Ignoring the price tag of change

Seems like everybody's got a price,
I wonder how they sleep at night.
When the sale comes first,
And the truth comes second,…

Wanna make the ED CHANGE,
Forget about the Price Tag

Yes, I am quoting Jessie J’s song “Price Change” with a slight adjustment of my own. 

Recently, I have been reflecting on my own actions, words, and ideas and when I heard this song on the radio it became clear.  Over the last 4 months I have heard:

Change is glacial

Things can’t change over night

When you ask questions, you may offend someone

Is fighting the system worth it?

Some comments have discouraged me, while others have created a sense of empowerment.  I have seen, first hand, that some comments come with a “price tag” and Newton is definitely correct in saying “For every action there is an opposite and equal reaction”.  However, I am now “Forgetting about the price tag”.

By worrying about whether or not a comment might offend someone or if the fight is worth it, we might be inhibiting needed improvement.  For some, change is a criticism of tradition, but in reality, change could be an improvement of regular practice.  I disagree with change for the sake of change, however some may argue it is blatant ignorance to say the current education system in flawless in design.  Already, some have reported on the real 7 lessons of schooling.

Of course, there are many positive aspects to our education system and I am extremely proud to be a teacher, but does this imply that I should not question tradition?  Some educators are ruled by policy and law, but feel that their own ethics and morals come into question when they follow these rules.  Which one should “trump” the other?  Should a teacher be able to stand up with honour and a constructive virtue in the face of a policy, and say “Why do we allow this?”?  And if so, should he/she be able to do it without the fear of consequence or remorse?

Recently, I had a conversation with a colleague who stated

“We are people of hypocrisy; we teach students to critically think, to respectfully question authority, and truly be a confident and progressive student, then we turn around and become a follower of policy without ever thinking on our own.  Those who do inquire about the reasons are immediately conquered, sometimes, by the exact policy they are fighting in the first place!”

This is a powerful statement, if it is true.   My heart sank when he told me that.  Do you feel as you can challenge policies and be heard?  Are you scared of being repressed by means which are out of your control?

In my district, we do have avenues to follow which are set in place to allow teachers to offer feedback and critique.  I pray and hope these are offered to ALL teachers!

If you are scared of the “price tag” of change then consider the following statement.

Fear of repercussions may influence your actions; however the gratification of attempting to produce needed unquestionable change can never be stolen from you.

Why I blog and tweet

Over the last 4 months, I have tweeted 1500 times and written 90 blogs.  The total of this text would be over 100 pages.  Lately, I have been asked, “Why do you do it?”, with which I responded with, “Why don’t you?”.  I will now share my story.

First, I feel that I have done more PD in the last 4 months than I ever have.  This is not a criticism of conferences I have attended or speeches I have heard, but actually a compliment of the power of twitter and sharing my knowledge through this blog.   Here are some stories:

I would not feel right if I did not say a very huge thank you to Joe Bower (@joebower) as he was the inspiration that started my transformation.  Joe, an amazing teacher here in Red Deer, has shown me the power of sharing.  His blog “for the love of learning” is where I started reading articles about education reform.  He has truly been my “connector”, and I feel as our friendship has grown deeply.

Next, I have helped Paige McClement (@pjenn86), a teacher in Cochrane, in her teachings of mathematics.  Even though she is a flames fan, I looked past her shortcomings, and still responded to her tweet asking for help.  When I shared a perspective with her, she responded with an alternate perspective on a topic I had blogged about.  I was truly sharing with another teacher whom I have never met face to face.

This brings me to Chris Wejr (@MrWejr), an elementary school principal in British Columbia, who has given me more support than I can ever say thanks for.  During a time of frustration, Chris and I had a conversation, through Twitter, where Chris gave me needed guidance and encouragement to keep “trucking”.  If it wasn’t for his advice, this blog may have been closed down months ago, and I would not be writing this today; Thanks Chris!

As the MCATA (Math council of the Alberta teachers association) co-conference director, I was looking for two keynotes for our upcoming math conference in Edmonton.  While searching I had met Dan Meyer (@ddmeyer) and David Coffey (@delta_dc).  After conversing with them, I have booked them both as our keynotes for the conference.  I cannot express the anticipation and excitement I have to meet with these two amazing educators face to face.  Little do they know, but I might be asking for autographs!

Lastly, my blog on the "Sound of Music" day,  was read to the students of the play by the director.  I was informed that the majority of students started crying with "happy tears".  One comment from a student, to the director, was "I can't believe we have inspired a teacher at our school!".  Also, three other teachers have approached me saying they are also going to try this "Sound of Music" day.

The list could go on and on as I could probably list hundreds of amazing educators I have met online but never face to face.  I would, however, be lying if I said it has all been green grass.  My blogs and tweets have caused multiple people question my intentions, disagree with my statements, ask for clarification on a topic, and even dispute research.  But….I don’t see these as negative occurrences. 

Debate, discussion, argument, and dispute, when done respectfully, should NEVER be discouraged.  Only when these tasks are promoted, can positive improvement occur.  I encourage people to disagree with me, as it is a powerful strategy to see an idea from another perspective. 

Last, if you are reading this and do not tweet or blog I will now ask you a question: “Why don’t you?”

Are you teachable?

Lolly Daskal is from New York city, and she also has a blog.  Recently, she had the following message, a message which made myself think. 

Are you seeking? Are you curious?

What most of us don’t understand that if we are seeking, we are questioning and if we are questioning we are learning, if we are learning we are teachable, and  if we are teachable we are growing.

But lets be honest most of us are stuck and we are spinning in circles and we need help.

The wisest among us seeks to be taught.

The wisest among us seeks counsel

The wisest among us is always teachable.

The wisest among is always learning

The wisest among us is listening.

This world needs more people who can be role models and leaders.

What we want is for more people to be teachable.

Lead From Within: Have the awareness and attitude that everyone and everything you see, feel, do and meet has something to teach you. Approach your life as you are always teachable. Because the ones that are seeking to be taught are the ones that are innovating and influencing,

Do you feel offended?

"Just because you are offended doesn't mean you are right" - Ricky Gervais

When I heard what Ricky said it made me reflect on my own experiences.  I have been accused of offending people through what I have said or written about, and I have informed others that they have offended me.  When people say the words “you offended me”, I fear that some feel that that this a just argument and whatever was said or done should be taken back and be apologized for. 

If this is true, what if by being offended you have offended someone else.  Now who is right?  We need to start looking at why one feels offended or attacked by a statement or action.  When you read something and your first reaction is one of insult or disgust, I encourage you first ask yourself “Is what is being said true or false?”

If the statement or action is one that should not have been taken in the first place, you need to address the person directly.  I encourage the dialogue to not start with “You offended me when….”, but instead “I disagree with….. because …..”  This should create a dialogue, discussion or a debate between two people that could end up creating new ideas that neither person thought of.

If you agree with the statement or action and still feel offended, then you need to reflect on your actions and ideas.  I remember, when I first started teaching, a person in my staff room criticizing a certain aspect of teaching that I modeled daily.  Even though I agree with the criticism of the action, I felt truly attacked.  It was not until I realized that this person was not insulting me but the action, that I could truly embrace the needed change of my teaching style.  After some thought, I tweaked my pedagogy and noticed an improvement in my classes.

Debate and disagreement are not negative words.  If you put any two people in the same room together, there will always be something they disagree on.  Does this mean, one person is better than the other, or one person is more right than the other?  Not at all!

When I first created a twitter account and read the posts on #mathchat, #edchat, and #edreform I usually logged off with a sour taste in my mouth.  There were copious amounts of tweets that forced me to challenge what I would call “regular” teaching.  These tweets were not directed at me, but I still felt as if the people tweeting were purposely trying to offend the “traditional” teacher.  I decided to embrace these new ideas and truly can say I have never looked back since.

Here is what I have I learned:

·         A defense in an argument should never be “Well, you offended me so that means you need to stop saying what you are saying”.  Just because you are offended, doesn’t automatically discredit the statement or action.  We need to start having discussions with people that disagree with us, or else how do you ever hear from the other side of the argument?

·         If you offend someone, that doesn’t mean what you said was wrong.  Doesn’t mean it was right either.  Reflect on what you said and look at it from another perspective.

System changers first, followers second.

I had some responses to my “what is right” blog, so I decided to write more about it.  My ideas were inspired by Barry Schwartz: Using our practical wisdom.   Many times in my life, I have had to make the decision “Do I do what is right or I do I do what is expected of me”.  I remember the poster in school that stated, “What is right is not always popular, and what is popular is not always right”.  Still, at the age of 28, I am still finding this relates to me.

Many times I have witnessed “things” not going as planned in a workplace.  The first response is usually “Make Rules”.  This saddens me greatly as usually only a small percentage of the workers are causing things to go amiss, however every worker must suffer under these new rules.

According to Barry, when education is not going correctly “[we] give teachers scripts to follow in the classroom; so even if they don’t know what they are doing and don’t care about the welfare of our kids, if at least they follow the scripts our kids will get educated.”

Of course rules don’t always cause the small percentage to change so the second response is to “create incentives.”  Now, for those who don’t want to follow the rules, it is actually in their interest to follow the interest of the leaders.

When we use incentives, we will start to create people who become addicted to incentives.  For more on extrinsic motivation click here.

“Rules and Incentives or Sticks and Carrots”

Teachers are now trying these responses in their classroom.  When learning is going amiss, some will create stricter rules, such as daily homework, or more quizzes.  If this fails, then incentives are created in the form of bonus marks for completing it on time.  Teachers, however, need to understand that

“There are no set rules, no matter how detailed, no matter how specific, no matter how carefully monitored, and enforced; there are no set of rules that will get us what we need.”

How do we solve this problem? Teachers need to stop creating incentives and rules, and start bringing in virtues which create better character in the classroom.  Educators need to start doing the right thing, and not what is expected.  The most influential quality a teacher can bring, in the words of Aristotle, is “Practical Wisdom”.

A case study:

“Miss B, a teacher in Texas, was listening to a consultant on how to raise test scores on a standardized exam.  The consultant came up with strategies.  First, don’t focus on the students who are going to pass the exam no matter what you do.  Second, don’t waste your time on kids who can’t pass the test no matter what you do.  Third, don’t worry about kids who moved into the district too late for their scores to be counted.  Focus all your time and attention to the kids who are on the bubble. While most teachers were nodding in approval, Miss B shook her head in despair.” 

Practical wisdom is not just doing the right thing, but also realizing what the right thing is.  The most important idea to remember is we are teaching people.  When dealing with people, we need to understand that certain flexibility is needed that no set of rules can encompass.   People, who have practical wisdom, can ascertain when we should bend rules, improvise, and manage a set of rules.  Also, these people bend and are flexible for the right intentions.

I am not naïve in thinking that you do not need rules and incentives.  I am not claiming that anarchy and chaos need to be brought into education.  I am, however, saying that certain rules and incentives are demoralizing the professionalism that has brought me into education in the first place.  Many times, not just in education, I have heard the question from my colleagues, “If we are professionals, why are we not treated as such?”.

What can be done?  People need to start to become “system changers”.  These people are not people who find the loops holes in the rules or systems but actually transform the system and improve it.

Speak freely first, improvements second.

For true educational reform to occur, we must be able to speak and discuss openly.  On Friday, I was in my staff room and something truly magical happened.  An amazing discussion occurred about current issues in education.  The topics ranged from assessment to cell phone use in a school.  I use the word "magical", because here are educators that are on their lunch break and they want to discuss possible techniques they can implement in their class, to further advance the amount of learning that is occurring.

This is the true demonstration of passion for their jobs.  Even though there were disagreements occurring over certain topics, there was still a sense of congeniality towards each other.  At my school, the staff room is not the only place this happens.  I have had discussions with staff members walking through the halls, in the photocopy room, in my class, and in the parking lot.  I could only hope that other schools demonstrate this constant passion for increasing the quality of teaching and learning inside their walls.

This idea, that I am free to speak my mind, also caries over to my administration.  Many times, I have talked to my principal and have walked away feeling that my opinion matters.  The open door policy is one that I value greatly as a teacher and helps me express my ideas in a safe and respectful environment.  Schools, like any occupation, should have their leaders open to new ideas, views and styles, and I can truly say that my school falls in this category.  Once we are able to speak our mind freely and respectfully, true educational improvement can happen.