Changing Booths by Ian Junor (Flickr Creative Commons)

2011 was a rewarding year for me professionally. It involved many unique learning opportunities and chances to grow as an educator.

I am still shocked and honored that I was selected to be an Apple Distinguished Educator. The week I spent at the ADE Summer Institute with like-minded colleagues from all of the country was inspiring, challenging and extremely rewarding. (My team’s work on global collaboration will be appearing in iTunes U soon!) I learned about augmented reality from Johnny Kissko at the dinner table. I learned audio/video tips and tricks from pros. Most of all I was reminded of the power and beauty of storytelling. What’s your story? (Check out Bill Frakes and his films.)

Another challenging, yet fun, activity I participated in was an Ignite speech. I’d been to Ignite Fort Collins a couple of times and had pondered giving my own Ignite there. But, Scott and Sandy put together an Ignite event for our district and asked me to play. I had a blast putting the images together for my topic on decisions, decision-making techniques and decision fatigue. I was reminded that I love public speaking even though it is extremely nerve-racking.

I have a new job this year. Well, technically, half of a new job. I continued as IB Coordinator and am also an assistant principal, which entails new learning every single day. Mostly I am learning that I have a lot left to learn about education, working with people and helping kids thrive in and out of school.

I suspect that 2012 will also involve much transition and growth–at work as well as at home. On the home front it will be fun to see what my son decides to do after he graduates from high school in May. At work, the challenges will keep me on my toes, no doubt.

I set out the butter last night so I could make chocolate chip cookies first thing this morning. I use a recipe that I got from a dear friend in Brookings, SD. Her recipe comes out beautifully every time. I mixed up the batch then divided the baked cookies into three bags. I hadn’t thought about who would get them and started to get a little nervous about it. I talk to strangers all the time, but never offer them cookies.

On the way to my car after church I noticed that there was a man taking a break from working on the roof of the house across the street. As he was heading back toward the house I hollered an “Excuse me?” at him and explained that he was receiving cookies in honor and memory of a friend’s mom (it seemed a lot easier to say “friend” than try to explain the whole online Twitter/blog thing). He was definitely caught off guard in a good way.

At the farmers’ market a few minutes later, I wandered around looking for my next recipient. The gal at the java stand looked a little lonely since most folks there were after the fresh produce. After hemming and hawing a bit, I decided that I’d give her the second bag. I told her the same thing that I told the roofer but she asked me more details about the project and we chatted a bit. She thought that #cookielove was a great idea and, by the way, chocolate chip cookies are her favorite!

The last bag went to two ladies who work at the Good Sam house where my grandparents live. They spend their whole day giving care and I wanted to return some of that to them in cookie form.

What a great project to honor the memory of a kind woman, to treat people to some cookies and to get a little spiritual boost for myself!

Rest in peace, Alyce!

To pick up my spirits, I reflected on a sermon I had heard called “In Search of the Spiritual.” The speaker started with the etymology of the word “spirit.” We can see its root in words like “respiration” and “inspiration.” He then offered the list of where he finds spiritual renewal-in music, in solitude, in play, etc. It made me realize that if I start my own list, I can find a bit of renewal whenever I need it:

1. Silence. Since I get sensory-overloaded easily, I take refuge in silence. I am content to ride home in total silence-no radio, no music. To sleep at night, I have to have it totally quiet and dark. I use the silence to recite mantras and get grounded after a stressful day. “Breathe in strength, breathe out growth” is my latest mantra.

2. Laughter. Nothing beats a tear-inducing belly laugh to relieve stress and feel refreshed.

3. Play.  After watching me play (and laugh) in the surf all day in Hawaii a few years ago my sister-in-law reminded me that I am a kid at heart. I love to play, whether it’s cards, golf, volleyball, charades or even dress-up. Play fuels my creativity, releases negative energy and revives me.

4. Nature. I grew up on the Western Slope of Colorado and spent more time outside than in learning to love and appreciate nature. I find renewal when I hike and fish, but especially when I take the time to listen to the aspens and streams and smell the pine trees and flowers. (I recently discovered that the bark of a Ponderosa Pine smells like butterscotch!)

Where do you find renewal?

Bridal Falls Trail Head

This summer’s reading includes the following:

•  I started reading Cutting for Stone earlier in the year, but I decided it was a better summer read since I can only read a few minutes each night before crashing. This novel’s language is rich and the story engaging, so it requires a little more focus than others I might read.
• Speaking of focus, I’m trudging through Schmoker’s Focus. For the most part, I do not enjoying work-related books, but recognize that it is a necessary evil. On the plus side, I love saying “Schmoker.”
• My grandmother recently gave me a big stack of novels to read. I’m starting with The Whistling Season and Out Stealing Horses.

Photo by greencandy8888 at flickr cc

I usually agree with Seth Godin, but today’s post hit me funny. Godin concludes the post by writing, “Being a bully is a choice, and falling for this cycle, permitting it to continue, is a mistake.” I agree that being a bully isn’t only a choice, it’s a habit. What hit me more strongly was the last word–mistake. In talking about the post with my colleagues at our bloggers café, it may be that his wording is throwing me off, but I read “mistake” as something the victim is choosing to ignore thereby making the “mistake.” I explained that suffering due to the words and actions of a bully is a form of abuse not a mistake. Bullies create and thrive on the fear they instill in their victims. In these tough economic times, the people I know who are bullied on a daily basis have no out available to them. There is not another job for them and yes, they’re looking. Go to HR and file a complaint? Sure, but then there’s the retaliation, including being fired, to add to the stress.

What about the members of the tribe, to use Godin’s term, that witness the bullying? What resources are available to us to intervene effectively? What are the repercussions for the victim? While we didn’t come up with any solutions, we started a vital conversation. If nothing else, we may be more self-aware our own dealings with our co-workers.

Nonviolent Communication (book)

10 Tips for Dealing with Bullies at Work (article)

Cross-posted at Writing Matters.

I have been passively following the ds106 assignments and hash tags for the past couple of weeks in my efforts to better my storytelling skills. After reading Dean Shareski’s post tonight, I decided to try this one where you create a story from song titles and even sign it with a song title. I scanned through my music in iTunes and dumped the songs that I thought would fit into a story into a playlist. Then I culled through that playlist, saw that I had a theme going and pulled the story below together. I invite you to try it yourself!

My sister-in-law’s mom tends to say, “Practice makes practice.” My brother and I just look at each other and shrug because neither of us understands that one. It makes me think of those biblical passages with all the begats: Abraham begat Isaac who begat Jacob who begat Joseph and so on. Who wants to practice only to practice more only to practice even more? I’m sure this points to my tendency to want to finish something in order to move on to the next great thing.

So, what matters more? The process or the product? The journey or the destination? I keep coming back to that phrase and was asked it in an interview last summer. I love the product, whether it’s the recital, the presentation or the finished knit good, but I struggle with enjoying the process–the tedious lessons, the countless edits, the frogging (rip it rip it) of the knitting. My personal growth plan for 2011 includes embracing the process and starting to enjoy the journey.

• My first goal is to finish reading Crucial Conversations. Several people in my admin cohort recommended it. One friend even gave it to everyone in her family for Christmas one year because she found it so helpful.
• My Twitter pal Anna (@alove) got me hooked on The Spellman Files, so books 3 and 4 are atop this list.
• Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love rocked my world when I read it in 2007. I bought Committed recently and plan to read it while I wait at appointments.
• I am super geeked up about the final installment in The Hunger Games series titled Mockingjay, but have to wait until the end of summer for its release. (Another @alove rec.) I have found myself reading young adult fiction more and more and really enjoying it. I read Steve Kluger’s My Most Excellent Year over spring break and recommend it to my students (and anyone else, for that matter) for their summer reading list.
• A student recommended The Perks of Being a Wallflower and my 11-year-old niece recommended highly The View From Saturday, so I’ll be looking for those soon.
• Daniel Pink’s Drive and Seth Godin’s Linchpin are both in my queue under the non-fiction regimen.
• Little Bee and The History of Love are both on my nightstand waiting for summer to be read.

What’s on your list?

In our school this year students test three times before CSAPs are administered. The tests they take predict their CSAP scores. I have a feeling that students are going to feel “tested out” and may not perform well on the state test. My friend said that she overhears students talking about their own test levels: “I’m at level H. Are you still at level F?” Students are stressed over their levels, teachers are frantic about their students’ levels (i.e. data) and it is even seeping into the community. Over Christmas one teacher advised a parent to work on their child’s timed reading. My friend overhears teachers shouting, “You have two more minutes to get everything out and on paper!” When in life are we timed how fast we read? It is taking me a month to get through My Life in France. What is the penalty if I don’t finish fast enough? Where is the love of learning? What are we fostering in our kids? Hurry! Race! Compete with each other to get to the highest level (the top?) as fast you can! Go! Go! Go!

One of my favorite professors used to deride The Little Engine that Could citing that it fosters workaholism. I wonder what she would make of the data push going on today.

While working on this project last Thursday, a couple of sets of students asked for a pass to the library so they could research their organizations on the school computers. I sent them on their way. In the time it took them to walk to the library, another group whipped out an iPhone and began investigating their organization immediately. No muss, and no fuss from me. If all of my students had a device with that ability, which many do, I’d never have to reserve a lab again.

Last week in class a student was texting during a partner activity. Half-joking, I asked her if she was phoning a friend for help. She was! She was doing the same thing I do when I don’t know how to say something in Spanish–I text or email a native speaker for immediate clarification.

I use cell phones sporadically in class. For a warm-up I’ll post a question on Poll Everywhere that students answer as they come in. A couple of weeks ago I posted the survey on Twitter where other teachers and Spanish speakers respond, which created several authentic models for students to see.

I know that there is a clear divide between those of us who prohibit cell phones in class and others who embrace them. Part of my job as a parent and teacher is overtly teaching when and how to use cell phones for good. I currently have an extra credit assignment posted on my wiki (inspired by Sherry Amorocho) that encourages students to use the camera in their cell phone (or a digital camera) to photograph vocabulary words. I can’t wait to see how many take me up on the offer.

By the way, if you’re in the Loveland area next month, don’t miss Learning 2.0: A Colorado Conversation where Noah Geisel will be leading a session on Cell Phone Solutions.