Week 4: Frameworks

 

In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. "...the dream of a land where every man will respect the dignity and worth of human personality." As a teacher in the great state of Wisconsin, right now I don't feel that my dignity and human worth are being appreciated or respected. So in the spirit of Dr. King, 100,000 plus people assembled this past Saturday in Madison to be sure that the governor of our state understands how much we dislike his 'dis' to state employee unions. 

As Zander says "The 'leader of possibility' invigorates the lines of affiliation and compassion from person to person, in the face of the tyranny of fear. Anyone of us can exercise this kind of leadership whether we stand in the position of CEO or employee, citizen or elected official, teacher or student, friend or lover."
So, collectively, 100,000 people stood at or near the capital building in Madison to be the leader of possibility. All 100,000 of those people being their own leader of possibility.

I've been the person, in the past, to think I won't write to the senators or legislators, someone else will do it and voice my opinion on the matter. Well, that time has passed. I've realized that I create my own destiny and I am my own leader. This makes me want to stand up for what I believe in.

Week 4 Publishing and Leadership

Well, after much deliberation last week and right up until WIMBA on Tuesday, I decided to stick with presenting. To be honest, I am nervous as all get out that I might be chosen to present. I would like to share my research with my peers, but the thought of being the expert on the topic at a conference terrifies me to the core. I've decided to go forth and submit my presentation to WEAC  (Wisconsin Education Association Council) for the state teachers convention in October. For many reasons, this makes the most sense to be, but ultimately, it boils down to three things: 1. These are my peers, 2. It's close to home and travel wouldn't be difficult and 3. I can make a difference in my own
state and for possibly for my own future students.


This is the link to my final project:

files.me.com/ashike/olqlu1.key.zip



Post #1: Initial thoughts:

http://4shikes.blogspot.com/2011/02/week-3-publishing-and-leadership.html


Post #2:  Some confusion about the project, leads me to rethink my options.

http://4shikes.blogspot.com/2011/02/thinking-about-presenting.html

Beyond the #$%^ It.

All right, I have to laugh, this was really the last thing I expected to find in this book, although really it makes sense. I've been at that point in my life, and thankfully, like the cellist in the book, it worked to my advantage.

I had spent the previous 4 years working in a building as a building substitute. I worked everyday in the same building and when I was needed in a classroom, I was in. When I wasn't needed, I worked with small groups of students in all the grades.  The problem was, I made minimal money and had no benefits or contract. The last year I was in that position, I was asked to be a second teacher in a third grade SAGE classroom that was seriously over "capacity."    I should have been given a contract like a regular teacher, or at the least been considered a long term sub, but I wasn't. The administration had interviewed me a few times for various positions, but I was always passed up for the job. I was too good at what I was doing as a building sub. It was disheartening.

I was on vacation that summer with my family in Vail, CO. We were visiting my brother out there for the first time. It's beautiful out there. I had been applying to various districts around where we lived and we were in the middle of a serious hunt for our first house. I got a call from a principal in Kenosha for an interview, she wanted me in the next day and I was 1200 miles away.  She offered me a phone interview and I took it. I was BTFI.  I went for it and put it all out on the line. She thanked me and asked if I'd be available the next morning for a second interview. I figured, what the hell?  Why not, I've gone this far. So I had the second interview and we took the day to drive up the mountain.  My phone had no signal, so I couldn't have taken the call if she called to turn me down. We returned and my husband and I went with my two brothers to have a drink together. My phone beeped in my pocket and I knew this was my call. It was my answer.

I listened to the voice mail and there was the principal, offering me A JOB!!! My first real classroom and first real position. Not that what I was doing before wasn't real,  but this was a classroom.  four years in the waiting and I finally had what I want.

Going beyond the #$%^ it was worth it. It gave me the job I wanted, and my husband and I bought our house in Kenosha. It's all been uphill from there.

Thinking about presenting

Such an open choice.

Ok, so I've been thinking about this publishing and leadership project and have decided to take the publishing route instead. It's too scary for me to think about getting up in front of my peers and really not knowing what I am going to talk about. I know I'd be talking about my AR project, but what makes me the expert, other than the fact that I've done the research. Nothing about this makes me an expert, just a researcher.
Then again, I think about it and I feel like I do have good information to share. I feel like what I did in my AR gives teachers an option and an avenue to increase parent communication. This in turn, creates more engagement in the classroom with the kids and the parents.  They want to be involved, the want to know what's happening and they want to be able to talk with their kids about what they did during the day and get an answer other than "I don't know."
 To be honest right now, I just don't know! I don't know which way to go.

Week 2-AR Site

Can it be? Is it true? Can this huge weight really be lifted off my shoulders? My lit review was approved and posted on my AR site early this week. The rest of the week has been polishing and final touches. Are there things I wish were better, sure. But, at some point, I feel like I have to stop looking for perfection with my site.

All but two of the pages are populated after some minor changes based on suggestions from Roxanne DeLeon.  The final two pages to be populated will come in month 12. I am glad I kept up on creating the pages each month. It's made the final assembly of the site a little less stressful. 

Like the literature review, this is another thing I am glad is complete. It's a huge weight lifted off my shoulders and a major stress gone from my life. It feels great to have it done!!

Week 2-The Art of Possibility #1

One day it's sidewalk chalk, but who knows what the future will bring.

A certain part of this weeks reading really stuck with me. I've been preparing my students all week to start research on a peacemaker as part of our service learning project. We started by talking about what research was and all that "fun" stuff. I began modeling the note taking process by using a book about Nelson Mandela. The kids were shocked and appalled that someone was treated as poorly as Mr. Mandela and the rest of the people living in South Africa that were affected by apartheid. They immediately began an earnest discussion about how they could be a more peaceful people. My heart leapt for joy-they were getting the message. One of my students raised her had a said something to the extent of "Wow, I can't believe one person could make such a difference to a whole group of people. Mrs. Shike, he's like that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. of South Africa!" They began to ask what they could do to help be more peaceful. We started talking about different ideas and the door was opened!

That same night, I was reading The Art of Possibility and came across the story about the starfish. One line resonated with me "Smiling, she bends down and once more tosses a starfish out over the water, saying serenly 'It certainly makes a difference to this one.' "(pg 55). So if I make a difference to one child in my classroom, and our research makes them more peaceful, then I have accomplished my goal. Do I want more of my kids to be peaceful? Of course. Do I hope more than one of them gets the message? Absolutely! But, if during the course of this project, I reach one student and that student reaches someone else, imagine the domino effect that could have.

Zander, R. S. , & Zander, B. (2000). The art of possibility: transforming personal and professional life. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.

WIMBA Blog-Week 2

Sorry I missed this session. Since copyright frightens me so much, it would have been good for me to be there. Alas, a run to Quick Care with my son, kept me away.

One thing that makes me feel better is that using Creative Commons can help me out in the classroom with my students. The explanation of Creative Commons makes me more comfortable using materials. What I've found with Creative Commons though, is there is a TON of material out there, and I would have to be very careful with what we were using in the classroom.

Knowing that I can use copyrighted works for my teaching is helpful. Keeping in mind that if I can teach the unit without it, I can't use it without permission. What's nice about Fair Use, is that if you need some legal protection, there's some there within Fair Use.

Thanks Tim for the site. That's going to be helpful. It's nice to know someone out there is still got peoples best interests in mind.