=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= Classroom Toolkit Newsletter =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= April 30, 2006 Issue #4 Volume 2 Number 4 =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= Written by Joseph Chmielewski, M.S., L.P.C. (c) copyright 2006 Center for Creative Learning, San Antonio, Texas =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=* TABLE OF CONTENTS *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= 1. News Nuggets 2. Site Progress 3. Open Source in Education 4. Featured Article: - The Stripes, Spots, and Yellow Streaks of School District Stakeholders 5. Top Tips - 1:1 Computing Guide (Free from HP) - Teacher Resources -- - Tips to Help you Save Time and Money -- - Short Article -- NCLB and High-stakes Tests: "We Spit on You" 6. Book Review 7. Requests 8. Site or Newsletter Feedback 9. Upcoming Articles =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= NEWS NUGGETS *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= ----- - 1 - ----- -> News Nuggets <- Congress wants to Ban Junk Food in Schools The obesity rate of students jumped four percent, from 14% to 18%, in four years, according to the Centers for Disease Control. (No need to document this, we all see for ourselves that this is true. But, here is the supporting link.) http://tinyurl.com/hazdz While the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee (I'm not making this "Forestry" part up) ponders the danger of close to 1/5 of our children being on the brink of long-term health problems, we should wonder how so many high-sugar, high-salt, high-fat, caffeine-laced "food stuffs" get into our schools in the first place. Second, we should wonder if schools are the only place that our kids get to eat this stuff? Consider a study in NYC that determined that 25% of toddlers are obese and that 40% are too heavy for their age. This issue was most acute among children from lower socioeconomic homes. Why? http://tinyurl.com/lkty5 Then, we should wonder "who's job it is to teach children what to eat?" And finally, we might ask "Does lack of exercise also play a part in this problem?" (That is, unless we belong to the Food Products Association, and believe that non-nutritive food stuffs [no pun intended] has to be present in schools so that children can learn right from wrong [about eating].) Maybe "No Child Left Behind" means that they are too heavy to run and can't keep up. ->Sidebar<- Maybe the new federal law outlawing non-nutritive food should be called, "No child with a big behind." ->End Sidebar<- Let's get to the heart of the issue.. (Again, no pun intended.) . Who allowed al a carte lines into schools, and why? Who allowed those vending machines into the school, and why? Who keeps signing contracts with the companies that own the vending machines? Also, are teachers positive role models? Or do students see them imbibe and munch on these items during the school day--even in classrooms during class time? My guess is that if a federal bill to ban non-nutritive foods from our schools is passed, it could be viewed as another unfunded mandate (because the schools will loose a lucrative revenue stream). One solution: Let the feds replace all the revenue that school districts earn from the sale of these food substitutes. Another solution is to pry students and teachers away from their desks in some daily physical fitness-related activity. (They are too focused on the high-stress activities and toward making Adequate Yearly Progress, and need a change of pace, anyway.) Another avenue might be to decrease the amount of stress in the school day for both students and teachers. At least according to the TV commercials, belly fat is related to stress. And, stress may also be related to craving for salt. Dependence upon caffeine and withdrawal symptoms from stopping its use include: * Headaches * Irritability * Fatigue * Generalized muscular tension * Nausea * Lack of appetite * Lack of concentration * Forgetfulness Does this sound more like our students or our teachers? So, shouldn't the feds also ban coffee, tea, cola and other caffeine-laden drinks, and chocolate? And since teacher use these products to increase alertness to compensate for a lack of sleep, perhaps the feds should pass a law making it illegal for teachers to grade papers past 8:00 p.m. local time. This is a serious subject, but there are all levels of complicity from the disobedient little tyke that buys a soda and ice cream with the lunch money that his or her parents provided that morning, to the parents, teachers, administrators and school boards who could have cooperated to keep the vending machines and al a carte lines out of our schools in the first place. Instead, non-nutritive stuffs [sic] are viewed by all stakeholders as a "victimless revenue stream." Well, at least most of the overweight tykes won't suffer heart attacks and strokes at school. They will reap that reward later, in middle age when no one will make the connection to early school years. In a convoluted way, vending machines in schools is a solution designed to solve a social problem; i.e., lack of proper funding and lack of proper management in our schools. The Chinese (Communists) had a similar solution for their old age/ retirement system. Their gross national product could not afford pensions for a huge population of old people. Their solution: make cigarettes almost free and addict the country. That way, huge numbers of people will die from lung cancer and won't be able to collect a pension. We need to get money from somewhere seems to be a similar rationale to support installing vending machines for non-nutritive food stuffs in our schools. See our main article "The Stripes, Spots, and Yellow Streaks of School District Stakeholders" in this issue for an elaboration on the topic of doing what is best for our children. =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= SITE PROGRESS =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= ----- - 2 - ----- -> Site Progress <- Site Strategy Our site's strategy is to provide a time-saving plan and a management framework for teachers. This benefits our site's visitors with a value beyond just searching the Internet for an endless supply of unconnected, free materials. Finding just the "right" materials for a specific lesson takes more time than it saves. It saves more time to create your own materials, if you have a strategy for reusable templates and generic components. We offer our materials freely to show teachers how this strategy for saving time actually works. In addition, our site demonstrates a practical method for integrating technology into instruction. This is a stated goal of almost all school districts and the federal government. However, it is easier to say that the integration of technology is a priority than it is to provide adequate funding for equipment, materials and professional development. We show teachers how to integrate technology without adding another hour or two to their workday. In fact, we show teachers how to save time. Site Progress * Several other reprints were added to our site * Our eZine finally was released. (It's more like an eBook.) Since this was our first issue, we have a better idea of what to expect. This is a classic project management issue: no past data to base project estimates on * The Classroom Toolkit Blog is available, but with a newsletter and eZine, and Web site, most every avenue is covered Here is our eZine publication schedule. The focus of these issues will be: Volume 1 -- 2006: Winter Teacher Planning and Holistic Project Management Spring Multiple Intelligences Summer Higher-Order Thinking Fall Project-based Learning Volume 2 -- 2007: Winter Teaching to the Test: A How-to that doesn't Sabotage Learning Spring Teacher Creativity and Performance Learning Summer Mathematical Cross-Pollination: Integrating Math into all Content Areas Fall Visual Phonetics If you have any ideas for what you would like to see included in our eZine please send your suggestions to... suggestions-svbi@classroomtoolkit.com If you would like to contribute an article, please let us know. Note: eZine is posted at: http://www.classroomtoolkit.com/support-files/volume-1_number-1.pdf * We now have 67 subscribers, so we are testing a new E-mail system -> Results <- Our page ranks in the search engines continues to fluctuate, and our traffic rank has regained most of its highest level: * We reached over 1,600 visitors for the month of April The search position numbers bounce around, Search Engine Optimizers call this the "Google(TM) Dance." Here is a summary: Google(TM): Rank in List # of Pages Number 1 3 pages Number 2 3 pages Number 3 2 pages Number 6 3 pages Number 9 1 page Number 16 1 page Number 28 1 page Yahoo(TM) Number 2 3 pages Number 9 2 pages Number 17 2 pages Number 20 2 pages MSN(TM) Number 1 8 pages Number 3 4 pages Number 5 1 page Number 6 2 page Number 7 1 page Number 13 1 page There are other page rankings that are too high to count, i.e., listed past the third page (greater than #30.) =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= OPEN SOURCE PROGRESS *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= ----- - 3 - ----- -> Open Source in Education <- Progress on our Goal for sparking an Open Source in Education Movement: Our goal is to find teachers who are willing to share the materials that they create. -> Our Latest Strategy <- We delivered two presentations at the Tech Fiesta for the Education Service Center, Region 20 (Texas) on Graphic Organizers: Structuring/ Stretching Thought with Higher-Order Thinking and Multiple Intelligences. Between 35 and 40 teachers attended the sessions, and we provided a handout CDs to about ten vendors or Education Service Center staff. We also discovered that the Mind Institute has a local demonstration program at a local University (Our Lady of the Lake). We should be able to report on this project in our Multiple Intelligences eZine (in progress). http://www.mindinstitute.net -> Partners Needed <- If you want to partner in developing materials for use as Open Source Content, please let us know. Send your proposal to: partners-svbi@classroomtoolkit.com Unlike other Web sites, we insist that authors retain the copyright to their materials. Of course, you have to give us written permission to publish your material on our site. By posting your materials, other teachers will use your materials. So why would you want to share your materials and still retain a copyright? * You can do your part in stemming the tide against over priced corporate content * You can gain exposure for your ideas and skills if you are (or wish to become) a consultant * You can list the materials you share as publications on your resume * You can test whether other teachers like your materials, and if they do, collect your materials into a book or eBook * You can test whether there is enough interest in your materials for you to start a Web site of your own, or, to develop your own online business -> Writing for the Web: A How-To <- If you want more information on how to write for the Web, check out this free course. This link can get you started in developing Open Source Educational Content for the Web. http://netwriting.sitesell.com/24x7-learning.html If you want more information about the process of creating a site without knowing HTML or without purchasing high- end (expensive) Web development tools, check out... http://buildit.sitesell.com/24x7-learning.html =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=* FEATURED ARTICLES *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= ----- - 4 - ----- ->The Stripes, Spots, and Yellow Streaks of School District Stakeholders<- Project managers like to tout their skill in building buy-in among the stakeholders of a project. Stakeholders are those people who have a stake in the project's success. These people could be anyone who touches (or is impacted by) the project in any way. Scenario #1: When the Scenario #1 process is working in a flawed manner, for example, a director decides to implement a new math program, district-wide. A salesperson visited, provided slick brochures, a CD, maybe even a luncheon and a high-pitched sales presentation. Anyway, the director is "sold" and decides to use "left-over" federal funds to purchase the program. Then, at the start of the next school year, teachers receive training in how to add this supplemental and expensive set of materials to their math classes. Of course, this is backwards from how this should work, and the implementation of the materials meets with resistance... some subtle, some not so subtle. After a year, no one is using the materials, and the director begins to sweat, a cold sweat fueled by fear. Someone might find out that the project was a complete flop. Scenario #2: This time, a new salesperson with another set of materials visits with teachers (maybe a committee) to build buy-in. Teachers are promised better student scores, access to add-on technology (CDs), and high student interest. Every question that teachers ask is met with a slick redirect, and the sales person, they call him or her the "Closer" overcomes every question that teachers have. Results: This initiative begins to march in step to the roll out of Scenario #1, and the results are about the same. After a year, the salesperson visits the district, driving in a new luxury European sedan, and selling a new product. Scenario #3: The superintendent puts out the word that directors and principals should look favorably on the products of one particular company. But, the superintendent is very busy, and absent mindedly omits the fact that the salesperson from that company is a brother-in- law. Wanting to "score points" with the superintendent, principals and directors trip over each other in their scramble to be the first to impress the superintendent with the quantity of their knowledge as measured through the size of their order. When minimal, even negative results, result; no culpable individual wants to bring accountability measures to the table; and the de facto conspiracy of silence is the traditional group response. Scenario #4: (Note: This scenario is so pervasive that it is often though of as standard operating procedure.) Budgets are devised from a fixed-pot mentality. Folks scramble to spend the money that they were assigned to use last year, making rush-to-spend misjudgments, and avoiding contact with knowledgeable front-line workers (such as teachers) while making purchasing decisions. Common wisdom dictates that unspent budget money will be taken back the next year, and money cannot be "rolled over." This means that budget managers cannot save up for complex, multi-year projects, and that projects generally must conform to fiscal year time frames. A corollary to this is that most budgets, most projects and many grants are under funded in educational bureaucracies. Here is what actually affects a project (each allowance should be budgeted): * Estimated cost * Allowance for price increases from the time of proposal until the time of project approval * Allowance for items missed in the original estimation * Allowance for things going wrong * Allowance for additional benefits to be added as they show up to make the project stronger What is actually budgeted?: * Arbitrary amount of estimated cost, say 80% Let's say that you pad the project proposal's budget so that you can account for some of the allowances, say 10%. Then, when the decision-makers cut the project budget by 20% you end up with a project that is 12% short of funds. Here is the math: Original project cost: 100% $100 Padding for allowances: 10% $110 Arbitrary approval 80% $88 Actual shortfall 12% $12 What is pervasive is that legitimate education (and bureaucratic) projects tend to be under funded and under resourced. -> Sidebar <- Of course, this does not include the pork barrel projects intended to throw money to a legislator's home district, or the projects that superintendents push to gain favor with the School Board or the community. Such projects tend to be over funded, over resourced and unaccountable. -> Sidebar <- The almost certain under funding of projects leads to a higher likelihood that the projects will fall short of their potential. The politics of the funding process, and the pandering to a constituency (whether a school board or an electorate) leads to increased pressure by decision-makers to be "good budget managers." This means that these "leaders" will try to maximize spin and public credit for "positive solutions at their direction." This also means that they will attempt to be visible in all the areas that diverse stakeholders demand. The pressure here is to try to spread the available funds (never enough) across as many programs as possible, i.e., give something to everybody. Of course, this strategy maximizes decision-maker's political capital, but proves to be shortsighted. This is the mechanism that causes projects to be under funded by some arbitrary formula. The projects that are selected will be ones that benefit the decision-maker's political agenda in some way. The projects that are selected (and under funded) also stand a minimal chance of success unless... * The project planner somehow padded the project with estimates that are higher than the arbitrary funding cut off * The project planner has control of other budget funds that can be used to bail out the under funded project * There are price drops in the major components of the project during the budget process delay What occurs after the general under funding of projects is where the title of this article gets its name. The Stripes, Spots, and Yellow Streaks of School District Stakeholders "Stripes" and "Spots" refer to the flim flam of, when beneficiaries (such as students or teachers) need a "tiger" of a project, that the decision- makers pawn off a much cheaper "leopard" of a project, instead. But, it is the "Yellow" or cowardly streaks that exist in stakeholders at all levels of authority and accountability that are the most insidious. Here, the budget manager, instead of saying, "Look, if you can't provide the funds to do the project right, I don't want the money." Instead, the budget manager thanks the stingy political decision-maker and tries to salvage whatever is possible of the project. Results: corner-cutting and less than the high quality that students and teachers deserve. Here the Principals, instead of saying, "Look, my staff deserves support and all the tools they need, if you can't fund the project adequately, we don't want the money." Instead, the principal thanks the entire chain of command overhead (no pun intended), and plans how to motivate teachers. Here the teachers, instead of saying, "Look, this project is unrealistic, and the expected outcomes are unreasonable. If we can't get the support and funding that we need, tell the decision-makers to shove the money ..." Instead, the teachers proffer a fake smile, and put in the long hours of uncompensated time that are necessary to salvage a substandard project. Since we prefer to offer useful suggestions instead of criticism, here is what should be done. First, all items on the budget should be identified, and complete costs should be calculated. Next, all items should be listed in priority, top to bottom, no exceptions. Next, a multiplier to account for price increases, to account for items missed in the budget calculation, funds to enhance the project when new opportunities present themselves to make the project a success and a contingency fund should be applied. This figure should be between 15 to 20%. Last, a line should be drawn, and all project items below the line should be funded. This strategy solves two problems: 1.) Projects are funded with enough money to make them viable and 2.) Projects that are not a priority do not drain funds from important projects. Now, if for example, reading, math, science, social studies and health have a higher priority than, say extracurricular and varsity sports, then the district just won't have a varsity sports program. If, on the other hand, varsity sports are more important than computers, the district will conduct a varsity sports program and sell the computers. If the district finds that teacher staff development is a lower priority than library books, then no teachers will receive training. All the conflicting state and federal regulations need to be factored in, like NCLB, if the district determines that meeting these requirements is detrimental to students, the district just doesn't take the money. This way, the funding and support process will become honest, and real leaders will emerge in the district. What needs to come to an end is the "in word only" priorities that are driven by badgering teachers to do more work without pay. What the status quo system encourages is: * Fake-Stakeholders * Sham budgets * Non-Nutritive Projects ("Trimming Fat" is spin language for anemic, no-meat funding) * Credit taking when no credit is due * Replacement initiatives with no accountability as to the decision-maker's complicity at the failure of the previous initiative * Fanfare at doing more with less, instead of discovering why lowered student outcomes is the norm and status quo The district with courageous leaders who can say, "If there is no money, there is no priority" will become a magnet for educators from all across the nation to visit and learn how being simple, open, transparent, honest and practical benefits students. Who knows, perhaps even state and federal legislators will take notice, and operate from a new level of honesty and service to their constituents. Hello! What am I doing here on Fantasy Island? Pinch me. I must be dreaming to believe that politicians will change their stripes, communicate honestly, and just support projects that work to benefits everyone. =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=* TOP TIPS =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= ----- - 5 - ----- ->Top Tips <- 1:1 Computing Guide Hewlett Packard (HP) offers a free eBook entitled, "1:1 Computing: Consider all the angles to get the best results" Source: http://www,hp.com/go/guide You will need to register to download this 44 page eBook. This eBook is well written, and explores a lot of issues that you should plan for if you contemplate a laptop for every student project (That's what 1:1 computing means.) Of course, the success of this type of project depends upon avoiding the issues found in "For example, * Teachers will need to adapt and change their teaching styles. * Administrators will need to provide the support, time and resources for teachers to prepare. * Technology staffs will need to make the infrastructure work consistently and reliably. * School board members and Superintendents will need to establish policies regarding Internet access, student responsibility, insurance, data management and back up, and security. * Parents and community members may need to fund technology programs and policies. * Districts will need to implement sophisticated database management to monitor and support academic progress." (p. - 10) What this eBook does not state is just how difficult this project is. For example, the eBook does not state that it will take about three years for teachers to master the habits and skills that are required "to adapt and change their teaching styles." Not stated: About 40% (over three years) of the project's budget will be required to "provide support time and resources for teachers to prepare." Not stated: Technology staff will need to be expanded at a rate of one technical staff person for each 75 or 80 laptops. Of course the actual districts strategy will be to stretch this to one person per building, probably added to other teaching duties instead of hirign certified technicians and software engineers. Not stated: How much cost in, technical staff, and teacher training will be needed to "to implement sophisticated database management to monitor and support academic progress." For another view of 1:1 Computing projects, visit our Blog response to a USA Today article at: http://tinyurl.com/m5gr4 Other considerations: * Certified server and network engineers earn as much (or more) than school principals (maybe even more than head coaches) * By the time that teachers have changed their habits, skills and teaching practices, the laptops will be obsolete, and students will no longer use them * Internet access from home would require parents to pay for the access, but properly configured laptops would not allow students to install software. This means that the district's IT staff would have to customize each for the parent's Internet Service Provider (ISP), or the district would have to negotiate a deal with a specific ISP that all parents would have to use. * Warranty and insurance against breakage and loss might be paid for by parents, but what happens to families who cannot afford this additional cost? We can go on and on with how complicated the details and how high the costs are for running an expensive program like a 1:1 laptop initiative. But, there are more important issues such as whether teachers are involved in the design and planning of these projects, whether teachers are given the release time and lag time for the training that they need (instead of additional burdens of uncompensated time being added as yet another demand upon teachers). One particularly insidious idea that often is floated by education policy and decision-makers is that, since we have "given" the teacher a laptop to use, the teacher "owes" the district a pile of free and uncompensated work. Such beliefs need to be exposed to the light of reason and fair labor standards. One final question: "If the school district has so much money that they can start an ill-planned, money-devouring project such as a 1:1 Computing program, why can't they provide substantial raises for all teachers?" ->Teacher Resources<- Teacher Wide and SchoolWide http://www.teacherwide.com TeacherWide is a sales site for books for elementary students, to grade 6. The design of the site make it easy to find books of various categories: * Activity and Coloring Books * Author Collections * Award Winners * Bargain Bundles * Bonus Points Rewards * Books Grades 2-3 * Books Grades 4-5 * Books Grades 6-8 * Books Grades K-1 * Books Made Into Movies * Books W/Cassette * Classroom Supplies * Clearance * Concepts * Fairy Tales And Folk Tales * Fantasy and Adventure * Favorite Characters * High Interest Low Readability * Holiday Books * Learning To Read * Leveled Books * Mathematics And Counting * Memoir and Personal Narrative * Multicultural * Mystery/Horror * Nonfiction * Poetry * Read-Alouds * RIF Books * Science * Series Books * Social Studies * Spanish Books * Sports Books * Student-Run Bookstore Specials * Summer Reading * Teaching Resources * Toys and Puzzles * Writing Workshop The clearance items listed many books for less than $1, and many others for less than $2. The parent site, SchoolWide, offers theme-based books for older students. http://www.schoolwide.com One particular service that may be of interest to elementary schools is the Student Run Bookstore program. http://www.schoolwide.com/pages/open_a_bookstore.htm With this program, schools can order up to $375 worth of books, and set up a student run bookstore. The books will be shipped with "net 30", which means that your school does not have to put up the money ahead of time. You have 30 days to pay for the books. Lots of books are available for this bookstore at $1.29. This seems like a useful program. Perhaps a PTA/ PTO could be convinced to sponsor a program like this for your school. ->Other Discounts<- For any other hardware and software need, call Rob Wehman of CDW*G. Give Rob a call at 1-866-339-7397 if you want immediate current prices. Rob will help you, or put you in contact with someone who can. Rob's E-mail address is robweh@cdwg.com -> Short Article <- NCLB and High-stakes Tests: "We Spit on You" (Please excuse the gross language) News Item: Spit Test Spots Child's Stress -- Could children's saliva hold clues to their anxieties about relationships with parents or teachers? Fri Apr 28, 11:53 PM ET FRIDAY, April 28 (HealthDay News) This article notes that a simple saliva test could provide clues about children's anxieties. The article notes that... "a stress-linked enzyme, alpha amylase, is a marker for the sympathetic nervous system's (SNS) "fight or flight" response." http://tinyurl.com/enx23 One quote in particular should have raised red flags about what we are doing to our children with the emphasis upon high-stakes testing. "Examples of social stressors used in the research included babies being gently restrained by a stranger and older children being asked to complete a frustrating task or being evaluated." http://tinyurl.com/enx23 So, high-stakes tests appear to be a double-whammy for our students, i.e., 1.) a frustrating task and 2.) an evaluation. "'Being able to monitor alpha amylase via a salivary test may open new opportunities to characterize individual differences in response to stress that we weren't able to see before. We think that these differences could prove to be meaningful in understanding behavior,' Dr. Douglas A. Granger, associate professor of biobehavioral health and human development and family studies at Penn State University, said in a prepared statement." http://tinyurl.com/enx23 Perhaps our elected officials and bureaucratic decision-makers can't see the handwriting on the wall, but they could find the evidence of the error of their test-crazed ways on the floor and in bathroom sinks through enzyme markers in the spit of our over-stressed students. We have toyed with the idea of a Web site and a SpitonNCLB movement, but have not decided whether we want to be associated with such a gross campaign. Basically, everyone could send a 3"x5" card with the name, age, city and state of each student that is stressed by the excesses of the high-stakes test movement to their senators, congressional representative. A card to Margaret Spelling, Secretary of Education, and to President Bush might also be useful. If we could trust this process, and believed that such cards wouldn't spread a Bird Flu (or another pandemic), we might move forward with the idea. Each card could contain a sample of spittle from each stressed student (allowed to dry, of course). But such cards might endanger postal workers and congressional staff workers, without ever being seen by our representatives. Perhaps, instead, we could create a virtual SpitonNCLB movement, where symbolic stress-level E-mail messages are delivered to our lawmakers. Our politicians have to be out-of-touch when on one hand, they build a high-stress environment for our children and their teachers; then, on the other hand, bemoan that their stressed victims are getting fat. Although NCLB-inflicted stress is not the sole cause of stress in our schools, its negative effects are pervasive and detrimental. Ridding our schools of a bad law will leave a vacuum in vision that can be filled by the leadership of teachers, not politicians. A law that began as a backdoor method to provide vouchers for private schools has subverted educational common sense. Our students don't need the added stress of this high-stakes testing mania, testing that would not be justified, even if the NCLB law stood a "snowball's chance" of improving education. Let's see how the SpitonNCLB movement evolves in the next few weeks. Any ideas? =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= BOOK REVIEW =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= ----- - 6 - ----- ->The Little Book of Coaching: Motivating People to be Winners<- Author: Blanchard, Ken and Shula, Don ISBN: 0-06-662103-8 Format: Hardcover Pub. Date: 1996 Publisher: NY: Harper Business Pages: 117 Cost: $17.95 (List) Available: Amazon at as low as $11.67 (new) Used from $3.25 eBay(TM) no current bargains, but check first The Books' Topics: This is a motivational book. You can consider teachers to be motivators of their students, and you can substitute the word "Teacher" for "Coach" through most of the book. The central themes of this book are: * Coaches have to walk the talk before they have the authority to motivate * Honesty and integrity are for a coach to loose, and regaining trust takes a long time Building attitudes for winning can help people in every profession. Keywords: * Conviction-Driven: Never compromise your beliefs * Overlearning: Practice until it's perfect * Audible-Ready: Know when to Change * Consistency: Respond predictably to performance * Honesty-Based: Walk your talk (p. - 7) Main Idea: Tough, street-wise students will over run a teacher that is not prepared. However, the teacher that is prepared can do the job with a minimal skill set, and very basic tools. Quotes: "What do you stand for?...What is the main message you broadcast to people based upon your daily actions and words? Remember, if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything." (p. - 9) "Beliefs are what make things happen. Beliefs come true. Inadequate beliefs are setups for inadequate performance. And it's the coach's --the leader's-- beliefs that are most important, because they are self-fulfilling." (p. - 13) "It sounds trite, but one of the marks of real success in life is to believe that there's a reason for everything. We can't control every event, but we can control our response to it. Life is unpredictable. What makes a winner is that when something happens, that person's brings forth attitudes that can take good events and make them better; likewise it transforms bad events into opportunities to learn." (p. - 27) "...Remember, there is no easy walk to excellence. You and your team have to train so hard that you are almost perfect on the day of the game. The best of the best know that there is no such thing as a shortcut. All great results are built on the foundation of practice and preparation." (P. - 33) "I ask people all the time, 'Given the amount of time you spend at work, would you rather spend that time being magnificent or ordinary.' 'What do you think they say?' They shout out, 'Magnificent!' And yet, are most of the people in organizations performing magnificently? Of course not. And a key reason is the self-fulfilling prophesy that starts in leaders', managers', coaches', and parents' heads, what the belief that most people are lazy, unreliable, and irresponsible. This belief plays out in how they treat people, and ultimately how these people perform." (p. - 41) "...setting goals is important, but most organizations overemphasize this process and don't pay enough attention to what needs to be done to achieve the goals. More important than setting the goals is the follow-up-- attention to detail, demand for practice perfection, and all the things that separate things that separate teams that win from those that don't." (p. - 43) "Many people are struggling right now because they haven't learned the power of flexibility. They are still living in the past. They are scared to move forward. You know why? Because they don't have the confidence to do so. They are afraid of failure. They are fearful of looking stupid. They doubt themselves. They are stuck in a rut." (p. - 53_ "There are four consequences or responses people can receive after they perform or do something. The most common response people get for their performance is no response. They do something and no one says anything. The next most common response is negative--they get zapped. As a result, many managers are seen as 'seagull managers.' They are not around until something goes wrong and then they fly in, make a lot of noise, dump on people, and then fly out. Not a very helpful way to be managed. The last two responses--redirection and positive--are the least used and most effective. When someone does something wrong, redirection focuses his or her energy back on what the original goal was. A positive consequence is welcome when a person does something right or makes progress." (p. - 69) "Perhaps today's leaders are too focused upon what's urgent to take time for what is important." (p. - 77) "Redirecting is the way to correct a mistake when an individual or team has not learned to do what you want them to do. If people make mistakes while they are learning and you yell at them or punish them, you'll only increase their anxiety and motivate them to avoid the punisher--you." (p. - 79) "We promise you that you can only be your best when you are entirely authentic. That means you're not trying to be anybody else. You are being your own true character. You are being honest, not just with other people, but with yourself as well." (P. - 85) "A lot of leaders want to tell people what to do, but they don't provide the example. 'Do as I say, not as I do,' doesn't cut it when leading people to a destination of success." (p. - 91) Issues Addressed by the Book: This book addresses the attitude and motivation that all teachers need to internalize and actualize. Basics that are explored include: The attitudes, beliefs and behaviors of a record holding professional football coach. The Book's Shortcomings: The authors assume that everyone wants to contribute the best of themselves and do whatever it takes to actualize unqualified success in their lives. The book is long on motivation and a philosophy of success, but does not offer a roadmap of how we turn our character into this kind of competitive personality. Also, the book assumes that everyone wants to compete and win. But, some people want to share, teach, heal, inspire, and love. Others want to create music, dance, poetry, song and literary works...and their passion is not to lead others, but to actualize only the best from within themselves. Some people want to cooperate on a team, others find that a team limits their contributions because their gifts are individual, unique and exquisite. For these people, the rule of being authentically themselves overrides the rule about teamwork because the team "waters down" their contributions. Comments: Easy to read book. However, the full price seems steep for the amount of information that is contained in the book. Coaching a professional football team would be like teaching a class with students who all had IQs of over 150...students who were paid thousands of dollars an hour to study. If professional football players have to be motivated despite their talent and high pay, how much more motivation would ordinary students require? Summary: Quality motivation, but little practical advice on how to take the philosophy and ideas presented in the book and turn them into habits that can be used to improve your teaching. 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