BFTP: The gifts that keep on giving

Grandchildren are God's reward for not killing your own children.
                                                                                  Erma Bombeck

Christmas morning. The house is quiet. The tree is lit. The snow outside is very white and very deep. All is ready for the children and grandchildren who will be invading next week for a few happy days.

I will admit that I can't wrap a package to save my soul, so it took hours gettting the robots and bicycles and LEGOs and underwear and books and computer games and noisy toys ready to be un-wrapped in seconds. You have to be a grandparent before the old saw, "it's better to give than to receive," rings true. I don't believe my grandkids are any more or less greedy than other children, but they do love presents - and their excitement is a gift to this grandpa returned many times over.

Material gifts for these boys are easy. A list from their mom, one's cash card, and the local Target store is all that's needed. I have no illusions that 90% of what the boys receive will be lost, broken, or forgotten within weeks. A few things might stick - a book that becomes cherished, a computer game that will engage, a special toy that will become "alive" and so escape the garage sales. But as I sweep the lost StarWars figures up from under the couch next week, I'll have to remember that material gifts are just this grandpa's shallow means of making his affection visible.

Were I able, I'd wrap these gifts up for each of my grandchildren with some cards attached...

• Health. While about 95% of your health is due to genetics, for good or for bad, the other 5% that you can control is pretty important. Strike a balance between risk paranoia and complete disregard for your bod. Eat a candy bar now and then, but have the good sense to walk it off.  I hope you like the color and the size of your body. To a large degree, the shape will be up to you.
• Passion. The luckiest people are those who find something that really interests them. What that something is makes little difference  - computers or hockey or inorganic chemistry or etymology or entomology or library science or whatever. Wear this every day.
• Compassion. OK, this one is a little odd, but it's important, kids. The capacity to feel for others will give your life meaning and purpose. People who are best at handling the occasional blues do so by finding others to help. This one is polar fleece for the soul.
• Adventure. Here is the courage to take a risk now and then. Eat a new food. Travel to a different country. Accept a challenge to your physical strength and stamina and comfort. Read something by someone you don't agree with or completely understand. Do at least one thing every year that none of your friends has ever done. Legal, of course. Take pictures. The people with the best stories, not the most money, are life's winners. Wear this hat even when it seems a little scary.
• Appreciation. Never forget how truly lucky you are to be born to loving parents who can afford to feed you, clothe you, and take you to the doctor. Remember that you live in a country that is free of political violence and gives you both freedom and protection. Be thankful that you can get an education that will let you become just about anything you want to be. Even when things may not seem to be going your way, wear these glasses and you will recognize that you are still more fortunate than 99% of the rest of the world.
• Problems. Yes, I am giving you lots of problems as a gift. You may be an old man like me before you come to appreciate this package, but it may be the most valuable one you receive. Problems engage our minds. Problems make us creative. Problems (and finding solutions to them) give us self-worth. Problems keep life from getting boring. Problem make life fun - really! When you put these in your pocket, it may feel like a burden, but they are boosters.

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, or Winter Solstice or whatever flavor holiday you celebrate.

Original post December 25, 2010 

My grandsons are nearing the end of their toy-gifting days, but this is still one of my favorite posts. 

Change driven by student expectations

In the mid '90s when the Internet was still rather new, my district took the audacious step of giving our middle school students email addresses. Student/staff communication was the goal and despite some skepticism, things worked out. Well, the tech director kept his job, anyway. The high school staff, however, could not be convinced that their students should be given accounts.

Fast forward to the beginning of the next school year when the previous year's 8th graders became freshmen. Accustomed to having email, the freshmen demanded retaining their accounts - and the upper classmen thought that if these wimpy 9th graders had email, they certainly should as well.

Student expectations led to providing all classes email addresses before the second week of school.

As an increasing number of our classroom teachers become more skilled in using technology as a part of instruction, I expect student expectations to drive change as well. The use of digital resources, especially our learning management system, in conjunction with our 1:1 program and technology-infused elementary classroom, are helping teachers do things in increasingly student-friendly ways.

I can just hear these comments...

Last year our teacher allowed us to choose the topic of our research paper, our means of communicating our findings, our means of assessing our own work.

Last year our teacher had use take some quizzes to make sure we ready for the next unit.

Last year our teacher created videos of lessons so we could watch and re-watch them at home.

Last year our teacher put links to all the class readings in Schoology so they were easy to find.

Last year our teacher allowed us to submit our work digitally as a shared GoogleDoc so we didn't have to print.

Last year our teacher encouraged us to practice communicating using video, photos, sound, and graphics.

Last year our teacher kept the grades and assessments up-to-date so I knew if I had any missing assignments.

Last year our teacher allowed (even encouraged) us to read e-books from our school library as well as the public library.

So what about this year, teacher?

I expect parental and administrative expectations will also grow when some teachers use technology well and others do not. But it will be student expectations that may prove to be the most difficult to ignore, and therefore create systemic change first.

3 ways to help give all students "information privilege"

Access to an effective school library program is one example of information privilege. The absence of access is one symptom of information poverty. Joyce Valenza, On information privilege and infomation equity, December 9, 2018

I had not heard of the concept of "information privilege" before reading Joyce's thoughtful and comprehensive post earlier this month. But it certainly seems logical. Our students come to us from a variety of situations, not just of nutritional adequacy, home stability, and family support, but also of informational access.

I believe it is a primary role of the public schools to help close the gap between those who are information privileged and those who are information impoverished. This is a critical component of a culturally proficient school system. Providing good information resources and the skill to use them is both a social goal as well as an economic imperative, with fewer and fewer jobs for those without training and skills.

As I reflect on this challenge, I see three areas where public education can focus:

1. Keep school libraries well-staffed. While "information" can be found in staggering quantities online, the skills to find, evaluate, and use these resources need to be taught by a skilled information professional - a school librarian. Sadly, these positions are often scarce in schools serving less affluent populations and are often on the chopping block whenever budget cuts are made in all schools. I find it ironic that when all signs point to information literacy being one of the most critical skills needed by our future workforce, we do not give a high priority to funding the positions of those who help develop this literacy in both students and staff.
2. Keep our Internet access as open as possible to all learners. Even as an ever greater number of schools implement 1:1 programs and find ways to give students home Internet access, the call for restricting what can and cannot be accessed on school networks increases in volume. While games, videos, social media, and other Internet sites of high interest and entertainment value can be challenging for teachers to compete with for attention, blocking such sites discriminates against students for whom school resources are their only source of Internet access. Netflix, YouTube, game sites, and even Instagram, all have uses that have educational benefit and increase information literacy.
3. Connect our learners with public information resources beyond the school. Our students need to understand resources available to them as citizens after they leave our schools. Public library access should be part of all students' public school experiences. Students should know about databases, e-book collections, and other materials available through state library programs, as well as other state government resources. Students should be give practice in using free federal information collections. Not knowing about or not knowing how to use these public resources will exacerbate the chasm between those of information privilege and poverty.

Growing up in the 1950s and 1960s, I was information privileged, despite living in what now might be considered an "information desert." I had books at home and my parents subscribed to a daily newspaper and magazines. Our secondary school had a good library and a professional librarian. Our public library was a regular stop when we came into town from the farm. I had an AM transistor radio and we had a black and white TV that got in 2-3 over the air channels. My family valued education and reading. 

Today's children and young adults operate in what I call an information "jungle."  Those who enjoy information privilege today, don't just have resources, but the skills to use them well. Is your school helping make all its students information privileged?