Something To Think About

I was telling my kids today how vital it is to work beyond, way beyond, mediocrity. They need to be able to compete with people all over the world for employment. I mentioned that was in and of itself not the problem. The challenge for them is that there are kids all over the planet...particularly Asia, that are much harder workers, more sophisticated learners, more socially adept, more patient problem solvers, and will complete the job faster for less money. Something to think about.

A Check-In with Mr. P

We are numbed down. Let the anesthetizing continue.

Crestfallen, naturally

I was working with some kids today on personal goals. I was very excited to show them how to do this and encouraged them to think big, but to formulate something they could achieve in one year or less. It could, however, lead them to the larger goal.

So this boy had a goal that involved odd jobs in his neighborhood. It was part of a larger enterprising scheme. He had worked himself up into a white heat of enthusiasm for his idea. Suddenly, another teacher walked in and informed both of us that the goal had to be academic and school related. It was entirely my own fault...I didn't know that either, and I should have.

He was crestfallen, naturally. I'm not sure, but I think he wept. I was embarassed, and angry, that I remain part of a system that is too often demoralizing to the same people that we are supposed to inspire.

How to Cheat?

On Yahoo! news the other day there was an article about teens who are creating videos. No surprise there, actually, but these were How to Cheat videos kids posted on YouTube. Well, okay, actually there is no surprise there either.

The investigative reporters actually caught up with two of these cherubs and questioned them about their escapade. Not surprisingly, they didn't really express any shame because, you know, everyone does it. (And of course, if everyone does it, it must be moral you idiots so leave us alone. We are not doing anything wrong because of the numbers!) This is the narrative of Pop Culture. They only seemed luke warm to the idea of an apology, to me, and were perhaps incredulous that anyone said anything at all about it.

I have an idea. How about we design "tests" that they can't cheat on in the first place? For example, how about we teach them about themselves? No kidding. Talk to them about what it takes to succeed on anything: courage, trust, persistence, empowering decision-making, empowering beliefs, and teamwork. Then stick them on a rock climbing course or a high ropes course and have them set themselves a goal for how far they choose to climb. Sit back and watch them succeed or fail.

That's not enough though. They need to be taught how to properly debrief their success or failure through reflection, analysis, change-making, and setting new goals.

I understand that this is a difficult, impossible, or by itself an insufficient solution. But creative teachers can find ways to do this in a classroom...

Granted, many kids simply aren't going to try at anything, even if they like it. Some of their jackass friends talk them out of expressing any kind of effort at all. And that's the beef I have with Pop Culture: it's too busy trying to show kids how to be an overnight celebrity sensation if they can just market their stupidity.

I think that if there was a design where cheating was impossible, we would be kissing this pathetic Pop Culture by-product good-bye. Get rid of these terribly written and useless multiple choice tests, where the answers are found in a nice and tidy set of book pages in the bold and italic print, that the kids find too difficult to read anyway.

It is humorous though. The creativity, diligence, and effort they put into cheating, when directed toward studying, would probably cost them half the effort they're putting in in the first place.

The Kindest Cut

Decision has the same root word as incision, which means to cut. How does that work? Well, when you decide to do something, you cut yourself away from other options. In this way, then, your work doesn't go into wringing your hands wondering if you made the right decision, but your efforts go into making everything work out with your decision. And trust me, the voice of doubt will at least clear his throat from time to time.

As a kid, you don't need to decide what your career will look like! You don't need to have the rest of your life swinging on the knowledge base you have acquired as a child. Those choices will come later for many of you, even though some of you have the rest of your life burning in you right now, meaning it's very clear what you're going to pursue. It's smoldering inside and you're annoyed at having to wait it out for awhile. But for many of you, it's an enormously complex process.

We become very good at making good decisions the same way we become good at anything else: we practice. Middle school kids have the perfect opportunity to practice decision-making on a daily basis. How will I decide to react to that comment? How will I decide to use my time today? Or perhaps it's this, What kind of person will I decide to become? Oh, that's a good one. What kind of person will I decide to become? I had to say it again.

Here's a thought that's difficult for kids to grab with both hands: Not deciding is also a decision not to act!

So practice making decisions. Start small. Make a decision, cut yourself off from retreat, fight the inner notion to unravel your resolve, reflect on how well you did, then make another one.

Wanted: An Educational Heimlich Maneuver

The beginning of a school year is always a great time to review my precepts of change and my vision of education in America. And this is information that is going to konk three of us between the eyes.

Precept Number One: Schools and teachers (including administrators), we have to stop putting the kids to sleep! Few things are going to be more destructive to the kid's brains, or anyone's brain, than activities, voices, assignments, topics, deliveries, structures, schedules, etc. that are not challenging, novel, and markedly different than what we've been sloshing to them since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, or at least the 1970s. Schools and teachers must start studying the brain and what flavors of these things that are not on the menu that should be. The information is out there, let's go find it and start using it! Start with Eric Jensen's Enriching the Brain if you're disoriented.

Precept Number Two: Parents, and I'm hoping this is a minority of us, we absolutely need to drop our sense of entitlement and elitism in our approach to the services we think our wonderful, exceptional children are not getting. Most of the time, it is pitched as what's good for the kid when it really is a puffing of the chest for what's good for Mom or Dad. Look at your child's natural brain lead! Let his or her natural tendencies guide you in guiding them. Don't take a Tom Sawyer and turn him into a Mr. Rogers! Don't take a lily and turn it into a petunia; It won't work anyway. It doesn't mean you lower your expectations, but it does require an effort at helping them build their lives, not yours. Following their lead a bit more will help. Dr. Mel Levine's A Mind at a Time may be a great place to begin.

Precept Number Three: Kids, there is a higher chance of the Pope turning Jewish than you succeeding...unless you fall in love with hard work. You must come to love difficult things, and you must come to understand that difficulty is a fertilizer for growth. If something is acquired easily or cheaply, then it is simply something that was easy or cheap to begin with! Muscle won't grow without momentary failure with heavy weights and for you it is no different. Your issues are real to be sure. Pop culture and the media is slapping you numb with its fascination for stupidity, let alone mediocrity. Please, start reading biographies of eminent Americans! You'll find all the recipes for success you'll ever need in a well-written account of these men and women. And they are very interesting, too! Start reading these and you'll start discovering paths you may personally want to follow! Take charge of your life! Begin building a life centered around your own desires, interests, and abilities!

I don't want to over-simplify a difficult issue, but I'm not going to sit around and wait for this great country of ours to drop dead, like we choked on the hot dog of irresponsibility and blame. All of us need to raise our standard.

Proud Parent

Yay! My son has an assignment to memorize a 24 line poem on parts of speech. He's almost got it down! He achieved! He's advanced!

But he still doesn't know an English conjunction from an Educational dysfunction.

Look for my new bumper sticker, Proud parent of a 24 line memorizer!!!