, that they did not feel the course would be nearly as effective (can't be in ten places at once over a hundred miles). So my new dilema...how do you clone me?
It seemed too that if I became more assertive, by requiring a certain number of schools to sign up for certification of instructors, that I was seen as agressive and therefore the college did not want to work with me at all (this tends to happen more often with women than with men). So here were are...a nation in crisis. A workforce in crisis! And no one seems to sense the urgency of it all? I am absolutely beside myself! How come no one is being more assertive about this issue? Those of us who are...are now black balled. How come these schools are not banging down my door begging for the solutions, which they know I have?!
So, I decided to design, develop and publish the curriculum on my own...the curriculum that is proven to work. And I am making every connection possible at the State level to get this program into the schools. Yes, I will be assertive. Yes, I might be aggressive. Now is not the time to sit back and say, "This is the way that we have always done it." If you do things the same way that you have always done them, then don't be surprised when you get the same results that you have always gotten!!
I personally am ready to change our educational system and the first item of business is to quit testing our students to death and start giving the new learning real world application. Teach these students how to fail! Allow them to fall in the safety of the classroom if not within the safety of their own homes (where this type of learning should be taking place!). Then, show them, ask them, teach them how to dust themselves off and GET-BACK-UP! Allow them to figure out how it works, let them make mistakes and give them consequences both good and bad.
This is a part of learning too, not just seeing how you can regurgitate information back to me. As an educator require that the student knows what can be done with the information and then allow the student to brainstorm NEW possibilities! We need another GREAT generation, not a mediocre one. This can only be done through truly great educators. Take the teaching to a new level, raise the bar and do not ever be afraid of where this might take you!

Listen to That Inner Voice

I recently finished a large curriculum project and find myself so excited about the possibilities of it all that I had to blog. As many know, I have been working on getting the curriculum for my Personal Performance Academy from my head down onto paper and into manual form, which has not been an easy task to say the least. As is the case with many of my readers, a true educator, one who is immersed and passionate about knowledge, may often work off of inspiration. For me, this completely dictates how I teach. I do not know how to teach without listening to that inner voice that guides me in ways that are mysterious and wonderful. Some call this God, their higher power, intuition, or that "I just feel it" sensation. Whatever you believe it to be, educator's of the world...LISTEN to it! I truly believe that when an educator is aware of this guiding voice, the results are so much more intense and powerful for the students individually and collectively. It provides those life altering moments that we desperately desire from our teaching. Nine times out of ten we even we astonish ourselves with the outcome.
Every educator wants to feel like they have made a difference, yet so few actually DO something to provide themselves and the student with that experience.
I facilitate learning to provide "Ah-ha" moments for my students. The audience for my program is primarily high school students who usually, well...know everything. So, to provide opportunities for each of them to experience "Ah-ha" moments, let alone creating an entire program and manual filled with these moments has been one of the biggest challenges of my career. Better yet, how do I teach traditionally educated school teachers, who have been trained in traditional teaching methods and reponses, to look for these opportunities in every moment that they have with a student?
As I created the first unit of the PPA I realized that I did not have one single concept, principle, activity, presentation or video clip that did not have a strong purpose. Each and every thing that I did, right down to the wordfind puzzle that I created had a purpose. Then, every "Ah-ha" moment in the units built upon previous ones. It was amazing to see students do homework, not because it was busy work, but because they wondered what I was going to teach them from it, what were we going to do next with it? How exciting it was to watch my students grow and develop in this way! So just like the football player who kneels down in the in-zone after a touchdown (in schools where they are still allowed to do so), I know who I have to give the credit to!
I can do nothing without my higher power when it comes to teaching, and I truly believe that the "great" educators of the world feel the same way. That you feel the same way! Heaven knows that I am not always sure how to help each student, but when I listen to that still, small voice in my heart and my head, I no longer to worry. As long as I am a tool, an instrument in doing "much good unto this people" then I have fulfilled one of my many purposes for becoming an educator.
So, do not be afraid to step outside of that box and be great, it is how you serve your student's! Your playing less does not serve anyone remember...so do great things this week, listen to the voice inside you, and become an inpiration for those you teach. It is the only way I know how to do this! Rebel 1

Half-baked

Imagine this. You are asked to bake a cake. You are given some ingredients and a list of instructions for making the cake. You look down at the list, and then to the countertop. Surveying what is there you notice that the list says things like, "It would be best to use eggs." You look at the countertop and notice that there are no eggs. "So how many should I use, I have made cakes before and have used three eggs, but I am unsure of how fluffy you want your cake?" Then a deep voice, from nowhere imparticular says, "I am sorry, but the actual number of eggs that you need is confidential." You sit and ponder this. "Well, what about the amount of oil? You have oil here. This is good, but I need to know how much your particular cake needs." Again, the deep voice replies, "Yes, that information would be helpful, but our Adminstration does not feel that you need to know this. It is confidential. If we share this information, there are some who would be concerned that you have knowledge about oil measurements." This task begins to look increasingly daunting as you reply, "I have made cakes before, I understand the process, I know how high I can turn up the temperature before the cake burns, but you want a very specific cake, you hired me to make the cake for you, so why would you not want to give me all of the information needed, to ensure you get the best cake possible?" There is no response from the deep voice for a moment, and then without warning you hear "We want you to do the best that you can, with what you have been given. We know you will still be successful. We have faith in you and your ability." You scream out to the voice, "YES! Just not as successful as I could be if you give me all of the information!"
You deliver a half-baked, lop-sided cake, and you cannot help but to feel cheated because you know that you did not deliver your best cake. You think, "What I could have given them if they had just given me all of the information! What I could have done for you, your employees, and the company!"

Facilitators, trainers, educators, are seen as some of the best speakers and motivators in the world. Yet, it is a constant, on-going battle with red tape, which binds us from performing at full capacity! It is like telling a child to run as fast as they can, and then holding onto their jacket hood while they do so, and all while still expecting them to finish the race in first place. What is it with corporate culture? Do you really believe that you are doing a diservice to your employees when you provide vital information regarding performance to someone who can increase their productivity, customer service or time management? Is it so awful that someone who lives and breathes confidentiality (most external trainers and consultants will not publicly discuss fees, client lists, or curriculum content) would have access to private information in order to produce increased results for your company? Now the company is the little boy! They are allowing themselves to be dragged back to the starting line when they repeatedly do not allow the educator to DO THEIR JOB!

This type of mentality will always give you half-baked results. For the sake of your company people, give your educator the tools that they need to do the best that they can for you, your employee and company. Do not be the "drag" in the race, or the reason that they can only deliver a lop-sided cake.

Dumping Out the Drawers: A Learning Styles Wrap-up

Our greatest moments of enlightenment come in unsuspecting ways.

I cannot stand math, especially Algebra; it gives me anxiety attacks and all my life I have avoided it like the plague. Apparently, one has to have some basic understanding of Algebra to be able to receive a degree. Dang it! So, I have been attending tutoring sessions for the past month at a Sylvan Learning Center. Turns out, I never understood math-ever! Now I am working on problems that include “fractions” and something called “absolutes,” and I actually broke down and cried when the tutor explained them to me and asked me to do some problems to show my learning. Then she said something, which to anyone else would not seem profound, but to me it was an epiphany: “You keep trying to file everything into drawers; you want rules (really? me? Rebel1, wanting rules?!), and that is not what you need. You need understanding. Close the drawers and just understand it.” Wow.

I believe my math epiphany has application to what I have been doing to myself over the past fifteen years in training and development. I have soaked up every “technique” and “method;” I have gone to every certification program that I could afford ever on the lookout for the “one big theory” or idea, which would turn me into Ken Blanchard or Stephen R. Covey overnight. If I could just fill those filing cabinet drawers with enough information then somehow I would have the knowledge to come up with a new idea. I have “Six Sigma’ed” myself to death with the hope I might be able to know enough to make a difference. I understand now that no matter how much I put into those drawers no single-solution exists, and nothing fits neatly into a “rule.” For example, my beliefs about the all-important and necessary learning styles, which for me fell neatly into audio, visual, or kinesthetic drawers, have been turned upside down and the content scattered everywhere.

I believed that to some extent I had to teach to each learning style during the course of each class, but so much more needs to be taken into account! Now that I have really studied learning styles, I realize that the tools most facilitators use may be completely different from the ones that work for me. I also realize that the best part about what we do as training and development guru’s is not black and white, but is still up for negotiation. In reality an array of possibilities exist which I can bring into my classroom in order to understand my students more fully, but I do not have to go to my “filing cabinet” each time that I teach to decide what those will be. What I need to do is take all that I have learned by study and experience and develop my own principles and theories, because there are still so many yet to be discovered. Why limit myself to what is in those drawers?

Major Mismatch on the Road Less Travelled

“A major mismatch between instructor styles and learners' style can lead to trouble. For example, suppose that learners prefer independent work and reading, but the instructor prefers group projects. Never rely totally on any one method, but try to vary them. If a student does not seem to be learning, consider whether his/her learning style might be at odds with your teaching style. Remain flexible and be able to change planned learning activities if students are having trouble in a given area.” -Susan A. Santo

Well, do I really believe this? Based upon what I have written already-no, not so much. Everyone has encountered someone with whom they mix like oil and water, and most of us can recall at least one educator who crossed our path that we just could not see eye-to-eye. Sometimes the facilitator gets on our nerves, smiles too much, or recently the comment was made in a training session that the instructors' voices were too "high pitched." It does not take much effort to find differences between the educator and the student. None of these were learning style issues; so I believe that learning style issues are just one small piece of the puzzle, which every educator is required to piece together in order to achieve success.

No, I do not believe that a difference in learning styles and teaching styles can lead to "trouble." My entire thirteen years of public education can attest to the falsity of this statement. I have had plenty of teachers with whom I did not connect, even though they were using my prefered learning style to teach. I also have had teachers with whom I completely connected who used my learning style, yet I still did not learn anything from them. Can we justify this as a learning style issue? Or is it a conflict of personalities, an inability to comprehend the material, or could it simply be a lack of interest all around? Is it the teachers' fault that I simply did not want to do the homework? And why do I feel like we should be speaking in hushed tones regarding such things? Perhaps I am afraid students will get their hands on this insider information and use it as another excuse for not applying themselves. "I got a D in the class because the teacher was not teaching to my learning style mom!" Yeeeaaa, that is just what I need.

Yes, an educator can use varying teaching methods to ensure that all students are included and actively learning, but can we really say that "trouble" lurks around the corners of every educational instituation because teachers are not using these methods? The reality is every educator is likely reaching some of his or her students, because the teacher will most likely be using a teaching style that is a refelection of his or her personal learning style. At least one student has to be on the same page. Then let us consider that millions of students have learned from styles that are not their own, and do you know what they call that? Adaptive learning! The student has adapted to the style the teacher is using. It might not be his own, but he stretches, and he reaches, and he can still acheive success. No, it is not easy, but the road to greatness never is.

Let's quit making excuses about learning and educating, and be cogniscent of individual learners themselves. Should learners be catered to because they have specific learning styles and teachers must bend over backwards to accomodate them, or should learning styles be viewed as another way to Build Relationships of Trust (BRT) and be used as a starting point instead of a defining point? Students will measure up when pushed to do so. I have seen students step outside their comfort zones and experience the growth that comes whenever they choose to change. I have placed students deep within a learning style that does not work for them, and I have seen those students struggle within that style, but most of them try. Each one of them still believes that he or she can achieve success. They were not told achievement would be limited because they were placed in the wrong learning style. So why ruin it for them now? Why coddle them only to discover that down the road they have to face the adverse effects of it any way? Why not encourage them to take the road less travelled? Those of us who have traveled it know that it leads to better places.


Resources:
Santo, Susan A. “Learning Styles and Personality”. The University of South Dakota. Updated: December 2007. May 26, 2009 http://www.usd.edu/~ssanto/styles.html Adapted.

Learning Styles: To Use or Not To Use...Is That Really the Question?

A learning style is the starting point for the learners...it is the baseline, but it is not a security blanket for their educational lives.

Although there are many arguments both for and against teaching according to students' learning styles, my take on this is that a learning style is another tool which gives educators the best chance of making lasting impressions. By teaching to learning styles at the beginning of a course, educators can create relationships of trust and "safe" learning environments. This bond of understanding once present gives students the security they need to succeed or even fail within that classroom.

There are several non-negotiable teaching principles that I learned while serving as a missionary back in 1996. These are principles that still guide every class that I teach today, and have found are vital to the success of any class or workshop. Some of these might sound familiar to you. The first is build relationships of trust or what I commonly refer to as BRT. I discover everything I can about the learners, their interests, what they want to be when they grow up, and yes, even their learning styles. I show empathy, and interest, and find common bonds between us. The more I know about them, the more I can anchor learning to the students' personal experience. I do this by building upon common beliefs. Past learning and behavior is the best indicator of future openness to learning and behavior. If I can get students to discuss past learning experiences whether good or bad, and if I can build upon past learning experiences, then I have my best chance of adding to the learning. I wish someone had done this with me and Algebra.

To use learning styles in curriculum development is not an all or nothing prospect. Understanding students' learning styles is one more implement for the toolbox. This understanding is the crowbar that prys limitations off learning rather than adding limitations as some might have you believe. The only time that learning style assessments are a hinderance is when the teacher gets bogged down with them. Once teachers evaluate and understand the students' "starting point" then they can move forward! Too many educators decipher the learning styles of a class then continue to stand on the starting line. They create a curriculum based on initial learning style assessments instead of taking the information and moving forward with it creating a living, breathing, ever-changing, evolving curriculum.

A curriculum such as this is one that encourages students' growth through activities and opportunities that promote both success and failure. It gives students a chance to stretch beyond their own learning styles, and it allows them to expand into new styles. Further, it allows them to adapt and evolve into well-rounded students and eventually productive citizens and members of the workforce. Show me an employer who asks, "What is your learning style so I might best be able to train you in this job?" I have yet to know of one. It is up to students to change their own learning styles, to adapt to new styles of learning placed before them, and to grow to a point where they eventually do not need any particular style to absorb new learning.

Like humans learning styles are always growing, developing, and ever-changing. Why then would we force ourselves to make a choice? Why would we consider teaching to learning styles an all or nothing prospect? We must have both to ensure that we can connect with our students, build relationships of trust, establish common beliefs, and ultimately create a life-long learner.
Rebel1