More Coffee, Please

Well, it’s Friday, and it’s my birthday, and I’m stuck at job #2 when I ought to be at Good Friday services, so a blog seems to be in order. But what to say, what to say?

Hmm.

How’s this? I’m really lousy at responding to comments. Partly because I don’t want to cut anyone off, and partly because I usually get them during the school day and don’t have the time to whip off an email in response.

So I’m taking a moment to answer all the various comments I’ve seen over the last few weeks, and to add my .04 to the .02 they gave me—how’s that for a return on investment?

So, in reverse order:

Tom Matson on “Good Plan” wrote:

I would like to see the school board reach out to the local community, especially the construction trades; and get the community involved in weekend volunteer maintenance projects in the schools. Bringing the people together to work on a common cause will allow both sides to converse in a non political forum. It is essential for the Board to capitalize on opportunities to get the community involved, talking civilly and working together. And yes, mobilize the kids and get them involved. MLK, the civil rights marches and Ghandi should be on the curriculum right about now…

I never even thought of volunteer work to help with the school, and though I worry about possible liability or code requirements, it’s still an awesome idea. If nothing else, it would bring civic pride into the school and it would allow the public to see the work that needs to be done in the buildings. Actually, Mr. Matson, I think this is a brilliant suggestion, and I’d love to see some work days organized.

I also fully agree that the thing every kid in the MRSD should be looking at citizen action right now. If any teacher hasn’t talked to their classes about this, or hasn’t scrapped the “same old, same old” for a discussion about citizen action, they’re failing the kids.

This is one of those times when we need to do what’s right, and not what we’re necessarily comfortable with. We teach what our kids need, not what the book tells us to—and they need to be empowered to affect change in the community.

Laura on “Seizing the Moment”

Rob, this is why you rock. Seriously- this goes beyond lemons-into-lemonade rhetoric. You’re one of the good ones. Keep the faith my friend.

Thanks Laura. Seth Godin on his blog points out that, as hard as it is to imagine, it’s in the economic downturns that the real opportunities lie. It might feel much easier to give up, but I would argue that’s the difference between being beaten and having a set-back.

Let’s turn this into a set-back. The only thing to do is push ahead and do something to change it.

The trick is not becoming a casualty in the war along the way. I want to fight this fight, but I’m exceptionally worried that the financial situation I’m in will make this the hill I’m going to die on.

David on “Speaking of Equal and Opposite Reactions”

Hey Mr. Hale

You’re right about a lot of things and I applaud you for including the students walking out in protest. Even after the discussion this morning my feelings still haven’t changed, we the students, have power yet we don’t use it.

We tend to do what we are taught, which for the most part is to sit down, shut up, and take what comes out way. We are rarely challenged to think for ourselves or take action, and it takes a lot to get a group of students interested enough to take action.

I also feel that the fact that you just mentioned the students isn’t doing them enough justice. The students have a lot of power, even if they can’t vote themselves, we sell ourselves short everyday. We, by showing the community that we are interested and invested, influence them in a way we want. We influence our parents directly and if a large number of students decides to protest than people who don’t even have any connections with the school will notice and therefore be influence.

In short we can’t expect all of the change to come from the administration or the teachers.

Yeap. It was marvelous seeing Mia Hulslander in the paper and seeing the way that people like Trevor Lippincott, Kierstin Clark, Allisson Dreyfuss, Kayla Arguin, Mimi Rhines, and many others have gotten involved—posting on the Keene Sentinel message board, leading the Student Government meeting, and acting to help protest. I’m hugely upset that this is the year that the Pawprint couldn’t get together to act as a voice and as a way to communicate to the student body—it’s probably the thing I most regret about not being at MRHS.

The students can do far more than we give them credit for—but we need to help answer their questions and provide a space for them to come to the answers they seek. If we don’t do that, then all the energy, all the drive in the world is really no good at all.

It comes down to time. They say time is money, and it’s true—so let’s give kids time to be citizens, and show them they can change the world. What plan could be better?

Mama K on “Which Film is This?”

I thought I was done crying, and then I read your last quote. I thought I was ready for the vote, until I received the results. WHAT MORE CAN WE DO?

Nothing and everything. I don’t believe the teachers can do one thing to give more on the contract. I think it was fair, (if anything, it was too giving) and we offered up everything asked for: Early retirement, more payment for health insurance, and all we asked in return was to receive the step-increases which will keep new teachers in the building.

But at the same time, we can do more. Not that I want to turn this into a “let’s worship Seth Godin” blog, but he has an interesting discussion about serving customers at a restaurant, and he resolved it in a great way:

Sorry, but the answer is this: you can’t have a bad table.

No one wants to settle for the bad table, your worst salesperson, your second-rate items. Not the new customers and not the loyal ones…

Which means you need to figure out how to improve your lesser offerings. Maybe the table in the worst location comes with a special menu or a special wine list or even a visit from the chef. Maybe the worst table, for some people, becomes the best table because of the way you treat people when they sit there…

Treat different people differently. But don’t treat anyone worse.

In the district, we need to figure out how to improve our lesser offerings, how we can meet the needs of our weakest clients best. I know you know this—now we need to start working on ways to make the whole district really start looking at what those kids need.¹

Jerry on “Getting Small”

“Elective courses can be assigned in “blocks” which would be time for the four core teachers to have common planning and to work together—if two morning blocks are always “core subjects” for a certain section, then they might have the afternoon to work together—or vice versa.”

So the “non-core” teachers aren’t part of the team too? C’mon Rob, you know better.

Mea Culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.

No argument at all. I have learned so much—and gained so much as a teacher—from what I’ve learned just from the small discussions we’ve shared about design. I read Edward Tufte’s site religiously, struggle to play with Illustrator, and share typography with my kids as part of the design of their papers because of what I’ve learned from those “non-core” classes.

And I’ve no doubt there are hundreds of kids who are under-served in the schools right now because they don’t have anyone to point out they need an art class for this career, or a drafting course for this career, or a wood-working course for this one—and neither do their other teachers or guidance counselor.

Those “non-core” teachers are as vital as any other. In some ways, more so. I watch one of my colleagues and daily regret I didn’t minor in art. The ideal would be a team of every teacher, in much the same way MC² does things.

But…well, I’m looking for what MRHS can do right now. If the teachers got behind it, if they all said, “let’s do something better!” what could we have in place next year? Or the year following?

Before we can get to the goal of each team having all the components, I think we need the team. I want my riflemen on the line before I bring up my machine-guns—knowing they are far better in tandem than alone, but one is easier to get moving in the right direction—if only because there are more of them. We need to invest more in “non-core” classes, but that will take a little while.

Sue Oerman on “Getting Small”

There was one thing that really caught my attention and that was the part about a parent not knowing that their child had you for a teacher or not knowing what you taught. That goes back to the parent. I think that one thing that is constantly forgotten is that a lot of the issues going on at the High School (Elementary or Middle School for that matter) is lack of parental involvment. If parents took the responsibility of their child along with their child’s education there would be a different atmosphere around schools. Why aren’t parents involved more in their child’s life and/or at the school? Yes, I understand that you have to earn a living. However, have parents even inquired with their employer about “volunteer” time? Why can’t parents take some “vacation” time and come in and visit the school, meet the teacher’s, etc.? Why wouldn’t employers let parents come in late and work a little bit longer so that that parent could stop by the school? I made a copy of my child’s schedule - I know where she is and what teachers she has. I go to the website and check out the Departments (English, Math and so on). I am no means a control freak keeping track of her schedule. I have given a huge part of my child over to you as an educator so that you can teach her so much knowledge. Why wouldn’t I want to oversee this huge part of her life? I have read the horror stories where children were being taught something very different than the truth in a class - I want my child to have every opportunity to learn as much as she can. This is one place where public and private schools differ. A lot of private school require you to be involved and active. Unfortunately, we don’t have that in Public Schools. I think when you have the answer to getting more parents involved in their child’s education, you have answered a lot of issues at the school level.

Sorry - I got on one of my soap boxes.

Sue, if you ever apologize for getting on a soap box again, I’ll be very upset. I wish we had a hundred more people like you, and who felt like you. It would solve many things!

I agree it can be done in our schools as they exist—I think you’re a wonderful example of that. On the other hand, I also think you’re far more engaged because you’re much more a leader, much more an example, than many people—especially people who themselves might have had rough experiences in school. It’s hard to walk into a building where one suffered failure.

At the same time, I’ve watched every parent walk into MC² and see their child defend their learning, display a project, or graduate to another grade. Every parent. I don’t think there’s much difference in the parents who have kids at MC². So why the vast gulf?

Part of it is culture. MC² invites the parents in and makes them part of the process. They’re a part of the team to guarantee an education for the child. I know if I ever teach in a classroom at MRHS again ² I will design classroom projects which will invite parents to come and see what their children are doing—and in fact demand their children show their growth and learning.

It can be done. But teachers lack that kind of training—to put it into another language, the workforce needs to be “retooled.” The talent is there; teachers just need to see a better way of doing what they want to do.

It’s a two way street. But don’t we as the school district have the duty to unroll the red carpet?

Mike on “Continuing as the Town Crier…”

I’m new to this blogg…love it! I watched the video of Mr. Neil Moriarty’s show in court that again made him look like a fool. I found it interesting that though he was shaking like a dog passing a peach pit, he felt no need to interrupt at any point. He also had to be told to stand up when talking to the judge and needs to be told that it’s Monadnock not Monadneck. Angry man……

Hi Mike, and welcome to the blog. I’ve decided I’ve maligned Mr. Moriarty. In one of his letters to the editor at the Keene Sentinel he said he was a former union machinist—so it’s pretty clear that he’s pro-labor. I get the feeling we’ve just got to ask him to work for us as hard as he worked for his union.

So according to a post on the Sentinel talk-back page:

Neil Moriarity states he was a former union machinist-you know how much they make-AVERAGE wage is over $90,000 at the Gen Dy Plants. That is compared to $50,000 for a teacher.

I’ll settle for the $90,000. I mean, I don’t want to be a greedy teacher, and I’m sure humbly accepting what others make is more than appropriate.

1 Not to sing the same song over and over again, but the internship program at MC² is a good strong way to make sure that parents who need to see skills in their kids do so—quickly. It’s hard to hate a school that gives a child a better resume than many adults. ↺

2 And don’t think for a moment that I don’t want to—I love my school, I love my kids, and I love the people there. But it needs to find a better way, and as it finds that new way and change accelerates, there will come a point when the line between MC² and MRHS blurs and they grow together. But right now, we’re still trying to change culture, still trying to chip away at the way things have been done. ↺

Gregarious

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