On Welcoming Myopia

I've been reading a bit on integral leadership, most recently on the IL website. What resonated with me was the gist of several articles: the difficulty of  theorists' important, substantive work truly informing the every day work of leading. Probably, this caught my attention because I am struggling with my new role, which, ostensibly, requires quite a narrowing of my professional lens. I have a specific task : improvement in 8th graders' ELA scores.  Not that there are not other components to the job description, but, in this era of NCLB, assessment scores are king. Seems myopic. Fortunately, however, ELA is all about engaging students in reading and writing, which presents myriad instructional possibilities for creativity and challenge. In New York, I think we just need to change mental models--- drudgery and mind numbing skill books begone!

I've been reflecting about how my knowledge, experience, and skill can inform my practice.  I don't want to over think things, which can lead to paralysis, but I do want to incorporate what I have learned over the years-- about learning, about teaching, about people,  about leading, about cultivating relationships. It's exciting almost, and each day I become more comfortable thinking about the new role. As much as I'd like to compartmentalize my life-- I no longer try. (Sorry about that ridiculous "ize" verb.)  So, yes, of course, my posts end up intertwined. I am in the process of identifying professional attachments to shed in order to enter more fully into this new role. How Ignatian. Also a good example of learning through writing. Hhmm.

Attachments Begone....

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could simply blink away those things we cling to despite knowing we would live more fully without them? And what are they, exactly? Actual things, habits, needs, misdirected energies. Each of us has our own menu. My current employment will seriously challenge me to refocus my lens, to change my perspective. I welcome this opportunity to use all my experiences in the new role and to create more time and space for reflection.

The Stuff of Life Can Stop You Mid Post!

How long before you can declare stuff "junk" and discard? And I don't even have to concern myself with someone else's stuff. It's just me! I say one year is a  reasonable amount of time; except for clothes-- fat clothes, skinny clothes, and yes, the "maybe" clothes.  Tackling the sartorial stuff is more complex than the usual seasonal de cluttering. If you make sure clothes are clean and in wearable condition, you can stuff them into a nearby St. Vincent dePaul box, thus focusing on your generosity, a low level corporal work of mercy even, not your own corpus giguntus. 

Then there's the other stuff. For me, as I guess for others, the accumulated matter filling closets, boxes, and crawl spaces in my home reflects my tendency to "flit from one thing to another," as my mother used to say. I remember learning a great SAT word for that which escapes me at the moment. I'll come back to that. Ah...desultory!

As it turns out, this little blogging activity has led me to something deeper and, ultimately,more meaningful. Of course, true contemplation here would require one to consider one's possessions and think more deeply about shedding them, freeing one's self from these attachments, recognizing one's relative abundance.

One Month Later

It's been a lazy, busy month, however oxymoronic that may sound. I've been reading a lot on line and continue to think about procuring a Kindle. The picture above is from earlier in the season at a Night of Storytelling for toddlers. What fun!

I am becoming even more of a documentary enthusiast. Enjoying Sports Illustrated of all things, NPR, some well written Op Ed pieces and still reading Wish You Well by David Balducci -- that's the lazy part of busy. I still have a ridiculous tdl---that never went away and, no surprise, many items from last month remain. 

Summer Reading 2009 @ Bethpage

Never a big fan of the mandatory summer reading assignment, I was pleasantly surprised by the Bethpage plan. Choice is provided; very important. The titles are excellent. Teachers are available to provide help to students on specific days during the summer. (Also a State ed requirement). The librarians even made videos about each book. That's a plan I can support, and the letter from the Assistant Superintendent was informative and well written, especially as its audience was parents. [I actually would love an alternative assignment to be the creation of a video advertising the book to next year's students.] Also got me thinking about creating authentic "Read" posters for school libraries, featuring various members of the Bethpage community.  Ideally, we can create a culture for students which encourages and celebrates all types of reading and writing so that reading over the summer would be taken for granted.

So far, I have procured one book for each grade level, but I need at least a second. These titles might actually be good to consider for mentor texts next year, or maybe literature circles. That way, students will already have familiarity with some of the texts.

What's on Your To Read List?

I am hereby, officially, forever ditching the tdl for the trl. It's not as if the tdl was such a success anyway. I can pretty much recite it -- laundry, dry cleaners, wardrobe for the week, food shopping, bills, school stuff, SJU stuff, calls, etc. I'm here in clean clothes, my electricity hasn't been shut off, and people are still talking to me, so I guess I can venture on without the list.

But a reading list....oh now that's another story altogether. I'll time myself doing a 2-minute "quick write" (omg remember that? was it it any way useful?) of titles I have read recently, am currently reading or rereading, or plan to read or reread in the not-too-distant future:

Caulkins, Art of Teaching Reading
Caulkins, Art of Teaching Writing
Dan Pink, Johnny Bunko
JhumpaLahiri, Unaccustomed Earth, Namesake, Interpreter of Maladies
Patchett, Patron Saint of Liars
Life of Pi
Albert Einstein
Pink, Brain Rules
Patchett, Bel Canto
Noe, Getting Started with Literature Circles
Holes
Wit
The Giver
Gospel of St.John
Balducci, Wish You Well
Hawthorne, Bartleby the Scrivener
Friedman, The World is Flat

That's far from complete but my recall is not what it used to be, but an interesting list nevertheless.