Remembering My Dad with Food

So today would have been my dad's 74th birthday. He passed away very unexpectedly on February 22nd this year. I did NOT inherit my "foodie" status from dad. But perhaps because of my foodie-ness, I definitely remember a lot of food facts when I think about Bob Wisley.

Tonight, I grilled up some pork chops. I don't know why, but that's the dinner I associate most with him. This memory comes from adulthood, but it's definitely in there!

For dessert, I made a German chocolate cake. I did a keto version, and I assure you it was not as good as the one my mom would have made for him. It was okay, but I would not recommend that you waste your time re-creating it. That said, I'll eat the remaining half for breakfast tomorrow!

Dad was always telling us the gross origin stories of foods. There were two classics: root beer and mayonnaise. I think he tried some others on us at some point, but we had probably wised up by then.

Root Beer: many years ago, in the forests near Yosemite, there were some Park Rangers who observed some peculiar behavior from the local bears. Often, they would find bears digging up roots and chewing on them (perhaps much like a panda bear would with bamboo). The bears just could not get enough of these roots, sucking out the juices they had generated from their vigorous chewing. Curious about what exactly the bears were experiencing, the rangers dug up some of the roots for themselves. The initial taste they experienced was good enough for them to decide to dig up a bunch more, then figure out how to extract the flavor to be used in a beverage. They boiled the roots, distilled the liquid, and added it to seltzer water to create something very similar to the modern drink we now enjoy. When they shared it with their friends and colleagues, everyone wanted to know where this new drink had come from! The park rangers proclaimed that the beverage should be known as "The Drink of the Root of the Bear". Cooler heads prevailed, knowing that name was too long. But in the shortening, the Bear transfigured to Beer. And that is how we came to have "root beer".

Mayonnaise: honestly, this "story" is far less complex. It was just made known to us as children that mayonnaise was, in fact, the guts of caterpillars. Dad probably told a convoluted story about the gathering and smashing of the creatures, but I honestly don't remember that one in any detail. Fun twist: you might think the grossest part of this is envisioning caterpillars being squeezed and the creamy white innards being gathered to make the classic sandwich spread. But no...the grossest part was seeing Dad add a dollop of the supposed caterpillar guts to his Jello. He says it was "a Texas thing" (from his mom?). I have tried it, and I don't recommend it. But it's not as bad as you're probably thinking. So maybe give it a shot and report back?

Intro to SHS

So...I sent out a Google Form to my new colleagues at Selma High School (this is my first year serving the staff as an assistant principal there). They were restricted to short answers, but I'm taking the indulgence of converting my answers into this blog post. I'm sending this link out to them as a way to introduce myself to them a bit more deeply. If you came across this link via Twitter, well...here's who I am!

1. Name
Shawn Kelly Wisley
2. Spouse/Significant Other's Name (if any) 
Shanah Renea Laudermilk Wisley. With a maiden name like Laudermilk, I felt pretty certain she'd say yes when I asked her to marry me! And did you catch that we're Shawn and Shanah? My lovely wife works at our church leading a Christ-centered 12-step recovery ministry (ReGen). She's pretty much a rockstar, and my rock, too. She is one of the best mothers on the planet (genuinely), and puts up with my craziness! She is a quintessential Enneagram 4 (google it).

3. Kids' Names and Ages (if any)
Eden (11) and Emma (9). They're both at the same school this year (hallelujah!): Kepler Neighborhood School in downtown Fresno. They love Star Wars Bad Lip Reading music videos.

4. Pets?
Cat (Jelly Bean) and dog (Millie). I don't consider myself a "pet person", but they bring joy to the household, so I'm good.
5. Your Birthdate
September 25, 1975...so I'm 42 as of this writing.
6. Favorite sweet treat
Candy bar? Take 5. Candy? Sour Skittles, Sour anything! Baked good? Lemon bars!
In truth, I really shouldn't have too much of this stuff...I'm a type-1 diabetic. I was diagnosed as a young adult; I have an insulin pump and a continuous glucose monitor (CGM). So if you hear me talk about being high, know that I'm talking about my blood sugar!
7. Favorite savory snack
Popcorn! Really, I'm a sucker for anything salty/crunchy. But real popcorn, popped in coconut oil and smothered in butter and salt...that's my favorite!
8. Favorite movie EVER
Much Ado About Nothing. Emma Thompson and Kenneth Branaugh are two of my favorite people, so that's a no-brainer. Other movies with commentary: Open Range (when I want to feel manly), Napoleon Dynamite (flippin' sweet!), The Bourne Trilogy, The Princess Bride ("There are four of us, if we ever find the lady. Oh...hello, lady!")
9. Favorite restaurant
Oh man...I fancy myself a foodie, so I've got a lot of thoughts here. Here in Fresno, Annex Kitchen cannot be beat. The Fresno State corn agnolotti was breathtaking. Cracked Pepper is a close second, and Max's Bistro is a distant (but great) third. Out on the coast, Jocko's is my favorite...I don't understand people who say F. McClintock's! Unsolicited opinion: Me & Ed's is disgusting. Ampersand Ice Cream is a revelation (beet & fennel with finishing salt has been my favorite, but I love just about all they do).
Down in San Diego, I love Carnitas Snack Shack, Lucha Libre Taco Shop, Phil's BBQ, DZ Akin's Delicatessen, Miguel's Cocina (for the calamari relleno & white sauce!). My favorite celebrity chef is Richard Blais, so I can't wait to check out Juniper & Ivy or the Crack Shack.
That all having been said, I'm a foodie...not a food snob! So I love chili dogs (Tommy Burger is my favorite...for burgers, too). Here in Fresno, I love Triangle Drive-In, Rudy Jr.'s Chicken Man (RIP), Chuck Wagon, Chef Paul's, etc. My In-N-Out order is a double-double animal style (no tomato, no grilled onion), add sliced peppers, fries well-done. I love Costco hot dogs and Wienerschnitzel. My favorite tri-tip is Mike's Grill (on Cedar/Herndon) and I'm definitely a fan of Westwood's.
I fancy myself a bit of a home chef. My smoked ribs are darn good, I make a prize-winning Texas style chili, and I make a coconut curried butternut squash soup that will blow your mind. I'm the reigning champion of the SUSD Tech Department Burger Cook-Off, where I featured a 50/50 burger (half ground bacon) on a pretzel bun with black forest ham, cheddar cheese, and Mendocino mustard. Tell me there's a cook-off, and I will bring the thunder!
Oddly, I don't care for: tomato, onion, cilantro (so salsa is out), mushrooms, and much garlic. HOT TAKE: garlic mashed potatoes are just ruined mashed potatoes, and garlic fries are not only disgusting...they're inconsiderate to those around you!
10. Favorite color
Orange. Really.
11. Alma Mater(s)
Baker University (Baldwin City, Kansas). A school of 800 in a town of 3,000. At that age, I needed to get away from home, so leaving San Diego to study Spanish in middle America made a lot of sense. In fact, I ended up having upper-division Spanish classes with only one other student and my native-born Cuban professor! So it actually proved to be quite the education!
I got my masters at National University (just to move over on the pay scale...I can't even remember my thesis). I got nothing out of it.
But my Administrative Services Credential program at San Diego State University (go Aztecs!) was really refreshing. I feel like I learned a ton, and it really helped me make the transition from guy-who-never-thought-he'd-be-admin to a confident, inspired administrator who truly believes that servant leadership is what I'm meant for: serving and empowering teachers by improving systems, promoting a positive climate, and finding ways to clear the crap out of the way so that teachers can do the actual work of helping students learn!
My high school alma mater is Santana High School in Santee, California. Go Sultans!
12. Favorite Soft Drink
Orange soda. But as a type-1 diabetic, I've grown accustomed to diet, and often the only option is cola. I try really hard not to drink sodas anymore, but I will almost always have a sparkling water in my hand!
13. Favorite Sonic Drink
Route 44 Diet Cherry Limeade! (Only between 2-5pm for half price. And usually a 99¢ corn dog!
14. Favorite Starbucks Drink
Double shot of espresso in a short cup. Top with steamed heavy cream. Drop in one Splenda.
15. Favorite Dessert
Lemon Bars
16. Favorite Fast Food
In-N-Out. But let's be honest. A Jack-in-the-Box taco is hard to beat. So wrong, but so good!
17. How do you feel most appreciated ("love language")
     1. Acts of Service
     2. Physical Touch
     3. Words of Affirmation
     4. Gift Giving
     5. Quality Time
18. If we wanted to give you a shout out for something we see you doing well, do you want us to:
• Go ahead and say it in a staff meeting
• Put it in the weekly staff newsletter
• Write me a private post-­it
• Tell me privately
• Other: really, any and all of the above! In the Gallup StrengthsFinder, one of my top 5 is "Significance", so I definitely respond well to being told I'm doing well
19. Favorite college and/or sports team
College basketball: Kansas Jayhawks
College football: San Diego State Aztecs
NFL: (San Diego) Chargers
MLB: San Diego Padres
NBA: LeBron
Hockey: Just watch the playoffs
20. How many years have you been teaching/working at a school?
17 years as a high school Spanish teacher at West Hills High School in Santee, California. I also taught AVID and was the yearbook advisor for 7 years. This is my 5th year in admin: 3 as a program manager at ALMS, 1 as an assistant principal there, and now as an assistant principal here at SHS! I'm super-excited to be here. Coming back to a high school feels a bit like coming home!
21. Tell us an interesting story about yourself!
I was hit by a drunk driver head-on. My airbag (and the fact that she was driving a Mini Cooper) saved my life. I suffered an open tib-fib fracture (both of the bones in my lower right leg were broken). I have permanent hardware in my leg, and that's why you'll sometimes see me limping. The surgery fix is not the best, and I have chronic pain as a result. I hope someday to have a second surgery to affix a metal plate which would help to alleviate some of the pain, but I need my diabetes in better control before they'll do an elective surgery! To read a long blog post about the accident (including gory pictures...don't worry, you have to click multiple times to see them), click here!
22. Share your favorite quotation/thought/motto here:
"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." - Jim Elliot

OTHER STUFF:

• My Twitter handle is @mrwisley Some of my favorite hashtags: #KidsDeserveIt #TLAP #LeadLAP #LeadWild #LeadwithCulture #CAedchat #dadsasprincipals #BearNation #StaysHungry #RelationshipsMatter
• I'm one of 10 moderators for #CAedchat on Twitter (Sunday nights, 8pm Pacific)
• My Instagram username is @mrwisley
• Find/Friend me on Facebook: Shawn Wisley
• I go to the Well Community Church, Fig Garden campus
• I'm totally a Mac fanboy
• Why'd I move from San Diego to Fresno? Finance$.
• I love listening to podcasts! I've got a blog post brewing about that!
• Favorite bands: Over the Rhine, Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors, Sara Groves, jazz (think Miles Davis and John Coltrane), the Hamilton soundtrack (still), James Taylor

What is school for, anyway?

One of the prompts for #IMMOOC Season 4, Week 1 is: What do you see as the purpose of education? I was starting to think about my answer, but then I came across George's own paragraph in the Introduction to Innovator's Mindset:

"My focus is not on whether kids can knock it out of the park on some science test in grade three. What I care about is that kids are inspired to be better people because of their experiences at my school."

I love it. I've been telling teachers as often as I can that as a site administrator, I really don't care about state test scores. And I wish that our teachers could set them aside as easily...but I get it. They've been conditioned over the years to worship test scores. Or maybe to know that "the bosses" worship them.

Listen: students learning (and students caring, and students becoming better people) is SO much more important than an arbitrary number that doesn't tell us much anyway. So...what does that look like? As a classroom teacher, that means providing student choice in learning (of COURSE within parameters). That means making learning relevant and meaningful. That means working on character development in all scenarios: when doing well, when needing to give more effort, and also when having a bad day.

As a middle school vice principal, that means working on helping students become better people at every encounter. That means getting to know them (in the classrooms, out at lunch, when they're sent up to meet with me) and valuing them as a person even if they were sent up as "the bad kid".

My mentor, Dave Rios,  had this posted in his office as Vice Principal at West Hills High School. I stole it. I have students read it out loud whenever I sense that they're not used to having positive experiences up in the office. And yes, I have to teach them what "retribution" is (I usually explain it as "payback").

I'm sure I could flesh this idea out a bit more, but as Cori Orlando (@coriorlando1) says, "Just hit Publish!"

Christmas Card link

So...I had visions of a full-blown letter, but this is more what I'm capable of right now! If you want more details, you'll just have to creep on our Facebook and Instagram accounts!

Shawn

Job change to Assistant Principal: I am at the same school (Abraham Lincoln Middle School in Selma, CA), but moved down the hall to become an assistant principal. I love my colleagues, and am growing a lot!
CUE/Lead 3.0/Fall CUE (Site Leader): I had a great year with my "tribe". I had the opportunity to attend several conferences that stretched me and grew my PLN (professional/personal learning network). In the spring, I was named the Site Leader of the Year for Central Valley CUE!

Shanah

More hours at the Well (Re:gen): Shanah continues to love her work at our church, The Well. She is the women's "shepherd" for the 12-Step-based recovery ministry (Re:generation) which is growing by leaps and bounds! It is so fun to see her in her element, totally serving out of her God-given strengths!
Swim: she also continues to make people shake their heads at her craziness by swimming at 5am 3 days a week!
Massage (Melissa): Shanah is still doing some massage, but the most gratifying client has to be Melissa. You can learn more about her on Facebook, so I'll just link that here.

Eden

Braces: Eden got braces this year. The transformation was amazing within DAYS! We'll see how long they have to stay on!
Band (flute): She is loving to play the flute in the advanced elementary band at her school. The growth over the past year is astounding
Robotics: At the recent FIRST Lego Robotics competition in her district, Eden's team tied for the second-highest score of the day.
5:16: Eden enjoys the craziness of her youth group, and absolutely loves her small group leader, Emily.

Emma

Girl Scouts: Emma has joined a local Girl Scouts troop. She's having a lot of fun with her friends!
Reading (Wonder): Emma is becoming a voracious reader, and is challenging me to read the book she finished recently (Wonder) before she'll allow the family to go watch the movie! 

All

Life Group: we've joined a small group on Wednesday nights (the same night that Eden has 5:16 and Emma has Girl Scouts). We're loving this small community of believers that are sharing life together. A highlight this year was spending time at Bass Lake with the group this summer. But prayer-request time every week is almost as good!

I'm baaaaaaaaack!

Well...I burned myself out. I'm not able to blog daily. I tried for a while, and I worked really hard at it. But it's just not me. So I disappeared. But now I'm back. And I'm not making any promises. Just a goal: I'd like to post at least once a week. Today, I'd like to finally process my thoughts from CUE17.

I think this year, I made the transition from attendee to networker. Attending individual sessions became less important for me this year than the connections I could make with people in my PLN. PLN, if you're not familiar with it, means "Personal/Professional Learning Network". In simple terms, it means the people that I connect with on a regular basis on Twitter. In my world, these are educational leaders from around the nation (and even world) that I interact with frequently. For me, my "tribes" include #connectedTL peeps, CUE Admin folks, #CVtechtalk people (Central Valley of California), #leadwild principals, etc.

#CUE17 took place in Palm Springs, California this March 15-18. I was blessed to be able to send myself along with 5 teachers from my school site to the conference. I was super-excited to share CUE with these folks, and I feel like it really ignited two of the five teachers. The other three varied in their experiences, but I'm glad they got to go, too. [post edited]

As for me, I barely spent time with them. I was there to learn a couple of new things (expanded below), but also to connect more deeply with leaders in the #EdTech world that would enable me to bring new knowledge and information back to my site and district in ways that will pay dividends over the next couple of years. For sure, my connections with Jon Corippo and other CUE Admin leaders will push me to continually grow in ways that will improve LIFE for me and my colleagues moving forward. There are ideas that are "common" in circles at CUE that are pretty uncommon in my neck of the woods in Selma. I'm hoping that as I continue to grow personally, that I'll be able to leverage that growth to improve my school site, my district, and even my region. And all of that growth is not about me...it's about doing what's best for kids. My love for technology is all about that...how can we improve processes and procedures (empowered by technology) to better ensure student learning and teacher success?

One of my highlights at CUE17 was a dinner on Thursday night. I reached out via Twitter to my fellow foodie Jon Corippo (he's the Director of Academic Innovation for CUE...founder of Minarets High School)  because I was seeing his pre-CUE posts about meals (at The Hat, at Sherman's Deli) that were making me jealous before my arrival. He replied about a "super secret" dinner on Friday night. He invited me to join him and a couple of other fellows (Dustin "they're out of prime rib" Ellis and Robert "Pork Chop" Hochberg) for a simply amazing dinner at L.G. Prime Steakhouse. I had an awesome whiskey-based cocktail while we waited quite a while to order. That may or may not have played a role in my inability to say "bone-in ribeye steak" properly when relaying to our waiter what I wanted. It came out as "bone-eye"...and a new nickname was born! The steak was simply amazing, so I wear the new name with pride.

Another highlight of the trip was picking up my amazing friend Cate Tolnai. Cate is one of the moderator of the #ConnectedTL tribe, and is a world-leader in the TOSA community. She started the #sketch50 movement, helps run CUE Karaoke, and is simply a great person. I love her energy and enthusiasm, so it was a kick when I got an Uber call from a Catherine on Friday afternoon. I had a session at the far-away Riviera Hotel, and so I was simply going to miss a session. I decided to see if I could make a quick buck during that time, so I turned on my Uber app. I got Catherine's call, and noted that she was at the Riviera Hotel. When I rolled up, she was super-jazzed to see me, too. We had a great ride.

The #CUEber hashtag was revived (it was used the year before about some golf cart ride)...and I actually got to pick her up AGAIN on Saturday morning!

The best session I attended:
I'm sorry to bury this note so deep in my post, but I have to tell you about the session I attended on a Friday afternoon. Zach Smith and Ali Halsey from Sanger were presenting about UDL (Universal Design for Learning). Full disclosure: Zach is a friend of mine from church, and that was at least 75% of the reason I attended his session. The other 25% had to do with the fact that I was sorely disappointed by the UDL presentation that had been made to our ALMS staff at the beginning of the school year, so I wanted to give it another chance. Also, I've been totally impressed with the work I had seen Zach do with Special Ed. students in Sanger (think: 3D printing of digestive systems...by SDC students!). So here's my weird note:

I had a spiritual experience during this session. I'm a believer, and sometimes I'm touched by something I can only describe as the Holy Spirit reaching into my life. While Zach was describing how UDL helps us to reach the traditionally marginalized students (both Special Ed. and "gifted"), I couldn't help but hear it as a gospel message of how to love ALL of the people in our lives. UDL helps us to serve the students I believe God has placed in our lives. I know that standard instructional practices do a less-than-ideal job of loving our students on both ends of the spectrum, and I saw how UDL can help us do better in that charge. I was moved to tears as I considered the implications: how powerful to work intentionally to make sure that EVERY STUDENT MATTERS!

The second-best session I attended was hosted by Catina Haugen. She helped me see some better ways that I can communicate well with all the stakeholders at my school and in my district. I had followed her for a while on Twitter and Facebook, but this was the first time I had seen her present in person. She did a great job, and I brought home a couple of ideas that we'll put in place for this summer and next year.

THE NEGATIVE:
I have to say that I came away from CUE17 kicking myself for four things in particular, all of which are strangely tied to George Couros. I had recently seen George present at the Tulare County Tech Rodeo, and fell in love with his message, presented clearly in the book The Innovator's Mindset. I chose to skip his keynote address (which is PHENOMENAL, but I saw a heads-up on Twitter that it was going to be a repeat of what I had heard).
1) while I don't regret missing the keynote, I do regret that I missed sitting next to Todd Schmidt for that session. He had saved me a seat, and I wish I had spent some more time with him. #opportunitymissed
2) at CUE Karaoke, I left early to drive for Uber. I missed the chance to perform, and I missed seeing George Couros (and Mike Lawrence) sing. #bummer
3) the next morning, I saw George in the hallway. The person I was standing with said "Great job, George!" referring to the Karaoke. In my jealousy, I made a sarcastic comment along the lines of "Yeah...it wasn't THAT good." I have no idea whether George heard me or not...but what could I possibly have gained from that interaction?
4) The final session, I went to see a person that I have followed on Twitter for quite a while. I have always enjoyed his contributions online, so I went to his "futuristic" session, even though that's not the type of leader I really am. I saw all my #edufriends posting from George's session at the same time, and had some MAJOR #fomo about missing it. Not just for George's content, but also for the missed connections with Amy Fadeji, etc.
I caught up with Voxer messages in several groups after the fact, and one of the pieces of advice for CUE was to "follow the dynamic speakers". I missed that chance with George. #mybad

In any event, I'm glad to be back in the blogging saddle. They won't always be this long, but upcoming topics include:
• Podcasts:
- (what do I listen to)
- (Teacher Tales: my FAVORITE new podcast)
- (Google Teacher Tribe: my second-favorite new podcast...and it's great!)
• #sketch50
• Twitter for my colleagues
• feedback for my presentation (I've reworked my #edtech conference presentation, and need some help)
• BOOKS:
- Lead Like a Pirate #LeadLAP (new study group starting now!)
- #KidsDeserveIt (I've been reading it, but need to post about it!)
- Innovator's Mindset (I can't believe this has been shoved down to third position! I can't wait to read it!)

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).