Wanna be starting something...
Here we go!
I think the hardest part is putting the first couple of sentences down because that means you've committed, and you can't vacilliate or overthink any longer. So there's my first two sentences, no going back or procrastinating any longer.
Change is not just hard, it's also scary. Creating change can be so difficult but turning that change into a 'lifestyle' can be even harder because you can't just let it go, you have to monitor it and make sure it's going the way you want it to...but eventually knowing that those who have taken on your change must make it a part of life, and not just do it for now to appease you. The scary part is not knowing how things will go and the push back you'll get. The hardest thing about life is knowing when to try harder and when to give up.
My mentor, Dr. Ruth we will call her always has an insightful and thought provoking way of looking at things. I find myself writing copious notes when she speaks, she's always a level above with her thinking and I appreciate her looking out for me as she anticipates things that may be challenging.
My head of school is looking to redo how scheduling and classes work for grades 5-8, making it more like highschool where kids can choose their classes they want to take. On the surface, this sounds pretty easy. Until you realize that all schedules will need to be completely redone. Resource teachers are the lifeline that run from preschool through eighth grade so changing one thing has a ripple down effect.
Dr. Ruth suggested getting a group together to make this happen, with adults, kids, parents to get all perspectives. They can give advice, and it would provide buy-in. She also suggested a trial period maybe with 5 & 6 or 7 & 8. Perhaps this year would only be the planning portion and next year would be the implementation. It would be pretty difficult to start this halfway through the year.
I am interested in knowing what other people's project are :)
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EDIT alert!
The project idea needed some revision. It wouldn't be able to be completed by the end of the year, only the planning would be and the action would take place next year.
My goal is to move the school towards PBL to have a good balance of traditional learning and PBL. In order to do this, we need to get our feet wet. Well more like soaked. A simple way to do this is Genius Hour. I've been told admin has thrown this around for a while but never actually done it. My goal is to have Genius Hour at least once a month (maybe twice) for Kindergarten through 8th grade.
Genius hour is like a 'gateway drug' for PBL so my vision is for Genius Hour to move us in that direction. Kindergarten Genius Hour will look super different from 3rd grade on up but one Kindergarten teacher already does a version of it so I'm hoping to start with her.
Denalee, thank you for making the commitment to start your blog by writing those first two sentences! You got started, and now, I hope you will continue to share your ideas and experiences through your blog.
ReplyDeleteIt is evident from your writing that you are about to embark on a challenging and “scary” journey. Your project is a big change at your school, and it will require you to truly be a change agent. As Dr. Ruth suggested, you may want to get input from all the different role groups that will be impacted. It won’t be easy, but the fact that you were tasked with this project tells me that your head of school has trust in you.
Congratulations on publishing your first blog post!
Awesome, Denalee. Way to push forward on the throttle and point your plan into the sky. I have known Dr. Ruth for a long time. I have so much admiration and respect for her work, back when she was at Punahou (instrumental in building the remarkable science center in the Academy), and now at St. Andrew's schools. She has been a tireless advocate for the education of girls and women. I am so glad you have her as your coach. She was one of my first supporters and coaches when Ted Dintersmith came to Hawaiʻi, and as I worked to stand up my "school impact project," which was building conversations around reimagining education in our islands. She knows what school could be. So for now, onwards and upwards. We are with you. ~ Josh
ReplyDeleteYes, you are correct, once those first few sentences emerge, it’s like the flood gates have opened. No worries Denalee, your first blog is insightful, vulnerable, and sincere. I echo Josh and his (and your) admiration for Dr. Ruth. She has that rare combination of knowledge, sage advice, and expertise mixed with passion, critical thinking, and conviction. Your scheduling project is definitely timely and needed. Thanks for sharing. I look forward to reading the next installment.
ReplyDeleteDenalee, I am stoked to see your edit/addition to your original post. I am copying in a link to a section of The Innovation Playlist about "genius hours," which is sounds like was already a topic on your campus. I wonder that you might reach out to Serena Cox at Waimea Canyon Middle on Kauai. Her implementation (with principal, Melissa Speetjens) of 20% was a variation on the concept of genius time. You have her cell number from our group texts. (If you visit Hanahauoli School's Professional Development Center website, they are putting on a 20% time workshop on the 9th, I think, virtual, run by Serena and Melissa. https://whatschoolcouldbe.org/genius-time/
ReplyDeleteYay, Denalee! I love that you updated your blog to reflect a change in your project focus. Just FYI, instead of editing your original post, you could start a new one. That way, we can see your progress by looking at the dates of your blog posts. I look forward to seeing how you implement PBL and Genius Hour at your school. As Josh mentioned in his response to you, there are many resources out there. Keep it going, Denalee!
ReplyDeleteI LOOOOOVE me some 'ōlelo no'eau. When it comes to learning so many key ingredients are wrapped up in this key sayings. So many descriptions about the way to approach education in a manner that is fundamentally human in nature. I like what you have as your mantra a LOT. As a student of anthropology back in the day, I was always drawn to those things about indigenous cultures in particular that were super "advanced" when it came to understanding the complexities of the world. With as many people as are on this Earth and for as long as we have been around, there really aren't many new ideas out there. So what do our kupuna teach us??
ReplyDeleteThis was Evan by the way from KS S and T....I never remember to sign these things.
Delete...and I posted this comment to your blog Denalee but it was meant for another! I will have to repost it there. Sorry for all the confusion.
DeleteHi Denalee! Let me start with a confession. Yes, at first I started out reading your blog as per our IHC class instructions - “read another participants blog and then respond”. I was ready to mark that task as completed!
ReplyDeleteBut, you had me at “Change…”!
Then, you really hooked me at “scheduling, PBL, and genius hour”! So much so that, at first, I was propped up against a pillow casually reading. Then, I startled my husband when I quickly sat up from sheer excitement as I read your “Edit”. PBL and Genius Hour, if these are “gateway drugs” then here is my second confession - I am an addict!
So now that I have calmed down and taken my spot back against the pillow, I am so excited to hear you are taking this direction and looking to “get your feet soaked”. I agree, go all in! If you ever want to talk story about my experience with PBL, Passion Projects, Genius Hour, 20% Time over the past 10 years, I will be happy to share. This brings me back to your that first word “Change”. Yes it is hard, scary, difficult, and ALL of the above. However, if you tread carefully, listen intently, and communicate with transparency, you will have a greater chance of stakeholders welcoming the change.
So excited to hear more!
After embarrassing myself by posting my comment to Serena's blog here by accident, not signing it, and then realizing I couldn't delete it, I am finally putting down my thoughts after reading your entry, Denalee. And what a post it was. There is so much to transforming a school, and it is never just as easy as changing a schedule. A school is a complex arrangement of dominos that fall when one is moved. So, approaching your operational transformation in a way that is multi faceted (curriculum: 20% time, schedule: facilitate choice, etc.) requires first taking a step back. You mention your principal is "looking to redo how scheduling and classes work for grades 5-8, making it more like highschool where kids can choose their classes they want to take." I would actually pause there and ask the question "why?" Why make middle school more like high school? Or is this about agency? It really isn't about a schedule it is about the outcomes that your school is looking to achieve as a whole. Has there been a needs assessment conducted to build pilina and establish the empathy piece with students and other stakeholders for what they are wanting out of a middle school experience? While 20% time is a fabulous intervention that can help cascade a nice set of dominoes, taking a little bit of time to step backwards before moving forwards is important.
ReplyDeleteDenalee, your journey just in this blog post alone is a worthy intellectual exercise. You start with some wonderings, pose some situations and then you dive into pathways that might provide insight and opportunity to learn and make progress - well done! Your thoughts on tangible actions - genius hour, bring constituents into the conversation to create buy-in and agency show that your thinking about hw to shape the culture of change is incremental and inclusive. Bravo!
ReplyDeleteDenalee,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your insight and I couldn't agree with you more on your thoughts around change. If I can step out of the realm of education, and into my personal life, I've been dealing with that whole lifestyle change myself as it relates to my exercise routine. I was consistent pre-pandemic, and now that there seems to be a flicker of light at the end of the tunnel, it's been difficult to resume the level of commitment I had at that time, but I'm determined.
As it relates to your project, I agree with your mentor, in that assembling a group could serve you well. More often than not, they will bring with them, perspectives that may not have been considered. It's like the age-old cliché, "...two (or more) heads are better than one." In either case, it sounds like you're on the right track! Keep up the great work!
Barry