Shanghai's Improvement Plan for Schools

Portrait of a Young Global Citizen

By Wayne Russell

Meet Andrew, a 13 year young man. When I first met him he was four turning five. We met in Shanghai, China: He a kindergarten student, I his teacher. Now Andrew is about to enter 8th grade. With the help of technology and a relationship with his parents I have stayed in touch. What motivated me to write this piece is two-fold. One, I am excited to reunite with Andrew and his family this summer (His family still lives in Shanghai). Two, his mother recently posted a short video clip of him playing his ukulele (He also plays the piano and guitar very well).

When I think of Andrew, I think "global citizen." Andrew was born in the United States and then at the age of three he and his family relocated to China. During their stay in Asia, Andrew has also lived in Vietnam for one and a half years. While is Vietnam Andrew became fluent in Vietnamese, a language that has two more tones than Chinese's four. In addition to his Chinese being pretty good, he is currently learning a fourth language, Tagalog. Tagalog is spoken as a first language by a third of the population of the Philippines.

One day Andrew will enter the workforce with a number of competitive skills. He will not only speak more than his mother tongue, English, but he will be well experienced in working with people from all around the world (He attends a quasi-international school with classmates from many different countries). Andrew will know how to communicate with people with vastly different cultural and family backgrounds and will be able to work through problems when perspectives are night and day.

Andrew will be a well-prepared and competitive citizen in our ever-expanding global economy. I look forward to following one of our future leaders.

Make it a great day or not, the choice is yours.

Cheers!

enCOURAGE change

By Wayne Russell, M.Ed.


CHANGE: a word that can hurt or heal. What I am learning about change, and more specifically change in schools, is that change may be inevitable, but it is never just ABC, 123. Change in schools is a process and not an overnight switch from old to new. I have learned through personal experience that before you can really plan change in a school, you first need to develop TRUSTING relationships that always seek to ENCOURAGE. Teachers must trust that change will not be implemented without whole-hearted support, and that they will be consistently encouraged throughout the process of change.

A few months before our wedding Misty proposed a plan for me to loose some weight.  The way in which she supported me was by encouraging us to share entrees at restaurants, to order water instead of sodas, and to walk together more.  A foundation of trust was built as I learned that she truly supported her proposals. She was more than talk (I ended up loosing 50 pounds within one year).

In a school, you cannot force change. You describe a new way of doing something and then you explain what you will do to support teachers along the journey.  What you will do for them today, tomorrow, next week, and in a few months time.  The appearance of your support may change, but your support never ends. You cannot "take a break" from supporting something you care deeply about. Taking a break from offering support will quickly erode trust.

In terms of encouragement, we all have bad days and bad weeks. I think of my exercise experiences.  My most successful experience was while I was teaching in Shanghai several years ago.  The reason I consistently worked out was largely because my gym partner gave constant encouragement. He encouraged me to not give up and to hang in there. Major life change is not easy, it takes grit, and if you don't have someone offering encouragement throughout the process, meaningful change will most likely be stifled.

Teachers are some of the hardest working people you will meet. They arrive early, they work while eating lunch, they stay late, and they often take work home.  A 60 hour work week is not unheard of in the teaching field. If teachers come to school day after day learning to expect little encouragement for the hard work they are doing, they will soon find another avenue to gain encouragement. Ultimately resulting in their passion for teaching dwindling and a few years later they may decide to switch to a career where their skills and hard work are appreciated and encouraged.

There are so many different educational programs that schools can decide to pursue. A school can literally change programs every month for at least a decade and there will still be more programs available. The  wide array of options reminds me of walking down the cereal isle in a large supermarket.  So many choices, not enough time and money to try them all.  The skillful leader knows how to discern between good and great programs but also realizes that PEOPLE are more important than PROGRAMS.

Ultimately, change takes COURAGE.  It is not for the meek. Go change the world, one child at a time.

Make it a great day or not, the choice is yours.

Somethings Never Change: My Thoughts as a Teenager

Sorry!  This post has found a new home HERE.

 

Mindful Eating

Sorry! This post has found a new home HERE.

Schools, Playgrounds and Libraries of the Future

This is truly amazing! Brace yourself for two dozen photos of schools, playgrounds, and libraries from around the world. Misty and I have developed a very creative design for a school one day, and looking through these gives us further inspiration. Be amazed! Here is the link.  Enjoy! http://www.fastcoexist.com/1679909/8-insane-schools-playgrounds-and-libraries-of-the-future

Think Outside the Bubble

Image credit: verita-group.com

By Wayne Russell
6/9/2012

Texas state assessment results are in!  After a solid three months of testing and patiently waiting, the last batch of results were released this past week.

In the words of a Texas Education Agency (TEA) spokesperson, “I think those numbers are very sobering." She was specifically referring to 9th grade student performance on the new End-of-Course exams.

When 9th grade scores were judged against the state’s final performance standards, which will be in effect in 2016, the passing rate in biology was a "sobering" 41 percent.  In English writing, a disappointing 34 percent!

The following statement from state Republican Mike Villarreal captures my feelings after looking at the results.  “We need to tone down the obsession with test scores and test preparation. It's hard to know if a low score is the result of a student having a bad day or if a high score is the result of a teacher putting aside enriching lessons and just teaching to the test.”  I have always believed that strong engaging lessons will result in extremely high scores.  We may want to offer our students a test-taking strategy such as eliminating wrong answers, but if our whole school year or spring semester is consumed with test prep, we set our students back in life.

How can we connect these sobering results with global education?

If children are going to survive and thrive in a global workforce, they will need to navigate many new and different problems. To successfully master their global world, they will need to be able to think through these problems, not merely choose A, B, C, or D.  Global citizens will not be able to merely pull answers from their knowledge bank to answer simple questions like, "What is the smallest unit of life?"  They will need to be able to analyze problems, and determine how to creatively apply what they know to the novel situation.

Let's decide to raise and educate our children to think outside the bubble.

What are you wondering now?

For practical ideas on developing citizens who can think, CLICK HERE.

Don't EVER discipline children!

I just read an email from my friends at Love and Logic. They made a great point in their correspondence. When we are in discipline-mode we can loose our emotions in the interaction. We get upset with the child and their wrong behavior. This type of reaction doesn't usually lead to long-term behavior change and often damages our relationship with the child.

Instead, we should always be in a teaching-mode. Yes, we teach academics, but we also teach responsibility and respect. When we go into a situation with this attitude we remain calm and we get sad instead of mad. Children are more likely to respond positively to this type of response and the relationship is strengthened because you treated them with dignity and respect.

Happy teaching and cheers!

Global Classroom Resources for Middle and High Schools (1st Edition)

Most of these resources include teacher instructions and student materials.

The World at 7 Billion (Math)

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/teachers/lessonplans/math/july-dec11/population_10-28.html

What Does Lady Gaga’s Asia Tour Say About the Global Economy? (Economics, Global Studies)

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/arts/jan-june12/gaga_05-14.html

Obama Visits India, World’s Second-Fastest Growing Economy (Economics, Global Studies)

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/world/july-dec10/obamaasia_11-09.html

Blind Chinese Activist Is Center Of China-U.S. Diplomatic Crisis (Global Studies)

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/world/jan-june12/china_05-03.html

Attack on Girls School Marks Pivotal Moment for Women in Afghanistan (Global Studies)

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/world/jan-june12/afghanistan_04-30.html

China’s Economy (Government, Economics, Global Studies; High School Specific)

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/teachers/lessonplans/world/chinaupdate.html

Why is North Korea Going it Alone?  (Government, World History, Global Studies; High School Specific)

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/teachers/lessonplans/world/nkorea_10-14.html

For more PBS lessons, visit: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/

Culture and Globalization Units/Lessons

http://www.globalization101.org/culture-5/

Global Citizenship Unit

http://www.globalization101.org/education-5/

Observing Physical and Cultural Landscapes (Social/Global Studies; Middle School Specific)

http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/activity/observing-physical-and-cultural-landscapes/?ar_a=1

East Asia Country Project (Government, Economics, Social Studies; Middle School Specific)

http://www.outreachworld.org/resource.asp?curriculumid=1132

South Africa: Overcoming Apartheid, Building Democracy (World History, Social Studies; High School Specific)

http://www.outreachworld.org/resource.asp?curriculumid=1243

For more Outreach World resources, visit: http://www.outreachworld.org/searchresources.asp

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Expat

Image credit: women-unlimited.co.uk

By Wayne Russell

I grew up in Apartheid South Africa, obtained my higher education in Capitalist U.S.A. and will again educate in Communist China.

With our move to China, it is becoming evident that three countries have become pivotal in the shaping of my worldview. 18 years in South Africa, 12 years in the U.S., two years and counting in China.  Three very different countries and cultures that continue to influence how I view the world and the people in it.

This will be the first time that we as a family unit will be living outside of Texas.  Although Misty has spent 20+ weeks in South Africa over the past six years, and Livia has crossed the Atlantic ocean two times already, this is the first time we will be relocating abroad.  We will no longer be in overseas vacation-mode. Together, we will have to move through the four stages of culture shock.  We cannot live like we will only be overseas for a few weeks.  We will truly discover how to do life in a foreign land as a family.

If triple-citizenship was allowed, our family would probably one day carry three passports: U.S.A., South Africa, and China.  I recently obtained my U.S. citizenship and am absolutely enjoying it.  Being more involved in the fabric of society by practices like voting is educating me what it truly means to be a citizen of a country.  Although I don't see myself voting in a Chinese election any time soon, for multiple reasons, I do see myself being actively involved in a Chinese society.  What does being a citizen in China mean?  This is something that I didn't really reflect upon when I first lived there.  I hope to consider this question more this time in China.

What does the future hold?  Great opportunities.  The challenge is knowing which opportunities to whole-heartily pursue and which to place to the side, at least temporarily.

Cheers!

Raising Citizens Who Can Think

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By Wayne Russell

My recent post, Think Outside the Bubble, inspired me to post some practical ideas on raising global citizens who can think.  Here is my attempt to make us think about interactions with children.

• Ask children to explain their thinking when they finish a math problem.
• Ask students questions that build thinking skills. Don't steal an opportunity away from a child by doing all the thinking for them.
• Follow up a child's question with another question that encourages them to think.  Keep their minds busy.  Ask instead of tell!

"The more questions we ask, the better thinkers our kids will become." - Love and Logic

Here is a little Love and Logic:

Love and Logic encourages families and educators to try some of the following questions:

• "I don't know. What do you think?"
• "Are you sure that's the best idea?"
• "How do you think that's going to work out for you?"
• "Would you like to hear what some other kids have tried?"
• "Do you think that's going to work out well or ________?"
• "What do you think you are going to do?"
• "Which one of these is the best solution to your problem?"
• "Do you have enough money to pay for any possible damage?"
• "Is that a wise decision?"

What are you wondering now?

Two Year Olds And a Guitar

Engaged kids

I have spent my mornings this week with 18 two years olds.  We had a blast!  I wrote earlier this week about our fun pretzel experiment.

Each morning while the kids are dropped off, there inevitably are about three kids that cry and are very upset about being "abandoned" by their Mommies. What has worked extremely well is pulling out my guitar and strumming a few tunes.  Almost instantaneously the room quiets and the crying quickly ends.

Lesson: Kids love music.  If you play an instrument, use it a lot with your kids (at home and at school).

Food Drunk aka Don't Plan a Training For Right After Lunch!

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A friend recently posted on Facebook asking for ideas on how to teach adult learners.  I immediately remembered a document that one of my mentors gave me while I was an instructional coach (basically an in-house school leader who does professional development with teachers in small and large groups).  Here are a few ideas for adult learners that jumped out when I looked over the document again.  I needed this refresher as I develop teacher trainings for new and returning teachers at my new school this August.

1.) Don't plan a training for right after lunch.  The first hour after lunch is the hardest time for adults to learn (Eric Jensen).

2.) Give adult learners the opportunity to do a Quick Write.  This is something I have always done with students. Give them a Post-It note and two minutes to summarize what they have just learned.  Adults who do not summarize their learning lose it within one hour (Bob Garmston).

3.) Adults must understand the relevance ("The Why") to their new learning (Garmston). I always tried to start my student lessons with discussing why it was important for them to learn a particular concept.  It created a level of buy-in.

4.) The average adult forgets 25% within one hour and forgets 85% within one week (Bob Pike).  Make the subject matter relevant and practical!

5.) Adults need a break about every 50 - 60 minutes (Jensen).  Try elevating your elbow above your heart for 10 seconds. It refreshes the circulatory system.  Just like kids, adults need brain breaks too.

What are you wondering now?


Source: Texas Staff Development Council

95 Pounds of Hope

Image credit: fantasticfiction.co.uk

The main character in this children’s book is Gregory Dubosc, a 13-year-old French boy. Gregory is no match for the standard school system. He has been held back twice, expelled, and labeled ADD. No schools in Gregory’s town will accept him.

The standard school system does not give Gregory much hope for his future. He has no outlet for his passion – inventing and building things. Gregory’s hope is slowly restored as his grandfather cultivates Gregory’s passion to create. His happiest moments are when he is with Grandpa Leon in his workshop.

Gregory’s dream of using his hands is finally realized when he is accepted into a prestigious vocational school outside his town.

Lessons from this story:

• Children need mentors in their lives to encourage them towards their dreams.
• All students differ. There is no cookie cutter way to do school.

What are you wondering now?

Pretzel Experiment

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Do you remember learning about the Stanford Marshmallow Experiment in a intro to psychology class?  Today, I did a similar experiment with 18 two year olds.  We had some extra pretzels from a craft activity and the kids REALLY wanted to eat the leftover pretzels. So we sat the kids around the snack tables, explained that we will give each child one pretzel.  We went on to explain that if they could keep the pretzel on their table without eating it for two minutes, we would give them a second pretzel.

The results:

• The first pretzel was eaten by a child within 5 seconds of starting the clock (He had already eaten about 10 pretzels during the craft activity).
• Of the 18 kids, about 12 could NOT resist the temptation and ate their pretzel before the two minutes was up.
• Of the six students that resisted the urge, four were girls.  Yes, and of the entire class of 18 kids, there were only four girls.  So go girls (My daughter was one of them - Proud Dad!)

What are you wondering now?

Offering Choices

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We spoke earlier this week about sharing control with children by offering them choices.  Now, both choices must make you "deliriously happy." Do not offer one choice you like and one that you don't particularly prefer.  Children will quickly sense which choice you don't like and will invariably go with it (Fay & Funk, 1995).

Here are some great examples of simple choices that will influence a child's cooperation and self-esteem:

• "Would you guys rather wear your jackets out to recess, or would you rather carry them?"
• "This assignment needs to completed this week. Would you rather make the deadline Thursday or Friday? It's up to you."
• "Today you have you choice of working alone or with a friend. You decide."
• "Would you rather play by the rules, or learn about the game by watching the others play? Let me know what you think."
• For parents, "Do you want to go to your room with your feet touching the ground or not touching the ground?" Our daughter is very familiar with this one.

More great examples of choices in the classroom: Page 154 in Teaching with Love and Logic.

Now, when you really need to make a call on something without giving kids a choice, you can say something like, "I usually give you guys lots of opportunities to choose and make your own decisions, right? I do, don't I? Now it is my turn to make a choice. I need everyone to..." Giving choices throughout the day lessens kickback when you have to make a tough/quick decision.

Offering choices sends three clear messages:
1.) I respect you.
2.) You are able to make choices that are in your best interest.
3.) You can think for yourself.

Make it a great day or not, the choice is yours!

Cheers!
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Pick up your own copy of Teaching with Love and Logic by Fay and Funk.  You will not be disappointed.

Delay Consequences

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Love and Logic Skill: Delay Consequences

Discipline Myth: When students break the rules, consequences must follow immediately.

The reverse is actually true, consequences do not need to immediately follow the misbehavior.  Consider the following teacher response:

"This kind of talk is not acceptable in this classroom.  I'm going to have to do something about that. I don't know what it will be because I'm busy teaching right now. I'll let you know what I decide in the morning. Don't worry about it tonight."

Here are the many benefits of delaying the consequence:

• You buy yourself time to think of an appropriate natural consequence instead of quickly assigning a generic punishment.  You have time to discuss consequences with colleagues and friends.
• You have time to cool off and avoid speaking out in frustration.
• The student will most likely be in a better emotional state when you share the consequence.
• You can get back to teaching quicker.
• You play a little reverse psychology with the student.  That last line ("Don't worry about it tonight.") will have the reverse effect.  It will cause the student to worry about what the consequence will be.
• IMPORTANT: You have to follow-though with the sharing a consequence. If not, you loose your credibility and your talk becomes cheap.

Pick up a copy of Teaching with Love and Logic by Fay and Funk.  You will not be disappointed.

A Powerful Weapon

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In the words of my country's ultimate leader, "Education is the most powerful weapon, which you can use to change the world." - Nelson Mandela

My Personal Statement

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By Wayne Russell
11/30/2011

Hope is weaved throughout my story. I trace the beginning of my ethos of hope to an overseas trip my parents sacrificially saved for. When I was eleven years old I left the Southern Hemisphere for a six-week ‘field trip’ through Europe, the United States and Canada. It was a trip of a lifetime for a small town boy from Africa. The world was officially opened for exploration. If my parents did not show me a world beyond my own, I would have never known that there was more to hope for. My life experiences have made me passionate about giving students experiences beyond their world to convince them that possibilities are endless.

As a child my parents always encouraged me to dream big and to look beyond my current situation. This was powerfully modeled by my parents a few years after taking our six-week ‘field trip’: My father faced unemployment for two and a half years. Throughout this difficult period my parents remained positive and kept looking upward and onwards. Hope for a better future was our daily medicine.

As I approached my high school graduation my parents encouraged me to aim high. My dream was to travel overseas to attend college. I knew this would be no easy feat and would require determination and grit. My parents were unable to financially support an international college education, but they fully supported my big thinking. We planned numerous fundraising activities before my departure. These included garage sales, in which we received the full support of our community with families contributing all their unwanted goods; late-night vanilla fudge-making for friends; and my favorite, an all-out country and western dance and dinner in which ticket sales went towards my overseas college education.

Once I arrived in the U.S. for college I immediately began working and continued working through all my undergraduate and graduate studies. I took full advantage of summer, fall, winter, and spring breaks to work extra hours. I continued to apply what I learned throughout my childhood: hard work and determination. I was the first in my family to graduate from college. Hope mixed with hard work and determination is a recipe for making the impossible possible.

Hope and Education

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By Wayne Russell
6/3/2012

My philosophy that hope and education are weaved together began during my graduate studies.  My thesis project was about how children need a sense of hope in order for great learning to take place.  If children do not have a healthy level of hope that their future will be good, the level of energy they place in their education will be affected.  Whereas children with a healthy amount of hope will work hard towards realizing their dreams.

One of my favorite authors on education, Dr. Ruby Payne, pointed me to a great study on hope and poverty.  The study found that "an absence of hope" had helped keep people in poverty.

The study in essence monitored the effects of a program that assisted people in West Bengal with a basic need.  The people in West Bengal needed a way to pull in greater financial resources.  By helping meet this need, the people began "eating 15% more, earning 20% more each month and skipping fewer meals than people in a comparison group." The program began giving people hope that their present lives could be different.

Education is a basic need. Yes, we need water, food, and shelter, but we also need a good education.  Water, food and shelter minus a good education will keep a person alive, but will do little to erase the root cause of no water, no food, no shelter: Lack of good educational opportunities.

We need people to go into countries with poor educational options, to give children an education that will brighten their opportunities, and to ultimately give them hope.

What will you do to help?
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To learn more about the West Bengal study, visit... http://www.freakonomics.com/2012/05/23/hope-and-poverty/

Neutralize Arguing

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Love and Logic Skill: Neutralize Arguing

One of my all-time favorite Love and Logic lines is described below.

The situation: A student is trying to argue with you.

You calmly say, "I argue at 7:15 and 4:15 daily. What's best for you?" (I always pick times that are inconvenient for the student i.e., before or after school, or during lunch or recess).

The student will probably reply with something like, "But..."

You quickly respond back, "Let me know what you decide."

You then turn and walk away.

Try it sometime. Works like magic to neutralize arguing.

Students Experiencing the World

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By Wayne Russell

The following quote clearly explains the relevance of our students becoming global citizens: “U.S. high school graduates will: Sell to the world; buy from the world; work for international companies; manage employees from other cultures and countries; collaborate with people all over the world in joint ventures; compete with people on the other side of the world for jobs and markets; and tackle global problems, such as AIDS, avian flu, pollution, and disaster recovery. We need to open global gateways and inspire students to explore beyond their national borders.” Vivien Stewart, Becoming Citizens of the World, Educational Leadership.

I am reminded of a group of teachers in my previous school.  The students they serve are almost all low-income students.  These students have very few cultural experiences, let alone cross-cultural experiences.  With both parents often working long hours, they rarely get opportunities to visit local museums, art galleries, or historical landmarks.

One Friday this past school year a group of students experienced something they may never experience again.  They experienced Chinese culture firsthand.  China came to their classrooms.  A group of Chinese students were traveling through Dallas and they built a few hours into their schedule to visit our school.  They were students from an all-girls school in Beijing.  They brought artifacts and activities, taught students both spoken and written Chinese, and entertained with beautiful Chinese songs.  Our seven year old students were 100% engaged and excited.  They experienced something that doesn't enter their world very often: Diversity.  When these students reach adulthood, they will remember the day when a group of Chinese girls visited their classrooms.

This group of self-starting globally-passionate teachers has built a program in their classrooms called the Global Awareness Program (GAP).  They line up several visitors to speak to their students about life across our borders.  I had the privilege of sharing South African customs and culture with them past year.  In addition, they learned about life in Belize, Germany, and even Louisiana (Yes, Louisiana is a foreign country for me and others.  I need to someday visit the great state).  I am so excited students who get to experience new things and new ways of living.  The foundation is being laid for global citizenship.

Teachers could also invite international students from nearby universities to visit their classrooms.  These international students could read a book to your students, join an end-of-semester class party, or simply answer fascinating student questions.  Be creative.  I remember talking about South Africa a number of years ago in a third grade class.  They were fascinated by the artifacts I showed them and their questions were also very entertaining.

You can also bridge gaps between countries and cultures with technology.  Establish a relationship between your classroom and a classroom in another part of the world.  Have your students record short three to five minute video clips in which they describe a "A day in the life of American children." Upload them onto a service such as Vimeo and sent your partner-classroom the link and password for privacy protection.  Encourage them to send videos back with questions they have about life in your country.  Remember to also have your students ask questions for them to respond to.  "What is your favorite food?" "What do you normally do over the weekend?" "What sports do you play?" If you can work around timezones, you could arrange a live video conversation with another classroom via Skype.

We can also take our students to the world. One school is Atlanta, The Ron Clark Academy, is passionate about taking their students overseas. They have taken trips to places like Japan, France, and South Africa.  I have always dreamed of taking all 5th graders, 8th graders and 12th graders overseas for an end of primary, middle, and high school trip.  Dream bigger and plan for your students to visit every continent before graduation.  Wouldn't that be incredible?  Overseas trips will leave a lasting impression on their lives.  The Ron Clark Academy also enrolls students in a cutting-edge global studies class.

We need to give our students opportunities to explore the world.  We can take our students to the world and/or bring the world to our students.  With a passion, clear vision and strategic planning, we can make this a reality for our children.  In the words of Dr. Suess, "The more that you read, the more things you will know.  The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."

The Choice is Yours

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By Wayne Russell

Love and Logic principles have been used in countless American classrooms. Have you used them in a classroom outside the United States?  Any success stories? Have you found you needed to adapt any of the principles due to cultural differences?  We would love to hear your stories and perspectives.

Here is one of my stories using a love and logic principle. The principle could be described as sharing control by giving students choices.

I had a student that was having a difficult time beginning his independent work.  He had zero motivation to even write his name on the page.  I decided to move him to a new desk. "Do you want to sit here on this small chair or this big chair?"  Not surprisingly, he chose the big chair.

When I walked past his desk three minutes later, I was still not satisfied with his level of effort.  I decided to continue with giving him choices. "Do you want to stand and do your work or sit and do your work?" His response initially caught me off guard, "Stand on the chair and do my work." With a calm and neutral tone I replied, "That was not a choice. Do you want to stand and do your work or sit and do your work?" Again he responded that he wanted to stand on the chair.  I then went into 'broken record' mode: "That was not a choice. Do you want to stand and do your work or sit and do your work?"

Finally after asking him my stand or sit question five times, he decided he would like to sit on the chair and do his work. Yes, this was a little mental and emotional workout, trying not to look frustrated and annoyed.  But the payoff was worth it.

On my walk past this student five minutes later, he was actively working on his independent work.

Try giving your students choices. Give them some control.  Remember, your choices should both be good for you so no matter what they choose, you get the result you want.  I like using the following simple example during training sessions.  When our two-year old daughter is fussing over getting dressed, we simply give her a choice.  "Do you want to put your shorts on first, or your shirt on first?" No matter which one she chooses, the end result is the same: she gets dressed.

Remember, share a Love and Logic story with us.

Cheers!

A Global Career

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By Wayne Russell

My career in education began in China.  After completing my undergraduate degree in the United States, I signed with a school in Shanghai to teach kindergarten.  What an amazing experience!  At this international school I learned how to effectively manage a classroom, how to create engaging lessons, and how to meet the needs of a diverse student population.

After completing a year and a half of teaching in China, I moved back to the U.S. for graduate school.  While studying, I also worked with my university to develop international partnerships with universities, high schools, and other organizations in multiple countries. Through numerous visits across Asia, I had wonderful opportunities to observe how quality education is delivered in an Asian context.

More recently, I have worked in a charter school network in North Texas. My primary teaching focus in this urban setting was to determine how one could provide a global education to a largely low-income minority community.  What learning experiences could I create that would prepare these students to compete in a global economy?

My next assignment will be back in an international school in China.  My family and I will be moving to China this summer.  I look forward to deepening my knowledge and understanding on global education.

I received my K-12 education in South African classrooms, my higher education in American schools, and much of my teaching and leadership experience in Chinese schools.  Global education has become a passion and my way of life for the past few decades.