Doing What is Right

On and on and on

There are always challenges as a teacher but I’m hearing “I’ve turned the corner”, “I feel like we’re in a different place with Covid so I can get on with teaching”, “there are other issues that drag me down in teaching but I can focus on my student’s needs more now”.

What I admire about teachers, now more than ever, is that teachers have a strong moral compass that guides them to do what is right for all learners. No, not just the ones who are ‘traditional students’ who will succeed no matter how much a teacher focuses on them, but for ALL students.

During this time of year the students who are challenged are struggling for several different reasons. The weather is colder and they may not go home to a warm home. Parents shouldn’t have to pick between heating their home, putting gas in their vehicle to get to work or to feed their families but some are. According to the Maine Department of Education website, “on average, 1 in 4 children in Maine is at risk for hunger, and 37% of them do not qualify for public assistance”. As teachers we can’t solve that problem but we can insure that students feel supported at school for who they are as learners.

THANK YOU, ESPECIALLY DURING THIS HOLIDAY SEASON, FOR SUPPORTING ALL STUDENTS!

Thankful for you!

Happy Thanksgiving

Today, on Thanksgiving, I pause to THANK YOU for your contributions to education. Your positive impact is amazing! I know that it takes constant creativity, courage, resilience, persistence, experience, planning, a sense of humor, and so much more to make a difference in the lives of learners.

I AM GRATEFUL!

I was reminded over and over this month of how grateful I am to be engaged in education at this point in my life. It seems like the roles of teachers and schools are continually shifting; expanding to meet the many needs of children AND our society and at the same time being challenged by outside forces.

I am grateful

I am grateful to have helped in the planning of the conference that over 100 educators attended on a beautiful Saturday: Truth, Hope, and Creativity: How the Arts Can Deepen Any Curriculum at Thomas College. How fortunate we were to be together in person with other educators learning and exchanging ideas. We stretched our thinking around the importance of teaching Truth. The presenters answered questions and created many more, the learning continues beyond the day.

I am grateful to have visited a high school to learn about their Book Arts program taking place, not in the art room, but in social studies, science, and language arts classes. Sadly, it was a just a week after the active shooter hoax locked down 10 Maine schools. It was a horribly scary situation and sadly for some it didn’t last for only that one day. The students have been working on amazing books that demonstrate their learning of The Depression and The New Deal. (Watch for a future blog post with the details.)

I am grateful to be substituting and spending time with learners of all ages. So enjoyable to see students learning and laughing. Each one has a story and many are anxious to share.

I am grateful to live in a region of the state where theatre programs are thriving. There is no greater joy than to see students on stage. They bring their very best and many times surprise themselves by what they are capable of. Acting for an audience provides opportunities that sitting in a classroom can not. The pride, OH MY, the pride!

I am grateful to be on a committee planning the Sestercentennial (250 years) celebration for my community. Looking Back to Look Ahead will give people of all ages the chance to come together to celebrate our town while recognizing those who have come before us.

Giants

I know that I stand on the shoulders of giants and wouldn’t be who I am today without them. I invite you to think about who has influenced you and taught you. Whether those people are alive or passed away perhaps you’ll take the time to thank them on this Thanksgiving Day. I appreciate you your commitment to education and to show my appreciation I’m sending you flowers!

Pride Month

All invited to celebrate

Throughout the world this month people of all ages are celebrating Pride Month. It’s all about people coming together to celebrate who they focusing on the freedom to be who they are. June was selected as Pride month to recognize the Stonewall uprising that took place in New York City, June 1969. Protests and riots went on for three days following a police raid of a gay bar at the Stonewall Inn in Manhattan where the gay community and police clashed.

This event marked the beginning of the modern day gay rights movement. One year later the first Pride parade took place in New York’s Central Park and others followed in cities across the country. It was called Christopher Street Liberation Day because the Stonewall Inn is located on Christopher Street. In 2016 the area around the Stonewall Inn was designated a national monument.

In 1978, artist and designer Gilbert Baker was commissioned by San Francisco city supervisor Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in the US, to make a flag for the Pride celebrations that year. Baker recognized the stripes of the American flag and was inspired by the rainbow to reflect the many groups within the gay community. Since 1978 other flags have been created to represent other sexualities.

Pride events welcome allies from outside the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) community. All are welcome to show their support and it gives them an opportunity to learn.

This month I am reminded of this statement made to Agnes de Mille, by Martha Graham in 1943:

“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you.“

You’re Appreciated!

Arts educators everywhere

I am so moved by the energy and commitment that I know teachers have filled this week with across the state and country. I can’t find the words to express my gratitude for teachers and all school personnel. Thinking about every detail to put in place everything possible so learners and families can be supported during this challenging period.

Ken Buck is an educator in South Carolina. Earlier this week he posted this and I couldn’t have said it better. Thank you Ken Buck for sharing! Miracle workers coming together to do what is necessary for students. There’s never been any doubt in my mind who could lead our country efficiently and effectively – an educator, for sure!

We gave educators almost no notice. We asked them to completely redesign what school looks like and in about 24 hours local administrators and teachers “Apollo 13’ed” the problem and fixed it. Kids learning, children being fed, needs being met in the midst of a global crisis.

No state agency did this, no so-called national experts on curriculum. The local educators fixed it in hours. HOURS.
In fact, existing state and federal policies actually created multiple roadblocks. Local schools figured out how to do it around those too. No complaining and no handwringing – just solutions and amazingly clever plans.
Remember that the next time someone tries to convince you that schools are better run by mandates from non-educators. Remember that the next time someone tells you that teachers have it easy or try to persuade you that educators are not among the smartest, most ingenious people in society. And please never say to me again, “Those who can’t do anything else just go into teaching.”
Get out of the way of a teacher and watch with amazement at what really happens.

You can follow Ken Buck’s blog at kenbuckschoolboard.com.

Off to Helsinki

HundrED

In one week Lindsay Pinchbeck, founder, director and teacher at the Sweetland School in Hope and I will be landing in Helsinki, Finland for the HundrED Innovation Summit. We are thrilled to be invited and looking forward to meeting educators from around the world and visiting with those we met last year who are returning. I’ve blogged about HundrED before but for those of you who are unfamiliar hopefully this post will inspire you to take a look at the HundrED website and tap into their amazing resources.

I plan on blogging from Helsinki next week so keep your fingers crossed that my connectivity works from Finland!

WHAT IS HUNDRED?

HundrED.org is a not-for-profit organization that discovers inspiring innovations in K12 education. HundrED’s goal is to help improve education and inspire a grassroots movement through encouraging pedagogically sound, ambitious innovations to spread across the world.

The purpose of education is to help every child flourish, no matter what happens in life. In a fast-changing world, education must adapt to keep up. The world is full of inspiring innovations, but they can struggle to spread beyond their immediate environments. That’s why HundrED discovers, researches and shares impactful and scalable K12 innovations with the world, for free.

This (under 2 minute) video says it well.

CHECK OUT THE RESOURCES

You can become a HundrED Innovator as well and learn more about the many many innovations included in the site. There are amazing educators doing amazing work around the world and many have been recognized by HundrEd and have profiles on the website. You can learn how to become a HundrED innovator and see the many profiles of Innovators by CLICKING HERE.

OUR WORK (and play!)

The invitation to attend HundrED during November 2018 was based on the work that Lindsay and I have been participating in since 2016 with the Go Malawi program. We offered arts integration workshops when we traveled to Malawi for almost three weeks that summer. We were recognized by HundrED as Ambassadors – you can read about our work on the Go Malawi site at THIS LINK. Check out Lindsay’s profile on the HundrED site or Argy’s profile.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

National Assessment Governing Board

Apply to be a member

The National Assessment Governing Board sets policy for the nation’s largest ongoing assessment of what U.S. students know and can do—the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as The Nation’s Report Card.

Wouldn’t it be great to have an arts educator serving on this board? When non-arts teachers understand assessment in the arts classroom, your perspective and expertise is always appreciated and valued. Other educators and administrators turn to arts teachers more and more to sit at the assessment table and contribute.

The National Assessment Governing Board identifies subjects to be tested, determines the content and achievement levels for each assessment, approves test questions, and pursues innovative ways to make NAEP results more meaningful and relevant to the public. The Board’s work is guided by its Strategic Vision, which includes two broad goals: inform and innovate.

Deadline to Apply: October 18. LEARN MORE!

Teaching

You got this!

My Helsinki – Part 3

The days were full

This is one of a series of blog posts about the trip that Lindsay Pinchbeck and I took at the beginning of November 2018. We were invited as Ambassadors to attend the HundrED Summit in Helsinki. We were inspired by the amazing educators who shared their innovations in education.

Each day was live streamed and fortunately archived and made available for free to the world. Along with the events being available so are the 100 innovations that were selected this year. The innovations are available on the HundrED website and this short video below provides an overview of HundrED that explains their mission.

We Seek and Share Inspiring Innovations in K12 Education – HundrED

HundrED’s manifesto – 

The purpose of education is to help every child flourish, no matter what happens in life.

In a fast changing world focusing on traditional academic skills will remain important, but that is not enough. To thrive as global citizens, children must be equipped with a breadth of skills.

To learn more about the content of the summit please go to the HundrED website and click at the top of the page on each of the dates – 7.11 – 8.11 – 9.11 to see the live streamed presentations. These will provide you with a clear picture of what took place.

More blog posts will follow with details of the learning opportunity that took place in early November.

Changing Kids’ Minds

LEAPS of IMAGINATION

“Most people assume that imagination takes place in the head, but the hands are just as important.” ~ Mitch Resnick, MIT Media Lab

When children find themselve at the intersection of discovering their capacity to make art and exploring the natural world, deep thinking happens. Local kids who participated in the Langlais LEAPS summer program “got the picture” by soaking up inspiration from the artist himself- Bernard Langlais.

In six weeks of observation, research, and making, led by LEAPS’ artist, Susan Beebe, children engaged in (1) a study of butterflies (2) the creation of a collaborative bas relief, and (3) the art of speaking through hand-made animal puppets – while becoming stewards of the Earth. And that was only the half of it.

The artworks that evolved reveal how nature inspires art and art helps change minds. Having planted their own garden, kids saw butterflies lay eggs there. From the magic of Langlais’ sculptures, they gained confidence as woodworkers. Walking the paths of the Sculpture Preserve got every child’s brain going. As humans, when we travel down new pathways (either literally or figuratively) we generate new neurons in our brains. We can, through these repeated experiences, actually alter the structure and function of our brains!

Taking kids out on trails, training them to observe closely, and inviting them to transform what they’ve seen into original art has impacted our campers this summer. And their commitment to nature and the practice of forging connections will stick with them down the road.

If you’d like to learn more about LEAPS and how we connect local artists with kids, come along with us. Check out our website. 

Wide-eyed with wonder, and grateful to all who made this program possible, Nancy Harris Frohlich, Director, LEAPS of IMAGINATION

LEAPS of IMAGINATION is a partner with the Maine Arts Leadership Initiative. This is a repost from the LEAPS of IMAGINATION blog.Thank you Nancy Harris Frohlich for permission to repost this from the LEAPS of IMAGINATION blog. 

Calling Everyone with a Voice

That must be YOU!

Don’t get left out in the rain! This is your chance to let your voice be heard! The Maine Arts Commission is seeking feedback from you and your colleagues throughout the State to help guide the agency’s work and priorities.

Please lend your voice to a project important to the future of Maine and also encourage your circle of coworkers, friends and family to take part.

MOST IMPORTANTLY – Arts Educators

Click the link below to complete the Teacher Survey to contribute your ideas on what you think the future of Maine Arts Education should be. http://tinyurl.com/ArtsEdSurvey.

Students

We also want to hear from students, since they are the future of Maine. Please take a few minutes with your  classes or pass on the link to students and ask them to contribute their ideas. Student survey link: https://www.research.net/s/MaineArts_Students.

General Survey

And, one more opportunity to complete the general survey which will take only five minutes and you will have the chance of winning a $50 gift card. Click the link below https://www.research.net/s/Maine_Arts.

If you have questions about the survey, please contact the Maine Arts Commission at mainearts.info@maine.gov or 207-287-2724.