Change: Choose the crockpot over the microwave...

Change isn't easy.

Leaders live and die by the sword of change.

Some choose to move quickly and without hesitation... while others choose a more methodical and systematic approach.

In the end, more times than not, change is short-lived and typically associated with the individual who first initiated it. In other words, when the individual who initiated the change in the beginning leaves, the change often times goes with them and doesn't sustain itself within the organization.

Change isn't easy.

Change takes time and change takes careful preparation and planning.

Change requires one to be patient.

Change needs someone who is able and willing to allow things to slowly take shape.

Change has good days and change has bad days.

Some of those bad days will make one question if it's all worth it.

Change doesn't always need involvement by the leader... sometimes it's when the leader steps back the most progress is made.

When discussing change and developing a plan for change, keep a simple comparison in mind...

Choose the crockpot over the microwave...

Thank you Banks Summers, a The Leader in Me trainer, for sharing this great perspective.

Should all classrooms be like kindergarten classrooms?

If you've never had the opportunity to visit a Kindergarten classroom, you should find time to do so.

To be frank, they are really amazing places.

Typically, there are 20-25 students and one teacher. That in itself isn't that big of a deal, but add in the fact that some of these students have never been away from their parents. Some of the students have never been in an environment where there is structure and organization. Some of the students have never had to walk in a line and some have never been in a public restroom without the assistance of their parents and/or guardians.

In spite of the before-mentioned dynamics, Kindergarten classrooms are really magical places where kids are able to collaboratively and independently create and design. Kids move like a well-oiled machine from one center to the next with very little if any teacher direction. These students, most of whom have never been a part of such madness, are able to find structure and are able to be trusted to do the right thing.

Students are able to 'playfully work together and learn about the creative process: how to imagine new ideas, try them out, test the boundaries, experiment with alternatives, get feedback from others, and generate new ideas based on their experiences.'

Kindergarten classrooms are a hotbed for makers and the maker movement. Kindergarten classrooms are spilling over with exploration and discovery. Kindergarten classrooms beam with pride as kids put their best efforts forward to please their teachers and expand their knowledge of the world.

Kindergarten classrooms are indeed a magical place.

So, what can other classrooms at other grade levels learn from Kindergarten classrooms?

What if 'instead of making kindergarten more like the rest of school, we make the rest of school – indeed, the rest of life – more like kindergarten?'

'We live in a world that is changing more rapidly than ever before. Today’s children will face a continual stream of new issues and challenges in the future. Things that they learn today will be obsolete tomorrow. To thrive, they must learn to design innovative solutions to unexpected problems. Their success and satisfaction will be based on their ability to think and act creatively. Knowledge alone is not enough; they must learn how to use their knowledge creatively.'

So, what if all classrooms were like Kindergarten classrooms?


Ideas and several lines in this blog post came from this article titled, 'Lifelong Kindergarten:' 

10 signs there's a grading problem in your classroom

1). You create and design assignments and assessments based purely on the number of grades you currently have in your gradebook.

2). When talking about the next assignment or learning event, the first question the students ask is, 'is this for points?'

3). When talking about the next assignment or learning event, the second question the students ask is, 'how many?'

4). When many of your students who have the strongest grasp on the material and/or skills have some of the lowest grades due to 'not doing their work.'

5). When talking with parents at parent teacher conferences (which honestly need a complete overhaul by the way) you find yourself telling multiple parents that their child would be doing much better grade-wise if they would just do the homework.

6). When at the end of the quarter or semester, students and parents start asking you for additional work and/or extra credit opportunities to pull up a grade in the 11th hour.

7). When you have to attach a grade to anything and everything because if you don't, students won't do it.

8). When you do group work, you give every single group member the same exact grade based on the work output of the entire group.

9). When you want and expect there to be a balanced number of students at each grade achievement level.

10). When you believe that grades should be used as compensation for work done and when you believe that a grade will motivate students to do their best work.

Now, I've pointed out quite a few problems above and you might be wondering, so... what's next? What's the solution to these problems?

I would recommend following @kenoc7, @rickwormeli2, @tguskey, @mssackstein, @kenmattingly, @mctownsley, @myrondueck and @markbarnes19 on Twitter, as well as the #sblchat hashtag as there are a great many minds using that hashtag to share awesome thoughts on grading and assessment.

I would also recommend reading @kenoc7's 'Repair Kit for Grading,' and @rickwormeli2's 'Fair isn't always Equal.' Also, check out the Facebook group: Teachers Throwing out Grades.

In closing, this whole grading and assessment conversation definitely isn't easy... but continually ask yourself... 'what's the point and purpose of grades in your classroom?' Your answer to this question should help guide you in this process.