The Giant's Ladder

Jenny Davis is an chronic overachiever. As a health care professional, she frequently makes miracles through her hard work with very young children and their families. She is the mother of six girls, the youngest of whom is a 3rd grader, the oldest of whom started college last fall. She takes a leadership role for several school projects a year. And Jenny and her husband make learning a way of life. Weekend adventures, family vacations, and even the fun activities they share with their children at home are all learning experiences.

At the age of 40, Jenny was diagnosed with young onset parkinson's disease (like Michael J Fox). And then last fall,  at the age of 43, she was diagnosed with late stage colon cancer. Through it all, Jenny continues to give, and touch lives, and make miracles. Through her blog, Jenny has been sharing with family and friends her humor, optimism, determination, and the lessons she is learning as she goes through surgery and chemotherapy.  Her entry today, about teamwork and appreciating our team,  is inspiring. And it is also a wonderful example of engagement, and how both students and families benefit from engagement. Jenny has graciously agreed to have her blog entry re-posted here to inspire us all to see and appreciate the team around us - and to encourage everyone to make a million dollar difference by giving time each day to learn with, and from, a child.

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Yes, I know it's long.....go get a cup of coffee or something.

In 7th grade my daughters, along with their classmates, have had the privilege of going on a multi-day trip to a camp in the San Juan Islands. The kids spend 4 days together, working in teams, learning about the environment, each other, and themselves.

One of the activities the kids take part in is the "Giant's Ladder." This "ladder" consists of logs suspended by cables horizontally at increasing distances. The first log is about 5 feet off the ground with about 4 feet between it and the 2nd log. The final two logs are roughly 6 feet apart, ending I would estimate, approximately 50 feet off the ground (I may be way off....I'm terrible at estimating distance). Wearing helmets and harnasses, the students work in teams of three to climb the ladder as the rest of the students in the group manage the ropes, or "belay" them, as they climb. The camp counselor, along with a teacher and the chaperones supervise and assist as needed, with safety always being the priority.

Invariably, as the students first approach the ladder, they each focus on how high they think they can climb......or can't climb. Anticipation, anxiety, excitement, apprehension....."We're gonna climb THAT?" As the activity begins, the students soon realize that the success of each individual is dependant on the person next to them. And the success of each 'team' is dependant on the support and encouragement of the others on the ground who can only watch, encourage, and always...always...hold the rope. It's a team thing. It's nearly impossible to even get off the ground alone, and climbing without others holding your rope would be madness (not to mention against regulations and NOT allowed).

Some teams barely make it to the first log (in reality, this is the most difficult step). Rarely a team will make it all the way to the top. Most will only reach the third or fourth log. In the end, it matters less how "high" they climbed," than, "how they got there."  "Success" has a new meaning.

Last Spring I had the privilege of being a chaperone for this trip. I also had the opportunity to climb the ladder with two seventh-grade girls because they were one person short. The three of us made it off the ground. We did not make it to the top. I don't really remember if we made it to the 3rd, or 4th log. It doesn't really matter how "high" we climbed. What mattered, is "how we got there." Having a 43 year-old mother of 6 who just happens to have Parkinson's Disease, is not what most 7th graders would consider to be a "benefit" to the team. But then again, as a 43 year-old mother of 6 with Parkinson's Disease, having 2 team members half my size and a bunch of 7th graders holding my rope wouldn't exactly be considered "sane," either. Of course, I wouldn't be telling this story if either of those things were actually true. The girls were willing to see me as a benefit to the team. And I was willing to trust a group of "kids" to be there and support me.....to hold my rope. As far as I'm concerned, we were wildly successful.

Strength comes in all sizes. Success happens in many ways. Support comes from without...and from within. We need each other to "climb the ladder." And make no mistake.....everybody is climbing some sort of ladder. I am so thankful to not be climbing this one alone. I have a great team. They come in a variety of sizes, but together they have strength beyond measure. They give me hugs and kisses. They color in charts and hang ornaments to celebrate each step of this journey...each rung of the ladder. They remind me that I CAN do this...and stand with me "in sickness and in health."

And I know this, and I see it in the eyes of my 'team'..... our strength comes from within, from our Heavenly Father, and it comes from without, from those with whom He surrounds us and who support us in so, SO many ways......who watch...who encourage...and who I know, continue to "hold our ropes."

Belay on!

Ripples of Hope

Seven powerful words from Myrtha Manigat are inspiring rescuers and families of the millions impacted by the earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010.

Myrtha Manigat, 27, was visiting a friend in Port-au-Prince when the earthquake hit. As the building collapsed around her, Manigut plummeted into a hole. For three days, Manigat, 27, remained trapped in that hole.

Friends who saw the home where she had been visiting told her relatives that Manigat was dead. But on Friday, Manigut was pulled from the rubble of the house. Doctors had to amputate one of her legs to save her.

On Sunday, she spoke with relatives in New York, telling them about the ordeal.  When they learned she had lost her leg, they began to cry. Manigut responded "crying is not going to do anything."

Seven simple words that are now inspiring workers who are facing a daunting challenge - and overwhelming obstacles.  Crying is not going to do anything.  And so they continue to dig, and listen for sounds of those trapped in the rubble, and to carry on the painstaking search.

Seven words that inspire survivors to move past the shock and anguish of all that is lost. Crying is not going to do anything. And so they begin picking up the pieces of their shattered lives.

Crying is not going to do anything. In the face of enormous tragedy, economic challenge, family turmoil, a health crisis, and even as we work to build better schools, we could all use a dose of Myrtha Manigut's wisdom.

Indeed.  Crying is not going to do anything. Let's roll up our sleeves, and embrace the hope and strength in those words, as we build a brighter future.

Building on Strengths

One of my good friends is a speech therapist who has had great success helping young children make life-changing progress in areas many of us take for granted - eating and speaking. She is incredibly upbeat, and genuinely cares about her clients. Adults and children both feel at ease with her instantly.

When I asked about her secret to success in making such great strides with children, most of whom have severe disabilities, she says she simply finds something the child can do well, and then extends that ability to create new functionality. "We build on their strengths," she says.

Most of her clients are younger than school age, but from time to time, she does work with children in the school setting. It is not uncommon for her to be frustrated by her experience at the school. Her frustrations have often made me stop dead in my tracks, and consider things from a whole different point of view.

If you think about the way we address challenges for students, we often do the exact opposite of what my friend does. If a student has trouble with reading, we pull them out for extra work on the very thing they have trouble with.  We don't find the hooks - the things they do well - and then build a bridge to those things that are challenges for them. This is actually what families are best at!!!  They understand their child's strengths, and have opportunities to help the children build on those strengths. What we must do is help families have the tools to help build the bridges from strengths to challenges, so that the challenges become competencies too!

Extreme Engagement

As we work with schools who are transforming historical culture into a culture of engagement, one of the critical pieces that we stress is that everyone within the community much remained challenged, and must see what they are doing as critical to success for engagement to continue. School set "stretch goals" that move the school out of the comfort zone. Stretch goals with students help them achieve more than they believed was possible.

There is an extraordinary camp in Snowmass, Colorado that has mastered the use of stretch goals and extreme engagement  and is seeing incredible results. What makes the camp so exceptional is not the rock climbing, water skiing, rafting, or crossing a river with only a rope at the feet. This camp is unique because of its campers; they have autism.

 

The camp offers extreme sports to kids that are not likely to have experienced any sort of sports before, but certainly not extreme sports. The camp's method stresses sensory overload. Struggling is part of the course.  (Click here to view the ABC Nightline segment about the camp)

 

Staff members at the camp engage with the children, and study each camper so they can understand how best to reach that individual. They use touch with the campers who can’t communicate any other way. With others, touch is used as a way to overload the senses. Each child gets the individualized program he or she needs - and is pushed to their limit, and then beyond those limits! The children experience a sense of accomplishment, and take pride in doing something that nobody - even the child himself - thought he could. The camp fosters a sense of solidarity and cooperative spirit among the campers, but its the ultimate goal is self-reliance. And the campers return - year after year! 

As you are setting goals for your school, or your classroom, or your child, think about the benefits these children get from reaching beyond what they thought they could do, and set stretch goals that challenge you to do more as you continue the journey toward full engagement throughout the learning community.

 

Click here for more information about the Extreme Sports Camp in Roaring Fork Valley.

The Talent Code

There was a great segment on Nightline last night talking about the human brain's potential to create new white matter. According to Dan Coyle, author of The Talent Code, the myelination process, the insulating of the "wiring" for certain activities, when taken to the extremes, is actually what creates genius.  (Watch the segment here)

Coyle says what makes talent is two basic things- lots of practice, and great coaching.  When a new skill is learned, new pathways form in the brain, or existing pathways are extended to "map" the new skill.  As we practice the skill over and over, the newly formed path becomes a superhighway  - an ultimate connector, that is not only extremely fast, but is very reliable. 

Great coaching has to do with who the coach is - the great coaches have some very key core factors like being laid back, relational, and engaging in intense moments of very targeted correction.  The "golden second" for coaching is immediately after an error has occurred.  Unless you reach the edge of error and frustration, you never build the brain's potential - or your talent.

Families play a critical role in guiding students and coaching them in many aspects of development.  Mentors (or advisories) create the opportunities for the building long term coaching relationships in the school environment that helps students -and their families - explore and develop interests, abilities, and talent - and take advantage of the golden seconds when talent is nurtured.

What Coyle is describing, of course, is one of the key aspects of Engaged Learning Communities!

Lackawanna!

 I was headed west on I-10 in Jacksonville, Florida the other day, and was deep in thought about the creative ideas and plans that one of my client schools is pursuing, the success that they are beginning to see in building relationships. Mixed with the excitement over that school, was concern for another school where leadership is not really on fire. I was lost in thought about why some leaders excel, while other leaders seem to get in their own way - why some teachers are successful in reaching kids, and some seem to be putting in time for a paycheck - and why some students really take responsibility for their education, and others are still struggling.  All of the sudden the answer was right there in front of me on I-10 as I approached McDuff Avenue! A huge sign on the side of the building just to my right said LACKAWANNA. As it turns out, in a cruel twist of fate, Lackawanna is the alternative education center for Duval County.

In our work with schools and school districts, we encounter Lackawanna, or Lack-of-Want-To, far too often in education. Educators have seen a steady stream of programs and initiatives that have been abandoned before they reached their potential, accomplished very little, or outright failed. After a while, many veterans adopt the mentality of "this too shall pass" and quit trying, choosing instead to weather the storm until the new program is in the rear view mirror.Students, discouraged when success doesn't come quickly, abandon the pursuit and quit. The interesting thing is, that in failing to try, these students and educators have already decided to fail! I was struck at how different this is than those pursuing excellence in any endeavor.

Take for example, Maurice Ashley, who in 1999 became the International Grandmaster of Chess. (Click here to learn more.)   "Losing is learning," Maurice says, "it's just part of the process. The only way you can fail is if you don't get back up and try again."  Maurice cannot imagine what it would be to not try again. Or in other words, he has Gottawanna!



We have a lot of schools who are reversing Lackawanna, even in some very rough circumstances.  Leaders, teachers, and students all are finding their Gottawanna to build relationships, to close the circle of support for students, to take responsibility, and to maximize the potential of ALL students.  How about you?  Gottawanna!

Greenway Elementary and Publix Engage Lifelong Learners

A friend of mine who is a parent of a child at Greenway Elementary in Marion County, Florida, left an excited message tonight about how much fun she and her children had this evening at Publix Family Math Night.

Publix, a local grocery store, and the teachers at Greenway Elementary, worked together to help parents and children solve real world shopping problems using skills the students have been studying in school. (Problems were provided in three learning levels - K-1, 2-3, and 4-5) The children had a chance to share learning with their parents, and gave teachers and opportunity to model for parents something they can do to help their children learn and reinforce their skills using ordinary, everyday activities!

Teachers met families as they came into the store, welcoming them, and providing information. Families visited a variety of stations set up throughout the store solving problems together. Publix provided snack foods and drinks and a treat bag (coloring book, crayons, and an apple) for everyone who attended. More teachers were stationed at the store exit, to thank parents and students for attending – and giving students a homework pass for attending the event.

Notice what this school did. They took the activity off the school campus, to a place that is familiar ground for families - the grocery store. They made sure they welcomed families, and created an opportunity to build relationships. They linked to learning - giving children and families a chance to share learning. We often hear from parents that they want to help their children at home, but they don't know what to do. The Greenway teachers used this fun opportunity to show parents how to use something they already do - grocery shopping - to reinforce what students are learning. And Publix not only made the night fun for the kids, but they build customer loyalty in the short run, and a better workforce down the road!

Kudos to Greenway Elementary and Publix Supermarket for an outstanding example of creating an Engaged Learning Community!