Mr Bass Online

The last section of the book, Lincoln on Leadership, has to do with his communications with others.  While this section is specifically about communication, it strikes me that all three of the other sections also had to do with communication.  Ronald Reagan was called “the great communicator,” but that title may have better been left to Abraham Lincoln.  He understood the need for appropriate and concise communication with everyone in which he came into contact.

“The Art of Public Speaking” is the title of chapter 13.  Being well spoken is a very important part of getting people to follow any given leader.  I listen to podcasts on a daily basis.  Many of these podcasts contain interviews of various people.  While I don’t claim to be a public speaking expert, I do understand the need for eliminating verbal cues, such as “you know” and “um” from your speech.  Whenever I record myself, I do go back in and edit these verbal cues out of the recording.  However, whenever I speak in public, I always have this in the back of my mind.  I try to be succinct in my speech, and, rather than resorting to verbal “filler,” I try to simply pause.  I’ve heard that the sound of silence is the most difficult sound when speaking in front of others.  This is something that, early in my teaching career, I made a concerted effort to learn.  When an educator asks a question and no one answers, it’s hard to let the silence linger.  However, it’s necessary.  My 10th graders were waiting for me to answer for them, it became an game between us, who could wait the longest.

While Lincoln was probably aware of his verbal cues, he was even more concerned with the message that he was giving.  He knew that everything he said would be scrutinized and that everything he said, not only represented himself, but the United States as a whole.  This is true of educators as well.  As we talk to our students (and as those in my position talk to teachers) we are representing our districts and departments.  We are all a part of something bigger.  When we speak, whether we want to or not, we represent that larger group.  Sometimes that’s a department, other times it’s a school or district.  Regardless, we must choose our words wisely, because, regardless of the context, only in rare circumstances do we only represent ourselves.

According to Phillips, storytelling was one of the techniques that Lincoln used regularly.  In chapter 14, “Influence People Through Storytelling and Conversation,” Phillips outlines Lincolns prolific storytelling ability and his ability to connect with those who could be considered “the common man.”  I’ve always known that telling story can make a point even better than if it were brought up outright.  As a teacher, telling story would often draw the interest of my students.  (Funny though, they liked to hear stories, but reading stories was not of great interest to them.)

One lesson that this chapter illustrates is that of using humor to create loyalty in “followers.” Lincoln is said to have used humor to create levity in situations that were especially grave.  He found that humor was a major component in persuading others.

The final chapter of the book, “Preach A Vision and Continually Reaffirm It,” restates the importance of setting goals from Chapter 10.  Lincoln continually went back to the goals and vision that he had when he took office.  Districts and buildings who have developed a mission and continually put it before the teachers will continually come out ahead when they look at whether their goals have been achieved.

Lincoln on Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times gave me a look into the world of Abraham Lincoln and his struggles as President during the Civil War.  When I was a college student, I read a poem by Walt Whitman dedicated to Lincoln that has always stayed with me.

O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,
The ship has weathered every rack, the prize we sought is won,
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up–for you the flag is flung–for you the bugle trills,
For you bouquets and ribboned wreaths–for you the shores a-crowding,
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;
Here Captain! dear father!
This arm beneath your head!
It is some dream that on the deck
You’ve fallen cold and dead.

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still,
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will.
The ship is anchored safe and sound, its voyage closed and done,
From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won;
Exult O shores, and ring O bells!
But I, with mournful tread,
Walk the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

Walt Whitman – Leaves of Grass

Education, Professional Development, Reflections, leadership

I’ve already written about how Abraham Lincoln approached people and character when it came to his leadership style.  In the next section of Donald Phillips book, he takes a look at Lincoln’s endeavors.  The first chapter in this section is entitled “Exercise a Strong Hand – Be Decisive”.  One thing that I really liked about this chapter is Lincoln’s focus on the overall picture.  As a classroom teacher I had a very narrow view of my professional world.  Yes, I was connected in a number of ways to a number of people, but basically, I was in my room, with my students, teaching my curriculum and observing the inner workings of the district as an outsider.  Because of this, I didn’t have a view of the bigger picture.  I thought I did.  I thought that I knew the goals of the district.  I thought that I had an understanding of how the entire organization worked.  I was wrong.  In my current role I have a completely different view of education as a whole.  I’m not attached to a particular school.  I’m attached to a district.  I have a different perspective and lens through which I view my work.  Lincoln’s view was that “an organization is never wisely sacrificed to avoid losing one or two small parts”.  Schools are part of a system of education and classrooms play an integral role in that system but what happens in the classroom is influenced by the greater system.  The system will break down at times but sacrificing a program or a specific unit in a course of study (I’m learning) is not (usually) a reaction but rather part of the system.  If I go back to the classroom, I hope that this lesson is not lost as I get caught up in the mound of papers and narrow focus of my classroom.

Phillip’s next chapter, “Lead by Being Led”, describes Lincoln’s attitude towards his subordinates.  His was focused on goals and let his people make decision to that end.  When all was said and done, he wanted then to say, “We did this ourselves.”  I remember a number of years ago a Modern Media class that I had just taken over from another teacher.  I had equipment and a very outdated curriculum (the text book was published in 1992 and the year was 2000). So we ditched the textbook and I attempted a more authentic learning environment.  As the projects went on, students wanted to do more and more complex projects that pushed the boundaries of my knowledge and the abilities of our equipment.  I learned a lot, but more importantly, I gave them the ability to try different things and worked with them to find solutions rather than giving them solutions that may or may not have worked.  In many cases, the solutions that they came up with were beyond what I would have come up with.  They were innovative and driven.  The project very quickly became their’s.  I was simply along for the ride.  Every now and then there were ideas that were outside the realm of reality and had to be altered to fit our needs.  What it comes down to is that my student’s led me through this project.  They were the creators of their own knowledge.  It was all very exciting and when they were done, they could absolutely say… “We did this ourselves.”

In chapter 10, “Set Goals and Be Results-Oriented”, Phillips writes of Lincoln’s drive for success.  His goal was to always keep a fire lit under his people.  Being a results-oriented person myself, I understand his desire.  However, what I find amazing for many of the great leaders out there is the stamina it takes to keep that up.  Maybe my focus is in too many places.  Maybe I’m not as driven.  Bottom line, I get tired.  Now, I feel as though I come through on my commitments, but I also have to think about (and get better about) recognizing where my attention goes.  Whenever my attention gets pulled away from a task, I need to ask myself, “Is this the best use of my time?”

Another point from this chapter has to do with a “corporate mission” for a group.  At the beginning of last year the team to which I belong created a mission statement and business plan.  We’re trying to develop a brand of which we can be proud.  I think we’re on the way.  So many organizations (schools) have a mission statement that may or may not have buy-in by all of its members.  I think that many times that’s because the mission is not revisited on a regular basis.  Lincoln continually reminded his people of the overall goal and what it took to get there.  I wonder if a simple regular reminder would increase buy-in of school mission statements.

Chapter 11 is a little more specific to industries outside of education.  Entitled, “Keep Searching Until You Find Your “Grant”,” the chapter outlines the long line of generals that Lincoln gave charge of the Army before finally getting to Grant who eventually won the war for him.  Lincoln didn’t have any predisposition to removing someone who he felt was not working out and not realizing results.  It seems that his decisions were based on results rather than emotion.  In my experience, keeping emotion out of decisions is tremendously difficult to do.  There are always biases and experiences that can cloud judgment.  Lincoln was no different, but he had the courage to take action when he felt he needed to.  This is not to say that he didn’t provide ample opportunities for improvement and support, but time needs to be given to make improvements.  Unfortunately, in the world of education and testing, time is not something that we often have.  Teachers who are new to the profession are put in classrooms and expected to perform immediately because their students must be able to have the same opportunities that students in other classes do.  I haven’t completely focused my thoughts on this (as is probably very evident) so this is a little rambling, but I think there’s a tie in there with the support that teachers in classrooms need to teach their students.

The final chapter in this section is “Encourage Innovation.”  Innovation is abundant in education.  Every day I see classes that are working on new things and solving problems with a completely different outlook.  It’s an exciting time for education with all the possibilities that are out there.  At his METC keynote, Will Richardson said that “We are doing a great job preparing our children for their current reality.”  His point was that we’re not doing a great job preparing them for their future.  He asked whether we teach our kids to write using hypertext and linking to sources around the web.  The answer from the audience was basically, “no, we are not.” But, for the most part, everyone agreed that they will probably write using hypertext at some point in their future.   How will they know how to use hypertext in their writing?  If we’re not teaching them these skills, do they just figure them out for themselves?  Lincoln looked for leaders he could learn from and who would find innovative solutions to problems.  Can we teach innovation to our students?  Maybe, can we give them opportunities to be innovative and to solve problems? Absolutely, but only if we allow them to move beyond the five-paragraph essay and give them some control over the criteria of assignments.

Education, PLN, Professional Development, Reflections, leadership

I just sat down to today’s newspaper and found that John Updike has passed away. A number of years ago, I read Rabbit Run as an English major and the book has always stayed with me.  Additionally, I have a signed copy of the book that I received as a gift from a colleague a few years ago that I treasure for two reasons, the fact t

hat Updike signed it and the memory of the school at which I was working when I received it.  Farewell Mr. Updike.

English, authors

Today was the first day of the Midwest Education Technology Conference in St. Louis, MO.  I’m actually on the board for this conference and really enjoy being a part of the planning process.  The day started with Will Richardson’s keynote.  I’ve always enjoyed Will’s writings and presentations.  Imagine my surprise when he referenced NCTE’s Framework for 21st Century Literacies, a document that I helped to author as a part of NCTE’s Executive Board. After the session I went and introduced myself and had a nice chat before another session.  One thing that he said that I really liked was that his kids were his lens to his involvement in education.  Since my kids will be attending the school district in which I work, I have a similar feeling and a vested interest in the district as a whole. I also presented two sessions today.  The first, “Cool Tool Duel,” was a collaborative effort of 6 technology integrators in which we all presented 2 tools to the audience.  Unfortunately, Animoto chose the time I was presenting and showing their site off to do a little server maintenance.  After I logged in, the site actually said, “Went to get a beer, brb.”  This got lots of laughs and completely lightened up the mood.

My second presentation, “Instructional Strategies for a Digital World,” was one that I’ve presented in the past about my time in the classroom and my efforts to create a “paperless classroom.”  I changed the presentation considerably this time because I wanted to tell a story about my experience rather than just explain the concept and how “I” did it.  I wanted my audience to understand “why” I did it that way.  I think it went well and I enjoyed the session. I ended my day in another of Will Richardson’s sessions and then a brief sharing session with Meg Ormiston.  After dinner and drinks with DEN and some new Twitter friends, I finally braved the snowy roads and made my way home.  School is canceled for tomorrow so after dropping off the kids at childcare, it’s back to another day of METC with one final presentation.

21st Century Education, NCTE, Online Apps, PLN, Professional Development, metc09, presentations

As a classroom teacher, I always enjoyed creating video projects with my students.  We did audio and video podcasting and other films when they lent themselves to the curriculum.  Last year I was helping Melissa Pomerantz do a documentary film with one of her classes and in our conversations we talked about ways in which to get this film out to the world. Thus began the brainstorm for a student film festival.  I pitched it to my boss who liked the idea and then I took it before the rest of my team members hoping that they’d all be into it too. They were and thus the Parkway Digital Film Festival was born.

I am happy to announce that the film festival is coming to fruition beginning with our official announcement today as seen in the video I’ve posted below.  I’m really excited about the possibilities of this and will probably be writing a lot about it between now and April. I put the video of Susan (a colleague) together and have it hosted on Parkway Digital (our district YouTube that we built to share video).

Film Festival