Mawi Asgedom's Blog, page 6
February 27, 2013
Educators’ Turn: Mike Fitzgerald
Mike Fitzgerald is the principal of Eisenhower Junior High in Darien, IL. He’s always pushed the envelope on holistic student development, and has a keen eye for student leadership and character training. Mike has even shaved his head to inspire his students – listen to find out why!
February 20, 2013
Educators’ Turn: Peter Marshall
Peter is the System Principal for the Halton District School Board in Canada, and responsible for leadership and staff development for administrators and teachers at more than 100 schools. He’s a good friend, and also one of the most knowledgeable people you will find on what it takes to inspire and train staff.
When Peter’s not busy inspiring staff, he’s building an ice hockey rink for his kids in the backyard!
February 13, 2013
Research in support of Social Emotional Learning
Just did a really fun keynote for the American Camp Association this morning – and promised to post for them (and you) some of the best research in support of Social Emotional Learning:
1) This meta-analysis of 213 studies shows that SEL training has many benefits, including an 11% increase in student achievement.
2) This report from The University of Chicago highlights how non-cognitive training can drive student achievement.
3) This book by Dr. Martin Seligman shows how non-cognitive training increases confidence and resilience among students.
4) This book by Carol Dweck shows convincingly the power of a “growth” mindset.
Please add your own favorite research!
February 7, 2013
Educators’ Turn: Merrill Mathews & Michelle Harcourt
Two things make Principal Merrill Mathews special – he knows how to help kids of all backgrounds excel; and he knows how to inspire his staff. In this interview, Merrill and one of his teachers, Michelle Harcourt, share their perspectives on character education, critical thinking, and school leadership. Prepare to be inspired!
February 1, 2013
Educators’ Turn: Patrick Donohue
Patrick is a good friend, and an experienced educator who now coaches and trains other education leaders and students. He also serves as the Director of Research and Staff Development for his district. Listen below to hear Patrick discuss the importance of leadership, character, and emotional intelligence training as well as some methods he has found effective for ensuring student ownership.
January 30, 2013
Educators’ Turn, with Mawi Asgedom: Dr. Edie Weinthal
Ready for something new? We want to give leading educators a chance to share their perspectives and experiences. I’ll host the interviews myself and post the recordings on this blog. Educators themselves are the real experts; let’s allow their voices to be heard.
Educators’ Turn: Dr. Edie Weinthal
Dr. Weinthal is a leader in English education, having served as a teacher, author, department leader, and District English Supervisor. I first met Dr. Weinthal at a conference for the National Council of Teachers of English, and I am excited that she has agreed to share her thoughts with us in this interview. Listen below to hear how she’s engaging educators in inspiring and empowering students to develop their voice.
January 13, 2013
Letting Go of Our Children
Kahlil Gibran is an acclaimed writer from the early 20th century. In this poem, he makes a point that is both liberating and terrifying: as adults, we can love and guide our children, but their lives and decisions are their own.
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
January 9, 2013
How to Choose a College
The #1 most emailed article on NYtimes.com today is titled “How to Choose a College.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/06/opinion/sunday/bruni-how-to-choose-a-college.html?src=rechp
The article covers a lot of interesting factors such as the brand power of a college.
My view is pretty simple. Always ask a college for three numbers:
1) What will be my total cost of attendances?
2) What is the average starting salary of students at your college? Get it by major if you can.
3) What is the six-year graduation rate at your college?
If a college cannot give you these three numbers, run for the hills. College is simply too expensive a decision to be made on the basis of things such as “emotional fit.”
January 3, 2013
3 Reasons To NOT arm schools
Like all of you, I was horrified by the shooting last month in Newtown, CN.
My four year old son does his pre-school at a local elementary school, and I’m asking the same question that all parents are asking: How do we keep our children safe?
Today, in my local paper, I read that some parents are asking the district to provide security guards in all schools. Across our country, many voices are calling for principals and teachers to be armed.
Here are three reasons that armed security may not be the best thing for our students:
1) We have no proof that more security works. For example, there was a security guard at Columbine. And Newtown had actually invested heavily in security training and protocols - Newtown was probably in the top 10% of elementary schools when it comes to safety readiness. Maybe instead of investing scare resources in security, we would save more kids by focusing on something less sensational, such as better protection for kids with allergies.
2) It’s almost impossible to stop someone who is willing to sacrifice their own life. Even our fully-trained soldiers fighting abroad, with all sorts of incredible equipment, find it hard to stop a “suicide bomber” who is willing to sacrifice their life. The reality is that if someone does not care, and just wants to hurt people, there are severe limitations to how we can stop them. For example, my elementary school had recess on both sides of the building. Would we need to have armed guards watching kids on both sides of the building during recess? Many of the high schools I visit have hundreds, sometimes thousands of students streaming in at the beginning of school. There is no way I can think of of keeping all the studnents safe at that vulnerable time if someone is willing to take their own life.
3) What if the armed guards or teachers hurt someone? I’ve met many wonderful educators in my travels but I’ve also met a few who have terrified me. Do we really want millions of staff members at schools around the country with easy access to weapons. Teachers work in high pressure, often emotionally-charged environments – even well-trained police officers routinely mistake flashlights and other small objects for guns.
What do you think?
December 1, 2012
Leadership Magic
Several years ago, I was speaking at a conference when an audience member stopped me and said, “You are making all this leadership stuff sound like magic.”
I was taken back, and during an awkward moment, tried to figure out a way to defuse the critique; to distinguish what I was talking about as real, and completely separate from the sleight of hand associated with magic.
But then I thought of a 7th grader who had used his power of discipline to learn basic French on his own. I thought of a teacher who used her power of compassion to setup a clothing drive for refugee students. I thought of my own teenage years, when I used my power of initiative to apply to ten colleges, praying I’d get financial aid at one of them.
And it hit me how right the audience member was. For if there is no magic in our inner powers of love, initiative, discipline, courage, and contribution, where can magic be found?
