Carnahan's Convo's

We all have different ways of interacting with people and teaching, whether it be teaching kids, adults, or animals. (Sorry, had to toss that in there as I am constantly teaching my chocolate lab, Kennedy to behave.) How do you teach?

Let’s face it, teaching can get tough at times and you have to reclaim your “A” game.  Allen N. Mendler pens many examples of how to do this in, “When Teaching Gets Tough: Smart Ways to Reclaim Your Game.” One way to teach is with BEEP- Belief, Energy, Emotion, and Passion throughout our days and the world would be a brighter place (Mendler, 9). This reminds me of Carole King’s song “Beautiful.”  Try this, your impact will be greater, and your attitude might change.

While I have left what some consider being the traditional classroom, I am still teaching.  Or rather, educating. I just educate a different audience. Educating kids can be easier at times. Kids wanted to show up to see me and enjoyed being in my class. In the new career that I am in, there are days that my audience does not always want to be there. I on the other hand, want to be there. I LOVE what I do and I hope that it shows!

That is what matters when you are teaching. No matter how challenging or difficult it may get, the people in front of you are the ones that count. Along with many strategies, when aiming for success, Mendler outlines “Six Pillars for Success,” these include:

• Relationship- Create a climate of community and be a cheerleader.
• Relevance- Connect what you are going to teach to something your audience can relate to.
• Responsibility- Allow people to get involved in making decisions and be held accountable. They will flourish.
• Success- Allow people to succeed, but challenge them to get better every day. Praise them when they do well and on their effort.
• Safety- People do best when they feel they are safe and when the person teaching them is in charge. Rules and guidelines are essential.
• Fun- Enjoy what you are doing and people will want to be around you. Don’t hide boring from them. Groan with them if you have to.          (Mendler, 21-29)

When you step into any teaching situations, how do you handle them? It is essential to ask yourself these questions from the “Six Pillars for Success” when you do. Do you walk in with your head held low? Do you try to form relationships? Do you make the information relevant? Are people held responsible, able to succeed, and feel safe? Would you have fun if you were there? Teaching can be tough, but we all know that success is always there waiting and so are your students!

Leading the Pack! XC

When I stepped out of the classroom and into a new role of leadership, I was given a whole gamut of advice. All that was spoken upon my ears, was taken with respect regardless if it was good, bad, and/or irrelevant to my decision. The key piece of advice that I carry with me to this day was spoken by my former Superintendent, Kimberly Moritz, “…I am 100% confident that you will do so with courage, compassion, and integrity- the 3 qualities I’ve found to be most important in my own leadership.” I keep these three words in my mind as I walk daily in my career, but as I explore Michael Fullan’s, “Change Leader: Learning To Do What Matters Most,” I know that there is so much more to being a leader, it takes resolving, motivating the masses, collaboration, confidence, impacting others, and “simplexity” to lead a group of people! According to Fullan, it’s about using your brain before it is too late (p. xiii).

Walking into a leadership position is not just about being in charge. It is about walking with so many more characteristics. So many people do not realize this and see failure upon failure as a result of this. In order to see change occur within an atmosphere, there needs to be changes within you and a realization of the people around you. It is not easy at times.

In order to be a Change Leader here some characteristics Michael Fullan outlines:

1.    Be Resolute.  You are in for the long haul. Commitment and dedication.

2.    Motivate the Masses. Motivation starts with impressive empathy. You need intrinsic motivation and work must serve a purpose. Bring this to your crew.

3.    Collaborate to Compete. Set core goals, collaborate, and conquer. Your masses will become motivated. Listen and problem-solve. Do not set too big of goals!

4.    Learn Confidently. Be a confident learner. “Failure is impossible.” You must be more confident than the situation warrants, but also humble.

1. Use your brain.
2. Cultivate a growth mindset in yourself and in others.
3. Be indispensable in the right way.
4. Maintain a high level of confidence. (Fullan, 112)

5.    Know your Impact. Collect data and know what is going on. Celebrate success, but not before! Do not get too distracted and take on too much. Know yourself and your impact with the concept of overconfidence and feedback. Quantity vs. Quality.

6.    Practice Drives Theory and Sustain Simplexity. Keep it simple. Start with yourself and then branch out.

Throughout my life, I have taken on many leadership roles- teacher, youth leader, coach, mentor, etc. Some in which I would have led differently and some I would have not changed a thing. Although Fullan explains some important characteristics that one should possess in order to bring forth change as a leader, everyone has their own way of knowing the culture, adapting, and being a Change Leader within that climate. I took these roles and made them my own through some of these characteristics and did not even know it.

Here is an example of how I felt I was a Change Leader within a situation. As I was teaching, I was approached by a colleague to become the head cross country coach for the upcoming season. I am an avid runner to say the least, but have never coached the sport. Everyone thought I was a champ in the sport due to my obsession to running and awards from races. I had a few reservations about it, as it was a varsity sport and knew nothing about the program, and it needed to be built up. I took on the challenge and prepared to coach in the Fall with dedication!

During every season, I learned something new and asked questions from other coaches. I knew that I was not the perfect coach. Although, I took athletes to the NYS meet every year, it was not by my effort alone. It was a team effort. On a side note, I coached cross country for 3 seasons. I left in the middle of my third season to take my current job as a staff developer. This broke my heart, but before I left, I did my best to help find and train a new leader for them.

Being a Change Leader is about taking a situation, being dedicated, motivating others, working well with others, learning, impacting others, and keeping things simple! Ask yourself if you can do these. If you can, you can be a change leader and maybe you already are. Take on the challenge. You never know who you will impact and what you will do! The world needs change, go and get ‘em! Be a leader of the pack, not a one man wolf pack!

Oh, I still walk with “Courage, Compassion, and Integrity!” These words are actually on my desk at work!

At times we are quick to judge professionals with a fine toothed comb: doctors, lawyers, our superiors, etc. When it comes to teachers/professionals, some become very defensive when it is time to receive feedback. In my personal opinion, I want feedback. I want it whether I am doing something right or I need correction in an area. Tell me, and I will fix it to become a better educator or person! I want to impact as many people in the field of education or life as possible. That is my goal.

I feverishly continue to dive into “Enhancing Professional Practice: A Framework For Teaching,” by Charlotte Danielson, the domains, components, and elements provide professionals with a road map to reach various levels of performance. This does not have to be used for just for classroom observations, but also in self-assessments, lesson planning, learning goals, professional conversations, reflection, and learning in general!

Unsatisfactory: The professional does not appear to understand the concepts within the component.

Basic: The professional appears to understand the concept within the component and attempts to implement it.

Proficient: The professional has a clear level of understanding of the component and is implementing it.

Distinguished: The professional has a clear level of understanding of the component and is implementing it in and outside the classroom.

*On a side note, New York state uses the HEDI evaluation terms: Highly Effective, Effective, Developing, and Ineffective.

Many do not see the difference between “Proficient” and “Distinguished.”  The key difference is that that the distinguished level of performance is student-directed success, while proficient is teacher-directed success! Many feel that they should be rated in the “Distinguished” area and stay there and not “Proficient.” In this framework, professionals, should know that they may only visit the “Distinguished” area and not camp out there. I like these analogies:

1. I know in my lifetime I may only visit Hawaii a few times. I have the resources to get there. It is nice to go there and visit, experience it, and I know I want to go back there. Knowing that, I will try harder to visit it more often in my lifetime!
2. While out on a run, I have every intention to go one route/distance, but sometimes, the weather changes, injuries happen, etc. When that occurs, my whole entire planned out running route, distance changes. I am forced to be quick on my toes. I have to re-evaluate my situation and take a little feedback. I don’t blame anyone, but myself. I don’t blame Mother Nature because I am training myself. The same goes for teaching, you can’t help it when an interruption occurs in the classroom during a lesson and an observation. Instead you adjust the lesson quickly on your toes, and rock it!

In closing, playing the blame and shame game does not improve teaching. Taking your evaluation and feedback only makes us better. I take every evaluation I get and adjust accordingly. I literally do not care who it is from, I want to become better. Some are quick to point the finger at high ranking professionals with years of experience. If you are not willing to accept feedback, change your instruction, and stop playing the blame game, why are you in education or your profession?

 With all the hype of evaluations going on, I look at the new APPR process in education as coaching. You are being trained, guided, and there is an end goal to educate the leaders of tomorrow. Where else in this profession can you see wonderful outcomes? You know what is expected of you from your employer, put the time and effort in, and see results if you make the changes. Yet, educators/professionals are some of the ones that are the most resistant to change. Society is changing and the way we evaluate, teach, and instruct needs to change as well.

As I explore “Enhancing Professional Practice: A Framework For Teaching,” by Charlotte Danielson, the teacher evaluation process has been brought to a whole new level for me. Professionals are being held accountable and the future or our society could potentially benefit. Many feel that due to their experience, they are an expert in the field. According to Danielson, not all experienced professionals are experts (2007, 38). With the new framework, there are four domains, with 5-6 components in each domain (22 components total), each component is divided into 2 to 5 essential elements, and this results in a total of 76 elements (Danielson, 23). Talk about a rubric!

Domain 1: Planning and Preparation- How the teacher/professional organizes the content and designs instruction. Non-observable

Domain 2: The Classroom Environment- A comfortable and respectful classroom environment that encompasses a culture for learning. Observable

Domain 3: Instruction- The actual engagement of students in the content to enhance learning. Observable

Domain 4: Professional Responsibilities- The roles assumed in and outside the classroom with students. Non-observable

These domains flat out tell professionals what is expected of them in their classroom, office, etc. When being evaluated, one does not have to second guess what is expected of them. Evidence can be collected and the facts speak for themselves. Pre and post conferences are held in regards to the lesson(s).

In the land of education, we sometimes give our students assignments without a rubric (a framework), they “flunk” it, and we become frustrated. How would we feel if an administrator came in and evaluated us without a rubric (a framework)? Upset? We expect success in our students when we do not provide them with framework. We are given a framework here. What will you do with it? You are not just bricks in the wall. You are a framework.

Ever since I was knee high to a grasshopper I knew I wanted to be a teacher. It is in my blood as I have grown up in a family of educators. I would play school with my siblings and would hold little “conferences” as we played teacher and school with one another. Report card day was like a national event for me! I could not wait to see what my grades were, make a photo copy for my dad, and run it home to show it off to my family members. The penmanship grade had to be an “A” for my dad. I would strive for perfection in many arenas and still do in my education and job. I believe this is “Where Great Teaching Begins” and so does Anne R. Reeves. Am I saying I am or was the greatest teacher on the planet? No, but I went into education and switched jobs to make the biggest impact on lives. I work with objectives on a daily basis.

As I have entered education, some think that it is just about showing up and teaching or just punching the time clock. Not true. It is about objectives, molding minds, and impacting lives. Are there some that have ulterior motives? Yes. Sad, but true. When creating units and lessons, there must be objectives, learning activities, and assessments. Engaging. They must all be aligned and aligned properly. Think of it as a backbone. When one of those vertebrae is out of whack, the whole back is just not right and you cannot function to the best of your ability. The same goes for a lesson, classroom, and school.

Objectives are what the students will know and be able to do at the end of the lesson or unit. Form your objectives around visualizing your students doing the task(s). If your students are showing success in your activities, then they are ready for assessment!  In order to know if your objectives are appropriate, you need assessments, formative (throughout the lesson/unit) and the final summative (end). This will ensure that your students are hitting your learning targets and state standards as well! Assess every learning objective!

Put your lessons to the test! Everyone in education at times wants to know if their objectives are valid. If these are working, your objectives are! According to Reeves there are 3 tests:

1. The “Hey Dad test” is where the student can demonstrate it. “Hey Dad! Watch me__________!” shows the actual learning of whatever they learned. I can remember doing this the first time I tied my shoe on the back porch!
2. The “Principal in the Hall test.” The students demonstrate their knowledge to someone by telling them what they can do that they could not do before. I often ask kids, “What did you learn at school today?” all the time! They tell me and show me!
3. The “Whaddya Know test.” This test helps us evaluate an objective in regards to what information a student needs to know prior to learning. The famous “KWL” chart!

When forming lessons and units, it is important to remember the key concept here, students and learning outcomes. Many times, lessons and units are formulated with activities, but the focus is wrong. There is teacher interest in mind. We must remember that it is the student’s education and future at stake here.

We all have rough days right? Our reactions to those days are different and how we deal with them seems to be the result of those that interact with us. I experienced a pretty rough day and reacted in a way that is normal for me, yet also out of the ordinary as well. I also had a realization later that night. Let me tell you about this.

I was in a little fender bender with Mother Nature. Mother Nature got the best of me. I hit some glare ice and hit a mud embankment. That mud embankment pretty much saved me from flipping or rolling my car. All in all, I lost my front plastic bumper and side runner. My car looks awful, but I am safe. I “kept the shiny side up!” as my dad would say. After this happened, I made a phone call to tell someone and their expression/words to me was not what I wanted to hear. I will not state who it was or what they said, but I was not happy. It is cleared up now. I was very upset and shut down. I did not want to talk at the moment and it consumed my mind all day. The accident and words consumed my mind all day. I was scared to death all day. I went home, cleaned up, and went to work. I also heard other sad news about a family member while at work. My mind was not clear, but I pushed through and did what I was supposed. It was a struggle.

As I left work to go home, I almost hit 2 sets of deer. I was floored! I got home safely and decided that I was staying home and parking my tattered car for the evening. Phone rang. This was a call from the person I called earlier in the day telling them about my accident. I did something I normally do not do, I did not answer. I did not answer because I was upset and I shut myself down for the day. I went to bed at 9:30 PM. Thoughts filled my head.

Some of you are wondering where I am going with this? Here it is… Something happened to me. I let it bother me. I let words shut me down. Think of your students and children. How many times do you speak to your students and children with words that may shut them down? Or do not speak words to them? Do they need words to build them up and encourage them? When this happens, nothing or very little gets accomplished! I am almost 30 years old and it took that much to shut me down. Think of your students and children and what they face. They shut down with a glare, eye roll, or a sarcastic remark. Many complain about the demands in education and the lack of care in students, but I personally feel that if educators show an increased interest, improvements will show. Case in pointà I used to greet at the door every day in 8^th grade. This one boy would never shake my hand, greet me, speak to me, or look me in the eye and told me so. I never gave up on him and did it every single day. When he became a junior, I would see him in the hall and greeted him. He replied back, “Good morning Miss Carnahan! How are you today?!” He would have a full blown conversation with me!

 As I am out of the classroom, I think of times when some of my students needed words! They would come in and tell me about the hurtful words that people in their lives would speak to them. It would eat me alive! I would go home and it would consume me. Not only was I their teacher, but I was also their parent at school and I took pride in that. They trusted me and I trusted them. Think before you speak. I know I will.

This Friday and Saturday I experienced something that I have not experienced in a long time. A funeral. I dislike them with a passion regardless of who they are for. I hate seeing people in sorrow, grief, depression, agony, etc. You get where I’m going with this.  I have not had great experiences with them , as no one probably has. I guess that is why they are not called “fun”erals. Many thoughts were running through my head as I was there and I saw the blanket of sadness fall upon the crowded room. Many people spoke of fond and happy memories, tears were shed, and roars of laughter jumped from the bellies of family and friends. These were bittersweet days.

I guess the thoughts going through my head have to deal with all the death that I have experienced over the course of my life and how I have gotten through it all. These deaths have been difficult and in a close time range. Some of the other thoughts had to do with the future and what could happen to others in my family and how I will get through it. There is a constant fear with this as I have had the tragic loss of one family member in a car accident. It comes down to this folks… LIFE IS TOO SHORT.

As I sat there, I thought about a few things. Love unconditionally, tell those people you love them, treat them that way, and take the time to laugh more. Sometimes the simplest things you do, make the biggest difference and impact the life of another person. There have been times when I do not do these things and I am coming to the realization that I need to.  I now have a new outlook on life and plan on walking in this path more. I hope I can do this and if I don’t, please tell me! Time to step it up! We can do it!  : )

How do I even begin this? NO CLUE! I will just put this out there. I am taking a new job as a Staff Development Specialist at ERIE 2 BOCES! There, I said it folks! The news is out! The secret is out and the cat is out of the bag! : ) LOL. I know, everyone is shocked or maybe you are not. I really cannot put words into your mouths. Some of you are thinking I am crazy, but then again I really do not care what people think because truly, I have felt a passion to do this for quite awhile now and my decision has been made. My last day at RCS will be Friday, October 7^th and my first day at BOCES will be Tuesday, October 11^th.  I will tell you my story.

It all began growing up and going through high school, working my backside off and feeling like I could not succeed. I would work so hard and watch many of my friends cheat their way through high school, be on the honor roll, in National Honor Society, the Top Ten, and then get major scholarships. I didn’t want to be that type of person, it wasn’t me to be phony. I had a conscience and worked hard for what I earned. Integrity was my game. I was a merit/honor student. I value my education more. I had a few teachers that inspired me to go further into education. I knew I wanted to be a teacher when I was in grade school.  I would sit in some classes and not understand the content the teacher was presenting, and this inspired me to become the educator I am today.

Moving on, when I went to look into colleges as a junior/senior, I asked my guidance counselor about SUNY Fredonia. He told me, “Lauren that is an awfully hard school to get into.” I walked away in disappointment, failure, and felt like I was stupid. For most of my life I have lacked confidence in some areas. If someone tells me that I cannot do something, I will work my hardest to prove you wrong and if I fail, then at least I learned something out of it. After hearing those words, my next step was JCC and that was a good move on my part. I earned many scholarships, not only from RCS graduation night, but from JCC. I paid all of JCC’s tuition out of pocket. I also paid my own way through the rest of college. I am proud of that and thank my parents for making me do that! I will one day make my children do that. SUNY Fredonia was my next step and I did it! Double major baby- Social Studies Education and History!  After that, Edinboro University for my Master’s in Special Education.

After graduating, I substitute taught for 2 years and job hunted. This was tough, but I was driven to keep looking and never give up. I obtained my dream job at RCS in 2007, 8^th grade Social Studies! LOVED every minute of it! Not only was I shaped into the person I am today by my receiving a quality education there, but I also had the opportunity to collaborate with quality educators and administrators, and give part of my teaching ability to this institution. I am thankful for those opportunities. Over time, I have had many influences in the education realm in regards to leadership. I will not go into names, but these people have guided me throughout my career and have encouraged me to keep going. Saying that, I have been given many opportunities to facilitate learning clubs, teach workshops, and serve on committees. This has sparked a new interest in my learning and has put a new drive in me to continue learning and help others in the education field, thus impacting more students.  It was this summer (2011) that I decided to begin taking Administration courses at SUNY Fredonia to go into staff development and maybe further down the road, become a principal. We shall see.

Just before school started, I flipped through the classified ads and saw the posting for the Staff Development Specialist job. My heart pounded and I wanted to apply. I consulted with a few close friends about the situation and was encouraged to do it, what do I have to lose in terms of applying and possibly getting an interview? The first round of interviews came. The second call came for another interview and then the job offer came. I won’t go into details unless you ask. This was something that I did pray about and asked God to close the door if it was not supposed to be. So, you are probably wondering what made me leave right when school started? If you love kids so much, why quit? Great questions! My passion is to impact lives in the education field in as many ways possible. I feel that by taking this career path, I can impact more lives. This allows me the opportunity to help other educators, thus help more students. I am one of those that are seizing opportunities to set exceptional standards and make strides in education. This is one way I can do this at a new level. Will I miss the students? Yes. Am I dropping off the face of the planet? No. In the future, I plan to become an administrator and this will afford me the chance to be with students.

One day my uncle was reading an article and found an inspirational quote. He sent this to me and it really pushed me to take a step towards my goals and aspirations. “People limit what they can do because they listen to their friends and do what other people think they’re capable of, rather than what they really think they can do.”  This is so true and this is partially why I kept my application process, interviewing, and acceptance of the job very secretive for such a long time. There are many negative people out in the world and some have been face to face with me throughout my life. I will not be influenced by the ways of man.  

As I embark on this new journey, I am very grateful for those that influenced me in my educational walk. There are so many people that have shaped, guided, and molded me into the person and educator that I am today. I could sit here and make a list, but that would take a very long time. These people know who they are. I want to thank every single one of them. I want to thank every single student that I have taught- thank you for allowing me the opportunity to spend time with you and for teaching me the true meaning of education. Thank you for making an impression on my life, as you have no idea how much you truly all mean to me. I would like to thank RCS for investing in me. You took a chance on me, I learned so much in my time with your institution, and I am forever appreciative for that!

I am looking forward to many more amazing years in my educational career. I have no idea just where it may lead to, but I do know that it is meant to help others. As FDR once said, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” I have nothing to fear.

This summer has brought a new step in life for me, a fresh and exciting one. One that I am pretty pumped for. Some say I am crazy, nuts, and out of my mind, but I know that this is something that I want and should pursue. I am beginning my administrative degree. The funny thing about this step is that now is the time for me to do this. I do not have anything tying me down in life to take this leap. A single gal with no children…. why not? Why do it later in life with a husband, children, and a full-time job in my arms? This is the time.

As I walk into this next chapter in my life, I have had mixed emotions from people. I feel that some do not understand my reasons for this decision. Just because I am going for my administration degree, does not mean I am stepping into an administrative position immediately! I have a strong desire to work in the curriculum arena, working with teachers, and developing classrooms. In order to do this, an administration degree is required. In the future, I would like to step into an administrative role, but that is in the future. Do not get me wrong, I LOVE what I do now as a social studies teacher! Every person has desires and wants to try to pursue those as they travel through life. The only thing that really bothers me is the fact that there are only a few people that really have supported me when I tell them I doing this. Other people have put forth their negative comments and that hurts in many ways. Do they feel I am not competent for that career path? Do I not have potential? Many thoughts have crossed my mind as they have said things to me. Encouragement is what is needed. Just something to munch on. Manners, folks.

So, as I embark on this next journey with new shoes, I am very excited! Excited for new lessons to learn, new people to meet, and new goals to meet! The mindset is changing and this is something that has always been going on in me as I have grown up. I always have wanted to learn new things, keep the mind expanding, and body moving. I guess it is something in me.

I will admit, this blog posting jumps around a bit. I wrote part of it while on vacation and some while at home. We often tell stories of when we were kids to other people in hopes of getting an arise out of them. I do it in hopes of teaching a lesson to them or to tell them that I am proud of the way that I was raised. I am proud of the way my sets of parents raised me out of two households. I faced challenges, but it was how it was and I dealt with it. I had two houses, multiple holiday gatherings (still do), and had to follow different rules at each house with different people living under those houses.

When I see how people are raised today and how I was raised it makes me want to go back to the way things were at times. I go into a restaurant and I see kids sitting at a table waiting for their food playing their Nintendo DS, while I would sit there and engage in a conversation with my family or read a book. I am not against technology, I use it every day and teach with it, but placing it in front of a child to silence them is just plain wrong. What’s the world coming to?

Another memory I had this morning put a smile on my face and I find myself using it with my students. As a child, my siblings and I would be sitting inside on a nice summer day watching movies, my father would walk in and shout, “Get outside and get the stink off ya!” We would gripe and whine, but after awhile, we would go outside, play, and have a blast! I see his point, I love it, and I embrace it! Thanks dad! He had made me realize how much we need to disconnect from technology and embrace the great outdoors sometimes. It’s great!

College came around and the talk of paying for it. I will be honest when I write about it. I did not really have much help from my parents when it came to looking, applying, and picking a career path. In fact, I paid for every penny of my college. My mom and I visited Fredonia together and that was a great trip together. We needed that. I do not resent my parents for not helping me pay for college, I am glad they made me do it. I valued my education more, worked hard to obtain all of my degrees, and to keep going.  There was not a scholarship or financial aid given to me. I paid it. I at times think people feel I was spoon fed what was given to me, but in reality, that was not the case. I worked 4 jobs while attending college and managed to keep my grades up. I have my parents and family to thank for my work ethic and for encouraging me to stay in school when I wanted to give up.

The things in life that seem so strong and rough at the time can later come back and teach us wonderful lessons. I am so thankful for those times. There is growth in the valley as a pastor once told me. I believe that. Through the times in life, I have grown.