Staff and Faculty

Leadership Principles

Dwight Carter Focus on Students, Leadership, School Climate, Staff and Faculty ,

Author and Leadership Consultant, Ken Blanchard, wrote in one of his books, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” I couldn’t agree more. However, I don’t think this has anything to do with positional leadership, but more about leadership principles. There are a number of people I consider leaders, from students to global dignitaries and everyone in between. I have learned and continue to learn what leadership is by observing others and reflecting on my own behaviors as a leader. Following are my most important principles that define leadership and how each principle is present or in the works at Gahanna Lincoln High School:

Vision
“Where there is no vision, the people perish.” -Proverbs 29:18. Vision creates a picture of what a group, team, or organization can become as the people involved work together towards a common purpose. Vision creates a powerful story about the organization and can inspire the high-quality, dedicated work of the people invoked. Without it, individuals will begin to do what they individually think is best, thus creating islands of excellence as opposed to a shared, collective and common purpose. Without vision, there will be conflicting values, uncommon language, and unclear expectations, thus leading to resistance, frustration, and low morale.

At Gahanna Lincoln, we are guided by the vision detailed in our district’s Graduate Profile. Teachers use the profile strands as learning targets as they plan lessons and units. Our Graduate Profile is aligned with the College and Career Readiness standards that are a part of the Common Core Stand Standards. Our Dean of Curriculum, Brooke Menduni, has done an outstanding job of facilitating the transition to the Common Core. Her leadership is helping us to ensure teaching and learning is focused on essential skill development through the content.

For the development of the key skills that are necessary today (communication, creativity, collaboration, and critically thinking) to occur, we have to have a positive school climate and school culture. Risk tasking, trust, and celebration have to be a part of the equation. To ensure this happens, we celebrate student and staff success on a consistent basis through monthly PRIDE (Personal Responsibly In Developing Excellence) Award nominations, monthly staff luncheons (bonding), quarterly student recognition ice cream socials, and two Renaissance Pep Rallies. Individual teachers, like AP American History and World Studies teacher, Ben Cullivan have even created student celebrations within their classrooms. Ben designed a medal he gives to the top student in each of his classes at the end of the year. This has become quite the tradition and the students work extremely hard to earn this special recognition.

Teachers can nominate students and their colleagues each month to receive the PRIDE Award for demonstrating any of the skills outlined in our Graduate Profile or our district adopted character education traits. The names of all the students during the month are scrolled on the announcements and they meet in the lobby to receive a certificate and to take a group photo, which is then displayed in one our busiest hallways. We then follow up with a quarterly breakfast for all the recipients and their parents. It’s a little thing, but our part of our vision is to recognize what is going well so that we get more of it!

Relationships
We are in the business of developing, nurturing, and sustaining positive relationships with people. One of my favorite quotes as an educator is, “No significant learning takes place without a significant relationship” by Dr. James Comer. This has guided me and will continue to do so as long as I’m an educator because learning is a social event that comes through sharing, discussing, debating, and exploring with others. Without significant relationships, learning can be limited.

At Gahanna Lincoln, the focus on creating and sustaining positive relationships is crucial to our success. We have created our Freshmen Experience (9th grade academy) to help nurture our freshmen and show them what it means to be a Gahanna Lincoln High School Lion. Our departments constantly have social events, staff parties, and have fun rituals. We encourage our students to get involved in something at school: the arts, clubs and activities, or athletics in order to create a connection with an adult at school. Currently, over 27% of our students are involved in the arts and over 33% participate in one of our 26 athletic teams. We offer over 30 clubs and organizations for students to participate in and students are encouraged to start a club of interest. Our new Library Media Aide, Brian Winston, has informally started a Chess Club this year and the room is packed before school, during the lunch periods, and after school. The activity is the vehicle that fosters the positive relationships and the same holds true in the classrooms.

Clear Expectations
Educator, author, and presenter Dr. Todd Whitaker reminds every educator to state very clear expectations at the beginning of the year in order to create a positive learning environment. Like the teachers at Gahanna Lincoln, I take the opportunity to do just that during our opening day staff meeting. My expectations of staff are simple:
a. Be Present- not just physically, but emotionally and mentally present
b. Be Punctual-punctuality is a sign of respect
c. Be Prepared- prior planning prevents poor performance
d. Be Professional- dress, talk, conduct, and learning
e. Create a positive climate in your classroom
f. Communicate with parents and colleagues

To include students in the process, the last two years I met with about 400 juniors and seniors who have classes in Clark Hall, our new addition to our campus, and asked them what we should expect of them. This conversation took place four times on the first full day of school and each group came up with the same expectations:
a. Respect
b. Responsibility
c. Trust
d. Team Work
e. Good attendance
f. Hard work
g. PRIDE

Could we ask for anything more?

Communication
This has become one of the most important characteristics any leader should possess. It’s not just disseminating information, but listening, responding, and using a variety of tools to share our story. Good communication, like presence, requires time, but it’s time well spent.

At GLHS, our teachers have embraced the use of Home Access Center, which is our online tool to share students’ grades with parents and students. Each teacher has also created a portal, or individual website, to let parents and students know about lesson objectives, homework assignments, and upcoming tests. In addition to the Home Access Center and the portals, we have several official GLHS Twitter accounts and Facebook pages. With the use of social media, a lack of communication should be a thing of the past.

I will continue to promote the use of social media as a means to communicate with our stakeholders; however, nothing replaces the need for face-to-face interaction.

Team Work and Service
Each of our departments has a Department Chairperson who not only represents the department as part of the school Leadership Team, but they are responsible for unifying the department, supporting new teachers, and tapping into the strengths of each of the members.

Several of our teachers are advisors of school clubs and organizations like Student Council, the Renaissance Action Team, the S Club, National Honor Society, Interact, and Key Club, to name a few. Together, these students have made a positive impact on our school environment by serving others, organizing events, or working together to solve a problem. The teachers help to create the environment for students to take risks as leaders and learn from mistakes.

Accountability
There is an old saying that, “What’s inspected is respected.” Accountability is not about getting people in trouble, but ensuring the expectations, values, and norms are met more consistently. Holding others accountable can be uncomfortable for me as a leader, but it’s not about my feelings. What is required is for each teacher, administrator, secretary, guidance counselor, custodian, and cook to do our jobs to the best of our ability. It’s my job to provide the proper training, support, and resources for this to occur.

We all have improved in this area, especially since we have started to use Google Docs to share what each department does during department meetings and we’ve circulated the book, Shifting The Monkey by Dr. Todd Whitaker, to help one another confront negative behaviors, put the monkey back where it belongs, and become more efficient. This is still a work a progress for me as a leader and for our building as a whole, yet we are definitely making progress!

Learning
I’ve learned from my staff and my PLN to be transparent about my learning experiences by blogging, tweeting, sharing books that I’ve read with others, sharing my teachers’ blogs, attending conferences, and presenting at local and national conferences. In the process of being transparent about my learning, I am promoting the learning at Gahanna Lincoln High School.

Over the last five years, our school’s grade point average has increased from a 2.77 to 3.02, our attendance rate has been steady at 94%-95%, more students are taking AP courses, our ACT score average is above the state average and our graduation rate has been steady at 93%-94%. Our expulsions have fallen below 20 each of the last four years and more teachers are providing the opportunity for students to redo tests and resubmit homework assignments as they become more focused on learning and less focused on time. This has been a muddy, messy process, but overall, it’s rewarding to see students feel like they have a chance to demonstrate their learning.

We continue to have teachers present their learning during staff meetings and department meetings as a way to encourage professional growth. It’s important for all of us to share our learning experiences from attending conferences and workshops with our colleagues. This eliminates excuses like, “the presenter doesn’t know my students, so that won’t work in my classroom.” The presenters in our building are members of our staff who teach our students in our district and in our building.

There is so much expected of school leaders today, which require us to review our foundational principles to make sure they are aligned with our daily activities. Change has always been a part of the field of education; however, the rate of change that we are currently seeing is like no other time in history. In spite of the changes, the leadership principles we hold onto must guide us as we guide others.

What leadership principles are most important to you?

Be Great,

Dwight

This is cross-posted on Connected Principals

Student-Centered and Staff Focused?

Dwight Carter Focus on Students, School Climate, Staff and Faculty

I had a very interesting conversation today about whether or not one can be too student-centered. The main point of the conversation boiled down to staff support or a lack thereof; listening to students (not agreeing with them, but just listening to them) versus staff support.

I struggle with this because I like to believe I’m supportive of my staff in regards to them taking calculated risks in the classroom, by helping to provide a safe environment so they can teach and students can learn, and allowing freedom to choose the type of professional development they need. In terms of discipline issues, the administrative team is working hard at being more consistent across the board. I use the phrase, “working hard” because with over 2300 students and six administrators, it can be a challenge. With that said, we are doing okay.

Now, I feel as if I have a fairly good rapport with my students and staff. I will take the time to talk with any student about any thing they want to discuss. Therein lies the problem. Based on today’s conversation, apparently feel that because I listen to a student’s concerns about an incident that may have occurred, etc., I am demonstrating a lack of support for my staff. I hear the student out, ask questions, and help them see things from the adult’s perspective and will then assign the necessary consequences. It takes more time, but at least the student feels understand and heard. The person I spoke with today disagreed with my approach and felt as I my actions are undermining the staff. Hmmm…

I’ve always been a student-centered educator so I struggle with the conversation I had today. If my staff feels like they are being undermined, then there is a serious lack of trust that will quickly erode our foundation. So, I ask you. Am I undermining the staff in any way by taking the time to listen to a student’s concerns? If this is a blind spot, then I definitely need to take care of this. I look forward to your responses. Thanks!

Be Great,

Dwight

The New Ohio Teacher Evaluation System-Updated August 2014

Dwight Carter Curriculum and Instruction, Staff and Faculty ,

A couple of weeks ago, I spent three days at the Ohio Teacher Evaluation System (OTES) Training with a number of district and other Central Ohio administrators. The days were long, but the information was well presented and the process was very collaborative.

The new evaluation system is based on 50% teacher performance and 50% student performance (growth). Because the student performance aspect of the evaluation is not yet determined, the training focused on teacher performance. I was encouraged by the training because our current evaluation system is very similar to the OTES model. Following are my takeaways from the three days:

· OTES is a GROWTH model to help teachers improve. This is not a “gotcha” framework, but a model that relies on vetted, tested, and analyzed best practices.

· The rubric is a holistic scoring of teacher performance, which means it includes the observation, the pre and post observations, information observed through walkthroughs, PLC/department collaboration, etc.

· The rubric is comprised of three Organizational Areas: Instructional Planning, Instruction and Assessment, and Professionalism.

· Evidence for each organizational area is based on ten standard areas:

o Focus for Learning
o Assessment Data
o Prior Content Knowledge/Sequence/Connections
o Knowledge of Students
o Lesson Delivery
o Differentiation (major definition change for us all)
o Instruction and Assessment
o Classroom Environment
o Assessment of Student Learning
o Professional Responsibilities

· The three organizational areas and ten standards are very similar to our current evaluation system, so this should not be a significant change.

· The model has four ratings: Ineffective, Developing, Skilled, and Accomplished. Proficient is where a vast majority of teachers will be, which is a “rock solid” teacher.

· Every teacher will be evaluated at least twice per year, once per semester. Teachers that earn “Accomplished” will be evaluated every other year, while “Ineffective” teachers will be evaluated three times a year.

· Every teacher will have a plan. It will either be a growth plan (developing, skilled, or accomplished) or an improvement plan (ineffective). Again, the purpose is to help every teacher improve.

· Pre and post conference are best practice for the most effective way for us as educators to reflect on the planning, teaching, learning, and assessment process. Personally, I thoroughly enjoy the post-observation conferences I have with teachers.

· It’s extremely important for us all to learn the language of the rubric so that we are on the same page in terms of expectations. We should start having informal and formal discussions about this now.

· During the post-observation conference, we are to focus on two areas: reinforcement, which is a celebration of what went well and then refinement, which is an area for improvement.

Linda Romano, one of the OTES trainers, made two very profound statements about how OTES will impact the role of educators:

“The highest priority of professional development is helping teachers get better.”

“Helping teachers get better is the greatest priority of an instructional leader.”

I truly believe these two statements capture what most districts are about. This will help us have an even greater focus on instruction, learning, planning and assessment. Don’t get me wrong, this is probably one of our greatest challenges we face due to the number of evaluations we have to do. However, we are up for the challenge! Feel free to share comments, questions, or concerns.

Be Great,

Dwight

Monkey Shifting in Progress?

Dwight Carter Curriculum and Instruction, Leadership, School Climate, Staff and Faculty ,

After much Twitter chatter about Todd Whitaker’s new book, Shifting the Monkey, I had to find out what all the buzz was about. Many educators who read the book created the hashtag #shiftingthemonkey to share their reactions and experiences after reading it.

For those who are not familiar with Shifting the Monkey, it’s about the many burdens we may have on our backs, affectionately called monkeys. Sometimes these monkeys are on our backs by our own doing; however, there are times where others dump their monkeys on our backs. Whether this happens intentionally or unintentionally is not that important. What is important is that we are able to answer the following three questions to help improve our schools, classrooms, homes, and organizations:

o Where is the monkey?
o Where should it be?
o How do I get it there?

I recently finished the book and had the opportunity to attend his presentation about Shifting the Monkey at the Jostens Renaissance Conference in July. Needless to say, the presentation was incredible and rich with great advice! Following are my takeaways from the book and the presentation:

• “We cannot continue to dump on the best people in our organization.” We notoriously lean on the best people to get things done. This can lead to fatigue, frustration, and burnout. Hold everyone in the organization accountable for what they are supposed to do.

• “We have to treat everyone as if they are good.” When confronting negative behaviors, he encouraged us to maintain a level of respect because it’s not personal. The goal should be to teach what is expected in order to help the individual be better. This really resonated with me because we all want to be respected, appreciated, and encouraged.

• “There is nothing wrong with being afraid. The problem is acting afraid.” We are, at times, afraid to confront negative behaviors, which only allow “bad people” to shift their monkeys to the backs of the people bothered by their behavior. This destroys morale and creates a negative climate. Who out there has had a monkey on your back because of fear?

• “When giving expectations, be nice and firm. That way, you can easily identify if someone is being insubordinate.” Clearly communicated expectations eliminate confusion and make it easier for everyone to follow. I learned from Todd to repeat expectations at the beginning of each school year so that everyone is on the same page. Classroom teachers spend a great deal of time communicating expectations, which positively impacts classroom climate.

• “Nobody repeats a behavior without a reward.” What is recognized and rewarded is repeated. This goes for both negative and positive behaviors. Pouting, complaining, gossiping, and bulldozing continue because we often respond to these behaviors. His remedy is to ignore them. Think about that person in your life who pouts whenever they don’t get what they want. If you have given in to this reaction, you only reinforce the fact that pouting gets them what they want. To ignore simply means you see it happen, but you don’t back down from what you expect of them. It’s easier said than done, but again, this can greatly improve the climate and culture.

• “Avoidance is not a strategy.” When faced with negative behaviors that are counter to your expectations, avoidance does not make them go away. Avoidance places the monkey on all the people that are bothered by the negative behaviors. This can destroy risk taking during staff meetings, classroom discussions, family meetings, planning sessions, or other collaborative learning experiences. Respectfully confront the behavior by asking the person to meet with you immediately after the class, meeting, etc and move on. I’ve done this and it works. I’ve also been the recipient of this when I lashed out at one of my colleagues last fall. I was quickly called to the carpet and man, did I have a gorilla on my back for the rest of the meeting!

• “Ignoring is not avoidance. You know it’s there but you choose to respond or not to respond.” Sometimes no response is a response that sends a clear message. For example, if someone has a tendency to try to interject a joke while someone else is speaking, simply ignoring that person will show him/her and others that the behavior is not acceptable at that time. This keeps the monkey on the back of the jokester, not you or the others in the room.

• When we see students in the hallway during class, treat them all with respect by asking, “Hi, may I help you?” This prevents favoritism. School is supposed to be a safe and welcoming environment. However, we sometimes prevent this from occurring when we choose a negative way to address students. Asking “may I help you?” is a respectful way to get the information we need and a way of treating everyone with respect.

• “Stop throwing the blanket monkey.” Ouch! I’ve been guilty of this a couple of times. The blanket monkey occurs when there are a few people doing something negative and instead of addressing those few people, you address the entire staff. Two things happen. The great teachers feel guilty because they think you are talking about them. The guilty ones believe you are talking about someone else. In the end, the behavior doesn’t change.

I plan to keep my eye out for the monkeys and make sure they are where they are supposed to be. I encourage you to read the book!

Be Great,

Dwight

INSPIRED: Reflections from the 2012 Jostens Renaissance National Conference

Dwight Carter Leadership, School Climate, Staff and Faculty , ,

I’ve attended the Jostens Renaissance National Conference I think 7 times, the first time in 2003. As I stated in a previous post, this is one of the most rejuvenating conferences for educators because of the way they treat the participants, the breakout sessions, and quality of the presenters. This year’s conference had a different feel, which left many of us not only rejuvenated, but inspired. INSPIRED:

“Aroused, animated, or imbued with the spirit to do something, by or as if by supernatural or divine influence.”

The opening day began with a number of dynamic presentations, including a three hour pre-conference session about cyber-bullying and school climate by Dr. Justin Patchin and Dr. Sameer Pincha. After a moving welcome by Charley Nelson, the head of Jostens Educator Services, we were prepped for a surprise concert by the band, Parachute, whose song, Something To Believe In, was the inspiration for the conference theme!

Saturday was filled with over 70 breakout sessions during 6 time slots, and a Stars Wars inspired pep rally that showcased the talented staff of Jostens employees who volunteer their time and talent to participate in the conference. During the rally, all the educators in attendance were recognized for our years of experience. All the first year educators were called to the stage and given a standing ovation for joining the most honored profession, but there is no celebration like the one for the educators who have 30+ years under their belts! There were tears of joy, hugs and geniune appreciation for these dynamic role models!

A personal highlight was Todd Whitaker’s (@ToddWhitaker) session about Shifting the Monkey! As you can imagine, it was standing room only. He educated, entertained, and challenged us to identify the monkey, figure where it should be, and come up with ways to get it there. His message was applicable to educators and students alike. More about Shifting the Monkey in another post.

Following the sessions was a first class banquet that honored the Jostens Renaissance Coordinators of the Year and 2012 Hall of Fame Inductees. The inductees’ stories were motivating; however, I was especially moved by the two Congressional Medal of Honor recipients who introduced the Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s Character Development program. They spoke from their hearts as they expressed their love for our nation and their desire for educators and young people to continue to serve others with passion. They shared that out of the 400 Congressional Medal of Honor recipients in our history, only 81 are still alive. Their message was not only a call to action, but they reminded us to continue to believe in the power of the human spirit to serve a greater cause than ourselves. That sums up why educators do what we do!

The closing speaker, Kevin Carroll (@kckatalyst) did not disappoint! He reminded us to BE BOLD and believe in the power of connection: connection for sharing, learning, service and play. Kevin’s message is clear: a ball can and has brought people together from across the globe and we must keep play in our lives.

For the past couple of weeks, I’ve thought about what I need to do to be an inspiration to others at Gahanna Lincoln High School and following are the things that came to mind:

*Write thank you notes to people. Email is nice, but there is something classic and genuine about a hand written note of appreciation.

*Be present. Presence makes a huge difference. What this means is that whomever I am talking with, they will get my undivided attention. This means I need to actively listen and learn from whomever I am listening to.

*Carve out time daily to visit classrooms to show my appreciation for the dynamic work of some great educators. I sometimes forget how good I feel after I spend time in the classrooms where the action is!

*Follow through! In other words, be a man of my word. If I say I’m going to do something, then I need to do it. We are all busy, so using “I was busy” as a reason why something didn’t get done is a poor excuse.

*Make time for me. The first couple of months of the school year, I’m committed to working out. However, as the year progresses, I get to school earlier, leave later, and eliminate my workouts. This has been disastrous for me personally. Kevin Carroll reminded me (again) to keep play in my life.

*Hold myself and others accountable. This goes without saying.

The Jostens Renaissance (@J_Renaissance) Conference was exactly what I needed to prepare myself to give my staff, students, and the GLHS community “Something To Believe In!” So, what do you believe in?

Be Great,

Dwight

Disconnect To Reconnect

Dwight Carter Leadership, Staff and Faculty , ,

“Dwight is connected all over the world through Twitter and blogging, but he is not as connected here.” These are words spoken by one of my teachers and man, did they sting…

There are a number of ways I could have reacted to this, but I decided to take the high road and look within. After all, reflection is at the heart of our practice.

I asked myself if there was any kernel of truth to this statement. Well folks, I hate to admit it, but it was true. I began to relish in who I was connecting with across the country. I became so focused on telling stories about what was happening at GLHS through Twitter that I no longer made time for face to face interactions with my staff. I got away from walking the halls in the morning and, at times, throughout the day. I felt myself becoming increasingly impatient with small talk and I was no longer willing to be inconvenienced. I was quickly irritated, overly sensitive, and became less talkative. I started to dislike how I was doing my job.

As I reflected on the statement I referred to at the beginning, I made a deliberate effort to put away my phone (mini-computer) when I spoke with individual teachers throughout the day, I put it away when I got home so I could just relax with my wife and dogs, and I stopped blogging for a while. Actually, I went from late February to early June without posting anything to this blog. Some of that was intentional and some was simply a lack of desire to do so. Nevertheless, it enabled me to reconnect with others who were physically present. I had to intentionally and purposely reconnect with others, not just for them, but for me…

I absolutely love being an educator; a building principal more specifically. I love sharing what is happening at Gahanna Lincoln High School, I love it when we overcome challenges together. I love talking with members of my staff about their lives, and I love spending quality time with my wife when we have date nights or walk our dogs, Lilly and Lola.

And yes, I love positively promoting my school through social media, but it only matters if the people I serve feel that I am emotionally connected and present with them every step of the way. The bottom line: it boils down to the realness of relationships.

Be Great,

Dwight

Educon 2.4 was a Stretch

Dwight Carter Focus on Students, Leadership, Staff and Faculty ,

“So how as the conference,” Samantha, my wife, asked when I called her from the airport. “It was incredible!” I exclaimed. “Okay, what was it about?” she asked. I quickly replied with a chuckle, “Well, the essential question was how do we sustain innovation in education?” Her response was priceless, “Wow! That’s…. a lot to take in.” I replied, “Yes, it was a lot to take in and it’s exactly what I needed.” Again, her response was priceless, “so, it stretched you.” Boom!

I have a bad back, mainly because of a bulging disk, but also because I don’t stretch. My hamstrings are in knots so it creates tension in my lower back. I hate stretching! It takes too much time and quite frankly it hurts! It hurts because I don’t do it. I know what you’re thinking, “If you would just stretch then it wouldn’t hurt.” No kidding, but what we are talking about is a knowing-doing gap. I know what to do, I’m just not doing it. On the other hand, I absolutely love learning. I equate it to mental and cognitive stretching. It’s a painful, daunting process at times, but it is also so rewarding.

Many of us who attended Educon 2.4 experienced this cognitive stretch throughout the weekend in the form of conversations and panel discussions. Educon helps to close the knowing-doing gap when it comes to grassroots education reform. You see, the presenters, participants, those who followed on Twitter or watched it from the live video stream, were primarily educators who are “doing” the work, not just individuals talking about want needs to be done. This same group also searches for better ways to do what is best for today’s learner, and not once did we spend an entire session discussing how to make a better standardized test!

Oliver Wendell Holmes once said, “A mind that is stretched to a new idea never returns to its original dimension.” It is hard to argue against that because what he referred to was the learning process. When we let ourselves engage in the learning process and try to wrap our minds around an essential question, such as the one posed at Educon, we find ourselves in deep conversation about the purpose of school, the future of education, what IS learning, why use technology, and what is innovation. Yes, it can be philosophical, but it also gives us all a chance to dialogue about what we are doing, how we are doing it, how we can learn from one another, and what we can do in our classroom, school, and community right now.

Educon was just the stretch I needed to be a better leader for my students, staff, and community when I return to my building. It gave me a chance to step away to think, listen, reflect and also learn with others. Thanks to Chris Lehmann (@Chrislehmann), the students at the Science Leadership Academy, and The Franklin Institute for hosting this amazing conference.

Be Great,

Dwight

Reflections from a GLHS Senior-Guest Blogger Jonathan Harrison

Dwight Carter Focus on Students, Staff and Faculty, Technology Integration ,

Students in our Space Technology class just completed a space simulation in which they were asked to design a rover that would complete specific tasks. In years past, they would do a space shuttle simulation. But this year, science teacher, Fred Donelson (@mrdglhs) changed things up a bit to simulate the landing on and mining of materials from an asteroid.  According to Mr. Donelson, “students will be simulating a landing by using bounce technology to drop a robot down the stairway.  They are also building a rover, remotely controlled via the internet, to remove a debris field from a mine and then collect/mine some minerals.  And a PR team will communicate all of this to visitors.”

Each year, I am simply amazed by what the students do! I wanted a student to share his experience of participating in the simulation so I invited Gahanna Lincoln High School senior, Jonathan Harrison to be a guest blogger. I’ve had the pleasure of being Jonathan’s principal since he was in the sixth grade and I couldn’t be more proud of him!

Project Vesta Reflection

               There is too much to be said for a project my group and I spent over a month on completing. One of the reasons I took Space Technology was because of the teacher, Mr. Donelson. He is one of the most interactive teachers I have ever had and I feel like he really wants his kids to succeed. Yes, I do understand that every teacher, for the most part, wants their kids to succeed in their class, but Mr. D does so much more. He uses inventive ways to teach such as social networks: always posting on Facebook and Twitter to keep his students updated on certain things going on in the class. It really helps not having to jump through hoops to find out what is due the next day. He also makes sure all of his students understand the material he is presenting, which is the most important. Students who needed the extra help could always find it, no matter if it was during the school week, on the weekends or even over holiday breaks. We had put in many hours to our project, but it was nothing compared to the hours Mr. D put in.

               With that being said, my group wanted to put in just as much work towards our project as Mr. D had put into us. We wanted to go above and beyond our expectations and really knock the socks off not only our competition, but our whole community. Personally I feel like we exceeded our goals and really showed people what teenagers are capable of producing. It also showed people how social networking can really effect a student’s education. We were able to contact teachers, administrators and other educators not only from all over the country, but across the globe. It was really eye-opening to see something we use for leisure everyday open up a lot of opportunities to further your education. That was really cool and something I enjoyed doing.

               The objective was to land your egg rover on the asteroid Vesta. Once there you had to clear debris and mine minerals that would act as important substances we need here on Earth. Each 6 person team was split up in 3 teams of two. The three teams were the Rover team, Lander team and the Public Relations team.

               Personally, I was on the Public Relations team. We had a lot of things to complete while this project went on. We had to develop a teaching video on space colonization, which will be a factor in our lives. The catch was that it had to be suitable for middle school students, who cannot read nearly as fast as high school seniors. We had to edit multiple times, which was extremely frustrating. But we finished it and it turned out very nicely. Next we had to make a documentary video. This basically outlined everything we did throughout the whole project. We had to keep record of everything that happened with videos and photos. We also had to “get our name out there.” I thought that what we were doing was very cool and interesting and I wanted other people to know also. I made a website, Facebook group and a Twitter account for everyone to communicate back and forth. In a few days we had educators from all over the world commenting on our progress and they were really interested in what Team Chronos, (our team name, @TeamChronos), was doing that day. They would ask for information on everything we had knowledge on, which was pretty cool. It’s not every day that an adult comes to a teenager and asks them for information so that they can teach their kids what we found out. Lastly we had to make a team brochure, which had to include each team’s mission, a small bio on each Team Chronos member and the whole team’s objective. We had a lot of fun with this, because we had made two different brochures. One was funny and the other was professional. It was awesome coming up with fake bio’s that made someone laugh.

               As a group, I could not have asked for a better group of guys to work with. We all had the same mindset and goals to accomplish during this project. Dedication, hard work and good work ethic benefitted our group unlike it did for others. We split up the work equally, and the only arguments we had was who was going to finish the projects at their homes. Eagerness to get your work done is a quick way to ensure it actually does get completed. Our group’s outlook and attitude was really positive too. When we had an idea we would share it with one another, get their opinions and find a way to improve it. We were not settled with being “good enough,” we wanted to simply be the best space tech team to ever pass through Gahanna. With that attitude, our best work came as the result.

               If I were a teacher I would definitely do a project similar to this. It brings out the best in every single student, regardless of GPA, clique or grade. This project would not work if you did not teach like Mr. Donelson however. You have to be interactive and really show the kids that you believe they can achieve great things. If you struggle with showed your students your dedication, you would still have the same kids not caring about their grades and turning in mediocre work at best. That is not helping anybody. What we’re doing here is something BIG. Rovers, space stations, alternative energy and time travel are all going to be something our generation deals with, so why not learn about them now? It is helping out our future and possibly getting kids interested in robotics and space which can open up to more career opportunities. I would definitely recommend this project to any teacher willing to dedicate time to a child’s learning. They have to want a better future for us and for their grandchildren.

               Overall I am very grateful for the opportunity to take this class. It teaches you a lot about your surroundings as well as a little bit about yourself. Also the information we learn today will benefit us tomorrow. These kinds of jobs will be the positions that pay the most and are the most available, especially to Americans. America is slowly declining in the science race and a large part of the blame goes to not educating our children at a young age. It spikes their interest and gives them options for a wide range of careers. This is what the world’s leading competitors do, such as China, Japan and many more. They teach their kids engineering and robotics at a very young age, which is benefitting them now. This project helps us with future projects that can really impact our lives. This information we gain is irreplaceable and I can never thank Mr. Donelson and Gahanna Lincoln High School enough for allowing me to take such a wonderful class.

No Zeros Until… Part II

Dwight Carter Focus on Students, School Climate, Staff and Faculty

It has been almost a year since I made the statement to my staff that I do not want them to assign a zero to any student until they intervene in some way (ask the student why the work wasn’t turned it, call the parent of the student, do something besides assigning a zero and moving on…) Since I made that now infamous statement, various reactions have occurred among staff, students and parents.  Here is a summary of such reactions:

 I. Teacher Perspective

  • Some were doing this long before I made the statement because they philosophically don’t agree with academic punishment for a behavioral problem.
  • Some were confused because they believe I said, “No zeros. Ever.”
  • Some follow the policy as written in our Student Handbook, which is “no credit is given during on out of school suspension, unexcused absences, or class cuts. No credit is given for long term projects or papers not completed by the deadline.”
  • Some just want a decision to be made so they know what to do.

 II. Student Perspective

  • For some, it has increased their work ethic because they know their teachers will stay on them until an assignment is turned it. Not turning in an assignment is no longer an option for them.
  • For some, it doesn’t make a difference. There are some assignments they don’t do and are not going to do regardless of what the teacher wants them to do, or what interventions are provided.
  • Some don’t believe it’s right or fair for students to be given a second chance to complete assignments. If they didn’t complete by the deadline, tough.

 III. Parent Perspective

  • Some are having a difficult time with the lack of consistency: some teachers give chances while others don’t.
  • Some are very appreciative of our focus on learning and completing quality work while not focusing so much on deadlines.
  • Some believe we are perpetuating a lack of responsibility and accountability.

This is a polarizing topic and there are no easy solutions. Here’s what I’ve done thus far and what I will do in the future in regards to this topic:

  1. I’ve asked my Principals Advisory Council to review and respond to a statement of clarification and to ask questions, share concerns, and to help make the statement more concise before I send it to the entire staff.
  2. I’ve discussed this with my Lions Advisory Board, which is an advisory board of parents, students, community members and staff members. It’s a diverse group of nearly 20 members. The response was similar to the bulletin points mentioned above.
  3. I have surveyed the staff to get a clearer picture of current practices, assumptions, and needs regarding grading. There were no real surprises, but giving zeros for suspension continues to be a topic that we need to discuss.
  4. Find out what other schools in our conference are doing (for data gathering purposes). In the end, we have to do what’s best for our students because each school has its’ own DNA.
  5. Make a final decision by the spring so that we can make any necessary policy changes for Board of Education approval. That way, we start off the new school year with a clear direction.

A zero is very damaging and may not truly reflect what a student knows. However, until we, and many schools, determine what goes into a grade; learning, behavior, punctuality, effort, etc. this debate will continue. My thought is this: since a zero is so embedded in our system, why not make the lowest possible F a 50%? All other grades are based on a 10 point scale (A =100-90, B= 89-80, etc.). On a 100 point scale, an F is 59-0 points compared to the other grades mentioned above. If we look at it from a pure ratio standpoint, an F is clearly weighted much heavier than any other grade and has the greatest impact. We have given the zero value in order to force students to comply. I don’t think this makes sense and doesn’t appear to be working as it was set up to.

On the other hand, if we allow students to retake tests or quizzes, we should ask them to explain why they have to retake the test. If it’s because they just didn’t study, is that a good enough reason? I don’t know the answer to this, but it’s something to think about. There are several strategies teachers use, from not allowing a student to take a unit test until all their homework is turned in to coming in early for test retakes. We have seen an increase in student achievement and I attribute this to the efforts of the teachers and students. Some of our interventions are working.

Be Great,

Dwight

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reflections from the Ohio Summit 2.5 Part 1

Dwight Carter Focus on Students, Staff and Faculty ,

On Thursday, December 8, 2011 I attended the Ohio Summit 2.5, which is a conference that showcases what Ohio schools are doing to integrate 21st Century skills and technology in the teaching and learning process. I wanted to attend the conference to hear some of the keynote presenters: Karl Fisch (@karlfisch), the creator of “Shift Happens: Did You Know 2.0”, Daniel Pink (@danielpink), author of A Whole New Mind and Drive, and finally Ewan McIntosh (@ewanmcintosh), Scottish educator. To be honest, I knew nothing of about Ewan McIntosh before the conference, but I was inspired by his message and examples of 21st Century learning. I will share my reflections in a multi-part series.

The conference began with a passionate and encouraging speech by Interim State Superintendent, Stan Heffner. Below are some of the key points from his speech, which are followed by my personal reflections:

 “The definition of a student is a person that sits on plastic chairs and watches old people work.”

  • I thought this was hilarious! Unfortunately, some students feel this way. This isn’t anything new, but students must be actively engaged in the learning process in order for school to be relevant to them. School has to be a place where students work and adults facilitate, coordinate, guide, support, and encourage.

 “Over 75% of students 12-17 years old have cell phones. 34% have a smartphone. A year from now over 60% will have a Smartphone.”

  • Why are schools still banning students from using their mobile devices? News flash folks: it’s not just a phone, it’s a mini computer! Ian Jukes once told a story of a student he interviewed. He asked the student, “What do you think of school?” The student replied, “school is like getting on an airplane: ‘fasten your seatbelts and turn off all electrical devices.'” An airplane trip is a very passive activity. School should be just the opposite.

 “The key 21st Skills are creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and communication.”

  • Again, this is no news flash, but it’s nice to have the skills we’ve been discussing for 11 years now clearly defined. We now must identify ways to embed and assess these skills. Additionally, we have to involve students and parents in the conversation about what these skills mean and look like in action. Many schools across the country have created a graduate profile that defines the skills they want their students to demonstrate as a graduate of their school district. These same schools are beginning to develop rubrics to assess these skills as well.

 “We need to stop the minimum competency of schools.” 

  • Minimum is just that. Years ago, ODE used a phrase, “we must teach our students to thrive, not just survive.” I believe that was one of Thomas Friedman’s catch phrases in the New York Times bestseller, The World is Flat. Minimum competency should not be the goal, but the foundation. 

 “Stop thinking of school as a place but think of it as an activity.”

  • This was probably the most profound statement he made. School as an activity clearly defines what’s expected- ACTION. This is a new paradigm that is catching on quite rapidly in some schools. For example, schools have adopted concepts like Project Based Learning that create challenges for students to overcome and problems to solve. We can learn a lot from the visual/performing arts as well as classes like DECA that are performance and project-based. Students thrive in these courses because they see the relevance, they are challenged, they have an authentic audience, and their work is collaborative and public. School as an activity is quite a concept that is already happening in pockets. Our challenge now is to build on what’s in place.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on Mr. Heffner’s points.  Stay tuned for key points from the other two presenters in my upcoming blogs.  Until then….

Be Great,

Dwight