The Reality of Education- Simple Things You Can Do to Keep it Real (99)

Being Specific, Talking Slowly and Precisely

Flattening the curve. A term we hear every day on the news. Learning curve. Something educators are repeating, like autopilot responses, in every email response we are sending.

Parents are frustrated- mostly due to confusion and incomplete directions. Students are anxious, they often get lost in the multi-platform, various ways to turn in assignments- the submission quagmire.

As a parent, today in fact, I screamed at the top of my lungs. A week of work turned in by my ten-year old, on the district platform, now has to be entered on a different platform. I kind of lost it.

A crying ten-year old, didn’t help keep my mindfulness in check either. The response from the teacher- ‘I sent an email a week ago, the first of the four I sent.” Really? Do you know how many emails parents are getting? Teachers are getting.

I simply replied. “Thank you for all you do.” I know she is a fellow educator and she is flattening the curve too. Finding her groove in the learning curve. But it got me thinking. 

Has this happened to any of the parents of my students? Was I not clear at some point, and they chose to say, “Thank you for all you do,” instead of venting at me?

Reality Check #1- Emails get lost. Send out clear, precise, very specific directions at the beginning of every week. Link it to the module or lesson as a must do before they begin anything else. 

A post and a podcast. Some parents and students need verbal instructions, while others prefer text.

Not only will this minimize emails to you and questions for you- it will more importantly, ease parental anxiety and student frustration.

The Rules Have Changed, But the Game Remains the Same

Relentless routines grind down the peaks. It is no one’s job to create a peak- it’s a hassle and time-consuming, to say the least. But we can build our determination.

We can help our students find their fortitude and tenacity. But, if we do not design lessons (yes even on-line) that engage them, this dedication will wane quickly. We as educators need to look for moments of substance and impact in everyday life.

Distance learning needs games, not just practices. We are no longer present, looking them in the eye, for 45 minutes a day. Even if we are chatting in an on-line group, we still have very little control, over what they are doing.

Let’s face it, behavior management has shifted from teacher to parent and with a house full of kids, it is difficult to maintain. I personally, have a quick 15-minute chat and a 15-minute conference each week as a class. That’s all.

Then I set up some assignments for them to do independently. And a blog/discussion where they can interact and bounce ideas off of one another, without me.

It’s not easy to erase the chalk line between habit (what they look for) and the unanticipated (what we hope they see). Familiarity and notability are at odds.

We need to break this consistently and prevent student expectation and boredom. In other words, stir things up a little. Ask an absurd question, let them have some fun discussing how to answer it.

Our lessons need to be recognizable and comfortable to a certain degree, especially for differentiation purposes, but they also need to have some wonder.

Reality Check #2– On-line lessons often run off of modules or a sequenced list. Unfortunately, this is a recognizable, familiar format and should be left as the scaffold.

But, without pulling in too many unknowns- too many outside places to submit things, we should keep things interesting. But compelling and stimulating need not be some totally new format.

Add a funny comic for them to interpret, or piece of art to creatively write about- within the same platform. Don’t add more components- just more layers.

Break the Script

Let’s face it, the ‘moments’ we were having as a class, in person, are on hold. The magic and light shows, our pyrotechnic hooks and introductions, seem unattainable currently. In a way they are. The performance art, every educator utilizes, seems unnecessary, but is it?

The idea is easy, the execution is hard. They can click on millions of links at any time. There ARE far more flamboyant, humorous and entertaining videos and games available to them- than us.

Reality Check #3- We are not the most cool or engaging thing on the Internet. Or in their learning world.

But, we can up our game. The venue might be set, but the stakes can be raised. The sensory appeal can be attractive enough, that we get them away from their devices for a while. We can avoid the soul sucking voice of reasonableness.

Italo Calvino- “Seek and learn to recognize who and what in the midst of the inferno, are not inferno, then make them endure, give them space.”

I see this as an opportunity to use the space, the distance between us as a tool. Use it as a pause button. This can give students time to figure things out, without us bombarding them with stimulus and questions.

We need to use the routine, the scaffolding of our on-line platform- but the problems we present to them can remove them from it. Flip the script. Have them create a lesson and share it with the class in a blog/discussion.

Let them find new websites and games that will help other students.

Break the script by simply giving students a topic- a single vague question and then tie it to the unit. Make sure they understand the parameters and then set them free.

You will be amazed at the level of complexity and thoroughness they will show.

There is an ‘I'm’ in Imperfection

Distance learning has taught me one thing. My classroom is run like a loose confederacy.

I rely on the commitment of my students. It is my job to create a place, albeit a virtual one, where my students don’t just understand something, but that they feel something.

I need to deliver a jolt. There is a certain freshness and sport, about this whole new learning platform. There is a novelty of first times in our lives. It helps when we make sure to bring this into our lessons. It creates a sense of curiosity.

Reality Check #4- There is beauty in imperfection. There is humility in vulnerability that leads us to more connections with parents and students. Be honest, deliberate and understanding.

Listen, read an email, then read it again. Respond not react. Take the time to be imperfect because if you focus on being perfect, you will miss opportunities to problem solve, with parents and students. We are better together.

Soak up the Bumps

You can’t schedule a realization. Or prompt a student discovery. You can, however, leave clues for them to follow and hopefully at the end of the maze, something clicked into place.

Reality Check #5- Students are not Lego bricks and sometimes, they just don’t connect with the content.

So how can we make sure, that they trip over the truth? We need to make sure that every student is figuring things out- yet, we absolutely do not want to make things too challenging- this is a time for simplicity.

Then with those students who need some enrichment- we can design for some obstacles. It is an oddity, a juxtaposition for me, to have modules they need to follow. It feels too structured. It takes away some of my creativity. BUT it is necessary.

Consistency is absolute. What lies within the assignments, the layers within are where the creativity lies? Where choice can be presented.

We are presenting a pile of Lego bricks- but we need to allow them choice of size, shape and color- the architecture is personal, the tools are universal.

Let's not let the Wish be the Father of the Thought

What we are doing as educators currently, with distance learning is- TRUTH- forcing us into a screen. An entity students have long ago accepted as a tool for fun and adventure.

So, we can make our lessons remarkable or forgettable- we have to choose because, we already have a barrier, the computer itself and all its glorious options.

Delighting your students is unattainable, unless you provide the basics. There is a constant face-off between time and attention. Every quibble relocates their attention and there is absolutely nothing we can do about it.

Reality Check #6- It is hard to keep students from adopting a siege mentality.

We need multi-trackers- promotion(keep them excited and surprised)and prevention(removing heft but keeping value). Bright spots are necessary.

Students are living in an emotional cul-de-sac. It feels like they are trapped and in a sense they are. We have a risk- one that leans towards in-action. How can we combat this?

1-Create a local analogy- a similar problem, something we all have in common, quarantine, distancing, anxiety. In other words, a granular problem for them to solve.

2-Create a regional analogy- another problem to compare it to, (activity specific). In other words, a conceptual problem they need to solve.

3-Ladder up the lessons- On the lower rungs give them a view of the situation, to find similarities. Then the higher rungs, offer more and more options of how to answer questions- give them reasons to go outside in their yard, play a board game, play their instrument or dance around to their favorite song- and ask them to make connections to the content.

As the week goes on, and the content solidifies, we can get more and more abstract. They can ascend the ladder until they have understanding. If they don’t. Offer some binoculars (review podcast, outside websites and articles) for them to be able to see the view from every angle.

Some students will get there early, some will take every rung. It doesn’t matter, as long as they keep climbing because they are curious what they will find.

Reality Check #7- Not everyone has a ladder. Not everyone wants to climb a ladder. We have to present our lesson at ground level as well as throughout the ascension.

1- The platform is there for a reason. To make things as clear and simple as possible.
2- Too much information is not what students need. They need simple, but also open-ended enough for them to put their own stamp on it.
3-  The layers are what matter- the components are universal the layers are personal.
4-  You can’t avoid confusion. You can’t prevent misunderstanding. No matter how clear you think you are (text and verbal in a podcast) there will always be someone who needs help. Be patient.
5- Students don’t need pyrotechnics they need moments of reveal and a stream of consistency. You are not their only teacher.
6-  Parents need one email, if that, a week. Keep it simple and direct. They are bombarded, under siege at every direction. Put yourself in their shoes.
7-  It should never be about the grade. Always about the growth. Growth comes from curiosity- its that simple.
8- Let them communicate with one another- social interaction is virtual and we need to let them just talk, as we do in our brick and mortar classrooms.


Now...take a deep breath....the learning curve is flattening, the contagion curve will take more time. 

Find your favorite song- the one that makes you energized, reflective and passionate.

For me it's "Across the Universe" by The Beatles. If you haven't listened to it in a while- you should. It will give you a new perspective.

Imagine Yourself at Disneyland- The Happiest Place on Earth (97)

I grew up in southern California. Most of my life anyway. I visited Disneyland many times- long before California Theme Park, among others, arrived on the scene. It was just one park and it was magnificent.

It was the perfect place for a first date- there were places where you could get scared and need reassurance. There was a romantic train ride or tasty restaurants. There were fun rides that exhilarated, even the grumpiest of guests. Whether they spun around, climbed great heights, or simply raced you around a track- each held a certain charm.

There were different 'lands'. Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, Adventureland, Frontierland, and Main Street. Just to name a few. Each a gloriously themed meeting place where restaurants, shops and amusement rides, took you on a journey. It was sheer delight. It still is for many, I am sure. I haven't gone in a long time.

My favorite was always Tomorrowland, with the ride Space Mountain. I loved the suspense of the darkness and speed. Taking off in a rocket car. It was marvelous. One of the fastest rides in the park.

Then there was the humor of the Jungle Cruise guides. The spookiness of the Haunted Mansion. The addictive song of Pirates of the Caribbean. It was good times indeed.

When you needed to relax you could take a ride on the monorail or across the park in an overhead tram. The options were unlimited. Every sweet treat imaginable lured you into the candy shops. Stuffed animals, snow globes and trinkets caught your eye, as you walked down every avenue.

There was a paddle wheel boat. An electrical parade and fireworks display in the evenings. Plus a huge white mountain with a roller-coaster inside it, called the Matterhorn. At night tinker bell came down a zip line, towards the mountain, waving at us, reminding us to dream.

It was so memorable- I can close my eyes and smell the popcorn as I write this. I can hear the wheels screeching on the rides, the laughter of families. I can feel the cool California breeze. It's still magical.

I haven't been there for twenty years. I am sure it has changed tremendously. But my memory of it, will always be that of my childhood eyes and senses and my teenage years with friends.

It has been closed during this time. The park is quiet. The amusement is on hold. There are only three other times in history, it has been closed- When JFK was assassinated, the Northridge Earthquake in 1994 and 9/11.

This closure really hits home. The silence I can actually imagine, even though I am not there. The situation we are in is so big. So global and impactful. It is going to be remembered for a long time to come.

I think we need to close our eyes more often and remember places, like this, that make us feel happy and content. Places like Disneyland. On my wall is an original Disneyland ticket book from my youth. Still full of tickets. Back then we had to use different tickets for different rides- now its just the price of admission. As a teenager my price of admission kept me there all day and night- until the gates closed.

I wish I could go there right now. Hear the marching band, as they march down main street, eat giant pink mounds of cotton candy, buy a Mickey Mouse shaped balloon. Nostalgic overload. So instead of reading the news- I choose to close my eyes and remember. Take a literal trip down memory lane.

It feels like all of the rides are combined into one right now. The juxtaposition is palpable. I feel the pull to my memory and a tug to the present uncertainty. At least if I lean back- I can feel safe and secure for awhile.

Then- Scary heights of a roller-coaster just before the drop. Dark tunnels and corridors. Twists and turns, fast spinning wheels, making me discombobulated. I am feeling very much as if the ground has dropped out, from underneath me.

But, I have to stay focused. I have to find something positive to latch on to or I will spiral out. Caramel corn and giggles. Looking up to a cloudless sky- looking at a map and deciding where to go next. I choose memory lane.

So find your "Happiest Place on Earth."- close your eyes, take a deep breath, and go there every now and again. I promise you, it will make you feel better.

The Race Has Just Begun, Pace Yourself (95)

The starting gun has been fired the sprint has begun. 

The dirt grinding under our feet, as sneakers dig and release. 

The white chalk lines, blurring as dust is exhausted behind us. 

We are not looking at the end of the course. We are not noticing those in the lane to our right and left. We are simply looking forward.

Some marathon’s keep us in good shape because we train for them. Sprints rely on our endurance. Relay requires teamwork and cooperation. 

Track and field might hone our athletic skill- but if we do not take the time to rest after the haul, we will never be able to tackle the next heat.

This obstacle course is tough. A climbing wall, tire agility and quick reflexes- each part requiring practice. But, when you are submerged into an unfamiliar sequence, a detour- we don’t have time to train. 

We simply have to run, jump, crawl, swim as fast as we can- so we have the speed to adjust. So, we have the velocity to make the turn.

This event is not a dash or sprint- it is not a marathon either. It is a chase. We might not have had the time to assemble our rations before the starting gun fired. But, as things slow ever slightly- we have a moment to formulate a plan. 

Create a new training regimen. So here we go athletes, drink plenty of water, strengthen those muscles- and let’s keep the pace.

Just Mindful Quotes (93) A Zen Post

Today I got my Zen Desk Calendar. I know its April- but I wanted a daily visual I could use every day to help me just as I sign on, transfer into teacher mode- some simple quote to help me look inward. Here are my favorites of January-March. Today is inward reflection, not outward. So a simple post.

Learn to wish that everything should come to pass exactly as it does- Epictetus

Meditation is when you sit down and do nothing. Poetry is when you sit down and do something- Norman Fischer

Always be on the lookout for the presence of wonder- E.B. White

Awe is everywhere, we just don't always perceive it- Alain De Botton

A moment's insight is sometimes worth a life's experience- Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.

There is nothing you need to do first in order to be enlightened- Thaddeus Golas

'Tis very puzzling on the brink
Of what is called Eternity to stare,
And know no more of what is here
than there -Lord Byron

Nothing is more ancient than the truth- Rene' Descartes

The truth is rarely pure and never simple- Oscar Wilde

If you don't become the ocean, you'll be seasick every day- Leonard Cohen

First Lines, First Contact, First Impressions (91)

Quintessential quotes. “Do not ask what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” -“I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart.” -“Knowing what must be done does away with fear.” And “I have a dream.” They move us. 

These quotes inspire us. Drive humanity forward. Push us to be better. These quotes have been spoken many times- the first being the most profound. From the mouths of these great men and women came hope.

In this current situation, far less dire than many that have come before it, we are afraid. We are myopic at times. We are exhausted. Frazzled. Many losing their optimism. But we must keep our front lines fortified.

Our first lines of defense strong. Our first interchanges optimistic. Today, I went through my bookshelf and took out a few books. I have a lot- I am an avid reader.

I chose some of the opening lines- the first set of words in these books. The sentences that launched a novel. The hooks that lured me in. They are very much relevant and ironic in fact. They inspired me to write about the world we live in.

And it made me see that, as much as society has evolved, as much as technology has surpassed anything most of these writers could imagine- we are still conquering many of the same obstacles.

A screaming comes across the sky. —Thomas Pynchon, Gravity's Rainbow (1973)

This invasion came over from a distant land or so it seemed. For awhile we felt safe, like it was never going to reach our shores in mass. Yet, it did. A reminder that our world is global. We are connected via air, land and sea.

It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. —George Orwell, 1984 (1949)

As we enter April it feels like a curse. Like a Friday the 13^th evil plot. Superstitious I am not. But, being cooped up inside, now until May 4^th- the force does not feel like it is with me. It feels like we are under siege.

Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board. —Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937)

We see glimpses of hopes, that there will be an end in sight. But we know the world will never be the same. This is the Titanic event, the Black Swan of this new century. We will endure but we will be distanced, and this will leave a mark. Society is going to be different.

I had the story, bit by bit, from various people, and, as generally happens in such cases, each time it was a different story. —Edith Wharton, Ethan Frome (1911)

This quote speaks for itself. Find reliable resources.

In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit- J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit (1937)

We are all Baggins’ these days. Hopefully safe in our Shire. Yet, we crave adventure like Bilbo. We will fight orcs, goblins and Gollum’s in our minds. But if we find our quest, gather our collective, we will conquer them.

The year 1866 was signalized by a remarkable incident, a mysterious and inexplicable phenomenon, which doubtless no one has yet forgotten. - Jules Verne, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1870)

This incident Covid-19, Corona Virus- what ever name you choose to package it- is simply mind boggling. We are experiencing a life changing alteration to our mindset. We will never see the world, the same again. Now even the smallest of invaders will be remembered on a large scale- the scale of world wars and natural disasters. It will be one of many inexplicable phenomenon to come. It is the moment, hopefully, that humanity pauses and comes together. To cooperate to solve the problems of today on a global scale.

“Everyone my age remembers where they were and what they were doing when they first heard about the contest.” – Ernest Cline -Ready Player One (2011)

First’s are important. These opening phrases leapt off the page. They are memorable and inspiring. Mindfulness and positivity will create first impressions that will last long after the distancing has eased up a bit. Rudeness and trolling will also leave an impression- that those who are behaving badly, will not shake any time soon.

Respond not react.

Believe in humanity- we are basically good. There are those who taint the initial reaction. They halt our first response; we are unsure of how to. It shocks us. So, leave those behind and find those who instantly- you know have a mindful presence. 

Follow those who spread joy and camaraderie. Ignore those that spread fear and isolation.

Be there for one another. For after this first- 21^st century pandemic, when the dust settles- it will be those that left a positive impact that will be remembered fondly. Build your community- they will be the voice of reason, the first line of chapters in your story.

“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them."

Tale as Old as Time (89)

Not Beauty and the Beast exactly. More like good and evil. Positive and negative. Yin and yang. Opposites in constant conflict, repelling, attracting, canceling each other out. Atomic, microscopic, macroscopic, universe sized collisions and avoidance. Nothing is ever truly settled. Nothing is every really balanced. Momentum, inertia, velocity.

There are times when encounters have great magnitude. Earth shaking, concussions that leave deep marks of disfigurement. Even after the wound heals and the scar has become familiar, it hurts. A shadow pain pulsates. But infrequently. Time does not heal all wounds. In fact sometimes it enhances them. There are always pocks and marks that remind us.

There have always been battles of will. Inner torment of guilt and rage that lead to betrayal or deception. A new shiny desire has often lead the most admirable of humans to do unthinkable things. We hold a certain discrepancy- for these collisions never make impact without damage. It might be insignificant at percussion but the waves of energy are never squelched.

Energy is colliding, transforming, never creating or destroying- mingling and bonding in a consistency uncontrollable. We can harness parts of it. Direct it. Funnel it. Use it as we wish. But energy is everywhere- it is literally the giver of life. Physics the melody, biology the harmony. Each requiring the raw essence of spontaneity.

So here we are engulfed with a smash, strike, slam of a wallop with a microscopic invader. The macro again meets the micro. Yet on a magnitude so vast it literally hit every corner of the globe. Contact begets failure. Connection propagates. Isolation sires prevention. But it also stirs up the energy pool.

What we had forgotten rises to the surface.

The drudge that remained bottom feeders are now chomping sea weed in the sunlight. Every form of energy is swirling- innovation, ingenuity, despair, boredom, frustration, anger, resentment, fear. This in turn, recycles the bond, renews the juxtaposition of positive and negative, healthy and ill, friendliness and rudeness.

We are on a path, set down before us from the reactionary attitude of energy. Relentless and unforgiving. It has its orbit, its pattern, its rotation and trajectory. It spreads- ebbs and flows. It will make contact. It will conquer. For energy always does. It is both destroyer and life-giver. Tale as old as time.

Atoms meet, molecules bond, viruses and bacteria spread, energy converges, builds, transfers. Sometimes we get side-swiped by its wave. Other times we get consumed by it. These days it is bombarding us from every angle. Every emotion, every physical side-effect entangling us. We feel like we are sinking, downward into the abyss.

But, alas, tale as old as time- the same energy that created the stars, the universe, the planet and all her beauty- lifts us. Generates our sense of self. Builds bridges of communication. Some collisions destroy while others create. Creation is upon us. What happens after the dust settles is up to us.

There is a Lot of Kindness Too (87)

There is so much talk of irrational behavior, overload and frustration. But there is also a lot of kindness out there. A lot of people volunteering, donating supplies and sending out positive communication.

Many shelves might be empty in retail stores but people are still looking out for one another.

Here are a few positive stories from my son- who four days a week is working at a grocery store.

Yesterday he was bagging groceries for a Vietnam Vet- who after my son helped him to his car and unloaded his groceries for him, said to him- "Thank you for your service." my son said, "What?, Not at all." He smiled at the man and replied. "Thank you for YOUR service. I am just bagging groceries." The man replied- "You are giving back to the community, it is service. Thank you for coming to work and helping us." He tipped him a dollar. My son didn't wan't to take it but he said, "Please, for me." So he did.

My son said he teared up. He had never thought of it as service, just a job.

My son was walking through the store after his break. They were unloading a shipment of paper products. A man walked up to him and said "I see there is paper products, finally." My son replied, yup. The man said "Aren't you going to take some? He said I don't have enough money. It's a luxury item."

The man came up to him a few minutes later, after my son had returned to work. "You deserve a luxury, Thank you for coming to work and helping us." He handed him a 12 pack of toilet paper- receipt included. My son was flabbergasted. "Thank you so much." He replied "It's the simple acts of kindness that matter. You deserve an act of kindness."

So amidst the uncertainty and I must admit a bit of rudeness and self-preservation- there is kindness and gratitude. Every act of mindfulness and kindness matters, like I said in my post yesterday. Here are just two examples.