You Complete Me

Today is day 3 of the 30 day blog challenge.  I don't have anything planned to say today, but I must post to fulfill my self-induced goal, so here we are.  You reading this uninspired material, and me wishing I had put more thought into this post.

I will say that this weekend was filled with baking and crafts and I loved it.  When you are with a team of people who complete you, it makes the world feel right.  Everyone has strengths and weakness, and it is amazing when you can spend time with those who balance you out.  They say if you want to be happy, surround yourself with people who are happy.  Want to be successful? Find some successful people with whom to hang.  I say, if you want to feel complete, find those people who complete you.

Being self-aware can be scary and exhausting, but this evening, I challenge you to reflect on what you are good at and where you are lacking.  Think of those in your life that help balance you.  This is important because not only are they helping you, but you are helping them.  Love to start projects but need a finisher? I bet there is a finisher out there waiting for you to start a project.  Like to look at the big picture but miss the details?  There is a detailed-oriented person out there waiting for you.

I would like to close this post by thanking my friends and family (and hubby!) for completing me, strengthening my weaknesses, and allowing me to support theirs.

Google: Friend or Foe?

A few weeks ago a met with a lawyer regarding grown up things, and when I walked in, the first thing he said to me after introducing himself was, "You're in technology, right?" So before we got down to business, I set up his Google Cloud print.

The other day I was "fixing" my uncles computer (he doesn't want to have to login) when my sister called me.  "How do I hit enter to make two lines in a cell in Google Sheets? It just keeps moving me to the next cell."

"Did you Google it?" I asked her, because I Google everything.  The printer problem? Googled it.  Setting up Windows 10 so my uncle didn't have to login? Googled it.

"That's what I have you for," she replied.  And so I took to Google and searched "how to force a line break in a cell in Google Sheets" and send her my findings.  She was grateful.  She had tried the help feature, but when you don't know exactly what it is you want to do, it's not always, well, helpful.

There is a world of thought out there that Google is making us dumber.  "Kids these days don't need to learn nuthin cuz they can just Google it."  Well of course they can.  But it's not as simple as it sounds.  You have to know what you are looking for.  My sister could have typed "How do I hit enter to make two lines in a cell in Google Sheets" into the Google search bar, and she may have even found what she was looking for.  But using the words "line break", as opposed to "page break", gets better results.

I completely disagree that Google is the cause for lazy brains.  I actually believe the opposite.  No longer do we have to pour over facts, numbers, dates, or formulas, memorizing information to regurgitate it later.  Instead, we can spend our time creating, analyzing, thinking, and doing.

Instead of taking the time to learns things, we can spend time learning how to do things. 

In school we learn how to add, multiply and divide fractions, but we rarely learn to understand fractions.  And even rarer is the use of fractions for the purpose of creating.  We are giving students information that they can find on their own.

Because of Google and Youtube (which is owned by Google, actually Google is owned by the parent company Alphabet, Inc., which I found out by googling it) we don't have the study all of the names of all of the parts to be able to fix something.

Google has given me the confidence to fix computers, cars, sinks, my niece's tantrums.  I am smarter because of Google.  I can easily find expert information and explore countries around the world.  Not only that, when I have a wonder, I can Google it, which makes me wonder more!

Like with everything, it has to be taught how to be used.  I am better at Googling that most of my family.  Instead of shying away from using Google in classrooms, we should teach our students how to find the answers to their questions.  That is the their questions, what they want to know, not the questions we pose to them for the sake of the final exam looming at the end of the marking period.

Google is not our foe; Google is our friend.  Our much smarter, older friend who can answer questions, give advice, and show you how to do practically anything.

Fears of Blogging

Blogging is scary.  You put your ideas out there for the world to analyze, criticize and pull apart.  Unless no one reads it, which might be worse.  Blogging is an important part of creating an online presence as well as sharing your expertise and perspective.  I have challenged myself to a 30 day blog, uh, challenge, where I will post a blog every day for 30 days.  In this first post I will review my fears and how I (mostly) overcame them.

1. I have nothing to say.  

I once suggested to my brother-in-law that he start a blog.  He is insanely witty.  His response to me was, "Then people will know how infrequently funny I am."  But that's the best part of blogs.  You can write several when you are on a roll and save them for publishing later.  You can even schedule your blogs to publish at a future date.

The other key to collecting your thoughts is to keep a blog ideas and notes list.  I use Siri a lot. Ideas usually hit me when I am driving.  I ask Siri to create a note and catch my thought as they come.  You have ideas, opinions and, unique to anyone else, perspective.  Blogs can also be edited, rearranged and tagged later.  I have 3 different blogs for the different hats I wear.

Lastly, research it! Ever have a wonder? Chances are others wonder that, too.  Have a seat, pour yourself a cup of coffee and give your wonder to Google.  Putting links to other sites in your blog posts helps up drive up your traffic and satisfy your reads.  Here are 8 reasons to link in your posts. (See what I did there?)

2. No one will read your blog.

This is probably my biggest fear, that I will pour heart out and no one will read it.  But if you never write it, you can be assured that no one will ever read it.  To help promote you own blog, share your posts on social media.  Twitter, LinkedIn and even (sigh) Facebook can be great places for you to peddle your ideas.

Friends, families and colleagues can also help share and create an audience.  Let them know you are blogging and would love for them to read, comment and share.  Sharing is caring but it can also be scary.  Getting a small following and spreading the word will help create a deserving audience for you newly birthed ideas.

3. Your blog might not be publish-worthy.

Ok, I lied.  THIS is my biggest fear.  I usually don't sit down to write a blog post until I have drafted the entire post in my head.  I lie awake at night, revising and editing in my noggin.  More often than not, I decide it's not worthy and I trash it, even before I have made the first key stroke.

You have to be ok with failure.  Not every post is going to be worthy of tons of retweets, shares and likes.  But to be a better writer, you have to write.  Stephen King's book On Writing gives writers tips on becoming better.  However I like Jeff Goins perspective on what it means to be "good".

4. You can't say what you really want to say.

This one holds me back a lot.  I have posts I would like to write and publish, but fear of retribution keeps me from pulling the publishing trigger.  Writing is truth, but do people really want the truth?  We have heard the stories of how comments online have destroyed careers and lives; is it worth it?  Perhaps I am being melodramatic.  Perhaps others will not be as offended as I imagine.  Things online live forever, though, and we have to remember that as we choose our words.  Freedom of speech allows us to say what we want, but it does not protect us from fallout, consequences or penalty.  I ask myself why I want to write, choose my audience and then make sure my words match my purpose.  Remember, blogs aren't diaries.  You are writing to have it read.  Remember your audience, remember your purpose and remember your story.

Courage is not the absence of fear; it is the conquest of it (Anonymous), so begin overcoming your fear of blogging and start sharing your awesome ideas.

Rainbows & Sunshine: Confessions of a Lifelong Learner

I wrote a blog post of the misconceptions of lifelong learners, and, as usual, it really got me thinking (and if we are being honest, feeling sorry for myself).  

I consider myself a lifelong learner.  I am naturally curious, and I don’t need to wait to be told what that button does.  As soon as you aren’t looking, I’m gonna press it.  And I do not think we get a bad rap, but I do think we are sometimes taken for granted.

On a Friday at 3:30pm, I was asked to do a training on a new technology tool that was purchased for the district.  The training would be the following Monday.  I said, sure! And spent the weekend learning how to use the tool (without a class, students or data).

I don’t think the author of the request even thought that I might not know how to use it.  But there’s no one to give me training, no one to whom I can turn to ask for instructions.  Well, except Google.

It happened again today.  A group of teachers came to me, “We need this.”

I answered, “Oh, I don’t know how to do that.”  They didn’t respond.  They didn’t move.  They just stood there, waiting.  So I logged in, took a look around, and figured it out.  

It’s like they couldn’t accept the fact I didn’t know how to do something.  I mean, I am totally flattered.  But sometimes I get frustrated.  Maybe I feel taken for granted.  Maybe I just want someone to realize how hard I work. Maybe I just need someone to tell me I’m pretty.

I think what I need is for others to understand that there is no magic wand; I was not gifted at birth with the knowledge of all things technology.  I wasn’t even trained in technology. I am a person. I get overwhelmed.  I don’t know.  But I figure it out.  Sometimes it takes me a while, sometimes I get distracted, but I figure it out in the end.  

So be patient, be empathetic and be curious.  Also, Google it.  Because honestly, that’s what I am going to do when you aren’t looking.

Edit: You know what I really hate? When I finally teach myself to do something and then the next time I go to do it I can’t remember and I wander around the database, looking for clues, trying hard to pull memories that will not come...

Adults These Days: Stealing from the Internet

So yesterday at dinner my niece says, “Grownups always talk about kids being on their devices; look at your guys!” I looked up and around the dinner table (we were at Topp’t Pizza), and sure enough, all 4 adults at the table had their heads down, scrolling through their phones.  In my defense, I was doing research (I needed an Arizona Cardinals jersey for a gift.)

I looked at my gorgeous, freckled-faced angel and said, “Grownups are hypocrites.”  And we are.  I mean, kids these days?  Let talk about grownups these days.

One of the things we (I am speaking as a grownup) do that we know is wrong but we do it anyway is steal pictures from the internet.  Teachers are notorious at copyright infringement (although a lot of people do not understand the copyright laws, and I encourage you to really research it; they are more flexible than you think.)  As teachers, we are almost forced to break copyright laws.  I am not saying I have done it, but it was easy and cheap.

I mean, it’s not totally our fault.  Technology makes it so easy!  When I was planning a huge conference and Apple was coming, they were all like, you can’t use our images and stuff.  And I was all like, dude, it’s on Google…

Google, however, makes it easier NOT to steal pictures on the internet.  Did you know that with the advanced search option (which hardly any of us use because Google is so smart she IS an advanced search), you can filter your results based on user rights?  Additionally, there’s a site devoted to it at CreativeCommons.org.

With Technology making it easier to share and get your hands on information and primary resources, it’s our job as educators, and as grownups, to model good behavior.  So put your phones away, start giving credit to those pictures you use in your powerpoints and on your graphic organizers, and use Google’s advanced search options.

I swear, adults these days...

Catching Feels

I have been told, both in my role as director and in seeking my seat on the school board, that I have to have alligator skin.  I have to be able to take the verbal punch and stand up, brush myself off and move on.

So why is it that, in the professional world, there are so many decisions made based on whose feelings may or may not get hurt.  I mean, really?

Which is it?  Do we need alligator skin or do we need to make decisions based on whether or not a colleague might "take it the wrong way" and feel bad about him/herself.

How about neither.  I do not need alligator skin if people are responsible for their words and actions. No matter how angry, frustrated or hungry you are, you are still responsible for how you treat people.  And I still have a right to be upset.  Or not be upset.  Moreover, the decisions I make for students (or in your case, for your business) are not based on how others might feel about them.  If it makes someone look/feel like a bad teacher, maybe, just maybe, that person might consider some professional growth.  Or at least some reflection.

I am reminded of one of my favorite movies, The Invention of Lying.  No one can lie because it had not been invented yet.  Everyone spoke the absolute truth.  I often wish the world was like that.  Mostly because the things that come out of my mouth would be more socially acceptable.  It is important to be honest.  But just because one thinks it doesn't mean one has to say it.

I'm not saying walk up to anyone and tell them exactly how you feel.  But what I am saying is be honest with yourself first, and then be honest with others.  My bestie is one of the most honest people I know.  Does she hurt my feelings sometimes?  Yes.  Do I get over it?  Yes.  Am I a better person for having heard it?  Most of the time.

Imagine if we all had relationships where we could respectfully be honest with each other, make decisions because it's what's best, and not have to put on our alligator suits everyday.

Perhaps the next time we feel obligated to do or not do something, ask ourselves how we can better build the relationship we have with those it will affect.  Because let's face it, green isn't everyone's color.

The "S" Word

This all started when a teacher on Twitter used it to describe some kids she went to school with.  Having been through school myself, and teaching high school, I did not even flinch at the word.  But someone challenged her use of it.  Saying it was inappropriate. It seems that we were no longer allowed to call kids "smart".

Do I believe all kids are smart?  Do I fall for the book smarts versus street smarts?  Do I believe every kid is a different kind of smart?  I started this blog post awhile ago, ready to stand up for all the kids who liked hearing that they were smart.  I mean, how many songs are there about telling woman and girls they are beautiful, no matter what?  How is describing beauty, in its different forms, surface-level or down deep (sometimes really deep) different than saying, "Wow!  You are so smart!"

But then I stopped.  And reflected.  For a long time. (Almost a year to be exact.)  And I finally came to this conclusion:

She is the reason I tell kids they are smart.

Bella, Age 5

Because there is not a number of times I can tell this princess that she is pretty and smart that will block out the doubt that will creep into her beautiful mind when someone, one day, inevitably, calls her stupid.  Or dumb.  Or ugly.  Or weird...

I do not believe kids are bad.  I never call a kid bad.  Decisions are bad.  I believe evil cannot be created and, like darkness is simply the absence of light, bad is simply the absence of good.  But I will not stop calling kids smart.  If bad words have such a great power to change someone for the worse, I will not hesitate to believe that positive words can change kids for the better.  So I will call them smart.  Because they are. Or they will be.  Lord willing.  And teachers teaching.