Tribute to a Friend

        Art Vallis was my friend and his passing has brought a flood of memories and recollections. The service held to honour him was a wonderful tribute and had us all feeling the range of emotions. But mostly I smiled because that's what Art would have wanted. He always raised my spirits whenever I had the good fortune to be around him. This picture is how I will remember Art - in control, a smile at the ready, and a twinkle of mischief dancing in his eyes.

     
        At the service we heard about many of Art's accomplishments like being one of the original group that began the "Painting in the Park" initiative for Vancouver students, and his tireless hours to have the "United Way" campaign take hold in the schools, and his work mentoring and supporting leadership development. The funny thing is, I never heard about any of these things from Art. That just wasn't his way, not the reason why he did the things he did. He truly was all about elevating others and helping them to become what they were meant to be. He was willing to mentor and teach but only if that was what you wanted. He was just as comfortable to be "in the moment" and learn from you. He enjoyed bringing smiles to others and having a reason to smile. This picture of my son, after a fishing afternoon with Art, only shows one half of two great smiles that afternoon.

        Art retired after thirty-five years as an educator in British Columbia that included many roles. He retired the year before I began my own career as an educator and was a bridge to education in a different time. What he taught me though, was that one key thing has never changed in our profession - relationships matter! Build those and continue to nurture them, and all the rest of the roller coaster world that is education will feel like a great ride with good people to share the experience.

     
        I didn't see Art often but I often felt inspired in his company. I am grateful that my wife and I went over to celebrate his anniversary with Marian a few weeks before he passed away. Despite all that he was dealing with, he was the true gentleman and a gentle man. I always left his company feeling there was so much more to talk about. When I have spoken about Art, people have asked me if he was a father figure to me. While that would have been more than welcome, he was so much more than that. Art Vallis was my friend and I will miss him tremendously.

Variables NOT Excuses

        Let me start this post off with a few declarations. I think teaching is the most challenging profession there is today. I think there are so many dynamics that impact our work, that it is rare to be able to do the same thing over time. I think we are blessed with people who choose to become teachers as they are truly able to change lives. I think we are all difference makers.
        Of all those statements, the last one only becomes inaccurate if we let it. And we let it by rallying around the excuses that are prevalent and become reasons why we might believe that success is only for those who deserve/earn it. I have heard many school share that they believe in "success for all" but once we scratch below the surface, the exceptions roll out. With some variation depending on locale, here are the reason most offered for why success can't be reached by some students - poverty, second language learner, single parent, First Nations (Native American), minority race. This despite the lack of research that would validate any of these as absolute blocks to student achievement and growth. Buffum, Mattos, and Weber (2012) state it this way

"Are minority students born with a diminished capacity to learn at high levels? Does learning any language besides English at birth genetically alter a student's ability to learn at high levels? Does poverty irreversibly alter a student's potential to learn? Of course not! A student's ethnicity, native language, and economic status do not reduce the child's innate capacity to learn. These misconceptions are part of the cultural beliefs and assumptions of far too many schools, however, and they become a self-fulfilling prophecy for the students these schools serve."  

        I am not suggesting that the information we have and know about kids should be blindly ignored. Just as I would not expect a patients' medical history to be ignored by a Doctor on subsequent visits. In that analogy, the Doctor also does not declare that the patient is never going to get better because of the existing conditions. In our world, the information we have about students should be regarded as variables. They clearly have impact on the learning environment for children. A lack of proper nourishment and rest affects results. A lack of a home environment conducive to learning affects results. A lack of fluency in the language of instruction affects the results. Fortunately, high quality instruction, well designed interventions, and some of the best adults I have met in my life (teachers) have a far greater impact on improving the life chances of students. Let's keep the clarity around these variables and steer clear of rallying around the excuses - no matter how significant they may appear to be.

Moving Beyond the Surface

            

            I had to smile when I saw this cartoon that George Couros (@gcouros) tweeted recently. It also got me thinking about making sure I listen with greater intent when students share a rationale with me as to why an assignment was not completed. I think I have been guilty of dismissing the response before it was even fully shared with me and as I reflect on that, I think I missed an opportunity for a deeper connection and deeper understanding of why kids don’t always get their work done.

            I was working with a high school in the Los Angeles area and the topic of homework came up. We were having the usual conversation about the value and intent of homework when one of the teachers shared a story from a student that brought a new viewpoint. After reminding the student again about the lack of homework completion, she was surprised when the student asked if he could talk privately with her. He proceeded to share with her that it was the “home” part of “homework” that was a problem since he and his family were homeless. He didn’t have a place to sit down and do the work nor did he have access to resources. Another powerful reminder that asking the next layer of questions (beyond was the homework completed) yields valuable information that allows us to plan appropriate next steps

            As the school year gets underway, we should all commit to asking the next layer of questions in an effort to get to the real challenges that impede a student’s ability to complete all that is asked of them. Sometimes bravado is much easier to demonstrate (and more face-saving in front of their peers) than confusion. Looking beyond that moment may be the start of a stronger relationship developing.

She told Mr. Jones some of her story. Not as an excuse, 

and not looking for sympathy, but to let him 

know how much she truly did care. Sometimes, 

life just got in the way. “Don’t look at me as I am and 

determine I can’t get there. Look at me as I could be 

and help me to achieve that goal,” she said. *

            While, “the dog ate my homework”, may be a stretch to consistently believe as a rationale, perhaps it should not be as easy to dismiss offhand as I once believed.  The cartoon is a subtle reminder that there is much more than the surface story and in digging deeper we may find something that turns students on rather than off.

* (Excerpt from the book “I Am the Future” by Tom and David Hierck)

Going Forward Looking Back

            

            My journey as an educator has taken me through different roles and to many different places. Currently I travel extensively across Canada and the United States while living in Gibsons, British Columbia. That’s what makes the trip to our home in Nelson, BC so special. The recent visit was no exception and was enhanced by encounters with many former colleagues, students, and parents from my eighteen years as an educator in the district.

            While I try to avoid drifting into “nostalnesia” (the recounting of only the good from the good old days), I did appreciate the chance to swap recollections of days gone past. What also happened for me was the recall of other aspects of the people I met that spoke more to their character and our relationship than a specific event. That’s what I’d like to share as it reminds me once again that we are in a relationship-driven enterprise and to ignore that fact is akin to raking leaves in a high wind – the real work never truly gets done. We just go through the motions.

            Aldo was telling me about turning 80 recently and how he doesn’t move as quickly as he used to. Aldo was an amazing custodian and not just because of the quality of his work. More importantly it was the quality of his personality. He engaged our students and became an integral part of their school experience. He held them accountable for cleaning up and was part of their growing up. Fran was the best secretary I ever worked with. She was very much old school and always aware of each account and every aspect that ensured smooth operation of the office. She had a knack for asking me questions in a manner that clearly indicated I should go back and re-think my suggestion or planned action. She was also fiercely loyal and a wonderful sounding board. I encountered former teachers I hired and left feeling even more positive about some of the hunches I had about their capacity and ability to engage students. Tim has grown from being a quality teacher to now supporting teachers in his role as a Vice-Principal and he has the same desire to learn and improve his craft. His stories were based on student interactions and their growth. I met many parents of former students and heard so many stories of success that they would fill pages of posts. Laurie gave me a quick update and then followed up with a message after reading some blog posts. She was thankful for the environment that allowed her kids to grow up to be who they are. I connected with former students who were eager to share with me their current lives and introduced me to spouses and children and I felt so honored that they valued our relationships enough to do so. One of these chats was with Sean who I not only taught but also coached. Winning a provincial championship together means we will always be connected and I still treasure how fortunate I was to work with such an outstanding collection of young men. What touched me was when he shared that he was coaching in his children’s school as a way of saying thanks to me for the time I spent with him. He hoped others would also “pay it forward”.

            With a new school year looming large, I hope we all can go forward with a sense of optimism about the unique opportunities another year brings us. I also hope we can go forward with the notion that we’re not just creating moments for today but also moments that will help to define our future.

Preaching and Teaching (Both About Reaching)

I always enjoy visiting with my younger brother Jeff. He is a United Church Minister and we have wonderful conversations about the connections between his work as a preacher and mine as a teacher. Once we get passed the obvious difference, it’s amazing how similar our work is.

Today’s conversation was driven by a couple of questions I was mulling over during my run, which I sprung on him over breakfast (as an aside, older brothers always have to keep younger brothers off guard with conversation topics). I wanted to know what constituted a successful Sunday service for him and what he hoped to accomplish in a year in the life of a parishioner. I was hoping to relate that to a successful lesson and a successful school year. Our conversation produced some interesting connections for me.

Reverend Jeff’s notion of a quality Sunday service is contingent on two factors – how he feels at the conclusion and the feedback he receives. While he intends to “bring it” every Sunday he also recognizes his own capacity and knows that on the occasional Sunday his reserves are a little low and then he must do the best he can in that moment. I know that my intent as a teacher was always to inspire and create learning connections for my students. I try to do the same in my current role as a speaker and consultant but some days I need to rely more on my experience and learned skills. Those days do leave me feeling like I didn’t do my best but did the best I could.

I loved his response to what he sees as growth in a year for anyone in his parish. He wasn’t able to quantify it nor did he want to. “My push is to create the conditions where growth can take place, and to recognize that everyone is at a different place on their very personal journey”, is how he phrased his view of his role. As I think about schools today, I wonder if we might be able to embrace a similar view. Can we create the conditions where learning and engagement on a personal learning journey drive what schools are focused on rather than the rigid view that every fourteen year old must do grade nine Math and every other grade nine course? Can we connect purpose and passion with an eye towards future possibilities?

As always, our time to connect as brothers and colleagues concluded too quickly. I look forward to our next time in the same room together. In the meantime I’ll generate some more questions to explore. Feel free to share any you might want examined.

Learning From Failyour

“I’ve never made a mistake in my life”, he said quite proudly.

“Then how do you know how good you could be?” came the reply.

I’ve been thinking a lot about failure lately. Not just my own occasional mistakes, but instead in the broader sense and how we approach failure in our schools today. The above scenario played out at an event I was presenting at and gave me pause to reflect on why we often seem more interested to explore success than failure. A recent keynote by Mary Cullinane (Executive VP for Corporate Affairs and Social Responsibility at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) highlighted this for me when she expressed a reluctance to attend one more “best practices” conference. Instead, she wants to attend an “oops” conference where people share their failures and the learning that happened as a result. I think that would be a fabulous event!

Our schools and educators appear to be trending more towards the safe and cautious approach while lamenting the lack of engagement by students and the lack of teaching enjoyment by educators. Less risk taking and more covering of “important ground” has taken away the joy for both ends of the teaching-learning equation. Engaging in assessment practices that are more punitive than formative only exacerbates the problem. My visits to kindergarten classes are always a joy and I love the responses I get when I ask them what they want to be later in life. The options are endless and none are outside the realm of possibility to their young minds. The same question to a graduating class yields more puzzled looks and a reluctance to venture many options outside of a perceived strength. What has happened during the school years to limit possibilities and avoid taking the risk associated with pursuing something unknown?

Perhaps the solution lies in having our students learn to embrace failure as a learning experience by demonstrating our own frailties and highlighting the growth we experienced. Cullinane also asked why our school walls are often filled with excellent examples of products but rarely show process. I know it would be a challenge to display incomplete work or assignments that indicated improvements needed but is there a method teachers could utilize that would allow for failure to simply be redefined as a step along the way to quality outcomes? Our struggling learners become stigmatized by the notion of failure and our most able learners don’t venture into the realm of failure and instead practice those skills they already know (and often receive “bonus marks” for) thereby limiting their own potential growth.

          Whatever process we follow or steps we take, it ought to be with an eye towards nurturing and protecting our students’ capacity to dream about the infinite possibilities that exist for them. Every student is a success story waiting to be told. Some of the pages of their respective stories may speak to the struggles faced along the journey and the people who reminded them that failure was just part of the process. As Vince Lombardi said, "Failure is not getting knocked down, it's not getting up again."   

See A Penny

       

        See a penny, pick it up and all the day you’ll have good luck.  So goes the old adage which has served as great advice for many over the years.  There have been articles in other formats that have highlighted the significant amounts of money folks have found while out enjoying the great outdoors.  Runners, in particular, seem to have numerous accounts of fortunes large and small they have uncovered while out for their daily run.  I have also experienced the joy of finding treasure this way on my daily treks.  

        Recently I was thinking about why these discoveries create such excitement.  I have a job I truly enjoy which generates a good wage.  Clearly the odd dollar found on the road isn’t going to lead to early retirement or put my grandkids through university.  Yet, there is that feeling each time I find money.  If these discoveries could generate this in me, I began to wonder what it did for others that came across this money in the streets.  

        This provided the opportunity I needed to create a whole new view of this money, that carries me through many of my runs today.  Rather than stopping to pick up the money I spot, I use the discovery as the start of another story.  One day I might imagine a young child coming across the coins on a hot summer day and enjoying an ice cream cone with her grandpa.  The next day it might be someone who finds the dollar and buys a winning lottery ticket and then donates money to a local charity.  Perhaps it will be one of the many homeless people I see who purchases a warm bowl of chili on a cold night.  I have created many scenarios and, depending on the length of my run, a myriad of possibilities.  It has afforded me much more than the accumulated wealth ever could have purchased.  On those days where I might be reluctant to head out the door, the minute I start thinking about the potential adventures waiting to be created, I can’t be held back.  

        I’ve also added a bit of a twist lately where I’ll pick up the money and then drop it in a different location.  Some times it will be a place where I know lots of kids will be like a school or park and other times it will be a high traffic area.  The danger in this is that you must ensure no one is following close by.  I had one polite fellow runner who picked up his pace to catch me and return the dollar I had dropped.  There are days when I have created such an engaging story that I want to stop at the sight of the coins and watch my drama unfold.  Of course, this would defeat the intent and instead I leave the spot with a smile on my face.  

        As for the old adage, I’ve modified it to see a penny, leave it there and think of all the joy you’ll share.