Teaching Among the Unicorns and Cannonballs

The old lifeguard test included an exercise in which you had to  tread water while holding a brick over your head for five minutes. If the brick got wet, you failed. I reckon a lot of people feel like they are treading water while holding a brick over their head.  If you’ve never had to tread water with a brick overhead, you really missed out.

More than anything else in that certification process the brick test caused me quite a bit of anxiety. I worked my training into my shifts at the Children’s Home (“who wants to go to the pool?”). In most sessions I would start out strong, but after 20 seconds the floundering and sputtering would begin. Co-workers asked if my brick and I needed floaties. My clients took wagers on my success and drawing potential or would divebomb my efforts. I saw spots and swallowed some nasty pool water..

I worked so hard to keep my brick dry. Making it to 30 seconds felt glorious until I realized that 30 seconds is not remotely close to five minutes. UGH… I didn’t get it. I could tread water for 20 minutes on my own. Bricks don’t weigh much. Even my delicate flower-like self could hold a brick up for five minutes. Yet, put those two things together and I quickly became aquatically challenged. With two weeks to go my brick hadn’t stayed dry beyond two minutes…SIGH

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the brick test experience. 

In 2018 the US ranked 16th in a study that explored the link between respect for teachers and educational quality around the world. Of 35 nations China ranked first, 60 points higher than the US. When asked what profession teaching is similar to, the Chinese respondents compared teachers with doctors. In the US, people equate teachers with librarians. Now, librarians rock, but…ouch. And this was in the Before Time (pre pandemic).

Now that we’ve begun the After Time (post pandemic) and the culture war hysteria continues to run rampant, I reckon that the next time they publish this data the US will have fallen further down if not out of the Top 20. These days even the people who say they respect teachers don't really respect teachers. Yet, even if they did respect teachers, respect is not enough.

Saying you respect teachers really just pays lip service to the profession.  I mean it isn’t as bad as saying that teaching is “a noble profession,”  but it’s close.  Please don’t ever say to me that teaching is noble…just please don’t.  Uttering that phrase tells me two things… First, you have no clue. Second, you didn’t pay attention in your ancient and medieval history class.  Most people have no idea what it takes to teach and, if I remember correctly, the nobility had wealth and power.  Teachers have neither wealth nor power. It doesn’t have to be this way.

Like other professions or parenting, teachers have a brick test everyday. Except when teachers tread water with their bricks they have people doing cannonballs all around them. To survive this, it helps to look for unicorns. The chaos of treading water, with a brick overhead, amongst all the madness tends to garner all of our attention. That chaos obscures our vision and it doesn’t help that unicorns don’t always present as magical creatures. Unicorns often present as a brief moment of calm, a kind word or gesture, or a breakthrough with a student. Sometimes unicorns just remind you that things could suck worse.  To paraphrase The Waterboys, we get so focused on the crescent that we don’t see the whole of the moon. 

No matter how tiring treading water is; no matter how heavy the brick feels; or how long the brick test seems - unicorns exist.

I passed that brick test and got my lifeguard certification. I stopped focusing on the time and the weight to embrace the spots of color I saw or the dry taste of fresh air. At some point things got better if just for a moment. During my test, my head dropped under the water every so often. When it did I saw an array of colors as my spray of water arced across the bright sun. I could also see that some folks struggled worse than I did during the test. Yeah it did suck. Maybe there’s a fine line between drowning and succeeding, but I had it pretty good and just needed to hold on.

Some things prove difficult or do suck, but it could be worse. That’s my mantra these days. In my daily brick test I embrace the suck knowing that others have it way worse and the test will eventually end. If I’m lucky I tap into that unicorn magic and use the words of my former classmate Giles Corey and say to the world, “more weight.”

Power Struggles of the World

I can count the number of useful trainings, in-services, or pre-services I’ve participated in over the last 20 years on one hand. Perhaps due to some karmic retribution, I’ve sat through a multitude of worthless trainings for my various jobs. 

One of the few helpful sessions I participated in focused on disengaging from power struggles. Parents and teachers have probably experienced the joy of these phenomena. And, if you have experienced this, you know the struggle is real.

This particular training emphasized not getting sucked in and providing choices as well as consequences. We practiced disengaging. We explored choices and consequences. Most importantly we worked on setting boundaries. The facilitator constantly reinforced that power struggles reflect some combination of ego, a need to test limits, as well as  the lack of clear or consistent boundaries. To this day, this training sits near the top of my best sessions list. 

At DTL I haven’t had to deal with a power struggle for awhile. When I have had to deal with one, I gave the student some choices  and walked away. It felt delightful. The student got a bit pissy for a spell but we emerged on the other side better than before. 

When I share strategies for avoiding power struggles with parents more often than not their response centers on giving in to avoid problems (tantrums, meltdowns, etc.) or a fear that their child won’t like them anymore. If I could monetize every time a parent told me “you don’t understand you’re not their parent,” teaching might actually pay off. 

Yes any and all of those reactions might happen. Totally expected -  all of them are ok. A student (your student) may indeed lose it. However, eventually they tire and move on. Your child or student may in fact not like you for a period of time. Also appropriate. Remember - neither parent nor teacher are synonymous with ‘friend.’ 

If a parent or teachers consistently engage or give in to power struggles the young person will grow up expecting to always get their way. Permissive parents or teachers create problematic people. The Outsiders always goes over well at Do.ThinkLearn. We always have great conversations around this book. One passage that seems to catch students off guard happens when Randy the Soc talks to PonyBoy about his dead friend Bob. Now Bob is quite the @$$h0le before he gets killed. He torments Johnny and PonyBoy until they fight back. Anyway, Randy mentions that Bob’s parents constantly indulged their son and he always got away with things, but really all Bob wanted was for his parents to set boundaries for his world. Almost every student eventually admits that they might not like boundaries or limits but they do make them feel safer or less anxious. Students love to test limits but they also need those limits.

When I look around, the world seems ablaze with power struggles that combine a need for attention and an overindulged ego.

Power struggles  have become quite popular in the larger world of adults these days. The old normal devolved thanks to power struggles and permissive parenting. The early stages of the new normal don’t seem much better. The news of the day often reflects tantruming adults who sound like children who didn’t get their way. Permissive parenting or indulgent institutions have fostered childlike power struggles in politics, in school board meetings, and in professional sports (just to name a few). Leaders and institutions keep engaging with this childlike behavior which only enables more tantruming and more entitlement.  These entitled individuals torment the rest of us as they desperately flail around unmoored to boundaries. We now live in a world of Bobs. The Bobs of the world and their spoiled supporters feel like they can do whatever they want and that any limits or consequences reflect tyrannical power or discrimination. Really though, they  just grew up, as Bob did, to be entitled and selfish.

The older I get the more I have to admit that my parents were right about more things than I care to admit. As a teenager, I got into it with my parents about my curfew from time to time. I usually told them that their rules were draconian and that I’d be home when I felt like it. One time my Mother looked at me and in her best 1st grade teacher voice said to me, “You are free to do that. Just know you’ll be grounded and lose your car privileges.”  I stammered off complaining loudly but got home on time. When I first got into teaching my Mom gave me two truisms that have stood the test of time. First she told me that all students want boundaries. She then told me, “say what you’re going to do and then do what you said.”  Mary Jo - 1,276 and J - 3.

These rules and the power struggle guidelines reflect a good approach to teaching so my question is, why can’t school leaders, politicians, and governing bodies provide choices, outline consequences, and be consistent in their leadership styles? Doing so might include a few tantrums, but may reduce long term problems down the road. We don’t need anymore Bobs.

The Girl in the Mosh Pit

I often think about how things could have been. How the treatment I endure would differ. How people’s perception of me would differ. I ponder the countless advantages. 

As a young child, I would have never guessed that one’s gender could affect one’s quality of life. The notion of respect is a lie. A lie that most everyone is aware of, something so normalized that people helplessly allow it, despite the sudden mood change it sparks. 

This habitual discrimination against my gender occurs in many forms, within many categories. The reasoning behind all of this is unclear. Perhaps it’s because we are seen as submissive, stay-at-home creatures. Individuals with the sole purpose of serving others. For some, this struggle occurs everyday. For me, I come across this struggle mainly in metal music. It’s a genre dominated by males in a world dominated by males, so you can expect some trouble as a woman. I, along with many others, think some people in the community should change their ways.

People often like sticking to wildly outdated values, but I am certain now that those who continue to undermine women are afraid of change. An alteration in how you perceive relationships is understandably difficult. When you hold values passed down by generations, those ideas can feel permanently engraved in one’s mind, so the switch to a new mindset can seem impossible. I feel sympathy towards people who work so hard for a new mindset. I don’t feel sympathy towards assholes whose current mindset ignores the necessity of basic respect. 

Staying with the same perceptions for your entire life is immature. Ignorant individuals must realize their toxic perceptions and realize how douchey they can be. This is what I wish I could say to those conservative, misogynistic men. This is what I wish I could explain in a nature that will actually provoke a commitment to retreat from those dated and stupid ideals. Unfortunately, the effort to regard another gender feels too tiresome for them. I’ve tried to live with it and not waste my time attempting to make them understand. But I still feel a yearning for change. I feel like this issue has left a dent in my brain which won’t heal unless a change comes into play. To some people, this might sound like an exaggeration, but I encourage those people to take a look at themselves. Are you an average straight white man? Are you a woman who has dealt with so much disrespect that you’ve completely adjusted and unconsciously accepted this lame way of life?  If you relate to one of these and find this too dramatic, you’ve been blinded. 

I aim to never allow this blinding ignorance to subvert my own values. Yes, these discriminatory acts do hinder my confidence at times. I have somewhat learned to “live with it,” but this issue never leaves my mind. I am constantly annoyed. 

Sometimes people think they are helping women, but they just make things worse. It irritates me when people think they’re helping me and really they’re just as bad as the misogynists. Mainly, these efforts are prejudice in disguise. For instance, men assuming that I fear moshing at a concert and try to make the experience less “aggressive.” Of course, trying to create a safer environment is consideration for one’s feelings, but why the fuck would I enter a mosh pit if I didn’t want the classic, energized experience of one? Those who do such “kind acts'' assume that people like me are afraid of that environment. I am convinced that they assume women are intimidated by men and masculinity. I see it as a form of bias. Some groups need a level of special accommodations due to discrimination, but I don’t need that. I just want equal treatment. 

People shouldn’t think of my gender as a weak and vulnerable one. All I ask for is equal respect. Fuck guy’s night. Fuck girl’s night. Fuck the separation of  genders. I’m tired of division. I’m tired of stereotypical things - Skateboarding and football: boys. Ballet and cooking: girls. It’s all bullshit. 

Differentiation should not happen between genders. Rather, people should embrace the fact that naturally, everyone is different. I can’t force my beliefs upon someone just like how someone else can’t force their beliefs onto me. All we can do is discuss and try to understand. Seeing the world through different perspectives is healthy, but holding onto one perspective that screws up the quality of someone else’s life is selfish. As much as I’d like to live in a world where everyone respects each other, I know it’s impossible. Too much variety exists in the world. I hope that anyone who reads this can understand what I’m trying to convey. To sum up this rant, I will say that all I aim for is a basic sense of equality. All people no matter their religion, ethnicity, gender or sex/gender should be able to indulge in a mosh pit.

LT

Mythology vs. History

American history is longer, larger, more various, more beautiful, 

and more terrible than anything anyone has ever said about it.  

(James Baldwin)

Lately I’ve heard chatter about the crimes and horrors caused by people trying to revise American history. To hear some people talk they’d have you believe that The 1619 Project  was the second coming of Mein Kampf. I don’t know if I agree with everything in 1619, but I know for sure it isn’t one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. When I hear this, I work hard not to laugh. First, history is not limited to a fixed set of facts. It is, however, complicated, multifaceted, and painful. Second, we should alway work to revise and update our understanding of all facts, opinions, perspectives, etc. (I believe that’s called learning). Certain media types rage against efforts to revise the history of the United States. The problem is, the American history they claim to protect is more mythology than history.

American history as taught or portrayed in most textbooks for the last 100+ years reflects a convenient and oversimplified interpretation of history. So really most textbooks have shared the actual revisionist history. I don’t know what you call it when someone tries to revise revisionist history but I support those efforts.

Many of us grew up learning  American Mythology not American history. We were indoctrinated by tall tales of great men, great ideas, and great events. Unfortunately too few people resist or question those tales and only a handful of people examine the history of the US with a more nuanced, honest, and multilayered lens.

At DTL we don’t use textbooks. I have three reasons for this. First, textbooks reflect outdated, generalized, or superficial accounts of many subjects. Second, too often teachers depend on the text. It becomes a security blanket for their practice.Without a textbook I have to create and update my material constantly. Yes this is more work and it helps me be a better teacher. Third, using a variety of sources, many of which are online, provides learning opportunities around perspectives, reliable sources, bias, etc. I could also talk about how expensive textbooks are but then I’d mention how I think the textbook and testing industries are scams, but we will leave alone for now.

Fear in pockets of White America has bred anxiety around increased diversity in schools and academic subjects. These fears have been bred by extremists and racists in the media and the fringes of our communities. This essay will not address those fears or those that exacerbate those fears. But, if you want a good historical comparison I encourage people to explore the causes of and events within the Salem Witch Trials. However, if you catch me at the right time, I might tell you that “own the libs” was how the Taliban  got started or that worshiping trolls and the denizens of the emerging American Taliban doesn’t make for a happy ending.

Let’s get back to mythology versus history.

Mythology As History

Typically when people think of ‘mythology’ they envision the stories of ancient civilizations such as Greece, Egypt, etc. These tales involve the struggle between gods and great beasts occasionally for the benefit of mere mortals. Now you can geek out on mythology for years or use them to make millions like Rick Riordan. For most of us though, these tall tales have little resemblance to real events. However, what if these myths were based on real people and real events? More and more research has emerged to support the idea that mythological stories were created to explain and perhaps soften real people and events. These tales might actually be sensationalized and sanitized interpretations of history. Christopher McDougall’s Natural Born Heroes  (Chapter 15) provides a nice recap when he explores this idea. This means that it isn’t much of a stretch to say that Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Roosevelt are America’s version of  Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, and Athena (although the Greeks admitted women to Olympus much faster than we did).

History as Mythology

The “history” some fall all over themselves to protect is best described as “based on real people and real events.”  When Fox News puts up a headline about the “Mis-Education of America” chances are they want to rail against efforts to deconstruct the mythological narrative of America that has dominated for decades. History as mythology is no accident. Textbooks cannot provide a deep layered approach to history. They can barely provide multiple perspectives these days. In the early 20th century the expansion of public education, using the assembly line as a guide, aimed to Americanize the influx of European immigrants. In order to whitewash the Great Unwashed, schools and their texts told fantastic and simplistic tales of great men, heroic events, and easy to grasp values in order to assimilate the largely unwanted denizens from the Old World. The myth of America thus took root and grew into the dominant narrative of US history. To question or not accept that narrative (both then and now) casts one as un-American worthy of conservative re-education camps. The Myth of America stands like statues in our shared  public spaces. One problem with statues is that they become hideously discolored and covered in bird shit over time. History is similar.

In classroom discussion around hierarchies of power I remind my students that power is not a problem to those that have power. Similarly, history isn’t a problem to those reflected in that history. Those not reflected in the dominant narrative face a horrendous uphill battle for inclusion. To question the myth strikes fear in the hearts of true believers and those who benefit from that narrative. For centuries those forces have squelched the voices of  myriad Americans. Slowly and begrudgingly other stories and perspectives have been added to the accepted narrative. Textbooks thus also had to start adding snippets of other voices and viewpoints as sidebars or interest stories to the ‘real’ history. Eventually some textbooks altered their interpretations just enough to appease their critics but not enough to call into question the main characters or plot of the Myth. In recent years a few textbooks attempted to provide a more honest view of history (multiple perspectives and some critical analysis of long held beliefs). This caused confusion and outrage - not amongst the students but primarily amongst the adults.

Adults Ruin Everything

Parents often say they want a different school experience for their children. Yet, when they don’t recognize what is taught or how it is taught - many of them freak out. Right now an unhinged segment of parents have definitely freaked out. Yet as America evolves and diversifies a more accurate accounting of our history is required. This isn’t new or revised stories but a history finally freed from the clutches of one group’s power. Instead of sharing however, a chunk of White America has clutched to “their history” much like a tantruming preschooler unwilling to share their toys. Most people can support and even want to hear a wider array of perspectives, a richer narrative of America. It means more people can see themself in the story. Representation matters - it doesn’t mean they hate America. 

However, as White America is forced to share power and resources with those demonized as “The Other” for centuries inclusion and celebrating diversity stickers just won’t cut it. Yet as researchers dig deeper and excavate more of the history of this country, the findings have fractured the Myth of America. This has shook some to the core. Couple this uncertainty with the anxiety over rapidly changing communities and ways of living and we have a tinder box of fear waiting. It is no accident that the most agitated and aggressive demonstrations against CRT and anti-racist education have occurred in communities that have undergone rapid diversity in their population in recent years.

Mirror Mirror

History tells the story of lights and shadows. Mythology tells one story one way. History tells one story many different ways. It provides a rich narrative. Or, think of history as something you can see up close or from a distance. You can look at it from one side and then the other. It has the good, bad, and ugly intertwined in the same people, places, and events. Like a Clint Eastwood western, the heroes don’t actually wear white hats or always do the right thing. History isn’t meant to be pretty or fit neatly in a textbook chapter.

History is the  mirror of America. In its reflection we see our personal and collective reflections. I don’t know about you but some days I look into the mirror and I like what I see. Other days, not so much.  As a country we don’t always like how we look when we peer into history. Let’s be honest, sometimes we look at our history, and see undeniable evidence of reckless cruelty. For some however, when they peer in and are repulsed by what they see, they blame or smash the mirror in response. I’m fortunate in that I can see a bit of myself in the mirror of America. Others can’t. They want to see themselves in the mirror, but their path to the mirror is blocked. For still more people, they get to the mirror only to find the glass hogged by individuals primping and preening at their own reflection.

History Shouldn’t Be A Mystery

Some argue that this history makes kids Anti-White. Others say this “new” history upsets too many students. And still others say these efforts divide the country. To that I say (in order): no, maybe, and HAHAHA.

My recommendation - stop forcing history into an Either/Or scenario and zero sum narratives. Embrace the layers as well as the push and pull within those layers. Teachers should help students learn how to think, not teach them what to think. That said, we have to push back and call out nonsense so don’t ask for a unit of study denying the Holocaust. Yes, some students will get upset. That’s ok. The goal is not to upset kids, but yeah history hurts sometimes. Guilt happens, is largely self-inflicted, and is not helpful. In children it is to be expected.  When this happens teachers have excellent opportunities to provide support and learning conversations. Focusing too much on guilt distracts from the real issues involved and frankly adults often use guilt as one type of power play. If youth understand racism by the end of nursery school, they can handle history that is scaffolded for their comprehension. Teachers have to be supportive and show empathy and help students negotiate all sorts of emotions in school. History is no different. Students cry in math but no one protests that subject.Lately I hear people saying that teaching history will divide the country… Seriously this is something else I have to call bullshit on. Almost everyone using that excuse is White, thinks they’re White, or may want to be White. So in case you haven’t noticed America has almost always been divided. Under the veneer of the United States a divided and fractured nation sails from past to present and into the future. Doctors don’t heal fractures without x rays. We as a country can’t heal our divides without confronting our reflection in the mirror of history.

Teaching a culturally responsive and more accurate history of the United States is not outrageous. It can be done with intention and in layers. It provides numerous opportunities to stop, think, and discuss specific ideas, crucial moments, and analyze individuals. Some of these moments may be controversial and that’s fantastic. Nothing gets students engaged like some controversy (not conspiracies). Most students hate history class for two main reasons - it’s boring and it has no connection to their actual life. No wonder - most history curricula have been stripped of any flavor and packaged in a generic box.  In this quest to turn history into shapeless, ambiguous gruel teachers also removed any connections to students' lives.  Don’t kid yourself by telling them they are doomed to repeat history if they don’t learn it. And I get it, when you see 135 students a day there’s not much you can do, but c’mon. Adding controversy and conversations or using some imagination brings connection. Business and leadership articles alway point to the “because that’s how we’ve always done it” as the harbinger of doom. Yet, in history class teaching what we have always taught is the standard operating procedure. 

Teaching the standard version of US history (ie. The Myth of America) is like Baskin & Robbins only serving one flavor. If the US continues to teach mythology instead of history we will only see what we want to see. People will continue with their superficial and simplistic idea of how this country has evolved and what influenced those changes. They will miss the richness of our story. They will misuse quotes and make weak comparisons across history. 

 To cling in desperation to the Myth of America will lead to the future of America laying in ruins. Mythology excludes. History includes.

Holidays: Magic or Malaise

I’m not a huge fan of Christmas. One of my life goals is to never watch It’s a Wonderful Life.  No carols until the 20th of December  is a yearly mantra. I find the hype and hypocrisy a bit much. And all of that was before my Mom passed during Christmas a few years ago. Don’t start calling me Scrooge, etc. And please don’t start in on the alleged war of Christmas. Save it.  Truth is, I love Christmas, but usually the message of Christmas gets lost in all the BS around the holiday.

That said, you won’t be surprised when I say that I struggle during the holidays sometimes. When I do, one thing I can fall back on is what kids that life had shafted, taught me about the magic of Christmas.  Thanks to them, no matter how deep the Xmas BS gets, I experienced the magic of Christmas.

While I have numerous awesome memories around Christmas - from Our Happy Birthday Jesus parties growing up, my uncle driving into Westfield from Tucson unannounced and then driving some more to find me a race car set; my first Secret Santa party in junior high; three snowy Christmases Tucson, and  fresh trails behind the groomer at Hyak. But when things turn dark  the memories that I return to fight the malaise of the season are Christmases at Childrens’ Home..

Residential treatment doesn’t usually inspire the Christmas Spirit but for me those experiences represent the essence of the holiday. In fact my experiences working at the Childrens’ Home taught me about the magic of Christmas and got me believing in Santa Clause again. 

The days leading up to holidays were filled with chaos and big feelings. Youth didn’t know if they could go home for the holiday.Some didn’t have a home to home to and others had a home they didn’t want to go back to even if it meant presents and a break from the Childrens’ Home. Once all that got sorted out and those who were leaving did leave everything settled down. The Tucson community did a lot for the clients of the Children’s Home. We had presents donated from all corners of the city. For me, however, it was a time where we could immerse our clients in just being kids for a few days.

Perhaps my favorite Christmas memory was a Christmas Eve in my first or second year working there.  Of our 16 clients, only three remained - a nine year old Navajo boy, a ten year old BiPolar, Schizophrenic girl with anger issues, and a 12 year old girl who killed her mother and wanted more than anything to be loved. Three clients, two staff and an envelope with a few hundred dollars for food for three days (the kitchen ladies finally got a well deserved holiday).  Our first big decision of the holiday involved making a decision on what to eat for dinner on Christmas Eve.

One of the ladies suggested we go out for dinner. Soon we realized that none of the youth  had ever been to a restaurant that had waiters or waitresses. We asked the kids what kind of food they always wanted to try and after a quick meeting of the minds it was decided that we would have Chinese food for dinner that Christmas Eve. 

We made a reservation at Peking Palace and the preparations began. Leander asked me to iron his jeans and his cowboy shirt. The ladies took baths, curled their hair, and put on their best dresses. My boss Robyn and I loaded everyone into the van  and off we went.

Many of the details of that night have faded with time. What I do remember is the look on the kids’ faces when the hostess welcomed us, took the ladies’ coats, and showed us to our table. Chopsticks and cloth napkins were new things as was being able to order anything they wanted off a menu. Our waitress patiently answered every question about the different dishes and soon the table was filled with dumplings, spring rolls, General Tso’s Chicken, Sesame Beef, soups, and curries. We learned that fish sauce was the original ketchup and you could in fact put it on everything. We all tried our best to use chopsticks. Fortunately the  wait staff had time to give chopstick lessons and explained that yes we could just lift the bowl to our mouth. These youth who had dealt with the crappiest aspects of what life had to offer forgot about all that and for a few hours felt like royalty. Robyn and I forgot we were working and didn’t focus on when our shift ended. We saw the magic growing around us.

What I realized was that curiosity, possibility, and wonder comprised the magic of Christmas.

Soon enough with To Go boxes in hand we headed out to the van and the inevitable question - “do we have to head back so soon?” And to that we knew enough to say, “No, no we don’t.” Two young ladies who fought most days of the week shared ideas and talked about how they couldn’t wait to try wearing makeup. Leander held the door open for the ladies.

The magic of Christmas was upon us.

We drove off into the night to enjoy everything we could. Our first stop was a mountain lookout. The girls told Leander that we’d be able to see Santa from up there, but really we just ruined the makeout sessions of some teenagers and looked out across the lights of Tucson. We picked out the brightest neighborhoods and were soon  driving through those super decorated neighborhoods that went all out with lights. Soon enough the kids were each asleep in their row of the van. As we rolled back into the parking lot everyone woke up and I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Would it be back to business as usual? Would the magic of that evening burst or fade?

Maybe it was more for us than them but we had the kids change into pajamas and slippers while we made hot cocoa for us all. While we watched Christmas specials on TV and listened to Christmas songs on the radio each child fell asleep on their couch wrapped in a blanket. We carried each of them to their bed and tucked them in. The ladies each thanked us as we tucked them in. Leander, wiped out, mumbled his thanks. But as I left his room he woke briefly and asked, “Is that Christmas?” 

Yes my friend, that is Christmas. A moment to be a child; to have hope; to consider what could be; and forget if for only a moment that life is hard.

Not everyone gets excited about the holidays. Instead of calling them out as Scrooge or Grinch - maybe give them space to be - they may have good reason. When the malaise fogs my mood, I have incredible memories that serve as a lighthouse to help find my way.  During the holidays, try being a lighthouse.

The Synchronicity II Matter

A former student and I recently discussed the science behind how the brain connects memory to specific stimuli. He asked great questions and we worked through a variety of ideas. Oddly enough, I have always been fascinated by how a song, a food smell, etc. can transport a person back in time to a specific moment that replays in vivid detail.  

This happens to me a lot. A guy wearing a Hoodoo Gurus t-shirt and I’m back in Haughty’s attic  listening to Mars Needs Guitars surrounded by band posters after we came home from the Music Staff. Mist in LA on a run suddenly  transports me back to riding my Surly along the Burke Gilman Trail coming home from work contemplating the differences between Fall, Winter, and Spring rain by how it hits my face.  Oregano in tomato sauce takes me to YaYa’s kitchen when I get busted using my fingers to taste the tomato sauce that’s simmered on the stove the entire weekend. Odd things trigger memory and get me thinking.

Whenever I hear  Synchronicity II  by The Police, I think about Kevin Houlihan and the importance of feeling like you matter in school.

For a period of time in high school Kevin would often at random moments blurt out, “PACKED LIKE LEMMINGS INTO SHINY METAL BOXES!” This line from the Police song never failed to both catch me off guard and get me thinking. Wtf? Why? What do you mean?  

The memory I have attached to this song, these instances (correctly or not) involves pool hopping at Memorial Pool in the summer. It goes like this… It is a typical Jersey summer evening (still warm, still humid), Kevin stands on the high dive in his boxers wearing these ratty white Bucks carrying on a conversation in between sips from the can in his hand. Out of nowhere as he looks out across the roofs of the houses that surround the pool… “PACKED LIKE LEMMINGS INTO SHINY METAL BOXES!”

If you don’t know the song, it describes the meaningless of corporate work and the vacant  nature of suburban life for many people. It pairs well with The Monkees Pleasant Valley Sunday, or RUSH’s Subdivisions (maybe also Bad Religion’s 21st Century (Digital Boy)).  Since we grew up in a suburban stereotype, tunes like this hit home more often than not. At the random moments Kevin busted out these lyrics I always had questions...was it the song? The section of the lyrics? Or, was he commenting or warning people not to get sucked into the void like the family in the song? I want to say we discussed it at some point, but I can’t remember. 

This many years later, whenever I hear it, that song and those lines transport me back and the same questions reverberate in my head. Maybe it is only me, but the song reminds me how the need to matter drives a sizable chunk of human behavior. Whether at school, at work, or in some recreational pursuit many people do not want to lead lives of quiet desperation. To me this need to matter represents one of the driving forces underlying the Great Resignation. Also, it may be why so many students dislike school… What does it matter? I don’t matter…

We can discuss whether or how school matters, but I think an issue that educators often ignore is that a good chunk of students feel like they don’t matter (in school and/or out of school). Myriad students transition from middle school to high school questioning if they matter or if what they do matters. This is not unlike social promotion. The burden of these questions snowballs as a student progresses through school. Eventually most stop trying to matter (some become one of the parents in this Police song, while others become Pink from The Wall). To me this reflects one of the biggest areas for improving education. 

To matter or have a purpose drives the behavior of many people. Not having/finding that or worse giving up this search frames  the experiences of a good number of students or adults. How can schools, specifically in the upper grades, ensure that each student graduates knowing they matter?

I used to think that increasing Social Emotional Learning (SEL) in the upper grades would do the trick. And while I still think that would help, the upcoming conservative hysteria around SEL might make this an unnecessary problem.  Plus, I worked for a school that claimed to do this and really their efforts just took up 12 pages of each narrative. Really I think the issue is at once complicated and simple.  To matter involves social and emotional components, as well as, a web of psychological support systems. Structural vulnerabilities in school also factor into this as do various societal issues (race, gender, identity, etc.), family issues and the influence of parents. 

So where do we start? I start with the idea that all learning stands on a foundation of relationships and trust.  Research suggests that if a student feels seen by one teacher that is enough to prevent dropping out.  What if teachers could greet, say hello or knew about their students wants or needs? In the upper grades activities towards this goal could take place on multiple levels. It could start in advisory or homeroom. It can happen in the hallways with a quick nod. To make it so each high school student graduated knowing they matter requires a multitude of ideas and strategies to meet the needs of so many individuals. I don’t have all the answers, but I keep looking and listening for ideas. 

Educators- if we want to matter, we have to do something more to make sure our students know they matter. 

Unfortunately, the politics of hysteria and ignorance continue to gain strength. As a result of these forces teachers are being further reduced in many places to something akin to educational side notes.  To say it a different a way

Educators - if we don’t matter, school doesn’t matter. If school doesn’t matter students will figure that out pretty quick and get the message that they don’t matter.

Critical Consumers vs. Garbage In, Garbage Out

Consuming information and consuming food are similar. If you eat like crap, your body suffers. Since you digest info a lot like food, if you digest crappy information, your brain suffers. Like food, some information is healthy and some information is unhealthy. Always question the information you read and always think about the food you put in your body. Consuming unsubstantiated information given by other people on different platforms and consuming highly processed food made by other people should be limited. Highly processed food and highly processed information are not good for people. Not all information on the internet is valid. For example, Facebook and Instagram contain a lot of misinformation. Individuals must really think about the info they consume from social media. Just like recipes, food companies and restaurants need to earn your trust, your sources of information also need to earn your trust. And, just like eating the same thing at every meal isn’t the best for you, only getting your information from one place isn’t the best for you. People often check the ingredients in their food, yet rarely check the ingredients in the information they digest. Examine the evidence that your sources of info provide. If you’re not sure about an ingredient or “fact,” look into it. Do some quick research. Consider making your own food from time to time or create your own ideas. Cooking and creating can be fun, makes you feel better, and is usually healthier. Food made by other people (large companies or chains) are cheaper and easier, but not everything they make is good for you. Information is the same. A lot of information is also made by large companies or organizations trying to make money. Be aware of what you put into your brain as much as what you put into your body. Your choices will make you healthier, happier, and stronger.

Agency & Independence

So far, this school year has gone fairly well and some of my skills have already improved. These skills and goals include gaining agency and more comfort in math. In September, I felt unsure as to where I should start in developing agency. I experimented with this idea of agency and thought I should work on doing things independently (research, math, etc.) Soon after, I learned that forcing myself to figure out things on my own and largely avoiding asking for help was not supportive of my goal. My agency actually started improving when I realized that asking for assistance exists as a form of agency. Embracing the ability to ask questions when unsure or confused was the key to the beginning of my agency development. As for increase in math comfort, this idea of asking for help more often also enhanced this skill. Exploring the provided videos on Khan and forcing myself to solve math problems all by myself seemed like the way to improve at first, but in actuality, achieving the confidence to ask more questions improved my skill. Considering how much better I feel about completing school work now, I believe independence is generally achieved by asking for the support of others.

LT

Choose Your Own Adventure Goes to School

The 21/22 school year marks the first time Do.Think.Learn (DTL) has had school on Fridays. However, like many things we do, Do.Think.Learn’s Fridays differ slightly from other schools. We have Choose Your Own Adventure Fridays.  This means that no one goes to the office for school. Instead, each student has to spend the day ‘doing stuff.’  For the students of DTL this ‘stuff’ may include a range of activities: surfing, skateboarding, meditation, music, art, hiking, yoga, reading, baking, etc. So far this year the adventures have focused primarily on music and exercise. Students have played gigs with a few bands, taught themself to play drums and the bass, surfed, boxed and learned new skateboard skills. 

Now your first question might be why we’ve never had school on Fridays. That’s a pretty simple one to answer - we don’t need to have school on Fridays. No one really needs school on Fridays. Seriously. Think about it - there’s a lot of wasted or lost time in the standard school day. At Do.Think.Learn we strip most of that fat off the typical day. With smaller classes that individualize curriculum and instruction we can minimize wasted time. When students control their schedules and teachers hold them accountability for meeting their academic responsibilities more gets done. Really this is another variation of  our “less is more” philosophy at DTL. And, let’s not kid ourselves, school does not always equate to learning. If you want to create “lifelong learners'' (which so many mission statements claim), two things need to happen. First, students need to stop associating learning solely with school and understand that learning can happen anywhere. Second, students need help connecting their academic skills to the world beyond school.

A student that only associates learning with school will have numerous problematic experiences throughout their life. For example, consider a student that crushes it in their geometry and economics classes.  Area, perimeter, volume = no problem. Questions  around  salary or rent per month are no match to their knowledge.  However, what happens when that student looks at rents for hypothetical retail space and needs to know whether the rent per square foot options in different buildings work for their budget? Many students struggle with this subtle transfer. They conceive of math only in terms of problems on worksheets or Khan Academy. I love me some Khan Academy but we as teachers have to support students as they transfer that academic learning to the world outside of school. One of our goals is to help students understand that learning is really a process of self-discovery and building skills that translate to “real” lifel. Hence Choose Your Own Adventure Fridays.

Way back, way in the Before Time, there was a Choose Your Own Adventure book series. I loved these books. As the reader you had some control over what you wanted to do next and each choice led to new choices. I would sit in my room and read each book over and over; making different choices each time through, and seeing the many possible adventures and outcomes.  

Last April as I organized my collection of Choose Your Own Adventure books it dawned on me -  Choose Your Own Adventure Fridays. And while I talk about learning as an adventure of self discovery, etc. this also solved a rather practical issue for Do.Think.Learn. As we move towards accreditation I need to ensure that we have ‘enough’ days of school each year. However, my students have busy lives outside of school. Their Fridays are full of meaningful activities so taking those activities would anger a few critical constituents. Instead of taking those days away, I decided to add them to our curriculum. Adding Choose Your Own Adventure Fridays also pushes our count of school days up closer to 200 days of school each year. Plus, I like my Fridays as is, as well.

I am a huge fan of adventure and the role of adventure in learning. Unfortunately, most people only subscribe to adventures that have prescribed and predetermined outcomes or they conflate ‘adventure’ with epic journeys in far away places. Adventure is really about self-discovery and exploring ideas. This can happen anywhere (even in the classroom). You don’t have to leave your house, your neighborhood, or town to adventure. Many fantastic adventures have occurred in a comfy chair with a good book or just down the street. So tomorrow, the students of DoThink.Learn will go for and Do. By the sounds of it, plans may include some skating, maybe some surfing, a Logic lesson (music program), maybe an art show, some reading, and there was talk of learning to cook some new dishes. On Mondays we follow the “what, so what, now what?” framework for reflecting on their adventures. After the Do-ing, students will do some Think-ing about what and how they did what they did, and work to understand the various skills involved in what they did. The groundwork for Learn-ing happens when they decide what skills from those activities they want apply to other areas of their life. School and life should not be mutually exclusive. To paraphrase Martha Stewart, adventure - it’s a good thing. 

Understanding Trauma in Native American Communities

Native Americans on reservations, in border towns, and in urban areas across the United States often get trapped in pipelines of vulnerability from which they struggle to escape and which impacts how they view their cultural identity. Generational trauma, bordertown violence and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) are enormous issues in American indigenous communities. Generational (or historical) trauma is the emotional and psychological harm across generations of Native Americans caused by land loss and deaths over time. According to Dr. Maria Yellow Horse Brave Heart, this trauma is the “cumulative emotional and psychological wounding over one’s lifetime and from generation to generation following loss of lives, land and vital aspects of culture.”  This trauma often  leads to issues such as child abuse, alcoholism, suicide, and other problems in those communities. According to nativehope.org, “the second leading cause of death for Native Americans between age 10 and 34 is suicide.”  In 2018 native people were more likely to be killed by police officers than any other minority group in the nation (Center for Disease Control). Generational trauma is a leading cause of violence on reservations and in towns that border reservations. Bordertown violence occurs in the borderlands between Anglo and indigenous communities. Women are often the victims of bordentown violence. According to the Centers for Disease Control in 2018, murder was the third leading cause of death for indigenous women. Native American women, girls and Two Spirits are murdered ten times more than all other ethnicities. Indigenous women are two times more likely to be raped than Anglo-American women. Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW)  reflect bordertown and urban violence against native women and don’t get nearly the same amount of media as missing Anglo women.  Nativehope.org states that, "The National Crime Information Center reports that, in 2016, there were 5,712 reports of missing American Indian and Alaska Native women and girls, though the US Department of Justice’s federal missing person database, NamUs, only logged 116 cases."  Native Americans can lose hope due to poverty and minimal economic opportunities on these reservations. However not all indigenous people live on reservations. Nativehope.org reports that, “78% of America's Native population lives off of the reservation with 60% of those residing in an urban area.” Urban Native Americans, like those on the reservations and other BIPOC individuals in American cities, also remain in cycles of poverty. With a minimal amount of educational or economic opportunities, and generations of trauma, urban indigenous individuals struggle even more with issues around the loss of Native American culture and identity. As a result of trauma and loss of hope, many Native Americans struggle with their identity.  

SOURCES

• https://www.nativehope.org/en-us/understanding-the-issue-of-missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women

• https://www.csvanw.org/mmiw

• https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/may/09/trauma-lives-on-in-native-americans-while-the-us-looks-away

Moonshot Thinking in Schools

My dog Lobo has tried to pull a crow out of the air on several occasions. Oftentimes this happens on morning walk when I’m half asleep. Nothing starts the day better than all of sudden having your arm yanked to the limits of the shoulder socket when your dog launches himself into the air as a crow flies low over the parking lot. Lobo has some hops but he never comes close. And yet, every time he lands Lobo beams with a look of accomplishment that says, “Dad, did you see that!” 

I’m never sure how to respond.  Do I tell him he’s participating in an exercise in futility? Do I create a training plan to help jump higher? Or, do I stay quiet and let him have these moments for himself? If I’m tired my first inclination is to tell him there’s no chance of him succeeding, but I suppress that negativity. However, the teacher in me wants to support him as he works towards this almost impossible goal. Perhaps we should brainstorm ideas. Most days I stay quiet, laugh, or just readjust my delicate flower shoulder socket.

Then I started to wonder, how would a teacher respond to Lobo’s interests as a student in class?  The idea that his school might dismiss Lobo’s efforts and stymie his creativity got me wondering about why schools don’t support moonshot thinking.

I classify Lobo’s crow project as moonshot thinking. Some describe this way of thinking as audacious. Others might say crazy. Teachers do not usually support audacious or the seemingly crazy. Many in the business world say that moonshot thinking drives innovation. Schools are not exactly bastions of innovation. 

Lobo, a three year old rescue dog (#MexiMutt), is part Belgian Malinois and part goofball (Lab). Often his behavior resembles that of many middle school boys - tough facade but anxious and insecure underneath. Feathers and flapping bags send him into the dog version of the fetal position. He’s curious but wary of things. In general he views squirrels and crows with great disdain (much like my grandfathers viewed rock n roll, long hair, and Red Sox fans). Lobo has gotten pretty good at running up trees after squirrels or throwing himself into the air to avenge any perceived wrong by his various nemeses. His crow fascination took the summer off (which my shoulder greatly appreciated). However recently one afternoon a squirrel talked smack and he was having none of it. Lobo chased the squirrel to the edge of a building and as said squirrel climbed the building Lobo ran up the wall and leaped up after the beast. When his paw caught the squirrel’s tail I’m not sure who was more surprised - me, Lobo, or the squirrel. Fortunately the tag occurred just as Lobo reached the limits of his upward trajectory. The squirrel scampered on up with a “that was close” look on their face. Lobo landed, beaming with pride and said to all “next time.” This reignited his interest in Operation Crowbo. Since then, the leaping or his new jump and spin move have become a regular feature on most walks. Thus after a delightful respite from Leaping Lobo and the Crows of the Complex, he seems motivated and confident in his goal to land a flying bird. I have decided not to mention the odds of things working out in his favor.

I don’t share this so you can marvel at Lobo (although you should), but because this scenario plays out in schools (and companies) across the country all the time. Lobo’s crow plan represents his version of moonshot thinking. This means a way of thinking BIG, that anything is possible if we ask the right questions and apply the best methodologies to solving the issue. Google X often gets credited with pioneering this perspective in corporate America and other companies have adapted moonshot thinking to their communities.However, moonshot thinking gets dismissed too often in education. Schools and teachers don’t encourage and often demean BIG thinking.  Too often when a student approaches a teacher with a big idea, the teacher responds with a version of  “That’s impossible” or “ We don’t have time for that.” Deep, creative thinking has been stripped from the educational experience of students. It just doesn’t fit with the cram it all in, assembly line model of the American education system. Even schools that seem receptive to creativity and big thinking usually can’t or won’t support big thinking. As a result schools too often prepare students for a future that resembles 1985 not 2025.  

OLD TEACHER TRICK:  What makes impossible possible?  An apostrophe and a space (Impossible -> I’m possible).

How can schools support and encourage moonshot thinking? Some companies allow their employees to allocate 10 - 20% of their time at work to pet projects while other companies follow the Let My People Go Surfing Model. Schools could do the same (some, I’m sure, already do).  But there’s no time, you say. To that, I say, if you cut all the bloat from your curriculum and restructure your academics, there would be plenty of time. Others will talk of passion based education… to that I say, please… just no. I can’t (I had a really bad experience with PBL). Now, if you want to encourage students to explore their curiosities or interests, I’m in, but please don’t mention the ‘P’ word.  Here’s what I imagine. Schools having a Big Thinking lab. Students set out to create or design a solution to an issue. Maybe the teacher comes up with the issue or question or perhaps the students do. Perhaps, it is a whole class or small group project. Maybe, individuals investigate their own issue.  Entire grades or schools could have a theme to frame the big thinking.  Project based schools could maybe pivot a bit easier. You know what, nevermind, it doesn’t have to be that complicated. All it would take is for a teacher to say to a student when they approach with a BIG idea, “Ok, what would they look like.” At least this way, the light in the student’s eye, that flicker of possibility, won’t be extinguished. The point is, schools could support moonshot thinking in a variety of ways if they could free themselves of the more = better system that dominates education.

Schools already lack purpose and meaning for many students. The pandemic, etc. has dulled the allure and promise of schooling across almost all levels. If we brought moonshot thinking into classrooms just think of the possibilities for what students would create or explore. If nothing else, students might engage with school again.

As for Lobo and his crow dilemma…I think I will support and encourage his dream. Maybe for now we will focus on the crows that congregate on the overflowing dumpsters on Monday mornings and work our way up to the rows on the parking structures. However, if a crow flies low, well he’s got a green light to take a leap. Truth is, it doesn’t matter what I think about it.  If he’s psyched and focused, well who am I to get in the way of his impossible. 

As for the rest of us, maybe more of us should think big and leap for our own crow.

Because I Can

Grown ups say some dumb things to youth… parents to their kids, teachers to students… it comes in a variety of phrases and situations. My top three dumbest things adults foist on youth includes at #1 -  “there’s nothing to be afraid of.”. I give bonus stupid points for this comment in situations like when the youth is rock climbing or doing something risky. Please stop minimizing or encouraging kids to bury their fears. Coming in at #2 (take a moment to chuckle if you must \ at me saying #2) we have an old standard - “because I said so.” This classic power move of laziness does nothing for the student or child except to get them to mumble things under their breath about how you sound like a tool and the pointlessness of the task. Try a more creative approach and get down off of your plastic throne. If you find yourself about to say this, take a moment to consider how it sounds to hear that from someone and rephrase. The life you save could be your own. And finally coming in at #3, a versatile nugget of dumbness, “because I can.” This phrase captures a difference in power and status between speaker and receiver as well as oozes a smidgen of laziness. Although each of these comments could provide suitable material for an article, this post will focus on #3 - why, because I can… just kidding… let me explain.

I have made it one of my goals to reclaim and reinterpret these phrases. Over the years I have focused on encouraging individuals to embrace or use their fears and when in the course of educative interactions finding new ways to get students to do work or that is both meaningless and stupid. In a less than shocking pronouncement, schools are filled with meaningless and stupid task. Mr. Barner, coach and teacher at WHS, explained it best. One a hazy, hot, and humid NJ afternoon during a double session he told me, “J, shit flows downhill and you live in the valley right now. If you move up the hill you still have to deal with shit, but it moves by you fast and lingers somewhere else.” I do appreciate eloquent directness. Too often teachers, etc. pretend something isn’t meaningless and think their students will buy it). Just tell them, they already know (everyone knows - shit is shit. Anyway, back to reclaiming “because I can.”

As mentioned above this phrase reflects power, status, stupidity, and laziness. For example, in 8th grade some 9th graders hooked my underwear to a hook in the locker room and when I asked why they did it, they replied, “because we can.” Since then I’ve heard it used in schools, businesses, car/bicycle interactions - all sorts of ways. 

What would happen if we stop using the phrase as a means to demonstrate status and privilege over others? What if we resituated the power behind this phrase and used it as a super power for good not evil? “Because I can” could empower individuals and groups to take on tasks, achieve goals, or just to get out and change the world right in front of them.

I do a lot my thinking about school on bike rides. Last weekend I got to thinking about the phrase “Because I can” on my day in the saddle. My buddy Colin asked me to join his Ride to Fight ALS team to raise money for the ALS Foundation of Washington and Oregon. I jumped at the chance.... You had me at ride my bike for a good cause, but there’s more to it.

Aside from being a world class photographer and awesome dad, Colin is perhaps the most generous person I know. He has a sixth sense for knowing when to reach out. Colin gives to his friends and to strangers. The Beattles had Mother Mary. In Seattle, I had Colin. Whether a beer, a piece of his sister’s gourmet cheese, or bike parts, Colin was there. Back in the day he lived blocks away and now he lives a few states away. Now he is fighting ALS and I had a chance to give something back.

So last weekend I started on my dirt odyssey before it hotted up. I signed up for the 51 mile ride and put together a scenic and slightly stupid loop around Calabasas. I stopped to refill my bottles and to take pics of the sites along the way (Kobe Crash Memorial, the old MASH set, and the rather large rattlesnake sunning themself across the trail). I planned a five hour ride and decided to take my time. The first parts flew by… well the climbs never “fly by” for me, but whenever I needed motivation I thought about all the mountain bike coaching Colin gave me over the years. True confessions - Colin’s gives advice, etc. as freely as he gives beers or a home cooked meal :) He got me riding dirt again after years of road racing and it is not uncommon for me to hear Colin’s voice coaching me as I cruise singletrack. Plus, I figured this was the better choice. The other choice was to think about all the things Colin can’t do anymore, but following his example, I chose to focus on the positive.

So I’m rolling along as Colin’s voice occasionally admonishes me for being careless with my body position and not looking down the trail far enough. At mile 34 I stop to refill bottles and hydrate at my last water source before heading up the canyon and across the last 17 miles. Although I regretted not stopping for Nutter Butters and a Coke, things were fine. Palo Comado always heats up in the afternoon and rarely has a breeze, but if I pedaled fast enough… oh wait, uphill and fast lay outside my wheelhouse. Things stayed fine, but doubt crept in. Maybe you know the doubt I speak of - the voices that begin whispering when things start to get difficult. First my feet swelled in the heat so I had to stop a few times and take my shoes off. Then the water in my bottles started warming up and stagnant water that tastes of plastic never refreshes the weary rider. Soon the heat teamed up with dehydration and the shadows of negativity slowly overtook my confidence.  I should mention that for a few reasons I have not ridden more than 40 miles on dirt in a bit and 51 miles on gravel and 51 road miles are not the same (seriously Barry did the math and he’s wicked smart). I should also say that a single piece of cinnamon toast and a pot of coffee don’t provide the best nutrition for that kind of day. The wheels weren’t coming off but my five hour ride seemed to be stretching out (not quite Gilligan’s Island but…).

When the doubts grow in my mind I often start asking myself, “why am I doing this?” And sure, I said things like - “it’s for a good cause” or “because Colin can’t.” Unfortunately that only gets you so far. The voices grew louder as I got up to China Flats and the last breeze for the next dozen miles. My feet needed a break so I sat on a rock to enjoy a breeze and give my feet some time out of the shoes. That’s when I heard it loudest - “J what are you doing? Your training has sucked recently. Why don’t you just turn around? We can cruise down the hill, coast home, get the miles we need, and blow off the 1700 feet of climbing left?”

Generally when things start to go sideways for me during endurance related events (rides, runs, climbs, school) my brain rationalizes changing the plan, to make things easier or entice me to throw in the towel. Sometimes these voices scream at me and other times they whisper enticingly, but on this day I just can’t listen. When your friend wrestles with a degenerative neuromuscular disease, you don’t just bail when things get hard. So when the voices asked why I was doing this to myself, my answer was simple.

Because I can…

Things did not magically get better after that realization.Yet whenever things sucked, I recited my new mantra - Because I can. Each time things seemed grim - Because I can. When my wheels spun out on some loose dirt, I hopped off and walked to a spot where I could hop on and start pedaling - Because I can.  I did some ugly riding over the last miles - although I did catch a lovely breeze over the last few downhill miles (first headwind I ever enjoyed). While it is slightly embarrassing to admit that a 50 mile ride knackered me something fierce, I did it - Because I could.

Maybe it was the heat distress, the bonk, and the dehydration but for whatever reason I focused on “Because I can.” I thought about how students could benefit.  They don’t have to accept obstacles as insurmountable or the world as it is. If teachers can instill “Because I can” as a positive and confident mindset, students can gain the momentum they need to succeed on their terms. It always seems like individuals are a half step (usually the most difficult step) from success when they bail.  If as they approached the angle of repose students said to themselves “Because I can,” that could generate enough momentum to get themselves over the top. Teaching includes both turning negatives into positives and getting your students to look at things from new or different perspectives. Back in the day “Because I can” represented wedgies or getting hosed in some fashion. We can do better than that - because we can. 

PS. If you can, please consider being part of the fight against ALS: http://web.alsa.org/site/TR/Endurance/OregonandSWWashington?px=8625378&pg=personal&fr_id=14616

Listen...That's Ok

LISTEN/ Dear Me

We can get through

 everything 

If you just

 listen

It's always about 

you

Your rules and

 plans

What about 

me ?

Have you ever

 considered

You’re selfish

You always run away

From the things 

you don't like

Haven't you realized

Not everything is

 about you

Just think 

about

Someone else

For once

That’s Ok

Sometimes people get

 nervous 

That's ok

Sometimes people get 

Stressed

That's ok

Sometimes people have 

Anxiety

And freak out

That's ok

Stop it

People say

You think 

we want

To be

Stressed

Panicked

Sad

No

Sometimes we 

try 

to stop it

And 

Other times 

we don't

Just think

How 

Would you

Feel

Next time

You say 

to someone 

you don't 

have 

anxiety

just

calm down

Why do you 

Have anxiety 

Calm down!!!

Author - CP

Gangsta Puppets

Charley, a 7th grader who attends Do Think Learn, arrived at school on a Monday morning with a number of injuries. Her eye was surrounded in a dark purple hue, leaving Charley nearly blind. Her nose had a narrow red slit across its surface, perhaps the least severe of her injuries. Charley’s knee was a mixture of cool colors, from shades of green to purple. On the same leg, two other bruises were present. Horrified by Charley’s physical state, J immediately asked what happened. Charley felt reluctant to explain for fear of J not believing the strange, but completely true situation that occurred. On a Saturday evening, a feeling of hunger stirred up in Charley. She was desperate to eat, but nothing in the fridge or the pantry satisfied her. Charley craved only one thing. This thing she craved was relatively easy to find, but difficult to hunt. Charley grew ravenous and the one thing she truly desired to consume was… puppets.

Where Charley lived, puppets were known as the most gangster, criminally insane and muscular beings out there, but she felt up to the challenge. Careful as not to make much noise, Charley opened the front door to her house and sprinted out to the opposite side of the road, so hungry that the fact that she left the front door open didn’t even bother her. The puppets often did gang shit behind Bristol Farms near Charley’s home. She speed-walked stealthily to the grocery store. On her way there, Charley encountered a gang of four puppets chillin’ at the intersection. Some were drinkin’, others were trippin’ on some exclusive puppet drugs. Charley had to think fast and decided to aim for the smallest puppet of the gang. She darted toward the mass of puppets and they all began beating her ass! Charley managed to bite off a puppet’s leg, but regretted it after getting punched in the face. She couldn’t take it anymore and used all her strength to race back home. The puppets, as they clearly lack lower body strength, didn’t run after her and continued to do gang shit. That day changed Charley’s life, as she never again craved the taste of puppets.

Author - LT.

2 + 2 = 5 America

Democracy needs a lifeguard or two with those red tubes to pull it from the throes of drowning. Lifeguards always carry those red tubes for a reason. Drowning victims in their panic and fear, often try to drown the people who try to rescue them.  Paranoia and fear they feel causes people to cling on to what they have around them.  This also happens all the time in social, political, or educational situations when individuals fear the loss of what they know or when they fear losing power or control. After a year of examining the state of democracy in America, our US Government class has decided that the American experiment in democracy is drowning. At present we bear witness to a country splashing around in the open water, attempting to drown those who have come to its rescue.

In Post Truth America the demagoguery and manufactured rage of the Republican Party have pulled democracy under the water. Some members of Congress prefer getting attention to getting things done. The American democracy is part liberal and part conservative.  Its head, heart, and soul blend liberal and conservative, democrat and republican ways of being. It is the conservative part of the country, like the part of the brain that rejects logic and reason in the face of an uncertain future, has freaked out and wants to drown the lifeguard. The conservative lung of America has filled not with water, but with misinformation, lies, and fealty to an individual more interested in corruption and power than democracy and the Constitution. In 1984, Big Brother and the Party did whatever it took to remain in and consolidate power. These actions, based on lies and manipulation, can be summed up in the metaphor of 2 + 2 = 5. Part of this effort holds tight to a specific myth of America. The rage focused against The 1619 Project and Critical Race Theory (CRT) represent a misguided effort to preserve a narrow mythical understanding of this country’s history.

The various arms of conservative state media and bottom feeders on social media have created dangerous conditions. This rip tide pulls at our country. First, there’s the Big Lie. Election denial in largely Republican controlled state legislatures has resulted in subsequent efforts to suppress votes from the BIPOC community. Republicans in Congress more interested in reelection and preserving their privileged lifestyle in DC embrace the Big Lie. Fear of 45 has “forced” them to kiss the Donald’s ring. Power and preservation instincts have warped their sensibilities for what this country is really about. Power > Policy + People. Politicians these days, particularly Republicans, are more concerned with re-election and clinging to power than they are in solving problems. This zero sum politics has emerged from what Madison referred to an “impetuous vortex” (Federalist 48) and the rise of factions. On any day we can observe efforts around the country to make lies the law. We can also witness the revising of the events of January 6th as many conservatives try to sanitize the insurrection as well as their support for the violence and their support for unconstitutional election interference. If anyone within the republican caucus dares speak out they are punished.  For all of their rage against Cancel Culture, Republicans were more than happy to cancel Liz Cheney for speaking truth to power.  However, these are not the only areas in which conservatives work to sanitize and whitewash American history.

America has to honestly examine its racist legacy. However, as part of their culture war strategy to reclaim power, these same people have created a new hysteria around bothThe 1619 Project and CRT.  This hysteria has once again worked to incite a  mob that is largely ignorant about what their outage is about beyond several well worn talking points (the usual bogeymen are present - anti-American, socialists, marxists, political correctness, etc.). The wave of hysteria has washed ashore in several states that have banned both 1619 and CRT from being used in schools or in anti-racist trainings. I guess some folks really miss McCarthyism and the Red Scare. Oddly enough most of the people freaking out have not read the articles in The 1619 Project or the seminal articles of Critical Race Theory. Both projects provide a different lens by which we can examine the history and institutional systems that shaped and continue to shape the history and institutions of this country. 

Quick aside #1 - back in the day I used a version of Red Light/Green Light every time someone in my class brought up reverse discrimination or affirmative action. Actually, with affirmative action I just pointed to data that stated that the primary beneficiaries of affirmative action were middle class White women between the ages of 25 and 40. For Red Light/Green Light I had everyone on one side of a basketball court or room to start.  Then I moved a group 15 steps closer to the finish line. We played a few rounds like that and every time someone that got a head start won.  Next, I moved some of the people from the group that did not get the benefit of a head start further back. We played a few rounds like that and still someone from the groups out in front won. I then moved everyone to the privileged starting line. Sure enough some new people won and the folks who had been winning complained that it wasn’t fair. So I moved everyone back to their original positions and ran a few rounds.  The people who had been winning were winning again. While they were pleased, everyone else stewed with more anger after coming close to victory. In the final rounds I moved everyone back to the end line (or far wall) to play. Again those in the original group that got a head start felt this was unfair - that they were being cheated. This sounds vaguely familiar, but I digress.

As a recovering history geek and as someone with a degree in multicultural education I was curious about both 1619 and CRT. I have not read every article in The 1619 Project (I think I have one or two to finish) but I found what I did read interesting with well articulated ideas. When I first read CRT articles back in the early 2000s I didn’t know what to make of the theory. As a teacher I found the political and legal arguments interests but outside my window of classroom work. More recently, my thinking has evolved some to see more of a connection to school and schooling And that’s the thing - I read the work and decided for myself.  Did I (or do I) agree with everything written - no. Am I willing to listen, yes. 

Quick aside #2 - Also back in the day, during the first week of school I had my students fan out around our school building and describe how they saw the building. Everyone came back with their perspective but alone no one captured what the whole building looked like. If we put all of our perspectives together only then did we get a complete picture of what the school looked like. History is the same way. One perspective does not capture the entirety of the American experience. Yet, many conservatives are trying to legalize only one way of seeing America and criminalizing an expanded interpretation of history. POSTSCRIPT - I do recognize that this is one perspective on a large issue. I look forward to a chance to tape other perspective to my perspective to create a richer description of what’s happening.

If you read either project you will find out that neither The 1619 Project or Critical Race Theory states that it hates America or that America is evil. Neither espouse communist or socialist principles.  There is, however, some mention of how unbridled capitalism does not go well with specific groups. As my students used to say - facts. If only a limited and specific group of individuals benefits from a system that is in fact not good for those who do not benefit.   Both projects ask that we consider and explore the idea that racism, discrimination, and prejudice played a role in American history.  Honestly, this isn’t outlandish. Sorry if I don’t take the word of a White senator from South Carolina when he says America isn’t a racist country. Uh… yeah. Forgive me, but I think it is safe to say that racism (or White supremacy if you prefer) played (still plays) a significant role in American history. Listen, don’t take my word for it. Do your homework. Analyze the information. Have a conversation without someone with a different point of view. Come to your own conclusion.  Stop relying on social media and bow-tied talking heads to tell you what to think.

The cries of indoctrination represent a form of gaslighting that provides a “solution” for a “problem” that doesn’t exist in order to gain attention and power. Don’t come at me with your PC this or your woke racism bs. Save it. Those are just new shades of lipstick on the same pig you’ve been riding for decades. CRT is not anti-White.The 1619 Project is not anti-American. Neither is a form of indoctrination. If you’re against indoctrination stop punching the Pledge of Allegiance in schools. The 1776 Patriotic Education Commission crap was in fact indoctrination.  The teaching of American history has long been a form of indoctrination. The story textbooks sell is a myth used to indoctrinate millions of students with a singular version of this country’s story. Deconstructing these myths is a good thing. History has to reflect all of the stories and needs to be inclusive of a multitude of experiences. Critical thinking and analysis does not mean you’re against something or for something. It just means that someone is taking a closer look and shining a different light on a subject. Doing what Dear Leader says, because he says, that’s indoctrination. Remember, teaching does not mean telling people what to think. It means teaching people to think for themselves.  Stop gaslighting us.  

Speaking of gaslighting, let us return to the newest evolution of conservatives I mentioned earlier. A faction of Republicans have gone off the deep end. It is to the point where I don’t recognize this breed of Republican.  This faction that spews America First, WASP theories, Replacement Theory, etc. in the “media” sound more like members of the Taliban or Islamic extremists than Regan or Goldwater Republicans. Trump-ettes such as Tucker and Laura on Fox or Representatives Greene and Gaetz have manufactured a reality and created a narrative for extremists. These Radical Republicans who claim to be saving America are in fact the ones killing the American experience out of fear of losing power and anxiety around change. Now the more ‘moderate’ conservatives are forced to be bystanders to a problematic fissure in the United States. This emergent form of extremist conservatism poses more of a threat to the well being of the US than the foreign extremists they so often vilify. 

The America of the Post Truth Republican Party reflects many characteristics of Big Brother’s Oceania in 1984. Their willful acceptance of lies and constant attention seeking disinformation campaigns serve selfish interests. The sole purpose of these cowardly actions is to regain and hold on to power.  

I tell you, Winston, that reality is not external. Reality exists 

in the human mind, and nowhere else. Not in the individual 

mind... only in the mind of the Party, which is collective and 

immortal. Whatever the Party holds to be the truth, is truth. 

It is impossible to see reality except by looking through the 

eyes of the Party. (1984, p. 249)

Representative McCarthy (R- CA) sounds more and more like O’Brien; while Representative Greene (R - GA) sounds and acts more and more like Winston's neighbor and co-worker Parsons. .  They, like many others in his party, tirelessly work to convince us that 2 + 2 = 5.  When McCarthy told reporters that no one in his party believed the election was stolen is akin to O’Brien telling Winston that 2 + 2 = 5.

‘Do you remember,' he went on, 'writing in your diary, "Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four"?' 

'Yes,' said Winston.  

O'Brien held up his left hand, its back towards Winston, with the thumb hidden and the four fingers extended. 'How many fingers am I holding up, Winston?'  

'Four.' 

'And if the party says that it is not four but five -- then how many?' 

 'Four.'  

The word ended in a gasp of pain. (1984, p. 249)

 Facts no longer matter in some halls of Congress or in large swaths of this country. Senator Cruz (R - TX) and some of his buddies embrace falsehoods for political purposes while pretending it is part of some search for truth (‘Some of my constituents believe…’). These fantasy “truths” come from specific sources who spew opinion, rumor, or disinformation and claim it as fact or news. Yet consider this - you can have an opinion, but not all opinions are valid. In fact, opinions that are not supported by evidence are truisms, not opinion.  Unfortunately their gaslighting efforts have been successful. 

After the 2016 election I did not jump on the bandwagons for the Trump as Hitler, Trump as fascist, or the Trump as Big Brother comparisons. More recently, with the devolution of democracy, the willful ignoring of the increased violence towards People of Color, and the criminalization of diverse voices - I have to say, those comparisons are not far fetched. A few weeks ago in our government class we read an article that reminded people the Holocaust began not with the gas chamber but with dehumanizing hate speech from politicians. It seemed to us that the parallels between past and present were too close to ignore. 

So here it is…we can’t ignore how racism is woven into the fabric of our country, but I’m not sure we have to throw out the quilt. We can’t be afraid of what we find when we analyze our past, present, or future with new or different lenses. The impending social, cultural, political, and economic readjustment across groups doesn’t imply hatred for White folks or anti-Americanism. Like my students in the adjusted Red Light/Green Light, it just means that a small group of folks can’t control the game or the rules anymore.  Many of the people who complain about ant-racist teaching, etc love to talk about merit based this or that. Until we level the ‘playing fields’ such a notion remains stuck between a fantasy and a bad joke. We have to come to terms with our sins of omission and commission around racism and provide equitable access to social, economic, and political resources. The critics of the anti-racist teaching, trainings, etc. actually stand in the way of creating a chance for a real meritocracy to happen. 

The quest by extremist Republicans for attention, money, and control only serves their lust for power. They have abandoned democracy. Their “news” sources have as much in common with professional journalism as the WWE has in common with actual wrestling. And yet, they are either blind to the impact their actions have on our democratic institutions or have given in to their baser authoritarian instincts. Will democracy survive? Reckon it depends on if anyone on the shore notices and alerts the lifeguards or if the lifeguards can survive the destructive flailing out in the water.

Learning In The Attention Economy

Not long ago I gave up telling stories in class. Story telling used to be a great way to provide examples, build relationships, or to challenge student thinking. In recent years however, the constant interruption and questions has made it so telling stories isn’t worth it. Zoom teaching put the final nail into my story telling, which sucks. I really thought that stories helped build relationships with students. These days not too many people have the attention span to listen to a story. It bums me out a bit, but I get it - the classroom has changed and I have to make some changes as well.

Lately I’ve wrestled with an idea that compares the current distracted faux connected culture we live in to the dot com bubble bursting back in the day and how the overinflation of hollow or superficial interactions have led and will lead to a social recession.  Yes that does seem like the idea of a retro grouch who never jumped on the socials, but so many of my students and friends have over-invested in the look at me world of social media or have allowed doom scrolling to reduce them to a paralyzed shell of their former selves.  While doing some exploring I came across an op-ed piece in The New York Times (Warsel, 2.4.21) in which the author described how his brain had been hijacked by information. Over-stimulus made it so he had trouble focusing on his day to day tasks. The author realized that pretending to multitask or his distraction reflected his anxiety or inability to allocate attention. This distraction represented a search for attention and uncertainty around when to apply his limited attention.  Many people have struggled with similar issues and Warzel makes clear that all of this is due to the fact that our lives are dominated by the Attention Economy.  This idea connected with my original idea and I momentarily considered myself a genius.

Attention drives us (as individuals and groups) towards, what I consider, a trinity of human behavior - power, control, and fear. We have a reciprocal and transactional relationship with attention. Not only do we arrange our behavior to claim attention by putting things out there, but we receive and must decide how to direct our attention. Others put messages out (to get attention) and that messaging impacts the behavior of their audience. Individuals behave in ways that get them attention while simultaneously deciding what to attend to while processing incoming stimuli. Multitasking is really just a nice way to frame an inability to focus.  With all this going on, no wonder people have trouble focusing.

The emergence of the Attention Economy can be traced to the early 90s when several forces emerged that would change the framework of many lives. Perhaps the clearest sign of this shift was the emergence of cable news and the purchase of media outlets by large corporations. This new media  focused on getting viewers for advertisers. This required getting and holding peoples’ attention and diluting the quality of information provided to the viewer. In the late 90s Michael Goldhaber applied the Attention Economy to emerging trends and technologies to predict the many systems that shape the way we live our lives. Goldhaber did not coin the idea of the Attention Economy. Herbert Swan created the term to describe how attention was not only a finite resource for individuals but was also a currency and a path for individuals or groups to gain power. Goldhaber outlined how the internet would transform how people lived, shopped, and interacted. His assertions described how online living would reshape politics and advertising as well as how the rise of reality television and influencers would change our concept of celebrity.  This transformation, exacerbated by social and economic technologies,  has destabilized individuals with a constant bombardment of information, unrelenting pressure to keep up with “the Jones,” and the ever widening schism between friends and followers. I have to wonder if the Show versus Substance question is an extension of the Attention Economy. Or, more broadly perhaps, I would like to examine how the Attention Economy has impacted education and how teachers can address teaching and learning within this system.

To deconstruct the Attention Economy we have to begin with the idea that many people in America cannot escape this phenomena. The layers of attention swirling around us shape the context and situations of our lives. Individuals now seem to prefer to connect with attention than other people. This goes way beyond the notion of information overload. The economics of attention refer to the idea that attention is a finite resource. The human brain can only attend to a limited amount of stimuli and as such people must make decisions as to how they use their resources. As a commodity, people buy and sell attention everyday much like they trade stocks, etc. on Wall St. Profiting from this economy requires a relentless effort to achieve marginal gains. Attention grabbing… attention seeking… attention inequalities shape the dynamics of attention in our daily lives. 

Let’s start by looking at how the Attention Economy has impacted four areas - celebrity, social media, politics, and culminations.  I have recently weaned myself off of US Weekly magazines. How I got hooked on that magazine is a story for another day (but it does involve a sauna and some hairy old men).  For the past ten years or so I noticed that I know fewer and fewer celebrities in my US Weeklies.  My students would often be able to fill me in on what I was missing. However, more and more I noticed that the idea of celebrity has changed. It seems that these days celebrity status goes to people whose only claim to fame is extensive and effective marketing. Initially this shift began with reality television ‘stars,’ but now includes a wider range of folks from various realms of the online world. Instead of developing talent, people trying to crack into the entertainment industry now find new ways to market themselves to get the attention of industry gatekeepers.

Then we have social media as a driver of the Attention Economy. Full disclosure I do not use the socials. This is not me bashing social media, just connecting the socials to the Attention Economy. Going viral = attention gold mine… You Tube, Instagram, and Tik Tok (and all those in between) = look at me attention… Click bait = read me read me read me! The first time I had a student “addicted” to social media happened in 2004. Next came conversations with students around if followers equaled friends. After that classroom discussions focused on  if you were really friends with people who you only interacted with online. This was soon followed by student distress around issues of self related to social.  These distress around issues of self  was brought on by students comparing themselves to their peers (as well as influencers) online. NOTE: Influencer is another symptom of the Attention Economy. This layer within the Attention Economy around social media, from my perspective, has had three problematic influences: superficial interactions, faux friends, and inflated sense of self. It has also brought about the unwelcome return of self esteem pedalers. Interactions and connections online represent the most minimal level of social engagement. Liking a photo and a quick comment fills someone’s need for attention or social connection. While this is not an illusion like TSA’s performance of airport safety, these connections reflect the bare minimum of human interaction. And yet now, some hold this up as the gold standard of human engagement. All of this has led to some individuals having an overinflated sense of self - a house of cards built on attention and ego that crumbles with the slightest breeze from the Me versus You comparisons. Of course, we haven’t even begun to discuss the algorithmic nature of curated feeds and whether individuals are the consumer or product within the social media worlds.

The single term of the 45th president showed us the extremes of politics in the Attention Economy. Such politics represent a “getting attention instead of actually doing something” model of leadership. Political media used to be dominated by sound bites, now politicians can just throw something out on Twitter and call it good. The emphasis on or need for attention in politics can also be seen in the fact that several new representatives (hello GA and NC) set up their communication teams immediately and have yet to establish policy teams. Goldhaber warned way back when that politics in the Attention Economy would devolve. Instead of “nuanced policy discussions” overly simple slogans and messaging would dominate political discourse. This has come to fruition. Political leaders feel the need now to fight for their share of attention pie to remain relevant and in office. This has resulted in some individuals spewing crazy things online - the more extreme your post, the more attention one receives. Sure some of those individuals don’t really believe all of what they post, but words matter. Unfortunately this slippery slope has resulted in numerous problems as  many constituents consume, believe, and sometimes act on those extreme views.

Now, let us turn our attention to education within the Attention Economy. In terms of education the Attention Economy has impacted education in two ways. First, the practice of teaching has been impacted. Second, how students learn has changed in the Attention Economy.  I am not even going to get into the teacher at school who puts more effort into curating their Instagram feed about their teaching than their actual teaching (pretty sure every school has that teacher).  Students often bring their social media behavior into the classroom. Media shapes classroom interactions and learning on several levels.  Reality TV, YouTube, and Twitch also impact their interactions in the classroom. Let’s face it, if they have to choose how to allot their limited attention resources between something cool they streamed versus understanding the fundamental principles of Jacksonian Democracy, most students will not put their resources into their schoolwork. Students will also mimic what they see in popular media - clothes, interests, and behavior.  Students also emulate the behavior of media influencers or personalities, and  politicians by spewing out attention grabbing statements in class and in the halls. Educators can address these changes or file this behavior under “damn kids.”

In my mind, the shift towards the Attention Economy in education began in the early 2000s. This was when conversations around Show versus Substance (SvS) infiltrated my faculty meetings.  I define SvS as an effort to wow parents and the outside world with things that look cool but that only skim the surface of understanding. Part of me wants to lay some blame on Bill Nye the Science Guy who brought edutainment to new heights and killed science for many students (science sucks if your teacher can’t do all that cool stuff, right?). Unfortunately Show versus Substance was just the beginning. Now we have to consider how to maximize the knowledge constructed within the Attention Economy.

Educators have to, once again, rethink what and how to teach to adjust our methods to meet the needs of individuals who do not know how to or what to focus on in their studies. It seems the first place to start would be with teaching individuals to develop their attention economics skills. This isn’t so different from teaching people to be better consumers of information. Goldhaber suggests that people become intentional and focused on what they pay attention to every day.  He suggests people pay attention to who is generating the material that attracts their attention.  Next,  individuals must examine how their attention is being manipulated by a variety of sources. This is closely related to questioning who is curating the information you see or how your feeds are being curated by outside forces. Last, he recommends people take a hard look at what they value and allot their attention accordingly. 

Teachers have a decision to make. Do we give into the algorithmic forces of the Attention Economy and provide quick and shallow curriculum that attracts the attention of our students? Do we continue with material that attracts the attention of only a few students? Or, do we rethink things to reconstruct teaching and learning to maximize students experiences despite the Attention Economy?

Things have changed in the last 20 years. Technology has reconstructed how we live, how we process information, and how we connect (or don’t) connect the dots moment to moment.  The grown ups always question or blame youth, but these days adults rarely do any better in terms of practicing smarts and focus. Back in the day if someone spewed hollow bravado we laughed and dropped reality in their laps. Lately, when someone talks big and spews nonsense we reply by saying “Yes, Mr. Trump.” If the last two decades did not make it clear, the last four years should have driven home the fact that our world runs on Show not Substance. The quest for and rationing of attention dictates how the game is played these days in politics, celebrity, and education. Hate the game. Welcome to the Attention Economy.

What Lies Beyond

The bumper sticker I want to make would say: Fear saves. Panic kills. A blank page that needs to be filled with a coherent message intimidates many students. For me the panic was always associated with math.  Long division messed me up good in fourth grade. Junior high math crushed me. In each case, whether Ms. Khan, Mr. Lipman, or Mr Seitz, the teachers spoke and darkness clouded my thinking. Fear gave way to panic as I found myself lost in the forgein lands of long division and algebra.  If it hadn’t been for the patient encouragement of my new math tutor guiding me out of the darkness, I would have succumbed, helpless to those math demons. These instances happen all the time in school and represent frightening journeys into the academic unknown for students. In order to learn we all must explore what lies beyond our known world. However, teachers can’t just throw students into the unknown (they often do, but we’ll get to that). When educators ask students to explore what lies beyond the maps they’ve constructed of their world, we have to encourage their exploration and tether them back to what they already know. Learning requires risk and a guide.

The first time I rolled my eyes at my mother happened soon after I told her I wanted to be an explorer. She looked at me and said I explore everyday when I learn something new. My eye rolling did not go over well. In typical Mary Jo fashion, she “discussed” with me how all learning involved exploring the unknown.  Twenty some years later during a crisis intervention training, the instructor told us that an individual presents in crisis when they find themselves beyond the limits of their experience and knowledge.  So it turns out my mother might have been right. It dawned on me that crisis and learning were two sides of the same coin. 

Part of teaching involves helping students find the limits of their knowledge and to take a step or two beyond their known world (preferably without putting students into crisis). However, students often find themselves beyond the limits of their knowledge and experience alone - resulting in panic if not in the early stages of crisis. Easing them into the unknown may be more effective than throwing them into the unknown. Too often, however, teachers pressed for time throw students into the unknown and leave them to flounder and drown in uncertainty.

Listen, there’s nothing wrong with just jumping in - I learned to swim and ski that way. If you throw someone into the deep end follow up with formal and informal instruction. Many teachers, I fear, don’t have time to take this idea of students exploring their limits or the unknown seriously.  Teachers and schools often lower expectations to remove uncertainty from the process of learning.  Of course you don’t want to allow so much time to explore that you create a group of Hamlets who over think, over analyze, and become paralyzed in the possibilities.  Like many aspects of teaching, there’s a carefully crafted middle ground for each teacher to find. A good rule of thumb to keep in mind about when to end any activity - stop while people are enjoying and involved in the work (quit while you’re ahead). This way students more willingly return to that project or activity.

So how can teachers and schools support students explore what lies beyond?  Perhaps this connects to the larger question of how can we help individuals get comfortable being uncomfortable?  

In 4th grade Mrs. Khan taught us long division.  I was super excited since long division, in my mind, was what older kids did. That meant we were leaving the little kid world and joining the big league. I had basic division down so when she drew the ‘house of division’ on the chalkboard my enthusiasm must have burst a few synapses inside my head. As Mrs. Khan explained each step as she put the problem up on the board, but what I heard sounded a lot like the emergency broadcast system sounds.  I had no idea what was going on. So when it was my turn to go to the board to practice a problem in front of the class...the suffocating darkness and social anxiety paralyzed me in front of my peers.

Not long ago I tried to run my age in miles. I wanted to see what would happen when I plodded my way past the 26th mile and beyond. It seemed like a good idea at the time.  As I trained physically I prepped myself mentally. I considered the various unknowns I would deal with on the ’run.’  How would my body respond? What would hurt first?  How could I deal with the different dark moments that would inevitably cross my mind? Oddly enough, I looked forward to dealing with the many unknowns more than anything. That turned out to be a good thing. As I crossed into the 28th mile I didn’t freak out when my knee and back began to argue. At mile 33 I ran out of water. Instead of going into a self defeating funk, I thought ‘well this is going to be interesting’ and started dreaming of finding a giant puddle in which I could lay down. I finished the last 15 miles in a zombie like walk/run combination and yet felt oddly good about things.  It wasn’t pretty, but making the unknown known was gratifying.

Running into the unknown went way better than long division.  What separates the two experiences? In 4th grade I was untethered. Nothing anchored me to prior knowledge or experience. Mrs. Khan’s voice echoed across an insurmountable distance. While plodding beyond mile 26 (running is too generous) I knew I could walk when I had to. I could see my apartment for the last 24 miles. And, I knew I could call an Uber if things went really sideways. Even though I saw more snakes (4) than people (0) for the last five hours and ran out of water 15 miles from the trailhead, I never panicked. For this journey into the beyond, I remained tethered to the idea that everything would be ok one way or another.

Back when I ran a climbing program for kids, we used to shake our heads every time we heard a parent or volunteer tell a kid “there’s nothing to be afraid of” as they got stuck on a wall or rock face. Those words remain near the top of my list of “Dumb Things People Say to Kids.” Of course there was something to be concerned about. Instead of ignoring fear we embraced it and included falling practice in our curriculum.  We found that most of our students put so much energy into worrying about falling that they had little energy left to climb up anything. We created a supportive place for our students to ’fall’ in order to show them what would happen so that they could spend less energy worrying and more time pushing themselves upward.  Our falling practice provided a ‘safe’ leap into the unknown.  In both cases the individual remained tethered to their known world. Anchored to the known world individuals may be more willing to explore the unknown.

So how can educators create their own version of academic falling practice in their classroom. Rarely do I emphasize the solving phase of the educational practice equation. Too often, in my mind, people rush to name and solve issues without really understanding the issue at hand. Keep in mind that solutions are situational and specific to a group or community. However, the first step regardless of place and people is to build supportive relationships in your class. Teachers have to first work to shift the culture of learning so that taking risks and ‘failing’ are welcomed and supported behaviors within the workings of the classroom. 

Everyone can create their own way of doing this. I go about this a few different ways. Usually I add “fail spectacularly” to my classroom expectations. Then I set this expectation in my emphasis on process over outcome (grades). It’s process, process, process. If your assessments focus on the what/how of learning and not getting things ‘right’ then academic stumbles become an essential part of the process and students are less likely to be paralyzed by fear of failure. Another strategy I use is to model failure and a willingness to journey into subjects or ideas in which I am not all that familiar.  If I can show students what exploring what lies beyond looks like, more students are willing to go there themselves.

We all can do more to help students check out what lies beyond. Students (and teachers) often resist learning new skills or exploring unfamiliar topics. Many teachers have the same struggles. Learning involves a combination of major shifts and incremental changes in intellectual development. It would be great if we could all see ‘the unknown’ as an opportunity and not as a crisis. Students who panic when confronting new material that challenges their limits of understanding often shut down and remain in the comfy confines of their known world. Our job as educators involves  helping each student break down their limits and become competent explorers of their world. 

Full Metal Learning

Last year my students wanted to make a marketing video for do.think.learn that makes fun of the videos that their previous Heads of Schools had posted on YouTube.  I want to call it Full Metal Learning.  Our video would be part satire and part music video. What, you may ask, does Full Metal Learning mean? Well, it has taken me some time to figure that out.  

In the Before Time, at a bike race, my friend Peter suggested that I rebrand do.think.learn with the moniker Full Metal Learning. This intrigued me.  However, it took me the seventeen hour drive home and some quality shelter in place time to start forming in my mind what Full metal learning would mean.   The term is a play on full metal jacket. It refers to a type of bullet (hard on the outside, soft on the inside) as well as a slightly disjointed Vietnam War movie. Ammunition is not my area of expertise, but I do like a good curmudgeon.  To know what a Full Metal Learning school included, we started with music. This helped, but to get the process really going, I turned to Liverpool FC of the English Premier League to generate some coherent ideas.

In trying to understand what this concept might include,  and after doing some digging into heavy metal music and English football, potential elements of Full Metal Learning include:

• A Do It Yourself ethos (DIY)

• An In Your Face attitude

• Focus

• Organization 

• Self-Awareness

I’m not really into metal, but I have an open mind. Metal, like the many different types of students, is a diverse genre of music. Some students are more Metallica, some are Primus, a few resemble Korn, and the ones who are too smart for their own good rep Tool. A good chunk of middle schoolers would go Icelandic full death metal if given the chance. Others would go more hiphop metal. This all got me thinking about two things. First, how often do teachers step outside their cottage of knowledge and learn from their students? Second, how does the underlying ethos of metal connect to learning and schooling? This essay focuses mostly on the second point.

A few years ago I learned about mumble rap, auto tune, as well as all the Lils and Uzzis in the rap/hiphop world.  More recently my students have taught me about metal.  Slowly I have learned about the thrash and death metal genres. I had no idea the full scope and diversity of metal in the world.  Chris Tilyou introduced me to Black Sabbath in 5th grade. Jeff Sands cranked Iron Maiden and early Metallica before football games.  Brett at Stone Gardens blasted Scandanavian death metal during Sunday night closing.  Now my students have me listening to Lamb of God, Sepultura, Alien Weaponry, and Gojira. We’ve discussed the similarities between punk and metal; how in some ways punk evolved into metal after punk sold out; the nexus of hip hop and metal (Bodycount, etc.); and the San Francisco funk/metal scene (wait Primus is a metal band?). I don’t know if I was ignorant or just lacked appreciation for the scope and nuances of metal?  Well, I’m starting to get it.

My favorite English football teams are Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. I also have a soft spot for Watford but that’s not important now.  Both of those teams played a heavy, in your face style of soccer.  In the early 80s when the Juelis family would watch Forest or Liverpool matches at the dinner table if our black and white set could get the UHF signal to work. This was perhaps the heyday of heavy metal football in England, which makes sense in a historical context.  The Thatcher years destroyed many socioeconomic groups in England. In the UK and America punk and metal emerged in response to Thatcher and Reagan’s destruction of cities, opportunities, and the middle class). There was no shortage of angst. Football and  music provided outlets for many folks. Fast forward 20+ years to when Jurgen Klopp arrived at Meyerside as the new coach at Liverpool, he stated that he “likes things loud” on the pitch and described his team’s style as “heavy metal football.”  At the time this was what Liverpool needed to do to shake up their football culture and force their way into the minds of other teams. Heavy Metal Football emphasizes  an active in your face style designed to rattle the opponent and engage the players in a system. Liverpool used this system to force their opponents into making mistakes thus setting up a counter attack.  This system of play (like the music), also requires focus, organization, and stamina to stay on top of things.  It also requires high levels of self-awareness and systems thinking. These characteristics bridge heavy metal music and soccer with Full Metal Learning.

As it turns out, the thrash or death metal I gravitate towards reminds me of punk bands I like (loud, fast, and sort of organized).  The mix of the DIY let’s make it happen mixed with a bit of F@$k you does not appear in my marketing material. Yet many parents are looking for something different for their students. And many of us wouldn’t mind kicking unresponsive school systems in the pants. I never really thought of do.think.learn as kicking the education system in the giblets, but I kind of like the idea. 

Our DIY approach means a “let’s shake things up” attitude that is rather appealing to us do.think.learners.  do.think.learn is definitely a DIY learning environment. We have an office - a workplace among other professionals. School is our workplace. Students take on the responsibility of getting their work done and handling their various responsibilities.  There is no hand holding. We set big goals and provide oodles of support to enable students to work towards their goals. We like a  blend of independence, support, and reflection around what works/doesn’t work. Students have to organize their day and their due dates. Our school day is often a choose your own adventure schedule. I communicate goals, due dates, and daily responsibilities each morning.  Students, either get done or don’t get it done. Either way the show goes on.  

This in your face mindset also reflects our attitude towards schooling and the education system in general. My students don’t fit the cookie cutter most schools use to determine success. They’re smart, attentive, and curious, but the system doesn’t work for them or has cast them aside. So a good way to motivate students like this is to tap in to their resentment against the system. The in your face attitude does not pertain to how I interact with students.  I’m rarely in their face, just in their business. Since there are never more than five students enrolled in DTL, by proximity (even during shelter in place) I’m in their business quite a bit. Proximity in a micro-school seems way better than being lost in the shuffle of 32 other kids in a class. 

Full metal teaching and learning requires focus, organization, self-awareness, and organization. These however, are not strengths of the average middle or high schooler. Schools have to create a framework for learning that values and fosters these skills.  Getting students to focus has become more and more problematic.  Some of that problem is on students (or at least the impact of technology on them). Much more of that issue is the fault of schools. Are we, as teachers, expecting all students to focus the same way? Deliberate practice is not the only pathway to mastery. Perhaps we can expand our notion of what focus looks like as well.  Are we expecting students to focus (or care) when they get talked at or have to learn outdated material?  Maybe schools could do more to give students a reason to focus and care. For me, as  long as students do not disrupt things and take care of business, that is all that matters.

Developing organization systems and skills remains  problematic for most middle schoolers and a good many high schoolers.  Part of that is developmental and part of that we can attribute to systems thinking.  Systems thinking is another problematic area for middle and high schoolers. And again part of this is developmental, but schools can do more to help foster these skills. My preference is for students to create their own systems to organize their time, their things, and their work.  If and when those systems break down, then we can address the issue and create new systems.  Students seem to invest more in this method than being told how to organize their lives (although some do like being told what to do). My guess is that most middle school students have had it with being told how to do things or instructed on the ‘right way’ to do things and just want to do things their way. Understanding cause and effect, trends, and how facts or actions relate to one another takes practice. I once watched a 9th grader spend 20 minutes trying to figure out how to get cereal out of the box. As teachers we can create opportunities for students to develop systems thinking or better understand cause and effect (hello natural and logical consequences).  This is where outdoor ed, gardening, and cooking experiences come in handy. Experiential learning or any set up that uses natural and logical consequences can help build systems thinking.  Provide opportunities for students to have a meaningful say or control over how things play out and hold them accountable. Let them do it their way. If it works, great. If it doesn’t, no worries (unless it involves feeding large groups…). Either way reflect on the situation so that they know what worked, what didn’t, and why.  This helps build effective systems and systems thinking. 

Self awareness represents the last piece of heavy metal football and learning. Students have to understand that the world doesn’t revolve around them; or at least, that their actions create a ripple effect on the people around them. Individual actions have consequences. On the soccer pitch in the Liverpool scheme players are linked to the actions of their mates. On stage, the bass player is linked to the drummer, who is in turn tied to what guitar and singer does.  If one person blows their assignment or isn’t paying attention, everyone has to cover for that lapse. The same thing happens in schools and at jobs. This is a skill that is actually transferable from school to life on the outside. Unfortunately, too many people walk around clueless and ignorant of how they impact the world right in front of them. Maybe we start with taking out the ear buds and going beyond the gated communities social media has created and recognize the interconnectedness of our lives. Getting students to understand how their actions impact their peers and the community might be another uphill battle, but the payoff would be huge. Schools can help students to minimize their impact or even change their impact on the world.  Schools can do this. Let’s face it, addressing these issues will have a greater impact on more students’ lives than anything Algebra 2 has to offer them. 

Do we rep Full Metal Learning? Not sure. Of the five criteria (a DIY ethos, In Your Face attitude, Focus, Organization, and  Self-Awareness), traditional schooling would embrace three of them for sure (Sorry DIY and in your face are usually frowned upon).  In the last few years DTL has looked at our punk roots, our hip hop credentials, and now the full spectrum of metal out there. We reflect all of those genres of music and maybe none of them. However, each of those families of music has a student who reacted against the status quo and lost faith in the system.  I don’t know if my students really feel that way. I do know they want to get away from the bloated overproduction of schools.  Do they want to kick the school system in the giblets? Doubt it. However, most days they’d settle for kicking me for not letting them settle. At do.think.learn we, as individuals and a group,  will use this Full Metal Learning mindset to create our future.. 

Violence is the Answer

In college my intellectual history requirements were taught by a professor named Marvin. On the first day of class Marvin told us that all thought was a violent act. Ideas, information, and learned behavior all represented acts of violence within the brain. Individuals, he believed, carved knowledge into their  brain and that without these inscriptions they had difficulty holding on to or repeating that knowledge. Thus, thinking and learning required violence.

AUTHOR’S NOTE:  This article is not advocating physical violence. The question of if/when physical violence is necessary is one for another day (and preferably offline). 

Now we know that this isn’t exactly true. Learning and the development of skills reflects the wrapping of neural circuitry with myelin (check out The Talent Code for extended discussion). However, I don’t think Marvin was too far off.  There’s something to the idea. If nothing else, thinking represents a habit and all habits are ingrained behavior. 

Thinking may not require violence per se, but it does require some physicality. Students who use pen and pencil to write down notes retain more than those who type up their research or lecture notes. Reading comprehension increases when a text is actually read instead of being consumed on a device. I catch a lot of grief for it, but I require students to hand write all of their notes during the research process. I also provide books for all in class readings. Again not violent, but you’ve got to earn it to learn it.

Most educational experiences lack physicality.  By that I mean that, by and large, most schools  do not teach students to think. Instead, teachers spend most of their time telling students what the right answer is and how to spew answers on tests. Students really just have to go through the motions of learning. Much like TSA is the performance of security at the airport, schools perform elaborate educational theater. 

Now the country reckons with parents and students who never learned how to think, to critically analyze ideas, and make decisions for themselves. The results of this can be found in various workplaces and political spheres around the country. In many fields, employers struggle to find people who can examine information, problem solve  and adapt to dynamic situations. Politicians and their respective disciples whine about indoctrination in schools (usually right before they suggest their own indoctrination program). Now, I don’t know that the purpose of learning is solely to get a good job, but school should prepare you to succeed outside of school. And to those people who clamor about indoctrination and can’t move beyond a headline, I say, “Lighten up Francis.”

A teacher helps a student learn to think. We support and facilitate the development of an array of skills across the grades. Teachers help students find information, deconstruct facts or evidence, and reconstruct those ideas in a variety of situations. My job is not to teach your student what to think. My job is to teach your kid to think for themself. 

I used to give bonus points to students who disagreed with me. The only catch was that they had to support their claims with facts and you could calmly discuss the issue. In my classes you can hold whatever perspective you want under two conditions - that you have evidence to support your position and the understanding that your opinion might be wrong.  Students (like adults) should have evidence and be able to provide a reasonable explanation of their claims. When this happens, we can then use class time to hold all perspectives up to a bright light and pull apart various ideas. In the end we don’t have to agree. However, the act of wrestling with ideas makes all of us stronger thinkers.

The other junior high in Westfield had engraved above the main doors the words, I think, therefore I am. Descartes’ words seemed to me an odd choice for that school considering my friends who went there. However, Descartes had the right idea. Our students can change the world. However, if they never learn to think, they will become nameless cogs in the machine.  Going through the motions is fine at the gym, but it has no place in education. For too long too many schools have ascribed to convenience and comfort in education. As a result, students can pass tests but can’t think. 

This does not bode well for the future. Thinking requires some physical labor and too often we let people off the hook or punish those who do ask questions.  If thinking represents a violent act, then maybe violence is the answer.

Columbus Day vs Indigenous Peoples' Day

The students of do.think.learn worked together this week to craft a statement on whether or not we should celebrate Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples’ Day. I’m pretty psyched about their research and collaboration in putting this together.

Their statement reads as follows:

We should definitely not celebrate Columbus Day. Christopher Columbus represents European colonization and slavery. He was selfish and killed people. He pretty much popularized colonization on indigenous people’s lands. The indigenous people are the originators of the locations we live on. Columbus’s evil ways encouraged more colonizations and mass murder. For example- when the Spanish colonized/conquered the Aztec’s land. Hernan Cortes, the Spanish leader, took many of the Aztecs hostage and used his mistress (La Malinche) to manipulate the Aztec leader (Montezuma). Later the Spanish colonized California and the tribes of Los Angeles such as the Chumash and the Tongva. We should celebrate the indigenous people and individuals like Bartolome de Las Casas. He was originally a jerk like Columbus, who changed. He sold his land, freed his slaves, and spoke out against people who treated indigenous people poorly. Instead of taking a day to appreciate an evil European colonizer, we should take a day to appreciate the people that were here before us.