A Minister Of Education

    My  choice of reading for this week is the article Where’s the Ministry In Administration? Attending to the Souls of Our Schools by Paul Graseck.  Graseck writes, “a wise school administrator discovers that those who say education has nothing to do with religion do not know what education means”. (Graseck, 2005, p.378) To listen, comfort, support, and inspire are critical elements of an administrator’s career, that is if they wish to be successful.  A very miserable message or inference that can be given to a learning community from an administrator is “my job is more important than yours”. (Graseck, 2005, p.374) Once the proverbial wall has been erected the administrator loses all connection and ministerial obligations and their fate is directed towards lone survival.

    A much more preferred choice is for the administrator to become the pastor of the school.  One that does comfort and nurtures good feelings to the school congregation.  The writing is not advocating that biblical or religious teachings become curriculum standards, but instead suggesting that “people are spiritual beings, seekers reaching beyond themselves”. (Graseck, 2005, p.374) The fact of the matter is that we are all very curious and inquisitive about our world and ourselves and rejoice in this spiritual uplifting. It is crucially important that administrators not divorce the classroom entirely.  After all, they are still teachers by example and should remain so throughout their career. “Ideally, administrators will not abandon classroom teaching.  Instead, they will, whenever possible, teach a class”. (Graseck, 2005, p.376) 

    The word administrator in its meaning is not defined as “Boss”.  It is actually derived from the Latin administrare meaning to help or assist or in our context “to minister to”. “Imagine if school administrators saw themselves as ministering to teachers, if they saw their jobs as genuine caring for the teachers they supervise”. (Graseck, 2005, p.376)  The administrator often offers a shoulder to cry on, a confident, softy spoken words, and friendship.

    So exactly how do administrators become bosses rather than ministers?  How is it that they are on occasion viewed as teacher enemy number one?  The evidence is overwhelming in reference to the above statements.  Just walk into the teachers’ lounge inside a school where the principal is considered “on the other side”. And, the comments you will hear are not without merit.  Graseck tackles this phenomenon with three observations leading to the development of an ineffective leader. First, “Administrators sometimes become administrators to escape teaching”. Second, “Teachers who enter administration quickly forget the hardships of the teaching life”, and third, “Many teachers become administrators too early in their career”. (Graseck, 2005, p. 376) So in summary, good administrators should never forget the stresses inside the classroom and the many faces the classroom teacher must portray throughout the school day, and, all without a secretary!

    “School administrators who exhibit pastoral strengths with usually emerge from among

seasoned, successful teachers”. (Graseck, 2005, p. 377)  The viewing of administrators as ministers is not one of high popularity nor is it the status quo.  We are all convinced somewhat that our monies are best spent on buildings, technology, and peripherals.  The human factor that builds great communities has become a low prioritized necessity.  If we cannot at least dream of doing things differently someday then we probably will not make change or do anything different whatsoever.

References:

Graseck, P. (2005). Where’s the ministry in administration? Attending to the souls of our schools. Phi Delta Kappan, 86(5), 373-378.

Emotional Intelligence

    I chose as my  reading, Emotional intelligence. What it is and why it matters by Cary Cherniss.  Cherniss presents a writing describing the importance of emotional intelligence and the effect it can have on potential leaders. The writer states that “IQ by itself is not a very good predictor of job performance”. (Cherniss, 2000, p.4)  It is also argued that “it is more important to be able to persist in the face of difficulty and to get along well with colleagues and subordinates than it is to have an extra 10 or 15 points of IQ”. (Cherniss, 2000, p.5) The concept is a comparison of both cognitive and non-cognitive abilities in people and which characteristic is most advantageous for a leader.

    “The ability to manage feelings and handle stress is another aspect of emotional intelligence that has been found to be important for success”. (Cherniss, 2000, p.6) One important fact learned is that emotional intelligence is knowing what to say or emotion to present at the right time that will infect the audience.  However, emotional intelligence is not the guaranteed requirement for a fruitful life but rather a foundation that builds emotional competencies. For example, “the ability to recognize accurately what another person is feeling enables one to develop a specific competency such as Influence”. (Cherniss, 2000, p.8) 

    A problem arises of just exactly how do you measure or test an individual’s emotional intelligence?  There are several assessments that have been implemented over the past 10 years but the validity of each comes under suspicion.  Cherniss lists the instruments (p.8-9) as:

1. Bar-On’s EQ-1

2. Multifactor Emotional Intelligence Scale (MEIS)

3. Emotional Competency Inventory (ECI)

4. EQ Map

One particular test stands out according to Cherniss, such as “Seligman’s SASQ, which was designed to measure learned optimism and which has been impressive in its ability to identify high performing students, salespeople, and athletes, to name just a few”. (Cherniss, 2000, p.9-10)

    Finally, the study of emotional intelligence is important to many of us because it can directly affect our work performance and the output of those around us.  What I hope that we learned is that a “person’s ability to perceive, identify, and manage emotion provides the basis for the kinds of social and emotional competencies that are important for success in almost any job”. (Cherniss, 2000, p.10)  The values of emotional perception are becoming increasingly higher in our workplaces as cognitive traits decrease in productive worth.

References

Cherniss,C. (2000). Emotional intelligence. What it is and why it matters. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Society of Industrial Psychology. New Orleans, LA.

Reflection and Thoughts

This was an outstanding read for me.  I had several “Ahh” moments and took a considerable amount of time for reflection.  There was one thought that kept popping into my mind about emotional intelligence. Do and did all of our great leaders possess this quality?  For example and as Dr. Carolyn Crawford noted in her lecture, what if Dr. Martin Luther King had addressed his audience with “I have an idea or I have a thought instead of the emotion invoking…I Have A Dream”! This leader certainly possessed a tremendous amount of emotional intelligence as he was able to influence a nation.  Further, as I studied this ideal, it became apparent to me that the leaders I respect most are engulfed with emotional intelligence. 

    I certainly do not wish to imply that we completely throw cognitive or high IQ intellectual abilities out with the dishwater. After all, a person must have a somewhat high level of cognitive intelligence to receive college degrees and such.  But, once you are in the workplace the emphasis becomes less associated with IQ differences and more with social and emotional factors.  The extra 20 or so points would be nice to add to my intellectual ability, however, facing difficulties, following through, and getting along with colleagues is far more advantageous in my occupation of choice.

    Again, this topic readily generated my interest.  It could be in part because it made me realize a few things and really think about my own self and abilities. The need for self improvement is constantly on my mind.  I find myself falling short of expectations on many occasions, however, the willingness to plow forward keeps my emotional intellect on high alert.

 

Advice to New Teachers

My advice to a new teacher would be associated with my above statement. I would strongly suggest to everyone that we build relationships with our students. I am talking about wholesome relationships full of honesty and trust. Teachers need to be seen outside their classrooms with their kids. It is awesome to go play a game of kickball with some 6th graders or to eat lunch with a few 8th graders, perhaps spend some conference time with a needy 7th grader. The kids love to see you at their sporting events and extra-curricular activities. You are indeed building an emotional bank account with these youngsters when you develop a healthy relationship. And, the benefit is enormorous because when we as teachers do make a mistake, the student is willing to forgive. New teachers, take some time each and every day to reflect. Look in the mirror! What adaptions need to happen for student success? Are my lessons relevent to the student? Finally, teach from the heart and not the textbook. Kids recongnize fakes immediately. They do know the difference. Teach within your comfort zone and have strong resistance of becoming a teacher puppet.

Ricky

Final Reflections On Action Research

The final hours are upon us and the action research blueprint is complete.  I am well satisfied with my chosen inquiry dealing with the “Consequences of Classroom Referrals and How They Affect Student Achievement”.  One troubling reflection or perhaps question that has been a concern is the following:  Am I following this wondering for the completion of course work or is it for the purpose of actually following a passion and conviction?  To answer that question is rather difficult.  I asked myself some reflective questions.  Was this issue a concern for me before the introduction to EDU 5311?  And, would I have ignited it on my own without the influence of a course requirement? The honest answers to both questions are Yes to the first and a reluctant but honest No to the second.   With this said, I would also like to point out that great changes often happen due to a series of events.  Perhaps this could be a perfect example.

The course Professors, Dr. Arterbury and Dr. Jenkins, has been terrific leaders throughout this endeavor.  Their understanding style of lecture motivated me to really do some looking inside the proverbial mirror while trying to develop understanding about my plan.  Dr. Jenkins and the late evening video conferences were something to look forward to as we discussed our course work and even to a small extent Odessa Permian and MOJO football.  Diane Mason also helped tremendously by acting as our moderator and coach and showing her patience with our frustrations.

The assignments and activities for our course were rigorous, but fulfilling.  Perhaps I put more work in them than was needed.  I realize that I can be a tad over winded at times and tend to ramble.  It is something that I am working on!  However, at the end of each week, I felt very enthused and anxious to share my work with my colleagues.  This might perhaps sound a bit silly, but the completion of the assignments gave me a sense of pride. I only wish that I could convey this intrinsic emotion to my students.

The forums were perhaps my most favorite times of the week.  I really enjoyed the sharing of action plans and thoughts between my colleagues.  The tone was always very positive and professional.  I was able to piggy back several ideas from my classmates and implement them for the improvement to my own plan.  The forums for me provided a private arena in which to share thoughts.  I preferred this venue over the world wide audience of our “Blog Spots”.  I find myself on the Blog talking very generally and not very specific.  However, the Blog reaches such a huge audience of readers when compared to the Forums.  This could prove to be very advantageous for an action researcher as we gather data and information from many sources. 

I would like to introduce to you one very influential and true confident in this new direction with my education.  Her name is Elaine Stribling and she is my site supervisor. Without her direction and friendship, I would be a lost lamb in a big pasture.  Mrs. Stribling is an accomplished administrator that I have been privileged to work alongside for 15 years and counting.  We both share the same educational philosophies and consequently have created a dream team of vision. 

Finally, while stopping this writing and reflecting a few minutes ago, I came to realize that I do have the passion for making education and students a top priority. This is not only my current job but is starting to become an obligation that I am pleased to fulfill.  The action research issues will be a steady focus for the next several months if not years. I actually am not convinced that one’s action research ever comes to a completion as one issue revolves into another and the cycle continues and exponentially grows.   

Classroom Referral Action Research

Greetings,

My chosen research of Classroom Referrals and its effect on student achievement is opening up more complex questions for me rather than developing a conclusion.  Each and everytime I think that my data points in one direction, my topic seems to become unfocused. 

For example, the wondering is easy enough in itself.  The original question is when we give a student an office referral and they are removed from the classroom for any length of time, is classroom achievement minimized for that student? The data certainly points in that direction as TAKS scores are directly related to the attached referrals.  However, new questions then arise.  Why is the student misbehaving?  What are the alternatives for punishment?  Do teacher behaviors support the campus vision? Are staff members and PARENTS willing to accept responsibility for student behavior? Are teachers allowed control inside their classroom? Is there consistency in enforcing discipline?  And, these are just a few that come to mind.

This is where I get off task and find my mind wondering and rambling.  One colleague of mine made a very good analogy.  One of my biggest concerns with the research was to be very careful and try to avoid any conflict among my colleagues as conflict resolution is not my strong suit.  I was really worried about throwing a stone in the calm pond and causing ripples.  But, as my friend stated, "Calm and still waters become stagnant"! This was very interesting and did make complete sense as change and progress are often married to disagreements and opposite trains of thought.

Now back to how we can decrease teacher office referrals and increase student performance.  I am open for suggestions because I do need some input as I don't have a clue at this point on possible remedies.  I suppose you could just make it a rule to never punish a student with an "outside the classroom" consequence, however, is this acceptable? I am starting to see a trend in my study that indicates a good majority of teachers simply want the undesired behavior to cease rather than a punishment phase.  On the other hand, opposite research shows that a few of our colleagues desire a public display of ultimate punishment.  I just finished reading What Great Teachers Do Differently by Todd Whitaker and it was simply amazing and has helped me a great deal with this inquiry.

The time is rapidly approaching that I must start determining direction and sustaining improvement or else the project has been taskless.  I do have a roadmap and just hope that I can stay within the navigational beacons.

Ricky

I am just testing my mobile blogging capabilities. This has been an awesome week for me. I was introduced to a new student who actually thinks I am SuperMan.

Waiting For Superman

This is a real eyeopener in education.  The theme really arose my attention.  Please Watch! So many of our schools in America are so fortunate.

Ricky

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKTfaro96dg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_QRxKAs_a4