Post-Decision Research?

6/27/16 Post-Decision Research?

 

As an educator and educated voter, I have been aghast at the information coming out of England since the Brexit vote for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union. It seems that many people voted BEFORE learning about the impact of their actions. The Brexit topics were all trending on Google. A common theme before the vote was that the populace was annoyed at the constant barrage of opinions of experts who make decisions based on data and research. These experts kept saying that the impact of the Brexit would be detrimental for world economic stability, but the average bloke didn’t care. They wanted to make a statement. They acted on emotion. Then, afterward, they suffered remorse and watched markets and currency values tank

 

In our work, how do we go about making decisions? How do these decisions govern our work? Are we attune to the results of data analysis and prevailing research in student success or best practices? Are we acting on emotions? Answering these questions prior to making decisions and taking action necessitates intentionality and prioritization. Otherwise, we might be scrambling to understand what we did after the fact.

Greener Grass?

5/26/16 Greener Grass?

 

We’ve all heard, and maybe used, the old saw about the grass being greener on the other side of the fence perhaps as a warning to ourselves or others, or perhaps to confirm that someone jumped the fence to find that the grass ended up being the same. This idiom’s agrarian roots harken back to cows always wanting to eat the grass in the next field, and is, of course, an analogy for a human’s typical penchant for coveting other folks’ wealth, jobs, families, spouses, houses, etc. But, really, we all know intellectually that each of those will indubitably come with their own difficulties and detractions.

I’ve modified this idiom as a reminder of to myself of why someone’s grass might be greener. This is because sometimes I need to remember that the grass is GREENEST over a septic field. It’s possible that someone’s waste sits just below the pretty surface of that lush greenery. And, I recently had another thought about this as well… Grass grows best and doesn’t get consumed by encroaching saplings and weeds when it’s mowed. We must make our meadow healthy by cutting out things that detract from it. We must cut back distractions if we want to maintain a lovely lawn of life. Where can the grass of our lives be greenest? Where we take care of it.

At this moment in time...

3/21/16 At this moment in time

 

We put so much into the concept of time- that is- OUR concept. Certainly, we experience different feelings and perceptions of time throughout our lives. A child measures time in the distance between snacks or recess or time with mom. We measure our time with our children in developmental milestones and in “the lasts”- e.g. the last time my pre-teen daughter bounds into my arms when I come home from work or the last time I change a diaper. We measure our work day in appointments, meetings and deadlines. We say and feel that time is money. We even talk about it like money. But, so much of our time is spent doing things that are beyond our control. Those of us who are control freaks hate this aspect of our lives and make every effort and multiple lists to mitigate such losses of control to our schedules (time). Of course we should act strategically and plan for future contingencies, but when they show up, all we can control is our response in that moment in time. So, mental preparedness can be an important activity. And this is one of the ultimate essences of what our lives look like- How do I respond to the stuff of life that is occurring at this moment in time?   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dO1rMeYnOmM

Tax Time

4/8/13 Tax Time!

 

As citizens and public servants of this nation, April 15 is a vital day for us. It’s a day about responsibility; our individual responsibility to pay our taxes as we are liable to do so, our corporate responsibility as public educators to manage the tax moneys we receive, and one in which our lawmakers must always be aware of their own responsibilities as stewards of the public trust and funds. We are all important cogs in many wheels. As educators and career advisors, we are bolstering each of these aspects of American society. We can be fiscally responsible with the funds we have received to operate our office. We promote an educated citizenry in which people with higher levels of education are much more likely to be an active influence on policymaking locally and nationally. And, we are helping our students and alumni acquire the tools they need to maximize their skills to become gainfully employed; thus taxpaying citizens. We make a difference for our individual students and alumni as well as for the very operation of our nation. Uncle Sam says, “Thank You!”

There will be loss...

2/8/16 There will be loss…

 

Today many people across the country are celebrating with the winning Super Bowl team. And, also today a different team/organization is asking themselves what happened. That team is mourning the loss of a (nearly) literal brass ring that landed just out of their reach. Today, they are losers. Ouchy!

 

As a parent, one of my roles is to help my kids learn to strive to be the best and to win- to win well and graciously. And, I am responsible to help them to learn to lose well. Losing is a part of life. Ultimately, someone must lose in most competitions- even the best teams and competitors will lose sometimes. Acclaimed coach, Tony Dungy, once said, “You may not win the Super Bowl. Your kids may not go on to be doctors and lawyers and everything may not go perfectly. That doesn't mean it was a bad plan or the wrong thing. It's just like a football season. Everything's not going to go perfect.” So, when we lose, how do we handle ourselves? If something doesn’t come out the way we thought it would, what do we do about it? Are we assessing what we could have done differently and making changes for the next time?

 

As an educator, I must, frequently, help a student think about and make plans to change what went wrong in a previous semester. I do that, though, after celebrating what was gained and accomplished. In life and learning, there doesn’t have to be losers. Life is a not a zero sum game. We may need to help students understand that their “loss” is an opportunity to improve and learn and move forward. Because, losing does not make someone a loser.