Comments on: Every day is leadership day http://blog.genyes.org/index.php/2009/07/12/every-day-is-leadership-day/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=every-day-is-leadership-day Thoughts About Empowering Students with Technology Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:39:28 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Joselyn Todd http://blog.genyes.org/index.php/2009/07/12/every-day-is-leadership-day/comment-page-1/#comment-130043 Joselyn Todd Thu, 16 Jul 2009 07:55:46 +0000 http://blog.genyes.com/?p=1383#comment-130043 Love this post, Sylvia, as well as the bit of debate that follows. Having just completed the Leading Innovation Conference at the Friday Institute, like you, I am absolutely convinced that everyone in a school entity must be agents of change in education (leaders)- everyone from the superintendent to the teacher. I do believe the teacher plays a special role as studies have shown that the single most important variable in student success is a great teacher. Because teachers must model the best of what learning is, I've come to believe that the litmus test for students entering any undergraduate education program might be a single question, "Are you first and primarily a learner who is constantly seeking better ways to learn? Explain and Demonstrate" A commonality I have found among teachers is that they feel quite powerless. In fact, I have often reflected that there are so many gifted teachers- often female teachers- who have such low self esteem due to the lack of nourishment and leadership they need. In spite of this, these gifted teachers are the names that come up over and over again as students reflect back on who made the "big" difference in their experience of education. Again, effective leadership must be at every level and focused on helping teachers do what they do best - bringing out the best in a child's intellect and nurturing the passion of learning. I close with one of my favorite quotes- "Do not confine your children to your own learning, for they were born in another time."- a Hebrew Proverb that rings all so true. It's not about the teaching- it's about leadership in learning. Love this post, Sylvia, as well as the bit of debate that follows. Having just completed the Leading Innovation Conference at the Friday Institute, like you, I am absolutely convinced that everyone in a school entity must be agents of change in education (leaders)- everyone from the superintendent to the teacher. I do believe the teacher plays a special role as studies have shown that the single most important variable in student success is a great teacher. Because teachers must model the best of what learning is, I’ve come to believe that the litmus test for students entering any undergraduate education program might be a single question, “Are you first and primarily a learner who is constantly seeking better ways to learn? Explain and Demonstrate”
A commonality I have found among teachers is that they feel quite powerless. In fact, I have often reflected that there are so many gifted teachers- often female teachers- who have such low self esteem due to the lack of nourishment and leadership they need. In spite of this, these gifted teachers are the names that come up over and over again as students reflect back on who made the “big” difference in their experience of education. Again, effective leadership must be at every level and focused on helping teachers do what they do best – bringing out the best in a child’s intellect and nurturing the passion of learning.
I close with one of my favorite quotes- “Do not confine your children to your own learning, for they were born in another time.”- a Hebrew Proverb that rings all so true.
It’s not about the teaching- it’s about leadership in learning.

]]> By: Josh http://blog.genyes.org/index.php/2009/07/12/every-day-is-leadership-day/comment-page-1/#comment-130011 Josh Thu, 16 Jul 2009 03:47:00 +0000 http://blog.genyes.com/?p=1383#comment-130011 @concretekax Buildings don't need to be clones of each other. As I said, structured choices. You can't have 14 different philosophies in a single school district and expect it to be successful. I do agree that each child/classroom is different, so you can't give one script to multiple buildings. Districts do need to be open to new ideas and not mire yourself down in how it's always been done. But you can't jump on the "next big thing" without some background research. Modeling failure isn't necessarily fine when you are paying for failures with taxpayer money. That failure needs to be experienced after some sound thinking. I think you need to take advantage of failures and use them as learning experiences. Teachers should have the freedom to teach HOW they want, but not necessarily WHAT they want. Before you jump on me, the "what" is very broad and varies from district to district. For example, my opinion is each child should know how to add, subtract, multiple and divide (agreed?). However, I don't think I should script out each lesson for our teachers. I should give them best practices, and should offer them some more guided suggestions if their kids aren't "getting it." @concretekax
Buildings don’t need to be clones of each other. As I said, structured choices. You can’t have 14 different philosophies in a single school district and expect it to be successful. I do agree that each child/classroom is different, so you can’t give one script to multiple buildings. Districts do need to be open to new ideas and not mire yourself down in how it’s always been done. But you can’t jump on the “next big thing” without some background research.
Modeling failure isn’t necessarily fine when you are paying for failures with taxpayer money. That failure needs to be experienced after some sound thinking. I think you need to take advantage of failures and use them as learning experiences.
Teachers should have the freedom to teach HOW they want, but not necessarily WHAT they want. Before you jump on me, the “what” is very broad and varies from district to district. For example, my opinion is each child should know how to add, subtract, multiple and divide (agreed?). However, I don’t think I should script out each lesson for our teachers. I should give them best practices, and should offer them some more guided suggestions if their kids aren’t “getting it.”

]]> By: Concretekax http://blog.genyes.org/index.php/2009/07/12/every-day-is-leadership-day/comment-page-1/#comment-128493 Concretekax Sun, 12 Jul 2009 18:45:33 +0000 http://blog.genyes.com/?p=1383#comment-128493 I agree that teachers need more freedom to experiment in the classroom. We have too much structure. Students need more individualized instruction and that is often in opposition of structure. I think we need to get past the idea that every student should have an identical education. Every student should learn certain core things, but this list should be the broad with the specifics and methods left up to the teacher. We are professionals, let us do our job. Don't shackle us down because you do not trust us. @Josh What is the danger in buildings branching off in a variety of directions? Again uniformity is a myth. I quote @irasocol "If you don't model failure you don't model learning." Teachers should be given the opportunity to experiment and fail. It is ok and students will learn more from that than boringly following a structured textbook. I agree that teachers need more freedom to experiment in the classroom. We have too much structure. Students need more individualized instruction and that is often in opposition of structure. I think we need to get past the idea that every student should have an identical education.

Every student should learn certain core things, but this list should be the broad with the specifics and methods left up to the teacher. We are professionals, let us do our job. Don’t shackle us down because you do not trust us.

@Josh What is the danger in buildings branching off in a variety of directions? Again uniformity is a myth. I quote @irasocol
“If you don’t model failure you don’t model learning.”

Teachers should be given the opportunity to experiment and fail. It is ok and students will learn more from that than boringly following a structured textbook.

]]> By: Joel Zehring http://blog.genyes.org/index.php/2009/07/12/every-day-is-leadership-day/comment-page-1/#comment-128480 Joel Zehring Sun, 12 Jul 2009 17:36:18 +0000 http://blog.genyes.com/?p=1383#comment-128480 Great Deborah Meier quote. Bridging differences is one of my favorite blogs. It sounds like your equation for a good leader is influence+engagement. I agree that top-down decision-making probably won't lead to change that lasts. Great Deborah Meier quote. Bridging differences is one of my favorite blogs. It sounds like your equation for a good leader is influence+engagement. I agree that top-down decision-making probably won’t lead to change that lasts.

]]> By: Josh http://blog.genyes.org/index.php/2009/07/12/every-day-is-leadership-day/comment-page-1/#comment-128470 Josh Sun, 12 Jul 2009 16:33:29 +0000 http://blog.genyes.com/?p=1383#comment-128470 I do think that structured choices need to be provided. I think too often teachers (and administrators) see something at a conference or workshop, drink the Kool-Aid and see it as the next great thing, when it really doesn't fit into a district philosophy. There has to be some sort of shared vision so that district buildings don't all branch off in a variety of directions. Great post! I do think that structured choices need to be provided. I think too often teachers (and administrators) see something at a conference or workshop, drink the Kool-Aid and see it as the next great thing, when it really doesn’t fit into a district philosophy. There has to be some sort of shared vision so that district buildings don’t all branch off in a variety of directions.
Great post!

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