Estoy agradecido poder hablar español

I'm a gringo. A güero. Whiter than white bread. Pero hablo español. Why? I'm not sure. But I'm thankful.

Being bilingual is a true gift.

I didn't learn it from my mom...her Spanish was limited to "Mantequilla, por favor (Butter, please)" at the dinner table. My dad may have known the origin stories (fake) of all our favorite treats, but he sure didn't speak Spanish.

I have an aunt on my mom's side (Lourdes) who was born in San Blas, Nayarit, México. So every Christmas season, we'd have tamales and sing posadas and drink ponche with her side of the family. I certainly loved those times, but I'm not sure what Spanish, if any, I really learned there.

I started studying Spanish in high school. Freshman year at Santana, Sra. Verrati (strange twist of fate: late in her career, she transferred to the school where I ended up teaching Spanish, and we shared an office space!). I took to Spanish right away. Turns out I have an ear for it. I have an ear for everything...I can pick out a tune on the piano after hearing it, I can whistle really well (I got THAT from my dad), I do accents, I accidentally parrot people I'm speaking with if they have an accent...I even learned phrases in Japanese from an exchange student, and in Chinese from some Taiwanese businessmen I drove around in college. All that to say, learning a language turned out to be pretty easy for me.

My second year, I had Sra. Nissenbaum. Third year was Sra. Jack, as was AP Spanish my senior year. My two biggest memories are: 1) playing the role of Sebastian in our Spanish version of Little Mermaid. I sang a rousing rendition of "Bajo el Mar"...it brought the house down every time!  And 2) I had a bet with a classmate that we would incorporate the word albaricoque (apricot) into the oral portion of the AP test no matter what. Well, I'm pretty sure that's the reason I got a 4 instead of a 5 (like it matters...AP tests are a scam and bad for kids; I dare you to get me started on that rant sometime).

When I went away to college, I knew one thing above all else: I was destined to be a teacher. At Baker University, I applied for the departmental scholarships in Spanish and History (my other love, evidenced in Context being my #1 Strengthsfinder theme). I won the Spanish scholarship, and that decided my future for me!

I always got a kick telling people that I left San Diego (right on the border with Tijuana) to go study Spanish in the middle-of-nowhere Kansas. At first blush, that sounds crazy. But the fact is, I ended up in really small classes (an environment in which I thrive). And in my upper-division courses, there were only TWO students! Angie Williams and I both received a top-notch education from our Cuban-born author/poet/singer/professor, Pablo La Rosa. He was great...the type of professor who would call me on a snow day to cancel class. The type of professor who moonlighted as a beer vendor at the Royals games. He was a lot of fun. And he helped me understand how lyrical a Romance language needed to be!

So then I ended up teaching Spanish. At my rival high school back in my hometown! I was there for 17 years. I dabbled in other things: I taught AVID, I was the yearbook advisor for 7 years...but teaching FIRST YEAR Spanish became my specialty. For one thing, all my colleagues hated teaching freshmen. Me...I loved it!

My primary mission as a first-year Spanish teacher was to help the students fall in love with Spanish. We sang songs, we played games, we grilled carne asada on the back patio...I knew that if I could get them to enjoy Spanish, they'd work of their own accord.

Late in my teaching career, I became an English Learners' Coordinator and started working on my admin credential. In both of those roles, I expanded my horizons as a community liaison, helping to meet the needs of Spanish-speaking parents as they engaged with the school. Little did I know what I was preparing myself for!

Today, I work at Abraham Lincoln Middle School in Selma, California (in the Central Valley south of Fresno). I am a Program Manager, so I continue to work with English Learners, but also with Title I programs. I use Spanish EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. With kids. With parents. With staff. As I translate materials (I'll tweet out our latest bilingual newsletter tomorrow!). As I help fix bad translations of existing materials (yikes!). As I banter with a mom who came to the office to sell her handmade tamales. As I hear from our parents about their dreams for their kids. In ELAC meetings. In SSC meetings. At football games.

And in my personal life, too. Helping strangers in Target who can't get their needs across. Surprising an occasional Uber rider who was struggling with their English. Getting the waiter to hook me up with an extra filet of the jalapeño-cream-covered tilapia because we connect. Understanding the meanings of weird words because the Latin root is similar to the Spanish, adding a layer to my grip on a Bible verse. Getting to enjoy awesome music (Julieta Venegas, for instance). And so on...

I didn't expect all of this to flow out of me tonight. But I am full of gratitude for the gift of language. I know I didn't earn it. I didn't work for it...it just came to me. And I'm so glad. Doy gracias a Dios por haberme bendecido. Mi vida es más rica por poder entender dos idiomas.

Gather the right stuff!

I don't have time to process this idea right now. But I was in a department chair meeting today where the chairs (and, by proxy, their teams of teachers) were given the task of collecting, compiling, and sharing data about how students are doing (academically) at our school.

It's not the fun, all-smiles stuff that all my favorite educational leaders are posting about on Twitter, but it's really important, right? 

It was a really hard conversation, full of starts and stops. Confrontations (presented gently). Pushback. Fears names. Assurances made. Trust leaned upon. Missteps and course corrections. Really important work that we can't shy away from.

But I came away wondering how to package it better. How to make the case clearly. And I kept coming back to the pieces of data we're asking them to collect.

We were focused (with good reason) on how the data could INFORM. But how can we use the data to inspire? Do we need OTHER data? Do we need DIFFERENT data? Do we need MORE data? And (I think this is really it), do we need to SEE the data differently?

Is that a shift of perspective for administration? For teachers? For students? I think the answer is yes to all of these. But what does that look like? I don't know tonight. And I probably won't know alone. I will seek help from those around me. Because (as Mr. Coleman always likes to remind us) "together we're smarter than a supercomputer!"

Google Forms (now with pictures!)

Every so often, Google pushes out an update to the GAFE suite of tools. And every time, there's a gem or two. This one was a no-brainer from day one, and it's something I'm glad they figured out.

Google Forms can now include images. In a section. In a question. In a possible answer. In an answer given.

Personally, I think Google Forms are one of the most under-appreciated Google Apps. And that's weird, because among ninja-level users...they're heavily utilized. But the average user simply doesn't understand the power in their hands.

I'll brainstorm a couple of ideas for each placement of an image. I'd love to see YOUR ideas in the comments...extra credit for a link to an example!

In a section

• A history teacher includes an image of a primary source, then asks 2 or 3 questions based on that source.
• An art teacher uses an image of a painting, then asks several questions about that piece of art. Update: this appeared on Twitter shortly after I posted this. #greatmindsthinkalike ?

In a question
The several questions to an image (in a section) works just fine sometimes, but there is some scrolling involved. Sometimes that's not optimal, so...

• An ELD teacher places an image, then gives EL students sentence starters and asks them to complete the thought.
• A science teacher includes images of different animals/plant/minerals, and asks students to name kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus or species (depending on what they're learning). Side note: I loved my high school biology class and the units on nomenclature. Weird stuff sticks, like brown kelp is Phaeophyta (my mnemonic device included the fact that Tammy Faye Bakker wore a lot of brown makeup).

In a possible answer

• A school administrator wants to get staff shirts, and presents his colleagues with three options. He has each staff member vote based on the the images (A, B, or C). I copied my real ballot here for you as an example.
• A first-grade teacher teaching about the different emotions makes the question an adjective, then the four answer options are faces from that iconic emotions poster.

In a given answer

• (overheard on Voxer #connectedTLtribe) Students are asked to provide evidence of having read a book or chapter, and that evidence is a photo of their favorite quote or passage. (Then they explain why they chose it.)
• A principal wants to compile a "getting to know you" spreadsheet of his teachers and classified staff, and asks them to submit a favorite photo of themself (for inclusion in the "staff of the week" portion of a newsletter).

I just made a lot of these up on the spot. I'm excited to challenge the teachers at my site to think of other ways to use this fantastic new feature of an already great tool. What are YOUR ideas?

Your Words Matter

I was convicted when I watched this video.

See, the educators in the video were just trying to run the school in a way that maximized learning for the students. They were well-meaning...they just forgot how important relationships are. How much word choice and tone communicate.

It's powerful, and it's motivating, so it's my first #MotivationMonday post of the 2016-2017 school year (yeah, I'm back!).

Romans 12:2

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. - Romans 12:2 (NLT)

Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.

Let God: He will do it. In fact, I am incapable of doing it. While I have surrendered this fact many time before, the problem I keep having is that I think I can do the changing.

Transform you: not whittle away a little bit. Completely change me.

By changing the way you think: not the way I act (that will come), but by changing the way I think. I have wrestled with this enough to know that my thinking must be changed. My toxic self-talk, my contempt for others, my abject selfishness...all this must change. But I can't do it...God must.

Lord, help me with this!

Triangle Drive In

I can't believe it took me this long to realize it. Had you put it together before?

#ConnectedTL Tribe

Another quickie: my #FollowFriday suggestions this week...anyone from the #ConnectedTL tribe!

There's a #ConnectedTL chat every Tuesday night at 7pm Pacific. Just punch in the #ConnectedTL hashtag, and check out anyone there. Some heavy posters (sorry for any obvious ones I miss!):
@EdTechMinded
@CateTolnai
@CreativeEdTech
@EdTechAri
@BeardsleyTeach
@Cogswell_Ben

Baker University Faculty

So...I missed a week. I'll write more about this on Monday, but the gist of it is: I'm going to cut myself some slack. The OLD me would have beaten myself up about this. Would have gone "back in time" and written the missing posts. But not now. I'm going to let it go.

What am I thankful for on this Thursday? My old college professors. I had quite a few, obviously, but these five stand out in my memory. I had a few professors at Grossmont College, but I'm not counting them. In large part because I remember none of them.


Tony Brown:
Dr. Brown was my first college professor at Baker University. I had him for an Intro to Psychology class at 8 in the morning. This was an honors class (why these exist in college, I'm not sure, but whatever). It's where I met my college girlfriend (she stood up one day in class and defended her viewpoint that as Christians we should espouse an external locus of control because of the role Christ should play in our lives). Dr. Brown had us over for pizza-fueled study sessions in his home. He showed off his Pez collection (rather impressive). He ran for office soon after my time there (I think as a Kansas state representative). Always thoughtful, always bright. And a solid, good guy.

Lowell Gish:
Dr. Gish was a professor of education. He told us in our first class that his goal in life was to weed out teaching candidates who had no business in the profession (like jocks who thought a kinesiology degree to be a PE coach was an easy life plan). He had a passion for education, and made sure we caught that fire. He retired during my junior year...a big loss. But I wanted to be like him: 70+ years old and alive with passion.

Susan Emel:
Dr. Emel taught communications. She convinced me to join the forensics (public speaking) team. She took us to Louisiana for a competition once...that was awesome. She taught me critical thinking and how to see multiple sides of an issue. Like...REALLY see them and value them. Don't get me wrong, she also taught us to tear apart the opposing argument...but to do that, you really have to have an understanding. I think I carry the value of that with me today.

John Buehler:
Dr. Buehler was the choir director. I loved singing in the university choir. I even got to sing with the advanced jazz choir. I could not read music...I faked my way through the whole experience. But it was great. He got so much out of us. Our Christmas Vespers performances were magical. It was awesome to see what a group of people could accomplish when they loved their leader and worked their butts off. And when I tried out for a solo vocal, he let me down in such a way that I knew I had no business trying, but he was glad I had given it a shot and still valued my contribution to the group. A delicate balance!

Pablo La Rosa:
Pablo was my Spanish professor. I loved him so much. Here I was in the tiny college in the middle of nowhere Kansas, and I had a Cuban teaching me Spanish. I loved how he treated Spanish like the love language that it can be. He taught us to care deeply for the sounds of the language. And when it was just me and ONE other student (Angie Williams) in our upper division courses...I can't tell you how much I learned with that one-on-one attention. And I loved that he lived in Kansas City, so he'd call us if the roads were icy to cancel class. No university notification needed! And he sold beer at Royals games. And he wrote a book (which I typed up for him, earning me a part of his acknowledgements page). And he sang to and with us while he accompanied on guitar. Yeah, he was pretty cool.

Some day in the future, I'll write a post about my college days in a more general sense. Stories about my friends, and my studies, etc. But today I'm thankful for my professors who encouraged and strengthened me in those formative years. I hope somewhere out there there's a former student thankful for me.

Leeana's Brazen Words

The fact is, I don't have it in me today. So I'm very glad that as I read Brazen last night, I typed these words into my phone. As I read them back, I'm not sure they communicate on an island. The context of the chapter really lends to my understanding, but maybe the quotations will still speak to you, as is. If not, don't judge Leeana...read the book. Need a copy? I'll lend you mine (when I'm done).

"The temptation, I believe, is to become convinced that our life is out there somewhere and we must go out and take hold of it...when, in fact, our life is right here waiting for us to notice it."

"The problem isn't desire. The problem is what we do with our desire when we feel like we're behind in satisfying it." 

"I'm beginning to realize I want security more than I want a Savior."

"We hold our current reality in one hand and hold our longings in the other hand, and we ask God to show us how we can honor both. This is the holiest of work because it requires us to let go of our compulsion to secure our own solutions."

HyperDocs

I know what you might be thinking. Because I thought the same thing. And somebody just said the same thing to me today when I told her I was going to do a post about HyperDocs:

"Isn't it just a shared doc with links?"

Well, yes. And no. But even if yes, that's the power in it!

I'm really writing this post a couple of months too early...I'm going to a HyperDocs all day session with Lisa Highfill this summer, so I'm sure I'll have more to say later. But for now, I'm just going to post a couple of links here:

http://karlymoura.blogspot.com/2016/04/hyperdocs-need-i-say-more.html

https://sites.google.com/site/highfill2013/hyperdocs-explained

https://sites.google.com/site/highfill2013/hyperdocs-explained/5-ways-to-package-hyperdocs

https://sites.google.com/site/highfill2013/hyperdocs-explained/show-what-you-know

And a couple of my very brief thoughts:

1) I think the biggest "hidden" potential in these is the ability to differentiate. Listen...I think we ask too much of our teachers. Really. It's CRAZY what we expect them to do! And when you tell me I have to differentiate my instruction after you've already told me to align it to the standards and integrate technology and be sure to address the needs of my ELs and my SpEds and my SEDs and my gifted kids...I'm fried. So when I find a tool like HyperDocs that can help me meet the needs of all my kids? I'm ecstatic! Yes, there's a lot of prep involved in making a good one. But just think of the payoff!
2) I really love Cate Tolnai's idea of hosting a HyperDoc IN a Google Drawing. Just a design thing, but I love how it looks! http://www.one-tab.com/page/g6mWgn1mQN6P73ckQwGniQ
3) Our ELA teams at the middle school are (finally) going 1-to-1 with Chromebooks next year, and I'm super-excited to see if HyperDocs will help them.

In any event, if you had never heard of HyperDocs, you're welcome. If you had, you're welcome for the reminder! =)

Twitter Chats #yesyoucan (sometimes)

It took a while for me to come around.

I even made fun of people who participated in (what I viewed as) too many.

But then I finally dove in, and it has been great!

Why participate in a Twitter Chat?
To find community
To make connections
To encounter the power of listening to other people's ideas

Mr. Coleman always says, "Together, we're smarter than a super computer!" He's saying that about the collective mindpower of the people in a room at any given time. Now imagine expanding that to some of the best and the brightest, but across a state, or even the nation!

There are some really good-thinking people out there, and it does me good to pay attention.

Now, I'm still not a freak. If I've got stuff going on, I'm just going to have to pass on a chat. Maybe I'll check the hashtag out later, but I'm not going to stress about it (or even apologize) when I have to miss one. And if I go driving for Uber on a Friday night, I'm not getting up for #satchatwc at 8am on a Saturday.

But if I'm up, why not check it out?

Here are the one's I've looked at so far. I know there are MILLIONS of others, but these have caught my interest: (all times are Pacific)
#connectedtl : mostly edtech coaches of some sort, Tuesday night 7pm. This is the group whose Voxer group I joined as a result, and THAT has been transformative
#satchatwc : only if I'm up, but good stuff, Saturday 8am
#caeddchat : California Ed Chat, Sunday 8pm
#tlap : haven't participated yet (I have a standing Monday night meeting), but I love #tlap and all its iterations, Monday, 6pm

Do you have a favorite I should really look into?

Potter and Clay

This image is what comes to mind for most people when they think of the Potter and the clay metaphor from Jeremiah 18: 1-11.

The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord saying, “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will announce My words to you.” Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something on the wheel. But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make.
Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, “Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.  At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot, to pull down, or to destroy it; if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it. Or at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to build up or to plant it; if it does evil in My sight by not obeying My voice, then I will think better of the good with which I had promised to bless it. So now then, speak to the men of Judah and against the inhabitants of Jerusalem saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Behold, I am fashioning calamity against you and devising a plan against you. Oh turn back, each of you from his evil way, and reform your ways and your deeds.”’

But that's not how I read it today. Today I heard (and understood for the first time) that the clay belongs to the potter. If things get messed up, he can smash what he's doing and start again. We would never fault the potter for doing that. He did that at the flood. He does that sometimes with nations or people, and we want to say he's allowing evil or that he doesn't care.

In any event, I don't even know what I want to say about that. Just that I think I understood the passage better today. And I still want him to shape me. But maybe sometimes he does that by starting over...and that's the BEST thing for me if he's doing it.

The "$10 Burger" : 3 patties, cheese, hot dog, cheese sticks, bacon, potato chips, thousand island. #makemonty #t

A photo posted by Shawn Wisley (@mrwisley) on May 21, 2016 at 1:20pm PDT

Oh my gosh.

The "$10 Burger": 3 patties, cheese, hot dog, cheese sticks, bacon, potato chips, thousand island.

I did NOT finish, but it had to be tried. #SillySaturday

Mike Niehoff

https://twitter.com/mwniehoff

I love Mike. I've met him a couple of times in person...he's very personable, obviously super-bright, and funny. I like him a lot.

Mike is what one would call a visionary. He pushes me to think WAY outside my box. I like having friends like that.

I can't bring myself to "go there" every time with him, but I can nod my head in agreement MOST of the time (not so much on his political posts...but that's okay).

I'm sorry I can't dedicate more time to this post, but all I can encourage you to do is go creep on his Twitter feed and learn about the guy.

Then follow him. We're not supposed to agree 100% with everyone online. Grow a little. Grow your #edutusks!

Done with State Testing

Who feels so much better now that state testing is done, with a 99.39% student completion rate? #thisguy #t

A photo posted by Shawn Wisley (@mrwisley) on May 18, 2016 at 4:49pm PDT

No time for a real post here, so my #ThankfulThursday is simply dedicated to the fact that I'm done with CAASPP testing!

It's pretty ironic for a guy who is somewhat morally opposed to such testing to be in charge of it for my school. Oh well...I'll leave the world-changing to my #FollowFriday (see tomorrow's post).

Sharpen the Axe

I love this idea, but I know that I've got a LOT of room for growth with this. I find that I'm often trying to hack down a tree and sharpening my axe at the same time. Obviously, this doesn't work too well.

I think my people-pleasing tendencies contribute to my difficulty in putting this principle in play in  my own life. The panel of critics in my head tells me that people want action now. That they won't understand the axe-sharpening...so I need to "act" to appease them. What results is ineffective, frustrating, blustery effort. Were I to spend more time in preparation for the eventual action, I would be more efficient, more successful, and a lot less tired.

Now...I'm not killing myself on this. In fact, the very act of writing this blog is an axe-sharpening event. So is my time spent on Twitter. So is my book reading. So, often, are the conversations I have with colleagues and mentors as I seek to anticipate the best courses of action at work and in life.

Please also note that Mr. Lincoln has left two hours for intense work, too. This is not a get-out-of-work card. Preparation without action is dead. (Biblical echo intended.)

Steven Covey also listed this as the 7th of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Here are some links about his version of the idea.

https://www.stephencovey.com/7habits/7habits-habit7.php

Texting from my computer

I found a new tool today. I can now text from my laptop!

It was born out of necessity. My phone dies quickly, so I often find myself needing to plug it in. Today, I was at a conference, and I had to plug my phone in far away from me. But I wanted to stay connected!

Enter mySMS.

Since I don't have an iPhone (yet), I can't just connect via iMessage. I had to find a solution to connect my Android phone number to my laptop. mySMS is a chrome app and extension that does exactly that.

The mySMS extension in the webstore

I am at my laptop most of the day, so this is a great thing...I can respond much quicker on my keyboard than on my phone...Now I just need to figure out how to quickly insert bitmojis!

Writing on Desks

A NJ teacher surprised her students with motivating messages on their desks before an exam pic.twitter.com/SHcUPBd74A

— Dory (@Dory) May 15, 2016

I don't have any excuses, really. I let testing get me down this year. I allowed it to show in my interactions with staff, and I let it show in a couple of interactions with kids.

Not my shining moment.

I see things like the tweet above online, and I think, "If I were still in the classroom..."

Hogwash. I can still do stuff like this. I can create (and encourage) schoolwide celebrations. I can portray the most positive message I can muster to the kids.

I don't need to say things like, "Just slug through it. Do your best." I can do MUCH better than that.

I have to be honest, it's really hard being the site-level coordinator of state testing when you barely believe in the concept of state testing at all. I want less standardized testing, and more individualized learning. It's hard to hold people accountable to that, but I'd rather do the hard work of figuring out how to make that work than give the tests we've got to our kids. It hurts my soul.

But I've got to be resilient. More than I was today. More than I was last week.

And you know what? I've got a chance on Wednesday to do it right with the kids I'll see then. I can also not be such a sourpuss to my colleagues. Sorry, guys.

I need to be more awesome. #kidsdeserveit

Ephesians 2: 4-5

"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved." - Ephesians 2:4-5

(Just a quick share tonight.)

Mark Broadfoot

https://www.instagram.com/yourmomisafoodie/

Mark is the beverage director at Galaxy Taco. He's doing bleeding edge stuff with mezcal (tequila's smokey cousin). Speaking of cousins, Mark is mine!
http://www.galaxytaco.com/
If you ever go there, try the braised pork. TRUST ME.

Some press
http://sdcitybeat.com/article-13973-george%E2%80%99s-mark-broadfoot-knows-mezcal.html
http://sandiego.eater.com/2015/7/7/8906495/masa-mezcal-margaritas-behind-the-menu-at-galaxy-taco

Just for a laugh

Life has given me lemons

Lemons. I love them.

And if, by the title of the post, you thought I was going to write about the struggle to make good out of a difficult situation...I'm not.

I just love lemons. And someone (my wife's friend...I even forget whom) gave us a grocery sack full of lemons from their tree.

FREE!

I have posted previously about my love for sparkling water. Add lemon.


Even flat water tastes good with lemon. The Rum & Coke Zero I had last night was good. But better with lemon.

I made some cheesecake. #LemonZest

So life has given me lemons. And for that, I am thankful.

Results Now

If you hold a position of leadership or influence in schools and haven't read any of Mike Schmoker's materials, I urge you...remedy that!

Results Now was first book I read in my admin credential program. It changed my life.

I entered the admin program for money. I wasn't making it on a teacher's salary, and the only way to increase my income was to become an administrator. So I joined the Dark Side. My mom cried (literally). I didn't think I had what it took. I doubted myself. I knew I needed to do this to make ends meet for my family, but all I had ever considered was the kingdom that was my Spanish classroom.

But in my first class, under the guidance of Sweetwater Union superintendent Frankie Escobedo, I read Results Now. It opened my eyes. His clarion call to close the achievement gap resonated deeply with me. His candid description of the structural impediments to student learning were obvious to me, but something that I had never voiced to anyone else. I was surprised and elated to find that someone was willing to be so transparent about what was wrong with education.

How unions, which had served such an important role in the history of education, were now hindering student achievement with a laser focus on what was best for teachers (instead of students). But he delineated four agreements that administrators should make with teachers that could open lines of communication and enable everyone at a school to work for what was best for kids without fear of reprisal or admonition from an misguided administration.

I can't explain it without quoting the entire book. So I urge you to find it and read it. If you ask me directly, I will buy you a copy. I believe in its message this strongly.

But let's look at the quotation for today's #WednesdayWisdom post: "Collaboration allows teachers to capture each other's fund of collective intelligence." Mr. Coleman (my principal) is always saying, "Together, we're smarter than a super computer!" It's just so true. Teachers for generations were timid to share their ideas. To open their classrooms to their colleagues (not to mention their coaches or their administrators). And there were structures in place that made that fear warranted! But if we make the agreements that Schmoker recommends, the open culture can lead to a more equitable implementation of practices THAT ARE BEST FOR KIDS.

In any event...if you've read Schmoker, just give me an Amen. If you haven't, get your hands on some now!

Don't Delete Your Gmail!

***For the first time in over a month, I missed my daily blog. I'll give myself a break, though, as I had a rough day at work (dumb CAASPP testing), went to the school board meeting, and didn't leave work until 10:15pm.***

Especially if you're a Google Apps for Education (GAFE) user, you should never, ever, ever, delete an email again. Even if you're a regular Gmail user, you'll probably never reach your limit. But if you have a school account, you should really take advantage of this.

I've got a colleague (he shall remain unnamed) who keeps deleting his email. It's not entirely his fault...it's the power of a habit. Our district formerly had Groupwise, and had a RIDICULOUSLY LOW amount of storage space for emails. Like...within my first month on the job, I had to archive (save) my emails, then delete them from the email server. STUPID.

So this unnamed colleague of mine has grown used to this workflow. I had emailed him something, and we talked about it the next day. I asked him to pull up the email, and he said he couldn't...that he had deleted it. MY MIND WAS BLOWN.

You have unlimited storage, I said. You never had to delete a message again, I said. I like to clear out my email, he said. I shook my head. I let it go (until this post). WOW.

Leave them all there! If you MUST, you can organize! Learn how to use labels. Folders. Archive (why?). You have organization options. But you never have to delete again. EVER.

What's the advantage of having every message you ever sent or received? SEARCH.

I like to remind people that Google is, at its core, a search engine. You can find anything in there. And this applies to Gmail, as well. Here are a couple of quick links to deepen your learning, if you choose:

Search tricks: http://www.popsugar.com/tech/Tips-Gmail-34542860

Gmail Tips & Tricks: https://davidleeedtech.wordpress.com/2013/03/02/gmail-features-for-teachers-tricks-tips/

Yet

I absolutely love this! The power of yet...such a small word can have such a big impact #growthmindset #powerofyet pic.twitter.com/1q1YZcOmXI

— Rishima Talwar (@rishimatalwar) May 8, 2016

Today, this is all I've got. And today, that's okay.

God is Perfect, I am Not (Guest Blogger: Captain Obvious)

The bible study I'm working through right now is having us work through the idea of what it means that God is perfect.

"...God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." - 1 John 1:5

"...his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he." - Deuteronomy 32:4

The realization that hit me as I thought about is is that I cannot even fathom what that means. I am a flawed creature, shadow and light. I have good moments, but I also have bad ones...hidden ones. Like any human being, I can recount to you the evil thoughts that I've entertained; things that nobody even knows about. Not to mention all the bad things about me that are apparent from the outside: my gluttony, my penchant for procrastination, my biting sarcasm/criticism.

What might it look like to be a perfect being? What would God's thought life be like? (I know, higher than mine.) What the study got me thinking was that maybe I need to spend more time contemplating this. If I truly understood God to be perfect (HOLY), would my behavior change? Would my fear of the LORD increase? Would I try harder to not drag His name in the mud by association with mine?

God, help me to understand your holiness and respond appropriately. Thank you for all the good things you've given me to experience.

Bitmoji is life

Have you made your Bitmoji yet? I've fallen in love with them. I text them, I include them in my email messages...pretty obsessively at this point! I'd include more in this post, but I'm using the Android app while between Uber riders...no images! (updated from home!)

I Knew Him When...

My #FollowFriday recommendation is Dave Burgess, @burgessdave on Twitter.

I taught for about 15 years with Dave at West Hills H.S. down in Santee, CA. He consistently beat me out for any wacky/zany/weird teacher awards for the yearbook, which frustrated me to no end. But he deserved it...I was never committed enough to cross-dress for a lesson!

If you've never heard of Teach Like a Pirate, you need to check it out. Google it, check the hashtag (#tlap), go to his website...whatever. Just check it out. And if you're ever at a conference where he's presenting, make a point to go to his session.

I had the pleasure of seeing his #tlap concept evolve (Dave, do you remember doing the GUHSD Summer Institute classes in a trailer at Chap?). I wonder sometimes if he's sad to have created an acronym that commits him to pirate imagery for the rest of his life, but I bet he's doing just fine!

As a still-new-to-this blogger, I'm not sure what the rules are about posting the details of his system. (Dave, if you tell me it's okay, I'll add the acronym here. I even found the hook cards online...but I figured those are off-limits.) I don't want to take away from Dave's livelihood. It's worth the money...buy the book! But I'm telling you, if you ever get a chance to see him live, it's going to stick even more.

Dave's concepts are definitely the type of thing that resonate deeply with me. The "hooks" idea (being intentional and creative in finding the best way to engage students into a lesson) is what good teachers do naturally. He's just identified a range of TYPES of hooks, then elaborated on the ideas to help lesson-crafters flesh them out. And he gives teachers permission to do the crazy things they've always wanted to do, but just wondered if it was allowed. Let me give you a tip, people. DO THE CRAZY THINGS! And do the gut-wrenching, heart-level things, too!

Side note: I love how angry Dave gets when people tell him, "You're so lucky to be so creative. I wish I had that gift." Seriously...it ticks him off. And with good reason; don't belittle someone's hard work and dedication by thinking it's just a gift!

On a personal level, let me tell you this. Dave is such a great dude. He's got a fire in his eyes (especially if he's telling you an elaborate story). He's passionate about getting teachers to craft lessons that will CHANGE KIDS' LIVES. I know that he must miss connecting to kids the way he did. But I'm sure he finds tremendous joy and satisfaction in developing teachers across the country who are making those connections with their students. I know for a fact that he has saved teachers' careers, reigniting in them a passion for what they can do.

It's been really neat to see his publishing empire grow, and with a stable full of educational thoroughbreds! @alicekeeler @techninjatodd @awelcome ... and those are just the ones I know! I'm sure if Dave is putting his stamp of approval on a product, then the creator must be awesome.

In any event, if you have any control over the Professional Learning in your district or school site, I urge you to look into getting Dave to come present. Your students will thank you for the amazing impact he will have on powerful instruction. If you're looking for a powerful community to engage with on Twitter, check out #tlap or the #tlap chat.

Sugar-Free Popsicles

It's #ThankfulThursday, and I'm thankful for sugar-free popsicles.

If you didn't know, I'm a Type-1 diabetic. Lesson time: that means that my pancreas is dead, and I no longer produce insulin. Insulin is what "eats" sugar in your bloodstream, so I need to inject insulin every time I eat. (To be more precise, I have an insulin pump. So I'm dripping insulin into my system 24/7, and adding extra every time I eat or if I need to make a blood sugar correction.)

I found out I was diabetic back in 2001. That would make me 26 years old at the time. I was advising yearbook at West Hills HS back in Santee, CA, and late one deadline night I noticed that I couldn't read the whiteboard from the back of the room. I went to Walmart to see an optometrist, and she checked out my vision. After doing all the normal tests, she asked me if I had to urinate a lot.

I thought it was a strange question, but had to admit after thinking about it that yes...I had been going to the bathroom more frequently lately. She asked me if I had to get up in the middle of the night for it. Yes. She asked me if my mouth was often cotton-y (dry). Yes. So she said, "You need to go to the hospital. I don't mean to alarm you, but you need to go now."

Awesome.

So I went to the hospital where they checked my blood sugar and found it above 400. (Yours is hovering around 80 right now.) Because of my age and my overweight status, they assumed I was Type-2 (where you still produce insulin, but your body has trouble processing it). They put me on oral medications, and I suffered for a while longer.

A ski trip with my brother to Banff (I'll post about that some other time...) where I simply could not get my blood sugar down led me to go back in and get re-checked. They discovered this time that I was, in fact, not producing any insulin. I may have been what is sometimes called Type-1.5...where, like mine, your pancreas slowly dies over a period of time. I'm convinced that I had a leaky gut (research that on your own, if you wish).

In any event, I'm a diabetic. But I live in the greatest time ever to be cursed with this disease! I mean:

• I have a pump that acts like an external pancreas, keeping me alive.
• My insulin didn't come from a pig.
• I have great health insurance, and having the disease is not a financial burden like it is for some others (although I wish they could make a generic insulin to bring costs down!)
• The paleo/primal/low-carb diet has gained popularity, and I have access to amazing cookbooks and recipes to eat well for my condition (and ingredients to make the recipes a reality).
• Like...tonight, Red Robin put my burger in a lettuce wrap. That wouldn't have happened 20 years ago!
• There are great diabetic communities online (https://www.facebook.com/type1diabetesmemes/) where we keep each other laughing about our disease (something about that being good medicine).
• Coke Zero
• There has been an explosion of unsweetened (but tasty) sparkling waters to hit the market. My personal favorite is the cherry-lime from La Croix.
• And, of course, there are sugar-free popsicles. The regular ones are good, but the tropical ones are great! And my favorite is the red one.

I keep some in my freezer in my office (yes, I have a freezer in my office...mostly so I can have a stash of these amazing popsicles on hand!). On a hot day in Selma, I can go through 3 or 4 in an afternoon.

I have no idea if you non-diabetics would like them (I've lost my disdain for diet things). But I LOVE them!

Contentment

I don't have it in me to write a long one today, but here's my Wednesday Wisdom, courtesy of Dave Ramsey.

Contentment is the most important money principle.

Can I be content? I know I haven't been terribly successful with this so far. I'm always striving. I'm always reaching. I'm always grasping!

It's easy for me to think that contentment will come when I'm out of debt and living comfortably. But can I be content AND work hard to get out of debt?

Also, what if we strike the word "money" from the quote. Can I find contentment AT ALL? It's totally a biblical principle, but I don't have it yet.

Lord. help me to be content in all situations. Whether rich or poor, healthy or ill, loved or rejected, encouraged or discouraged. Help me, please.

Pop quiz: do you think I'm content with this post? LOL

Next Level: tackling twitter chats

I was scared. I admit it.
I was skeptical. I was even a bit derisive ("Where do these people get the time? They must all be single...")

The idea of keeping up with a Twitter chat was daunting. The technology was not the issue (I had seen the suggestions of using TweetDeck or HootSuite). It was the time. Setting aside an hour to answer a set of questions is hard for me.

Sunday night, I was able to pull it off for my first FULL twitter chat: #caedchat 8-9pm, Pacific time. My wife was busy putting together PTA gifts for Teacher Appreciation Week, so I dove in. And you know what? It wasn't that hard. And I really enjoyed it. And I was pushed. And I learned from others. Everything was perfect.

Fresh from that victory, I decided to give #connectedtl a chance (they're mostly edtech coaches and TOSAs). I joined their Voxer group as a result of CUE Admin Rockstar camp (another post on that another day), and I thought I might try it. It's on Tuesday night at 7pm. BIG PROBLEM: I have a weekly mens group that meets at that exact time, and I meet my mentor for dinner prior to that meeting every week.

So I wasn't sitting at my laptop. I downloaded Hootsuite onto my phone. I knew it wasn't ideal, but I had received the questions for the chat and thought I could schedule my tweets to publish at about the time I thought the questions would launch. NOPE. The interface was wonky, and I couldn't figure it out. So no scheduled tweets! Oh well, I think...I'll just pop them all out at once, and the others will just have to deal with it. But my codependency kicked in, and I determined that I was potentially ruining the chat for someone expecting the questions to come through live.

Forgot to mention: my meeting has a car break-in problem, so we appoint one guy to go out and watch the parking lot for twenty minutes at a time. I volunteered so I could sit in my car and spit out my tweets before heading in to the meeting. In any event, I finally finished the chat at 10:20 (long after all the others had left). But there's a Voxer channel with follow up for the next two days, so I'll be sure to follow up there!

All in all, I encourage chat participation when you can. It's really not difficult, technically. It's the time commitment. One or two a week (and really, a few a month) will probably do the trick for me!

Do you participate in any chats? Leave the hashtag and the time in the comments!

Dime Con Quién Andas

Recovery quote: "Stick with the winners."

Dime con quién andas, y te diré quién eres. #MindsetMonday || Tell me who u hang out w/, & I'll tell u who u are. https://t.co/mNLsdueXIi

— Shawn Wisley (@mrwisley) May 2, 2016

Who you choose to surround yourself with can completely change your mindset, goals, and most importantly your success.

— Tyler Roney (@TylerJRoney) May 2, 2016

I went to hang out with my tribe this weekend. I don't want to hang out in the admin equivalent of the toxic teachers' lounge. I want to be with people who love kids, love technology, love great teaching, love encouraging each other...

I'm lucky to have some of that face-to-face. But sometimes, I have to travel to be with my tribe. And sometimes, that travel leads you to Yoda.

Take cliché photo, I must! #cuerockstar #t

A photo posted by Shawn Wisley (@mrwisley) on Apr 29, 2016 at 3:05pm PDT

Stop picking at it!

I have a wound. I'm not sure what it is, really. It's on the back of my head, in my hair. It might be a pimple. It might be an ingrown hair follicle. It might be (and this is probably psycho-somatic from watching too many Dr. Pimple Popper videos) a cyst. I don't really know.

What I DO know is that I find it irresistible to pick at. Not for any sense of satisfaction, unfortunately, but just impossible for me to leave alone. And I know that makes it worse. And I know I look horrible picking at my head in meetings, and getting blood on my fingers (and in my hair). My wife tells me to stop it. My colleagues tell me to stop it. I desperately want to stop. BUT I CAN'T.

And I have no idea why I chose to share this gross story as the lead-in for my surprise deep reading of the day.

Why We Don’t Need to Try So Hard to Be Better https://t.co/RnUtxWyaAw #Success via @tinybuddha pic.twitter.com/yzWa3Nw9kg

— Brett Blair (@CoachBrettBlair) May 2, 2016

I follow life coach Brett Blair on Twitter, and he's one of those guys who posts 10-15 links a day, and they're usually pretty good, but a bit much to take. For some reason I clicked on this tweet above, and it took me to a site called Little Buddha. Now, I'm enlightened enough to know that I can find truth from multiple sources. Some of my Christian friends might be confused by me sharing this post as my #ScriptureSunday post. And I'll admit, it's a stretch. But...my former pastor (and friend) Matt Hammett said it all the time: "All truth is God's truth." And I'm sure he quoted his source for that thought (R.C. Sproul, Aquinas, Augustine...God?). In any event, while I'm offput by a little Buddha, I found the truth in the post to be SO. SPOT. ON. Stuff that I'm going to have to re-read and chew on! Here's the link:

Why We Don’t Need to Try So Hard to Be Better - By Meredith Walters

Here are the main points:

1. The insight, answers, and wisdom we need are always within us and emerge in their own time.

2. When we miss a lesson, we’ll get new opportunities to learn it until we get it.

3. Our pain won’t let us stay off course for long.

All this striving and comparing is the mud that gums up the works of my self-healing process. That’s why it sometimes takes so long to work: I get in the way.

But if I can impose on your time (I mean, you came all the way here...keep going!)...click the link. Read the whole article. Then give yourself a break. RELAX.

Selfie Game on Fleek

In a follow up to last week's #SillySaturday post, here's some video evidence. Balancing a selfie stick on my nose at Penngrove Elementary's Fiesta Familiar

Dino Stomp

I had seen the Dino Stomp at other conferences.

I knew it was coming.

I thought it was going to be lame.

Hey @techmaverick heroes don't care for rules much. That's what @jkloczko told me. Right @amyfadeji ? #cuerockstar #dinostomp

A video posted by Shawn Wisley (@mrwisley) on Apr 30, 2016 at 8:57am PDT

It wasn't.

I really liked the mustache guy with the tiny t-rex arms. I identified with him.

And what WAS cool about doing a dumb dance was this: hundreds of school administrators willing to look silly together in an effort to build community.

THAT was beautiful.

Kids Deserve It

@awelcome

@techninjatodd

@kidsdeserveit

Check them out today. I cried twice today during their presentation at CUE Rockstar Admin.

Coleman will never see this

I simply love Mr. Coleman. And I'm going to gush about him for a bit here, and it's fine...because I know he'll never see it.

And those of you who could...don't share it with him. I don't need him coming and telling me I went too far.

He's a great leader. Why?

• He has a willingness to change, if it's going to be better for kids. Parent conferences were my first chance to see this in a big way. We had an idea, he said, "Let's look into it!"
• He always says "Together, we're smarter than a super computer!"
• He is ALL about kids. Kids flock to him. They know he loves them. They think he's funny. They know he's kind. They know he won't dismiss them out of hand. He's got nicknames for them. He's got pet phrases with them. He calls them in to talk about their grades and then holds them accountable. AND THEY CHANGE. For him. That's his power.
• He reminds us on Fridays that it's Friday. All day.
• He is a great listener. He knows how to diffuse an angry parent (by listening). He knows how to get to the root of a problem (by listening). He knows how to discover new solutions (by listening). He knows how to get a defiant kid to ultimately admit they need to change (by listening). And he knows it. I've heard him say, "You really want to get to know what somebody's all about? Let 'em talk." Let's just say that listening is a skill I could develop.
• He calls me on his drive home just to tell me he appreciates me.
• He knows how to treat people. He won't put up with a fool. He engages people that need love. He silences toxic people by praising what's good in them. He lets some kids have a really long leash (because most people in those kids' lives are beating them down). He lets me play devil's advocate...and pushes back (and I don't feel threatened). He is constantly frustrating adults by loving kids extravagantly...I think he knows we shouldn't always give kids "what they deserve". If you're not pulling your weight, he doesn't hold back. I've let him down a few times...I'll tell you what, that's a pretty good motivator to not do it again!
• He buys me mixed nuts from Walmart sometimes. No peanuts!

I simply love him. #ThankfulThursday

Brazen

"...underneath all of the parts of us that are wrecked and wounded and flawed and human is God-in-us." -- Leeana Tankersley, Brazen

I have a great friend who is an author. She has written three books, and lots of blog posts. I don't have any evidence that she has any other male readers (her latest book, especially, is specifically targeted to women), but I don't mind. Her stuff just hits me at my core. She often puts into words exactly how I feel about something that I have not been able to express well. I might even say that reading her words sometimes crystallizes even for ME what I feel.

In any event, I've been doing a lot of hard soul work lately (think half-hour daily homework for the Bible-based recovery group I attend). And one of the concepts that I struggle with mightily is my identity in Christ. I feel like I choose to label myself a sinner. And I reject the notion that I am good at my core. I feel more like a wretch that is only worthy of God's love because of that very love he has for me (if that makes any sense).

So this idea that at my very Center is God...it's hard to accept. It's hard to grasp. In fact, I think perhaps my Adversary wants desperately for me to not believe it. If I can actually wrap my head around this idea, I get the notion that it might just change everything.

And Lord knows...I could go for that.

"Goodness lies deeper in the heart of man's nature than sin, which came later and entered from the outside. Goodness lies deeper in man because God put himself there. It was very good! Goodness is intrinsic to man's nature; sin is not. Sin is the corrupting virus that has temporarily corrupted goodness."

-- Michael Phillips, A God to Call Father

A Newsletter for the Digital Age

What you're seeing below is the first digital newsletter published at Abraham Lincoln Middle School in Selma, CA. I work there as the Program Manager, and this has been a dream of mine for two years.

Why a digital newsletter? Well, we're fighting the battle of kids not taking things home when we give it to them (better said: things disappearing into the black holes that are called backpacks). Printing and mailing a traditional newsletter would get cost-prohibitive quickly, and besides...

*This digital form has clickable links! In this issue, that means links to the athletics website, links to the testing calendar, and a link to the Spanish version!

*We can send this multiple ways: we sent via Remind. When we get our email list up-and-running next year, we'll do that, too. We can put a link (and QR code) on progress reports that are mailed home. We can post it on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. We even print a couple copies to have in the front office (nobody really needs it, but we provide it).

*I can include high quality photos! I didn't take full advantage of it in this issue, but that's pretty neat. The little, grainy photos shared in most newsletters aren't that great. In this format, you can really see the detail!

*The ability to update after sending is nice: If I've got a date wrong or even want to add a whole new slide, it's super easy! Cool, huh!