Could the real power in the classroom be-- ‘connecting’

          “Mrs. Webb, we’re broke,” the sweet, little voice blatantly shared on the second day of school, “our van won’t run and my dad lost his job and now we’re even out of milk now.”

Before I really had time to process the worry her face showed, I heard the truth spilling out of my mouth, “Ugh I’ve been broke before,” I quietly told her. “It’s not fun, is it?”

          She looked surprised. I’m sure she was trying to decide if I was telling her the truth or not. It was just she and I, so I elaborated. I explained to her that when I was in fourth grade, my family was having a rough time with money. I told her my dad did not have a job at that time and it was really hard, especially at Christmas and Birthdays. I gave a few more personal details and let her know that I completely understood how she had to be feeling.

          Oddly enough, this conversation brought a slight smile to her face. I think she felt encouraged or eased in the fact that I actually connected with her dilemma. She found relief in knowing that I had lived a similar experience and it had turned out okay eventually.

          Even though it’s a big term that children are completely unaware of, “socio-economics” can be as crucial to their success in school as the actual curriculum they are being taught. The little information I shared that day about my own childhood was true so I know first-hand.

When you are a child, sitting in a classroom with the knowledge that the electricity at your house is no longer in service because the bill was not paid, you really don’t care about finding the unknown factor in a multiplication sentence. You are not concerned with comprehending the main idea of a text or the neat, little acronym your teacher just wrote on the board to recall the names of the planets.

          We are all familiar with Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs model, developed in 1948. We realize that basic needs must be taken care of first, before an individual can move on or care about the non-basic needs such as esteem and self-actualization. In other words knowing your math facts or spelling words takes a back seat when “you’re broke and there was no milk for your cereal that morning”.

          I recently ran across a powerful article entitled, “Social Networks: What Maslow Misses” written by Pamela Rutledge, Ph.D., M.B.A., Director of the Media Psychology Research Center. In this article, Rutledge ascertains that Maslow’s model “doesn’t give enough credit to the role of social connection.”

          Rutledge agrees that the human brain is driven by a basic instinct to survive and that this need trumps all others. She also agrees with levels of Maslow’s model and how humans move through those levels, however she states, “But here’s the problem with Maslow’s hierarchy. None of these needs — starting with basic survival on up — are possible without social connection and collaboration”.

          While the crux of the article is to shed light on the importance of social connections within Maslow’s model, and how social media can serve as a medium for both goals, I believe simply “making a connection” with individual students can impact everything else you do.

          If a child believes you understand there’s more to their life than what goes on from 9:15 to 3:20 and that you care, you become a safe zone, a refuge, a person they connect with; and that is what every individual of any age needs.

           Connections are key to making a difference in any job, situation or with any individual. As humans, we need to feel like others understand us, know where we’re coming from and what we’re struggling with and more importantly that they care.

          Whether someone is eight or eighty, they’re facing a struggle. Should eight-year-olds be worried about financial needs? Of course not, but kids are very aware of what is going on in their family and household. They know when mom and dad argue and what they argue about; they know if grandpa or grandma has a health problem and how serious that problem may be; they know if money is tight, if dad is getting laid off, or about any other trouble the family could be facing.

          Expecting every child to come to school one-hundred percent focused on the task at hand is unrealistic; but connecting with their concerns and taking a few minutes to convey the message, “I know it’s tough right now and I can relate,” might make the burden seem a little lighter. I believe if a child knows their teacher “gets it” (has some insight into their world), and cares, that in itself can be a powerful motivator.

          “Connecting and collaborating”---are these actions worthy to be included somewhere within Maslow’s model? I am not sure how Maslow would feel about it, but when it comes to communication we have learned as a society that connecting and collaborating are essential to success globally whether the topic is business, technology, education ect…, so maybe it’s essential to students as well.

The difference one year and $300 million can make

Last month the governor and legislative leaders in the state of New York agreed to finance ‘prekindergarten’ throughout New York City at a rate of $300 million a year, which equals to roughly $10,000 per four-year-old. The goal is to provide free, full-day, high-quality prekindergarten classes to an expected 53,000 four-year-olds beginning September 2014.

While the cost sounds outrageous and unaffordable, it will be interesting to see how many other cities jump on board to offer prekindergarten to all four-year-olds within their areas. I believe prekindergarten is the next big mandate being considered in most state departments of education and with good reason.

Research is clear that early intervention in education is a key ingredient to successful learning. The demands placed on Kindergarten students today, is more intense than at any point in the past. Being ready to learn when you walk through the door on the first day of school is a necessary condition for any Kindergartener. If they come to school and can already identify letters, numbers, sounds and basic sight words they are off to a running start. On the flip side those that enter the classroom without that foundation are starting from square one and spending valuable time building that foundation while others are moving on.

In an attempt to give every Kindergartener the very best start, a free, high-quality prekindergarten class makes sense, but how to fund these types of programs is where the rubber meets the road. Few Americans want to pay more taxes and many would say, “I did not attend prekindergarten and learned just fine”, which may be true…but not true today.

In years past Kindergarten was a time to become acclimated with the general concept of school. It was held every day for half of the day, or every other day for a full day. There was snack time, nap time, play time, art and stories. This type of agenda has completely disappeared from any and all Kindergarten programs. Today Kindergarteners are taught how to read, write, do mathematical equations and spell countless words. They spend time on computers, iPads and Netbooks. They learn to log in, log out and find a website. They still learn many social aspects of life and how to problem solve, but on a different and more advanced level than in the past.

I commend New York for recognizing the need to prepare students for Kindergarten when they turn four-years-old. I understand this is a pilot type program and that funding early education for 53,000 four-year-olds in one city is a huge effort; but I believe it is the right effort to make at this point. I hope other states will dig deep and try to come up with plans to fund prekindergarten opportunities for all four-year-olds. The earlier learning is introduced through the classroom the more successful students will become as they embark on primary education. Every child deserves the very best start when it comes to education whether they live in New York City or a rural village. I hope Ohio takes note and the politicians can find a way to finance such an important endeavor.

Better Opportunities Today and more Tomorrow...

When I think back to my early childhood days as a student I realize there were lots of lost opportunities. I had excellent teachers and attended a great school, but there was no thought of actually assessing before teaching. Everyone started at the same place and everyone moved at the same rate or stayed behind. There was ONE learning target…learn what the teacher was teaching at that moment. We all did the same worksheets, we took the same tests, in the same way and we read the same books and answered the same questions about the same books. We did learn and grow…but what else could have we learned and how far could have we grown had the approach been more like it is today?

Today we know that every child starts at a different place and moves at a different rate in respect to various learning targets. We understand that it is virtually impossible to begin teaching without first assessing. Students today are fortunate that so much research has gone into educating and learning. Teachers are fortunate as well, we have access to countless resources and thousands of colleagues. We can ‘pin’, ‘tweet’ and ‘surf’. We can use data in many different ways to help guide our instruction time and create personalized learning experiences for our students.

Although I am grateful for the great education I received and I appreciate the teachers that came to school every day prepared to teach; I cannot help but feel a little envious of the opportunities students receive today. I wonder how my education would have been different had I received formative instructional practices instead of the same worksheet my other 25 classmates received. What if I had been assessed before my teacher began the unit? How far could I have gone? Would I have received a better foundation of the subjects with which I struggled? Could I have advanced more quickly in Language Arts and spent more time in Math making valuable gains? Would I have chosen a four-year college right out of high school instead of waiting? I realize dwelling on the past doesn’t change outcomes, but if it is reflective dwelling, then it may have the potential to change future outcomes.

     I know many people think kids today have it rough with all the demands of education and the competitiveness of college and career readiness. I disagree. I would rather have tough demands and competitiveness than learning the same thing inside the same box. I would rather have my abilities, strengths and weaknesses actually considered than receive the same curriculum and routine as everyone else. Realizing the potential each child has and teaching in a way that accentuates that potential for each individual student is the goal and promise of teaching today.

Science, technology and research is constantly improving what we can offer the next generation. I am grateful that I received a better education and more opportunities than my parents and I am grateful that my children have received better and more than I. My goal now is to give the students of the future the most and best available today; while keeping in mind that tomorrow I should have something more and better to offer.

Better Schools & Playgrounds Recipe for a Successful School Year

Better Schools & Playgrounds Recipe for a Successful School Year 

Ingredients:

·       Varied number of students ranging in diverse intellect, ethnicity, skills, social background and physical    abilities

·       184 days of learning goals

·       184 nights of intense reflection

·       36 weeks of engaging instruction

·       Content knowledge

·       Formative and summative assessments derived from base of instruction

·       Empowering learning environment

·       Just enough professional growth to stay relevant and humble

·       Insight and knowledge of families, individuals, communities and cultures

·       Cooperative attitude mixed well with generous amounts of collaboration from co-teachers, staff and administration

Directions

Preheat learning environment with fresh paint, new posters, innovative information and positive atmosphere

1.  Embrace the varied number of students and meet them where they are in regards to their intellect, social status, ethics and values, physical abilities, strengths and weaknesses, sprinkle generous amounts of positive re-enforcement and genuine care until they all appear equal in your eyes

2.  Present 36 weeks of enthusiastic content knowledge and engaging instruction layered within diverse lesson plans that challenge each student to their appropriate level, use fair amounts of technology, kinesthetic, visual and auditory learning styles

3.  Intermittently add small amounts of formative and summative assessments to ensure that instruction is fresh and adequate for students---If not, repeat instruction in a new manner by implementing additional explanations in specific learning styles to meet each student

4.  Add balanced amount of professional growth and continual personal learning to keep ingredients fresh and new

5.  Mix with large amounts of collaboration from administration, other teachers and staff to ensure your perspective of each student is accurate and non-biased

6.  Season with several layers of interaction between family members, individuals, communities and insight into other cultures on top of entire mix to bring out natural flavor and individuality of each student

7.  Wrap entire mixture in 184 days of individualized learning goals and 184 nights of intense personal reflection to ensure that nothing is overlooked or missing

8.  Bake completed recipe every single day from 9:15-3:15 with an attitude of joy and a pound of sense of humor in the confines of the preheated learning environment

9.  Assess progress regularly and adjust your personality, daily schedule and general mood to best fit personality, daily schedules and general mood of students

At the end of the school year you should have the final product, baked evenly and ready for the next phase of learning. Be careful not to scorch recipe from a lack of flexibility or under bake mixture from a lack of structure.

Finally, enjoy the sweet aroma of a year’s growth as your students leave with an educational experience they will remember forever!