Teaching Creativity

I have become a fan of TED Talks.  One of the speakers that I feel should be listened to more is Sir Ken Robinson.  His books are also thought provoking.  The topic.....Finding your Element. 

He talks about teaching creativity in school.  He is not a fan of the present trend of teaching and testing based on a need to create math and science test takers.  I have always believed we should find each child's passion and then encourage that.  If they love reading, teachers should encourage reading and writing.  If it is music, teachers should encourage music and poetry.  Science....encourage exploration and experimentation.

We need our young people to take risks, follow passions and reach beond the known.  Adults need to take a risk on the young and not get hung up on assuming we know eveything.  We need to allow the children to "fail".  I always told my students that getting something wrong is not failure if we learn from it.  It is only hard if we give the children the message that they are not good enough.  We give them that message in two ways.  We get upset when they make mistakes.  That is the classic way.  The more subtle way, but I think more dangerous, we feel we need to step in and blame someone else for their failure.  Some call it helicopter parenting.  I also have heard the term lawnmower parenting.  I cannot think of anything that harms children more than smoothing the way for them.  Life just is not like that.

The truth is, if we listen to children, guide them and be there when they struggle to encourage them to get up and try again, we will develop a strong, well rounded society of people who do not have to spend their young adult lives overcoming their education.  They can follow their true passions.  We will have creative, passionate Auto Mechanics, Plumbers, Scientists, Lawyers, etc  We can get past working at jobs we hate.  We will have new ideas, new products and a new chance to move ahead in our society. 

It has to start with educating the young.  Really educating them.  Not just producing test takers.

Sandy the Franenstorm

Today is the day before Sandy is supposed to hit the east coast.  When I think about it bearing down on the most densely populated part of the east coast, it is a bit scary.  There are some good things about it.  Not every waking minute of TV broadcasting is filled with lies about political candidates.  I think it is God saying,"Excuse me, bigger problems here.  More power here.  You give individuals credit for all that happens in the world and I can squash your thinking with one storm".  Even the timing is perfect.  Just a little over a week away, we will hopefully find out who won and who will be president.  The winner will be able to go home, write memoirs and give soundbite speeches now and then.  The president gets to gather blame for everything that goes wrong in the world.

Truth is, there will be unemployment, there will be war, there will be finger pointing  and that is just in congress.  Life will go on.  People will be used and abused, the evil rich will steal money, the poor will steal money.  Drugs will still be a problem on the streets and in the boardrooms.  Bullying will still be a problem in the schools and in the boardroom.  Conservatives will blame the liberals and liberals will blame the conservatives.  Life will go on, and down.  No single person. including the president, can change that in 4 years or 8 years.  It takes generations.  It takes teaching the youngest ones to expect better.  It takes generations of teaching the youngest ones to do better.

God is speaking to us.  During the coming Hurricane, while you are sitting in your dark quiet house listening to the wind and rain, listen carefully for the still small voice in the midst of it.  "I am.  I am the blessed controller of all things.  Turn your hearts to love.  THAT is where the answer is."  Listen to the still small voice of God.  Then do what he says.  Whoever wins the presidency, pray for that person.  Teach your children to respect the office of president, to love everyone, especially those you don't like.  They need it the most.  Trust God to do the rest.  That wind you are hearing lets us know that He is actually the one in charge!

Education

Boy, did I pick the right time to retire.  Our school district has a new curriculum, a new gradebook online, and a new report card.

Everyone knows people do not like change.  This is change.  It is hard for teachers who have taught their way for several years. It is hard for the parents who still remember what school was like when they were kids.  It isn't really hard for kids because they are constantly facing change.  But then you throw in the little things like how do you assess this new curriculum.  Well, they haven't quite figured that out yet.  But it is coming.

There are some things about the new curriculum that are very exciting and positive.  They are actually asking the children to think, evaluate, cooperate, synthesize and adjust their thinking.  This is very important if we want our young adults to be able to return to the top of the world innovators.  In order to really bring this country back to a competative position in production of goods. 

I have had the opportunity to go into some schools and participate in this new curriculum as a substitute teacher and what I see is exciting.  Children really do love to think.  They love to take risks if they know it is expected.  They love to discuss different ways of doing things and then presenting their findings to their classmates.

The problem with this situation is in the preparation time for the teachers and bringing parents onboard.  There are no longer report cards with A, B, C.  No more honor roll.  How can they brag about their kids at the swimming pool.  The school system says it gives a more comprehensive picture of what the children know and what they need to work on.  It does.  But in education people are used to breaking things down to individual objectives.  Parents want to look at a short paper that says my child got an A in reading and a C in math.

Then there is the planning.  Everything needs to be recorded.  There needs to be team planning where each person makes plans for how to integrate math, science, social studies, reading, writing, art, music, physical education and thinking skills.  This needs to be done on a weekly basis, monthly basis and quartly basis.  There is not enough time in the school day to do this.  Teachers are staying after school for meetings just to get the minimum done.  They are getting frustrated, tired, and very concerned.  You know this transfers to the students in their classes.  Schools are not businesses, they should not be run like businesses.  Think about your best teachers.  What made them the best.  I am willing to bet it has something to do with the way they connected with the students.  The creativity they brought to their teaching, the way they made you feel.  A lot of these great teachers are leaving the profession in frustration.  New teachers coming in have enthusiasm and inspiration but they do not yet have that ability to connect with the students on a personal level.

When asked what I did in the classroom that was successful, people have said, "she connects with the kids.  She really knows the kids.  She creates a safe environment for the kids to be themselves."  These things do not come from sitting in planning meetings, new curriculum and new report cards.

Civility and Citizenship

On November 6, 2012 the American people will once again decide who will be the face of this great country.  Once that decision is made half of the citizens will be relieved and half will be unhappy.  But it has happened every four years since the early 1800's.  Well over 200 years we have argued, worried, prayed, and voted.  That doesn't change.

Civility says we move on and support our government and the decision of the people.  Citizenship says we work to uphold those things we believe are in the best interest of the people and we work to change those things we believe are not in the best interest of the people.  We have the right and responsibility in this country to do both of these things.  We have the responsibility to teach our children to do the same.

The Bible says in the old testament, "If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves, seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, and pray, then will I hear from heaven and restore their land."

 I know what this verse means to me.  It means I need to remember whose I am.  I need to realize that I am not supposed to "get" from my government what I want, I am supposed to give to my country what we needs.  It means that no matter who is the face of the country, someone greater is in charge.  It means I need to pray for the leaders of the country whether I voted for them or not.  It means I need to practice love and caring, not hate and fear.

I need to shine a light on those who are doing good for others, not those with whom I disagree on issues.  I need to be what I say people should be.  I need to let my actions speak for me.

The people we are voting for in November are just that, PEOPLE.  They do care, they do make mistakes.  They don't have all the answers.  They don't even know all the questions.  They will make more mistakes.  And, in four years we will do it all over again.  But, as for me, I am going to humble myself and pray.  I am going to seek the face of God in the wonderful caring people in the world, in the beauty of our natural world, in the shining eyes of innocent children, in the majestic beauty of the wild life and in the security of knowing that God is in charge. And I believe that He will hear my prayers and heal this land.  It may take many years but; "seeing is not believing, believing is seeing".(The Santa Clause II)

Bullying

There has been lots of conversation on the talk shows about the local anchor woman who confronted a man who sent her an email about her weight and called her a bad roll model for kids.

She used the show to respond to him and called him a bully.  I know that bullies have been around for many years and it has been a problem for kids, parents and teachers.

Many things have been tried to teach children how to respond to bullies.  Ignore, confront, physical response etc.  What I see today is a new venue for those bullies who want to remain anonymous.  Cyber bullying.  Facebook, you tube, email, tweets and texting.  It is still a huge problem.  One thing I see is that kids don't want their parents involved.  They try to keep things to themselves yet cannot handle the cruelty that they face.

My daughter was bullied in elementary school.  I felt so helpless because I worked at the school and I knew that if I did anything, the bully would take it out on her.  We finally decided the only thing we could do is send her to a different school.  That took her out of the situation but the scars were there.  She still remembers the feelings.

As a teacher, I tried very hard to teach my students that I was available to them and WOULD respond.  I taught my students that we were a "family" and it was important to take care of each other.  If there were social problems, we dealt with them right away.  I put the light on the bully without calling them bullies.  The fact is, they were also part of the family and they needed to be redirected and taught rather than accused and condemned. 

Did that totally stop the bullying?  No.  I only had one year with these children.  Some came back to me the next year with stories of bullying.  Some parents came to me with stories of bullying.  I tried to help them through this but it is harder when you are not the primary adult in their school life.

Back in the middle of the last century there was a wonderful movie, "South Pacific".  There was a song in this movie with the line, "You have to be carefully taught to hate."

Children are not born bullies.  They are taught through careless statements by parents, siblings, TV, movies, and other adults.  When they act out they are not redirected.  Sometimes they are encouraged or worse yet, excused.  Children have to be carefully taught to respect.  Remember, we teach by example first.  Our words will land on deaf ears if our actions do not support our words.

For those of you who are bullied or your children are bullied, Act in whatever way you can that teaches you or your child that you do not need to be held hostage by bullies, and teaches the bully that you will not be held hostage.

Bullies, unfortunately, are a fact of life.  The more we talk openly about it and expose the bullying, the less harm it can do.

Should Congress be fined for inactivity?

Given that the House of Representatives is the governing body that "creates" laws, a fine does not seem to be in the cards.  Since the Senate is the voting body, if it was proposed it would not be passed.

The present Congress was the least productive in the history of this country.  They became the congress of NO.  No compromise, no proposals, no laws passed, no nothing.  They became a laughing stock in the country and more importantly, the world.  The republicans refused to consider anything that was proposed by the President, the Democrats refused to consider anything that was proposed by the Republicans, the Tea Party refused to consider anything from anyone at any time for any reason.  If that is an indication of what we can expect from the Tea Party, please let the party be over.  The only thing they seemed to bring to the table was arrogance.

I would love to see voters actually look at the congress voting record and vote for those who actually did something constructive. 

I actually believe there are some members of congress who want to do their jobs and work for their constituents.  They should stay.  The rest should go.

This is supposed to be a government of the people by the people and for the people.  Someone PLEASE remember that.

Change Part 1 Seasonal

As the seasons begin to change I think about the effect of change on mood, energy and creativity.  We are moving from the sunny, warm summer to a crisper, more variable autumn.  Is there a reason we become more reluctant to go out for walks, choose creative activities or start new projects as it gets colder.

Well, according to a research study in the Journal of General Psychiatry, there is a reason.  It seems that "the serotonin transporter protein, a brain chemical that reducds levels of the mood-regulating hormone serotonin aroud brain cells, is more active during the darker months of the year, and suggested this could be the mechanism that explains why some people feel less happy and lower in energy during the winter months."

That makes sense to me.  There are things you can do.  You can take serotonin supplements.  You can spend extra time outside on sunny days even those those days are shorter.  You can get natural lighting for your home.  You can also do what a lot of northern retired people do and travel to Florida or Arizona during the winter months.

But what about little children.  Is there something we can do for them so they do not have to suffer this feeling of sadness, listlessness, depression or just lack of energy.  Is there something you can do at home?  Is there something you can do at school?  Considering the fact that much of school time is during these "darker" months, it seems it would help with the education process if the emotional and energy level in the children should be addressed.  Learning does not only come from "gaining information", it also involves the ability to receive and use this information.  If I see a child laying on the desk and reluctant to participate or get excited about an activity, I need to address the emotional or energy level of this child before I try to "pour in information".

Another idea is how much exercise do the children get during these colder, darker months.  When children spend all their time sitting inside, there is no exercise to stimulate positive energy.  During those times, it is important to make sure they do more movement inside.  When I was teaching, I would make sure the children got up to move every half hour.  We stretched, we walked, we moved around.  I found that after I started doing that, I didn't have as many children who became unavailable for learning.

So when the weather changes outside, it is important to change the activity inside.  Not just at school, but also at home.  Not just children, but also adults.