Student Centered

I have just started a new educational book for my “leisure” reading enjoyment and am currently about one third of the way through it. The name of the book is Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns, written by Clayton Christensen, Michael Horn, and Curtis Johnson. The main point of the book is that our classrooms today should be student centered, and not what many continue to be today, which is teacher centered. According to the authors, classrooms and the ways that teachers teach haven’t changed in many, many years.

The authors say that creating substantial change in education is similar to changing the engine on a jet airplane while the plane is in flight. They also contend that the educational system, in general, has made significant strides with change while still continuing to educate our children. What many people don’t realize is that both the federal and state governments have increased requirements which schools must adhere to. However, schools cannot be satisfied and must still continue to push forward with the change effort to a more student centered classroom.

The authors maintain that the use of technology, primarily personal computers, can change the way that education is delivered throughout this country. They are very clear, however, that the “common” uses of computers (word processing, Internet research, and spreadsheet calculations) will not turn our classrooms into student centered classes.

We, at Okoboji, understand this and are currently working towards more student centered classrooms through our professional development activities in all three buildings. Our building principals, Rob Olsen, Ryan Cunningham and Brian Downing, also understand the case for student centered classrooms, and we have had many discussions on how to increase our teaching and learning in the classrooms, both through the use of teaching strategies and the infusion of technology.

As we move forward with the Iowa Core Curriculum, we are implementing what are called the Characteristics of Effective Instruction. These characteristics include several different teaching strategies, which when coupled with good formative assessments (figuring out whether or not kids “get it”), are the basis for the disruptive innovations that Christensen and the rest of the authors talk about in their book.

We are very excited for these changes to take place within our school. Even more excitement results as we implement these changes in our teaching and learning in order to help our students be more successful in their future while, at the same time, allowing the students to have more of a say in how they learn.. While the Okoboji Schools wish to be leaders in learning throughout the state in utilizing technology, we know that the best thing we can do is put a highly qualified teacher in the front of every classroom. The computers are simply tools to help our classes become more student centered. We will continue to work towards our classrooms being more student centered in the future. Thanks for the support that you give our students and the staff at the Okoboji Community Schools.

Good People

We, at the Okoboji Community Schools, are very fortunate to have a wonderful staff of people who care about the kids that they work with on a daily basis. We have also taken the extra step to have formed a Personnel Committee within our school board to help in the hiring process. These board members come, when available, to the teacher interviews and help, with a group of others, in the selection process of our teachers. Human Resource departments in larger corporations have very detailed interviewing processes. We try to emulate them as well. If possible, we ask students to be involved as we will have teacher candidates actually teach a twenty minute lesson to a class and observe how the candidates react to the kids and the kids to the candidates. We feel that hiring the very best people for our kids is the most important thing we can do administratively. I would like to share with you two examples of staff members who excel in what they do and have been recognized for it.

Mrs. Witt teaches Sophomore English, Rhetoric and Speech. She also is one of our Speech coaches for the kids who want to participate in extracurricular speech contests. Mrs. Witt was nominated for the Richard Riggleman Award. Not only was she nominated, she won! This award goes to the best second year Speech coach in the state. We are so proud of the work that Mrs. Witt does with our kids. She works closely with Mrs. Williamson who also coaches Speech. Okoboji sent several individuals and ensembles to the All State Festival last spring. In fact, it was one of the best showings in years. Her enthusiasm has certainly rubbed off on the kids and the numbers of kids who are involved in Speech continue to grow. Congratulations to Mrs. Witt for winning this prestigious award.

We do also have a first year staff member who is receiving another award this fall. Emily Schaefer has worked for the AEA as a Social Worker for many years and we were able to hire her as our high school guidance counselor last spring. She is off to a flying start and her attention to detail so far this year has been phenomenal. We were recently informed that Ms. Schaefer was named School Social Worker of the Year by the Iowa School Social Workers Association. This is quite an honor and shows her dedication to the young people in our area. The job of a social worker is very much like the job of a school counselor in as much as one needs to know where to get information and get that information to the appropriate people. Learning some of the subtle nuances of the counselor’s office is something that comes with the job. Ms. Schaefer always has a smile on her face and is willing to visit with kids, parents and staff members to ensure that our students are getting the best education possible.

These are two of the most recent examples of staff members who have received state recognition for their work with young people. It is the goal of the Okoboji Community Schools to continue the practice of hiring highly qualified candidates for openings within our school. All of the new staff at our schools this year are highly qualified by standards set by the federal government and these teachers continue to impress the necessity of a great education to our young people. In the end, it is our students who are the real winners in this hiring derby. They are the ones who benefit from great instruction; they are the ones we do this for, the hiring of great teachers. Thanks for your continued support of the Okoboji Community Schools.

Wants vs. Needs

I had an occasion this past week to attend a fund raiser at a local church for STEMM. STEMM is an acronym for the Siouxland Tanzania Educational Medical Ministries. Before I go any further with this article, I want you to know that this is not a way of getting you to donate to STEMM, but STEMM was the inspiration for me to write this article.

Tanzania is a south central African country that is extremely poor. Their education system is, by American standards, very unorganized, underfunded and is certainly not a priority for their children. The Tanzanian government provides schooling through the 6^th grade. After that, children and families are pretty much on their own, unless they can afford to attend either a government school or a private school, which are only located in larger villages and towns. In Iowa, our high school graduation rate is superb, around 96% and is higher in Okoboji. The high school graduation rate in Tanzania is less than 8%.

Richard Hildebrand, a retired teacher from the Spirit Lake district, has been to Tanzania several times working on building schools and orphanages. When he goes there, he takes a large suitcase of items that most people here in Iowa would consider trinkets: balloons, pencils, matchbox cars, etc. He gives them to the children and they are thrilled. He bought a toy (or what the kids considered a toy) from one of the Tanzanian children for about 45 cents. It was a ball, made of plastic sacks and wrapped with a piece of string. Richard does good work there, and I’m proud to call him a friend.

So why would I write an article about uneducated orphans in Tanzania? Simply to contrast our schools with their schools. They have so little and we have so much. At what point is enough, enough? How do we distinguish between wants and needs? Look, I understand this because when my own kids were growing up, I wanted to provide for them the best of everything, including the name brand clothing, the latest electronics, and a better car. You get the picture. Then I contrast that with a six year old orphan who is thrilled to get a pencil or a balloon. It’s just incredible--the differences between our country and theirs, our schools and theirs, our lives and theirs.

Even though this situation is so overwhelming, my first commitment is to the students of the Okoboji Community Schools. We are so very fortunate in this district to have such caring staff members, such good kids, and parents that care about the welfare and education of their children. We are blessed to live in a community where education is valued. We continue to grow as a district, to provide for our students the best education possible. We will continue monitoring our budgets striving to give our teachers what they need, which may not always be everything they want.

The picture that was on our table of the little boy from Arusha is still etched in my mind. When I look at our little ones who attend the elementary school, I wonder if they realize how lucky they are to be living in our country, our state, our town and our school district. Thank you parents and community people for supporting our schools, and in turn, supporting the young people that attend them. It is with great pride that I say I work for the Okoboji Community Schools and the source of that pride is because of the support from the parents and the community. I can’t thank you enough.

The most used phrase in August

Welcome back to school is something we, in education, not only hear a lot, but say a lot. There is something about starting back to school that get the juices flowing again. I had a veteran teacher tell me this week, “I know that professional development is important, but I'm just so anxious to get the kids back.” What a great attitude.

Every year at our opening day of professional development, I always give a “State of the School” address. It usually takes about 40 minutes or so and it gives everyone a chance to settle back and hear more good things that are happening at Okoboji Community Schools. We always start with pictures from weddings that happened over the summer, new babies that were born and any other exciting good news that we can get a hold of. I always challenge our staff to be innovative in their classrooms and also encourage them to be risk takers. Singling out events is a big risk for failure to mention someone or some major event that has occurred.

I don't mind taking risks with our staff. I think that, as I begin my seventh year at Okoboji, they expect that of me. I tried something new again this year. Instead of using the same template on a power point, I taught myself this summer how to use Prezi. Others in our district have used this form of presentation software in the past but I never have. After seeing David Warlick's presentation at the SAI convention earlier in August, I just had to give it a shot. I have included my prezi here for you to look at. I would certainly welcome any comments or suggestions on how to make it better, run smoother and have better transitions.

I believe that the start of the new school year is the most exciting time of the year. People have a fresh start, almost like New Year's Resolutions. Everyone starts with an A, has perfect attendance and have great attitudes. Our staff at Okoboji have heard this before but it bears repeating, being an educator is about as close as one can get to a religious calling in the secular world. We are called to our positions. We have a moral obligation and purpose to prepare our kids to the very best of our abilities. God bless the teachers of the world for all the good work that they do. I really do hope that this is the best school year ever and that everyone has a fantastic year as well.

Okoboji Elementary School Addition Update #1

First of all, I am wondering if you can have an “update” without first having said something of significance. Hmm.

As it has been advertised, the Okoboji Elementary School will be adding on ten classrooms over the course of this upcoming school year. I believe it has been well documented that over the past two years, our enrollment has increased, primarily at the elementary building. We believe there are several reasons as to why our enrollment has increased. First of all, we have a tremendous teaching staff in our schools. All are highly qualified and of even greater importance, they love kids and teaching. Secondly, our academic programming is just awesome. Thirdly, our Pre-K program is simply outstanding. We have such dedicated staff members who work with the students and nurture them into becoming great students.

This past school year (09-10) we had to increase the number of sections of Kindergarten from three to four. This upcoming fall (10-11) we will have another year of four sections of Kindergarten as well as four sections of first grade. Because of the increased number of sections, we have had to move some classes and specials into areas that should not house students. Thus, the need for more classrooms.

The overall plan is to add on ten classrooms. By adding on this many classrooms, it has given us many options for increased enrollment, grade realignment, movement of special classes, etc. If the enrollment continues to increase where we would need four sections all the way through, we’ll have plenty of room. If the number of kids returns to three sections, we can look at grade realignment when our large classes reach upper elementary. We’ll also be able to take some of our small group reading instruction out of storage areas and stage areas and put them in regular classrooms. These classrooms will be added onto the south side of the existing building.

We have already worked with the city in getting 7^th Street closed to traffic at all times, and we thank the Milford City Council for their work in making this happen. This will greatly increase the safety of the area as our hard surfaced playground area will be greatly diminished. In order to accommodate bus traffic, a new bus lane will be built in between the district office and the existing playground. This will also necessitate the moving of the Pre-K playground area to an area near the corner of our property on N Ave and 7^th St. A new staff parking lot will also be built to allow for easier parent delivery and pick-up of students before and after school.

Our hope is through this blog, we can keep all interested patrons of the district informed of the progress being made, including pictures and other updates. The plan is to open bids on July 29^th for the elementary addition. We hope to have students in the new part of the building by the start of the 2011-12 school year. We certainly believe that this goal is achievable. Please come back and visit this blog regularly for more updates as they become available. Thanks for your support of the Okoboji Community Schools.

Interviews

I love the HR part of my job. I enjoy sitting down with prospective employees and trying to gain an understanding of their philosophy and thoughts on education. I enjoy asking questions that I remember having been asked of me throughout my career as an educator.

One of my favorite questions is, “Are you a risk taker?” I want to try and delve into what makes these people tick and whether they are going to want to try new things or are they going to wait until they are told to do so. I want to hire people who are not afraid to take some chances in the classroom, walking a little closer to the edge. The old saying goes, “if you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got.” Take a chance, remember, the curriculum is a living, breathing object where you should take notes and remember what works and what doesn't work from year to year.

My other favorite question is, “How competitive are you?” I want competitive people. People that are not going to allow a student to fail, will bow their necks and get after it concerning the student and their achievement. We've all heard the term, “failure is not an option.” I want our teachers to take that stand with every kid in their classroom. If it takes a little extra on your part, get it done because after all, isn't that why we do what we do? I don't know of a teacher who wakes up in the morning and says that they hope to fail five kids that day. We all should wake up in the morning and say we want to save five kids that day.

Even though it's been a while for me, I enjoy interviewing as well. I enjoy listening to the questions, how different people put different spins on subjects. But the part I enjoy the most is being able to verbalize my beliefs and values about school and education in general. It is reaffirming to be able to vocalize what is important to you. I have thought about the idea of putting our administrative team through interviews again for that very reason. What is it you truly believe in, how do you treat people, what's a good reading program look like, are you a risk taker and give examples, how competitive are you? I think it would be good for everyone, veteran teachers, administrators, board members and everyone affilitated with the school to go through this process again. Thinking something and saying it out loud are two completely different scenarios. You can think a good game, but if you say it out loud to another person, you become accountable to that person to follow through. Something to think about on this beautiful Saturday morning. Have a great day. Thanks.

Sleeping Beauty

If you have been following the news over the past few months, you know that the country of Mexico is in a real fix now with drug wars. I mention this because we are so far away in Iowa that when we hear or read about it, we pass it off with a “it's none of our business” or “too bad for them” type of attitude. Please bear with me as I relate a story to you.

Lori K. Gonzalez taught 6th grade math in McAllen, Texas, for 24 years. By all accounts, she was a good teacher, a caring teacher, loved and respected by many. On Wednesday, March 24th, she and her family, husband Jose and daughter Adriana, were out paying bills. She decided to stop for a soda as she had developed a head ache. She asked Jose to drive when she came back to the van. It wasn't three blocks and 5 minutes later she lay dead at the scene of a horrific auto accident. Her husband had a broken hip and their daughter had a cracked pelvis and lacerations to her spleen and liver.

This accident happened because there was a high speed chase between rival drug cartel members. In a scene reminiscent of a wild west movie, shots were being fired between their pick-up trucks. The lead truck blew through a red light and smacked right into the side of the Gonzalez van, the passenger side. Poor Lori did not have a chance. It was a tragedy of the largest magnitude. A husband lies in the hospital with a broken hip and a 15 year sophomore is now missing her best friend. Could this have all been averted? Who knows.

What the McAllen School District and the City of McAllen did then was amazing. A collection was gathered from teachers and staff, totaling $1000 for family expenses, the city held a reception for community members following a memorial service and at the reception, more money was gathered for Adriana and Jose. They treated Lori Gonzalez as a local hero because she was, she was a teacher.

As you can probably tell, I know Lori Gonzalez. I knew her quite well. She was my wife Victoria's sister. A girl from the small town of Bode, Iowa, a Wartburg College graduate, a terrific mother and friend. I've done an awful lot of reflecting since Wednesday. Reflecting on how that family is going to continue to get up in the morning and go about their business. When something like this happens and it's a long way from home, tragedy can be downplayed. The way the school and their administrators, teachers and staff opened up to my wife and her other sister, Tami, was truly amazing.

You know, sometimes teachers are held in very high regard and yet it's an easy profession for some to criticize, particularly if you or your child struggled in school. All teachers should be hailed as heroes, not only after they're gone, but at all times. We shape lives, we teach kids to think, to create, to communicate, to collaborate, to become productive citizens. How I pray that there were no illegal drug use and that these drug wars would end. Unfortunately, they won't and there will be other tragedies to deal with in the future. I hope and pray that something like this never happens again.

Above is a picture of Adriana as she recovers in the hospital in McAllen. She's a beautiful young lady who now has some unusual challenges ahead for her in this life. God Bless you Lori!

Okoboji Site Visit Report Released

On January 26th through the 28th, the Okoboji Community Schools went through its state accreditation visit from the Department of Education. We had a group of six members on the team and they spent time with parents, the board, staff, students and administrators making sure we are meeting the necessary guidelines as prescribed by the state. We received the final report from the team and I would like to share some of the highlights with the readers. There has been a change in that the DE now looks at several “strands” which is a change from year’s past. The entire report will be posted on the school’s website shortly if you would like to read it in its entirety.
The first strand is Vision, Mission and Goals. The line that stood out to me said, “It was evident from observation and interviewees that students continually receive messages of encouragement and support to achieve at high levels.” That says an awful lot to me as it shows that we have a caring staff that really wants our kids to succeed.

Under the second strand of Leadership, it states, “As a team, principals and the superintendent are forward-looking, thoughtful, and enthusiastic about goal setting and providing high quality educational programs.” I’m really proud of our board and administrative team and the good work that gets accomplished in each building. We all share the same vision, of making the Okoboji schools and students the best they can be.

The next strand is Collaborative Relationships and it states, “Teachers value opportunities to collaborate with other teachers.” One of the mantras we try to follow for both students and staff is that we want people to create, communicate and collaborate. I was very pleased to see that line in the report and that our teachers feel that they are getting the necessary time to work with their colleagues.

Strand four is Learning Environment and it states, “All interviewees expressed pride in the facilities. The district’s buildings and grounds were described as an asset.” To borrow a phrase from my youth – Right On! Dennis Baschke and his crew of custodians do more than an outstanding job with our buildings and grounds. Our summer list of maintenance items gets smaller each year as this hard working crew keeps everything up to date. We are very proud of our facilities.

The next strand is Curriculum and Instruction. One of the highlights states, “Flexible reading groups in the elementary school provide students with reading instruction to provide instruction at developmentally appropriate levels.” All of our teachers work very hard to bring the best instructional practices into their classrooms. The flexible reading groups is just one example of how our teachers meet the needs of all students.

Strand six is Professional Development and it states, “The district values professional development and demonstrates an ongoing commitment to the advancement of teachers’ knowledge and skills.” We all know that schools are either getting better or getting worse and that there is no status quo in education. Our teachers model the continuous improvement model by always striving to get better in their craft. Our professional development is certainly a strength of this district.

The final strand is Monitoring and Accountability. This sentence highlight reads, “Communication with parents, students, and community members is augmented through a variety of electronic tools.” It is becoming a digital world and Okoboji is utilizing this communication tool to let parents know what is happening with their children.

As you can see, these highlights certainly shine brightly on our school district and there are many more fine comments on the entire report. In fairness, there were some things that were listed as areas that we can improve upon, but everyone, including myself, can improve in some areas, so we will attack those areas with the same gusto we have on other projects and we will continue to make Okoboji schools “Leaders in Learning.” Thanks for supporting the Okoboji Community Schools!

Reflections from Vacation

I have a great job. I truly believe that Okoboji Community Schools have taught me a lot in my short (6 yrs) time here. One of the many things I am grateful for is the fact that I can take my vacation days anytime during the school year. Let me tell you a little about my vacation that Victoria and I took last week.

We were able to spend 5 ½ days in Honolulu, Hawaii. I don't know how many of you have ever had a chance to go there but it should be on everyone's bucket list. It is truly amazing and as beautiful as advertised. We did the quintessential tourist things – snorkeling in Hanauma Bay, a helicopter ride around the island, swimming in the ocean, and shopping in all the ABC Stores (there's one on every block, literally).

The hotel we stayed at gave us a complementary newspaper everyday, the Honolulu Star Bulletin. I read the paper daily, with great interest, of the education articles. Look, I know things are tight, budget-wise, in Iowa. And living in upper northwest Iowa, we occasionally hear of budget woes in Minnesota as well. I was very surprised to hear of such budget problems in the Hawaii school systems. In order to make budgets balance, the state has imposed on the teachers 17 furlough days over the 2009-10 and 2010-11 school years. So far, the schools have been closed for 6 days this school year. Read about the furloughs in this short newspaper article from the past. That's close to a 10% cut in class time. And everyone in the state of Iowa is trying to figure out where we can reschedule snow days. What a contrast.

There was other evidence of poverty in Honolulu. I should not have been surprised that in a city the size of Honolulu (876,000 in the year 2000) that there should be poverty. Not everyone who lives in Hawaii lives on the beach. Many people think the same thing about the Okoboji schools, that everyone lives in the nice, big house on the lake. By way of comparison, Okoboji Elementary has a F/R rate of over 30%. But I digress. The number of homeless people we saw was stunning. Living on the beach, in doorway stoops, under stairs just reminds me again of how I'm the luckiest person in the world.

I hope to blog some more about Hawaii and the reflections I've had. Spending a lot of time on airliners will give you the time to reflect.

Resolutions and Goals

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Happy New Year. It might be a bit late but it is always nice to wish good things for good people. It has been quite a ride these past four weeks, particularly with the weather and its effect on the schools of our area. Who knows what the weather will bring for us in the next few months? As many people do, resolutions have been set for the year 2010, both personally and professionally. The word “resolution” sounds a little more frivolous than the word “goal” but really, they mean about the same thing. I am certainly not going to bore you with my personal goals for this year but I would like to speak about the goals of our schools.
Our school board has taken a bit of a unique approach to district goals in the past few years. We have maintained the same overarching goals for the district since 2007 and have simply changed some of the indicators of success. I think it is difficult to say that our overarching goals are bad or even need to be changed. Our first goal is to improve student achievement. Isn't that what schools do? Improve student achievement? The second big goal of the district is to be fiscally responsible. We have set target numbers for several indicators, such as percent of unspent balance and solvency ratio and we update the board and the Finance Committee on these indicators. In order to accomplish the first goal, we must be good stewards of the taxpayer's money and accomplish goal two. Our last major goal is to institute a comprehensive public relations plan. We are very proud of the opportunities we have for students, at all levels, from free preschool to the college course offerings, from outstanding facilities to great teachers and ancillary staff, from state-wide recognition in activities like Jazz Band and Debate to our successes on the athletic venues. We just want to get the word out that what we have in Okoboji can rival the best schools in the state.
One way of setting goals for the future is to go through what is called a visioning process. Many groups around Dickinson County have gone through this process and will recognize the words. From the vision comes the goals. The Okoboji Schools vision is to have our students leave here proud of their educational experience and confident in their skills to succeed in the future.
In a few weeks, the Okoboji School board will be reviewing these goals and indicators to see if any revisions need to take place. I am excited for this process to take place. In reviewing the district's goals, we also include the administrative team, as they certainly have a vested interest in the success of our school. If you would like to view the mission, vision, core beliefs and goals for the district, we have them on our school's website at www.okoboji.k12.ia.us . Once the board reviews the goals, we will re-post them on the website as well.
The future of education certainly seems to be at a crossroads, particularly with the financial situation our state is experiencing. Being a “glass half full” kind of guy, I believe that things will get better, the economy will turn around, the Iowa Great Lakes region will continue to grow and the Okoboji schools will continue to be a leader of learning within our great state.
Have a wonderful, energetic and blessed 2010 and thanks for your support of the Okoboji Community Schools.