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Linda Darling-Hammond’s Thoughts

On April 14, 2010   /   Learning  

A few comments by the renowned educator about the education book :

“The strategies that Dr. Marshall describes for developing humane, responsive, and responsible classrooms are grounded in research AND good practice. They link classroom management concerns to the more fundamental issues of how teachers can create powerful curriculum, teaching, learning, and lasting motivation. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to create a ‘right to learn’ in all classrooms.”
—Linda Darling-Hammond, Ed.D., Professor of Education,  Stanford University,
Author of THE RIGHT TO LEARN, and Director, National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future… >>>

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America the Beautiful

On April 13, 2010   /   Responsibility  

Years ago my family and I took the cog railway up to Pike’s Peak, just outside of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Cartographers named the peak after Zebulon Pike, who first reported the 14,110 foot peak in 1806. The view of the majestic purple mountain range was so inspiring that I easily understood why the view prompted a Massachusetts teacher to compose a poem.

Since the singing of its first stanza has recently resounded across the nation, you may enjoy the poem written by Katherine Lee Bates in its entirety.

Notice that the second verse is about self-control, a key factor in both national and individual responsible behaviors.

AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL
by Katharine Lee Bates

O beautiful for spacious skies
For amber … >>>

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Discipline Need Not Be Punitive

On April 13, 2010   /   Discipline  

I have a few questions.
1.) The school I work in is very entrenched in the idea that discipline EQUALS punishment. The students buy into this idea in that they seem to depend on punitive reactions from their teachers and parents. Teaching students what you expect seems not enough. How does one help the child to move from being punishment-minded to being self-motivated?

2.) I have read several books that work with similar ideas to yours. "Without Boundaries" by Janet Wood, "The Continuum Concept" by Jean Liedloff, and materials on Taking Children Seriously (an educational/parenting/human relations theory). They make a great deal of sense to me, but I am at a loss as to how to implement this kind of teaching of right/wrong, appropriate/ inappropriate behavior to the youngest of … >>>

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Advice From My Mother

On April 2, 2010   /   Relationships  

I was brought up on a principle my mother instilled in me, namely, "If you can't say something nice about a person, then do not say anything at all." In other words, refrain from negativism.

The advice of my mother found itself the bedrock of my first principle to reduce stress: POSITIVITY. I now think of it whenever something negative pops into my head or if I am about to say something that can be interpreted in a negative way. I immediately ask myself, "How can I say that in positive way?"

In building and improving relationships, its opposite—negativity—is the biggest enemy. You do not want it in your mind. You do not want it in your house. You do not want it in your environment. You do not … >>>

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Reflective Questions

On March 31, 2010   /   Effectiveness  

Instead of thinking of the right thing to say, think of a reflective question to ask.

The sooner you inculcate the mode of asking reflective questions—instead of telling—the less stressful it will be for you, and the more successful you will become.

Reflective questions prompt evaluation of the person’s own behavior. An example to a young person is, “In the long run, is what you are doing in your own best interests?”

If the question is evaded, ask a second time.

Follow up with another question that stimulates thinking such as, “If what you are doing is not getting you what you want, what

could you do differently?”

If he says he doesn’t know, then you could ask, “What would … >>>

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Fostering Social Responsibility

On March 26, 2010   /   Responsibility  

At a meeting of representatives from the schools, a very interesting comment was made. A
representative said that her school did not have major discipline problems. The concern of the school had to do with the social skills and responsibility that students would carry with them
when they left the school, i.e., the influence the school would have on them in the future.

The comment struck a very tender spot with me—one that brought to mind how I got started and
why I am doing what I do.

I returned to the classroom after 24 years in school counseling, supervision, and administration—looking forward to the joy of once again working with young people. The prime factor that struck me more … >>>

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Bullying by Student and Parent

On March 22, 2010   /   Discipline  

QUESTION:
I am writing to you because I had a problem with a parent today and I really need some advice.

One of my students behaves like a bully, hits his classmates and threatens to hit them outside the classroom. He pushes them or he sometimes makes them stumble. Today he used vulgarity.

I decided to send a note to his parents, and asked the student to write the following:

"Dear Mom and Dad,
Today I told a classmate to 'Kiss my ass.'"

He once told me that his mother never punished him or paid any attention to him.

When his mother read the note, she became outraged and decided to come and talk to me. She was quite rude and almost insulted me but I remained … >>>

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Additional Thoughts on Discipline

On March 19, 2010   /   Discipline  

Other Thoughts Relating to Discipline

The ultimate use of power should be to empower others.
That’s what our constitution is about.

What we accomplish by threats and coercion must be maintained by force.
What we accomplish by guiding and caring is self-propelling.

Real power consists in creating a situation where coercion need not be exercised.
—William Glasser, M.D.

In all my experiences, I have never seen lasting solutions to problems, lasting happiness and success, that came from the outside in.

—Stephen Covey, Ph.D.


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Punishment vs. Discipline

On March 17, 2010   /   Discipline  

QUESTION:

Can you give me an easy way to explain to someone the difference between punishment and discipline?

RESPONSE:

PUNISHMENT is what is done TO a person.

DISCIPLINE is what is done FOR and WITH a person.

———-

COMMENTS FROM OTHERS:

"Discipline is understood in a very limited way by most educators—How do we get these children to behave?—rather than How do we support the people in our charge as they learn to channel and direct their positive energy in ways that accomplish their goals and those of their community?"
—Dr. Richard E. Clark, Chair Department of Educational Psychology, University of Southern California

"To many people, discipline means punishment. But, actually, to discipline means to teach. Rather than punishment, discipline should be a positive … >>>

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Persistence

On March 11, 2010   /   Effectiveness  

Effective people persist. They don’t give up easily.

Persistence accounts for much of achievement. A major quality that classifies people as gifted is that they stick to a task.

What is it that allows a person to persevere? According to Art Costa of the Institute for Habits of the Mind,  they have a repertoire. These people have many different ways to solve a problem. If you only have one way to solve a problem and if you try it and if it doesn’t work, you will have a tendency to give up.

But people who persist will try a plan, and if that approach doesn’t work, they go to another plan. If that one doesn’t work, they create another … >>>

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Moving Forward

On March 9, 2010   /   Responsibility  

As creatures of habit, we find new ways more difficult simply because they are different. Yet, to keep pace with our changing and technological times I often find that I need to let go of what seems most familiar and reach out if I am going to stay current. I am using my past experiences more as a guidepost than as a hitching post.

I think the greatest compliment one can give an individual in our changing world is that he or she is a student of something and constantly seeks to learn and grow.

I view learning as a responsibility I have for myself.

Perhaps the statement of the dear old gentleman in his late eighties best captures my … >>>

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A Story

On March 4, 2010   /   Effectiveness  

A young man on vacation was staring at the calm, blue sea thinking about lunch. A small boat laden with a large Yellowfin tuna docked near the pretty Mexican village. A lone fisherman jumped ashore.

“That’s a great catch,” said the tourist. “How long did it take you?” “Not so long,” said the fisherman. “Why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more fish?” “This one’s enough to keep my family provided for,” came the response.

“What do you do with the rest of your time?” inquired the visitor.

“I sleep late, I fish a little, I play with my children, then I have lunch, and take a siesta with my wife. We stroll into the village every evening. We … >>>

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Good at Home; Problem at School

On February 23, 2010   /   Parenting  

QUESTION:

I am at the end of my tether with my 6-year old son. He does not pay attention and is distracting in class. At home everything is fine. He has got a behavior book that he brings to school so his teacher records his behavior for the day. He brings that home and he is punished accordingly, such as early bedtime, no toys/cartoons. He promises to behave, but he never does. Could you please point me in the right direction.

RESPONSE: 

Take him for a walk and have a conversation with him. (Boys will not open up like girls. Boys will open up more if they are doing something—playing checkers, walking, or involved in some activity.)

After starting the … >>>

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Honesty and Emotions

On February 22, 2010   /   Relationships  

My mother-in-law -used to say, “Be careful of asking for someone’s opinion. The person may give it to you.”

If someone asks you for your opinion and if the person perceives that your comments are derogatory, there is a problem.

Cognition and emotion go hand in hand, with the latter preceding the former. In other words, what we hear may prompt a negative feeling. Once a negative feeling has erupted, it doesn’t do any good to try to convince the person that the way he or she feels is wrong. You’ve got to deal with the way the person feels first.

An approach to resolving the situation is to ask the person whether the person is angry with you or … >>>

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Winston Churchill on Optimism

On February 18, 2010   /   Effectiveness  

Winston Churchill once commented, “The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. The pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity.”

The pessimist allows problems to rent cognitive space. But why think of problems when you can fill your head with solutions?

How you respond to a new idea is an example of what you put in your head. Do you immediately dismiss it? Do you see it as foolishness? Or do you allow yourself to examine the idea, to try it on for size, and think, “It just might be worth trying?”

The positive person is open to the new, the different, and the innovative. How you respond to new ideas could be the difference between your learning and growing—or … >>>

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Advice to Harry Potter

On February 17, 2010   /   Responsibility  

“It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”
—Professor Aldus Dumbledore speaking to Harry Potter

From “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” by JK Rawling
See the second practice of Part II of the Teaching Model.
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Visiting CNN Headquarters

On February 16, 2010   /   Learning  

I had the pleasure of visiting the CNN headquarters and studio in Atlanta, Georgia. The broadcasting company owns CNN, CNN Headline News (which repeats headlines every 30 minutes), CNN Financial News, a channel that broadcasts in English to other continents, a channel that broadcasts in Spanish, and TNT (Turner Network Television) that broadcasts new and older motion pictures films from the film studio archives that Ted Turner had purchased.

The company has four broadcast locations: headquarters in Atlanta, political broadcasts from Washington, D.C., financial broadcasts from New York, and entertainment broadcasts, such as Larry King from Los Angeles.

I found the most interesting part of the CNN tour to be how the weather is projected and how the teleprompter is … >>>

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