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Chris Dardar responding to Paul Root Wolpe: Bioengineering

Being a person usually pretty strong in conviction, I have no idea where I stand on Bioengineering. Wolpe does a great job painting the picture of where we are headed.  Science has made many things possible and there is no clear end in site. Ethics is what needs to be addressed.  Wolpe briefly discusses pushing the limits and who decision is it to say where we should stop.  In the educational setting science and discovery are components that have always been embraced.  However, the ethics of creation are tricky, especially in a christian environment.  Engineering life is not a message I feel comfortable promoting, however, the use of genetic studies to help prevent diseases is something I feel must be supported.  As a classroom teacher I feel it is important to educate our students on the capability of science and the possibilities of what is to come. 

Chris Dardar responding to Mae Jemison on teaching arts and sciences together

Mae Jemison is truly a blessed person, who has managed to balance a very diverse career.  She has combined an extensive science background with a love  and talent of the arts.  She suggests that schools are not doing enough to help students appreciate both sides of the spectrum.  Her suggestions are that we begin incorporating more art into our science and science in to our arts.  Helping students to integrate the intuitive thought processes with the analytical brain will allow for balanced educational growth.  I believe that we as educators often focus on a discipline of study and do not fully appreciate where that study can be utilized and integrated.  I often tune out professional development that screams cross curriculum.  I have never meet anyone who can truly explain the methods of success for this.  I understand what is being sought but at the same time a teachers lesson should not be crossed by curriculum or educational discipline, but instead, the lesson should cross section life.  Teaching math or science can help a student appreciate art by acknowledging relationships of creation and process.  Everything we do in the classroom should encourage exploration.

Neysa Miller responding to Mae Jemison on teaching arts and sciences together

According to Mae Jemison, "science provides an understanding of a universal experience and arts provide a universal understanding of a personal experience".  This comment explains her idea of teaching the  sciences and the arts together. She suggests that both are beneficial to students because they will acquire basic knowledge and be able to form and appreciate abstract ideas.

I think that this is a great concept but not always pratical.  In smaller schools, it may not be feasible or possible to offer a variety of art electives.  I think that magnet and charter schools are a good alternative and may offer some students more possibilities in their interest areas.  I think that the trend of  such specialized schools will continue to grow.  On-line learning opportunities may also be a good alternative or way to provide students with some art experiences.

Annelle Keller responding to Viktor Frankl on the serach for meaning

Viktor Frankl explains that if we set our expectations high, promoting "man" with what he really CAN be, he will always rise to the challenge.  As educators, we must help spark our students to achieve and teach them how to become what he/she is capable of becoming. We are forming these young children into critical thinkers and must always be willing to push them to their highest potential.  As educators, we must have high expectations and help guide our students to become what they are capable of becoming.  Our students need to know that we believe in them.  They need us, as educators, to set clear, specific, high goals and make them clear. Students also need us to teach them how to meet those goals. 

Neysa Miller responding to: Viktor Frankl on the search for meaning

Neysa Miller responding to: Viktor Frankl on the search for meaning

          In Viktor Frankl’s speech, he discusses the idea or search for meaning in life.  He suggests that instead of just accepting the status quo, we should “promote man to what he can be”.  As teachers, we have the privilege and responsibility to do this every day.  We must recognize that our students have so much potential and discover how to help them achieve greatness.

          The teaching of ethics remains a challenge to all educators.  As individuals, we have strong beliefs.  As educators, we have a big responsibility to discern our beliefs from what should be shared and taught in a classroom setting.  As a teacher in a catholic school, it is my responsibility to share and teach the beliefs of the Catholic Church.  However, it is not my responsibility to share or teach my personal opinions or beliefs. 

Annelle Keller responding to Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action

This should have already been posted.  I'm not sure why it is not showing on the blog site....

How do great leaders inspire action?  According to Simon Sinek, they think, act, and communicate the same way.  I loved his "Golden Circle" insight which is a new way of looking at how people approach what they do.  The Golden Circle is drawn as a three circled "bulls eye". Written on the inner circle is the word ‘why’, the next circle reads ‘how’, and the outer circle reads ‘what’. Most people can describe ‘what’ they do but very few answer the ‘why’. Sinek says when you answer the ‘why’, you become unique and inspirational. He says inspired leaders start with the why. Those who start with "why" have the ability to inspire those around them or find others who inspire them. I watched Simon Sinek's TED on Martin Luther King Day. What a huge word - INSPIRE! Those who lead INSPIRE! I loved when Sinek pointed out that Dr. King's speech was "I Have A Dream" NOT "I Have a PLAN". People believed what Dr. King believed and then told others to follow him. Leaders who lead inspire and those who follow, follow because they want to not have to.

Elizabeth Harson:  Responding to Viktor Frankl:  Why to believe in others.

Viktor Frankl talked very briefly about finding meaning and purpose in life.

He says, 16% of America students were out to make a lot of money, while 78% of students’ top concern was to find meaning in their life.  Some have a realistic view, while others are idealist.

He states, “If we take man as he really is, we make him worse than he really is, but if we take man as he should be then we make him capable of becoming of what he can be.”

He believes we have to recognize man’s search for meaning and spark others to achieve. 

I believe it is important to value the life of others and as educators we have to spark meaning for our students, pushing them to their highest potential. 

I have to agree with Anne Johnson, that the starring role in the learning process is the student.  We have to guide them through the learning process giving them the tools and opportunities to work hard to achieve.  Too often, they are given the results and not the opportunities to work for the results, therefore robbing them of the experience.     

Elizabeth Harson:  Responding to Michael Sandel on Justice.

Michael Sandel was definitely a professor who challenged his students to “think” and take a stand on issues.  He gave the students scenarios and then posed questions.  Asking: Would you kill one for the sake of five?  Would you kill one for the sake of three?  Would you kill one for the sake of 300?  He gave a different scenario for each situation and watched how some students changed their minds based on the situation and circumstance for each. 

He states, the right thing depends on the consequences that will result from the action.  Defining two categories: 

1.   Consequentialist:  locates morality in the consequences of an act.

2.   Categorical:  locates morality in certain duties and rights.

Then he talked about when making decisions we have warnings of personal and political that affect our decisions.  Philosophy teaches and unsettles us by confronting us with what we already know.  He explains that self-knowledge is like lost innocence, it can never be unknown. 

He believes moral judgment is story of ourselves both personal and political.  Personal being about you and political being, will it make you a better or worse citizen.

He talked about Maximum Utility being a balance of pleasure over pain, happiness over suffering and we base our decisions on these theories. 

At the end he posed these questions:

     1.    Do we have certain fundamental rights?

     2.    Does a fair procedure justify any results?

     3.    What is the moral work of consent?

   

    It was very interesting and there was great discussions.  As a professor/teacher he engaged his students and challenged them to really think about where they stand on every day issues as well as the more difficult ones.  I realized how important it is to have some self-awareness and an abundance of self-knowledge when making decisions that have an impact on others. 

Elizabeth Harson:  Responding to John Wooden on true success.

John Wooden tells about his upbringing and what he learned from his father, “never try to be better than someone else, always learn from others, and never cease to be the best you can be, that is under your control”.  He also stated that peace of mind is attained only through self- satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do the best of which you are capable.  As a teacher and coach he shared three things that were important for him and expected from his students:

      1.   Never be late. 

      2.   Be neat and clean.

      3.   Never criticize a teammate.

He says that your reputation and character are also important… reputation being what you are perceived to be and your character being what you really are, character being more important.  He believed faith and patience were important.  Always believing things will work out as they should.

I was inspired by his words of wisdom and his meaningful poetry.  Always helping children reach their highest potential is what I strive to do every day; helping children be the best that day and the next day, too.  It has been great leaders along my journey that have inspired me to be the best teacher that I can be each day.  I have learned so much from my elders and sometimes fear their philosophy, believes and teachings are a dying generation and who will pick up when they leave the field.  It is up to us to pick up and continue on , teaching and educating children to the best of our ability.  John Wooden said, “The journey is better than the end.”

Anne Johnson responding to Mae Jemison on teaching arts and sciences together

An elementary environment would seem to lend itself more closely to interdisciplinary studies or approaches, however often what develops is a thematic approach, short on depth and/or authentic connections and long on "cute."  Use of interdisciplinary studies would involve high levels of restructuring, collaboration, and reflective planning - all of which require time, the most difficult resource to manufacture.  There is no doubt that many activities in classrooms touch other disciplines and cannot be so neatly and tidily assigned a singular content speciality, however accountability standards and school structures do not truly support interdisciplinary studies or approaches.

Math, Reading, Writing, Science, Social Studies, Art, Music . . . all disciplines have their own content standards and grade level expectations.  National organizations (National Council for Teachers of Mathematics, National Science Teacher Association, National Reading Association, etc.) all create standards that are exclusive of interaction with one another creating volumes of research, recommendations, and activities to support mastery in their particular area.  Educators are left to assemble, prioritize, and make certain each student mastered the list of skills demanded in each of these areas.  It would seem that our national organizations have to some degree polarized the disciplines.

The state of Louisiana has established clear guidelines for number of minutes of math, language arts, and other subjects.  Schedules demand that these time blocks be labeled and accounted for.   Elementary schools are generally very short on planning time for teachers, let alone broad blocks that provide a group of teachers to meet and collaborate across grade levels or content areas.  Even University settings emphasize credit hours in specific methodologies courses by content area and content areas for the highly qualified teacher.

I have created and worked with teachers on interdisciplinary units when I was working in public schools as a teacher, however it was something we initiated and had to find time and energy to create.  The results were worth all the effort, however they did not generalize to other teachers or classroom settings beyond our small group of collaborators.  Time, energy, knowledge basis, and willingness to engage in design of curriculum as opposed to lesson planning seem to be the key components.

There are schools who are created around this approach - the D'Vinci Academy in Georgia is created entirely around this concept.  It has received high commendations for its work, but the key seems to be that the school was created with this approach in mind.  The approach, as with anything else has a limited possibility of success when overlaid on unreceptive teachers and/or school cultures.  Perhaps this is why we are seeing a surge in the creation of charter schools . . . the perception that change is harder to achieve than creation of a new vision.

Rachel responding to Paul Root Wolpe: Bioengineering

How is the topic of ethics addressed both formally and informally in the program and life of the school? What are the stress points for ethics in education, generally and your educational setting specifically?

As Wolpe shares recent bio-engineering “accomplishments”, I can’t help but feel a range of emotions. I first begin to wonder about all of the unsuccessful attempts. I am saddened to think that many animals have suffered and died at the hands of human experimentation. Others, who have survived, live a life that is unnatural; glowing bodies, hybrid forms, movements controlled by computers. I am unsettled by many of the capabilities we have as humans. Who are we to intentionally manipulate these creatures? I then begin to think differently about these discoveries. As an educator, I value the process of trial and error and recognize how essential it is to successful scientific discoveries.  Although my thoughts and opinions fall on both sides of the debate, I turn to the teachings of the Catholic Church regarding bio-ethics. I had an opportunity to discuss the Church’s stance with a member of our faculty whose background is Theology.  Here are a few things I learned:

·         There are no specific indications from the Magisterium of the Church on biotechnology. Because of this, we cannot condemn the use of these products.

·         Genetic engineering in agriculture: Acceptable only if all risks are minimized; Effects cannot be evaluated solely on the basis of immediate economic interests. They must be submitted beforehand to rigorous scientific and ethical examination, to prevent them from becoming disastrous for human health and the future of the earth;

·         Animal cloning: “It could help to resolve in a final way the problem of species in the process of extinction.”

·         Human Engineering: “The Pontifical Academy for Life says no to the cloning of man in all its forms."

When making one’s own determination regarding an ethical position, the Church offers these suggestions:

·         Clarify—determine what needs to be decided and identify a range of options.

·         Evaluate—look at facts and assumptions carefully. Identify solid facts. Look at the credibility of the information sources.

·         Decide—make a judgment about what is or is not true, and what consequences are likely to occur.

·         Implement—develop a plan to implement your decision so as to maximize benefits and minimize risks.

·         Monitor and Modify—be prepared to take a different course of action, based on new information.

At our school, teaching of ethics is intertwined throughout our religion education classes, as it relates to the Catholic catechism. As points of discussion arise that refer to ethical decision making, teachers can take the opportunity to relay this to the Church’s teaching.  Although currently there is no formal curriculum, there is a plan that will be implemented in the future. Until then, the steps described above can provide a framework for students to follow when evaluating situations.

Annelle Keller responding to John Wooden on true success

What an inspiration!  John Wooden's definition of success was to never try to be someone else, learn from others, and never cease trying to be the best YOU can be.  Making the effort of doing the best at which YOU are capable is Wooden's message.  His simple values that his own father taught him allowed enabled Wooden to instill those same values in his players and students.  

As teachers, we wear many hats - role model, nurse, confidant, counselor, cheerleader, mother, mediator, just to name a few.  As a middle school teacher, it is often difficult to teach kids to be their own person and love themselves for who they truly are.  Trying to teach and encourage that they should never seek to be better than someone else, they should always learn from others, and they should never stop trying to be the best he/she can be is something that I strive to instill in my students almost everyday.  Being able to accept oneself - faults and all - is truly something I teach my students.  I loved the end of his talk when he stated, "The Journey is better than the end.  Getting there is the fun!"  John Wooden's love for teaching is evident throughout his TED talk.  He seemed to have always taught his students, as well as his athletes, not only the game of basketball, but also the game of life.  I hope and pray that once my students leave our school at the end of their 8^th grade year, that through my life lessons and teachings in my classroom, they have been able to begin their own journey in becoming the BEST person that they can be. 

Neysa Miller respond to: JK Rowlingon the benefits of failure

Neysa Miller responding to: JK Rowling on the benefits of failure…

        J.K. Rowling stated in her Harvard commencement speech, “And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.”  During her speech, she told her story of hardship and how that played a role in her success.   After reaching her “rock bottom”, she began to actively pursue her passion of writing and was then able to achieve success. 

        I do not think that Rowling’s benefits of failure theory fits well into today’s educational climate.  Today’s educational climate is structured for achievement and success.  It does not recognize the benefits of struggling or failure.    Traditional college admissions are based on a student’s historical academic success rather than his or her  passion, desire,  or ability to achieve success.  We, as a society in general, tend to measure future success on past successes. 

        If a school leader agrees with Rowling’s benefits of failure philosophy, there are several ways that they can use that concept to enhance a student’s academic experience.  A school leader can inspire students by sharing stories of successful people such as J.K. Rowling.  They can also lead by example and share such valuable knowledge with students in order to inspire them to achieve their maximum potential.  School leaders can also use academic failures to provide students with on-going learning experiences.   They can also use such experiences to  enable  students to self-discover  many of life’s important  lessons.

“We carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better”.

Yvette responding to Michael Sandel – What’s the Right Thing to do?

Michael Sandel – What’s the Right Thing to do?

Sandel begins his talk with a scenario of a run away trolley.  Should the trolley driver kill 5 workers or 1 worker?  If you see a fat man above leaning over a bridge, do you push him and spare all the workers?  What makes these scenarios different/same?

One student in the audience brings about the point that the cause of the accident is a malfunctioning trolley, not human error, where pushing the man over is a human error.

Then he speaks about a doctor in an ER.   Who does he save 5 with less critical injuries, or the one in a life threatening injury? 

He then says that the issue of moral principles depends on consequences that will result from our actions. 

Moral Reasoning

·         Consequentialist – locates morality in the consequences of an act

·         Categorical – locates morality in certain duties and rights.

He talks about the theory of Maximize Utility – the balance of pleasure over pain, happiness over suffering.  The greatest good for the greatest number.

All of his scenarios were interesting, and then he would add a twist. 

To me some moral decisions depend on our vantage point of the circumstances. What may seem moral to one may not seem moral to another.

This is a very interesting topic when it comes to decisions in our school. Are we making good moral decisions and does everyone involved see it in the same way.  Are we doing the greatest good for the greatest number, or does this not apply for all situations?

I believe when teaching it to students, we need to listen to their perspective, how are they seeing it.  Then perhaps asks the students questions, like Sandel did with his group.  Have students look at all the angles.  Debate the topic.  I’m sure in our schools religion would certainly come up, whereas in the video, religion was not mentioned. 

I enjoyed the video and made me think about making moral decisions.

Annelle Keller responding to JK Rowling on the benefits of failure

During Harvard's 2008 commencement speech, JK Rowling said, "You cannot live and embark on adventures without risking and experiencing failure. If you do, you most likely have not lived at all." JK Rowling attributes her success to failure.  I totally agree with JK Rowling regarding the benefits of failure.  As adults, I believe that we have the hindsight to look back at our failures and learn from them.  JK Rowling stated that her "rock bottom" became the solid foundation in which she rebuilt her life. 
Unfortunately, at an early school age, people start telling us that failure is something bad, that it and taking risks are things to avoid. Children perceive failure as bad and are judged or graded accordingly. And so throughout the years, with the help of school and what other people around us tell us, we develop a fear of failure.

If as a school leader, failure is perceived as an important educational experience, then students should be able to accept failure. Students should be taught "how to fail" by...

1. Learning

Instead of seeing failure as something horrible, students should start to learn how to view it more as a learning experience. There is always one lesson or many more in what they may see as a failure.

2. Gaining experiences that could not be gained any other way

Learning from other people's mistakes and failures is not always easy to do. Sometimes failing on their own to learn a lesson and to gain an experience from it is the best way to find out how to fail.  

3. Becoming stronger

Every time a student fails, he/she will become more accustomed to it. Students will realize more and more that it's not the end of the world. 

4. Realizing that their chances of succeeding increases

Every time a student fails, they can learn and increase their inner strength. So every failure can make them more and more likely to succeed. And there is probably no other way to the success they dream of without a whole bunch of failures along the way.

Although the word failure has a negative overtone, failure should no longer be perceived as being the end. Instead, failure must increasingly be taught in schools as being a hurdle that forces one to stop and reflect about what went wrong, rethink strategy, and move on—often to help the student succeed in an entirely unexpected way.

Yvette responding to Viktor Frankl on the Search for Meaning

Viktor Frankl on the Search for Meaning

Frankl begins with a chalkboard representation of an airplane trying to reach a target location. He talks about over and under compensations. He then relates this to man, and says “If we take man as he is we make him worse, if we take him as he should be we make him what he can be.  I believe we do indeed need to challenge our students. Put it out there and let them climb to meet it. Those who can will, and those who can’t, have at least tried and were exposed to it, and we have certainly taken them to a better place.  The bar needs to be set high.  Do we want to settle for just average, the minimum?  I feel students aren’t always challenged enough.  They want all the answers and often don’t want to think for themselves, scared to make a mistake.   I assign the odd numbered problems for homework so students can check and find their mistakes and come to class the next day with any questions.  Last week when I checked homework, more than half of all the classes had incorrect answers for the 1^st 3 problems.  I was so sad, that they can not even taken the time to see if they were working the problems correctly. Also, not a one had a question!

Chris Dardar - Responding to Thomas Suarez - A 12 year old Apple Developer


Thomas Suarez at any other time in history would be thought of as extraordinary. Thomas, who is only 12 years of age, has developed several Apps for Apple products.  He has learned to work with multiple software developing kits.  Remarkably, his achievements this early in life are wonderful but not that uncommon.  Today's student's are far beyond what we could have ever thought possible when it comes to understanding technology.   Technology has evolved throughout my entire life.  We purchased our first home PC in 1983.  It was basically a glorified type writer that could play solitaire and a few other games.  Technology has grown exponentially over the last 30 years.  The Thomas Suarez's of the world are what I am finding more and more fascinating.  Students today are not as excepting as I was to just have the game on the PC, they are more interested in creating the game or making the one they have even better.  Many twelve year olds throughout our country are like Thomas, in that, they do not just use the technology but also understand it. 

Our school has always embraced technology.  We have decided to incorporate iPads into the daily curriculum.  Each 5-12 grade student will be receiving iPads in the 2012 school year.  The goal is to integrate the technology as tool in learning without allowing it to be the focus of learning.  Technologies role in schools should be to aide in the learning process.  Our students will receive an education that does not only focuses on what is thought of as traditional educational needs but also a thought out plan of what will make them the most ready for today's world.

Rachel responding to "Viktor Frankl on his search for meaning"

What is a school’s ethical responsibility in this area (stewardship)? How can a school navigate the shoals of ideological and political currents and effectively to address stewardship? As an administrator, what tools are available to you to engage this topic with your school community?

In the short clip from 1972, Viktor Frankl elaborates on his belief that the basic human motivation is the will to make meaning and find purpose in life. I do believe this still applies in today’s world; however, for many, the notion of life’s purpose is misguided.  Too often, people embrace the idea that personal satisfaction can only be found in objects and things. When the focus is on acquiring material possessions, the greater good can be over-looked by selfish intent. Informed decision making will continue to be a challenge, if artificial beliefs remain to be the driving force behind many of the choices made each day.

As educators, we must do our part in nurturing beliefs that contradict an egocentric culture. Creating an awareness of the needs of others doesn’t have to be rooted in religion or politics; it speaks to the human element to which we all can identify. It is not enough to communicate these expectations to students, through aspects of the mission statement, school rules or even curriculum; we must live them.

Often stewardship is viewed as something that is carried out on mission trips or when we volunteer with those who are less fortunate. Whereas these are powerful contributions, fostering respectful actions and extending kind gestures throughout the day can serve as a model of service and stewardship to our students.  Children of all ages are aware when teachers take part in small endeavors such as picking up a piece of trash, holding open the door or offering a warm smile. These small-scale interactions, over time, can act as a gateway for our students to take part in larger initiatives regarding ethical and global responsibilities. I think of the analogy of the pebble creating countless ripples in the water; I envision that a kind gesture today may be the catalyst for positive humanitarian efforts in the future.

Stephanie Fournet Responding to Mae Jemison on teaching arts and sciences together

Mae Jemison’s 2002 TED talk on teaching the arts and sciences together has more to do with valuing them equally than with “teaching them together”, but her point is very valid. Both disciplines rely on creativity, intuitive thinking, analysis, and logic in varying degrees. Both utilize deconstructive and constructive approaches. Both attempt to share an understanding of the universe.

Jemison’s talk called to mind an anecdote my division head once shared. He relayed that one of his former students who later attended and graduated from MIT and ultimately regretted the fact that he did not get a liberal arts education. This former student felt that because he had not cultivated his knowledge of a diverse array of disciplines that he had stunted his own creative, innovative, and problem-solving abilities.

Hearing this story made me wonder about all of the students across the country who have attended/are attending schools where fine and performing arts have been cut or drastically reduced from the curriculum. It also reinforces the ideas behind Ken Robinson’s TED talk on how schools kill creativity. We are robbing our students of a rich and productive future if we are not developing the whole child.

I am also grateful to be at a school that values the arts as well as the sciences. This is mission-driven and reflected in our curriculum, of course, but it is also our cultural expectation. Given our size, we expect our students to participate in extra-curricular activities that are scholarly, athletic, and artistic. The students who are leaders in our school are dancers who edit the newspaper, painters who will be valedictorian, guitar players who make touchdowns and participate in Mu Alpha Theta. Moreover, I think that these students are seeking out such diversity of experience from their future colleges.

That said, I know there is room for improvement to strike the kind of balance Jemison describes.

Stephanie Fournet Responding to Liz Coleman's Call to Reinvent Liberal Arts Education

Liz Coleman’s call to reinvent liberal arts education charges leaders in higher education with the mission to reverse the current practice of focusing on increased specialization in fields of study and strive for increased cooperation with the declared emphasis towards the advancement of the public good.

Highly specialized degree programs and over-valuing the technical mastery of a particular field lead to a cultural conditioning of disconnection from the greater world that encourages everyone to ignore the crises that we collectively face as a society. Renewing the liberal arts model’s commitment to a more generalized education that begins with the charge to take action and solve problems serves two important goals: the education of the individual and the improvement of society.

Watching Coleman’s talk called to mind two things: Kiran Bir Sethi’s TED talk on empowering children to enact social change and my visit in November to Centenary College.

I’ve addressed Kiran Bir Sethi’s talk in a previous post, but I’ll add that she makes it clear that Coleman’s model can and does work for students before their college years. When Bir Sethi’s students took on projects of civic significance, their scores in all subject areas improved, and they felt the senses accomplishment and citizenship as they impacted the world around them.

Centenary College’s Living Learning Communities program closely mirrors the kind of directional shift that Coleman describes. LLC students are grouped and housed together, along with one or more faculty members, in one of four topic-centered areas. LLC community members identify a problem, work to understand it, and take action to solve it. Students and faculty collaborate and combine their various talents, and they also work with leaders in the community and policy-makers to achieve their goals. Three of these four areas directly correspond to the “public good” focuses that Coleman discussed in her talk. The GreenHouse community focuses on sustainability; the Santé community focuses on improving health for disadvantage people, and the Node community focuses on engaging technology to produce social change. This initiative at Centenary College is only a couple of years old, but it is clear from talking to administration and faculty members, that they can see that it has transformed the level of student engagement and ownership of learning while providing them with experiences that will greatly serve them in their professional lives.

What is happening at Bennington and Centenary can happen everywhere, even in elementary, middle, and high schools. When schools provide action-oriented education, everybody wins.

Anne Johnson responding to Michael Sandel on justice

Michael Sandel invites his students to examine what they already know through a new lens.  He notes that there is personal risk in doing so.  Much like the loss of innocence, thinking a thought cannot be undone.  He talks about philosophy as being unsettling . . .

It was fascinating to hear an audience invest in the conversation of moral reasoning and ethics without once alluding to religious or spiritual convictions.  I wonder if we engaged in these types of conversations within the framework of our religion or spiritual beliefs, if we might then truly affect spiritual growth, one of the key elements of our mission.  While in Kenya last summer, I stayed at a rest house for the Maryknoll Brothers.  They talked about going into the villages to talk about the bible and its message for the people of Kenya.  They used situations and events that had occurred within the context of daily life in the village and then addressed them through the lens of what the bible teaches.  This seems to me to be the kind of "unsettling" experience that would create a greater growth than simply reading and studying the bible or any other religious text.

Michael Sandel's approach is very powerful and would be unsettling - and I think would be very threatening to an audience/parents who believe that unquestioning or blind faith is all that is required, that children are simply to be told with authority what is right or wrong.

Throughly enjoyed this presenter and find much value in his approach and topic.

Anne Johnson responding to Viktor Frankl on the search for meaning

Highly recommend this talk . . . Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl uses man's search for meaning as a basis for his work in psychotherapy.  He is an idealist and encourages those around him to be an idealist as well.  He encourages them to find a spark within their fellow man and use it to allow them to become who they are capable of being.   He description of how ones reaches for this goal by "crabbing" - not a straight trajectory forward, rather a series of movements like steps on a stairway.

I can identify with his message.  I believe children (and people in general) do best when we signal our belief in them and express the knowledge that they are capable of achieving their goals, that it will take hard work, and won't always come easily, but it can be done.  Learning pathways are rarely linear trajectories - most often they are staircases with plateau points.  One of the themes of our school is "staying in the struggle."  We talk about learning and how it can be difficult at times.  We encourage our students to take a deep breath, walk  away for a moment, but always to return and reengage.  It is not uncommon for them to remind their teachers (and administrator) to do the same.  When working with children who back away from a challenge or shut down, we actually teach them self-talk, "This is going to be hard, but I can do it!"  Children mistakenly believe that being smart is working faster than anyone else (even at the price of accuracy), answering more quickly (even if answer is incorrect), and knowing the answer before the question is asked (no effort needed).  We deliver chapel messages on these topics to reframe their thinking.  We encourage them to seek challenges and value the struggle and confidence that comes with the challenge overcome.  One of the more difficult things we do is work with the parent to prevent them from intervening too soon (and some teachers).  They want to help and do not like to see their child experience discomfort - unfortunately children often interpret intervention as, "They think I can't do it."  One of my greatest critiques of our current educational systems is that it lends the impression that learning does not occur if the teacher is not there leading the way.  We have created a large number of children who really think they cannot accomplish learning without a teacher present -  learned helplessness, not a very attractive legacy to leave our children.  Idealist that I am, I'd like to reframe our thinking in this area.  I would like children to know that teachers are privileged to share the journey and we certainly play a part, but the starring role belongs to the student.  It is their curiosity, persistence, and work ethic that will carry them forward at the end of the day.