719+Leadership+in+Learning+Blog+-+Summer+2013

Leadership in Learning Blog La 1 Po'akahi 1 Iulai, 2013

Since I was in elementary school, people have called me a leader. As the oldest child and only girl in my family, I was given a lot of responsibility growing up. My littlest brother called me bossy, and I probably was. I still am. I often say that is why I like teaching—I have a captive audience that has to do what I say.

In all seriousness, though, I feel that my younger years were very crucial in shaping me into the person I am today. As I grew up, I learned how to figure things out and make things happen. I learned to be flexible and go with the flow, and I learned how to take charge in situations that needed it. Today, I hope to be a different leader from the bossy young girl I was.

Here is what I hope is true about myself:

//I am a person who surrounds herself with others who are inspiring and have a passion for life. I am a person who is inspired and inspiring, and as I live in the realms of my passion, people see that energy and are drawn in to join me. They see my passion for Hawaiian Literature and the lessons that can be learned from the history of Kanaka Maoli, and they are inspired to teach and read the mo’olelo our ancestors left. They see my passion for reading, writing, thinking, and challenging, and they are inspired to become readers, writers and thinkers who challenge systems that are unfair and rise to challenges that need to be overcome. They see my passion for creating fair, clean and sustainable food systems, and they are inspired to plant, harvest, cook and make better food choices. They see my passion for caring for others and helping people realize their truer potential, and they are inspired to care for others and to explore what their own potentials are.//

//As I live an inspired and passionate life, I am leading simply by living. When I see situations in which I can effect change, I surround myself with those who share my vision and make change happen. When I see people who are creating change I support, I join with them in their efforts to create change.//

//I am living in a world in which possibilities are endless. I choose to believe in the enormity of life’s possibilities but move in the small, simple, everyday choices that will eventually make incredible changes.//

La 2 What are the characteristics of admired leaders? I thought that the study that showed the importance of honesty in a leader was so interesting, and it made me say, "Yes!" The thing that I absolutely can not stand is when my students lie to me. I have had numerous times that students have cheated (I really should be asking myself what's up here--is it common to catch 5 or 6 students a year cheating in some way or another? Is it my purpose in life to teach them this important life lesson about honesty, so that's why I always see it? Or is there something wrong with the way I'm running my classes? But I digress.) on work and then lied to me about it. Makes me crazy!

I use those moments to really talk about character and how lying is really a character issue. There is a whole soapbox that I get up on, and usually by the time I'm done, the kids are in tears. Or if they're not, they usually start to cry when I tell them that they need to call their parents and tell mom and dad what they've done.

But this study that we looked at was a real //Aha!// for me. Honesty and integrity are so important in life, and they are essential in people that we are going to be following. If a person is honest, he will have the courage to do so many things: admit when he's lost or does not know what to do, ask for help when it's necessary, admit when situations are difficult, reveal when he has made a mistake. People want to follow people who are real. I think that's what it comes down to. If I know you are being real, then I can see who you are at your core, and I can decide if I want to follow you or not.

I'd thought that perhaps love or caring for people was the most important thing. But when I think about it, I can see why honesty might be seen as more important. If you don't care about me, but you're honest about it, then I know what I am getting myself into. And if your vision is the same as mine, and I can see you're being truthful in all things, then I might just decide to come along for the ride anyway.

La 3 How can teachers lead? I think this is a fantastic question, and I borrow from Nike to answer: Just do it. I came to the conclusion pretty early in my teaching career that in order to have a fulfilling career experience my best option was to shut my door and do whatever I wanted. That was my practice as a young teacher, and in many ways, it is still my practice today.

We have incredible influence in our classroom, with our students, and I think this is the number one place that we can lead out of. What I am learning, though, is that I am no longer content to just work in my classroom—literally and figuratively. As my personal interests have changed, I find myself wanting to get out of the classroom and spend time gardening, harvesting and living outdoors, and I also find myself interacting with students on an extracurricular basis via the club that I supervise.

I find that if I move with my passions, I find other people who will follow. That has been a very interesting process to watch, particularly with my students. What I have learned, though, is that 1) it is very draining; 2) the payoffs sometimes are not immediately visible and 3) good support is key. The video we watched about the key importance of the first person to follow a leader was very enlightening, and it has made me realize that I need to find good people who will “follow” me—or even better, come and walk beside me in all the craziness that I am involved in.

This year, my goal is to find people who will partner with me (those who will join alongside me in the things I want to achieve—the hands on folk) and support me (those who will cheer me on when I need it but perhaps not be so hands on). I will also work on being willing to be partnered with—letting go of control and allowing others to take hold of the visions I have and make them their own personal realities.

La 4 I have to admit that, in many ways, I am not a lover of the new technologies. For years, people have been hassling me and making fun of my dumbphone. You know what I’m talking about. The kind of phone that can only call and text, that you fold in order to turn off—a dumbphone. But I like it. I like that I’m not accessible via email, facebook or twitter, that I //can’t// see what the latest trends are, that it takes more than reaching into my pocket to have the world at my fingertips. I realize that it’s antiquated and that there is probably a lot I’m “missing out” on, but the truth is, I’ve gotten along okay so far. Unfortunately, some of the views that I have about my phone are similar to the way people feel about technology in education today. Technology can no longer be called the wave of the future: it’s here now, and it will carry us…well, where it carries us depends on if we are going to be people swept along with the tide or if we are going to employ the navigational skills it takes to move us toward a goal that we have established. I do believe that the schools of the future will be more learner-centered, more individually customized and more focused on the kind of information that is necessary in today’s changing world. More than being keepers and repositories of knowledge, students today need to be critiquers and creators of knowledge. They need to know how to access knowledge and how to discern if it is correct and credible, how to find what they need in a world that will offer them four million options in 1.2 seconds. For decades, students have been the baby birds in their school nests, waiting for someone to come and drop a worm in their open mouths. Today, students must become the birds who forage, with the ability to look at a landscape teeming with life and figure out what is good to consume and what is not. Today’s teacher leaders should be honing students’ ability to find information and discern if it is credible and useful and then opening the playing field for them to use the information in new and creative ways.

La 5


 * What does my dream learning and teaching environment look like?

Why is it so hard for me to answer the question above? I think part of it is because I am a realist, so it’s hard for me to have dreams. I tend to pick goals that I think I can realistically achieve. So instead, what I’m going to do is start by listing things that I think I’d like to and //can// change in the next year.

This year, I’d like to…

1) Start the school day with a morning protocol where everyone, or at least a significant group of us, begin the day together. We would begin with oli, and those oli would change based on…something. The day, the season, current events going on. What this would require is for teachers to be working with their students to teach them not only how to do the oli but why and what they mean. This is a pretty huge curricular shift. What if you had to teach oli in your Japanese language class? How would that impact your curriculum? What would it mean for you personally? (Okay, maybe //this// is a dream right now!

After the oli, someone would offer a prayer to begin the day. If we were really lucky, students would pray in the different languages they know or are learning. Or maybe we would stand in silence and reflection. After prayer, someone could reflect on an important event that happened on that day in history, or share a thought that is inspirational that they have been reflecting on. Then we’d all go our merry ways into our classrooms. Where learning would continue.

2) Take my students outdoors more. Learn the names of different plants on campus and how they can be used. Or why they should be killed. I have a taro-growing project that I’ve started, and I really need to figure out the logistics of that.

3) Engage with fellow teachers in PD activities that are inspiring, instructive and useful. I want to learn interesting things with and from my colleagues, and I want to walk away from learning sessions with implementable ideas.

4) Take my kids to the State Capitol and engage in meaningful dialogue, year round, about things that are important to our communities.

In looking at this list, I’m noticing that these things really do revolve around the two areas that I’ve chosen to focus on in my Learning Task 4 as far as being in a space where lifestyle trumps culture and where PD is meaningful. I guess those really are the two themes that really stick out to me!

La 6

There are some pretty crazy new models for schools out there. It’s exciting to know that all different kinds of things are being done. I think it’s exciting because there are multiple opportunities for kids today to find a school that fits their life and learning styles, and it’s exciting because as an educator I get to watch other people succeed, fail, adjust, and succeed again, all without having to do a whole lot of work!

<span style="font-family: Salsa,serif; font-size: 10pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Selfish and lazy? Perhaps. Or, open minded and curious. Those descriptions work also.

<span style="font-family: Salsa,serif; font-size: 10pt; vertical-align: baseline;">When the charter school movement began over a decade ago, it was so inspirational to me that I ditched my plans to go to Seattle for a degree in Marriage & Family Therapy, and I decided instead to stay home, go to grad school (the first time) and become involved with a fledgling charter school. My experiences in those days give me incredible respect for all who are involved in the charter school movement and in any other alternative learning movement. It’s hard to create something new while still being bound to old standards and measurements, and I give major props to those who are trying.

<span style="font-family: Salsa,serif;">La 10 <span style="font-family: Salsa,serif;">What skills and strengths do I bring to a team? //<span style="font-family: Salsa,serif;">I can take charge if needed but will gladly step back and follow if someone else steps up. If I can see the big picture or goal, it is easy for me to break the goal down into manageable steps that need to be followed. I like to make lists and schedule things out. Following deadlines, not so much. Making deadlines, I am good at. //

//<span style="font-family: Salsa,serif;">I can bring people in and make them feel included, and I work well with one or two others who have the same goals and styles as I do. I can easily recognize the people I partner with most effectively. //

<span style="font-family: Salsa,serif;">How adaptable am I to filling different roles? <span style="font-family: Salsa,serif;">//I can be very adaptable. However, if the people in charge don't seem to know what they're doing, I can get frustrated.//

<span style="font-family: Salsa,serif;">Why do I like working with some people but not others? <span style="font-family: Salsa,serif;">//I think the hard truth is, I'm lazy and I like having a good time. I'd rather work with someone who understands exactly where I'm at and where I'm coming from than work with someone to whom I have to explain everything. I like to work with people who are hard workers and want to "get in and get out," get the work done and then move on.// <span style="font-family: Salsa,serif;"> <span style="font-family: Salsa,serif;">//**Personal Learning Network**// <span style="font-family: Salsa,serif;"> I have to admit that in many ways I am old school. I //am// that crusty teacher who still has the purple mimeographed lesson plans from 1982, and I //do// want things to stay the same, the way they were back in the good old days. Since that is me, I have been reluctant to engage online with professional learning communities or to create a personal learning network of my own. The thought of Twitter makes me twitchy, Ning seems annoying, and the idea of having my Facebook account overrun by enthusiastic teachers...yeah. Not so much.

<span style="font-family: Salsa,serif;">I can't say that our work with PLN's has totally changed my perspective, but seeing the way that all of these communities can be used definitely makes me more open to engaging in them, to the point that I've gone and "Liked" several educational pages on Facebook and I'm thinking about utilizing Edmodo in class this year, both to communicate with my students and to see what kinds of professional communities exist there.

<span style="font-family: Salsa,serif;">These are baby steps, yes, but for me, once I find something I like, it's just a matter of time before I explore other options. Meanwhile, this exercise has also made me realize that I actually do need to take advantage of the multiple face to face communities I can be engaged in.

<span style="font-family: Salsa,serif;">Final Reflection

I must mahalo Lisa for a fantastic three weeks. I think this was probably the most inspirational and personally useful course of the entire program, because leadership is not just limited to the classroom—it can become a function of and function within everything that we do. Here are my three biggest takeaways from this course:


 * 1) 1. Strong leaders are fueled by a passion that is infectious.
 * 2) 2. Strong leaders are hard workers.
 * 3) 3. The passions that fuel me today are the same ones that interested me a year ago; but over that year, they have developed from “interests” to “driving forces.”

The first and second takeaways were apparent in the people that I encountered during the three weeks of the course. Buffy was a major stand-out, of course. I find her school program inspirational and interesting, and when she came to speak to us in person, the drive that she has to see this school succeed made me, as I said several times in the weeks that followed, want to help her, work with her, see her succeed. The passion that she has for her school infected me, and I truly hope our paths will cross in the near future.

In order for Buffy to be in the position she was in, though, she must be a hard worker. Those who lead are the ones who often need to get the ball rolling, or build the foundation, or spark the flame, or whatever other metaphor you want to use. Leaders start things, and they often are the ones to keep the momentum going until others join in.

Buffy is a good example of a strong leader, but as I said, there were others who exemplified my first two takeaways. My classmates talked all summer about projects that interested them—Travis and his SMART Lab, Byron examining PD at MidPac, Julia and Elizabeth and their love for literacy in their students, Darren and his desire to create change at HBA via small class sizes and changing the culture of the school for his students—these things impassioned my classmates, and the changes that they describe wanting to make will no doubt take a lot of time and hard work before they come to pass. It’s been inspiring to listen to all of the things my classmates want to accomplish in their schools, and it’s been encouraging to watch them struggle through the same things I have—it makes me know that I am not alone in the areas that I have difficulty with.

Lisa has also demonstrated how strong leaders are hard workers whose passion can become infectious. In Lisa’s case, she has inspired me to //want// to be a leader in my school community. She has also inspired me to want to network with other people, i.e. through developing and becoming a part of PLN’s as well as through being involved in the multiple face to face communities present in Hawaii. The organization of the class, the energy and joy that she teaches with, and the ways that she brings people into the class to help us see what is going on in the educational community today made the class relevant and interesting. Thank you, Lisa!!!

The last of the major take-aways from this class has encouraged me to continue the path that I am on. When I applied for the Chaminade program, I wrote about the importance of achieving health through healthy food choices, accessing Hawaiian culture via the language, and the environment. Fifteen months later, I find myself wanting to inspire other people to pound taro because I see how it can affect all three of the elements I discussed in my Chaminade application. This has developed into a passion that touches all areas of my life. In the next school year, I will integrate kalo, in all its many forms, into my curriculum, and it will be the focus of a Professional Development proposal as well as my work within the community. This is the passion that fuels me, because I see that through pounding kalo people become addicted, in the best way possible, to eating poi. This leads to them supporting local farmers, becoming educated about land and water issues in our community, growing their own food, making healthier food and lifestyle choices and much more.

As the next school year approaches, I hope to be a leader who can inspire others to integrate kalo into their lives and work in ways that are meaningful to them. This class has made me realize that this is the area in which I need to focus my energy this year, because it is through kalo that many objectives that my school has can be reached. This course has shown me that teachers need schools who have strong passions and are willing to share their enthusiasm with others. People who are driven by personal motivation are highly likely to become strong leaders who will inspire others to either follow or to find equally motivating paths to venture out to, leading new groups as they go.