Skip Ribbon Commands
Skip to main content
 
Home
December 09
Teaching, Learning, Digital Immigrants and Digital Natives

In November, I completed the Leadership WSSDA training program. Nine school board members from across the state were in Seattle to complete the training, finish preparing a presentation, and finally, to graduate. Lieutenant Governor Brad Owen spoke to the group for more than an hour about many of his experiences and some of the challenges he has faced. He shared with us information about programs he has initiated and/or been involved with.

Over the past nine months, the Leadership WSSDA class has put many hours into a group project; we met online, sometimes using a program called Go-To-Meeting. We were able to meet regularly without ever leaving our homes. We put together a presentation we needed to practice at least once before actually presenting at the WSSDA Annual Conference 2009. We did a run-through of the presentation for members of the WSSDA staff, and then we were given feedback to use as we finalized our work.

Graduation was quite meaningful. Dr. Art Jarvis, Connie Rickman and Debbie Winskill were in attendance as were many past graduates of the WSSDA Leadership program. We watched a video of Senator Patty Murray congratulating us on completing the program. I was one of two speakers from the class who shared some parting thoughts with all in the room.

Two days later, it was time for the class to do its presentation for WSSDA Conference attendees. The presentation was called "THINK TECH: Leading the Educational Team of the Future." If the link works, you will see the PowerPoint presentation we created. My role was to share with everyone the group's plan to get more familiar with technology and social networking, specifically social networking used for teaching/learning purposes. We call ourselves the "digital immigrants." Our students are digital natives; the digital world is the only world they've ever known. We shared with the attendees how board members in the Leadership WSSDA group began this project as individuals with different levels of experience, knowledge, comfort levels, etc. We had to help each other get over and around hurdles. One school board member was using dial-up Internet throughout our leadership training. She brought an old telephone as a "prop" to show during the presentation.

South Kitsap School Board Member Kathryn Simpson was in the audience, and she took this photo of me as I was talking about exploring Facebook.

Then, she posted the photo onto her Facebook page, and she sent me a "Friend Request."

I believe everyone learned a lot from this presentation, presenters included. There's a lot of work yet to be done to turn our educational system into not only what it could be, but what it should be. It will be interesting to observe how the educational system adapts and shifts to meet the needs of our digital native students. More importantly, it will be exciting to be a change agent working on moving our district forward.

As I wrap up this blog entry, I want to mention how grateful I am to have had the chance to experience the Leadership WSSDA training, and to have met and worked with the incredible board members who participated in this training with me. Phil Gore was our mentor and trainer, and he is an amazing leader who inspires and motivates. We all feel as if we have found in each other "lifelong friends" who happen to be lifelong learners. We will likely stay "in touch" in the years to come, and hope to reconnect to share stories and talk about how what we have learned has influenced what we've been able to accomplish in our school districts.

Here are photos from the conference including a group photo of the Leadership WSSDA 2009 graduates. Too bad I was talking instead of smiling for the camera, eh? See photos 68 through 76 on pages 3 and 4.

On Thursday, I turn over the gavel to the next President of Tacoma Public School's Board of Directors. At this time, I do not plan to continue the blog. I really enjoyed sharing with you, and perhaps we will see more blogging on the Tacoma Public Schools' Web site in the future.

Permanent Link to Post | Email Post Link | 
November 24
In the Trenches

I've heard people say that it is important to know what is going on in the school buildings, at the building level, to be able to make the best decisions regarding teaching and learning. I tend to agree with this premise. I actually really love to be in schools. There's usually so much energy and discovery going on. It's great to be where all that action is.

It was just as the school year was starting that I found myself talking with Point Defiance Elementary School is principal, Olga Lay. I asked her if she could match me up with a student who needs help. YES! In October, I was introduced to a wonderful third grader named Jesse Little. Jesse is working hard to improve his reading skills.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm working with him for half an hour every week. Mrs. Lay promised to "sub" for me on the days when/if I'm not able to make it. Jesse is zooming through the books, making great progress and taking accelerated reader tests with determination. This week, Jesse brought out his new reading textbook, and he read a chapter from it to me. Then, he read two story books including a Berenstein Bears book. We meet in the hallway outside his classroom. I get to see students, staff and teachers as they walk by. I can overhear the teaching and learning going on in the nearby classrooms. I get to see the work on display on the walls, above the lockers and around the doorways. It means so much to me to be able to work with Jesse, and it's a special way for me to observe some of what's going on in the trenches.

Permanent Link to Post | Email Post Link | 
November 24
Did you miss me?

It has been too long since I last wrote a blog entry. If it wasn't one thing, it was another. Not enough to write about, technical difficulties, battling a cold and never enough hours in a day. I am trying to get caught up today (now that I have things to write about), and of course, already encountering technical difficulties yet again.

Here's a list of some of what has been keeping me busy since September:

  • Leadership WSSDA training (including preparing a PowerPoint presentation)
  • Safe Streets (a Board of Directors meeting and a staff appreciation luncheon)
  • Skyline Elementary School recognized as a GREAT SCHOOL (luncheon in Tukwila)
  • A meeting with State Senator Rosa Franklin
  • Tacoma Task Force for School Traffic Safety meeting
  • A meeting with state Board of Education candidate John Stokes
  • First Creek Middle School opening celebration
  • A meeting with Drs. Woodruff and Sells, local pediatricians
  • Governor Gregoire visit to SOTA
  • Regional WSSDA meeting
  • Tacoma 360
  • 2009 WSSDA conference in Seattle
  • Achievement Gap Action Committee kick-off meeting

My term as president will be coming to an end soon. I do not know what the future holds for this blog. I believe this blog is a great way to connect with the community, and I have always hoped it would evolve into a "real" blog, one where readers could leave their comments.

At this time, I am going to wrap up this blog entry, keeping it brief and move on to one or two others I want to prepare for you.

Permanent Link to Post | Email Post Link | 
September 01
As summer ends….

It was a summer that flew by for me. This was partially due to my little flight over the Pacific to Australia in July. I spent two wonderful, memorable weeks in Australia. My vacation was truly all fun for me. However, sometimes I allowed my mind to drift into the world of education. I found myself in a small suburb of Brisbane. I made sure I took pictures of a few things at Jindalee's primary school.

This is the sign in front of Jindalee State School. Students were attending classes when I took this photo in early August. You may notice what I noticed, the "Proudly Sponsored By THE DOCUMENT COMPANY FUJI XEROX." Education funding is a significant issue in Australia.

Students in Australia all wear uniforms because protecting your skin is a big concern in that country, hats are part of the school uniform there.

While I was in the Queensland area, the local newspaper included in its weekend issue a "SCHOOLS REPORT." It was summarized as "the most comprehensive list of national test data ever released by a state government, allowing parents to see how every Queensland school fared in last year's controversial NAPLAN (National Assessment Program – Literary and Numeracy) tests." For the curious, here is the Internet site which shows the same information: National Assessment Program, Literacy and Numeracy.

The people I spoke with in Queensland seem frustrated with the state's health care and the education systems. It made me feel "right at home." (Laughter inserted here!) People who have little faith in the education system appear unmotivated to encourage their students to do well in school. I was surprised at how many students were out in parks, riding bicycles, doing tricks on skateboards, in plain view during the middle of the day. I was sad for them.

Imagine how impressed I was when I saw "The Jindalee Way" posted in front of the school. It really sets the stage for learning as well as for being a responsible citizen. Recently, a story by Peter Callaghan in The News Tribune related a local discussion about a similar topic Can a city code of conduct help define what it means to be a citizen of Tacoma?. It reminded me of this sign about The Jindalee Way. I hope the momentum builds to establish a city code for Tacoma. Perhaps this will be a focus during the school district's upcoming strategic planning.

 

Schools are run by the state in Queensland. There is no local control–this is one of the main reasons parents find themselves frustrated. The local needs are not adequately addressed. The hiring is done some place else by people who do not know the students, the school and the community. Citizens are well aware of the problems with their educational system, and they know the problems are not going to be solved quickly.

This school run by the state has a state-provided dental clinic housed in it.

It is pretty impressive how this school has a big sign on it about its after-school offerings. It even mentions a Web site address on it to help you learn more about what this Active After-school Communities "thing" is all about.

 

That's all I have to share about education in Australia.

     

While it could be the end of this blog entry, it is not!

     

Keep scrolling down.

     

You'll soon discover a few photos I took this morning while I toured the new First Creek Middle School!

     

First Creek is looking wonderful, inside and out! The place is full of energy and excitement as the final details are handled, and the doors are nearly ready to open on Sept. 2!

     

There's the totem pole which used to be housed at McIlvaigh Middle School. It's facing the East as it should be!

     

Here's a worker finishing up the exterior of the building.

Here's a look inside one of the classrooms.

     

The chairs in the library have cool rocking bottoms.

     

The band room is waiting for everyone!

Looking down into the Commons, you could see people working to finish up details in the kitchen.

As I was about to drive away from the new school, I noticed something I probably wasn't supposed to see. Waiting for installation, a significant marker you know many people will be very excited to see….

Best wishes to the First Creek Middle School staff as they open this wonderful, new facility.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

   

Permanent Link to Post | Email Post Link | 
June 24
Graduation Day for Community Based Transition Students

I recently attended the graduation celebration held for the students completing the Community Based Transition Program. The Community Based Transition Program is a Diversified Occupations program for students 18–21 years of age who have been identified as having one or a variety of disabilities. The program combines the expertise of Special Education and Career & Technical Education staff to provide participants with job and life skills training, and whenever possible, job placement. The program is near and dear to my heart because my son Greg is currently enrolled in it. Greg's work training takes place at the Pt. Defiance greenhouse. On this special graduation day, Greg and I visited the auditorium at the Central Administration Building to witness 17 students graduate from the program.

Melissa Brewer was in training at the Tone/Madison location. She has a wonderful ability to work with young children. She soon wants to find a job working with animals.

Graduate Georgio Hammonds already has a job at a Costco in shipping and receiving. He hopes to get into a physical therapy education program in the future.

In the center below, you see Marc Burris looking at his new certificate. In the future, Marc will be working with an adult agency called Enrich.

Graduates Rose Overman and Zachary Hovland (below).

Every student graduating from the program experienced a few minutes in the spotlight. There was a fabulous turnout of graduates, students, job coaches, community agencies, parents, staff and others. Scott Sanders played guitar and sang for the crowd.

The people who work directly with the students, the job coaches who supervise and support them, are very caring, compassionate and patient people. A word that comes to mind when I try to describe them is "extraordinary." This is Jesse Agnew, a job coach my son has worked with before.

Here is Bev Heinrich (center), SMRC job coach.

   

Costco printed wonderful photo collages featuring the students "at work" which were on display during the graduation event.

And of course, it was time to serve the cake!

What an exciting time for students who have successfully completed their work training!!! I am proud of and grateful to all of the people who make the Community Based Transition Program such a successful one. Thank you to Dianna Ivy for contributing some of the photos used in this blog entry.

   

  

Permanent Link to Post | Email Post Link | 
May 27
ALL OF THE ABOVE

It is a very busy time of year for school board members. As I pondered what to write about, I made a list of my recent activities and projects:

  • Leadership Washington State School Directors Association (WSSDA) training in Chelan
  • Tour of Self Empowered Inc. (SEI) in Portland, Oregon
  • New Paradigm Awards
  • School Climate Initiative
  • A meeting with community members Bil Moss, Cheryl Jones and Lola Bailey
  • Grant Elementary School's "For the Love of Art" auction
  • Career and Technical Education End of Year Celebration
  • Tacoma Task Force for School Traffic Safety meeting

It was a tough decision, so I decided to write about ALL OF THE ABOVE!

It was the first weekend in May when I drove to Chelan for the Leadership WSSDA training on social change. As part of the program, school board members (the 10 participants in Leadership WSSDA) visited Manson High School. We had a chance to listen to English as a Second Language (ESL) students share their personal stories and we talked to high school seniors about diversity and their plans for life after high school. We also attended the school's Cinco de Mayo celebration.

There was one "Aha" session of the leadership training that really impacted the entire group. We spent a few hours with Lynda Coates, becoming more familiar with communication and people in poverty. Lynda knows generational poverty well. She grew up in a family that lived in a car and most of her family continues to live in poverty. In fact, she has 20 nieces and nephews currently living in poverty (all her siblings' children). Lynda has a master's degree in communication and is working on her doctorate. She and her cousin Donna Beegle have made "poverty" their business, and they are recognized national poverty consultants, teaching educators and community groups how to improve the way they communicate with people in poverty. Here is their Web site: www.combarriers.com/about. And for those of you who can view YouTube, here's a look at Donna Beegle in action: www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNOwB5uP1NA. Lynda and Donna have an amazing message to share. The best news of all, Donna Beegle is coming to Tacoma! She will be presenting in August to district staff members and other interested community members.

Bil Moss invited school board members to join her on a trip to visit Self Enhancement Inc. (SEI) in Portland, Oregon, www.selfenhancement.org/home.asp. Director Connie Rickman was able to attend as well. We toured the (SEI) facility, and then we spent some time listening to its founder Tony Hopson, Sr. Here's a brief overview of what SEI does (from their Web site):

For many children, SEI is the most consistent thing in their lives. Children enter SEI in second grade and can stay in the program until they are 25—year in and year out. This unprecedented long-term involvement helps get kids on the right academic path and sees them through to the world beyond the schoolyard. Many of SEI's kids are the first child in their family to go to college—a victory for us, for the family, and certainly for a kid once thought to be "at-risk."

I enjoyed the New Paradigm Awards held at Mt. Tahoma High School on May 6. The recipients of the New Paradigm Award have chosen to make a change and move in a new direction. They are recognized for the noticeable shift in their thinking and behavior. It's an incredible way to acknowledge students for taking responsibility and making positive choices in school and in their lives.

A quick update on the school climate initiative: The school board reviewed the school climate initiative at its recent school board meeting. Superintendent Jarvis shared a possible timeline for how the process will be carried out. I presented the background on what has been done so far, and we learned about the survey already online for students, staff and parents to complete. There was a concern expressed that not enough people were participating system wide. As a result, the deadline for people to do the survey was changed to Friday, May 22. A separate tool will be developed to ask community members about school climate.

One of the greatest challenges I have is making time simply to talk. There are many meetings and events, but rarely do I sit down to talk with people without an agenda in front of me. After the trip to SEI, I asked Bil Moss if she and Cheryl Jones would share some time with me. We met for a few hours recently, along with former teacher Lola Bailey, and had a noteworthy conversation about concerns and issues that matter to us. As we were wrapping up our visit, I was asked, "What is next?" I let them know that I felt we needed to meet again, and meet often. We will invite others to the table over time. One of the items we found ourselves talking about was a need for the school district to improve how it communicates with the parents and the community. I look forward to continuing the conversation.

Grant Elementary School held a very successful auction on May 16. It was well attended, and the Grant community has much to be proud of. Great work!

May 19 was the Career and Technical Education (CTE) End of Year Celebration held at Oakland Alternative High School. Many of the CTE programs put up displays about what they have been doing this year: Art projects, service projects, photos of trips taken and written summaries of what was accomplished and learned. Students are really shining! In the cafeteria, dinner was served and students shared something about programs they participated in. We heard about Foss medical career students learning about malaria and the spread of disease. Mount Tahoma American Sign Language students demonstrated their skills to a John Mayer song. A Lincoln student talked about a pre-veterinary tech program. We were also introduced to four Tacoma students receiving WAVE scholarships this year. I'm very proud of them!

My final paragraph is on the Tacoma Task Force for School Traffic Safety's last meeting of the school year. We heard from Kurtis Kingsolver of the City of Tacoma. He spoke about school traffic beacons and funding. There is a list of locations where we can expect to see improvements here in Tacoma. Stay tuned.

Permanent Link to Post | Email Post Link | 
April 30
First Look at First Creek

I recently went on a tour of First Creek Middle School. Still under construction, the school is scheduled to be completed by this coming summer. Tacoma Weekly's Clare Jensen accompanied us, and she wrote a story published in the April 30, 2009 issue. I took pictures during the tour. There's so much I knew you would want to see and so much I wanted to show you….

Director Rickman is sharing a story as we get ready to enter the worksite.

The grass is looking beautiful. What a great sports field this will be!

 

 

This is the back of the building where we entered for the tour.

This is looking down at the stage and cafeteria. The open area is where we walked in from the outside.

Another look at the cafeteria "in progress."

Inside the band room.

Dr. Art Jarvis, Sam Bell and Pete Wall of the Tacoma Public Schools.

Inside a science classroom

Looking out the window. Portland Avenue is beyond the fence.

The new library! You can see McIlvaigh Middle School buildings in this picture.

Ready to be connected! So thankful for technology!

This is looking into the library from the top of a staircase in the main entrance hallway of the school.

Ending the tour at the entrance, this is where we will enter the First Creek Middle School when it opens in September!

 

 

Permanent Link to Post | Email Post Link | 
April 17
Miss Debbie’s Storytelling and the Journeys of Flat Stanley

Not too long ago, I learned that a Multicare nurse I work with, Debra Dick, was reading stories to students at Birney Elementary School from time to time. As the 2008-09 year began, I asked Debra if she would like to read to some students at Stanley Elementary. I quickly described to her Stanley's demographics. I also let her know how Principal Cindy Johnson would LOVE to have her help out. It didn't take long for Debra to say YES, and soon she became a well-known face at Stanley.

I decided to drop by this week and see Debra "in action." I found Debra shelving books in the Stanley library. She was waiting for the first of three classes to arrive. The librarian set up the overhead projector for Debra. The class walked in. Students took their seats. It was time for Miss Debbie to read "Flawed Dogs" by Berkeley Breathed!

This young man (above) moved from side to side to make sure he could see everything shown on the screen during the storytelling. The illustrations by Berkeley Breathed, probably best known for his Bloom County and Opus creations, were certainly captivating this second grade audience.

Miss Debbie concluded her story time by asking students to answer a question about the book she read to them the last time she was there. The young man standing in this photo answered the question correctly, and she gave him the book as "a prize" for remembering. He was elated.

A substitute teacher was teaching this class that day. It surprised her to encounter a school board member spending time in the school. She mentioned to me that she was new to subbing in Tacoma. Her initial experiences as a sub in Tacoma have all been great, and she is anxious to share this with her friends, many whom had told her "you don't want to work in Tacoma."

Here are a few of the books I noticed on the library shelves:

Not only are volunteer readers welcome at Stanley Elementary, but they also would be thrilled to have volunteers visit during lunchtime. They have a "lunch buddy" program. Come have lunch with a student on a regular basis! A caring adult makes such a positive impression on a child.

After the story time at Stanley, I went in search of Stanley! Flat Stanley has been visiting places all over the world. I finally caught up with Flat Stanley at Lowell Elementary.

Miss Pelegruti and her kindergarten students have been providing Flat Stanley with memorable experiences as they travel to places near and far. Here are some photos of Flat Stanley displays in the hallway outside Miss Pelegruti's room:

   

Miss Pelegruti adds a new poster all about Flat Stanley's visit to Croatia, Bosnia and Montenegro.

Flat Stanley in Seattle Mariners' colors

Mrs. Linda Halbrook-Wood, a teacher who works one-on-one with an autistic Kindergarten student,

planned to take her two-sided, Flat Stanley to the Mariners game!

Flat Stanley in Los Angeles Angels' colors.

Miss Pelegruti told me that Flat Stanley is expected to be visiting the Pope soon. How about that? I personally love how the Flat Stanley project includes creativity, exploration, and family involvement. I am very grateful to Mrs. Rachel Bouma for sharing Miss Pelegruti's class project with me.

Permanent Link to Post | Email Post Link | 
April 09
A House of Cards

Have you seen the proposed budgets?

K-12 Public Schools Financial Crisis is a two-page summary that was published by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction back on March 30.

There have been public hearings. There have been press releases. We've read editorials, letters to the editor, blog entries and Twitter commentary. TVW has provided its coverage. Soon the decisions made in Olympia will determine what the Tacoma Public Schools will be working with. To me, education in Washington state is very much like a house of cards. How long can we keep the house from falling?

Funding education is large and complex, and is impacting all of us. We've grown so weary of unreliable funding.

These are our problems to solve. I don't want to pass them on to future generations to deal with.

To find out what the Tacoma Public Schools' proposed budget for next year looks like, plan to attend one of the Community Budget Forums.

   

Tuesday, May 26
5 p.m.
Wilson High School
auditorium
1202 N. Orchard St.

 

Wednesday, May 27
7 p.m.
Lincoln High School
auditorium
701 S. 37th St.

Permanent Link to Post | Email Post Link | 
March 25
From a Regional Meeting to a Leadership Training

Both Director Connie Rickman and I recently attended the Spring WSSDA Regional Meeting held in University Place. During the evening, much information was shared with those in attendance. Director Rickman spoke about having met with people at the Department of Education when we were in Washington, D.C. for the FRN conference. Harry Frost, WSSDA Director of Finance and Human Resources, gave us a brief legislative update which focused on the "big story." 80% of K-12 spending is constitutionally protected in the Basic Education category. The remaining 20% is not considered basic education including I-732 Cost of Living Adjustments for K-12 teachers, I-728 moneys to increase student achievement and decrease class size, and Local Effort Assistance known as "levy equalization." These non-basic education items are targets; significant reductions are anticipated. Before the evening was over, we had heard from Superintendent Randy Dorn about basic education funding and the WASL. I told Superintendent Dorn that the work of the Basic Education Task Force needs to be honored. I encouraged everyone to help keep the basic education finance reform legislation alive, specifically HB 2261 (one of two reform bills moving through the Legislature).

Leadership WSSDA is a training program for school board directors who are challenged to grow as visionary, influential leaders, and who will demonstrate effective governance that improves student learning. This year, 10 participating school board members from across the state will spend five weekends in Leadership WSSDA training from February 2009 to November 2010. The stomach flu caught up with me just as I was about to attend the second session of Leadership WSSDA this past weekend. I missed all of Friday's activities. However, thanks to the magic of a webcam and Skype, I participated from afar in Saturday's training while in front of my home computer. The featured topic of the day was Communication Skills for Leadership. Kathryn McCormick, an Educational Media Producer and Consultant from the Spokane area, showed us the video of ABC News' Stupid in America. This prompted a discussion on how to respond to reporters' questions and how to defend your board's decisions. Groups of three were asked to contemplate what questions might be asked by "a reporter." The groups were given turns in the hot seats, sitting at a table with a microphone in front of them while they "took questions." Most board members had to move out of their comfort zones during this experience. One group was asked "Why hasn't the system changed?" while another group was asked "Why can't we replicate what schools in other countries are doing?" Another question asked was "I don't have kids in school. Why should I pay for it?"  

Rich Parker of South Whidbey School District, Ken Christiansen of Lakewood School District (Marysville) and Laura Jaecks of Wenatchee School District

 

Ken Christoferson of Stanwood Camano School District, DeAnn Kline of Grapeview School District and Jane Cline of Okanogan School District

 

Kathryn McCormick has 25 years experience in communications. She has worked as a television and radio news reporter, a public relations specialist and a producer, writer and presenter of hundreds of hours of education and training programs. She guided school board members through the day with relevant information and challenges to learn from. McCormick took a moment to mention that she had checked out my new blog. She said that I could have added additional things to my blog such as video from youtube.com. I informed her that I had been taking screenshots of her, and she would soon find herself on my blog. This was her reaction:

The day ended with a discussion about our group online learning project. I'm sure I'll be sharing more with you about it in the future. Leadership WSSDA meets again in May for more leadership training. Our focus will be on social justice.

Permanent Link to Post | Email Post Link | 
1 - 10Next
Alert Me Alert Me