A Pessimist Thinks Optimistically About His Upcoming Birthday

https://www.flickr.com/photos/insidethemagic/

If you don't have to live with me you may not realize how much of a pessimist I am. Yes, in fact, the sky IS falling.

As a good Fancher I put on a very strong "brave face" and laugh off those bad things that happen to me or to my family and friends. But, inside, my inner Eeyore comes out to tell me how he knew this might happen - if only I had listened!

Well, I've been thinking during these last few weeks or so. And, you know what? Life is pretty darn good and I should start being happier about it.

So, I've decided to start my 2016 New Year's resolution a bit early. As of today I will, um....I WILL (that's more like it)...resolve to try (Do or do not. There is no try. - pulling Yoda from deep within me.)....I WILL RESOLVE to be happier about my life and the direction it is heading.  There, I said it. And I said it in public.

I've already had positive results. Just yesterday I heard of a potential opportunity to travel and train teachers and I replied that I would love to do this. The fact that my passport has expired and that it interferes with school only crept into my mind for a brief stay before I decided to believe that it will work out and this is a right set of circumstances for me to engage in.

2016 will be a great year. All of the [insert list of problems such as weight, debt, age, etc] will take care of themselves if I take care of my mental well being.  So, as I turn 58 on January 2, (born in 58 means there's some sort of karma thing going on this year - so I have that going for me), I want to really enjoy my last 2 years of the 50's.

I need to travel more and I need to do things I've always wanted to do - like fly fishing. Really. I want to go to some distant stream in the middle of nowhere for a couple of weeks and learn to fly fish. While I'm there I want to finish this darn book I started two years ago. And then I .....


Channeling Eeyore once again - "One can't complain. I have friends. Someone spoke to me only yesterday."

I do have friends. More than 2 or 3.  Happy Birthday to me - and many more....

https://www.pinterest.com/icheney/eeyore/

Saying Goodbye to a Good Pet

[UPDATED   This post was originally written on December 7th. We weren't ready to have this news out of Facebook so quickly so I waited to actually publish it. ]

If you've had a pet you know where this is heading...

[You can stop now I won't be offended. If you continue, you may want to grab some kleenex]

There comes a time in every pet owner's lifetime when there is a decision about continuing the pet's life.

They might have been more naughty than nice. They may have shed a bit more hair than you liked. They may have even taken away part of your favorite sofa or bed. But you still know that you will miss them.

We really had a Black Friday with the realization that our cat, Jacob, would probably not make it to the end of the year. Initially we were hoping to make it through that weekend. Since then it has become a day to day ritual - walk down stairs in the morning and look to see the status. I almost feel like a Roman emperor - thumbs up or thumbs down (life or death).

12 years ago, almost to the day, we brought home 3 kittens that we named Joey, Jacob, and Link. We also brought home an older female named Mia. Mia would rule the roost for about 10 years before she lost her battle with health issues.

Unfortunately, Joey was the first to go. He had cancer and just, suddenly, wasn't well. He went quickly and even though it has been 3 years, he is still missed.

Now it is Jacob's turn. He has liver cancer which will not end well. The picture at the top is from Saturday night as I said goodnight to him. He had gotten to the point where he just wanted to lay in our front window. He was let out a few times to explore the vastness of the front yard, as a young cat, and has always wondered about that place on the other side of the glass.

It's time for Jacob to join Joey. I can never remember which was the fluffiest and which was the fuzziest. That was determined by Sheila and Nancy many years ago. But I know that things will be pretty darn fluffy and fuzzy now in that kitty front yard where there is no glass to keep kitties out.

Building Empathy Through Interviews

www.floridamemory.com/items/show/32039

7th graders are all over the map when it comes to emotions. So, on one level, you might think that it isn't hard to get them to develop empathy. But how many of your students, at any grade level, have conducted interviews to gain knowledge of their interviewee?

My first semester at Meridian school is winding up and I am still getting used to the timing of projects. That led to a two week period between the Thanksgiving break and final exams.

I knew that I wanted to introduce an interview process soon. I also wanted to include either the 7th grade ELA teacher or the PE Coach with a project early in the next semester. And then it hit me - 6 Word Memoirs.

As the name implies, students write about themselves by using only 6 words. After checking with the ELA teacher I found that she had just completed a unit on memoirs. And, after talking with a few students only a handful had done a 6 Word Memoir (6WM) in the past. And so it began...

On the first day I gave the students a post on interviewing like a pro. It doesn't exactly apply but I wanted them to think about what the pros think about before, during, and after an interview. To minimize time on the article I had them do a jigsaw and we discussed things they learned about what to do before you go to an interview; what you do during an interview; and what things to think about after the interview.

Then I paired them up (key word there, "I" paired them up).  Many were with people they don't normal hang out with so getting to know them became a harder task. I gave them 10 minutes to come up with a set of questions to use as openers. And, I instructed them to go down any path that became an obvious interesting topic that might be used to write a 6WM.

To help them think, I gave them a list of topics that might be good places to draw from for questions.
The trouble is I forgot about how the 7th grade brain works. Because I put a list in front of them, they couldn't come up with imaginative questions or question sequences to go deeper on any other topics than the ones I presented to them. I actually heard one boy ask another "Have you ever been married?" When I heard that question I asked why he had asked it. He said "because I had included "marriage" on my list of possible topics." Silly me; I was thinking that maybe there might have been an interesting wedding that they might have attended.

By the end of class I actually was pleased with the results from most of my students. They had asked good questions and had made good recommendations to their interviewees on what they should write their 6WM about.  Very few ended up needing help in understanding the process and how to make a relevant recommendation.

Before the next project starts I will be able to draw from this experience as we discuss interviewing to gain empathy. Because when the next semester starts (after our holiday break) I will be having my students interview clients or other pertinent people before they start brainstorming ideas. I feel better about their interviewing skills and I believe they will be better at identifying the needs and desires from those that they interview.

To finish the 6WM, I am having them go through a critique rotation today. They are writing their 1st draft and are presenting it to their small group. The small group is tasked with recommending at least one word to be changed to make the 6WM stronger. Then the students rotate to different groups and go through the process a second time.

They will be turning in an 8.5 in. by 11 in. paper with their 6WM on it, that has been decorated to help tell the story. These will be placed on our classroom wall so all of my classes can see what the others have written.

Sometimes a quick 2 week assignment can bring out a lot of learning. In this case my students have learned about how to be a good interviewer. My students have also learned more about their classmates. And, I have learned more about all of my students. Sounds like success.

Smart Kids Need Competition Too

http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/maplib/flag.htm

Not a very smart title to this post because many of you will have seen competitions such as Speech and Debate , or  Robotics Competitions, National Academic Quiz Tournaments, or even Model UN.  But there are others who may not realize what these competitions are all about.

If you are in that camp then I would like to suggest that you find where your school's academic teams are competing and go and support them.

This weekend I am attending my first Model UN. It is the Central Texas Model UN (CTMUN) and is hosted by the University of Texas. I have brought 21 students who are mostly 10th graders.  For several students this is their 4th or 5th MUN and for others this is their first. After an opening ceremony last night there was a first session that lasted until 10. These students were in classes all day, withstood a nearly 1 hour drive in crowded vans, and then participated in their first sessions.

As we walked to the vans, at the end of the night, the energy was palpable. There was laughter and discussions about students who they had encountered at other MUN's (both good and bad comments were bantered about). I talked with the students about the Saturday sessions and the end of the day "Social." I almost fell to the floor with laughter on hearing the description of what the MUN Social is like: "It's just a dance with some food. But it's fun to watch nerds, who have had no contact with the outside world, getting sweaty and grinding on the dance floor."

MUN is a perfect specimen of 21st Century Skills on display. Students have to think critically, communicate ideas, cooperate and collaborate, and many will show their creativity by using accents based upon their country or even dressing in character.

And they do so for HOURS.  Today I spent much of the day in the session where students were representing Japanese leaders in the 1850's. They started discussions based around the last decade of the Shogunate starting right after Commodore Perry's arrival. Whether to include the US in a trade agreement was considered.

As I came in and out the years progressed and as I am sitting here right now they are discussing whether to assist the United States (Union Troops) or Confederate States (Confederate Troops) or whether to stay neutral. We have obviously moved into the 1860's but the discussions are still as emotional and the delegates appear to have just as much energy as they did when I first came into the room 8 hours ago.

And how many spectators do we have for this incredibly exciting and entertaining competition? Right now I AM the spectator in this room. In no room have I seen more than 3 spectators (including myself) all day. And all of the spectators I have seen are wearing badges, like myself, that indicate that I am a school sponsor.

I interrupt this writing to say that we just lost a delegate who disgraced his people for working with the Chinese. There was a trial with 2 Pro and 2 Con speakers. The delegate on trial was found guilty and was sentenced to death. A MUN moderator appeared, asked the delegate to rise and plea for his life. While mid plea he was viciously stabbed by the MUN moderator and he died on the session floor.

From this point forward he will be a Spirit, although there was some discussion of calling him Zombie for the rest of this session. [No students were actually hurt during this session!]

So far this weekend I have rubbed shoulders with Vladimir Lenin, who has been in and out of the Russian Revolution sessions, and various public figures who arrive periodically to add flavor to the discussions.

As I come to a close they are debating whether to take control of Hawaii; to side with the Union by sending troops into California; or to invade China or the Philippines.

This writer rises in defense of academic competition and asks that we have a vote on making these spectator sports. This delegate recognizes that, in the past, we have not had large groups of supporters for these events and it is time that we show that our academically talented students need our love. This delegate yields the rest of his time and takes his seat.

Still Ripping Educators Off

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/171347960792965587/

I started (this current round of...) getting upset about this (continuing) problem of educators being ripped off for supplies, a couple of weeks ago. I was talking about it with a fellow educator and he reminded me of a time when a teacher went to the vendor floor at a conference. She commented on how expensive this one item was and the vendor said, "Why are you upset? The school district pays for it anyways."

Those outside of the teaching profession assume that we get such a great deal and "the district just pays for things." Even if that WAS true, and it's not, I'm a tax payer in a school district and therefore I help put together the funds that are to be spent. I don't need my school district being ripped off when they are using my money!

So then, today, I wanted to price 4 inch to 6 inch balls that I want to use in a project down the road. I figured I'd start by looking at foam balls and that they would be the cheapest. Within minutes I had been to several sights, including Oriental Trading Co (a teacher go-to site) and Amazon.com.  I found what I was looking for in the 50 to 75 cents a ball range and was doing some mental calculations that I would need 50 to 75 dollars to get the 100 balls that I wanted.

Then I went to Discount School Supply. Doesn't that sound like some company trying to help us teachers out? Well, not so fast. These guys wanted $2 a piece for the balls. That is more than double the price - for foam-stinkin-balls! I would be more upset but I have seen this since my days in the military. "Oh, is that being purchased for a government entity? We'll mark it up 100%"

When you see the statistics about the amount of money a teacher spends out of their own pocket on school supplies each year (probably averaging in the $500 to $1000 a year for me) it really galls me that these places would charge double (and often 3 or 4 times) for something that could be purchased somewhere else. No wonder crowd funding sites are so popular with teachers (such as Donor's Choose).

I'm going to get balls for my project. I'll spend 50 to 100 dollars from the look of it. But I won't be spending any money at any of the "discount educator" sites. They can wait for the purchase order that I'm not filling out because I'm using my own money and NOT my school's money.  Grrrr...

You may return to your regularly scheduled lives.....(and I'm pretty happy that I kept my maturity with this post and didn't say anything like, "I got my balls in an uproar!" - That would have been wrong.)

Don't Make Me Call

https://www.flickr.com/photos/salihan/

I hate phones. There. I've said it. I'm not sure when it started. But probably when I was very young.

You see, in our family, everyone had to be part of a phone conversation. I think it came from my father's generation when it was unique to get a call from someone and therefore everyone spoke to whomever was on the other line.

"Hey, it's Aunt Pauline, come here and talk to your Aunt Pauline!" Or, even worse, "...Oh, Chris is here. (then to me...) This is your Uncle Bob. Talk with him (as the phone was handed to me.)"

It didn't matter if I was in the middle of something. It didn't matter if I needed to run to the bathroom. It just didn't matter. You dropped everything and you picked up the phone, turned on your most pleasant and polite voice, and started talking.

Once I was on my own, in college, I didn't talk on the phone much. I would make my obligatory Sunday call to my parents. And, occasionally, I would call one of my high school buddies. But I was a 16 hour drive away from my home and I would, periodically, get a bit homesick and I would want to hear a friendly voice.

When I was in the Navy I really had no reason to call anyone except my parents (which fell below the weekly level by then). And so I just didn't talk much on the phone. And by the time I was dating my (now) wife, I was either in the same town or we were out to sea. We couldn't talk when we were at sea (unlike these days with cellular coverage).

As a teacher I always failed at calling students. I would procrastinate until it was a moot point or we had a face to face conference. The best thing about leaving the classroom to become an instructional coach - no more expected parent phone calls.

I also had the advantage of living in Japan and the Netherlands for a few years each. I could use the excuse that there wasn't a convenient time because of the difference in time zones. I rarely had to call anyone. It was nice.

Inconvenience became my go to excuse. "Oh, I can't call now it's dinner time there." "I'd call now but they are probably getting ready for bed." "I can't call this early they're probably getting ready to head out and they don't need to be interrupted by a phone call." So, I didn't call - for months.

18 months ago I lost my brother to cancer. I vowed to call my sister-in-law on a regular basis. When I called her I told her I'd call her more regularly. I vowed I'd call my two sister's more. When I did call them I told them I'd call them more regularly. But I haven't changed my ways.

I wake up and say, "I should call _____________(fill in the blank with any of a dozen relatives). I'll make sure I give them a call today." After breakfast I say, "They're probably out doing something or they are in the middle of something I don't want to interrupt what they are doing." By early evening I've conveniently forgotten that I wanted to call and I say, "I can't call now it's too late (on the East Coast)" -or- "They're getting ready to eat (on the West Coast)."

And now it's at the embarrassing stage. I haven't called for months. The thought of interrupting the person at the other end just stops me in my tracks. I look at the phone. I might even pick it up but I'll come up with an excuse not to call "this time. I'll call later"

So, to all of my friends and relatives who haven't heard from me in a while. I'm alive. I think about you (really! I do!) regularly. I've tried sending emails instead but that hasn't resulted in much two way communication with anyone. No one uses email any more. But, in my mind, the beauty of email is that it can be opened at a convenient time. I do not want anyone picking up the phone feeling obligated to talk to me. I want to be talk to people when the time is perfect. And that never seems to happen.

I need to call. I should call. I really ought to call. But I probably won't call - today. But maybe tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll find the perfect time to call. Yeah, I'll call then.

You See, It Takes Time

https://www.flickr.com/photos/badboy69/

We are seeing a real dichotomy in education these days. Thanks to social media we are exposed to teachers, at all levels, doing wonderful things with their students. We're seeing students doing incredible things that they have chosen to do - not because they are completing an assignment that they have to do.  

We are seeing images of happy and excited people from gatherings of educators at edcamps, conferences, and webinars. And we're also seeing students in these images. Students - outside of the normal school day!

Then there is the reality of schools being labeled as "low performing." And students dropping out of school because they perceive life will be better with their gang family or, sadly, because they need to provide for their family. The images we see are of unhappy and, often, angry students. 

Between the two extremes lies the average school in the average district. And, at the average school, teachers are pressured to meet certain test requirements. To meet these requirements they must follow a strict curriculum with every day mapped out for them. They don't dare deviate from the course. The strict curriculum is designed by "experts" who know that teaching a certain topic in a certain way will guarantee the average student will succeed. And by succeed they mean pass the state test. 

But there are INCREDIBLE things going on all over the world. Students are going deeper in their learning. Student attendance rates are improving. Students are, (gasp), having fun and are enjoying learning. If students are attending classes and having fun in school then maybe, perhaps, their scores on state tests might just be improving! What a crazy concept!

Schools are having success. But there is this little statement that stakeholders in schools hate to hear - it takes time.  We saw it at Manor New Technology HS. My first year our scores in math were not good. There was hope that I, the "Old Math Teacher," could suddenly make things better. But what was lost on all of us was the fact that we were doing things differently. Our students had to learn how to learn and our teachers had to learn how to help students learn in this world of project based learning (PBL).  The superintendent and principal bought into the idea of "Trust the Process" and the teachers had incredible support and autonomy. We could try new things, and fail, without a huge to do about it.  And the school's scores started improving. 

All it took was time and the willingness of stakeholders to allow things to not go well so that we could figure out how to do it right. States and school districts have got to be willing to take risks and try new things with their students. Even though things might not immediately improve.  Are you willing to try something that excites students? Are you willing to try something that increases attendance rates? Are you willing to try something that keeps students from choosing life without school? Are you willing to give it 3 to 5 years? Are you willing to see test scores, possibly, stagnate or even go down? All we ask is for you to Trust the Process. Because, you see, it takes time. 

Early Forays Into Empathy (7th Grade)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/apelad/

Today my 7th graders created questions about "Empathy." This was their first week of school and today was the second day of class for them (they are on an A/B Block schedule). As a Design class I want them understanding the idea of Empathy. As an International Baccalaureate (IB) school the students are expected to understand empathy as well. So here's what I did and the results of their work:

Step One - I gave them a quote about empathy from Seth Godin - -->

Empathy doesn't involve feeling sorry for someone. It is our honest answer to the question, "why did they do what they did?"

The useful answer is rarely, "because they're stupid." Or even, "because they're evil." In fact, most of the time, people with similar information, similar beliefs and similar apparent choices will choose similar actions. So if you want to know why someone does what they do, start with what they know, what they believe and where they came from.

Dismissing actions we don't admire merely because we don't care enough to have empathy is rarely going to help us make the change we seek. It doesn't help us understand, and it creates a gulf that drives us apart.  

Step Two - I asked them to experience the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) to create questions about the quote that we will explore in the future. The one problem? They had never experienced the QFT either. So we walked through the process - slowly. 

The result (from two of my classes) follows. Considering they are 7th graders and it is early in the year, I'm pretty happy with their questions. See for yourself (the categories are mine and were done after I collected them):

  DEFINING EMPATHY:

1. What is empathy?

2.How was the term “empathy” created?

3.Where did empathy originate?

4.Why do humans feel empathy?

5.Why is empathy so important?

6.Do a LOT of people show empathy?

7.Does this mean that empathy makes you a better person, or not?

8.Is it easy to express empathy?

9.Why is empathy often described as “feeling sorry?”

10.How do we know if someone is expressing empathy?

11. What are the reasons we show empathy?

12.Do animals show empathy?

13.Why do we as human species feel empathy at all?

14.What is the difference between empathy and reason?

15.What is the difference between empathy and pity?

16.Why is empathy so complicated?

17.Why does empathy make a big difference in who we are?

18.Why is it important for people to have empathy?

19.How is empathy different from person to person?

20When does empathy between two people fracture?

21.When does empathy hinder someone?

22.Why is empathy an IB Learner Profile Trait?

B. DIRECTLY TOWARDS THE QUOTE:

1. Who is Seth Godin?

2. What caused Seth Godin to write this?

3. What did Seth Godin want us to learn from this?

4. Why should we be empathetic towards people who are “stupid” or “evil.”

5. Is violence ever the answer?

6. What should the “useful answer” be?

7. Why do people hate people?

8. Why is accusing someone rarely the answer?

9. Why can’t everyone be honest?

C. SYMPATHY VS. EMPATHY:

1. Why is sympathy easier to show than empathy?

2. Is empathy worse or better than sympathy?

3. How many people don’t know the difference between empathy and sympathy?

4. What happens when you combine empathy and sympathy?

 
Many of these questions are closed and can be answered quickly with a little help from Google. But there are some very open questions as well. I like several of them.  For example, the one about whether empathy makes you a better person.

We will be exploring these questions over the next few weeks. Some of the questions may never get totally answered. But I have a feeling these students are on the path to becoming great design thinkers. And that gives them a swinging chance at being a great person. That's my personal goal in every class I teach -> Have I helped my students become better citizens of the world? I'll keep you posted. 

Putting Together a Design Class in a IB World School (Part 2)

Screen Capture from - https://goo.gl/VoUfRT

[NOTE: Originally written a week ago]
"So much time and so little to do. Wait a minute. Strike that. Reverse it. Thank you." Willy Wonka.

 Right now I'm feeling like a cross between the Scarecrow ( giving directions in OZ) and Willy Wonka these days. One minute I'm heading one direction and the next I'm heading in a completely opposite direction. But, the bottom line is that, wherever I end up heading needs to be a direction that helps our students and our school. I can live with that.

A long time ago (yesterday) I wrote the first part of this group of posts. At that time (yesterday) I felt like I was starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel - the tunnel of planning what my class would look like this year. Evidently the light I was seeing was a warning sign that said "Detour Ahead."

https://www.flickr.com/photos/shannonmary/

It now looks like my focus needs to be around the word Community. What does it mean to be a part of a community:   The classroom community, Our school community, Our "local community," and the world community?

The first project, that I will be doing with my science teacher neighbor, will now focus on my helping my teaching community. We will do the Rube Goldberg Machine because of the teacher's needs to teach certain concepts like momentum and speed.  We will build because of the need to have visual representations of the science concepts they will be learning. We will be doing all of the other components of the project so that everyone in my classroom community understands the parts of the design process.

For the school community I will be making sure that my students are learning the IB concepts at the MYP level. This will build on their years of learning these concepts at the PYP level. And throughout this unit, and the rest of the year, I will be referencing how our learning impacts (and is impacted by) the local and international communities.

It will be a time for me to join the Meridian World School community as well.  Let the school year begin!

[END NOTE: Stopping here. This was to have gone out last week. It's time to start writing the next post. School started today. And we are rolling! Come join my community. ]

Putting Together a Design Class in an IB World School (Part 1)

http://goo.gl/Tgxu4X

Well, that title should get some good SEO Google Juice. But I didn't write it for SEO reasons - it's what I've been doing today, and yesterday...and the day before that....

In an earlier post I stated that I would be updating my preparations for the school year. Well, that didn't happen. But now that I'm only a few days away from students in the classroom I thought I'd give an update about where I am in the process.

 I may be a 20+ year veteran of the classroom, but I am feeling like a  newb again because this is a new school, new subject matter, and I have to learn the IB specific items. For example, we had a PD day this week and the lingo, acronyms, and other words were flying by me at mach speed.  But I have now completed 3 days of planning and things are feeling a bit better.

On Monday morning I really had NO idea where I was going to start with my design class.  On Tuesday I met my hall-neighbor who teaches science. She told me "I want to do a project with Design this year!" (exclamation because she was very excited and animated). After some discussion it came out that she wanted to start the project in the first week of September! (exclamation because of my internal reaction to this news).

My PBL training/experience took over at that point.  No panic. It was time to do some backward designing. Of course this will be a project in two content areas, so I will need to have her thoughts and input on this. The science will be handled within her science classroom and I will handle the planning, building, and marketing of their design.  I drew an initial mind map:

The project will be the standard "Rube Goldberg Machine"  (not my choice - but there's always NEXT year, right?) that has been done by every science and/or engineering teacher over the years. Heck, the kids might have even done it in their elementary years. The spin I will take on it is purposefully looking at the design cycle. I will use this Design Thinking Cheat Sheet from a post by Guido Kovalsky:

Post test (where the line comes back over to the left and says "start all over...") is where we will go deeper with each of these parts of the design process before we get into our next design challenge. The key is that students will be building empathy, asking questions, reflecting on their work, and creating something. 

Design in the IB World is the KEY subject in the program. My early years of being a Math teacher taught me that math is the KEY subject that my students have to be good at because every year builds on the previous year.  My later years, especially my years as an Instructional Coach, taught me that reading is the KEY subject that we need all students to be good at. And these last 6 months have taught me that questioning, reflecting, and perseverance are the KEY traits we want our students to possess. Design, and in particular the design thinking process, is the one subject that teaches students to ask question, reflect and persevere.  

So, using my very poor knowledge of logic, it follows that Design is the KEY subject in the International Baccalaureate Program.  My job will be to teach my fellow teachers (like those math teachers) that Design is an important class and NOT just some elective. 

In the next post I'll talk about how I am putting together a computer science class for 20 10th and 11th graders who requested that the school have the subject - Gee, I wonder if any of these kids might know a LOT more than I do about computers?  Stay tuned.

So I'm Going to Teach This Computer Science Class

http://goo.gl/BL0lkk

On Friday I had a chance to talk with my new principal. If you haven't heard about that feel free to get caught up with my earlier post.

During my initial interview (with The Head of School and the Secondary Principal) I was informed that they really wanted someone who was able to teach a computer course. I never said I wouldn't but I said that it had been a long time since I had worked with a programming language. So when they hired me I was told that I would teach 4 sections of Design Thinking, 1 section of math, and another subject to be decided at a later date.

So, along comes Friday and the subject of computer science comes up. I quickly say that I'm not against teaching computer science; I'm just a little rusty and would have to learn a ton before the students walked into the room. By the end of the conversation I had committed to teaching one section of Computer Science I for 15 to 20 Juniors who had signed up for the course at the end of last school year.

By Saturday morning I realized that being a teacher with experience with Project Based Learning; a teacher open to learning with my students; and, a teacher with a couple of thousand Twitter followers makes me nearly freaking unafraid of anything. I will have "experts" available to help me with this and the 20 of us in that classroom will be going deeper and doing cooler things than your average computer science classroom in this world (insert maniacal laugh).

I was energized, excited, and (to be completely open) a bit terrified. With Saturday being the 4th of July, I decided pursuing this could wait a day or so. Finally, last night (the 5th), I ventured onto Twitter and wrote: " Any of you at #kidscancode, #EdTechBridge, #DTk12chat have opinions on the language I should use for Comp Sci I class I am putting 2gether?"

Where did I get the hashtags? I went to my first source for all things educational chats - my old friend Jerry Blumengarten (@cybraryman1). I looked through his list of chats to see which ones sounded like they dealt with computer science and/or coding. Then I added my Design Thinking group because they are always working with people in the maker world and coding world. They are just smart folks and know everything about anything.

As I was sending out that tweet I noticed my friend Rafranz Davis was on and so I sent her a note too: "I know you know people who know people...I am putting a Comp Sci class together for HS Jrs. Who should I get to know?"

I was soon exchanging thoughts with Lisa Palmieri (@Learn21Tech) but I had to go so I could watch the Women's World Cup final which, of course, the US Women's National Team won. When I got back online 4 hours later I was greeted with a list of people to follow from Josh Gauthier (@Mrgfactoftheday) .

That list included: Myra Deister (@shhsMath), Jim Klein ( @jnetman1), Jared Cosulich ( @jaredcosulich ), Vicky Sedgwick ( @VisionsByVicky ), and Brian Briggs ( @bribriggs ).

I started conversing with Vicky Sedgwick and was later joined by Melissa Techman ( @mtechman ). Then Lindsay Unland ( @Lindsay_Unland ) suggested that I follow D Martin ( @D_Martin05 ). Vicky followed with a suggestion of Alfred Thompson ( @AlfredTwo , someone I actually have been following for a few years). Alfred came back and sent his list of CS Educators on Twitter  - only 290 people on that list (a gold mine!). 

In less than 24 hours from the first tweet, I had a list of about 300 people who I could reach out to for help and suggestions in this quest to create a computer science class for this Fall. I am so fortunate to have decided (nearly 8 years ago now) to get on this Twitter thing. I never have to worry about finding help. There are people, much smarter (or, at least, more experienced) than I am. And, they are smart with just about anything I might need help with.

So, I'm going to teach this computer science class - and it's going to be OK.  Follow along for future events in my first year at Meridian School as I figure out teaching Design Thinking, math, and computer science.

In Which We Are Introduced to My New School

https://goo.gl/xAkChH

On August 10 I will be starting a new school year with new students at a new school. But what does that really mean? Every year we get new students. Every year is a new school year. The only really new thing is the school I will be working at - Meridian School in Round Rock Texas.

I interviewed for this school so I've actually stood in the building before. I even met a teacher from this school at SXSWEdu. He enlightened me about the fact that the school was K-12 (and not just an elementary school). I even suggested this school to another teacher-friend of mine and he not only applied for a job; he was hired to work there.

But my accepting the job is less than 2 weeks old and I haven't been able to go to the school since to see what it looks like or even finish all of the paperwork for the job application. Yet on August 10th there will be students walking into my classroom. It is NOT too early to start putting together my teaching strategy.

Meridian School. I am a retired Naval Officer and have taken many hours of navigation classes and have spent hours on the bridge navigating ships around the globe. So I know what a meridian is. But why meridian for the name of the school? I looked to see if there were other meanings to the word meridian and I found that there was one that I really liked (whether this meaning is the one meant by our school's founders, I'll have to wait to see):

 "Meridian - Any of the pathways along which the body's vital energy flows according to the theory behind acupuncture."

If I am to be a truly effective teacher I will want to know how to help the energy flow of my students along their meridian from head to heart to hand and back again.

During the next 6 weeks I will be writing posts about my preparations for this school, the school year, and my students. I will be discussing how I set up my room, how I design my calendar, how I design my first week's lessons to support a collaborative environment, what my parent/student/teacher communication plan will look like, what technology I will have and what choices I will make for the use of that technology, and much more.

I am a teacher who will be having inquiry, collaboration, questioning, and design at the heart of all that we do. All of those discussions and suggestions I've had with teachers (in my role as a coach) over the last three years will have meant nothing if I don't attempt to replicate those practices that I have talked (and written) about with such enthusiasm.

Come along with me on this trip of discovery. Discovery about who I really am; what I really believe; and, what I am ready to practice with my students.

I'm Not a Techie

Technology Cow via http://goo.gl/XR2MYi

In 1976 I went to the University of South Carolina to be a dual Math and Computer Science major. I got my math degree but gave up on computers after spending hours at the card punch machine at late hours on the university's one computer (that also had to do research and university business).

In 1985 to 1987 I attended the Naval Postgraduate School where I majored in Weapons Systems Engineering. I got a masters in engineering and the equivalent of a bachelors in physics while studying robotics. I worked on an IBM AT and an IBM XT for the robot work and I had a computer built to my specs for home where I could connect to the school's mainframe.

In 1992 I finished my masters in education and I co-taught a computers in the classroom course at Old Dominion University. We used the Apple IIE and I got to see teachers experience the world wide web (and accidentally find porn sites).

In 2008 I started work at Manor New Technology HS and the first question I was asked was whether I was a Mac or a PC person. I had never had a Mac but I knew the correct answer - give me a Mac! A couple of years later we added iPads to our repertoire.

During the years 2008 to present I actively reached out to like-minded teachers who were on Twitter, used Macs and iPads, and were discussing the future of education. So many of my first Twitter friends have become, what I like to call, Twitter Gods! They go to all of the cool conferences, hang out with all of the coolest people, and write books and have well-followed blogs. And many (most?) of them are techies. But not me.

That's right. I'm not a techie. I appreciate technology. I use technology to help me work more efficiently. I love discussing the latest apps, the latest websites, or a great blog post. But I'm not a techie. I still want to be where all of the "cool kids" are like SXSW, ISTE, or Ipadpalooza. But you know what? I can't afford to go to these conferences and I'm not in technology at a school district so I can't expect anyone to help me financially. Because I'm not a techie.

What I am is an education nerd. I love talking about curriculum and pedagogy. I love finding ways to help kids enjoy learning. I try new things in the classroom and want teachers to be better because our kids deserve the best teachers they can have. And if that means a cool app that improves inquiry and helps a student go deeper with their learning, then I'm all on board. But if a teacher has the latest bells and whistles tool, but can't reach the kids, then I don't want to hear about it.

Too many education conferences are focusing on those "precious" things called technology. Teachers by the hundreds are attending these and hanging out on the vendor floor with stars in their eyes. But what about learning about becoming a better teacher! What about finding ways to get students more involved with the content?

I just finished 3 weeks where I spent 11 of the 15 work days in front of teachers wanting to learn about PBL. They designed projects built on their content standards. And they designed these projects to help students make connections to the learning. Not once did I suggest an app, some software, or any hardware. Because I'm not a techie.

What I did do was help them understand how to turn the verbs written into their standards into some real-world, authentic, activity or problem. If, through examining this authentic problem their students might need some sort of technology we'd discuss that but technology was never at the center of the discussion. Because these were teachers - not techies.

It is 2015. It is time to FINALLY get to the point where we were at Manor New Tech 7 years ago - technology is the invisible tool. It is a tool. That is all. A tool. Like a pencil or pen. Like a chalk board, a white board, or a SMART board. A tool. We need to be tool masters not techies. What tool do we need to use to successfully complete this task? Whatever tool works best.

Can we finally stop sucking on the technology teat at education conferences? Probably not. But can we please get principals to the point where they see technology as just a tool? Then, and only then, will we be able to push teachers away from their "precious."

We just might get back to where we were in 1976 when I graduated from high school - we used the best tools that we had available. It just happened to be that it was a stick of chalk and a chalk board - although some of the rich kids could afford a Smith Corona electric typewriter - now THAT was cool!

Writing To Stay Awake (and an anti-gun rant)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/laughingsquid/

It just turned midnight and I decided that I've got nothing better to do than sit here and write a post. I'm at the Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) airport with a few thousand others who have ended up spending the night due to flight cancellations.

It seems that the remnants from Tropical Storm Bill hit the area pretty hard. My flight was cancelled around 2 this afternoon while I was sitting in Columbia SC training a great group of teachers from the Richland 2 school district.

By the time I arrived here in Dallas, and was able to contact some hotels, it was already too late to find a room at the inn. Or, at least, a room within shuttle distance. I could have rented a car and driven a ways and gotten a room. But I would have had to turn around and be back here at 6 AM. Just as easy to stay here.

When I finally had time to sit down and pause, I was hit by the news of the shooting in Charleston, SC. The Twitter feed (#CharlestonShooting) had a lot of information but the point that kept coming up was that this was a white man killing a bunch of innocent black people while they were in church!

This should be treated as an act of terrorism. How can the gun proponents keep turning their collective heads? Why do they keep falling back on this "right to bear arms?" What about the right to go to church without some nut blowing your brains out?

I used to say that people should be forced to keep all of their weapons in a municipal armory. I said that they should have to check out their weapons for some specific reason and return them immediately upon finishing that specific reason. And, "going to a church and killing a black person" should NOT be a valid reason to check out your guns!

That seemed, even to me, a bit extreme. Well, it doesn't seem like much of an extreme anymore. Why, in 2015, do people need to carry guns? So they can shoot back at crazy people shooting at them? Really? How many innocent (and non-gun carrying folks) will get caught in the crossfire? I can't think of a single person who I would trust firing a weapon to protect me. The odds of me being hit by my good Samaritan are higher than I like.

But as long as it is legal to...sigh...It's time to do something about the legality of gun possession. Let's go to the extreme left and adjust from there. Give it 10 years or so for people to think about what it means to be a gun owner. During that time let's make gun possession, outside of one's property lines, illegal. Poof! You can have your guns but keep them on your land and don't take them from your land.

If we went to that extreme and then promised gun owners that the issue of gun possession would be re-evaluated in 10 years, everyone would have time to think about it without, pardon the pun, a gun being held against our heads.

Rant Complete. You may carry on with your day.

If You Borrow It, Tell Someone

https://www.flickr.com/photos/kittiesmademedoit/

Those are words of advice given to me by my Father. Actually it was more like, "Hey, I don't mind if you want to use my tools but put them back - in the same spot - when you are finished."

Isn't that really the point of attribution? You are borrowing someone else's words or pictures. You may not be able to "put them back in the same spot," but you can send others back to the spot where they were found.

Too often on Twitter and Facebook I will see something that I know I have seen before. Almost invariably I do some digging and I find the original news article, blog post, or image that it came from.  Sometimes it is in a re-tweet (RT) and the person who originally tweeted it is the guilty party of not giving credit where it is due.

So, what should you do before you re-post something? My immediate answer may surprise you after my intro here. I say it depends. If you are in the middle of a twitter chat where 50 to 100 tweets are flying by every minute, then you may miss  hundreds of tweets with great nuggets by researching that one tweet. Just favorite the tweet prior to RT'ng it and then you can go back and give the original item the proper attribution after the chat.

If, on the other hand, you are seeing a tweet outside of a chat or in a slow moving chat then take the time to check it out and if the original person wasn't mentioned in the tweet take the time to include "via @originalperson" in your RT. If you need to modify the original tweet prior to RT'ng it to fit the "via," then remember you are now tweeting a Modified Tweet (MT) not a re-tweet.  Just use MT instead of RT and everyone will know what you did.

Finally, if you are going to be the original person putting something up on Twitter or Facebook, then take the time to craft your tweet or post so the attribution is included. If you can't find the person's Twitter handle through the twitter search do a web search using the person's name and the word twitter - "chris fancher twitter" for example.

If that doesn't immediately give you what you need, then research where this person works. Is he or she with a business, at a school or university, or in a school district? If nothing else find a twitter handle for the specific place of employment and include that.

Take the time to do the simple task of giving recognition to the originator of whatever "tool" you are using. You owe it to them and to your followers to do it right.

Feeling Radioactive

imgarcade.com

WARNING - NEGATIVE RADIATION CONTAINED IN THIS POST. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK

[Originally written mid-April, 2015 ]

Yesterday I went for a run/walk as I try to regain my body - my body that is currently almost 70 pounds overweight and tired.  While I was out plodding along and listening to my running playlist, the song Radioactive by Imagine Dragons started playing and I realized that this song has a different meaning to me than most others.

It was about 15 months ago when I was out in similar fashion (except I was only about 50 pounds overweight then). As I was running I heard Radioactive and a huge vision of my brother undergoing chemo-therapy popped into my head and tears filled my eyes. I replayed that song countless times that morning while moving forward at a snails pace.

Now when I hear that song I feel a connection to my brother who lost his fight with cancer almost exactly a year ago. But, in a weird way, there is a deeper connection than just the title and cancer. In a way I have become very radioactive this past 12 months. I have become much less sociable and withdrawn - not wanting to spread my radioactivity to others.

I once was very active on Twitter - to the point that over 3000 people now follow me. I was also very active on Facebook - friends could guarantee a quick response to postings. And I used to write blog posts with regularity. Now I'd rather stay home and "work" although I am often just going through the motions. At school I am getting much less accomplished and I'm less and less able to keep our teachers smiling.

My school and district are a huge source of my radioactivity. Trying to "do right and fear not" is getting to be a real challenge when there are people around me who are doing wrong and fearing not. I am surrounded by too many people who are unhappy and want change. That negativity fuels my radioactive juices.

By the end of the calendar year I hope to eliminate (or drastically reduce) the radioactive levels flowing through my soul. The first order of business will be to find a new job. If that can't happen then I worry that this past year may pale in comparison with the amount of radiation I might have to absorb in the coming months.

[Updated 16 May 2015]

I will need help to do this. I need to be among people who are strong, positive, and smart. There are some incredible people in my current school district who fit that bill but more and more those people are leaving like the proverbial rat leaving the sinking ship. Just last night I learned of another person who is leaving. I was hoping to be able to work with this person at some point in my career but that will now not happen. My radiation levels creeped back up last night.

The possibility of being too old and, therefore, not hirable is also starting to enter my brain. There are tons of things I would love to do but I worry that people are going to start choosing younger minds with better physiques over me. Up go the radiation levels. Thank god I have my work with the Buck Institute for Education (BIE). It allows me to be around adults who are learning about a way of teaching that I firmly believe in. It allows me to be encouraging. It allows me to be cheerful and positive. It allows me to lower my radiation levels quickly.

I don't know what my life will look like 12 months from now. I could be doing something completely different from what I am currently doing. I could be doing instructional coaching in another school district. I could be doing the exact same job I'm doing now.  Except that very little will look the same at Decker Middle School.

The 2015-2016 school year will have a totally new administration - a new Principal AND new Assistant Principals. What will this new regime bring to DMS and what will this disturbance in the force do to the nearly 1000 students coming through the doors? Our poor 8th graders will have had a new principal every year they were in middle school. But our leaders don't think about such silliness. If our test scores go down it will be the teachers' faults for not doing their jobs.

Radiation levels could go critical!

Anyone have a dosimeter I can borrow?