Chicago and the Longer School Day

This year, Chicago public schools students will spend more time at school, anywhere from seven to seven and a half hours, up from less than six in previous years (full article here).

The teachers' union believes the school day should be better, not longer, with the specific addition of art and PE. The public schools agreed and added those classes in, but are there really substantive changes? What of the rest of the day, where students are subjected to never-ending test-prep and multiple-choice questions? Is the curriculum more responsive to student interest and abilities, or is it still the same lockstep grind under the Common Core Standards? How does an eight-year-old sit in a classroom for seven hours straight?

Longer school day advocates are basing their push on successful international schools that have both longer school days and school years, and they base their academics on the strict skill-and-drill models from China. Ironically, China is moving away from this model to a more creative model that fosters more innovation.

Square pegs, round holes. If we admitted as a nation what we really believed about schooling, or clarified it to ourselves at least, schools might change dramatically. As it stands, we will continue to blindly grope around, implementing quick fixes from other countries until we actually solidify what it means to educate and what our goals are here in the US. Until we clearly articulate our pedagogical philosophy and stand by it (for example, not only do we say education is important for ALL students but we actually provide resources for every district in equal/fair measure to make that happen instead of continually underfunding education and making the poorest districts with the most need do more with less), these longer days and re-worked standards are just lipstick on a pig.

And that ain't pretty.

Can Kids Be Taught Persistence?

In my view, yes, and Paul Tough agrees with me in his new book How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity and the Hidden Power of Character.  To quote,

"Until recently, most economists and psychologists believed that the most important factor in a child’s success was the IQ. This notion is behind our national obsession with test scores. From preschool-admission tests to the SAT and the ACT—even when we tell ourselves as individuals that these tests don’t matter, as a culture we put great faith in them. All because we believe, on some level, that they measure what matters...But the scientists whose work I followed for How Children Succeed have identified a very different set of skills that they believe are crucial to success. They include qualities like persistence, curiosity, conscientiousness, optimism, and self-control. Economists call these non-cognitive skills. Psychologists call them personality traits. Neuroscientists sometimes use the term executive functions. The rest of us often sum them up with the word character.”

Critics argue that these skills cannot be taught, but the ironic thing is that teaching persistence requires, well, persistence, and an adult's inability to model this quality is half the battle. The other half consists of providing ample opportunities to try, fail, and try again, and to help kids build the skills that they need to manage that failure so that instead of crippling them it moves them forward.

Not only can persistence be taught, it should be of paramount importance in today's classrooms.

Don't Be Afraid To Be Awesome!

Better advice was never given. Don't be afraid to be awesome.

Or brilliant.

Or challenged.

Or questioned.

Or successful.

Or uncertain.

Or bold.

Or revolutionary.

Or visionary.

Or ahead of your time.

Don't be afraid to be all of the things humans can be when they abandon what they know to be TRUE and set out to discover their limitless potential.

Don't be afraid. We are all in this together.

Passion + Purpose + Mastery = Creating Innovators

Passion. Purpose. Mastery.

The three things needed to create innovators, according to this book. And I agree.

Are you passionate about what you are doing? What is your purpose in doing it? Are you an expert in your field or working towards it?

These things come together to make beautiful ideas soar. Everyone can innovate when give time and space to find these three components and bring them all together. It requires time and effort, but the results can be astonishing.

Olympic Fever!

The Olympics began with little fuss in our house (and officially begin Friday), as we have killed our TV and thus missed all advertising and hoopla, but we are still interested in following our favorite events (equestrian and now-defunct softball). Most sites require cable TV to view events (boo), but here is one way to keep track of results and athletes online.

The above link also gives access to social media like Twitter feeds and Facebook; this may be the most connected Games ever!

Improving Communication - Six Ways

Have you ever accidentally offended someone, so accidentally that their response came as a complete surprise? This happened to me this week; a note that I attached to a document was apparently so offensive that it ended a business relationship. After going over it with The Husband (this is not our first conversation about tone, I'll be honest), he deemed it innocuous and left me a bit baffled.

When I opened up Twitter this morning and saw an article regarding the difficulty scientists have communicating with the public because of interpretation, it seemed the perfect time to discuss communication. The article above is specific to global warming and public perception, but really, communcation is a universal issue.

So what works?

1. Clarity. Know exactly what you are trying to communicate and be honest about it. Don't try to fancy it up; be direct and don't clutter up your communication with too many words or explanations. Get to the point.

2. Don't interpret reactions. If you don't understand what someone is saying, or are confused by the way they are saying it, ask them what they mean.

3. Listen more than you talk. Ask questions. Listening is an underrated art, and the people who communicate best are those who listen to actually hear what the person is saying. You know you need to work on this skill if you find yourself planning your response while someone is talking to you.

4. Be patient. Not everyone is articulate, and not everyone can think quickly on the fly. No judgement in this statement - this is just the way people are. Teachers call this using wait time; allow people to formulate their thoughts and don't jump in with more questions, facts, feelings, etc.

5. Don't assume. Don't assume you now what someone thinks, feels or is planning to say. You have no idea and may be (un)pleasantly surprised if oyu try.

6. Possibly the most important tip: be kind. Everyone is fighting some sort of battle daily and that colors their communication. Understand that reactions or responses may have nothing to do with you, and cut people a little slack. Imagine that they are on your side, they just don't know it yet.

I contacted the offended party and apologized, simply and directly. I didn't try to explain or justify; I just said, "I am sorry." Hopefully it will be received well, but I cannot control how it is received (another frustrating part of communication); I can only move on from here and try to do it better next time!

What Makes Some People Successful?

It is not IQ, as some would believe (or "innate ability" or "natural gifts," although both of those things are certainly helpful!).

According the "The success myth," research shows that much of what makes certain people successful where others are not boils down to small things like persistence, having a plan and coping with adversity.

This is good news: you don't have to be a genius or be naturally adept at something to be successful; hard work, perseverance and focusing on what is important is just as valuable and more helpful in the long run.

So get out there and do something fabulous!