Educators Rock!

Do you ever have one of those days, or one of those weeks where you just so energized by those around you that you can hardly stop yourself from walking around shouting about it to everyone who will listen?  Okay, so maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration...I don't really mean that I would walk around in public yelling random thoughts about how much I adore and admire educators.   The point I am attempting to make is that I have had one of those weeks where I have been completely energized by the people I admire most- educators.  I went into this week excited because I knew that I would be spending the day on Tuesday with a local district talking about grading and assessment, that I would have the opportunity to talk with parents on Wednesday about the work another district has done in shifting their practices to value the learning process, and that I would get to work with yet another district on Friday to clarify and extend their thinking about formative assessments.  However, this week has been even more energizing and rewarding than I anticipated.  My most amazing day, Wednesday, which is what inspired this blog, was sandwiched by the opportunity on Tuesday and then Thursday to have long conversations with some educator friends overseas who are largely responsible for a complete resurgence, over the last 9 months, of my overall confidence and my passion for my work and also for creating clarity about my future path.

On Wednesday, I attended a meeting where one of our local superintendents, Gary Tipsord, worked with a small group of us who have been developing visions for new learning opportunities in our community.  He wanted to meet because he was noticing some duplication of work and the potential to leverage our resources in a more efficient way.  Our ROE has been considering a Pre-K-12 innovation school that would educate students in a way that is a complete shift from traditional schooling paradigms, our Bloomington Area Career Center is working on adding new career path opportunities for high school students and Bloomington Normal STEM is building learning opportunities for career paths for high school students and STEM immersion experiences for K-8.  We met to discuss how our ideas fit together, are overlapping, and where we may be unnecessarily competing for resources.  Gary jumped up and began writing on the whiteboard (see picture above) as he facilitated the conversation.  His ability to see the big picture and to efficiently align our thinking and visualize a blending of somewhat divergent ideas was absolutely amazing.  In the end, we had clarity about how we can collaborate in a way that will greatly benefit students while also utilizing resources in an efficient and effective way.  During the process, he gently and eloquently (with a smile and a laugh, considering his own driven personality) reminded me to be patient and have trust in other educators to continue moving forward as we explore innovative ways to promote student learning.  His passion for quality his knowledge about the entire institution of education, and his ability to lead and communicate is inspiring!

Later that day, I headed to the Olympia district to participate in a discussion with parents about their shift to a grading and assessment system that is focused on learning and feedback.  I had the pleasure of visiting a high school science classroom where I was completely blown away by her understanding and application of the Learning Challenge/Learning Pit.  Chris Embry-Mohr has masterfully created an illustration of the Learning Pit to walk students through the learning process, but also to align with her NGSS storylines.  The following image is the series of Learning Pit images that skillfully incorporate many of the Learning Challenge Concepts:

She shows the stages of learning from being in the practice zone and having a set of attitudes, skills, and knowledge, to being in the learning zone and wobbling with different ideas about a concept, to the development of new attitudes, skills and knowledge.  She even shows that the teacher (in pink) and the student (in blue) are working together, but that the teacher does not "save" the student or pull them out of the pit.  Instead, the teacher encourages learning through questioning.  The blue thought bubbles are the scientific practices that students utilize to get themselves out of the pit and clarify their thinking.

Chris has taken a step further by adding a series of Learning Pit images that are a "work in progress" as she takes her class through an NGSS storyline:

These illustrations are interactive and engage the students as they work through the storyline and identify when they are wobbling with ideas and immersed in a cognitive conflict that puts them in the pit.  The ideas and questions are noted on the pit and then they connect the scientific practices that they do or could use to get out of the pit.  I am sure I am missing some of the nuances of how Chris is using these illustrations with her students, but I plan to return to her class to learn more!!

From this fabulous classroom, I entered a parent meeting where the educators from Olympia High School were talking with parents about shifts they have made in grading and assessment in order to focus more on learning and progress and less on sorting, ranking and competition.  I witnessed administrators, teachers, and a counselor who clearly understand their role as educators talking to parents about the importance of consistent feedback that is accurate and timely.  I heard them talk about treating each student as an individual and making decisions based on the needs of the students. My chest swelled with pride as I listened to them answer questions from parents in ways that undeniably demonstrated their commitment to supporting each student to learn.

I ended this fantastical educational inspiration day by speaking to a doctoral class at Illinois State.  I humbly stood in front of a group of about 15 administrators who, every week, go to class from 4:00 pm- 10:00 pm to further their learning.  They are so committed to bettering their craft, that they put in a second day's work in the middle of the week.  Can I just say that I love educators?!  

This work that we do is hard, but it can also be incredibly rewarding.  Our children are absolutely worth it.  I am super tempted to go into my running narrative about change and what we still need to do, but I am just going to leave it at - EDUCATORS ROCK!