The Grand Acceleration Plan: Graduation at 14

Ian, hanging out with two of his high school buddies at the annual school sponsored Music Awards Banquet

When my kids started this homeschooling journey four years ago, they did it as hybrid students, moving in and out of public school and home and even the university to get the education they needed. A few months ago, Ian, who has been enjoying math at the middle school this year and band classes at the high school, announced that he would like to work towards an official high school graduation, with the cap and gown and whole bit. He also said he identified most with his sophomore peers this year, and wanted to know if it would be possible to graduate with the class of 2015. I agreed to look into it.

The Process

Over the course of the next month, I poured over the high school graduation requirements and course offerings and began compiling Ian’s transcripts. Looking for applicability, I was pleased to find that much of our work matched quite neatly with the classes in the manual. I created a flow chart with detailed course descriptions of the work we had done in the homeschool environment, aligned it with the high school’s class offerings, and proposed credits that were consistent with the school’s policies. I then laid out the next two years, listing the courses Ian would like to take, making sure all fit within the school’s requirements, and found that it actually did make sense for him to come back into the public schools in the fall as a junior.

I submitted all of this work to the high school, and we began our exploration of this option together. Emails and phone calls and meetings followed, and once again I was (and am) so grateful for the innovative, friendly, flexible, forward-thinking administration we have here. Though in the end we did have to make a couple of compromises, we feel completely supported as we forge this new path. The principal is committed to seeing this work out for Ian, as he hopes to use his situation to help other kids in the future. We are still a policy-driven school system, but the long-term vision is hopeful.

Ian, his buddy, and the crazy band co-director at the high school Wind Ensemble concert earlier this spring

A Result of Hard Work

This path is not for the faint at heart, and let me be clear: we have not avoided work in order to skip through the system. It is due to the depth and intensity of our studies over the past few years that the school was able to accept Ian’s incoming credits so easily. There were several instances in which his work in our homeschool world would have counted as three solid years’ worth of credits, but in the public school only made up a half. This doesn’t bother me, as we have never approached education for completed checklists, but for the quality of the experience.

One of the great strengths in our home is literature and the humanities (seeing as husband-Jamie is an English professor). Because of this, Ian was able to have all of his English credits approved and checked off his list. This will allow him to focus on the maths and sciences, which we are not as strong in, as well as fully enjoy the outstanding music program that the high school boasts. Again, however, though many of his peers may bemoan his luck at getting to “skip” English, that is in no way part of our plan. Though he will not earn credit for it, Ian will continue to read both modern and classic works, attend theater productions, and discuss quality films. You can’t live in this house without doing those things.

More high school shenanigans

Always Student-Driven

Consistent with our overarching homeschooling philosophy, we are following Ian’s lead in all this, helping him make informed decisions and weigh the plusses and minuses, constantly reminding him of his options. We have never been particularly set on having him get a diploma, but well, he wants it. And after we talked about it at length (to death, he would say) to determine his motivation behind striving for graduation, we stood behind him all the way.

Compromising on Both Sides

To make this work, we have to consider both the needs of the individual student and that of the larger school. When you homeschool as a hybrid student, the parent is accountable for the child’s education. Because of this, there are no particular school requirements about what you can and cannot take. However, we are now asking the school to take responsibility for Ian’s education, backing it up with a diploma. As a result, we had to give up some freedoms that we had previously enjoyed. The main compromise we had to relent was that of summer school. If Ian is to take all the music classes he wants, he had to agree to take an American History class this summer.

Though many motivated kiddos choose this option, it is not one we wanted. Taking summer school means Ian has to give up jazz camp, as well as many of his summer composing and recording plans. This is the one sacrifice that I am frankly disappointed we had to make. But Jamie and I left the ultimate decision to Ian, and after careful consideration, he felt the end goal was worth his time. What can I say to that? I agreed to sign him up (classes start Monday!), and promised to help him enjoy the course by finding fun and interesting resources to supplement at home. I also agreed to help him carve out regular time for music, even though it will be somewhat reduced.

Elementary, middle, high school and college students, all enjoying an early spring picnic at our house

Why Early Graduation?

This topic could be a stand-alone post! But here, for now, are some highlights:

1. This is what he wants.
2. He will be able to graduate with the kids he has formed a peer relationship with. Ian has seldom connected as closely with kids his own age, tending to prefer older company. He has found a group of which he feels a part, and is excited to share this experience with them.
3. There is no need to continue to take high school classes if he has already covered the subject matter. That’s just wasting everybody’s time.
4. He’ll have three full years at home after graduation before he goes off to college. During that time, he’ll be able to pursue whatever he wants (I’ll give you one guess as to what that is), while taking the occasional interesting non-music class at our local university.
5. He’ll be able to use those three years to increase the breadth of his experiences. I plan on pursuing mentorships and internships as he gets older. By being free of required schedules in his teen years, he will be able to travel for extended private tutelage, or accompany touring musicians, or go on tour himself! Our local university also has a wonderful music program which Ian wants to take part in. The options are plentiful.
6. As we have been a homeschooling family for four years, returning to an out-of-public school environment after graduation is just not something we sweat. We see the situation as a grand opportunity for fabulous experiences!

Our method of educating our children is certainly out of the box – not quite homeschooling, not quite public schooling, not just hybrid, nor eclectic, nor unschooling, nor classical, but a little of all of those things. Thirteen-year-old Logan LaPlante called it “hackschooling.” You can watch his fabulous TED talk below; it’s closely reflects our approach. Over the coming months, I am starting a book project about all of this, in hopes to bring home- and brick-and-mortar- educators together, in hopes to further our nation’s work towards reforming education into a more child-centered, individualized model, and in hopes of empowering parents to follow their own educational path with their children, even if it means taking the road less traveled. As a result, I will not be blogging as often, though I promise to check in every once in a while! Until then….

Happy summer everyone!

By the way, if you are interested in seeing the format of Ian’s transcripts, be sure to let me know. And if you want to read more about radical acceleration, try this post. And then click on the “gifted education” subject category to the right.

Listening Session #6: Back to the Elementary Students

We sat on the floor for this session. Here the kids are writing down words they associate with school.

In this listening session (which is currently my last scheduled; the parent session had to be rescheduled until after the holidays), I worked with a group of ten 5th and 6th graders at Dorothy Moses Elementary. We chose two elementary schools for these sessions, because each of these schools enroll Lincoln residents, and it is those residents who will be relocated to the new facility next year.

This was an amazingly talkative bunch – so much that they didn’t have time to any art exercises, and I had to ditch more than one of my conversation-generating questions. The early conversation was much the same as in the other sessions; we talked about the purpose of learning and education and what a successful student should look like. The main point that stuck out in this portion was their insistence that making mistakes was a good and important thing to do – that people learn the most when they mess up, and that if a students always makes A’s, the work isn’t challenging enough. Their implication that making straight-A’s is not a good thing is notable. Worth a pause and a ponder, I think.

Abstract Visioning

As in the other sessions, I had the kids break up into small groups and discuss the question: without any influence of adults, how would you transform education? They wanted specifically to know whether they could say anything they wanted, even “crazy stuff” like going up into space. I encouraged them to keep it helpful to the conversation, but also pointed out that an idea that starts with something as unattainable as “going up into space” may help listeners to understand the student’s keen interest in astronomy and desire to participate in hands-on activities.

This group exploded with things to say and thoughts to share. Because so many students were active participants, the line of conversation jumped around like a ball in a pinball machine, bouncing from food choice to student/teacher relationships to thoughts about the physical space of the new school. Later, as I compiled all their comments, I looked for themes to try to make sense of their cacophony of eager thoughts.

Physical Space and Tools: The students seemed to be looking for a sense of order here, suggesting separate fields for different sports, improving building acoustics to limit noise pollution from other classrooms, and providing safe places for band instrument storage. They wanted water fountains in each classroom, and an indoor playground they could use through the long winter months. They envisioned their playground including rock-climbing walls, but also more traditional “outdoor” playground equipment. They also asked for padded chairs and soft carpets in their classrooms. As for tools, the participants were strong advocates for hand-held devices including ipads and tablets. They preferred tablets to laptops, and suggested updated Activboards.

Food: Food was an extremely important topic for this group. Their main concerns included portion sizes, fresh, healthy options, and student choice. All of the kids wanted larger portions of food, with regular snacks throughout the day. Although they talked at length of their desire for fresher, healthier options (including suggestions such as a salad bar and sandwich bar with fresh (not canned) fruits and vegetables), they also wanted the occasional opportunity to have an “unhealthy” choice. They wanted more choice in drinks as well, mentioning V8 and flavored waters as alternatives. Most of all, they wanted someone to ask their opinion of what they wanted to eat.

Teacher/Student Relationships: This topic kept coming up as well throughout the discussion. Students wanted an environment that nurtured mutual respect both between students and between students and teachers. They wished that assumed misdemeanors could first be addressed through conversation and reasoning before a punishment was delivered, again, emphasizing that point of mutual respect. And they wanted to be given reasons for certain disciplinary actions. In addition, they felt that non-teaching staff should not be given the authority to deliver disciplinary actions.

Academic Content: The students here talked mainly of having additional classes in the arts, as well as increased options for career planning courses, and more hands-on learning opportunities. They wanted home economics classes for all kids, even in the earliest grades, and field trips that take students beyond the Bismarck/Mandan area. They expressed interest in moving towards a task list scenario for their day, in which they moved through their goals at their own pace. They also wanted after school programming that included things like art, drama, and athletics, educational games incorporated in the school day, typing classes, and a period of down time.

Student Choice: From being able to remove their shoes during the day to helping decide what courses they studied, the kids wanted more freedoms and more input into their school experience. They mentioned small things like wanting to wear hats during school and earbuds/ipods while they worked at their desks. They also discussed bigger issues like having choice in the teachers they worked with, suggesting that students visit multiple teachers in order to experience different teaching styles and find a good match. They wished for more multi-age interaction, specifically saying they wanted more contact with younger kids.

Sometimes kids’ eagerness and creativity can form a barrier between them and the practical-minded (and often over-stretched) adults that care for them. It took me a few days to really process this session, to understand that “I want to be able to jump out of an airplane so that I can study physics” or “we should take a field trip to the Empire State Building and just read a book up there” are serious requests. I don’t believe that particular student thought he would actually get a parachuting field trip in elementary school or have a reading day in New York, so I had to think deeper about what he was suggesting.

What he truly wanted was adventure and excitement. He wanted to feel what he was learning and to have it be relevant to his interests and to his life. He wanted to be stimulated, and he wanted to have fun while he was learning. He wanted to actively engage with his world, outside of the classroom. And he wanted to have a say in how he learned. In the silence of my own home as I wrote this, I heard him, but not until I took the time and found that reflective quiet I needed. Perhaps slowing down and really listening will, in the end, help us travel faster and farther than we ever thought possible. It’s been a pleasure.

Listening Session #5: The Middle School Students

Wachter Middle School students drawing out their ideas for a perfect school

The day following the principal listening session, I facilitated two groups, back to back. The first was with Lincoln residents currently enrolled at Wachter Middle School in Bismarck. We met first thing in the morning, and I noted the difference in energy level from my afternoon sessions. It took them a while to warm up and wake up. But over the course of our three hours together, warm up they did. And they had some unique things to say.

Warm-Up Conversation

In our warm-up conversation, the students weren’t very talkative. They did share their ideas of success somewhat, discussing the need for both academic and social success, and gaining the ability to work with and accept diversity. They talked of wanting the respect of teachers both as intelligent individuals, but also as youth. They wanted teachers to understand their unique place in life – as budding adults who were still kids too.

This last bit was quite a theme of the early morning. When I asked them to offer advice to adults about how to support young people today, they offered the following:

• Have patience
• Teach the way kids understand – relate to us; don’t just take the route easiest for the teacher
• Listen to the students and give them respect
• Allow students to get up and move more in school

Small-Group Abstract Visioning (How Would You Transform Education?)

Once we had met for about an hour, I broke them up into two small groups for our abstract visioning work and left the room. Despite my coolness and hip factor with the kids (!), the energy in the room lightened up considerably when I left. I gave them instructions to get up and move, get snacks and be vocal. The volume in the room rose and became more jovial. They were waking up and becoming relaxed, especially in the absence of an adult.

After 30 minutes, I came back into the room, and they were ready to share their ideas with me. So many of the themes were identical to the previous sessions – hands-on learning, more movement in the classrooms and throughout the day (this was an extremely important point for them), more student engagement (many of them felt bored in class and that they were learning at too slow of a pace), more spontaneity and fun, more choice and interest-based classes, more excitement in the day, and more personal engagement with the teachers. Several students felt dissatisfied with how little time advanced learners received from teachers in comparison to that received by students who were struggling with content. They desired to be pushed more at school, and stretched to their own limits.

They talked a lot about their relationships with teachers, wanting more respect and trust and wanting teachers to understand them as early teens better; basically they wanted improved relationships that were lighter but deeper, and more fun. They wanted more art and more music, offering band separate from general music class. They talked a lot about technology and more involvement in their learning choices and goal-setting.

Throughout this discussion, it became very clear that these students had their own agenda. Though they answered my questions thoughtfully, what they truly wanted to talk about was their little booming town. This was such a burning subject, that I shifted gears during the last hour of the session so they could share what they were feeling.

Growth-Related Tensions in Lincoln

First off, these students were anxious about all the rapid, extreme growth in their little town of Lincoln, ND. As is well-known, North Dakota is in the midst of an oil boom in the western part of the state. What is not as well known, however, is that the boom’s impacts stretch outward as the limited infrastructure in the west becomes overwhelmed. Lincoln sits about 20 minutes southeast of the state’s centrally located capital, Bismarck. Its affordable, rural location makes the town an attractive choice for many new residents. Because of its small size, the rapid growth in this town is felt more keenly than the same amount of growth in a mid-sized city. The students were largely unhappy with the rate and amount of their town’s growth, and felt a loss of the personality and characteristics that made their small, rural town home.

They talked of the tensions between new and long-term residents. They felt the growth was too much, too fast and contributed to a loss of their rural, small community feel. They felt their town was not as private now, and that many quiet rural areas and fields were being converted into apartments and houses. They talked of this loss a lot, and regretted the decline of sledding hills and places to ride dirt bikes and four-wheelers. They were also concerned about the potential loss of community traditions. Specifically, Lincoln residents take a great deal of pride in their annual fireworks displays; the students wondered if traditions like these would be hampered by all the growth.

The Good and Bad of a Lincoln School

Interestingly, as a result of the students’ concerns regarding their town’s growth, there was a decidedly mixed reaction to the plans for a new school in Lincoln. I asked students to list the good and bad of a community-based elementary school, and this is what they had to offer.

First the good:

• Finally a new school after 15 years! (a kid-reported parent comment)
• New people are moving to Lincoln all the time with kids – a school is needed
• Kids will be able to make new friends in the new school
• The new school will raise property values
• The new school will bring more things the kids want, such as restaurants

And the not-so-good:

• New school = more infrastructure that isn’t necessarily welcomed by the kids
• Kids really liked being bussed into Bismarck – they liked the long rides and the opportunity to get out of Lincoln on a daily basis; the commute gave a feeling of calm – of not feeling rushed They feel the demise of the lengthy bus rides will be big loss to kids. Parents also liked kids being on the bus rides as it gave them time to get younger children home and wrap up their job-related and domestic duties. If these bus rides are no longer available, the community will need before and after school options.
• There will potentially be more chaos
• A new school adds to the negative feeling of extreme growth

School as Community Center

At this point, we all acknowledged the fact that the school was indeed going to be built, and I asked the students to take this opportunity to imagine the ways in which the school could help ease the tensions surrounding Lincoln’s growth instead of exacerbating them. Here they got excited, and quickly listed a host of services that would be beneficial to Lincoln.

They began imagining the school as a community center, offering a medical facility, a place to buy groceries, and lots of green space, as Lincoln has lost so much of it. They also wanted the school to provide a place to hang out, as Lincoln’s town park was not well maintained. They wished for an open gym on the weekends, and an inside area to spend time, especially during the long winters. They envisioned a club-like setting with video games, a basketball court, pool, ping-pong, concessions, and couches. They also hoped for community-oriented events like Bingo nights, movie nights, and regular community suppers. And again, they emphasized the need for before and after school programming and interest-based clubs.

By the end of our time together, I found myself looking at this collective of youthful, intelligent energy as Lincoln’s future City Council. I will confess to previously being quite ignorant of the goings-on in Lincoln, thinking of it as a town with little sense of its own community. I couldn’t have been more wrong. These Lincoln residents love and respect their little town, and want to retain their sense of home. I hope this school will help them as they grow together.

Listening Session #4: The Principals

16 Elementary School Principals have a Lot to Say

During this 2-hour listening session, I had the opportunity to hear and record the ideas of our district’s 16 elementary school principals. As in the previous sessions, I asked these participants a series of questions in order to get to the heart of what they wanted education to look like.

The first question was meant to help us center on the students:

In what ways should children benefit from their school experience?

As in every session, one of the first responses was to provide children with the academic, social, and emotional skills to be a successful adult and to provide a sense of their own futures. But the responders also talked a lot about the children’s present. They desired children to gain learning, thinking, and problem solving skills. They wanted students to have enthusiasm and a natural desire and curiosity for learning. They also wanted their students to build their own character, feeling a sense of belonging, being unafraid to take risks, feeling that it is safe to mess up, and having the confidence to state their opinion, even if it’s different from that of the adults they are interacting with.

They wanted students to explore what interests them – to have the opportunity to discover where their passions lie and what their dreams are (including fine arts, etc.). They talked a lot about opportunity, listing opportunities of a wide range, those that tie in real-life experiences, and arts appreciation and involvement. The participants also wanted to offer a sense of citizenship among their students, nurturing kids that accept culture and diversity, are involved in their community, have a mind towards social action, and the capacity to strive for both individual and team success. They addressed the core content too, acknowledging its importance along with that of providing good teachers and giving kids the skills to conduct both simple and complex research. And they wanted kids to have fun.

Give the current accepted definition of a successful student.

• Proficient or above
• Pass the test
• Follow the rules
• Show up every day
• Get it right
• College bound or career ready
• Graduation
• Hard-worker
• Solid work ethic

Now imagine you were given the opportunity to define what makes a successful student. How would you define what that is?

• Shows growth
• Compassionate, happy, curious
• Engaged, eager to learn
• Has ownership of learning
• Flexible thinker
• Physically, artistically, academically, socially, and emotionally stretched – and stretched beyond specific interests
• Has friends, is confident, a team player
• Active
• Problem solver
• Basic needs/resources provided to all
• Success regardless of income or home life
• Resourceful

The principals generating lots of ideas in their small group breakouts

Abstract Visioning

From here, we launched into the first small group exercise. These are some of the questions they considered:

• Think about yourself, your own children, your students
• Without any influence of peer principals, superintendents, parents, federal standards, etc., – you are accountable only to the students – how would you transform education?
• What excites your students? What do they want to do and learn about?
• Do you see a difference in helping them grow up to become what and/or who they want to be and helping them be the best kid they can be now (is education always planning for the future, or is some of it simply beneficial for students’ present?)
• In your experience, how do kids learn best? What types of activities engage them the most?
• How do you learn and create at home?

I can’t list everything they mentioned here (though if you want the full report at the end, let me know!), but the themes were very familiar to those of the previous sessions.

Physical Space and Tools: They talked a little about the physical space and tools, primarily emphasizing the need for resource-rich, flexible spaces that are open and have walls/furniture, etc. that can be moved. They wanted the space to nurture collaboration and to incorporate plenty of technology. They also discussed the need to make technology equitable for all students.

The Arts: There was a lot of talk promoting more and integrated arts, offering plenty of opportunities for creating.

Physical Health: A lot of folks talked about the need for students to get up and move throughout the day; they emphasized the need for increased fitness too, mentioning Phy. Ed. and the possibility of incorporating equipment such as treadmills into the school building. Offering “three square meals” was also mentioned.

Student-Centered Environment: This was a huge theme of the afternoon. The principals desired strength-based education that involved students as problem solvers and decision makers. They suggested students be a part of guiding their own learning and tracking their own progress, setting individual learning goals, and having choice. The ideas of flexible, non-graded, ability- or interest-based grouping, or “walking to learn” (where a child can walk to a different class/grade to get instruction that better meets his/her needs) were suggested several times. They wanted to encourage students to take risks, so they emphasized the need to shift to an environment in which it was safe to mess up.

Learning Modes: Participants dreamed of a school that had integrated curricula, fostered global awareness, staffed involved, engaged teachers who use a variety of teaching styles, provided content-related field trips and real-life lessons (including exposure to empathy opportunities), offered spiraling curricula, and emphasized STEAM and project- or discovery-based learning.

Community: The particular school that is being considered in this visioning process will be built in Lincoln, ND, a small rural town that sits about 20 minutes away from the larger Bismarck area. This little town is expanding exponentially, largely due to the oil boom in the western part of the state. As a result, the needs of the town are quickly outstripping the established infrastructure. The principals talked about this point, and saw the new school building as an opportunity to provide expanded community services such as day care for teachers, before and after school programming and day care, medical, mental health, and counseling services, laundry facilities, etc. They also saw this as an opportunity to help build community relationships, collaborating and partnering with parents and community members, and offering a diverse, multicultural environment.

Staffing and Schedule: The participants desired increased staffing, including instructional coaches, and full-time support staff such as counselors, social workers, and PE and music teachers. They wanted all staff to receive “role releases” so they could provide adult intervention when needed on campus. As for the schedule, several expressed interest in an extended or flexible school day, and a year-round model.

From Abstract to Concrete

After our abstract visioning process, I asked the principals to consider their ideas on a practical level. How could they apply these ideas on a day-to-day basis? Here are the questions they considered:

• What does the physical space look like? What tools are students using? How does the day flow? What types of learning are being experienced each day? What methods are you using? What types of collaboration are going on? In short, what is the child’s experience? What is yours? How do you measure success? How do you establish student goals? What is your mission statement for your school? What are its values? Move from the abstract to the concrete.

Physical Space: The principals described a spacious facility that is clutter-free and has plenty of flexible space and movable furniture. They desired the space to be comfortable, with lots of natural lighting and geothermal heating. They preferred tables to desks and wanted plenty of discovery areas and lab space to encourage hands-on learning.

Tools: Technology was key in their vision; they desired mobile technology, Activboards, iPads and tablets. They wanted authentic texts, leveled libraries for reading instruction, and a sufficient budget for educational supplies, including the library, curriculum resources, classroom supplies, office supplies, special education, staff work room supplies, art, music and PE.

Content: Here, the participants talked of integrated, project-based learning that is strength-based and relevant to the students. They emphasized student choice and student engagement. They desired an environment that is accepting of diversity. A couple of teachers brought up Perpich School in Minnesota as an example to be considered. Perpich offers core teaching in the mornings, and arts in the afternoons.

Assessment and Student Goals: Assessment based on standards and guidelines was mentioned, and so was student-led goal setting and student-designed rubrics. They desired report cards that are standards-based, but that reflect individual goals and growth, and aren’t grade-based. They talked of the need to address the core standards in the assessment process, but also wanted to incorporate art, music, and PE.

Leadership/Professional Development: The principals desired a connected, well-supported teaching staff, emphasizing collaboration, instructional coaching, opportunity for reflection on their teaching/learning, and professional development that is focused on the school’s vision and is paced and supported. They wanted an environment in which teachers really knew their learners, both socially and academically. They also mentioned the need for a building-based transition team in each elementary school.

At the end of the session, one principal observed that these approaches didn’t have to wait for a new school building, but could be instituted now, in any school. They discussed the difficulties of instituting such changes, but recognized their ideas as necessary in creating the ideal learning environment. It was a pleasure working with this group, and enjoyable to see how many of their thoughts were reflected in earlier participant sessions. After all of these sessions are completed, I’ll take a look at these intersections of thought and map out comments that come up consistently in each group.

Listening Session #3: The Teachers

The fabulous teachers who shared their ideas with me!

Our third listening session was a bit larger than the first two. 24 teachers filled this session, representing all grades and multiple disciplines. I altered the structure of this meeting slightly, tweaking questions to better fit this crowd; I also only had two hours, so I had to keep things clipping along. The teachers teased me for being such a strict timekeeper!

In these sessions, I encourage participants to identify the aspects and elements of the current educational structure. This can include their physical environment, the way the day is run, the hierarchy of supervision and accountability, the subjects and methods used in class – in short, all the influences that guide the way they experience school. Once participants identify these descriptors, I invite them to put them aside for the duration of the session. I emphasize that there is no judgment being placed on what we know of school; letting these conceptions go temporarily is only offered as an opportunity to view our everyday actions with fresh eyes and to consider possibilities that might have previously seemed impossible.

During the opening portion, I asked broad questions to get us in the mindset for some serious brainstorming. I’m going to list the questions, followed by their responses.

In what ways should children benefit from their school experience?

The first comment – the one that has been universal in the sessions so far – was to gain skills to be a functioning adult. After that was mentioned, the teachers offered that they believed children should: learn how to find information and analyze it for accuracy, become empowered to be free thinkers, learn self-advocacy, learn to be creative, learn to be accepting of different opinions, to ask questions, and to do collaborative work, gain problem solving and critical thinking skills, learn to take risks/think outside the box, learn how to develop a passion and then be excited about it, gain a love of learning, learn to think big, learn how to be content in the midst of struggle, and learn the value of perseverance.

An interesting note here is that several times during the session, several teachers kept referring back to this first question and their responses. They wanted to emphasize how important it was for teachers to experience all these benefits as well.

Give the current accepted definition of a successful student. Now imagine you were given the opportunity to define what makes a successful student. How would you define what that is?

Teachers’ descriptions of the accepted definition of a successful student were mixed. Some of them could be be interpreted as positive aspects: being responsible and respectful, having supportive parents, bringing their own background experiences to the table, being an active participant. Some were offered with a tone of dissatisfaction – the participants seemed to stuck with some of the expectations like: not questioning, “sits and gets,” coloring in the lines, following rules, and not challenging the status quo. Scoring well on tests was also mentioned, as was getting work done on time and having few absences and tardies.

One of several fillings of the white board as I worked to write up all the participants’ comments

When the participants turned to create their definition of a successful student, they offered these descriptions: empowered, mutually respectful, self-motivated, self-advocating, engaged, one who empowers others and thinks globally, eager and passionate about learning and involved in their own project planning and standard setting, able to have their diverse needs met, able to demonstrate their knowledge in multiple ways beyond simply testing, able to think and do things in multiple ways (emphasis on project based, applied learning), identify real-world applications and make connections across the curricula, empowered to teach the class and the teacher, even outsmarting the teacher (especially in the use of technology), able to make choices.

These comments are the teachers’ almost word for word. The teachers noted the similarities in their definition to that which is accepted, but they also discussed the many differences they saw as I wrote up all their comments.

Abstract Visioning

We held two small group break-outs; in the first, I challenged the participants to dream in the abstract. I offered them these questions to get them thinking, but invited them to stray from them as needed to encourage their own conversation.

• Think about yourself, your own children, your students
• Without any influence of principals, superintendents, parents, federal standards, etc., – you are accountable only to the students – how would you transform education?
• What excites your students? What do they want to do and learn about?
• Do you see a difference in helping them grow up to become what and/or who they want to be and helping them be the best kid they can be now (is education always planning for the future, or is some of it simply beneficial for students’ present?)
• In your experience, how do kids learn best? What types of activities engage them the most?
• How do you learn and create at home?

The responses were numerous. If you are interested in reading the full report once the sessions are over, let me know and I’ll be happy to share! But in the name of blogging brevity, I’ll offer a summary. First off, I was struck by the similarities of the teacher’s responses to those of both the elementary and high school participants. They talked of prioritizing foreign language offerings, field trips, hands-on, project-based learning, opportunities for movement and brain breaks throughout the day, more flexibility in the day’s schedule, individualized learning plans, connecting with the community, and technology. Lots of talk about technology. What to use, how to use it, the importance of professional development, the issues of full student access, the possibility of using student-owned personal devices, and the possibility of blended online classes where content and/or contact is available all the time.

Teachers emphasized the need for interest based learning, identifying possibilities such as increased electives even for elementary kids, and offerings such as pop culture analysis. They talked of flipping classrooms and emphasizing experimentation – let’s take things apart! Many of their comments considered the unique needs of each child – besides individualized learning plans and interest based learning, they mentioned teaching to kids’ strengths, and several talked of their desire to blur or dispose of grade levels, and allow flexibility of grouping so that teachers could teach more effectively. They also wanted increased collaboration, so they could work with each other and with the community to better serve the students.

From Abstract to Concrete

After all that sharing, we held one more small group session, where teachers discussed moving from their abstract goals to more concrete applications. Here are some of the questions I offered to get them talking:

• What does the physical space look like? What tools are students using? How does the day flow? What types of learning are being experienced each day? What methods are you using? What types of collaboration are going on? In short, what is the child’s experience? What is yours? How do you measure success? How do you establish student goals? What is your mission statement for your school? What are its values? Move from the abstract to the concrete.

Again, the responses were numerous. As for physical space, teachers wanted space and a lot of it. They wanted it to be flexible with nooks and small places to have break-outs; they wanted movable walls and furniture, tables vs. desks, and plenty of space for research/discovery centers. They wanted plenty of natural light and personal space for students so they could store their belongings. They talked of the desire to have more teacher autonomy over the day’s schedule, and wished for more traditional pull-out services to be provided in the classroom in order to limit disruption.

For technology, teachers wanted it to be consistent between classrooms to improve collaboration. They mentioned flip cameras, personal devices, and had lots of talk about making sure all students had access. They talked of ebooks instead of textbooks, and wanted to use social media as a tool for students to reflect learning instead of more traditional worksheets. Activboards and microphones were mentioned, as was the need for professional development to ensure that teachers knew how best to use the technology they were given.

The teachers also discussed structure and mode of learning. They really emphasized student involvement here, suggesting that kids should have input in schedule and goal-setting, and even in the subjects they studied. They emphasized inter-grade and inter-subject teaching, and wished to increase collaboration by co-teaching these groups. One teacher emphasized collaboration with an oft-overlooked resource: the librarians in each school facility, who can offer assistance  to teachers in language, technology, social media and more. They wanted students to be able to stand up if they preferred, have access to hands-on manipulatives, and educational gaming. They suggested that extended day offerings (after-school programs) should connect with the community and be meaningful and fun, with offerings such as foreign language and cooking classes.

In short, teachers wanted to create an atmosphere for both students and teachers in which risk-taking and trying new things is encouraged, where being wrong is safe and viewed as opportunity, where both teachers and students felt more empowered to set their own goals and evaluate their own success, and that they were part of something bigger than themselves – part of team of courageous, energetic thinkers from both the immediate school facility and the larger community.

The energy all afternoon was contagious and encouraging, and several teachers called out for more meetings like this. They wanted to further the collaborative relationships that had been nurtured in those short two hours. I was moved by their courage, their honesty, and their willingness to be vulnerable, compassionate, hopeful beings. I tip my hat to them.

Skyping, Creativity, and Literacy

Just a quick follow up from my last post. This evening, another blog post popped up talking about Eva’s recent Skyping session; it also includes a short film clip from the classroom’s perspective. Renee Boss, who arranged the event, shares my passion for creativity in learning. She has some cool things to say on the topic. Check it out!

Eva Skypes to Share Literacy

A couple of weeks ago, Eva had a new opportunity to Skype with a classroom of 4th graders down in the warm state of Kentucky. Educational guru and family friend Renee Boss made the arrangements for us, and her own son Isaac was a student in the class. A couple of days ago, Renee shared a link to Adolescent Literacy in the Bluegrass that reported on the event. Check it out! There’s even a video clip to let you see what a Skype connection looks like from the classroom perspective.

 

 

Listening Session #2: the High School

In today’s session, six courageous high school students spent three hours with me to discuss education and share their ideas. Polite, articulate, calm, this group’s energy was as positive as yesterday’s group, but much quieter. We spent the first hour exploring these questions (a couple of which were generated by Imagining Learning):

• What is learning? Can we name some examples? Are there many ways of learning? What are they? Why do we go to school?
• Offer adults one piece of advice about how to support young people on the planet today.
• Who was your favorite person when you were younger? How did it feel to be with that person?
• Define a successful student according to our current educational expectations. Now create your own definition as to what you think a successful student should be.

Like yesterday’s group, the participants then identified all the things they could think of that they associated with school. They wrote them down and tossed them in a basket to symbolically let go of their preconceived notions. We spent the last portion of the session in discussion and reporting of their own vision of what a school should and could be.

I got so wrapped up in the session that I didn’t get many pictures. I’m not sure what kind of crazy face I’m making here. Or why I’m brandishing a cheese stick.

Though the session is geared to make this last visioning portion the most productive, this group shared their most significant insight in the first hour. They talked at length of the needs of many students for a stable parent figure. They said that without a respectful, trustworthy, and present adult in their lives, many students were fated to failure. They saw the role of school as surrogate parent-figure – that if kids didn’t have that stable person in their home lives, they should be able to find it within the school walls. The participants discussed their own favorite teachers – the ones they felt they could trust like their own parents – and worried about students who might not have that connection. If there was a top theme of the session, this was it. They simply wanted adults to give kids their time, respect, and trust.

The theme of community and family was palpable. They were excited to have a school facility in their little township; whereas before, students traveled 15 miles or so to the Bismarck schools, now they’ll be able to “bring education back home,” as one student put it. They hoped the school would provide plenty of opportunities for family socials, support groups for kids with tricky issues in their lives, carnivals and play.

As for learning, the participants emphasized the need for more fun. “Learning through playing” was one phrase offered up, and another student coined “living the lesson.” They saw the need to make learning relevant to real life, and favored field trips, increased use of technology, and hands-on education vs. textbook learning. Foreign language was another deeply discussed issue. The students felt that languages should be offered at a much younger age, beginning in elementary school, with summer camp options to offer further study. They wanted languages beyond the traditional European offerings as well, such as Chinese and Japanese. They also favored interest-based learning, and suggested that time spent getting to know the students (and their interests) was far more valuable than the time spent in repeated assessments and standardized testing.

I feel deep appreciation once again for the generosity, insight, honesty, and intelligence of my participants today. I was moved by their compassion for their fellow students, and for their values of family and community. Thanks too to the principal, teachers, administrators, and assistants who all worked to make today happen!

And We’re Off! Listening Session #1

The first listening session with the elementary school

Today I had the pleasure of facilitating my first of seven listening sessions, asking the question: if you were left to your own devices, how would you transform education? This first session was with a group of eight elementary students. We began with introductions, and I gave them explanations as to why we were here and how the 2-hour session would run. Though I had a process in mind, they were super eager to call out ideas for a new school right away. They came with words and were ready to share. The session ran beautifully, and the students were insightful and articulate. Though we’ll be compiling their thoughts, comments, and artwork into a short film, I’ll give you a little sneak preview here.

Interestingly, when I looked back at the students’ comments, I found that their ideas could not only be used for their ideal school environment, but also for general guidelines for an ideal life. They talked a lot about their physical well-being, wanting more gym, more time outside, more playground space, more green space in general and less concrete. They talked about new food policies, and had strong opinions on what they should look like. More than one student called out for naptime, just like the kindergarteners have, and there was a request for more support for students with learning disabilities.

They wanted lockers and small, private study rooms to secure their individual space, and social groups to support kids going through divorce, bullying, and other tough issues. They wanted community, requesting more family socials like game night and student socials like dances. They wanted art and hands-on science, specifically requesting to study chemistry, to blow up things, to study environmental health, and to try their hand at dissection and mechanical engineering. They wanted to plant gardens and create student committees to care for them. They wanted to expand the role of the student council to serve more like a Parent Teacher Organization, taking a more active role in the support and decision-making processes of the school.

They wanted to study literature by reading and then dramatizing the stories, performing their own plays. They wanted their schoolwork to matter enough to submit to real-world contests. They wanted more field trips and real-world guest experts to visit their classrooms. They wanted their teachers to have adequate resources (they really said that!). They wanted more visuals in the classrooms, like videos, but they specifically asked for better videos – faster, funnier, fresher – something they could relate to. They wanted to learn how to create websites. One student shared an observation that their school counselor had made earlier that day, that memory is solidified by the experience of emotion. The student talked about the need to really feel what they’re learning in order to lock it in their minds.

The students turned their thoughts and ideas into artwork.

In short, they wanted to take care of their bodies, feel independent, get messy, learn deeply, create community, and be involved in the running of their school. “Having fun” was a constant theme. Towards the end of the session, one student said, “at the end of the day, I want to want to DO something!” And really, who doesn’t?

A wonderful start to the next couple of weeks. These students were both excited about some of the great positive examples and services their current school was already providing and were empowered to think ahead and generate new ideas. Kudos to the principal and teachers who are nurturing these students and who made today’s event possible!

Next up, the high school students!

What Should School Be: The Listening Sessions

Over the last few months, I’ve had the honor of meeting with our school district’s superintendent, along with the assistant superintendent of elementary schools and the director of technology. These intelligent, brave individuals and I have been discussing what it means to provide a 21st century education to our community’s students. We’ve been considering the possibilities of the future, trying to look at our current system with fresh eyes both for what it does well and what it could improve upon. We’ve allowed ourselves to dream a little and consider trying out a fresh model in a new planned elementary school.

A summary of comments made in a teen education visioning session in SC.

What I respect most about our stalwart committee is their commitment to community involvement; our first step forward is to engage the larger community to ask them their vision for education. And this is where I come in. During the next three weeks, I’ll be running a series of 2-3 hour listening sessions: two groups of elementary kids, one group of middle school kids, one group of high school kids, one group of parents, one group of teachers, and one group of administrators. I’ll be asking them to participate in our dreaming process, inquiring: if you were the supreme boss of your (or your child’s/student’s) education, how would you do it? If you had no guidelines, no rules, no limitations whatsoever, what would it look like? The idea isn’t to ultimately throw away accountability, but to allow session participants to dream without boundaries, and to find the over-arching themes of their ideal educational paradigm.

I am thrilled to be facilitating these sessions. There’s nothing that makes me happier than hearing intelligent people wax philosophic on education. To get the perspective from individuals aged nine all the way up to teachers and administrators is going to be such a learning experience for me. Will they dream up a vision similar to my own, where students get a say in their educational plan, schoolwork is project-based and relevant, technology is integral, and success is measured more by engagement, portfolio, and deep understanding than by a letter grade? I don’t know. I can’t imagine they’ll stick with the status quo. But I’m fascinated to find out. My job in all this is to ask questions and record – not to share my own opinion – and I commit to my readers here to remain open and objective. Stay tuned for the outcome.