"I don't know what to think!"

We are reading the engaging "There's a boy in the girl's bathroom."

Here is a short excerpt:

         Colleen asked "So what should I do?" 

         "You want me to tell you whom to invite to your birthday party?" replied the counselor.

         "Lori says you're good at solving problems." 

         "Lori solves her own problems. I just help her think for herself."

         "But I don't know what to think!" Colleen exclaimed.

When a read this passage I immediately thought of a recent conversation with my wife, Misty. We talked about what we want our kids, Livia and Liam, to leave our home with. When they graduate from high school, what knowledge and skills do we want them to have? Would a high GPA and fantastic SAT scores make us proud parents? 

We discussed how we want Livia and Liam to leave with two skills: 1.) Responsibility and 2.) The ability to think, to make wise decisions. If they left with these two skills we would be very proud parents, even if they had a B average and average SAT scores. We believe that responsibility and strong thinking skills would get them far in life. 

May Livia or Liam rarely say, "I don't know what to think!"

With something to think about, this is Mr. Russell. Make it a great day or not, the choice is yours.

Image credit: scholastic.com

Improving Education Systems

How can we measure what makes a school system work? Andreas Schleicher walks us through the PISA test, a global measurement that ranks countries against one another -- then uses that same data to help schools improve. Watch to find out where your country stacks up, and learn the single factor that makes some systems outperform others.

How Much Food Can You Buy For $5 Around The World?

Here's how much coffee, meat, beer, McDonald's, and more you can buy for $5 in countries around the world. For starters, you can buy a lot of beer for $5 in China.

Every Child Needs a Teacher to Learn

6.8 million new teachers are needed to get every child in school by 2015. Check out this INFOGRAPHIC.

GLOBAL COMPETENCY

The following is an excerpt from Educating for Global Competence, a FREE online book. Click here for the book. 

Globally competent students are able to perform the following four competences:

1. INVESTIGATE THE WORLD BEYOND THEIR IMMEDIATE ENVIRONMENT, framing significant problems and conducting well-crafted and age-appropriate research.
2. RECOGNIZE PERSPECTIVES, OTHERS' AND THEIR OWN, articulating and explaining such perspectives thoughtfully and respectfully.
3. COMMUNICATE IDEAS EFFECTIVELY WITH DIVERSE AUDIENCES, bridging geographic, linguistic, ideological, and cultural barriers.
4. TAKE ACTION TO IMPROVE CONDITIONS, viewing themselves as players in the world and participating reflectively.

Are you educating for global competency? How does your school do it?

Image credit: globalize-campus.com

Passion Reflection and Quotes about Passion

This week I have been meditating on the word PASSION. Eve Sawyer encourages us to "never underestimate the power of passion."

What's my passion?

Have I found my passion?

Do I endure life or enjoy it? Do I live for the weekend?

Do I love what I am doing?

What do I have loads of energy for? When I am doing something I am passionate about, an hour can feel like five minutes.

What makes me come alive?

I know my passion falls somewhere in the field of education. Where exactly, I feel I am still honing in on it. One thing I do know for sure is that I love working with students and teachers. I am energized when I am in classrooms and when collaborating with teachers.

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Quotes about Passion

Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow. - Anthony J. D'Angelo 

Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. - Confucius 

Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you. - Oprah Winfrey 

A person can succeed at almost anything for which they have unlimited enthusiasm. – Charles M. Schwab

I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious. – Albert Einstein

A great leader’s courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position. – John Maxwell

Fan the flame of passion with persistence. - Misty J. Russell

Are you a self-motivated learner?

During a session today with fellow school leaders we brainstormed several ways to measure whether a student is a motivated learner. Our discussion left me thinking, "What normally motivates our students to learn?"

• A and B grades?
• Parents?
• Cultural values?
• College acceptance?

How can we send our 12th grade students into the world as SELF-MOTIVATED learners? Learners who do not need carrots and sticks to motivate them.

In 2010 I had the privilege of spending three days with learning expert Dr. Jim Knight at the University of Kansas (KU). On Jim's blog, Radical Learners, he describes learning as "not just something we do as a means to an end; it is as central to living a healthy life as breathing, eating, and drinking. Learning is not what we do; learning is who we are."

Learning is not just a means to an end. We shouldn't only be motivated to learn because:

• Our grades depend on it,
• Our parents demand it, 
• Our culture values it, or
• Acceptance into a top college requires it.

We should pursue learning because we love it, and we need it to survive, to thrive. We pursue learning because we intrinsically believe learning and growing are good.

According to Jim Knight, learners:

• believe we are here on earth to learn, so they are turned on by every chance they get to discover something new
• use technology to learn, or to teach others (and because it’s cool)
• have mentors and mentor others
• infect everybody with their love of learning

As educators, we are in the learning business. Yes, we ask students to learn new knowledge and skills, but we must go deeper. How can we help students 'fall in love' with learning itself?

How does your school develop SELF-MOTIVATED learners?

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

Wayne