#IMMOOC Week Two

"Is there a better way?"

I find myself asking this question on a daily basis.

Today it was when I was in an empty classroom waiting for students come to me for their GT instruction. The school has an empty classroom devoted to the occasional meeting and spontaneous out of district services; all while I offer daily services in a portable without running water or a bathroom. Today it was raining so I went through the protocol to use this empty room and as I watched the clock tick, every minute is one less I get to spend with these students...I think, "is there a better way?"

My answer is yes but often what I say yes to, others say no.

In the State of Maine, gifted services are mandated and fully funded...however, the catch is we are limited to services the top 3-5%. In a district of 2500 students, this means 125 students k-12 are identified. A shockingly small number that has pushed the ceiling of identification standards to mean students must test in the 98th or 99th percentile to be identified. Identification is the worst part of the job.

So how can I use an innovator's mindset to make things better?

#IMMOOC Week One

I work in Gifted Education. It is a field that I deeply believe in. When I first started teaching a GT class, it was a eureka moment. My teaching went to a different level and I had fun. I loved this population of students and was amazed at their dedication, curiosity, and ability. They kept me on my toes and my teaching changed...I was no longer a holder of knowledge but a curator of resources who could lead them to the information they needed.

But, the GT field must innovate or it will die. I see too much of Blockbuster in Gifted Education. As a relatively young player in the world of education, gifted education looks very similar to what it did years ago. When people try to change service delivery or try new approaches there is often a ringing of the fear of change. I want to change the mindset so change is embraced "an opportunity to do something amazing."

As I go through this #IMMOOC, I want to look through a lens of how I can apply the Innovator Mindset to Gifted Education.

My takeaways from the Introduction and Chapter One are:

• We forget that if students leave school less curious than when they started, we have failed them (4)
• Compliance does not foster innovation (5)
• If we want people to take risks, they have to know we are there to catch them and support them (7)
• Moving away from a culture of compliance to create engagement and ultimately, empower those in our schools (7)
• Shift from telling to listening (7)
• When we stop worrying about who is best and concern ourselves with helping everyone succeed (9)
• Twenty-first century education is not about the test; it is about something bigger (9)
• Innovation can come from either"invention" or "iteration", but if it does not meet the idea of "new and better," it is not innovative(19)
• A single idea can completely change our thinking (25)

Being Switzerland

I never know what to tell people what I do...my life is a hybrid. I am a quasi administrator, a quasi teacher. I accepted a job thinking I would do one job but as we all know...the real job often entails so much more. It is easiest to say that I am a teacher. Although this explanation often infuriates my family who watched me work so hard to accomplish what I have done at this point. But, at the very heart of what I do, I am a teacher.

Every third day, I get to see a group of 8th graders that I have taught now for three years. I only get 50 minutes with them, so time is precious. This year, it has been a challenge to fit everything we want to discuss into that time frame. Then on top of it, this is middle school. Middle school students are my favorite age bracket for so many reasons, but one of the top reasons is for the sake that these students are starting to develop their own opinions and into their own personalities.

It has been a hard year to be a teacher, a hard year due to the political tornado that hit our country. I try very hard to be Switzerland whenever teaching about an issue that has two very distinct sides. I know it is important for my students to be presented with all viewpoints and then form their own opinions based on that information. As Carl Pickhardt, a psychologist in private counseling and public lecturing practice in Austin, Texas, wrote that, "They [adolescents] start pulling away, pushing against, and getting around adult authority in order to create more freedom to grow and to live on more independent terms." I never want to sway my students, if they end up agreeing with my beliefs at the end of a very evenly presented debate, conversation, or discussion then that is great. But, I fundamentally believe that having a personal opinion with no fear of retribution is what sets our country apart from others.

Recently. I had a student say to me that they still had no idea which side of the political system I fell on and he really admired that I was able to stay so neutral. I was surprised to hear this comment as I felt that I had (regrettably) made a few comments that would show my unwavering support for one candidate. I am happy that I could be Switzerland. I felt like I did my job.

I still haven't decided how to deal with the inauguration. I'll keep you posted.

One Little Word - Become

I have never been one to keep New Year's Resolutions...I even make them with a grain of salt. The only resolution that I have ever been successful in keeping was when I was a young 20 something living in New York City and going out resulted in high bar tabs for the mixed drinks I loved so much. That year, my resolution was to learn to like beer. I think of it as a fiscally responsible decision. I conquered that resolution, perhaps all too well. Other resolutions have included all the things that I know I lack as a single female...housecleaning, cooking, less TV, more reading, and then some years I haven't resolved to do anything different.

My colleague introduced me to one little word. Instead of creating a list of resolutions to change myself, pick one word that you want to define what you do and where you put your energy for the year. I loved it. The first year, I was excited and picked a word...what it was I cannot recall. As that year took a turn and I had to focus any extra energy on my mother as her health was drastically declining.

Become.

This will be the year that I become. For the past three years my life has revolved around my job and the needed medical attention for my mother. My mother passed away less than a month ago. It was a death that released her from a body that broke down on her but still the emptiness that her death has left seems to be a sinkhole that gets larger everyday. My OLW this year is for her as well. I want my life that continues after her death to have meaning and be purposeful.

Become. I will become who I have always wanted to be. I have spent decades on my professional being and am constantly in awe of that person. Vedi, Vidi, Vici. I came. I saw. I conquered. But this year I want to become more of what is inside me. I want to become the writer that has lived inside since I was a little girl. I want to become a nurturer for a child. I want to become well read. I want to become healthy. I want to become a traveller. I want to become who I know I can be.

So this year, will be the year that I become.