Is subversion the only way?

 

In Rethinking the Library Annual Report II, Jeri Hurd asks a question I've asked myself time and time again:

In a response to my earlier post, Doug Johnson says "The key to a successful report lies ... in its direct correlation to district goals."  He's absolutely right, but for someone faced with putting that document together, it's not all that helpful.  How do you DO that?  What kind of data do you need to gather?

Just as importantly, what if the school's goals aren't yours?  [Empahsis mine] I left a completely wonderful school, partly because my principal and I had completely different visions of what a library should be, and mine didn't involve green lampshades. 

As a professional educator - be it administrator, teacher, technologist, or librarian, a person has three choices when one's organizational goals and values are in conflict with one's personal professional goals and values.

1. Quit. This is the honorable thing to do in many people's minds. You and the organization aren't simpatico, just leave and find - or found - a new school that fits your world view. Easier said than done, of course. We are often tied to a geographic location. A variety of schools or job openings may not exist in our region. Starting a school is probably more effort and risk than most of us are willing to expend or accept. And then there are all those poor kids one is leaving behind who will suffer from misguided educational policies in your old school ...
2. Suck it up. Just go along to get along. Practice saying, "I was only following orders." Rationalize that the administrators/politicians/businesses/consultants are much smarter than you so they know what is in the best interest of children despite what your head, heart and experience tell you. Keep paying the mortgage and buying groceries for another 20 years while turning a blind eye to situations that are not good for children. 
3. Or.... be subversive. Stick around, but do what you can do that keeps within your value system without being openly insubordinate. Having nearly memorized Postman and Weingartner's Teaching As a Subversive Activity back in my college days, I've always viewed subversion not just as a survival technique, but as a moral imperative. Do EVERYTHING you can get away with that is good for kids despite the official program. Sleep well at night. (See also Librarianship as a Subversive Profession)

Let me give you an example. I think high-stakes state tests in reading and math are bad for kids, bad for teachers, bad for public education, and bad for society in general. They are simply a fairly transparent attempt to discredit public schools so (primarily) rich people can use public monies (via vouchers) to fund private education for their children, scew poor kids, keeping the rich, rich and the poor, poor, and the middle class confused. 

But my department is in charge of making sure online state testing goes well. And I do my very best to make sure it does, despite the fact I don't think the testing is good for kids.

But I spend a lot more time on these kinds of things:

• keeping an open and accessible Internet for all kids
• using the budget to put as much technology in kids hands as possible
• keeping library programs and collections strong and professional librarians in place
• encouraging professional development opportunities that stress students using technology to engage in higher order thinking skills, collaboration, and creativity
• sending articles, blog posts, and other resources about progressive educational practices out to all staff
• writing and speaking publicly on topics that reflect my own educational values in the hope of persuading decision-makers

In today's atmosphere that seems to value a student's ability to pass a test as the only mark of an "effective school," any librarian who gets a kid to read for pleasure, any technologist who finds an enjoyable tool that teaches a skill, or any teacher who gives students a chance to use their own brains to creatively solve a problem is subversive. 

It may be the subversives who change the world. I hope so.

Of course, this doesn't help much in trying to determine the contents of the library's annual report. Sorry, Jeri.

Let's all sing along with What Did You Learn in School Today by Pikku Myy:

What did you learn in school today, dear little boy of mine? 
What did you learn in school today, dear little boy of mine? 
I learned that I must pass a test 
To sort the learners from the rest 
That winners win and losers lose 
And TAKS test scores is how they choose 
And that's what I learned in school today 
That's what I learned in school 

What did you learn in school today, dear little girl of mine? 
What did you learn in school today, dear little girl of mine? 
It matters what my parents earn 
I'll get better grades with cash to burn 
If I don't speak English I can't be smart 
And no more music and no more art 
And that's what I learned in school today 
That's what I learned in school 

What did you learn in school today, dear little boy of mine? 
What did you learn in school today, dear little boy of mine? 
Workbooks fill my empty mind 
So that I won't be left behind 
I'm learning how to play the game 
And all right answers look the same 
And that's what I learned in school today 
That's what I learned in school 

What did you learn in school today, dear little girl of mine? 
What did you learn in school today, dear little girl of mine? 
Learning's just a job I do 
From seven thirty til half-past two 
And all my interests have to wait 
'Til I drop out or graduate 
And that's what I learned in school today 
That's what I learned in school 

Welcome to the first day of the rest of your teaching career

Over the next couple weeks our district will start its first 1:1 initiative. I don't think I've ever been as excited about a technology initiative in my 37 year career. Or as anxious. Our middle school teachers are being asked to undertake some seriously large learning experiences - new technologies, new teaching strategies, new resources, and new classroom management techniques. But we stand to also make some huge improvements in achievement, engagement, and climate.

This is a biggie.

The curriculum director and I have been tapped to give a short "keynote" to start off the first day of professional development next week. I think I get 5 minutes. Here is my pitch:

As veteran classroom teacher I dreaded my administrator going to a conference. Invariably she would return with a new educational “silver bullet” for improving teaching and learning and expect us teachers to implement it. This usually meant a ton of additional work despite being already very, very busy actually teaching. And unfortunately, these new processes, techniques, and plans were abandoned when the next “silver bullet” rolled around. Yesterday it was Outcomes Based Education. Today it is probably Essential Learning Outcomes.

A survival strategy that many of us adopted was to keep doing what we’d always been doing but use the vocabulary of the new thing. We’d keep quiet during staff development sessions and quietly pray, “This too shall pass.” It was difficult not to become cynical about any change effort in school because we knew there would be another initiative coming before we could finish implementing the first one.

The use of information technologies in schools is a different matter. As we look at society in general, technology has had and continues to have a powerful impact on the way things are being done. To think that medical CAT scans, online banking and shopping, or computerized diagnostics of motor vehicles is a “passing fad” is erroneous. And to think that the use of technology in schools is a “passing fad” doesn’t make any sense either.

Classroom teachers have a finite amount of energy and time to devote to change. So why not invest in effective changes to our teaching practices that will stay with us, not until the next “silver bullet” comes along, but for the remainder of our careers?  (from The Classroom Teacher's Technology Suvival Guide)

I will also suggest three guiding strategies I have found helpful:

 Keep in mind that technology does not increase student achievement. Technology used in supporting best practices increases student achievement. Think best practices, not best technology.

 Integrate technology in activities and units with which you are not satisfied, not your great lessons. Use technology to solve problems and meet challenges - not cause more.

 Use technology that personally empowers you as a individual and learner. If you don't use a technology, don't ask your students to use it. It's like trying to teach a novel you don't like.

Even if we try to ban or ignore or minimize student use of technology in our classrooms, it will still have an impact. Our children live in a technology-rich world and their habits, their learning styles, and their expectations are all being shaped by non-school environments. Do we stay relevant in kids lives?

OK, I am over my five minutes....

What would you say in five minutes to teachers embarking on a voyage to unknown places?

Library murals - a pet peeve

I was visiting one of our elementary libraries last week where I saw a sketch of a mural that was to be painted on one of the walls this summer. The main character was Mouse from Numeroff's If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, illustrated by Felicia Bond. I asked the librarian if she had permission to use this character in the mural. She didn't know. I advised her to check.

Common characters from children's books are not uncommon to find painted on library and school walls. Do a GoogleImage search on "library murals" and you will find:

and

and

So what's the big deal? I just wonder how many of these schools and libraries got permission to use these copyrighted images? My guess is few or none.

Do we really need to worry that Theodore Geisel's heirs will starve since the estate won't be collecting royalties? Could this use of images be covered by "fair use" provisions? Does the larger goal of getting kids to read supersede intellectual property law?

All debatable, I suppose.

But such use bothers me for more pragmatic reasons...

1. What is the message about intellectual property use we are sending to students? It's OK to be a scofflaw? 
2. What is the message we are sending to parents about how our schools respect copyright law? Do you have parents in your district who make their living from their creative work?
3. Are we showing disrespect for our local talent in not using local artists to display their imaginative work? Could personal visual imagining of Harry Potter or Paul Bunyan or Jo March be as good an inducement for reading as Charlie Brown or Super Diaper Baby? Should be honor our local authors, artists, stories and legends? 

I love going to my schools where local artists have created some truly wonderful art for decorating the walls and hallways. 

or

or

I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that you have local talent that would put original, interesting, local images on your walls that would get kids excited about reading and respect copyright laws. 

Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.