Angela Maiers Educational Services

Reflections and Reminders: June 2009

I like to use the last day of the month as a way to look back at some of this month's best posts (and the year before that), a bit of reflection and a bit of a reminder in case you missed a good one:-)

• The Promise Poem Series: The Poem | The Wordle | The Slides
• Summer is Institute Season:Here's to Des Moines and Clinton
• Some Preview Links to my 1st NECC & EdubloggerCon
• Mini-Lesson on Turning Good Readers into Great Readers
• The Des Moines Register allowed me to do a series of posts for their Education section

From 2008

• Is Comprehension a Commodity?
• My 1st Wordle!  And it's shaped like a brain. Incredible!
• Had a bit of a scare just before Institute season with a short hospital stay

I also like to take this time to say a big "Thank You" to those who listen; those who share; those who teach with abundance of care. I am your biggest fan! Together...

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The Promise Poem: The SlideShow

I so thoroughly enjoy Angela's Promise Poem, after creating the Wordle yesterday, I invested some time in creating The Promise Poem slideshow. Hope you enjoy rereading as much as I do:

Angela Maiers Promise Poem

View more documents from Mike Sansone.

Would love to see different renditions or presentations on this work (movies, voiceovers, etc.). Let us know.

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Ending the Year with a Bang!

The last days of schools are filled with mixed emotions. It's a time to reflect, to celebrate, to say goodbye, and to give our students that final message that we are proud and excited for their future.

The following resources can support you in making those last conversations ones students will remember for a lifetime:

• Letter to a Student
• End of School Appreciation Ideas
• Vicki Blackwell's Great Site
• Teaching Secrets: Last Day of School
• End of the School Year Gifts and Games
• Celebrating the End of the Year
• End of the Year Ideas

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Passion - A Difference Maker (Part 4 of 4)

Passion is the most critical, creative and disruptive force in teaching and learning.

Close your eyes for just a few minutes and recall your favorite teacher of all time – anyone from kindergarten to graduate school. Now, consider what brought that individual to mind. What about that person made a difference to you or those around you?

I love the conversation this exercise ignites. It is always interesting to hear how in some way these wonderful memories follow from the passion of the teacher. It is a reminder that our students may not remember the content of our course,the lessons we slaved hours over, or the books we so carefully selected, but they will they never forget the fire in our belly, the power of our connection, or our desire to make a difference in their life.

We may never know what the magnitude of our impact will be or how the passion we transmit may ripple out into the world. Over the years, I've heard many stories about how a few words or a simple act have changed a students life forever. We may not walk into our classrooms everyday thinking:  "I'm going to change the world today!"? Yet, that is exactly what we do. We DO make a difference. We DO change lives. The question we need to consider is this:

What KIND of difference do we intend to make?

We can choose to make a BIGGER difference by transmitting and sharing our passions with students. Here are some questions to get you started:

• Do I openly talk about my passions to students, parents, colleagues?
• Would students characterize me as "passionate"?
• How would students describe or recognize my passion?
• Do I write about my passions, making my commitment public and permanent?
• Did I enable students to explore and discover their passions?
• What effect do my passions have on students?
• Once I have learned of a students passion, have I taken steps to nurture and sustain it?
• Did I help students think about, write about, and share their passion in meaningful and relevant ways?
• Do students have role models of passionate learning?
• Do my students recognize the necessity and benefit of discovering and pursuing their passions?

There is no amount of content knowledge, no curriculum powerful enough, no new tools or technologies that have the power to transform teaching and learning in the way that passion does.

You DO make a difference. You make a difference to each and every student, parent, colleague, and staff member you come in contact with. Your passion can be the invite, the energy, and driving force behind the change you wish to make.

Be remarkable, Be re-memorable, BE PASSIONATE!

Related articles by Zemanta

• Education is For the Passionate..Isn't It? (Part 1 of 4)
• Passionization - (Part 2 of 4) 
• Passion - A 21stC Skills?  You Decide! (Part 3 of 4)
• Passion - A Gift Every Child Deserves
• Who's Minding The Gap In Your Child's Education? 
• The School Without Walls 
• Dan Brown: The Single Best, Most Indispensable Essay on Reforming Education 
• Trusting teachers 

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Passionate Teaching : A Gift Every Student Deserves

I was just getting ready to publish Part Four of my Passion in Education Series. The final topic: Passion  as a Difference Maker.

And then, Nicole Badgley's passionate post came across my reader. As you read her heart- felt letter to her seniors, you tell me...is passion a difference maker?

Today you mentioned that tomorrow is your last day. I am not sure if that means your last day in my class, or the last day of high school, but what I realized is that it is the my last day with you. I am going to miss you so much. I will miss your triumphant emergences from the “writing closet.” I will miss "kick starting" your creative process when you get stuck. I will miss hearing your stories about your “boyfriend” whom you babysit. I will miss your sweet smile when you have just helped another student and you look to me for approval. But the hard reality is that you will move on. You should move on. It is your time to move on. Your life will get really exciting, full of new firsts, new struggles which lead to new triumphs, and new loves. Loves that hopefully involve learning, experiences, and someday people. You will go on to college, and then on to a job you love, and eventually into a family.

When I look at you I see a lot of myself when I was the same age. I know, I know, this likeness could be perceived as a curse because of the way I turned out, but let’s call it a good thing for the sake of this letter. The things I see that we have in common are numerous.

I see in you as a dreamer with goals. You know what you want to do, where you want to be (philosophically) a few years down the road. I knew I wanted to be a teacher, and that I wanted to work with kids, even though I knew I would never make it rich. But the best advice I can give is to follow your passion. If you dare to dream you will be happy and fulfilled. If you have goals that go with those dreams, you will find that the money will find its way into your wallet.

I see in you an accomplished writer. You seem to thrive on being able to put into words the thoughts you don’t really have a verbal audience for. You see the value in preserving those thoughts, because they can be fleeting. I was the same way. I have many journals, but I have more backs of envelopes, scraps of paper, loose-leaf notebooks of pages from all kinds of notebooks, and many digital files of writing. The difference between you and me? You are confident enough to share those pieces of writing. I didn’t have that confidence when I was young. In fact, it took many years to want to even share the very best – let alone the drafts. Don’t be afraid to share your ideas and your writing. You have a great talent, and someday I hope to see you (and Allistair Graves) on the best-seller list. I promise to even stand in line for your first book signing.

I see in you a compassionate leader. You are someone cares about others, their well being, and their progress. You are fair and caring towards other people, and that shows in the manner in which you help others, including those who frustrate you. At your age, I loved being a waitress, helping with the Special Olympics, tutoring in college, teaching Bible School, and eventually moving into teaching. I can see all the same in you, which can be a heavy burden, but rest assured, “paying it forward” in your community is well worth the time and energy, and you get paid back in love and respect twofold.

Now you are probably sick of hearing nice things from me, and this letter might be getting a little long, but I can’t stop without telling you that when you are older, like me, you might look back and appreciate something I have taught you over the last four years. What you probably won’t realize, is how much Iyou; and if I don’t tell you specifically, then you will never believe it. You have to know that you have inspired me through you columns. You make me stop and take a moment to appreciate the moment. Adults can get caught up in working toward the future so much, that they forget to appreciate and enjoy what is happening right now. You have given that back to me. I am stopping to smell the roses, or the coffee, or whatever.

You have also reminded me how much I love to write. Just as I said earlier, I have been so caught up in work, raising a family, grading papers, cleaning toilets, making meals, balancing the books, and all my other chores, that I forgot to stop and do something for me. I remembered how much I had to say, how much I had to write, and more importantly, I realized that I am good at something and I should enjoy it while I can. You reminded me that I once had a goal to get published, and to write a novel. I have been published, and now I am working on that novel – thanks to your enthusiasm.

It seems that at the end of each year I am sad to see the seniors go. I am sad to see them graduate, and I am sad to realize that they stop coming back to visit after the first long holiday or summer. I know in my head that it is normal – and as it should be, but it still makes me sad. It will be a sad day when you walk out that door, and when the only information I get about you comes from your younger brothers, and then from your mom and dad when I run into them, and eventually from announcements in the newspaper. It will be a joy to watch your life unfold, because that is what is really happening; your life is just beginning. So go out there and make all of us proud, and know that you have an unofficial cheerleader waiting on the sidelines to cheer you on. Good Luck and God Bless you with your future. -- Mrs. Badgley

Mrs. Badgley- Your passion for students, for teaching, and for this work comes through in every word. You, my friend,  are a difference maker! 

Related Posts: Passion in Education

Part One: Education is for the Passionate - Isn't it?

Part Two: Passionization

Part Three: Passion....A 21st Century Skill?

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Passionization - (Part 2 of 4)

   "Education is not filling a bucket but lighting a fire." - William Butler Yeats

In Education is for the Passionate, I wrote of the power passion has to not only light that fire, but keep the flame burning high for as long as it exits. Recently I read the chilling words of Carl Jung which, as a parent and educator, give me great cause for reflection. Jung said, "Nothing has a stronger influence psychologically ... on their children, than the unlived life of (adults)."

We are impacted by those who we spend time with. I am energized and motivated most when I am surrounded by passionate people. Even a single hour spent with those who live life as observers rather than participants, going through the motions without purpose and passion drain me physically, mentally, and emotionally.

As an adult, I am fortunate that I get to chose who I spend my time with, choosing wisely to surround my self with those who are "alive and awake". Our students are not afforded this same luxury.

Privleged are students who get to spend their time with teachers full of life; living and learning wide awake and passionate about their work and the profession they chose. As teachers, how we feel significantly influences how we perform, if and when we participate, and our commitment to the process.

There is nothing more heartbreaking to walk into " unlived" classrooms. Knowing after I leave, behind me are students who will be tremendously affected by the lacking of passion in their everyday teacher. .As parents and educators we must remember to live! To be passionate! To embrace our potential and empower the potential of our kids! To make our schools temples to human potential and oases in the midst of despair and lack of hope.
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All curriculum should help learners to make and keep learning and life passionate  – for themselves and others. What does it matter that we teach young people to read, write and do mathematics only for them to sit in our classrooms to go lifelessly, going through the motions. And then repeat such rote beyond their school lives?

The guiding intent for all teaching and learning should be "passionization" – educating people to become fully alive and empowered as learners and human beings. Loving that new word!

So there it is.  Passionization (v): to educate others so they become alive and empowered as lifelong learners.

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Education is for the Passionate - Isn't it? (Part 1 of 4)

Seth Godin is masterful at making obvious things so much clearer. In a post on passion and excellence he asked:

• Should the person who runs the customer service operations at a ski school also be required to love skiing?
• Can the CFO of a large church be an atheist?
• Does the head of marketing at Kodak have to have a passion for chemicals?

He goes on to say:

I think if the work is important, it should be done with passion and skill and flair.

This seems so obvious - right? Then, how do you feel about the following questions:

• If the work we do in education is as important as we claim, should passion be required?
• Would you expect someone in education to be passionate about kids? teaching? changing the conditions of learning?
• Should we expect to see that passion in our teaching, learning, and leading?
• And, most importantly, what do we do if we answer yes to all these questions and encounter an educator or learner "passion-less" for their work?

Not so easy! Here's what I find interesting. If love and passion make sense, if they seem an obvious trait, then why do we have so little information about love and passion in our field?

Worldwide there are countless educationalists writing about educational reform but very few spending their time and energy talking about, working on, or addressing passion. Why is that?

The connection between emotion and cognition has been widely established, yet love and passion for our work is considered a "warm fuzzy" with little or no place in the conversations around rigor, standards, and high stakes assessment. Don't you think it is time to change that?  Isn't it time to get passionate about passion?

I think so - stay tuned! This is only the beginning!

Photo on Flickr by insashi

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• Joel Klein: Transforming the Teaching Profession 
• Do Schools Kill Creativity?
• Learning by Doing
• Learning to Think is not all about Thinking
• Students on Teaching and Learning

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Dear Teacher - The PROMISE Poem

PROMISES
by Angela Maiers

Dear Teacher,

Love me,
Make me feel special,
Make me feel included,
Make me feel valued, 

Smile for me,
Tell me that you’re happy to see me,
Tell me that you’re happy to teach me,
Tell me that you’re happy I am here. 

Involve me,
Tell me about our work together
Tell me how I can be of help and mean it genuinely

Notice me,
See all of me,
See my emotions, my laughter, my curiosity, my anticipation
See my right, and I will work on the “wrongs” 

Teach me,
PLEEZE don’t just tell me what you know
Show me what I need to know,
Show me how to do it well 

Help Me,
Help me when it gets hard,
Help me persevere,
Help me know it matters 

Excite Me,
I came to you in love with learning
Keep me excited!
Show me the fun
Show me your fire and passion

Promise Me,
Promise me that you can.
Promise me that you will.
Promise me that you are ready to…

Love me, help me, engage me, excite me, and teach me
I'm Ready
I want to learn.
I want to know.
I want to be your student. 

I PROMISE
I will return the favor
I will reward you with my attention, my focus, my heart
I will show you what I can do
I will show you who I can be 

PROMISE ME?

Photo on FLickr by verrosassi4

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Welcome Jen Stover to Team Maiers!

 I am soooo thrilled to welcome Jen Stover to my team.  I was humbled and honored when Jen first shared with me her interest in following a path similar to my own. As we got to know one another, it became clear that the fit was perfect! Her passion and excitement for changing the conditions of learning and helping teachers is contagious!

Jen brings her own uniqueness and talent to the work, but has discovered that these are the areas that she is most passionate about supporting:

• Lesson planning and curriculum development
• Modeling focus lessons and briefing teachers on strategies
• Finding and organizing resources (offline and online)
• Breakout sessions during some workshops and institutes

This new partnership comes on the heals of just finishing Steve Farber's newest business book, Greater Than Yourself  based on the idea that we can change the world faster when we advance anothers potential.  Steve believes that bigger change and influence comes as the result of giving the most of yourself to someone who you feel compelled to lift up, support, encourage, teach, coach and mentor. Great leaders, and I would add, great teachers do this by following these key tenants:

• Expand Yourself
• Give Yourself
• Replicate Yourself.  

As Mike Sansone and I joined forces, I saw the power of the impact grow. With Jen on our team, we can only imagine what is to come!  Make sure to follow Jen as she reaches levels that she can not yet imagine possible. She shares her learning journey at her new blog Jen Stover and the resources that help her most on Twitter  and FriendFeed.

I am so proud of how hard she is working, and how much heart and soul she is ready to give. I am looking forward to the future! Welcome, Jen!!

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• Is Farber's GTY a Maiers' Habitude? Let's Find Out at 2010 ASCD! (converstations.com)
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• Are You Big Enough to Make Someone Else Greater Than Yourself?

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Tom Peters on Educating for a Creative Society

All things education were on my mind these last few days (decades?). I had just finished my review of Ken Robinson's, The Element.  when this video came across my reader. I am a big fan of Tom Peters work, and although his style is very different from what educators are used to,his words are ones that must be heard:

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