The Chinese Finger Trap Lesson

A Chinese finger trap is a simple puzzle that traps the victim's index fingers in both ends of a small woven bamboo cylinder. The initial reaction of the victim is to remove the fingers outward, but this only tightens the trap. The solution to escaping the trap is to push the ends inward toward the middle, which enlarges the openings and frees the fingers.


Doing the opposite of what seems the logical thing to do is also apparent in Karate. Rather than resist the opponent, Karate learners are taught to channel the opponent's energy.


Not only is this concept applicable to a toy and a sport, it is applicable to relationships. The book, Team of Rivals, by Doris Kearns Goodwin reveals how Abraham Lincoln was a genius on how to do this. After Lincoln won the presidential election, rather than keep rivals as far away from the White House as possible, he appointed them to high positions in his cabinet.


Lincoln included in his cabinet those who, prior to his election, were not just his major political opponents, but who viewed Lincoln with contempt. Edwin Stanton had even described him as a "long armed Ape."


Lincoln lived by what he said:

• "Am I not destroying my enemies when I make them my friends?"


• "With malice toward none; with charity for all."


• "It is an old and true maxim that 'a drop of honey catches more flies than a gallon of gall.' So with men. If you would win a man to your cause, first convinve him that you are his sincere friend."


• "A house divided against itself cannot stand." (quoted from the Bible)

As we strive to address the needs of our diverse learners, it is critical that we follow Lincoln's example. We can work through disagreements if we will apply the following attitudes and behaviors:

• It's not you versus me; it's you and me versus the problem.


• Deal with the conflict from where you agree--It's more effective to move from areas of agreement to areas of disagreement, than the other way around.


• Rather than striving to bring adversaries to their knees, bring them to the table.


• First get conflict and violence out of one's own heart and soul.


• Say things such as:

"I hadn't thought of it that way."

"You make a good point."

"You may be right."

In other words, do what my BYU professor, Dr. Julie Hite, admonished us to do, "Move towards your adversaries." A great resource for learning how to do this can be found at Izzy Kalman's website: http://www.bullies2buddies.com/ and/or in his book, Bullies to Buddies.

Lincoln worked so effectively with his four political opponents that he had appointed to his cabinet that at the time of his assassination, each had grown to love as well as respect him even though initially they had considered themselves superior to Lincoln in all respects. Edward Bates even described Lincoln as "very near being a perfect man."

Our efforts in following Lincoln's example may not bring the same accolades from our adversaries, nor should we even expect them to. That isn't really what matters. What matters is the benefits our diverse learners will reap because of our efforts and willingness to work with, rather than against, others.

Be Proactive

Today's post will focus on: 1) What it means to be proactive, 2) The benefits of being proactive, 3) Why it's essential that we be proactive concerning the education of our diverse learners, and 4) What we can do to be proactive.

What it means to be proactive:

• Focus on what is wanted rather than what isn't
• Take responsibility rather than blame outside circumstances, seeing them as obstacles or problems
• Choose and control response to circumstances (people, events, environment)
• Create events and opportunities by setting one's own goals
• Go forward with purpose
• Keep readjusting the sails to arrive at the target goal
• Ask, What can I contribute?, rather than, What can I get? or What can I achieve?

The benefits of being proactive:

• Won't be doomed to work to achieve the goals of others
• Won't be holding high the banner of emotionally charged issues
• Won't go with the flow that leads to undesirable outcomes
• Won't rely on "silver bullets"
• Won't feel "acted upon" leading to resentment and ill-will

Thus...Circle of influence will be expanded which will result in an increase of power

Why being proactive is essential to improve the education of our diverse learners: If those who are knowledgeable about "what works" for diverse learners through research/study and/or experience don't take a proactive stance in advocacy, they will find themselves taking a reactive stance to the policies set by those who are not knowledgeable about the issues. 'A reactive stance is not nearly as powerful as a proactive stance.

What to do to be proactive:

When Linda Darling-Hammond was in Salt Lake City for an Education Policy Forum, I asked her to respond to the following comment by the late Dr. Ronald Edmonds from Harvard University:

"We can, whenever and wherever we choose, successfully teach all children whose schooling is of interest to us. We already know more than we need to do that. Whether or not we do it must finally depend on how we feel about the fact that we haven't so far."

Edmonds, R. R. "Effective Schools for the Urban Poor." Educational Leadership 37 (1979): 15-27.

Darling-Hammond's response was enlightening and thought-provoking. She asked, "Who is the 'we'?" It was at that moment that I realized that not everyone knows and that what Walter Kelly's creation, Pogo, said, "We have met the enemy and it is us" definitely applies. It is up to those who have researched and studied this issue to educate those who aren't knowledgeable.

By taking the following steps, we can expand the "we."

1. Be knowledgeable about the issue focusing on "what works" rather than what doesn't
2. Network with others who are knowledgeable
3. Work together to identify, pinpoint, and prioritize the key points/goals/desired outcomes and be able to succinctly articulate them
4. Devise a plan that will embrace a variety of avenues to share #3 with policy makers, students, educators, parents, community groups, the general public, etc. and let them know specifically how they can contribute to the cause
5. Follow up so everyone feels responsible and accountable
6. Keep "readjusting the sails" until the desired goals and outcomes are achieved

Victor Frankl survived the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz by discovering the ultimate freedom "to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way." We are facing some dire circumstances in the education arena, especially in regards to our diverse learners. It is my hope that we who are committed (and those who should be!) to serving our diverse learners will grasp a proactive attitude....and choose our own way... a way that advocates for what works for our diverse learners.

Wisdom About Learning from Kevin Eikenberry

Kevin Eikenberry has inspired me with ideas about leadership at least weekly over the past year. Below you will find the message I received yesterday. It fits perfectly into what I've posted the last few days.

Human beings are natural learners, and yet we don’t always harness that ability in a conscious way to help us achieve greater results. These approaches are meant to help you become a more conscious, intentional learner. Consider these approaches as habits that you can add to your daily or weekly regimen to improve your learning ability and agility.

The Three Approaches

Two articles.
I’ve already partly described this first approach. Take two articles (any two articles), read them and then look for the similarities and differences between them. Consider where they are in alignment, and consider the basis of the story or argument to see if you agree or not. This may be easy if you read two articles from a favorite trade journal or publication, but let me encourage you to consider branching out for your sources. This approach can lead to wonderful and serendipitous results when the articles come from more disparate sources. How about a newspaper article and a blog post in a different topic area? How about a trade journal article and a piece from Ladies Home Journal? Some of the best results (beyond the practice you gain from doing the exercise) will come when you haven’t “planned” your two sources upfront.


Two people.
You can do a similar thing, substituting people for articles. Have lunch with different people each of the next two days, or schedule a meeting with someone interesting. When you meet with these two people (whether planned or not) don’t focus on small talk, but get them to talk about their passions. Talk about ideas and plans. Learn more about their interests. After having done this, apply the same thought process we discussed above. Compare and contrast what you heard and discussed. Look for common lessons and ideas. Look for new ideas that might come to you with these conversations as fuel for your creativity and learning.


One of each.
Don’t have time to visit with two people today? You can use this same approach of comparing, contrasting and reflecting using one conversation and one article as the fuel for your thinking.


All three of these approaches require one important component – you must do more than read and listen, you must think. Thinking is a critical part of the learning process, and one many of us don’t truly do enough of!

[To learn more about Kevin's work, visit www.kevineikenberry.com]

Writing Is A Powerful Tool

I once heard that we should always carry two books with us--one to read and one to write in. Yesterday's "blog posting" addressed the importance of the first kind. Today's "blog posting" will address the value of the second kind...and how the two complement each other.

David McCullough in an interview with Bruce Cole, Chairman of NEH, said, "Writing is thinking. To write well is to think clearly" and William Safire states, "By elevating your reading, you will improve your writing or at least tickle your thinking."

To read is to empower

To empower is to write

To write is to influence

To influence is to change

To change is to live.

--Jane Evershed--

More than a Tea Party

According to McCullough there is something about the pen that focuses the brain in a way that nothing else does. Francis Bacon suggests, "Reading maketh a full man, conference a ready man, and writing an exact man."

Writing can be especially power for our diverse learners. Elie Wiesel has said, "Write only what you alone can write." Each diverse learner has a story to tell that only he or she can write.

We must encourage that story to be told. Often that will mean allowing the student to tell that story in his/her home language.

Learning English

In Cool Salsa

Translated by Lori M. Carlson

Life

To understand me

You have to know Spanish

Feel it in the blood of your soul.

If I speak another language

And use different words

For feelings that will always stay the same

I don't know

If I'll continue being

the same person.

Martin Espada, a famed poet, is convinced that giving diverse learners a voice through poetry will make a difference for them. He feels that young people have a hope regardless of their life's circumstances and in spite of the millions of people in the U.S. who are prejudiced against them and feel they don't belong here. Most young people feel that if they can make their voices heard, things will change. Therefore, Espada wants to help them find the poetry in their own experience.

Espada feels that poetry will help our diverse learners maintain their dignity and sense of self-respect...and therefore, be better suited to defend themselves against the world. Plus, poetry humanizes---and makes the invisible visible. In this way, their voices through their poetry can be a political tool.

After all, "The pen is mightier than the sword."

Edward Bulwer-Lytton

McCullough and Reading

David McCullough said in his 2003 Jefferson Lecture for the National Endowment for the Humanities: "We are what we read." He added that this was no less true in that distant founding time of our nation. Therefore, when he studies the life of a person, he not only searches for what the person wrote, but also searches to discover what he/she read.

McCullough mentions in this same speech that reading is a means of education and gaining knowledge. But books mean more than knowledge in the basic sense. Books allow minds to meet, ideas to be exchanged, and experiences to be remembered or imagined. Those who don't read impoverish themselves.

Dr. Seuss said it succinctly:

The more you read,

the more things you will know.

The more that you learn

the more places you'll go.

Considering that reading is so important, it is critical that we keep the following in mind:

• "It is a great thing to start life with a small number of really good books which are your very own," said Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The results of one research project indicated that while the average American home had 137 books, the average Hispanic family with an English Language Learner (s) only had 26. There are many Hispanic homes that have none.
• A book doesn't have to be read in English to carry the message. For instance, a monolingual Spanish speaking student who is learning English doesn't have to wait until he/she is proficient in English to read books---Let her read Anne Frank in Spanish. According to Dale Rees an ALS (Alternative Language Student) Coordinator in Salt Lake City School District, "Ten years from now the student won't remember whether Anne Frank was read in English or Spanish, but she will know that she read it."
• Mark Twain said, "The man [child] who doesn't read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them." In other words, focusing only decoding skills, especially for English Language Learners, won't help them to fall in love with books. Exposure to books is what creates a love for books....and a by-product of a love for books is a desire to learn to read them.
• Children, including our diverse learners and English Language Learners, can comprehend more than they can read on their own. Therefore, we must read books to them that they are unable to read on their own.
• Great literature comes from many different cultural backgrounds, not just the dominant culture. Therefore, we must not only expose all children and youth to a variety of genres, but also to great literature from a variety of cultures.

May all of us follow the counsel of William Faulkner, "Read, read, read." As we do so, and as we encourage our young to do so, we will reap the benefits that David McCullough claims come from reading.

Advancing the History Cause

"Take heart and take action," says David McCullough. "Get worked up, go and fix the problem, because it is fixable." After all, he adds, "There are more public libraries in the United States than McDonalds' fast food restaurants."

According to McCullough, since we are a government of the people, the answer as to what is to be done to advance the cause does not depend on some longed-for leader, but rather on the the person in the mirror.

What to do:

Universities:

David McCullough feels that universities must change the way they educate teachers. He feels that teachers get their degrees in education and they don't know any subjects. He suggests that teachers should have majors in the liberal arts to help ignite the passion for history. Teachers without passion for history won't spark any passion among their students as it's this passion that makes teachers effective.

Schools:

• Tell stories


• Delve into literature from history (biographies, poems, speeches, etc.) from all ethnic backgrounds, not textbooks, to improve reading---According to David McCullough the quality of textbooks are so filled with "politically correct mush" that they kill the interest of students.


• Write and participate in historical plays


• Encourage all students to participate in history fairs

Parents:

• Turn off the TV more often and when it is turned on, use it more productively--watch the History Channel, "American Experience," the C-SPAN presidential series, etc.


• Have conversations about history at the dinner table or in the car


• Visit historic sites


• Read to and with children the history literature


• Keep journals to record one's own personal history
  

Libraries:

Become involved in the "We the People" project sponsored by NEH (National Endowment for the Humanities)

There is so much to learn about tolerance, patience, courage, human nature, and life from those who have gone before us. Winston Churchill reminded us, "We haven't journeyed this far because we are made of sugar candy."

"Indifference to history isn't just ignorant, it's rude. It's a form of ingratitude," McCullough emphasizes.

As each of us commits to fight the battle we face of raising a generation that is historically illiterate, may we also follow the example of McCullough who describes himself as a "short-range pessimist, but long-range optimist." Not only have there been great accomplishments in the past, there are more to come as we accept the opportunity to build upon the past.

What American History To Teach?

"The history curricula of public schools should be constructed around the principle that all people have been significant actors in human events.....The history of minority groups is critical to the understanding of the American past as well as the present.... A successful history education should help students understand what binds Americans together while simultaneously promoting respect for America's pluralism and diversity."

From the Organization of American Historians' Statement

on Multicultural History Education

Looking at history through the lens of different groups of people, will more likely than not result in a clash of perspectives. Therefore, it is critical that each perspective be based upon sound historical scholarship.

Sound historical scholarship can't help but reveal the flaws and imperfections of individuals and groups of people as well as their sterling attributes. After all, they were human, as we are. We must also remember that our history of them was their present. They were living it, not looking at it with hindsight.

It's also important to remember that people from our nation's history such as our founding fathers were aware of their imperfections. Their inability and our nation's inability to live up to the ideals they espoused should in no way diminish the importance and value of those ideals. It is the responsibility of each succeeding generation to carry the torch, striving to come closer to the ideals.

We can only carry that torch and be an educated participant in our democracy if we know our history. Being cynical and negative about our nation's history will dim, if not extinguish, the light of that torch. David McCullough has said, "Cynics don't get much done. Cynics don't advance the cause."

Tomorrow's "blog" post will carry on this discussion focusing on what we can do to advance the cause.

Teaching History and Multiculturalism

As I read LaVarr Webb's comments on David McCullough's visit to Utah in Utah Policy a couple of days ago, I felt that maybe it was time to tackle once again a controversial topic in the multicultural arena.

Historian Daniel Boorstein said, "Trying to plan the future without a sense of the past is like trying to plant cut flowers." Famed author and historian David McCullough states that if we are to be successful in the present, it is critical that we study history and be knowledgeable about the past

McCullough also made the following important points:

• "Because you were born into this particular era does not mean it has to be the limit of your experience. Move about in time, go places."


• "..you can't understand yourself or your country without a sense of your past."


• "History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. History is who we are and why we are the way we are."


• "..history is a larger way of looking at life."
  

In spite of the fact that probably most would agree with all these statements, the results revealed from one survey is indicative of what our young people know (or rather don't know) about history: The survey shows that almost half the kids polled don't know the purpose of the Declaration of Independence. And about 1 in 6 parents don't know that the document declared the American colonies free from British rule. The survey also shows that only about 1 in 8 children can correctly identify the nation's founding fathers, that only about half know that "the shot heard round the world" started the Revolution, and that a third don't know that the "Redcoats" were British soldiers who fought in the Revolution - and not in either the Civil War or World War I.

This is a travesty. Yet, there are some things happening in education that could help explain reasons for this. One is the focused emphasis on reading and math in order to meet NCLB mandates....and forgetting that teaching history could help with reading comprehension. Another reason could be the paranoid educators feel ---that while teaching history they may say or do something that is not politically correct and/or in contradiction to multicultural advocate demands.

Tomorrow's post will further address this issue--with help from the wisdom of David McCullough on this topic.

Lessons to Learn from "Wet Pants"

As I read the story "Wet Pants" which was sent to me this morning by my good friend, Richard Gordon, not only was I touched by the depth of care shown by a 3rd grade girl, but I saw a new application. There are lessons Susie teaches through her example that anyone wanting to make a difference for diverse learners will want to learn and apply.

WET PANTS

Come with me to a third grade classroom..... There is a nine-year-old kid sitting at his desk and all of a sudden, there is a puddle between his feet and the front of his pants are wet.

He thinks his heart is going to stop because he cannot possibly imagine how this has happened. It's never happened before, and he knows that when the boys find out he will never hear the end of it. When the girls find out, they'll never speak to him again as long as he lives.

The boy believes his heart is going to stop; he puts his head down and prays this prayer, 'Dear God, this is an emergency! I need help now! Five minutes from now I'm dead meat.'

He looks up from his prayer and here comes the teacher with a look in her eyes that says he has been discovered As the teacher is walking toward him, a classmate named Susie is carrying a goldfish bowl that is filled with water. Susie trips in front of the teacher and inexplicably dumps the bowl of water in the boy's lap. The boy pretends to be angry, but all the while is saying to himself, 'Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!'

Now all of a sudden, instead of being the object of ridicule, the boy is the object of sympathy. The teacher rushes him downstairs and gives him gym shorts to put on while his pants dry out. All the other children are on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk. The sympathy is wonderful.

But as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been his has been transferred to someone else - Susie. She tries to help, but they tell her to get out. You've done enough, you klutz!'

Finally, at the end of the day, as they are waiting for the bus, the boy walks over to Susie and whispers, 'You did that on purpose, didn't you?' Susie whispers back, 'I wet my pants once too.'

May God help us see the opportunities that are always around us to do good..

Lessons Susie teaches:

• She was observant


• She was empathetic


• She didn't blame anyone, not even the little boy, for the situation


• She didn't organize a committee to help


• She thought in terms of how she personally could help...and it didn't matter that he was a boy and that she was a girl or that she was only 9 years old


• She didn't wait for the authority person, the person with the "power," --the teacher--to address the issue


• She didn't ask to be recognized for the good she had done. In fact.....


• She allowed herself to be ridiculed and misunderstood--without whining or murmuring

The boy taught some lessons, too:

• Pray for help


• Recognize the help when it comes


• Give thanks for the help both to the Lord and to the person who helped

Most of the time Heavenly Father answers prayers through someone else. A spiritual leader will strive to live in such a way that he or she can be the answer to the unspoken, as well as the spoken, prayers of his/her diverse learners and their families.

Raise the Education Banner

John Florez in his recent editorial in the Deseret News emphasizes the need to act. Spiritual leaders need to raise the education banner and rally the "troops" so that we can do in education what needs to be done to make a difference for our diverse learners.



Stop tinkering, build common-good ed system
By John Florez
Published: November 19, 2007


Floods, fires, failing crops — it didn't matter. In times of crisis, Americans have pulled together. However, our debate over school vouchers revealed the ominous threat this generation faces: a loss of commitment to the common good. The debate centered on how to fix education against how to "save it" — privatization, choice, accountability, save the children, the poor and minorities. All were patchwork solutions to fix an outdated institution that is now making our nation lose ground in the global economy. Missing from the debate was the concern for our nation. It was parochial, all about "me." No one asked the question, How should we restructure our education system so our nation can succeed in a constantly changing world?


The crisis this generation faces is one of confidence and lack of leadership. Our nation was built and prospered by individuals who were not afraid to act. They did so with confidence in themselves and in their fellow citizens. They dared to dream and were not afraid to fail. Standing still when you have to defend your country or your family is not an option.


We have stopped believing in ourselves. We seem to be living in fear and unable to muster the will and the confidence past generations had. Today we are more divided and blaming each other for the failure of our schools, but much of the blame rests with the average citizen who sits back and does nothing.


My loving critics complain that I do not offer specific solutions. All too often, individuals look to others for solutions, but our democracy doesn't work that way. It was designed so that people kept informed and took action when our government needed a push — sometimes a big one. We live with the myth that leaders mean someone else, rather than seeing ourselves as leaders. The solutions rest with each of us. The voucher debate was started by leaders who had the courage to reach out to others and act.


Changing institutions requires leaders who offer a vision of what institutions ought to do that promote the public's interest, rather than tinkering with the system as we have done with education.


When the owners decided that the old downtown Key Bank Building was not worth fixing, it was blown up, making room for a newer building designed to meet today's needs. We need leaders who have the courage to do the same with education: Build a new education system that can prepare children and adults with the skills needed to succeed in the new economy.



The voucher fight also brought out the strengths of our people. We care enough to argue and to fight for our beliefs. It wasn't about vouchers. It was our way of trying to fix a failing system that has left caring citizens frightened about the future of our children. It also brought the ingredients needed to bring about change. It started with someone who stood up and offered a solution and found others with the same passion. That's the way our democracy works.



There was a tremendous amount of human energy mobilized and over $8 million spent. Can you imagine what we could do if we combined that passion and money to build a new system? What if we came together around a common goal to restructure our education system so it can prepare our people with the world-class skills needed to succeed in today's global economy?


As my friend the late Judge Frank Wilkins often said, "That's big medicine."


Utah native John Florez has founded several Hispanic civil rights organizations, served on the staff of Sen. Orrin Hatch and on more than 45 state, local and volunteer boards. He also has been deputy assistant secretary of labor. E-mail: jdflorez@comcast.net

Overcoming Injustices

Today I am addressing a topic that is extremely delicate. Therefore, it is my hope to approach it in a very sensitive manner.

There is no question that groups of people as well as individuals have suffered discrimination and the consequences of it throughout our nation's history---at the hands of a system as well as from individual people.

While we fight against discrimination in all its forms and strive to eradicate it, our diverse learners need every tool possible to achieve in spite of it.

It is my belief that the work of Dr. Terry Warner provides some important tools we can give our diverse learners. I'm sharing today some thoughts from a speech he gave at BYU on January 16, 1996 titled Honest, Simple, Solid, True.

He states in this speech that the way a person can become hones, simple, solid, and true is to do it Jesus' way. Jesus suffered more degradation than what has been suffered by Native Americans, African Americans, Latter-Day Saints in Missouri, or victims of the Holocaust. He suffered without taking any offense whatsoever, without becoming mistrustful, without retaliating or withdrawing or concentrating on Himself. Rather than resisting evil, he suffered. Why? Because of his loving kindness. His love never diminished for anyone including those who caused his suffering.

By sharing this I'm not suggesting, and I'm sure Dr. Warner would agree, that we condone injustices. I just want our diverse learners to be able to respond to these injustices in a way that will help them overcome the paralyzing effects of victimization.

Dr. Warner goes onto say in this speech that the Savior's love can achieve what force cannot because where force calls forth counterforce, love calls forth love. The Savior can provide one with the assurance, hope, and strength needed so as not to become hostage to anyone who seems to want to do harm. One will, therefore, be able to see all actions of disrespect, scorn, and even abuse as opportunities to choose good over evil. The important word here is choose.

Towards the end of his speech Dr. Warner says:
In all generations idealists and revolutionaries of many religious and political persuasions have tried to rouse the world to bring an end to violence, to pull down oppression, to oppose every form of domination of one being over another, and many remarkable souls have dedicated all they possessed to make these ideals real.

How grateful we are for such people. In fact, it would behoove all of us to follow their example. Yet, as Dr. Warner, says, "But only one, the model of all peacemaking, entered the wine press alone and actually broke the power of selfishness, enmity, and death.

It is only through following the Savior's example and implementing the principles that He taught and lived can we be truly successful in fighting injustices.

Be Intelligent

To best serve our diverse learners, we must not only be well- educated and knowledgeable, but we must also be intelligent. To be intelligent requires one to be filled with light and truth. It is possible to be forever learning and never arrive at light and truth.

What must we do to move from being educated and knowledgeable to being intelligent?

• First step: Be humble knowing that no matter how much we know (or think we know!), there is still so much more we don't know. We will learn line upon line and precept upon precept.


• Second step: Seek to learn from the most excellent sources, not just the good or even the better. In order for souces (literature, art and music, people, articles, movies, websites, etc.) to be categorized as excellent, they must teach, enlighten and inspire us.
• Third step: Feast upon and ponder the lessons being taught by these excellent sources.
• Fourth step: Always have a pen and notebook close at hand--in the car, in the bathroom, on the night stand, and in one's brief case--to record insights and ideas.
• Fifth step: Within 24 hours teach someone else what was learned.
• Sixth step: Apply what was learned.


• Seventh step: Be open to new ideas and thoughts even when they are diametrically opposed to one's personal ideas and thoughts. This will require listening to the "voices" of others, including those who are not formally educated.


• Fourth step: Be willing to be wrong.

Being filled will light and truth--being intelligent--will lead to wisdom. Wise and intelligent, not just educated and knowledgeable, answers are required to respond to the question, "How can we best serve our diverse learners?"

Potential

Last spring I wrote a paper for a Linguistics class about the importance of cultural/ethnic identity. In the paper I said:

Did you hear about the time when a president went to visit a nursing home?

He walked up to a lady in a wheel chair and tried to be polite, but found that he wasn't being very successful at carrying on a conversation with her. Finally, in desperation he said, "Ma'am, do you know who I am?"
She answered, "No sir, I don't know who you are--but if you go up to that desk they can tell you."
Everyone wants to be recognized for who they are.

INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this study was to determine if ethnic/cultural identity was important to Utah Hispanics/ Latinos who had achieved academic success. Because the fervor in Utah (and the U.S.) right now is “English Only” and the desire to assimilate our culturally and linguistically diverse students as soon as possible, this study wanted to determine if there might be a more productive alternative. The hypothesis is that Utah Hispanics/Latinos who retain and value their ethnic/cultural identity while also learning the rules, customs, practices, perspectives, etc. of the dominant culture, will experience greater academic success. This hypothesis is based on the rationale that students who retain their primary ethnic/cultural identity will have stronger family ties as families are critical to young people developing a strong sense of identity. This strong sense of identity and identification with ethnic cultural values can serve as protective factors (Alford, 2006) . One’s primary culture can offer support as a young person deals with the stress and anxiety when striving to adapt to new roles and social expectations in a new culture (Decapua & Wintergerst, 2004) Young people who are made to feel that they have to sacrifice one culture for another, may experience a feeling of not truly fitting in anywhere. Plus, having two cultures from which to draw strength can only make students that much richer as a person.

The research for this paper supported the fact that young people who are able to navigate both the dominant culture and their heritage culture do better not only academically, but also in life generally. They have a greater sense of who they are.


Yet, there is an important component to remember as we strive to help young people realize their potential. Their potential lies not in any particular cultural or ethnic identity. Potential lies in the fact that they are literally children of God. When we think deeply about what that means, it can have a profound impact on how we interact with our diverse learners.


Once again I'm reminded of the words of C. S. Lewis and how they relate to our diverse learners:

"It is a serious thing," says Lewis, "to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship...... There are no 'ordinary' people. You have never talked to a mere mortal.

--C. S. Lewis, From The Weight of Glory.

E. D. Hirsch and Closing the Achievement Gap

Yesterday's "blog" posting ended with two questions:

1. Which facts?
2. Who decides which facts?

Before answering these two questions, the following are some other questions to consider:

• Why does the learning gap for the haves and have nots grow wider as students move through the school in the U.S. while the opposite occurs in other countries?
• Why do more 2nd and 3rd generation immigrant students drop out of school than 1st generation immigrant students?
• What makes our schools unfair?
• What does educational justice mean?

Some points to consider while pondering the answers to these questions:

• Educational justice means equality of educational opportunity
• Imparting a universally shared core of knowledge helps overcome inequality
• Classroom learning can go forward more effectively when all students share some common points of reference
• ALL children will learn relatively well in an effective school--High quality tends to be correlated with high equity
• Some students are learning less than others because of systematic shortcomings in their schooling and social and economic differences rather than because of their own innate lack of academic ability
• New knowledge expands exponentially
• There is a "Matthew Effect"--the more background knowledge and the richer the vocabulary a learner has, the greater will be his/her ability to accumulate more knowledge
• Detailed guidelines provide clarity
• A diverse country has a greater need of a core-knowledge system than does a homogeneous one

The work of E. D. Hirsch's, Cultural Literacy, has been criticized not only in the multicultural education arena, but also in the general education arena. Yet, before criticizing him too harshly and "throwing the baby out with the bath water," it is my opinion that we need to have an understanding of why his work on core knowledge could be helpful to diverse learners:

• It addresses the snowball effect that allows a small knowledge difference in kindergarten to become a huge gap in learning within a few years
• It builds from year to year on the background knowledge learners need to be academically successful
• A teacher can identify what background knowledge a learner is missing
• It does not stipulate everything a learner should know. In fact, it is meant to comprise only 50% of the school's curriculum leaving ample time to address other learning needs, including more ethnically-centered curricula
• Because cosmopolitanism is a true friend to diversity, core knowledge has adopted a cosmpolitan approach to history and literature in order to reinforce the fact that no longer are Blacks, Latinos, Asians, and other ethnic groups invisible in the past or the present
• In order to be fair to diverse learners, it is critical that schools not neglect or reject the current dominant culture
• The Hirsch core knowledge is not the work of one person, but the work of many, including multicultural advisors, who combined scholarly research with grassroots experience to develop this sequence consensus
• It was empirical science and not ideology that originated cultural literacy and the core knowledge movement
• There is evidence that supports the connection between core knowledge and educational justice. In fact, the correlations between fairness and core knowledge are 100 percent.

As the U.S. becomes more diverse it is critical that we find ways to not only acknowledge the diversity and benefit from the richness that diversity brings, but also find ways to bring us together. It is my opinion that the principles of Hirsch's Cultural Literacy and core knowledge can help do both.

Facts Plus

I had the opportunity to attend a forum the first of this week where Linda Darling-Hammond was the keynote speaker. One of the many wise insights she shared was that educators need to be preparing students for a world that doesn't even exist at this point in time. She suggested that rather than teaching students an inordinate amount of facts that they then regurgitate, we need to be teaching them how to learn.

I totally concur with her recommendation....and I am also in agreement with what John Dewey said, "We can have facts without thinking but we cannot have thinking without facts."

Scott Anderson, the President and CEO of Zions First National Bank, gave some added insights to consider when he spoke recently at the Governor's Education Summit in Salt Lake City. The title of his speech was, Preparing the Workforce for the 21st Century. He noted in his speech that future workes needed to have knowledge skills in math, reading, speaking, science, history, literature, and the arts. Yet, these weren't sufficient. Anderson emphasized that there are 5 skills/traits that give added value: 1) Communication, 2) Interpersonal, 3) Creativity, 4) Hard work, and 5) Integrity/Morality.

If facts are important as a foundation, then the questions arise:

• Which facts?
• Who decides which facts?

These two questions will be addressed in tomorrow's post.

What I Want For My Child...and All Children

Yesterday I posted this quote:
John Dewey quote
“ What the best and wisest parent wants for his own child,that must the community want for all of its children."

After doing some pondering today I would like to expound on what I would want for my child...and therefore, would want for all children....from our schools:

A safe, caring, inviting, challenging environment that would....

• value, respect, and honor his and his family's language, culture, and assets

• believe that she can learn and use assessments to take her from where she is to where she isn't...and use scaffolding and building upon her background knowledge to bridge the gap

• broaden his horizon by exposing him to new "worlds" of history, literature, science, the arts, languages, current events, etc. that inspire and enrich him

• provide her with opportunities to learn the skills she'll need for the 21st Century

• help him develop his unique talents and interests and know and use his learning style--teach him rather than content

• see her not only for what she is but also for what she can become

• help him become an involved citizen who is committed to serving others and making the world better

In other words, do whatever it takes, so all children can BE their best--now and in the future.

John Dewey quote

“ What the best and wisest parent wants for his own child,that must the community want for all of its children.”

Becoming A "Butterfly"

It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit. Harry S. Truman This is a favorite quote of mine. Another favorite is: Express beauty and go one without waiting for a response.

If a leaders stands around waiting to be recognized or feeling sorry for herself because she wasn't recognized and someone else got the credit, valuable time is lost in making a difference. Once a leader is committed to a cause greater than herself, external applause and recognition will no longer matter.

A leader committed to a cause doesn't have the time to be concerned about who is on top. There is a wonderful book called Hope For the Flowers by Trina Paulus. In the tale, the heroes, Stripe and Yellow, want something more from life than eating and growing bigger. They get caught up in a "caterpillar pillar", a squirming mass of bodies, each determined to reach a top so far away it can't be seen. Finally disillusioned, they discover that the way for caterpillars to find their particular "more", who they really are, is to enter the cocoon and "...risk for a butterfly."

Once a leader stops fighting to get to the top and becomes a "butterfly" is when he can truly make a difference.

Response To Quality Research

Last summer the famed Harvard political scientist Robert Putnam was hesitant to publish the results from a 5 year research project he and his colleagues had conducted. He feared the implications some people would attach to what their research had discovered concerning how immigration challenges community cohesion. In fact, his concern was so great, the results were first published in the quarterly Scandinavian Political Studies.

Dr. William Jeynes could have had similar concerns when he published the results of his research which revealed the positive effects of religiosity and two parent families on closing the academic achievement gap.

Too often this kind of research is rejected because it is interpreted as blaming the victim. I would suggest that any quality research should not be dismissed just because it doesn't confirm our beliefs. Rather it needs to be valued for the insights it provides.

For instance, the research from Dr. Jeynes can help us see that if we want to close the achievement gap, we need to find ways to strengthen the family. Sharing with families the part they can play in making a difference in the academic achievement of their children is not blaming them. Not sharing this information with them is irresponsible, and even unethical.

Yet, we also want to be extremely sensitive to single parent families and not put them on a guilt trip. We need to find ways, as educators and as a community, to be supportive of single parent
families. Supportive doesn't mean denying the facts. It means finding creative ways to fill the gap.

Robert Putnam's reaction to his own research is impressive. He responded to it not by denying what the research said, but by saying in essence, "Now that we have this information, what can we do about it?"

As leaders who want to make a difference for diverse learners we must look at what quality research says. We do this by not taking a defensive stance against it, but by following Robert Putnam's example, "How can I use this information to benefit diverse learners?"