“Fragmentation is the bane of our existence”

Much attention is focused on Washington D.C. and “sequestration.”  Most, if not, all Americans especially educators had never heard of sequestration before last year.  Setting what many pundits believed to be a ridiculous bluff, lawmakers in Washington are now faced with “did we really mean it.”  As opposites dig in for continued finger pointing, myriad programs and services await significant cuts and revenue reductions – some arbitrary and capricious.

At the center of sequestration are once again, children.  The critics of public education line up to march in unison towards dismantling public education.  Some are outright giddy at the prospects of reducing spending on programs designed to assist, support, and ensure that the “least among us” have access and opportunity for an education.

Many who have benefited from the promises of education have some how encountered temporary amnesia.  They have forgotten that the “American Dream” however distorted by decades of conflicting and competing agendas is still at the center of the American public education system.  Providing access and opportunity through education for each child irrespective of race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, handicapping condition or socioeconomic status is what separates us from the world.  This is as it should be!

Our Declaration of Independence boldly proclaimed – “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”. 

Amplified by the inscription on the Statue of Liberty, I lift my lamp beside the golden door,” American public education is the “lamp” to light the way towards our future for each of our citizens, our children.  Yet, the power of an educated citizenry is not championed today as it once was.

“Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breath free;

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,

Send these, the homeless, tempest tossed to me,

Why?

Simply put, we have sacrificed the enduring purposes of an education on the altar of personal agendas.

Lest you think I oppose alternatives to public education or that public education doesn’t need improvement, reform, or transformation – I am not.

I have never supported a “one size fits all” approach to education.  Rather, I have and will continue to question, challenge, defend and criticize those who believe “their boat floats higher in the water by sinking someone else’s boat.”

The bane of our existence is fragmentation.  We lost sight many years ago of the aim or purpose of education.  In fact, even today, we don’t have uniformity of purpose.  The promises of national standards and national assessments are contentious at best with critics lining up to attack the very idea learners across this great nation should be sentenced to an inferior educational experience dictated by their zip code.

Hold on – before your loose the arrows – we know choice, self motivation, work ethic, commitment, etc., come into play. 

However, children don’t choose poverty.

Children don’t choose their parents. 

The bane of our existence, fragmentation, must first be acknowledged and then questioned.  Now more than ever we, the people, must speak loudly to Washington and state capitals that our children are not, can not, and will not be held hostage for political posturing. 

Front and center must be the purposes of education - our dreams, our aspirations, our commitments our best hopes for America and the American dream now and in the future.  We must resist the "reality show" mentality.  To be sure, there are incidents, situations, practices and the like that violate the very nature of learning – we get that.  Yet the absurd, the exceptions, the ridiculous cannot be allowed to define the incredible work that is done day in and day out across America by dedicated, caring, nurturing, and selfless educators

Therefore, to combat as well as correct fragmentation we must define and create a shared vision, commonly understood mission through the very skills, knowledge, and experience we now require from our students - critical thinking, collaboration, communication, creativity, and character.

We must model what we expect in, of, and for our children.  

Policy makers, are you listening?

"New Beginnings"

Transition inherently presents challenges, not to mention degrees of uncertainty, anxiety, and confusion.  However, transition also creates tremendous opportunity.  These opportunities are absolutely necessary for the health, growth, and improvement of self, let alone the organization.

I am extremely privileged to be in the position of transitioning – again.  I have learned through the many transitions in my career that “questions are my friends.”  That it really is the questions we ask – not the answers we give that assist in learning, a central theme of transitioning.  Through asking questions I am provided a platform to listen and learn from others, about others, what they value, what they deem is important, what is working and what isn’t, as well as understanding the motivation, passion, commitment, conviction, desires, and aspirations of staff that have been in the “work” in the organization I have just joined.

Asking questions is also fundamental to what Covey so many years ago offered to leaders – “seeking to understand before being understood.”  Each of us has encountered the individual who violated the aforementioned.  They just couldn’t help themselves.   They needed to talk about what they’ve done or what they know rather than listening to others.  Candidly, I know I have done this very thing knowing I shouldn’t.  Call it nerves, call it insecurity, or call it a desire to whatever – it more often than not inhibits building trust in relationships – critical to leadership effect.

Transition, in addition to compelling us to seek to understand through questioning, requires us to observe others – their interactions, conversation, communication, and work product. This observation is not for the purpose of making judgments or second-guessing decisions, actions, or progress. Rather, its purpose is to create understanding.  It allows me to make connections between the people, the “work,” the results, skills, knowledge, and experience. Finally, transition brings us to an evaluation of how these connections will allow me to add value to the work of both the individual and the organization.

As I continue with my transition, I know that staff are equally curious to understand or learn about me – what I know or can do, why I am here, and how I communicate, listen, speak, write, and interact with others, to name just a few things.  Without question transition takes time, involves risk, transparency, and trust for all.

The process of transition, as mentioned, creates challenges for everyone.  These challenges, however, are natural and necessary.  Understanding that transition has requirements for everyone is essential in order to be successful.

My best hopes are that the transition – this present transition – will continue to flow naturally, achieving increased awareness and understanding of how “we” can, together, ensure that each student is successful as a result of the choices, decisions, and actions that we the adults make.