Surprises And Lessons

Yesterday while doing a search at BYU's library website for articles for a paper I am writing for my education policy class, I had three surprises.

Surprise #1: Because I appreciate Gary Orfield's work, I was excited to see an article written by him Hispanic Education: Challenge, Research, and Policies that fit perfectly with the topic of my paper. It became even more exciting to read the article because it described so well what we are facing today and I found myself saying, "Yes! Yes! Wow!," more times than I can count. It wasn't until I had finished scanning the article that I noticed when it was written---November, 1986!!!--over 21 years ago, and it could have been written yesterday.

Surprise #2: Because one of the keywords for the search was "Hispanic," some articles came up that weren't related to my particular interest at the moment which was education. Yet, one article caught my eye titled Whither Hispanic Education? Even though it had both Hispanic and education in the title it became apparent while reading that it was talking about the fact that all is not well when it comes to teaching languages. It went onto say that some are even antagonistic towards the idea. As someone who is committed to the importance of teaching and preserving languages and because I am writing on language issues for my education law class, this article intrigued me as it described so perfectly our present day language situation and challenges. Upon finishing the article I checked the date to see when it was written, almost certain it must have been 2007. I literally almost fainted upon discovering that it was a Presidential address read at the 37th Annual Meeting of the AATSP (American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese), Chicago, December 29-30, 1955 !

Surprise #3: It was thrilling to find an article entitled Pulling together to close the Hispanic achievement gap and I could hardly wait to open it as the title had all the right words for the topic of my paper...and it was even written October 7, 2006! Then I noticed the author--Barbara Lovejoy! It was an article I had written and that had been published in the Salt Lake Tribune. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I agreed with the author!

I learned some lessons from these surprises: 1) The "fight" for policies, programs, procedures, places, and persons that will benefit our diverse learners is not something new but the "fight" must continue and 2) We never know when or where the work we do may appear and possibly make a difference.

Cast Your Bread Upon the Water

As I have listened to the presidential candidates over the last few months, I have been struck with a reminder how negative campaigning can come back to bite you. For instance, one of the reasons Senator Ted Kennedy gave for supporting Barak Obama was because of the Clintons attack on Obama. Another example is when some voters withdrew their support of Mitt Romney when he started criticizing John McCain rather than staying focused on his own message.

It is important to remember, though, that not only does negativity have its repercussions but so does kindness as the story below illustrates.


November 07, 2007
Cast Your Bread Upon the Water

One day a man saw an old lady, stranded on the side of the road, but even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help. So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out. His Pontiac was still sputtering when he approached her.

Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so. Was he going to hurt her? He didn't look safe; he looked poor and hungry.

He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold. He knew how she felt. It was that chill which only fear can put in you.

He said, 'I'm here to help you, ma'am. Why don't you wait in the car where it's warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson.'

Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough. Bryan crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two. Soon he was able to change the tire. But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt.

As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the window and began to talk to him. She told him that she was from St. Louis and was only just passing through. She couldn't thank him enough for coming to her aid.

Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk. The lady asked how much she owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her. She already imagined all the awful things that could have happened had he not stopped.

Bryan never thought twice about being paid. This was not a job to him. This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were plenty, who had given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way.

He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance they needed, and Bryan added, 'And think of me.'

He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed for home, disappearing into the twilight.

A few miles down the road the lady saw a small cafe. She went in to grab a bite to eat, and take the chill off before she made the last leg of her trip home. It was a dingy looking restaurant. Outside were two old gas pumps. The whole scene was unfamiliar to her.

The waitress came over and brought a clean towel to wipe her wet hair. She had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for the whole day couldn't erase.

The lady noticed the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, but she never let the strain and aches change her attitude. The old lady wondered how someone who had so little could be so giving to a stranger. Then she remembered Bryan.

After the lady finished her meal, she paid with a hundred dollar bill. The waitress quickly went to get change for her hundred dollar bill, but the old lady had slipped right out the door. She was gone by the time the waitress came back.

The waitress wondered where the lady could be. Then she noticed something written on the napkin.

There were tears in her eyes when she read what the lady wrote: 'You don't owe me anything. I have been there too. Somebody once helped me out, the way I'm helping you. If you really want to pay me back, here is what you do: Do not let this chain of love end with you.'

Under the napkin were four more $100 bills.

Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve, but the waitress made it through another day. That night when she got home from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the money and what the lady had written. How could the lady have known how much she and her husband needed it? With the baby due next month, it was going to be hard....

She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her, she gave him a soft kiss and whispered soft and low, 'Everything's going to be all right. I love you, Bryan Anderson.'

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I am convinced that "bread we cast upon the water" does come back to us. It may not come back from the person to whom we have bestowed the kindness, but it will come back...and the longer it takes, the larger the dividend.

Birthday: A Time To Reflect

Yesterday I celebrated my 60th birthday! Even though I don't particularly like the fact that I have now lived more years than I will live in the future, I like birthdays. It is a time to reflect upon the events, accomplishments, and growth of the last year as well as to ponder on what I want to accomplish and experience in the coming year.


I like using my birthday rather than New Year's to do this because my birthday is a milestone in my own personal life. Reflecting on my 59th year has not been an easy one, though, because it was filled with many painful disappointments and excruciating opposition which zapped much of my strength and left me quite weary.


A birthday --the start of a new year of my life--provides a time to refocus on my goal which is to be an instrument in the hands of the Lord to help Him with His work to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man within my circle of influence. Therefore, I must allow Him to mold me in the way He chooses--and to prune that which is getting in the way. Molding and pruning are always painful although both are necessary to produce the desired fruit.


It is also critical to remember that opposition is not a bad thing. The LDS Prophet Joseph Smith learned that opposition grew as he became more valuable to the Lord's purposes. Albert Einstein understood this when he said, "Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds." Therefore, for those of us who desire to be great spirits and be an instrument in the Lord's hands to make a difference for our diverse learners, it should not be a surprise when we encounter opposition. In fact, if we aren't facing any opposition, we are probably not doing much to make a difference.

President Gordon B. Hinckley's Example

Many throughout the world are mourning the loss of beloved prophet and president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Gordon B. Hinckley, who died yesterday at the age of 97.

What legacy and example he has left for all of us!

President Hinckley often related the story of how his father responded to him when he was a discouraged LDS missionary serving in England. His father counseled him to "forget yourself and go to work." Pres. Hinckley's life exemplified how deeply he took to heart that counsel. He had an incredible and inspiring work ethic that few, even those much younger than he, could match even in Pres. Hinckley's aging years. He was a man of vision who lengthened his stride to make the visions he saw in his heart and mind a reality.

Although Pres. Hinckley was very aware of many daunting challenges facing the nation and the world--and individuals--he always exhibited a contagious optimism. He was able to maintain this optimism because he never forgot who was in charge--Heavenly Father. He trusted in His promises that all would work out in the end--Righteousness would come off conqueror.

Pres. Hinckley's quick wit and genuine, unconditional love endeared him to others, including Mike Wallace, and allowed him to build bridges across racial, religious, cultural, and political divides. He recognized that all people were children of a Heavenly Father who loved them and continually counseled LDS members to be kinder, more tolerant, and to be inclusive and that hatred, unkindness, arrogance and self-righteousness should be weeded out of the heart of every true Latter Day Saint.

As we strive to follow the example and counsel of President Gordon B. Hinckley with hard work and optimism, whether a member of the LDS faith or not, we will see the miracles that Pres. Hinckley promised would happen when we reach out to each other in kindness, respect, and love.

Both Scholarly and Religious: Dallin H. Oaks

Dallin H. Oaks served as the President of BYU (Brigham Young University) from 1971-1980. From 1980 to 1984 he served as a Utah Supreme Court Justice and was closely considered by the Reagan administration in 1981 to be a nominee for the Supreme Court Justice. On April 7, 1984 Oaks was sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints which is a life long calling.


Obviously Dallin H. Oaks is not only a well-educated and scholarly man of high distinction, but he is also a deeply religious man as well. Therefore, when he speaks, I listen knowing his words convey an extremely important message that I need to apply to my life.


Yesterday as I read his LDS (Latter Day Saint) Conference talk Good, Better, Best given at the October 2007 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Conference, I thought of its application to how we serve our diverse learners.

At the beginning of his talk he reminds us that just because something is good is not a sufficient reason to do it. He goes onto say that there are so many good things to do in this world there isn't enough time to do them all. We must give priority to the best of the good.

Elder Oaks tells of when he was a youngster how they used the Sears and Roebuck catalog as we use malls and the internet today. In the catalog there were three quality categories for shoes--good, better, and best--with a cost increase as the quality increased. He compared this to choices we have in life. Even though something may cost more (in time, energy, or money), the added cost may be well worth it because of the added value it brings.

This counsel relates to our service to diverse learners in a variety of ways:

First, there are now thousands of people who give speeches, write books, and make videos about what we need to do better serve our diverse learners. The majority of them are good, but we don't have time to respond to them all. We must choose the best from the good. I would define the best as those who are focused on what works either because research and/or experience support their claim.

Second, we must think not only of the good things we can for our diverse learners, but rather the best things. For instance, a good thing is for all educators (teachers and leaders) to become ESL endorsed. A better thing would be to apply what is learned. The best thing would be to make sure that the lives of the students are changed and improved because of the efforts. In other words, rejoicing just because more educators are ESL endorsed is not sufficient.

We move from good to best when our desire to serve our diverse learners is founded in love rather than out of duty or arrogance.

Resources Aren't Self-Activating

In my state of Utah (as well as the nation) the student population demographics are changing. The number of English Language Learners in our schools is growing exponentially. How we teach them will not only have an impact on the lives of the individual students, but also on the economic, social, and democratic life of our state and country.

Therefore, Governor Jon Huntsman's comment on Utah Now last night that he wants to allocate $7 million for the education of English Language Learners, caught my attention. I applaud him for wanting to address the needs of this population. It is my hope that he and others are asking some serious questions so that this $7 million can reap the greatest dividends:

1. What is the specific goal to be achieved? and by when?
2. How is this goal related to the vision and mission statement we have for the education of Utah's children?
3. Is there a strategic plan in place to achieve the goal--a plan that incorporates what research and experience demonstrate works for English Language Learners?
4. How will the $7 million be used to achieve the goal? What resources other than money are needed to achieve the goal and how are they being accessed?
5. How will we know if the goal is achieved--how will it be measured and evaluated?
6. Who is responsible and being held accountable for determining the goal, the development and implementation of the strategic plan, and for the evaluation of the plan?
7. Are there other ways this $7 million could be better utilized?

It's important to ask AND answer these questions because resources are not self-activating.

"I Am the Only One"

"I am the only one," is a phrase every 2008 Presidential candidate has repeatedly used in interviews, debates, and speeches. They are obviously using this phrase as part of a political agenda to win votes. Yet, it definitely has application to those of us wanting to better serve our diverse learners.

There will be many times we will probably feel like we are the "only one." In some arenas it may be a reality that our voice is the only voice speaking in behalf of diverse learners. It is critical that we keep on speaking that lone voice in spite of the fact that it may appear no one is listening. One of my favorite stories in the New Testament is the widow who is persistent at knocking at the door of the unjust judge. We need to just keep knocking at the door. Persistence does eventually reap its rewards--although maybe not in the timing we would prefer--but it will always be at the perfect timing.

There is a website http://www.powerone.org/ that you might want to visit for ideas. At this site, you can also read about a book called The Power of One.

Thought: If you want to innovate, to change an enterprise or a society,
it takes people willing to do what's not expected. - Jean Riboud

Fostering Resiliency

Patricia Gándara says in her book Over the Ivy Walls:
"Our increased understanding of the factors that lead to failure has not appreciably diminished the rate of failure. Perhaps a better understanding of what leads to academic success will yield more fruitful outcomes….An important element missing from most research has been the insights which can be gained from an understanding of how students who don’t fail, in spire of adverse circumstances, manage to escape that fate." (pp. xii, 9)


What Gándara says resonates with the work of Martin Seligman on "learned helplessness" and with the work of others (Benard, Henderson, and Werner) on resiliency. Rather than a focus on deficits and causing our diverse learners to feel like victims, giving them the tools to be successful in spite of whatever happens to them will be more productive.


Nan Henderson shares what a young man who had spent most of his life in dozens of foster homes told her about what helped him the most. He said that it was the people along the way who gave him the message, "What is right with you is more powerful than anything that is wrong with you."


We can give our diverse learners this message by helping them to draw upon their resiliency. The new edition of Resiliency In Action edited by Nan Henderson can help us know how to do just that.


The book is divided into seven parts:

Part One: The Foundations of Resiliency

Part Two: Resiliency and Schools

Part Three: Resiliency and Communities

Part Four: Resiliency, Connections: Mentoring, Support, and Counseling

Part Five: Resiliency and Youth Development

Part Six: Resiliency and Families

Part Seven: Resiliency and the Brain


I haven't read the book, yet, but I have read Resiliency: What We Have Learned by Bonnie Benard, and it was excellent, and I've also read work by Emmy Werner. Therefore, this new book is definitely on my reading list, and I would highly recommend that it be put on yours as well.

No Place Is Too Small

As I have reflected on Martin Luther King's The Drum Major Instinct speech and One Solitary Life by James Francis, I was reminded of a favorite poem:

Father, where shall I work today?

And my love flowed warm and free,

Then he pointed out a tiny spot

And said, "Tend that for me."

I answered quickly, "Oh no, not that!

Why, no one would ever see,

No matter how well my work was done,

Not that little place for me."

And the word he spoke, it was not stern;

"Art thou working for them or for me?

Nazareth was a little place,

And so was Galilee."

The application of this poem's lesson will help our personal influence and service to be felt wherever we are, no matter how small that place may be-- and even if that place appears to be insignificant or unnoticed.

Reference:
Meade MacGuire, "Father, Where Shall I Work Today?" in Best-Loved Poems of the LDS People, comp. Jack M. Lyon and others (1996), 152.

One Solitary Life

In Martin Luther King's speech The Drum Major's Instinct he recited the poem by James Francis called One Solitary Life. Felt that it described beautifully what credentials one must have to serve and how one life can make a difference. Therefore, today I share this poem.

Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another obscure village. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty, and then for three years He was an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book. He never held an office.

He never owned a home. He never set foot inside a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place where He was born. He had no credentials but Himself.

While still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against Him. His friends ran away. One of them denied Him. He was turned over to His enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed upon a cross between two thieves.

His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth while He was dying -- and that was His coat. When He was dead, He was taken down and laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.

Nineteen wide centuries have come and gone and today He is the centerpiece of the human race and the leader of progress. I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, and all the navies that ever were built, and all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned, put together have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as that One Solitary Life.

by James A. Francis

"The Drum Major Instinct" Speech by Martin Luther King

Last Friday I had the opportunity to attend the 2008 Drum Major Awards Luncheon in Salt Lake. The keynote speaker was Judge Shauna Graves-Robertson. She chose to base her speech on the "The Drum Major Instinct" speech that Martin Luther King, Jr. gave at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia on February 4, 1968.

I as so impressed with her speech that I came home and found Dr. King's speech so I could read it in it's entirety. In honor of Martin Luther King's life that is celebrated today, I am choosing to share lessons from this speech that if applied, can help King's dream be realized.

The speech is based on the story found in the 10th chapter of St. Mark in the New Testament when James and John, the sons of Zebedee, request to sit at his right hand and left hand. Toward the end of Jesus' response, He says, "But so shall it not be among you, but whosoever will be great among, shall be your servant: and whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be the servant of all."

King cautions us not to be too critical of James and John because deep down all of us have this instinct=="it's a kind of drum major instinct--a desire to be out front, a desire to lead the parade, a desire to be first." He adds that even when we do something good, too often we do it so we can be praised for it.

King notes some ways that this drum major instinct manifests itself in our lives:

• Being a "joiner" for attention, recognition, importance
• Being taken in by advertisers who promise that their product will make us stand out
• Living above our means in order to outdo the Joneses
• Boasting
• Striving to identify with the so-called big-name people
• Engaging in activities merely to get attention which if not harnessed can lead to anti social behavior in the quest for recognition
• Pushing others down through gossip and even lies in hopes to push oneself up
• Snobbish exclusiveness and classism which can even happen in churches, the one place where everybody should be the same regardless of degrees, titles, economics, etc. because all are children of the same Father
• Race prejudice because of desire to feel superior

Jesus did not condemn James and John because of their desire. In fact, in essence he told them that the drum major instinct was a good thing if they used it right. In other words, it's ok to want to be first, but want to be first in love, excellence, generosity---a definition for greatness.

King emphasizes that the use of this definition of greatness, everyone can be great because everyone can serve. The one solitary life of Jesus is our example--He who had no credentials but himself just went around serving and doing good.

Joint Endeavor to Educate and Advocate

Valuing first language as a resource is so important if we are to serve our diverse learners well. Research from more and more disciplines is supporting this premise including special education, counseling, literacy, and early childhood. And position statements have been written by many organizations such as the International Reading Association and the National Education Association supporting the importance of first language.


For this reason, it would behoove these organizations--both locally and nationally--to join forces to educate about and advocate for policies, programs, procedures, persons, and places related to language issues. This joint endeavor will cause their efforts to be more powerful and effective.

A good place to start is to have all of them read the new book by James Crawford and Stephen Krashen--English Learners in American Classrooms 101 Questions and 101 Answers.

Cornell West Insights--Part 3

"A democracy is created to ensure that arbitrary forms of power are not deployed or used against fellow citizens and fellow human beings." "Democracy is affirming the humanity an dignity of people of color."

"I am not a politician. I am a fellow citizen but I am deeply political."

West reminds us of what Malcolm X suggested about the fact that the chickens will come home to roost. "We must not think that there will ever be enough police or prisons to deal with the overwhelming social despair that results from the social neglect in those kindergartens, elementary schools, and secondary schools and high schools.

"Resources are necessary for education, but not sufficient for essential education. "Creative thinking, critical intelligence, deep commitment, connection with students, believing deeply that students can learn are other critical essentials." Yet, when 1% of the population has roughly the same wealth as the bottom 95% of the population, there needs to be a serious discussion about the wealth inequality in this country.

"Charity is not justice."

"I am not optimistic. Anyone who has the audacity to adopt a democratic vision cannot be optimistic, though I do not conflate optimism with hope." Hope means one keeps keeping on to come together to form communities and schools that embody democratic principles.

"Maybe we have a problem. Maybe we ought to really try to take seriously multiracial democracy. Which we know was not the division of the founding fathers, even given their relative wisdom. They could not conceive of black, white, red, yellow, all having equal citizenship status. They could not conceive of women having equal citizenship status. And one says that not to trash them just contextualize them. They had wisdom but it is relative to context, just as we have wisdom today but it is relative to our context. But we are building on their vision...if we do not wrestle...with [its] overwhelming inequality and increasing inequality, then yes, we can begin to lose that precious democratic tradition that was transmitted, bequeathed to us by the best of those who came before."

West reminds us of a staple from the Martin Luther King legacy which was to let go of bitterness, hatred and revenge, regardless of history. We must fall in love with peace and justice and the desire to serve.

Cornell West Insights --Part 2

"We are all on the same ship, and that ship has leaks in it. We must all stick together, or we will all fall apart, for we are inextricably linked together."

"While the unexamined life is not worth living, the examined life is a necessarily painful one to lead."

"What does it mean to be human? To be human is to suffer, to shudder in the face of life's mysteries and to struggle with that mystery."

West quotes William Butler Yeats who said, "it takes more courage to dig deep into the abyss of one's own soul than it takes for a soldier to fight on the battlefield."

"Teachers must forge a courage in themselves and attempt to make it contagious with their students to move from learning that is too hollow, too shallow, too quantitative, too standard-oriented."

"Lack of democracy: voicelessness. Democratic reality: a sense of being an agent in the world.

"West quotes Emerson as saying that all forms of imitation are suicide. Therefore, each must find his or her own distinctive voice and practice it and "bounce it up against other voices within the community like a jazz quartet."

Cornell West Insights

Because I was so impressed with Cornell West's speech on Thursday, I took some time to read some of his other speeches. The following are some "gems" I discovered:

"There can be no substantive Essential Education without accenting non-market values, activities that allow us to situate ourselves, and our young people, our students, in stories bigger than us."

"We have become addicted to stimulation and titillation, shallow pleasures, and have discarded the search for depth."

" 'Gangsterization,' a movement which is mean-spirited, cold-hearted, and back-stabbing is going in our society. In our search for material success, non-market values such as concern, compassion, or unity have been forced to take a back seat."

"The 9-11 terrorist attacks in the U. S. gave white Americans a glimpse of what it means to be a black person in the U. S. --feeling 'unsafe, unprotected, subject to random violence, and hatred' for who they are."

Recapturing the Heart of the Twelve Year Old

As I have been reflecting this morning on the words from Dr. Cornell West's speech at the University of Utah yesterday, I'm reminded of an incident that happened on my 12th birthday 48 years ago this month. My mother had finally given in and allowed me to invite all the girls from my class, including two Black girls, to my birthday party because I had insisted that I didn't want to have a party if anyone had to be left out.

West's words inspired me to want to recapture that 12 year old attitude and determination as so much work still needs to be done not only in my personal life but as a nation, too, so that no one is left out.

Progress has been made as Linda Chavez reminds us in her article Our Better Angels: Martin Luther King's Legacy posted at www.townhall.com on January 18, 2008. Chavez notes that under the leadership of King in the Civil Rights movement, the hearts and minds of American people were changed and led out of complacency to exclaim, "This should not happen in America" The conscience of millions of Americans of all colors had been pricked, and they understood that the injustices they were witnessing on their TV screens were simply wrong. An army of men and women, young and old, black and white, was mobilized and the non-violent protests for democratic rights for all began.

West reminded us, though, that in spite of the progress that has been made, the journey isn't over until Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream has been totally realized. In order for this to happen, all of us must respond to what both King and Lincoln called the appeal to "the better angels of our nature" and get to work.

Be There

Woody Allen's formula for success is summarized in his words, "80% of success is showing up." Many years ago I heard a similar message condensed to two words: Be there.

Yesterday United Way was sponsoring its 4th Annual Legislation Breakfast. I had earlier responded with a yes RSVP that I would attend, but I was in a real time crunch because of a variety of assignments that needed to be completed. Yet, I felt prompted to attend. After all, it was only going to take a couple of hours out of my day.

The first person I saw as I entered the parking lot elevator was LeeAnne Linderman, a favorite person of mine who always inspires me just by being around her for a few minutes. After registering I sat down at an empty table as I hadn't come with anyone, and I didn't see anyone I knew. It wasn't long before I realized that the one conducting the meeting was Scott Anderson, the President and CEO of Zions Bank---someone with whom I had been playing phone tag as I had wanted to contact him about an idea. Being able to speak to him in person after the meeting instead of continuing to try to connect by phone was definitely a plus.

Already my investment of time was paying off! Then during the meeting, much to the surprise of both of us, Sandy Petersen, the Davis School District Assistant Superintendent, sat down beside me. She is an incredible educator and person who is committed to serving Hispanic learners. It was rejuvenating just to have the opportunity to visit with her for a few minutes.

Surprises aren't over, yet. At the end of the meeting someone else who had come in and sat down at my table spoke to me by name, and I realized it was Joan Dixon, another person who is an inspiration because of the great work she is doing with Hispanics in the Provo area.

Needless to say, it was well worth the two hour investment to follow the prompting to "show up" and to "be there"---over and above hearing what the legislators had to say!

Learning From the Democratic Presidential Candidates

Last night we watched the 2008 Presidential Democratic Debate taking place in Las Vegas, Nevada. Even though I am not a Democrat (am not sure what I am at this point!), there were some important lessons to be learned.

Lesson #1: The candidates stayed focused on the issues and refused to be caught up in the media frenzy that seems to be determined to be divisive. For instance, Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama had worked out between them, before the debate, the accusations flying back and forth about a comment of Senator Clinton's concerning Martin Luther King. Another example, was Senator Barak Obama's response to lies about him that were being spread on the internet. Another example was when Obama refused to blame race for his New Hampshire loss to Clinton.

Lesson #2: Even though they had differing views on how to address a variety of issues they focused on the views and didn't resort to personal attacks. (Have to admit, though, that they weren't that kind when talking about President Bush). They recognized that in spite of their differences, they all were committed to the same goal--serving the American people.

Lesson #3: When asked to share a personal strength and a weakness, each was honest about both which indicated they knew themselves.

Lesson #4: Clinton and Edwards admitted mistakes they had made concerning a vote they had cast that later turned out not to be a wise choice. They did this with no excuses.

Lesson #5: When asked when and why they chose to run for president, each shared a tender moment.

Lesson #6: They complimented each other for the good things they had done and commented that they knew that the American people had three very competent and capable candidates to choose from. Once the American people made their final choice known, they would support that choice.

Lesson #7: Clinton asked for Obama's help with an issue she wanted to address.

Lesson #8: All three candidates were extremely knowledgeable about the topics. They weren't responding to questions with an emotional gut reaction although "heart" definitely played an important role in their opinions and decisions.

As educators contemplate each of these lessons they will see that there are definite applications as to how it might be in the best interest of our diverse students to address education issues in the same manner.

Two Important Questions

Yesterday I attended a panel presentation at the University of Utah. It was one of its Martin Luther King celebration events.

One person on the panel, Dr. Takuya Minami, suggested that we ask ourselves two questions:

1. Do I feel like a member of the community?
2. Am I comfortable inviting others to the community?

A yes answer to the second question relies upon a yes answer to the first question. The struggles of others won't become my struggles until I can answer, "Yes," to both of these questions.

Pondering the first question caused me to reflect upon the work of Dr. Robert Putnam concerning social capital. To feel like a member of the community I must expand my circle of influence beyond my own small world--I must become actively involved. Although voting is important, actively involved requires more than casting a vote. It demands stepping out of a comfort zone and getting into the arena. It means speaking up and doing about what's right even when it is unpopular.

Education Savings Account and Books

By helping our diverse students open an education savings account and then contribute to it we are not only telling them that we believe in them, but we are also helping them to focus on education goals.


Some things we can to encourage this: (The focus is going on the Hispanic student population because that is where my experience is but could definitely be adapted to other diverse student populations)

• In schools with a high Hispanic population when you find out some family is going to have a baby, give the family a book with a $1 (or more) check made out to a bank to open an education savings account. Sixth grade Hispanic students could tape record the books, and they could be given a small amount of money for their education savings account for doing this. A business partner (or grant) could be involved in paying for the cost of this project.


• For the state Spanish Spelling Bee, have the reward be money for an education savings account and a book.


• Encourage service and civic organizations to sponsor a variety of contests such as essay contests with the reward being money for the education savings account and books.


• School and classroom rewards could be money for the education savings account and books rather than other treats.


• Family members, friends, and neighbors could be encouraged to give money for the education savings account and/or books for such celebrations as holidays, births, birthdays, graduations, quinceañeras and other special occasions. Fellow church members could be encouraged to do the same for special occasions the child or youth experiences in the church setting such as baptisms.
• Encourage the student to put at least 10% of any earnings from an allowance or job into his/her educations savings account.
• Hold events such as yard sales where all the profit is divided amongst the participating students for their education savings account.
• Find someone who will match the amount of money in the education savings account each year. If needs be, set a minimum and/or a maximum the student has to accumulate.

In Utah (and a few other states) Zions Bank can help with setting up this education savings account. It can be opened with the minimum amount of $1 and the interest is greater than it is for other accounts. An added plus: Zions has Spanish banks where everyone in the bank speaks Spanish. For more information about this, contact Sylvia Haro at sylvia.haro@zionsbank.com. Other banks may have similar programs, but I am most familiar with Zions because I have worked with them.

Hope and Change

It would be hard for anyone (Democrat, Republican, Independent) to listen to Barak Obama's speech mantra of "hope and change" and not be inspired. Yet, Shelby Steele on Bill Moyers Now last Friday evening expressed the following:

"But if you listen to his -- speeches 'change,' 'hope.' I mean, it's a kind of-- it's an empty mantra. I mean a surprising degree of emptiness, of lack of specificity. What change? Change from what to what? What direction do you want to take the country? What do you mean by hope? There's never any specificity there because specificity is dangerous to a bargainer."

Earlier in the interview Shelby defined and explained a bargainer as " a black who enters the American, the white American mainstream by saying to whites in effect, in some code form, I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt. I'm not going to rub the shame of American history in your face if you will not hold my race against me. Whites then respond with enormous gratitude. And bargainers are usually extremely popular people." Shelby goes onto explain that the bad side of this is that no one ends up telling the truth about what one really feels and thus in a way becomes invisible.

All of this has great application to education issues especially as it relates to the education of our diverse learners. It could very well explain why the achievement gap (s) continues to persist despite all the rhetoric. People have entered into some kind of bargain so no one is offended by speaking the truth---being specific about what needs to be changed and who needs to do the changing. Policy makers enter into the bargain agreement to keep their jobs and/or to be reelected. Result: Nothing changes and the achievement gap (s) continue to exist.

If the achievement gap (s) scenario is ever going to change we need people who because they are more concerned about the next generation than the next "election" will challenge the status quo by telling the truth--with hope.

Ponderings on Law

This Thursday I attended my first Education and Law class with Dr. Scott Ferrin at BYU. As we discussed the definition and role of law, I reflected on the December 22nd "blog post" about the "rule of law."

During class some new thoughts came to mind that expand upon that "blog post."

• The purpose of law should have a benefit component. The perfect law giver, God, gave us laws that if obeyed, He in His infinite wisdom knew would bring blessings. We have man made laws such as speed limits for our safety and to protect us. Yet, man is not a perfect law giver. Therefore, he will make laws that are not perfect....and that at times can even be extremely unwise and unjust causing much harm. This should cause us to be leery of focusing only on the "rule of law."

• Throughout history we have honored people who have "broken the law"--our Founding Fathers, Rosa Parks, Corrie Ten Boom, Schindler, all the people who protected and helped slaves during our history's slavery era, even people from scriptures like the Good Samaritan, and many others.

• In my religion--Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Saints--our 12th Article of Faith states: We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.

QUESTIONS: When these pondering thoughts from December 22 and today seem to be contradictory, what is the answer? How does one be a law abiding citizen and at the same time not become such a slave to the rule of law that one ends up hurting rather than helping?

The Fight Goes On

The 2008 edition of Education Week's Quality Counts was released a couple of days ago. It presents a new framework for strengthening the teaching profession, based on a yearlong analysis of the best thinking and current practices in the field.

Quality Counts grades the states across six areas of education performance and policy. While the U.S. posted a grade of C overall, the average state earned a D-plus on public school achievement, the poorest showing of any graded category.

In response to this report and articles in two of our Utah newspapers about the findings, I wrote the following "Letter to the Editor":

The findings of new education reports indicating a persistent achievement gap (s) between Whites and Latinos are quite disconcerting. A 50%-60% Latino drop out rate and up to a 30 pt. achievement gap in some academic areas are inexcusable. Obviously collecting and analyzing data are not sufficient.

Nor will identifying lack of resources as the culprit be an effective answer to the lingering dilemma, especially if it is used as an excuse not to do anything. Plus, there are questions to be asked about resources if they are to be used effectively such as:1) What is meant by resources--money, books, qualified and culturally response educators, technology, opportunities, the students themselves?, 2) Which resources are linked to which learning outcomes for Latinos?, 3) Which combination of resources are most effective?, 4) Which type of classrooms need which resources?, 5) What is meant by sufficient resources?, 6) How do we make resources equitable and not just equal?, and 7) How can Latinos learn to take greater advantage of the resources that are already available?

It's also important to remember that resources are not self-activating? In other words, just providing resources without the proper use of them will not bring the long desired results.

There is no question that most educators are working extremely hard to address this achievement gap (s) issue. Therefore, working harder isn't the answer but maybe working smarter is. Working smarter might include encouraging a closer connection and collaboration between researchers and practitioners and policy makers concerning the most effective use of resources.

Fernando's Graduation

I repeatedly reminded my class of 4th, 5th, and 6th grade English Language Learning Hispanic students that I wanted to be invited to each of their graduations--middle school, high school, and college. There aren't words to express the joy I felt when Fernando took me at my word and called me a couple of days ago to tell me that he would be sending me an invitation to his high school graduation.

This experience was a reminder that our diverse learners need to know that we believe in them and that we have high expectations for them. This is a much different approach than having a huge 6th grade graduation celebration for them because you believe it will be the only graduation they will ever experience. Sadly, the latter is what I heard teachers express.

Providing opportunities for our diverse learners to dream about, envision, and vocalize their possible futures and then helping them develop the knowledge and skills they need to achieve their dreams is one of the greatest gifts we can give them.

Influence Change

One of the reason I like Kevin Eikenberry so much is because he goes the extra mile. He followed up his conference call message with more resources that could benefit us in our change effort.

One resource included 5 ways to influence change in others:

1. "Get" their perspective: It's the other person's perspective about the change that really matters. Valuing that perspective will help the other person feel part of the conversation, not that feel that one is being given a sales pitch.
2. Acknowledge their perspective: Let the person feel that you recognize that the view is valid even if may be different than yours.
3. Speak to their interests: Talk with the person about the differences in your perspectives, explaining how the change has personal benefits for him or her.
4. Recognize natural tendencies: Recognize that not everyone moves at the same rate in regards to change.
5. Be patient: Give a person time to reflect on what you have shared. This could help "save face" for a person who is moving from opposition to a change to being an advocate for the change.

Kevin has more information about change at his website, http://www.kevineikenberry.com/

Serendipity Strikes Again

Another serendipitous experience has touched my life. While in the midst of organizing a group that is going to be educating and advocating for change in regards to Hispanic learners, I received an email from Kevin Eikenberry, the author of Remarkable Leadership, who was conducting a conference call on change.

I had the opportunity to participate in that call yesterday with Kevin. The insights he offered truly are remarkable, and they couldn't have come at a more opportune time.

Kevin strongly recommended that we share with a colleague what we learned --and the sooner the better--as that will help cement the ideas. Stephen Covey has offered the same advice. I felt my "blog" may be the best place to share and record what I learned.

Below are some of the points I learned and want to apply:

• If there is no need for change, there is no need for a leader
• Not everyone will be at the same place concerning change, and it's important to be ok with this
• People view change differently, attaching negative, positive, and/neutral emotions to it
• Be a proponent (not an "evangelist") for the change by emphasizing the positive benefits/rewards of the change and minimizing the risks
• People don't resist change as much as they resist being changed
• Acknowledge where people are in regards to the present state as they have been doing what they are doing for a long time
• Build a post-change vision that can be experienced with all the senses
• When talking about change, the conversation and dialogue need to be continually open and ongoing
• "Sell" individuals, not groups --by getting individuals engaged and involved will help build the momentum
• Call the change a journey (a process)
• Ask questions! Ask questions! Ask questions!
• Find language for the change that is not just a hollow slogan

Participating with Kevin in this learning conference call convinced me to personally commit to move from focusing on resistance, opposition, obstacles in relationship to change and focus on exciting, challenge, opportunity instead.

NOTE: For more information about Kevin Eikenberry and his work, including articles that can be downloaded, visit http://www.kevineikenberry.com/

Joan of Arc's Example

One of my heroines from history is Joan of Arc, the illiterate peasant girl who at 17 became the unlikely standard-bearer for the French army in the Dark Ages.

Long years of war had impoverished and divided her country when Joan received promptings that she had a purpose to fulfill which was to help liberate her oppressed country. At first people scoffed at her ideas and felt that she was a little crazy. Nevertheless, she persisted and was eventually able to see the king.

King Charles VII of France was so impressed with the fact that Joan curtsied to him after recognizing him amongst the ranks of the army which he had occupied in order to trick her, that he gave her command over his 12,000 troops. At first the French soldiers didn't want to obey her, but once seeing the success that came from following her orders, they came to look upon her as their leader.

Joan of Arc issued orders that seemed to be those of a military genius, and in spite of being wounded twice, she and her army liberated the besieged city of Orleans in 1429 and defeated the English in four other battles.

She was captured at Compiegne by English allies during the Battle of Paris and sold to the English for 16,000 francs. She was imprisoned, tried as a heretic, and then burned at the stake in 1431.

Despite this sad ending to Joan of Arc's life, it does not take away from her greatness who as a young girl had the courage to follow the promptings that came to her and make a difference.

Lessons to learn from Joan of Arc as we strive to make a difference for diverse learners:

• Listen to promptings and follow them in spite of what others may say or do
• Be willing to be different and not be motivated to do that which wins acceptance
• Muster the courage to be willing to suffer the consequences that may come from following promptings

"The Fierce Urgency of Now"

"The fierce urgency of now." The 2008 Democratic presidential candidate, Barak Obama, has resurrected this powerful phrase from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s I Have A Dream speech.

These words are definitely appropriate and applicable to what we are facing in connection with the education of our diverse learners.


Although this pithy phrase is a memorable call to action, I feel it would be helpful to look at the significance of each of the words. To be fierce is to be strenuously active and resolute fueled by intense conviction. Urgency means there is a pressing necessity demanding notice and attention that requires speedy and prompt action. Now means at the present time, without delay or hesitation.

The education of our diverse learners is definitely a pressing issue that demands our immediate and strenously active attention.

Learning From Statistics

It was the hardest class I had ever taken in my whole life--Statistics (or as some have called it--Sadistics).

Our professor, Dr. Sterling Hilton, told us that he had chosen the best textbook he could find. I believed him but even though I knew the words I was reading were English words, they might as well have been Japanese words. Then after reading the chapter 2-3 times I had to face a greater challenge--complete the assignments based on the difficult reading.

As I started to doubt my abilities and considered dropping the class Dr. Hilton gave me some wonderful advice. He said to concentrate on the learning and not the grade. Yet, as I contemplated his advice I realized that I could learn 50% and still fail the class. That was a daunting thought.

The irony to all this was that I truly loved the class. My husband questioned my sanity asking in disbelief, "How can you love a class that is so hard for you?!?" Why did I? One reason was because of the "A-ha" moments--times when the light finally dawned after an uphill struggle to understand. If I let my mind wonder for 2 seconds during class or while reading the textbook, I was lost. Therefore, I had to be continually engaged. As difficult as this was, it was also exhilarating as my mind was stretched to grasp a concept in the foreign language of statistics.

So I continued to love the class and follow Dr. Hilton's advice to focus on learning praying that I would at least pass the class but also being willing to retake it if needed. Well, the semester ended, and I had survived statistics. But had I passed? With trepidation and butterflies in my stomach I finally mustered up the courage to look at my grade. There are no words to describe what I felt as an "A-" stared back at me. No "A-" has ever meant so much to me.

There are so many valuable and life changing lessons I learned from this experience that have nothing to do with statistics, and I'll never be the same.

As we work with diverse learners who face at times challenges that seem to be insurmountable, we must remind them to focus on the learning and not to give up. The very fact that the road wasn't easy will make the eventual success that much sweeter and their character that much stronger.

History and Forgiveness

It is critical that young people (and adults, too!) learn the history of our world and nation for as George Santayana warns, "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it."


It is not only critical to learn history, but it's also important that it be observed from different perspectives. After all, as Ralph Waldo Emerson tells us, "All history becomes subjective; in other words there is properly no history, only biography." Seeing American History through the eyes of Native Americans, Blacks, Hispanics, and/or other minorities will paint a different picture. By studying one, we don't dismiss the other. We just acknowledge that history isn't one-sided.

Seeing history from other perspectives can often times be extremely painful, but Maya Angelou
reminds us, "History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again."

We must exercise extreme caution when sharing painful history. If the result is "white guilt" and/or anger and hatred and revenge and feelings of victimization we have lost site of our goal and ultimate hope to change the present and the future for these kind of responses are paralyzing.

So what is the healthy response to painful history that will allow up to paint a brighter future: FORGIVENESS

As we ponder the words of Anne Frank, Corrie Ten Boom, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Ishmael Beah, Coretta Scott King, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and the Amish people, we can glean the wisdom from them about the power of forgiveness.

Therefore, as we teach young learners painful history, it is crucial that we also teach them the importance of forgiveness, even when the offender doesn't ask for it. It will only be through forgiveness that our nation and we as individuals can heal and be strong. For only then can we be united in working together to fight the evils that hurt us all.

Forgiveness cont.

Nelson Mandela, an activist and leader who was imprisoned from 1964-1990 for his opposition to South African apartheid: "If you want to make peace with your enemy you have to work with your enemy. Thus he becomes your partner." Mandela stressed the importance of healing a nation through reconciliation and forgiveness instead of retaliation for the injustices that had been done. He himself was equipped to do this because he had learned to hate apartheid without hating South Africans.

Amish, a community in Nickel Mines, PA that in October 2006 after a horrific shooting in an Amish schoolhouse: Goshen College Professor of History, Steve Nolt, describes the forgiveness of the Amish people: "It's not pretending that nothing happened or that the offense wasn't so bad. It's not a pardon or saying that there should be no consequences for actions. It is about giving up: giving up the right to revenge and giving up feelings of resentment, bitterness and hatred...and treating the offender as a fellow human being." Nolt goes onto explain, "Although the Amish never anticipated the horror of Nickel Mines, they were prepared to respond long before they needed to.....Amish forgiveness is not an easily transferable technique because it grows out of a collective life and culture."

Jesus Christ, the innocent and perfect Son of God while dying on a cross pled, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."

Paul Boese sums it all up quite well with his words, "Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future."

Tomorrow we'll see what we can glean from these noble individuals that can benefit our diverse learners.

Responding to "Man's Inhumanity to Man" with Forgiveness

"Man's inhumanity to man," --the unthinkable--has been witnessed and/or experienced by many human souls throughout the world's history. United States history has not been left untouched by unimaginable atrocities.

There are a variety of ways we can respond. We can seek revenge. We can allow ourselves to live in a state of denial. Or we can choose a different path based on the words and examples of those who have experienced the unspeakable:

Anne Frank, a teenage Jewish girl who died in a Nazi concentration camp: "Despite everything I believe that people are really good at heart."

Corrie Ten Boom, a Nazi concentration camp survivor who had to make a choice when coming face to face with one of her tormentors as to whether to forgive him or not has said: "Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart."

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a South African cleric, activist, and opponent of apartheid: "When I talk of forgiveness, I mean the belief that you can come out the other side a better person-- A better person than the one being consumed by anger and hatred. Remaining in that state locks you in a state of victimhood, making you almost dependent on the perpetrator. If you can find it in yourself to forgive then you are no longer chained to the perpetrator. You can move on, and you can help the perpetrator to become a better person too."

Ishmael Beah, a young man who at 13 was forced to be a boy soldier in Sierra Leone: "A lot of people, when they say, 'forgive and forget,' they think you completely wash your brain out and forget everything. That is not the concept. What I think is you forgive and you forget so that you can transform your experiences, not necessarily forget them but transform them, so that they don't haunt you or handicap you or kill you. Rather, you transform them so they can remind you, so that this doesn't happen again. They can prevent this kind of thing from happening to other people. You must do things positive with your experience rather than dwell on the negativity of it."

Coretta Scott King, the wife of Martin Luther King, Jr., the man who braved threats, jail and beatings and who ultimately paid the highest price to make democracy a reality for all Americans: "...Every King holiday has been a national 'teach-in' on the values of nonviolence, including unconditional love, tolerance, forgiveness and reconciliation, which are so desperately needed to unify America.....The Holiday provides a unique opportunity to teach young people to fight evil, not people, to get in the habit of asking themselves, 'What is the most loving way I can resolve this conflict?' "

Mahatma Gandhi, the non-violent activist for India's independence who was able to forgive his assassin as he was dying had said: "The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." and "An eye for an eye ends up making the whole world blind."

Spiritual Message to America from 1700 elders from 108 tribes across America at a conference in Duluth, Minnesota in the year 2000: "As we stand before the dawn of a new millennium, we pray for America's survival, our survival. We pray that we will be given strength by the Creator to follow the footsteps of our forefathers to share our love, respect and compassion for one another.....We pray for forgiveness for the pain and suffering we have caused one another. We pray that our children will not repeat our mistakes. We pray that we can respect the diversity of America, all life is sacred. Every child born is a precious gift of our Creator...We are all equal, each having our own special gift to contribute."

Continued tomorrow......

2008 Resolution

A group of 5-8 people (regardless of title or position) committed to improving the academic achievement and life success of Hispanic learners identifies principles as well as research findings as to what works for Hispanic learners and then develops and implements a strategic plan, based on these findings, to:

• 
  Educate educators at all levels, policy makers, parents, the community, and other identified stakeholders on what works for Hispanic learners and why it is critical that the issue be addressed.
• 
  Advocate for policies, procedures (processes), places, persons, programs that will improve the academic achievement and life success of Hispanic learners.
• 
  Execute a method by which policy makers and educators are held accountable to design, implement, evaluate, and refine a plan based on principles and research to specifically improve the academic achievement and life success of Hispanic learners