02.19.08
Where Have All The Leaders Gone?
OK…. so I think I’m going to come out sounding like an old grandpa or something. One of my business world idols, Lee Iacocca (a native of the Allentown/Bethlehem area in PA, by the way) has me standing up and wondering who the heck is going to change this world. All I can say is, I’m not willing to stand by and let the state of education turn into something that will get us NOWHERE. Here’s a quote from his book, which I’m going to the library to borrow ASAP:
Am I the only guy in this country who’s fed up with what’s happening? Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder. We’ve got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we’ve got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can’t even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, “Stay the course.”
Stay the course? You’ve got to be kidding. This is America, not the damned Titanic. I’ll give you a sound bite: Throw the bums out!
I have read this quote in many places. I credit Leadership Now for a great excerpt.
I am getting just as mad. I don’t think there’s any one party to blame, either. I’ve met inspired teachers, principals, superintendents. I’ve even spent a day at the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia where I think Iacocca would pat each and every student and teacher (and administrator, Chris) on the back. So who are the “bums” as he calls it? Let me quote John Mayer, a contemporary singer now:
Me and all my friends
We’re all misunderstood
They say we stand for nothing and
There’s no way we ever could
Now we see everything that’s going wrong
With the world and those who lead it
We just feel like we don’t have the means
To rise above and beat it
So we keep waiting
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on waiting
Waiting on the world to change
It’s hard to beat the system
When we’re standing at a distance
So we keep waiting
Waiting on the world to change
Am I the only person who sees this not as a sugary pop song but a sad commentary of modern American society? What are we waiting for? Do we think that its someone else’s responsibility to start the ball rolling? I certainly don’t.
I can’t get my head around this: I have a very supportive administration, and many of the teachers are extremely talented. We make mountains move at my school. But it still feels like no one is stepping forward anywhere and pointing out all of the problems… and offering suggestions. So I’m going to do so myself.
Teacher: do you find it tough to keep up with the kids? There’s no shame in admitting it. Take a good kid aside and talk to him or her. Ask the student what you could do to make your classroom more interesting, more engaging. Maybe it won’t be as tough as you think. Boredom is an emotion that can’t be argued with… but its not too late to do something about it.
Principal: do you wish your teachers were motivated to change their ways? Maybe they feel already overwhelmed. Offer to put someone in their classroom to help them who does get it. If you, yourself, gets it, team teach with the teacher. This is no time to observe and criticize. We don’t do that with our students (or at least I hope we don’t). You are a principal because you have not only shown good teaching skills but leadership skills.
Superintendent: are you still talking with students? Remember, you don’t work for the school board, we ALL work for the students. Involve more students in the hiring process of teachers, of administrators. And don’t just ask the honors kids and the student council. Ask the students that are identified as “likely to drop out”. What don’t they like? What suggestions do they have to fix things?
I’m going to do something about my school. I’m going to keep going to teachers with ideas on how to make their kids more engaged. It isn’t always about technology – and I’m not going to cram some new CMS or SmartBoard tool down their throats. With everything else that is crammed down, I’d just be yet another thorn in their side. But we have to do something and quickly. We have to speak up when that “seasoned” teacher complains about students sleeping, talking back, or dropping. What does that student want? Is there a way we can get there and still teach the important things? My school is pushing “Essential Questions” and perhaps we need to focus more on questioning and less on pages 344-357.
I’m also going to do something about education in general. A while back I followed a discussion about changing from within versus changing from the outside in… I’m going to change it here first, and push on to a place where I have more authority to make changes. That probably means spending less time with my own students so I can change an entire school’s if not an entire district’s.
One last quote from the 1976 movie Network:
I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore.
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