An Open Letter to Teachers

 

Source: Justin Tarte:

Dear teachers,

We have a lot of respect for what you do. Your job is extremely difficult, and we understand the many difficulties that encompass being a teacher. Your ability to lead an entire class is frankly amazing, and more importantly, you always seem cool, calm and collected despite what might be going on. There are times when we would love to be back in the classroom; there are other times when we can't imagine going back. Your job is definitely not an easy job, but as administrators, here are a few things we would like you to keep in mind:

1) - When we ask you and your fellow teachers for opinions and feedback, we would really appreciate it if you would take us seriously and put some thought into ways we can improve our school. We know you have a lot on your mind, but if we are going to take the time to ask you, we are doing it because we value your opinion.

2) - We love visiting your classrooms to see the students growing and developing, but when we visit a classroom and the students are having a free day or are watching a movie unrelated to anything of any real value, we are disappointed and feel as if the students are being cheated. We all have bad days and difficult things going on in our lives, but please make it a priority to do something valuable for your students every single day.

3) - Professional development is something we really enjoy, but please don't rely on us to plan and develop every single PD day. We want you to have a say and a voice in YOUR professional growth, and as such we would love to hear your ideas and suggestions. We also really would like you to take our PD days seriously and go into each session with the mindset of, "what can I learn today?"

4) - Can you please stop writing office referrals and sending students to the office for not coming to class prepared or coming late to class. We are here to support you and help you do your job, but if we are constantly tied up dealing with small and petty issues like this then how are we going to have any time to tackle some of the larger issues? Please talk with some of your colleagues and see how they handle these issues...contact the student's parents...take a moment and talk to the student BEFORE sending them down to us.

5) - We understand the importance of being visible and in the halls in between classes, but our administrative team is not very large. We will try our best to be in the halls as often as possible, but sometimes things come up and they need to be dealt with immediately, consequently we need your help. We need you in the halls helping to cover the spots we aren't able to cover. It's a group effort, and you play a crucial role in our overall effectiveness.

6) - Sometimes a lesson doesn't take the entire class period, or the students get done quicker than expected, but please do not allow your students to line up at the door. Furthermore, please do not let your students stand in the hallway as they wait to leave your class. Your class time is valuable and should not be discarded so easily. If your students end class 5 minutes early every day it adds up to over 3 weeks of instructional time over the course of the year. Think what your students could learn in that much time.

7) - Time is limited, and when we try to implement new programs we are doing so because we believe they can help students. Unfortunately, when we try to initiate a new program it seems as if a lot of teachers immediately disregard the program because they think the program will be pushed to the side and simply forgotten by next year. We realize it's difficult to implement several programs simultaneously, but they are aimed at improving the educational experience for our students. Please give our programs a chance before casting them to the side...our students could be missing out.

8) - When you were hired you were hired because we think you are the best, and because we think you are the best we want to get out of your way so you can do great things. We want to empower you, encourage you, and watch you take risks in an attempt to do some awesome things, but when we see you do the same thing every year we wonder if you really want autonomy. Additionally, we would be more than happy to provide you time to observe some of your colleagues if this time was used productively. Please be the awesome teacher you were hired to be.

Don't take this open letter as us trying to tell you how to do your job. As Educators we must all be open for suggestions and advice, and we hope that if anyone had any advice or suggestions, they would take the time to inform us. As previously mentioned, we understand all the parts of your job because we were once in your shoes, but we hope this letter provides a small reminder of how much your decisions and actions affect others.

Thank you for your time, and we look forward to your response,

The administrators

An Open Letter to Administrators

  Source: Justin Tarte

Dear administrators,

We have a lot of respect for what you do. Your job is extremely difficult, and there are lots of aspects of your job that we don't fully understand. Your ability to lead an entire staff and student body is frankly amazing, and more importantly, you always seem cool, calm and collected. There are times where we would love to have your job; there are other times where we couldn't imagine having your job. Your job is definitely not an easy job, but as teachers, here are a few things we would like you to keep in mind:

1) - When making decisions that are going to affect our classes or our students, we would really appreciate it if you would ask for our opinions and feedback first. We know you can't ask for feedback for every decision, but more often than not would be much appreciated.

2) - Will you please come to our classrooms more often. We are really doing some awesome, innovative and creative things with our students, and we would love to share our experiences and successes with you and our staff.

3) - It would really mean a lot to us if you would participate in our professional development days. As Educators, we all need to be lifelong learners, and the staff would be quite receptive if you were learning side by side with us. We know your presence can skew the way some Educators respond, but we feel that would only be temporary until your presence becomes common practice.

4) - Can you please refrain from blanketing the entire staff with a punishment/lecture when the problem lies with a small group of Educators, and not the entire staff. Just as we don't do this with students, it's not fair to do it with us either.

5) - Your time is extremely limited and you are always busy, but we would really love it if you were more visible in the hallways between classes. Establishing and building a school community are crucial to the school's success, and this is one of the easiest ways to show students and teachers we are all in this together.

6) - It would be much appreciated if you would include teachers, students and community members when developing the building's vision and goals. Additionally, it would be wise to revisit and redevelop our building's vision and goals, as society and the needs of our students are always changing. Lastly, we should really believe and follow through on our building's vision and goals.

7) - We love any new idea or initiative that can improve the education we offer at our school, but if we are going to add new programs would you please consider eliminating other programs that aren't quite as effective. Speak with students and teachers to determine which programs are really helping, and which programs we could probably do without.

8) - Lastly, the more autonomy and voice you give us Educators, the better we will perform. Allow us to do the jobs that you hired us for. Support us, empower us, and encourage us, but please don't control us. Tell us it's OK to take chances in an effort to do something awesome with our students. Provide time for us to see the awesome things other Educators are doing in our building. Please be the instructional leader you were hired to be.

Don't take this open letter as us trying to tell you how to do your job. As Educators we must all be open for suggestions and advice, and we would hope that if anyone had any advice or suggestions, they would take the time to inform us. As previously mentioned, there are parts of your job that we don't always understand because we have never been administrators, but we hope this letter provides a small reminder of how much your decisions and actions affect others.

Thank you for your time, and we look forward to your response,

The teachers

How can we still say no to tech in classrooms?

  This article is adapted from one written by shaubo, a high school principal in Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada.

Why aren’t all teachers embracing technology?  Why are some jumping in with both feet, some paddling around in the kiddie pool, and some well back of the water?

Come on in! The water's fine!

Is it stubborness? Fear? Intimidation? Perhaps – but it could also be a genuine concern that the embedded use of technolgy doesn’t change anything about the material they are addressing.

Some teachers question why it may be more beneficial to students to use GoogleDocs to write an essay than it is to do it on a word processor at home and submit it?  Why is doing an online slideshow on a project more relevant than a paper poster? How does making a video change what is learned?

Here are my thoughts on why the use of technology and social media is often limited, and why it’s use in the classroom is essential:

1.  I’m concerned many teachers don’t see the true importance of collaboration.  Simply put, collaboration is an essential 21st Century skill; and cannot be limited to the classroom during a set time period.  Using online tools to collaborate and create allows students to combine their best thoughts and ideas, regardless of the time of day or where they are – ultimately creating a deeper learning experience.  I’m reading ‘The Global Achievement Gap” by  Tony Wagner  in which he discusses how corporations and academia are relying on their employees to be strong collaborators and creative, critical thinkers – not just with their colleagues down the hall, but with ones around the world. Learning is a collaborative effort and making peer-editting and/or authentic discussions a part of the assignment increases this skill.

2.  Most teachers are auditory or text-based learners.  This has a lot to do with why we have excelled in school.  Unfortunately students today are visual or visual-kinesthetic learners, and this has developed because of digital bombardment.  We see images as a complement to the text we read. Digital learners see text as a complement to the images they see.  I’ve heard a few teachers use this information as an argument for the need to teach todays learners about the importance of text, and I’ll admit, I believe there is some merit in that idea.  I ask myself however, why would we not modify our style to one that best fits the learner and the world?  If most people under the age of 25 are digital learners, why do we continue to prepare them to learn in a way that most likely will have little to no use within the next generation?  We have no problem altering the way we teach to reach students who need coloured paper to increase their comprehension levels.   We all have strategies to deal with students who have ADD or any other number of learning disabilities.  We differentiate our instruction.  It’s now time for us to develop strategies for our digital learners.  For a thorough and detailed discussion on this, see Ian Jukes’ work.

3.  I believe many educators do not recognize that, rather than schools being at risk of failing our students, we are at risk of becoming obsolete or at the very least, irrelevant to our students.  We force them to reference textbooks that are out-of-date before they are published.  We don’t allow them to use their personal devices in class.  We make them come to us for the information they could just as easily get online, and in a manner perhaps better suited to their learning style.  This worked for us.  We assume it will work for today’s students.  Unfortunately for most, it does not. We must develop our curricula and teaching to a standard that connects with today’s students and is relevant in the world.

4. Although we understand the importance of creativity and critical thinking skills, many teachers believe that these either cannot be taught, or if they can, simply evolve over the years of study.  I believe we can teach students to be creative – often by simply giving them authentic tasks and asking them to solve them, with our support, but without prescriptive guidelines.  Critical thinking comes from asking students to research, weigh the evidence, and make an informed decision that they can defend to the teacher and to their peers.  Think about how many online and social media techniques there are that can support this type of learning.  Take the online experience away, and we severely limit the scope of learning.

Is this just a problem only teachers face? Yes and no. Teachers I know believe they are doing a good job, and they’re right.  Students are engaged, test results are good, graduation rates are high.  Why do they need to change?  Because students are often failing to exhibit deep learning about the subject.  Technology opens up doors for them to ask questions teachers may not know about, to extend their learning, to find an area (perhaps even outside the prescribed curricula) in which they have a true interest.  The default is to limit ourselves to what can easily be measured by the standardized tests.   What we as teachers need to embrace however, is that this deeper learning will in turn support continued (and perhaps increased) success on assessements, regardless of their format.  Why would we not want to enable students to achieve the deepest learning and interest possible?  It’s about more than preparing them for the test – it’s about preparing them for their future the best way we can – we don’t know what that future will look like, but I’m pretty sure we know what it will NOT look like – like today’s classroom.

So, as educational leaders, how do we help to change this?  I believe it starts with supporting and encouraging teachers to step outside of their comfort zone.  This must become an expectation of teaching.  Teachers expect their students to do this every day.  It’s time we expected it of ourselves – both as teachers and administrators.

• Administrators need to model online and digital teaching/learning techniques in our interactions with teachers – our staff meetings must include digital learning and sharing of successes. And yes, that means we have to learn it!
• We must make the effective use of technology something we look for and provide feedback on when we do supervision and evaluation. It’s no longer good enough that they use an interactive whiteboard or post homework online.  We need to look for teaching that uses technology in a way that deepens learning.
• We must insist on collaboration among teachers in this area – and insist this collaboration not be limited to the school or the school division, but a PLN that stretches to a global level.

As principals and leaders, are we ready to do that?  If you want to lead a school or a school division, you need to be.  As I met and discussed this issue with a number of delegates at a conference I was recently at, it donned on me why this may be more difficult than I originally hoped.  This was a national conference for educational leaders, and the majority of delegates were significantly behind in adoption of technological supports in education.   As George Couros discusses in a recent blog post  to push the teachers, we must first push ourselves.

I’m not asking everyone to dive into the deep end right now.  I do however insist you get off the deck chair and at least paddle around the kiddie pool.  Just like every little kid who watches the other swimmers, I think we’ll learn we want to be in the diving tank sooner than later.

A Heritage of Dentures?

Guest Article by Mark Kennedy (ACSI Canada)

Do not store up for yourself treasures on earth where moths and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in Heaven where moths and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. Matt. 6:19

While I was cleaning out my father’s nursing home room after his funeral the institution’s assistant director approached me with an expression of deepest sympathy on her face and her right hand extended.

“Mark, I know you would want to have these.”

I reached out to have my palm graced with a plastic bag full of my father’s false teeth.

My mouth said, “Oh, thank you so much!” making a reasonable stab at sincerity on short notice but a little voice in my head asked, “What am I going to do with these things?”

The best spur of the moment answer seemed to be, “Shove them in your jacket pocket and figure it out later”. Well I did that and promptly forgot about them for a few weeks- until I reached into my pocket for change in a donut shop. My “What in the world….?!” drew a fair amount of unwanted attention from the patrons and no one was impressed when I pulled the dentures out into the unforgiving light of day.

Again that “What am I going to do with these things?” question invaded my mind like an uninvited spectre. At home my sock drawer suggested itself so in they went with the argyles, boxer shorts, odd shoe laces and an antique ash tray sporting a picture of Donald Duck - don’t ask, I’ve no idea where it came from and can’t imagine what sort of chain smoking delinquent preschooler would have used it.

Every now and then over the next few weeks I would relive the Agatha Christie-esque denture horror while searching for my favorite pair of socks or lucky underwear. Rediscovering the teeth was perhaps not as jarring as finding a corpse in the library but still it was a nasty jolt before my morning coffee. And it always followed the same pattern: first shock then recognition, then restashing and finally, reforgetting. The pattern repeated itself several times over the next few months until early January 2010 when a solution hove into sight in the person of Pierre Trudeau – not the popular but dead former Canadian Prime Minister, the other one. This gentilhomme works for an online seller of sports memorabilia. He and I were organizing an auction of the7 box full of my father’s hockey memorabilia; things like rings, engraved silver plated stuff, plaques and a variety of odds and ends. Pierre thought these items might sell reasonable well and he made a few other suggestions.

In a flash of inspiration the teeth came into my mind (figuratively speaking of course).

“Would anyone be interested in my father’s old dentures?” I asked hesitating with some embarrassment. Pierre’s enthusiastic response astounded me.

“Absolutely!! Celebrity dentures are very collectible!!!”

Incredulous – that’s what I was; stunned and kind of appalled that someone would be interested in an old man’s false teeth. Why would anyone want them? And how would a person know these were really Teeder Kennedy’s anyway, not counterfeits - teeth that would be in a sense doubly false?

Well at least it seemed like a good way to get rid of the things so I added them to the 36 other items.

The auction wasn’t all that successful for us due mainly to the addition of a very popular piece belonging to another seller. The sweater that Paul Henderson wore when he scored the winning goal in the first Canada- Russia hockey series sold for over $2 million and drew a lot of attention and bids away from Dad’s stuff.

Have you ever thought ‘Someone around here must be crazy!’ and then wondered if that someone might be you? That’s how I felt at the end of the auction. Of all Dad’s things the dentures sold for the seventh highest price – and I’m pretty sure they had the most bids.

It’s not that I was ungrateful. All the auction proceeds went to provide for us, our children and grandchildren and to support ACSI’s work in Haiti. I know that is what Dad would have wanted. He would not appreciate a hockey shrine in his honor made out of things that “moths and rust destroy” and that “thieves break in and steal”. To him there was a place for engraved silverware and Stanley Cup rings and trophies – in seven broken down cardboard boxes piled in a corner of his basement (and also stuffed in his sock drawer). Neither my wife nor our daughters saw any point in keeping these things. We still have lots of pictures of Dad and newspaper clippings from his Maple Leaf days but I doubt we’ll look at them all that often. The really valuable legacy from my father – the thing that matters to me and to his grandchildren and will matter to generations yet to come can’t be hung on a wall or locked up in a trophy case. It has nothing to do with Dad’s athletic career but everything to do with his character. That’s the invisible heritage that we hope will be passed on to future generations as long as they are willing to receive it.

Now I’m not a learned theologian. I could have this wrong, but it seems to me that good character is the very kind of treasure Jesus refers to in Matthew 6:19 that will be stored up in Heaven.

And even if I’m wrong about that, I am sure there won’t be any celebrity dentures there.

Epilogue:

Last week I had a call from a principal at a member school where she has served faithfully for almost twelve years.

“I don’t know how we can keep on going after the March break.” She said, “We may have to close down now.”

She faced a problem common to so many North American Christian schools over the past few years – not enough students and too much debt. I knew she was working through the range of emotions and questions with which lots of Christian school leaders have wrestled recently. And she was tired. Her visible school, the one she worked and prayed so hard to see prosper seemed about to vanish. I prayed with her asking the Lord to rescue the school - I meant the school I could visit and touch and see in operation. But even if the Lord chooses not to intervene and the school has to close, its ministry won’t be lost. Students across this continent are still carrying treasures of faith and character that they received at Christian schools that no longer exist. Some of these treasures may well be passed on to friends and maybe even to future generations. That kind of legacy is the best thing any of our schools can offer to our students. Without it everything else is just a heritage of dentures.

I Just Returned from the Future

I just returned from the future.

In one of the strangest experiences I have had in a while, I lived the future as I read about it! I did not realize it for a while but then it struck me suddenly over dinner—”I am what I’m reading!”

Let me explain.

As I write this I am nearing the end of my annual Think Week (you can read details about Think Week in these two articles: How to Reduce Stress While Getting More Done; and in How To Find Time to Focus, Think, and Work). During my Think Week my primary focus is prayer and reading. On this trip I took several books with me including Humility (Andrew Murray), The Culture Code (Clotaire Rapaille), Think: The Life of the Mind and the Love of God (John Piper), Derailed (Tim Irwin), Death by Meeting (Patrick Lencioni), and Generous Justice (Tim Keller).

I also took Anywhere: How Global Connectivity is Revolutionizing the Way We Do Business (Emily Nagle Green). This is the book I was reading when I realized that I was living the future. I will summarize some of the key points of this book and their implications for our schools in a subsequent post but for now let me simply state the theme of the book;

Within the next ten years the global ubiquitous digital network will connect most of the world’s people, places, information, and things, which will fundamentally alter the way we live, work, teach, and learn.

The author, Emily Green, knows what she is talking about. She is the President and CEO of the Yankee Group—one of the world’s premier research firms on the impact of the global connectivity revolution with operations in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Asia-Pacific.

One of the most fascinating parts of the book is her description of five consumer segments: Analogs, Technophytes, Digital Shut-ins, Outlet Jockeys, and Actualized Anywheres (AA’s). As I was enjoying my dinner and reading it suddenly dawned on me just how much I was exhibiting the characteristics of the Actualized Anywheres. The short description of AA’s is that they “bring the concept of a ubiquitously connected consumer to life.” This is when it struck me—-I was literally living the future she was describing!

Here is how I know. I wrote down how I was handling my recreational and work related tasks during Think Week. Here is a short list.

• All of my books, newspapers, and magazines are on my iPad. I read, highlight, annotate, and share my reading content electronically.
• I downloaded a book immediately onto my iPad based on a recommendation from the book I was reading at the time.
• I held a video-call with my daughter and grand daughter using FaceTime on my iPhone.
• I sent an email through Facebook to some friends and family. I accepted a connection request with a professional colleague on LinkedIn.
• I used the Yelp application on my iPhone to find restaurants and read reviews before choosing a place to have dinner. I also wrote my own review on Yelp for the benefit of others.
• I used my Garmin GPS to guide me to the restaurant.
• While driving and while dinning, I used an iPhone application called SoundHound to identify and order songs to download. I liked the songs but could not remember the titles. SoundHound solved that problem.
• I used an application called NoteSelf on my iPad to take notes using a stylus, including notes for this blog article. No paper or pen needed.
• I used the Evernote application to send clippings from the books I was reading to my administrative assistant for her to type so that the information could be put into my Endnote program for future reference and citation.
• I used Logos Bible Software on my computer to study and write a devotional for my faculty.
• I used Adobe Acrobat to print the devotional as a PDF. I uploaded it to Box.net (cloud storage and collaboration) so it could be shared with our parents with a hyperlink in an email, and then I emailed it to all school staff using Outlook.
• I used LoseIt on my iPhone to track my calories and my running.
• One of the books I was reading referenced a 2004 NYT article on how Apple Outflanked Sony in music players (this had to do with Disruptive Innovation). I went to the NYT website and downloaded the article.
• I am using my laptop to type this article using Live Writer, which I will then post to my blog using the same program.

Now, before you react with something like “are you crazy?!” let me highlight the key point. I am using mobile devices connected to a global digital network everywhere I go to get things done and to enhance and enrich my life. I have a seminary’s worth of books in my Logos Bible program. I have an entire library on my iPad for reading. I have a huge music library of beautiful music in my pocket. I can find and read reviews on local restaurants before deciding where to eat. And I was able to speak with AND see my granddaughter even though I am hours away in a hotel.

Some of my readers, perhaps many of them, have no intention or interest in using technology in the ways I describe above. That is okay. They are most likely Analogs. Most people are. All of us fall into one of the consumer segments that Emily Green describes in her book.

What does this have to do with our schools? Plenty! What I just described is how most of our younger parents and our students will conduct their personal and professional lives.

As school leaders we must understand that our younger parents (those born in the mid to late seventies) and certainly our current students and our future parents DO CARE. They will live and work much as I have described above. Mobile computing and connectivity will be a given—it will be woven into their lives. Their expectations are, and will increasingly be, that our classrooms and school-to-home communication reflect the realities of the new Anywhere Global Connectively.

This is a sea change. It is as evitable as the sun rising tomorrow.

Are we preparing our school infrastructures for this change? Are we preparing and training our faculty? Are we preparing our students for the new work world of tomorrow? Are we providing a biblical framework for understanding and using technology for God’s glory? Are we modeling the use of technology for our teachers and other administrators?

This is one of my favorite quotes from the book:

New things are an easy target for those who lack imagination … Years ago, no one understood why e-mail was worthwhile. Now, no one thinks twice about it—but they’re busy talking about why Twitter is stupid. Bob Metcalfe

Let’s put our sanctified imaginations to work—let’s travel to the future and then return to our schools to get ready!

How to Reduce Stress While Getting More Done

Too much to do!  Too much stress!  Not enough time!  More expectations!  More demands!  More information!  More interruptions!  People, meetings, calls, emails, documents, events to attend, speaking engagements, budgets, training ….. and the list goes on!

Does that sound familiar?

In today’s world, we are constantly bombarded with information, the urgent, and ever increasing expectations. 

The weight upon us and the pace of our lives often leave us feeling dissatisfied, stressed,and sometimes burned-out.

There must be a better way!  There is!

How I work

Over the years I have worked hard at working smarter. My goal is to increase effectiveness and to decrease stress. I make no claim to having arrived—I haven’t. I have learned to juggle the myriad demands paced upon my professional and personal life by developing habits and leveraging technology to help me work smarter.

Below is a brief summary of how I approach my work and responsibilities. If you want more detail or have a question, simply leave a comment and I will respond with more information.

Calendar & Meeting Management

Time of Arrival at the Office

I am usually in my office by 6:00-6:15 AM, sometimes earlier—depending on how often I hit “snooze” on my alarm! This enables me to beat the rush hour traffic, making me less stressed and more efficient. I’m also in a better mood for devotions.

Prayer and Devotions

I start the day with prayer and Bible study. My devotional time is blocked and locked on my calendar. It is not always easy to begin the day with prayer and Bible study. Some days I don’t feel particularly spiritual and don’t feel like praying or reading my Bible. I am tempted to start reading and responding to email.

It doesn’t matter how I feel. I pray and study my Bible anyway. My soul is almost always warmed and enlivened through prayer and Bible study (coffee also helps!) but not always. It does not matter—I pray and study anyway. God never told me to feel like praying or to feel like reading my Bible—he simply commands me to do so.

My prayer is that the “Lord will bless the work of my hands, that he will grant wisdom, that as I plan my way he will direct my steps, and that he will grant me holy rather than selfish ambitions in my work.”

I am currently reading through the Bible using the ESV on the iPad. I leave the computer off and go to another chair in my office to pray and read. This is called “fleeing temptation.” J

Review of Next Action Items and Upcoming Appointments

After devotions, I have 30 minutes set aside to review reports, NEXT ACTION items, the day’s appointments, etc. I am able to do this easily and effectively because I use the Task function in Outlook to manage my To Do list and projects. I am able to see at a glance what is due today and for the week.

Meetings

Time is scheduled before and after every meeting for prep, travel, and follow-up. This allows me time to walk into a meeting well prepared with documents gathered. It also ensures that I setup follow-up meetings, write a memo or email, etc., immediately after the meeting so that “balls are not dropped.”

When someone other than a parent or staff member stops by and asks “do you have a minute,” usually a salesperson, if I’m not in a meeting or leaving for one, I will give him or her a little time in order to give a good testimony of the gospel. However, if this is an unscheduled drop-in, I start by meeting him or her at the door. I remain standing. This significantly shortens the unplanned meeting. I will invite the unscheduled guest to sit IF I believe the issue has the potential to benefit the school and if I have time. Otherwise, the meeting will end as a standup meeting or my assistant will schedule a follow-up meeting. In other words, in so far as possible and polite, I attempt to control my time rather than having someone else control it.

I also use lunch for meetings. I have to eat anyway so I might as well make it productive. Very seldom do I eat without meeting with someone.

I normally leave the office at 4:00. I go home and run four miles on the treadmill while catching up on the news—I accomplish two things at once! I shower and eat and then go to any evening meetings or events that I may have.

I am almost always in bed by 10:00 and up at 5:00 the next morning.

Friday mornings are blocked on my calendar for project work—off campus to minimize interruptions. This is an important time each week. I am able to focus on those BIG rocks that can be crowded out by the urgent.

Phone Calls

I have the blessing of having a wonderful administrative assistant. I have instructed her to log all phone calls into Outlook’s Notes function. This provides a permanent record of every call. After returning the calls I make quick notes on each log. This ensures that I return calls in a timely fashion and I have a record of my response—which can be as easy as “Returned, Left Message, Referred, etc.

I also return calls in the car using hands-free voice activated dialing. NEVER dial when driving. (That sentence will make my attorney happy!)

Managing Email and Information

Email management is a challenge—but not impossible! Rather than outline strategies for managing email in this article, I have created a PowerPoint Presentation that you may find useful. At the end of the presentation are links to short Microsoft training videos.

Click HERE to download the PowerPoint Presentation. You may share the PPT with whomever you wish; I only ask that you refer them to this blog.

Think Week

My Think Week is one of the most important practices that I have developed over the years. As I write this, I am preparing to leave for my Think Week. I will be reading 10 books and a stack of research documents—all on my iPad. For more information on Think Week see my previous post: How To Find Time to Focus, Think, and Work.

I got the idea for Think Week from articles I read about Bill Gates and his Think Week. Here are two articles that may interest you: Article 1: Bill Gates in Secret Hideaway, Article 2: Bill Gates Think Week.

Tools I Use

• I strive to be as paperless as possible. To the extent that I have everything in digital form (which is almost everything) I can have my documents with me anytime and anywhere. They are also searchable and shareable. This is far more productive than keeping up with paper, legal pads, notebooks, post-it notes, etc.
• I use a Dell laptop on a docking station with two monitors. On the left is my project management/brainstorming software—Mindmanager from Mindjet. The center monitor is used for Outlook and other Microsoft products (Word, etc.)

• I make extensive use of video-conferencing. I use ooVoo-think Skype on Steroids! Video-conferencing makes phone calls far more personal, there is less temptation to “multitask” while on a phone call, and you can share your desktop and/or files while on the call. Video-conferencing also reduces the number of emails I must process.

· I use the iPad for virtually all of my reading and note taking. There is a very effective and powerful note taking application called “Note Taker HD.” Used with a stylus it is as effective as a legal pad but with the advantage that all of your notes are in one location, searchable, and shareable.

Software I Most Frequently Use

• Microsoft’s Office 2010
• Docs-to-Go on my laptop and iPad. This program syncs all of my laptop documents to my iPad so that I have everything with me at all times. Docs-to-Go also enables me to read, create, and edit Microsoft documents-Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Mindmanager with a Catalyst subscription—for project management, brainstorming, and collaboration. The program tightly integrates with Outlook and Microsoft Office products making it an extremely effective task and project management tool.
• The new I.E. 9 browser and Google's Chrome. They are fast, secure, full-featured, and customizable.
• Note Taker HD—replaces a legal pad.
• Logos Bible Study software—on my laptop and iPad. For in-depth Bible study.
• Kindle software on the laptop, iPad, and iPhone—I carry my library in my pocket.
• Skydrive—for online document storage, creation, and collaboration. Skydrive and MS Webapps integrate seamlessly with Microsoft Office.
• ooVoo for video-conferencing.
• Twitter—for keeping up with the news.
• Jott—for leaving myself reminders when I’m in the car.
• Adobe Acrobat Pro—for PDF creation and electronic forms completion and signing.
• Loseit-see below.

Personal Health

Staying fit is critical to reducing stress and being efficient and effective. Although it gets tiresome, I count calories (I use a software program called LoseIt on my iPhone) and I track my exercise using the same program.

I run four miles a day six days a week (Sunday off) unless providentially hindered. I maintain my weight within the “ideal range,” for my height and age.

I do NOT like running and I do not like counting calories—but—doing so makes a big difference in how well I sleep at night and how much energy I have each day.

Because I do not like running, I do not sit down when I get home—not even for a minute!! I walk immediately to the closet and change into my exercise cloths and mount the treadmill.

Life is hectic and our jobs are demanding. Learning to thrive rather than merely survive as a leader is a challenge. It can be done. Attention to one’s spiritual and physical health, establishing good practices and habits, and making appropriate use of technology can all, when used in combination, reduce stress while we strive to accomplish more for God’s glory.

When Times are Difficult Consider Said Musa

Leading a school can be a tough business!  I joke with my parents that my job is easy;

I only deal with people’s children, money, and religion!

People can be complainers, inconsiderate, gossips, stubborn, resistant to change, and just downright mean and ornery.   Such people can make our jobs and lives miserable.

Before you and I start feeling sorry for ourselves, consider Said Musa’s situation.  After reading of his plight I believe we will gain a little perspective on our troubles.

Said Musa’s Story

A terrible drama is unfolding in Afghanistan: There are reports that Said Musa, whose
situation I described at Christmas, will soon be executed for the ‘crime’ of choosing to
become a Christian. (For background, see here.)

Musa was one of about 25 Christians arrested on May 31, 2010, after a May 27 Noorin TV
program showed video of a worship service held by indigenous Afghan Christians; he was
arrested as he attempted to seek asylum at the German embassy. He converted to Christianity eight years ago, is the father of six young children, had a leg amputated after he stepped on a landmine while serving in the Afghan Army, and now has a prosthetic leg. His
oldest child is eight and one is disabled (she cannot speak). He worked for the Red Cross/Red Crescent as an adviser to other amputees.

He was forced to appear before a judge without any legal counsel and without knowledge of
the charges against him. “Nobody [wanted to be my] defender before the court. When I said
‘I am a Christian man,’ he [a potential lawyer] immediately spat on me and abused me and
mocked me… . I am alone between 400 [people with] terrible values in the jail, like a sheep.”
He has been beaten, mocked, and subjected to sleep deprivation and sexual abuse while in
prison. No Afghan lawyer will defend him and authorities denied him access to a foreign
lawyer.

Any and every human being who is imprisoned, abused, or tortured for the free and peaceful
expression of their faith deserves our support, but Musa is also a remarkable person and
Christian. In a letter smuggled to the West, he says, “The authority and prisoners in jail did
many bad behavior with me about my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. For example, they did
sexual things with me, beat me by wood, by hands, by legs, put some things on my head.”
He added a thing much more important to him, that they “mocked me ‘he’s Jesus Christ,’
spat on me, nobody let me for sleep night and day… . Please, please, for the sake of Lord
Jesus Christ help me.” (See the full letter here)

He has also stated that he is willing to give his life for his faith. “Please, please you should
transfer me from this jail to a jail that supervises the believers… . I also agree … to sacrifice
my life in public [where] I will tell [about my] faith in Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, [so]
other believers will take courage and be strong in their faith.”

… The Wall Street Journal reports that “Afghan officials have been unapologetic:

The sentence for a convert is death and there is no exception.

said Jamal Khan, chief of staff at the Ministry of Justice.

They must be sentenced to death to serve as a lesson for others.

Here is Said Musa’s handwritten letter (click on the image to see a larger version).

Our Response:

• Let’s pray consistently for Said Musa and other persecuted Christians.
• Tell these stories to our students so that they understand the price that many Christians are called to pay to follow Jesus—a price that we and they may be called upon to pay as well.
• Use this story in Bible classes, chapels, and staff devotions as an antidote to the false prosperity “gospel.”
• Our struggles are real and they hurt but keep them in perspective.  Said Musa lost a leg, has a disabled daughter, has been imprisoned, beaten, humiliated, spat upon, and abused.  He will likely be executed for being a Christian.  There is no hint of blaming God, claiming God is unfair, etc.  Instead, he is willing to die publically to be a witness for Jesus.  I don’t know about you, but my meager struggles pale in comparison—in fact there is NO comparison.
• Let us learn to suffer hardship, of whatever sort, for the sake of serving Christ and his kingdom in and through our schools.  May God grant us the grace to joyfully endure hardship and to be counted worthy to suffer for his sake.  May we mirror Said’s commitment to Christ before our students and parents.

Should Teachers Text, Facebook, or Twitter Students?

Do you think electronic communication between teachers and students should be forbidden or restricted? What are the benefits and risks of texting with students? How have you used texting and/or social networking as an educational tool.

What about Facebook?  Twitter?

Share your thoughts with the hundreds of educators who read this blog.

U.S. Schools Are Still Ahead—Way Ahead?

Want some good news?  According to the article posted below (Bloomberg Businessweek, January 12, 2011), contrary to what we read in the media, U.S. students and s chools are way ahead of their foreign counterparts.  This article makes essentially the same argument that Yong Zhao makes in his excellent book, Catching Up or Leading the Way: American Education in the Age of Globalization. 

These positive assessments of American education contrast sharply with Friedman’s The World is Flat, 2 Million Minutes, statements by Bill Gates, and a host of other reports and books. 

I am going to email Bill Gates and Thomas Friedman to see if they have a reaction to this report.  IF, A BIG IF, I get a response, I’ll let you know.

What do you think?

U.S. Schools Are Still Ahead—Way Ahead

America's alarm about international rankings of students overlooks some critical components of our education system, Vivek Wadhwa says

By Vivek Wadhwa

America has an inferiority complex about its education system. You hear the sirens every year, when the OECD Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) releases its annual test results. Finland, South Korea, and Singapore usually come out on top; we start blaming our K-12 teachers for not teaching enough mathematics and science; we begin worrying about the millions of engineers and scientists China and India graduate.

This year the big surprise was that Shanghai garnered first place in the PISA rankings. Then The Wall Street Journal ran a story on the home page of its website titled "Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior." The Journal article claimed that Chinese (and Korean, Indian, etc.) parents raise "stereotypically successful kids"—math whizzes and music prodigies. They do this by not allowing their children to attend sleepovers; have a playdate; be in a school play; complain about not being in a school play; watch TV or play computer games; choose their own extracurricular activities; get any grade less than an A; not be the No. 1 student in every subject except gym and drama. The article went on to recount as typical a series of acts that would be considered child abuse in the U.S. (and aren't the norm in India and China).

The Journal article was simply bizarre, yet it is true that education in China and India is very challenging and fiercely competitive. Children are brought up to believe that education is everything, that it will make the difference between success and starvation. So from their early years they work long and hard. Most of their childhood is spent memorizing books on advanced subjects.

American Stereotypes

Meanwhile, the perception is that American children live a relatively easy life and coast their way through school. They don't do any more homework than they have to; they spend an extraordinary amount of time playing games, socializing on the Internet, text-messaging each other; they work part time to pay for their schooling and social habits. And they party. A lot. These stereotypes worry many Americans. They believe the American education system puts the country at a great disadvantage. But this is far from true.

The independence and social skills American children develop give them a huge advantage when they join the workforce. They learn to experiment, challenge norms, and take risks. They can think for themselves, and they can innovate. This is why America remains the world leader in innovation; why Chinese and Indians invest their life savings to send their children to expensive U.S. schools when they can. India and China are changing, and as the next generations of students become like American ones, they too are beginning to innovate. So far, their education systems have held them back.

My research team at Duke looked in depth at the engineering education of China and India. We documented that these countries now graduate four to seven times as many engineers as does the U.S.The quality of these engineers, however, is so poor that most are not fit to work as engineers; their system of rote learning handicaps those who do get jobs, so it takes two to three years for them to achieve the same productivity as fresh American graduates.As a result, significant proportions of China's engineering graduates end up working on factory floors and Indian industry has to spend large sums of money retraining its employees. After four or five years in the workforce, Indians do become innovative and produce, overall, at the same quality as Americans, but they lose a valuable two to three years in their retraining.

Rankings Reconsidered

And then there is the matter of the PISA rankings that supposedly show the U.S. trailing the rest of the world. Hal Salzman, a professor at Rutgers' John J. Heidrich Center for Workforce Development, debunked myths about these in a May 2008 article in Nature magazine. Salzman noted that international tests use different sampling criteria from country to country, so we're not always comparing apples to apples. As well, the tests compare select populations of small countries such as Singapore and Finland, which each have about 5 million people, with the U.S., which has 310 million. These countries achieve the top rankings on the PISA list. Compare these countries to similar-sized U.S. states, however, and you find that some of those states, including Massachusetts (population 6.5 million), produce the top students. Additionally, we're comparing America's diverse population—which includes disadvantaged minorities and unskilled immigrants with little education—with the homogeneous populations of countries like Finland, Japan, and New Zealand.

Much is made of the PISA test scores and rankings, but the international differences are actually quite small. Most of the U.S. ranking lags are not even statistically significant. The U.S. falls in the second rank on some measures and into the first on others. It produces more highest-performing students in science and reading than any other country does; in mathematics, it is second only to Japan. Moreover, one has to ask what the test results actually mean in the real world. Do high PISA rankings make students more likely to invent the next iPad? Google (GOOG)? I don't think so.

Let's keep improving our education system and focus, in particular, on disadvantaged groups. Education is the future of our nation. But let's get over our inferiority complex. America is second to none. Rather than in mastery of facts learned by rote and great numbers of accomplished martinets, its strength lies in the diversity and innovation that arise in an open, creative society.

Wadhwa is a visiting scholar at University of California-Berkeley, senior research associate at Harvard Law School, and director of research at the Center for Entrepreneurship and Research Commercialization at Duke University. Follow him on twitter—@vwadhwa .

---

Are There Monsters in Your Closet?

Dr. Barrett Mosbacker, PublisherI suspect that as children all of us experienced the fear of thinking a monster was in our closet or under our beds. Even as adults, we can feel the rush of adrenaline or the hair on the back of our necks stand up when we hear things go bump in the night.

As teachers and administrators, we can still be paralyzed by fear from dangers—both imagined and real.

Despite my years of experience, I still feel my stomach tightened and stress increase when my administrative assistant tells me that “Mrs. or Mr. so and so wants to see you about a concern.” I really hate this when she tells me this on Friday afternoon and have to wait until Monday or Tuesday to meet with him or her. All kinds of unpleasant things run through my mind.  I imagine all kinds of monsters are in my closet, soon to enter my office!

As we seek to fulfill our calling before the Lord, we can use the words from God to encourage ourselves with the promise and presence of God:

After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel … 5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous … Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Jos 1:1–9).

Frankly, Joshua and the people had legitimate reasons to fear; there were indeed monsters in the closet—in this case across the river.

· Joshua faced the prospect of following Moses—no small feat and I would think very intimidating.

· He faced the prospect of leading a very rebellious, complaining, and wishy-washy people.

· They all faced the very real dangers of warfare, injury, death, of conquering a new land in which many giants lived.

We face our own giants and fears:

· Parents

· Staff

· Our own inadequacies—real and imagined

· Perhaps enrollment or financial stresses at the school

· Economic distress

· The corruption of the world

· Family problems—especially when as leaders and teachers in Christian schools we are supposed to our families in order—we are not supposed to have prodigals!

· Political ideologies and parties on the left and the right

· Hollywood

· Humanist

· Atheists

· Terrorism

Positive Demeanor in Leadership

Notice the words of God to Joshua:

Be Strong:  Able to withstand force, pressure, or wear, secure, stable, or firmly established.

Be Courageous:  Courage is not the absence of fear; it is the ability to continue with the mission despite the fear; it is the ability to face danger, difficulty, uncertainty, or pain without being overcome by fear or being deflected from a chosen course of action. It is the ability to confront fear, pain, risk/danger, uncertainty, or intimidation. Moral courage is the ability to act rightly in the face of popular opposition, shame, scandal, or discouragement.

Negative Demeanor in Leadership

Do not be frightened: Don’t be frightened off, driven away, driven off course, and hindered by fear. This does not mean that we don’t “feel the emotion of fear.” We do. It means that it does not control our decisions or our actions.

Do not be dismayed: Distress, shattered, filled with terror or fear.

The Basis of Our Strength and Courage in the Midst of Opposition or Difficult Circumstances

A. The LORD:  Sovereign, Transcendent, All Knowing, All Wise, All Powerful

B. YOUR God: He is not a distance deity-he is our God—this is intimate, personal, and relational, implying a deep knowledge and love.

It is the difference between being an adult in relation to children to being the father of our children.

C. WITH you: In the same direction, using the services of (as we are instruments in his hand), in the trenches with you, in the foxhole, in the battle, in the meeting, etc. We are not alone to fend for ourselves.

WHEREEVER: in good times, bad times, when praised, when attacked, in times of plenty, in times of scarcity.

Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, “FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.”

But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom. 8:35-39, ESV)

Appropriating God’s Promises

A. It is God who blesses the “Work of our Hands.”

We must relax; it is the Lord who will bless the work of our hands! 

Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. (Job 1:9, ESV)

B. Trust Our God

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (Pr 3:5–6, ESV).

C. Abide in Christ

⁵ I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing… ⁷ If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. ⁹ As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. ¹¹ These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. (John 15:5-11)

D. Only By Prayer and Fasting

Everything thing we face and every decision requires that we go to the Lord in prayer.  There are some issues, however, that require more intense spiritual focus—prayer AND fasting.

The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up. After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.” (Mk 9:26–29, ESV)

If you are facing what seems like an insurmountable or intractable problem, it may require a sustained season of focused, intense prayer and fasting.  It may also require constant impromptu short prayers to the Father whenever the issue comes to mind.

E. Persistence/Steadfastness

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. (Gal. 6:9, ESV).

F. Suffer Hardship--God’s presence and blessing does not mean it will be easy

The school business is a hard, difficult, and sometimes discouraging one. I often joke with people that running a school is easy, we only deal with people’s children, money, and religion! Adding to the stress are the current economic situation and the general downward spiral of our culture.  Other than that it easy! 

Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. Also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules. The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops. Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel, for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned. For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory. (2 Ti 2:3–10, ESV)

We WIN!

A. Adjusting our Glasses

As Christians and school leaders we are not playing defense, circling the wagons, jumping into the fox hole. We are to be an army on the move, conquering just as Joshua was to lead the people across the river to take the land.

¹⁸ And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matt. 16:18-19)

For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. ⁴ For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. ⁵ We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ (2 Cor. 10:5)

B. Jesus Has Overcome the World

³³ I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” ¹⁷ When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, ² since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. (John 16:33-17:2)

C. The Reward

²¹ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ (Mt 25:21, ESV)

D. Right Now Counts Forever

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. ² And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. ⁴ He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away …. And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. ²³ And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. ²⁴ By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, ²⁵ and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there.” (Rev 21:1-7; 22-25)

Conclusion

Are there monsters in your closet? In your office? In the boardroom? In your classroom? In your inbox? At home?

Relax, Jesus has overcome the world!

We don’t have to fear our monsters, they should never paralyze us. No fear of being world-class, no fear of technology, no fear of the media, no fear of those who oppose us, no fear of the economy. No fear of the future.

Let’s march forward without fear and in God’s strength. Let’s do something great for the Lord! Let’s become world-class in our classrooms, in our offices, in the boardroom, in our schools—for his glory!