An Anchored Return
Anchored in Education is returning after a long hiatus while a host, E. Scott England, navigated a district through a global pandemic as well as embarked on a professional journey that has landed him in a new role, a new state, and a new studio to record a second run of Anchored in Education. The guests already lined up for future episodes is exciting. Take a listen to this short update and get ready for all new episodes airing each Monday beginning October 3.
The Ten Percent
“Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.” – John C. Maxwell The world changes. People change. Professions change. Everything…changes. Like the Maxwell quote above, change is inevitable. So why do we fight so hard against it? I remember early on in my administrative career I wanted to make a curriculum change for my primary grades that would put a heavy emphasis on phonemic awareness. Armed with data and research, I began meeting with grade levels, whole groups, and individual teachers. Everyone was so excited! Well, almost everyone. I had one teacher who was resisting. She was bringing me her own research
Decisively Divided: How Lack of Civility Puts Education at Risk
“People who are divided are easier to control.” – David Draiman The school year is coming to a close. Another one almost in the books. It makes a dozen for me now. What a crazy, exhilarating, exhausting, roller coaster of a twelve years it has been too. Wait. This already is taking a similar tone for so many passionate pennings of educators who are walking out those doors at the end of the year for the final time. Done. Over it. Broken down. Burned out. While I may feel that from time to time, I am returning for my baker’s
Projecting Insecurities
“Confidence is silent, insecurities are loud.” – Jane Curnow If you have been reading the past couple of weeks, you would have seen I had a two part series on confirmation bias. I figured while we were in the realm of psychology, we should probably visit another harmful trait: projection. Many aspects of life can be subject to projection such as shame, fear, anxiety, trauma, core beliefs, and expectations. What I’m going to discuss today is a different kind of projection, but one that I’ve experienced firsthand from insignificant people. Allow me to set the stage with a personal example.
Confirmation Bias
“People generally see what they look for and hear what they listen for.” -To Kill A Mockingbird This is a continuation from last week’s blog: Intention, Reception, and Reality. You may want to revisit that post to become familiar with the situation that has evolved into this week’s topic. I am going to begin tackling something that has shaped the way some educators approach change, new initiatives, or sadly, students. I’m going to talk about something that I believe is running rampant among society. I am going to get real about experiences I have had in my life; the good,
Intention, Reception, and Reality
“You can twist perception, reality won’t budge.” – Neil Peart Let’s start with a vignette. Mr. Venture is a principal at an elementary school that has recently invested a great deal of time, energy, and money into a new reading curriculum. The decision to transition to a new curriculum came at the heels of lower reading scores as indicated on multiple measures. Mr. Venture attended and helped guide the discussion during the reading curriculum committee meetings. Mr. Venture was adamant to his staff that he would not be the one to make the final decision because he was not the