Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

Yesterday, January 4th, marked the first day back from the holiday break and the beginning of the new semester.   In the tradition of Lasallian schools, we begin each class with prayer.  Quite often, I use the website, Praying Each Day, http://www.prayingeachday.org/reflect.html for the prayer of the day.

The prayer for yesterday focused on Sir Isaac Newton.  Who else would be a more appropriate focus for a prayer for the beginning of a science class?  However, it is in this prayer that we can see how all educators and their students should approach both teaching and learning.  I can not find a better way to articulate what the focus of education should be. 

Isaac Newton was born on January 4th 1643. What is Newton remembered for?

He developed Calculus, a branch of mathematics.

In studies of light, he showed via a prism that sunlight is made of a spectrum of

colors - red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.

Newton formulated Three Laws of Motion, which led to his theory of Universal Gravitation

(often remembered in the incident of the falling apple).

Newton’s work was a turning point in science, but he acknowledged that his progress and success were built on the hard work and achievements of people before him:

“If I have seen further,

it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”

 

There is so much that I don’t know, and I ask you to inspire me with a thirst for knowledge.

I pray, too, for wisdom and understanding that I may use my knowledge well.

I give thanks for many people I have never met whose knowledge and understanding have been passed on to me.

I ask that I may benefit from their work and experience and may contribute, in turn, to the

well-being of others.

Socrates, Learning and Knowledge

The Socratic Legend

A young man approached Socrates and made the request, "I want to know everything you know."

Socrates responded by inviting the young man down to the river bank and said, "If this is your desire, kneel down at the river's edge. Gaze into the river and tell me what you see."

"I do not see anything," the young man said.

Bend near to the surface and take a closer look," replied Socrates.

As the man stared intently into the water, leaning as close to the surface as he could without falling in, Socrates grabbed the back of the young man's head and thrust it under the water. As the young man flailed and tried to escape Socrates kept a firm grip and held him under the surface of the water. As the man grew weaker and began to give up, Socrates pulled him from the water and laid him on the bank.

As the man gasped and coughed, he gathered himself and he yelled out, "What are you trying to do you crazy old man? Kill me!"

Socrates calmly asked, "As I held you under water, what did you want? what was most important to you?"

"I wanted to breathe. I wanted air!" he screamed at Socrates.

Socrates responded, "Don't ever make the mistake of believing that wisdom comes easily. When you want to fill your life with the knowledge you asked for as badly as you wanted the air to fill your lungs, then and only then should you come to me again."

Without, bringing the students to the brink of death, how can we instill in them a thirst for learning and knowledge?  How can we as educators get the students of today to understand that learning is a process? How do we get them to understand that everything comes with a price that must be paid? The price for knowledge is the experience of the process, putting in the time, developing understanding, asking questions and seeking solutions, while seeing the possible outcomes of the knowledge gained.

Too often our students misunderstand finding answers with learning. They have been led to believe that algorithmic problem solving is critical thinking.  And worst of all, have been brainwashed into believing that grades equal knowledge.

The process of learning must be returned to the forefront of education.  Students must be encouraged to understand that knowledge comes through time and effort.  But most importantly they must grow to appreciate the journey not the destination. To truly embrace learning as a skill to be utilized rather than simply a means of getting answers in order to receive a grade. 

The work however, does not fall solely on the students, but demands that teachers seek out new methods to encourage student learning, to evaluate students for the steps along the path rather than only the final product. We as educators must challenge ourselves to step away from the comfort of the algorithmic processes that are easy to evaluate and justify.  We too must embrace and value learning as the ultimate goal within our classroom.

The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance.

                                          -   Socrates  - 

Sometimes Failing is a Good Thing

"Success is never final, failure is never fatal,

it is courage that counts."

                                              - Winston Churchill -

What if these individuals allowed their failures to get in the way of their eventual success?

Lance Armstrong ended dead last in his first cycling race?

Lucille Ball was told to, "try another profession," when she first took up acting.

Robin Williams was voted "Least Likely to Succeed" in his senior class.

Walt Disney was fired from his job on a newspaper because, "he lacked imagination and had no good ideas."

R.H. Macy failed seven times before his store was finally successful in New York.

Elvis Presley was fired after his first performance at the Grand Ole Opry.

Babe Ruth also held the strike out record.

Michael Jordan missed over 9,000 free throws, lost almost 300 games and failed 26 times on game winning shots.

And of course there is the ultimate record in failure:

• Failed in business in 1831
• Defeated for a seat in the legislature in1832
• Failed in business in 1833
• Suffered a nervous breakdown in 1836
• Lost for Speaker of the House in 1838
• Defeated as an elector in 1840
• Defeated for Congress in 1843
• Defeated for Senate 1855
• Lost Vice Presidential election in 1856
• Lost in a Senate race in 1858

Who?

Abraham Lincoln who was elected the sixteenth President of the United States.

As educators it is vital that we teach our students to accept failure as a step on the road to success.  That, it is in understanding what caused the failure that they can gain insight into what might be the correct path to choose.  It is the fear of failure that paralyzes their initiative and they do not continue to progress torward their ultimate goal. An even greater injustice is, if the fear of failure keeps them from making any attempt what so ever.   It is the responsibility of the educator to create an environment based upon challenge that does not instill fear and failure that is celebrated as a stepping stone towoard personal success.  

Thank-you and Goodbye, Brother Donald Mansir FSC

Brother Donald Mansir FSC, passed away this weekend.

He was my mentor, teacher and friend and the main reason I became an educator. 

Brother Donald, you lived the 12 Virtues of a Good Teacher

and in doing so touched my life in so many ways.

Gravity (Seriousness)
You allowed me to enjoy my years in high school but made sure I understood my responsibilities and how to meet expectations.  You provided a balance of the importance of appreciating all of my talents, even the ones I had not yet discovered.

Silence
You had a special way of drawing out my thoughts and allowing me to express myself by simply waiting silently with that look of “wanting more”.

Humility
You enjoyed the finer things in life but lived in simplicity.  You enjoyed each and every person for who we were.  

Prudence
You provided me ample opportunity to explore myself and my world with a sense of safety and security without impinging my freedom to be me.

Wisdom
You lived a life of education, your passion for learning and the value of knowledge was a gift that I was fortunate to witness and learn from.

Patience
You very seldom showed anger or frustration even though I may not have always been the most cooperative of individuals.  You were always a model of restraint and calm.

Reserve (Self-control)
You knew your limits and you knew my limits and you always found a way to work within those parameters to find success for each of us.

Gentleness
You were one of the most gentle men I ever knew.  Your quiet voice spoke volumes to me loud and clear.  

Zeal
You brought an energy to all you did through your passion for excellence. I look back on ‘Man of La Mancha” and realize that is the life an educator leads, but only with a zeal for the value of an education.  

Vigilance
You brought an air of safety and security to a very awkward time in my life. I knew always that when I was in your presence that all would be well.

Piety
You are the main reason I am an Educator today. Your example goes far beyond anything I could have learned from a book or in a classroom.  

Generosity
You were the model of generosity, in giving of yourself in time, energy and knowledge that I may be the person I am today.    

Thank-you and Goodbye

Brother Donald

I Will Miss You

   

Become a Fine Weaver

"A weaver who has to direct and to interweave a great many little threads has no time to philosophize about it, rather, he is so absorbed in his work that he doesn't think, he acts: and it's nothing he can explain, he just feels how things should go."

                                                              - Vincent Van Gogh -

It takes a fine hand to gather thousands of different threads and weave them in an intricate tapestry that somehow becomes a piece of art for many to admire. Some who view it will be struck by the use of color, others will marvel at the detail of the image and still others may simply appreciate the whole picture.

This too, is our job as educators, to make connections of thousands of ideas into a lesson that may be understood by a variety of individuals.  Just as the tapestry will be appreciated on many different levels the students of each classroom will understand, appreciate and utilize the knowledge in a wide variety of ways.

It is our job as an educator to design lessons that will somehow strike a chord with as many students as possible within their classroom. As a teacher we must weave ourselves, our subject and our students in the fabric of learning.

Our capabilities are maximized as we create great understanding through connectedness. We must be able to take grand complex ideas and bring focus to the threads that we weave together within the image. But, we are also capable of taking what may seem like piles of unrelated ideas and manipulate them in to a single intricate coherent thought.

As educators we must utilize a variety of tools in order to complete this process: Socratic dialogues, collaborative problem solving, lecture, multi-media and technology.  However, the connectedness does not flow out of these methods but instead it flows out of the zeal, passion and heart that we as educators demonstrate in the process.

Good teachers become part of the fabric of the community of learning, joining both students and subject into a culture of learning within their classroom.

       

Five Basic Rules to Learn By

Everyone needs time to think and learn.

We each learn in our own ways, by our own timeclocks.

It is okay to make mistakes. That is how we learn.

It is intelligent to ask for help. No one need do it alone.

We can to more an learn more when we are willing to risk.

These five basic rules should be embodied by teachers, mentors, coaches, parents and students alike.
If everyone who is involved in the process of learning would take into account that we all have a wide variety of talents, skills, characterisitics and tolerances, and that each of us must be given the opportunity to develop our own success the process of learning would be far less stressful and much more enjoyable for all. 

Educators must understand that there is no definite timetable for learnig. Just because the curriculum guide or our semester overview or our lesson plan says we are supposed to be on chapter five, this des not mean that we are all ready for the content or skills in chapter five.  However, we do not live in a perfect world where everyone is allowed to do what they want when they want to.  Therefore, we must
create a learning environment that provides the comfort and security for our students to be willing to attermpt new things, to make mistakes and take risks, knowing that the process of learning is the ultimate reward and that success is measured against oneself not against an artificial measure of the group.

Lasallian Educators are FAITHFUL and CREATIVE

I was given the following at a back to school retreat  last week. 

Lasallian Educators are both FAITHFUL and CREATIVE

FAITHFUL - Commited to the values, beliefs and attitudes that underly the ministry

CREATIVE - Versed in the methodologies employed to communicate tose values to TODAY's student.

As I begin this new year, I am reminded to look at my classroom as means of providing the students entrusted to my care with an avenue to understand and embrace those core principles that make us a Lasallian Community: Faith in the Presence of God, Quality Education, Inclusive Community, Respect for All Persons and Concern for the Poor and Social Justice.  I must gaurantee that these are not just a nice list of words and terms that the students can memorize but an actual method of living that the students can embrace.

I must look at the lessons I am creating and first determine, not only if I am providing a clear model of the core principles, but am I providing that message in a way that speaks to those students on a level that thaey can visualize and live out? I must step out side my own comfort zones at times to experience their world but also have the conviction to demand the most of each of them within our community.

  

What Do You Make?

I have recieved this several times in various forms throughout my years as an educator.
Each time I see it, I am reminded of why we do what we do.

What do you make?

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life.

One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education.

He argued: "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?"

He reminded the other dinner guests that it's true what they say about teachers: "Those who can: do. Those who can't: teach."

To corroborate, he said to another guest: "You're a teacher, Susan," he said. "Be honest.  What do you make?"                

 Susan, who had a reputation of honesty and frankness, replied, "You want to know what I make?"

"I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.

I can make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor and an A- feel like a slap in the face if the student did not do his or her very best." 

"I can make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall in absolute silence."

"I can make parents tremble in fear when I call home."

"You want to know what I make?"

“I make kids wonder."

"I make them question."

"I make them criticize."

"I make them apologize and mean it."

"I make them write."

"I make them read, read, read."

"I make them spell "definitely & beautiful" over and over again, until they will never misspell either one of those words again."

"I make them show all their work in math and hide it all on their final drafts in English."

"I elevate them to experience music and art and the joy in performance, so their lives are rich, full of kindness and culture, and they take pride in themselves and their accomplishments."

"I make them understand that if you have the brains, then follow your heart...and if someone ever tries to judge you by what money you are paid, you pay them no attention."

"You want to know what I make?"

"I make a difference."

"What do you make?"

There is a great take off on this by Taylor Mali on a TED Talk.
http://www.ted.com/talks/taylor_mali_what_teachers_make.html