Excellence in Education Award

I've been wondering if I need to trim back on the extra work I do in education, then I was notified recently that I won the Excellence of Education Award from the Michigan Lottery.

The honor brought with it some interviews (one on camera, which is part of the video below) and some soul searching. It has been a great honor and a chance to sort out what I've done right over the past two decades. It's given me much to consider as I plan the rest of 2018.

Candidates for the award are nominated by students or staff members from their district. In my case Melinda Newcombe nominated me. Melinda is a high school English teacher I've worked with for a long time now. She will tell you I immediately questioned her judgment when I found out I won. I eventually decided it would be better to go with it than offend her!

I decided two things if I was going to accept the award. First, I have to give God credit if I have ever done anything right in education. Teaching has been an uphill struggle for me, especially those fourteen years trying to teach high school math. While some of it fit my personality, a lot of it certainly did not. I decided teaching is a calling and I stuck with it. I learned to pray about it and trust I was where I was supposed to be. 

My book for success would have two chapters--Trust God and Marry Well. I don't know much after that.

Second, I hoped this would bring some positive attention to our district. I work with many excellent educators, many better than I could hope to be and many who helped me be better. 

The only reason I would get recognized over them is because I work with so many more teachers and students. It increases my chance to be noticed. If I had to pick one of them to nominate, I honestly don't know how I could ever choose between them.

As anyone in education will tell you, good teachers make tremendous sacrifices for their students. I see many at LakeVille doing that every day and this has been a reminder to do better at highlighting their successes.

If you're interested in seeing the announcement for the award, it's here.

And here is the video as it aired from one station. (Note that they put the wrong name on the screen for the person who nominated me. I made sure it was corrected at other stations, but their videos weren't so easy to embed.)

How to Be Good with Tech - Part 2

This is the second in a series of articles. If you haven't read the first one yet, it will be best to start there.

Helping teachers and students to use more technology (and working with some who resist) has driven home one point time and time again:

Being “good with tech” is largely a way of thinking.

There’s no magic involved. I'd even argue there aren't hours of training sessions involved. Instead there are mindsets and resulting practices that make it easier for some to pick up the new tools. In other words, these are things anyone can learn and improved tech skills will be the result.

So in this series I will point out a few myths the tech challenged believe that hold them back. I’ll also offer tips and strategies the rest of us use that give us an advantage in keeping up with the never-ending stream of new.

If you read through this article and, at any point, can't accept what I'm saying, please leave me a comment or send me an email. I hope to use any feedback to improve this series.

__________________

This time around I want to expose what I see as the get-rich-quick lie of learning technology. It’s a promise to those struggling the most that the job will be easier than it is. Instead of leading to success, it provides a false security and even hinders real progress..

If you've struggled with computers for years, you've most likely fallen into this misleading approach. You’ll probably think I’m making too much out of nothing. I urge you to keep an open mind as you read this, though, and try to see my point.

Instead of phrasing this as a myth to avoid, I’ll be positive:

Tip #1: When approaching a new tool or task, try to think “big picture”, not step by step.

There is a temptation to think knowing more steps will lead to success with technology tools. While it might help in the short term, I never see it lead to deeper, effective learning.

This is not just in the domain of technology. I saw it first when I tried to teach math. Struggling students would take pages of notes filled with lists of steps. They’d follow them faithfully to finish homework. Then they’d try without success to remember them all on the tests.

Now when I train teachers, those who are less comfortable with technology often ask for steps in tipsheets. They want training sessions where we go click by click through a new tool. When they realize I don’t usually start that way, they frantically write down notes thinking it will help later. When I do send a tipsheet out for some essential process, they file it away for when they need it. It's as if getting all the steps is the goal.

It’s easy to see why. Following steps can give a sense of accomplishment. The task at hand often does get done. There’s also comfort in knowing the list is nearby when needed.

The problem is I’ve never seen these teachers reach a level of competency with technology in general. Those people are the first to call when a problem arises. Regardless of how many times I explain the solution or how to work things out themselves, it never seems to stick.

When I start teaching and they start writing steps, I know right away I'll be back soon when they are stuck.

On the other hand, the students I work with in class or the teachers doing the most with technology adjust quickly to new tools. They almost never ask for step by step directions.

Preferring the steps is not a learning style. It’s a shortsighted approach that actually keeps the learner from ever seeing the necessary big picture.

Maps are better than lists

I recently had to find a friend at the University of Michigan. I haven’t driven those winding, busy streets in several years and I never really knew the layout of the campus. I don’t use a GPS, but I did grab a screenshot of the directions from my map app. I also took one of the map showing the general area.

When I neared the exit from the expressway I looked over the directions again. As soon as I got on the roads of the campus traffic was bad and I missed a turn within minutes. The name of one of the roads I was on changed at one intersection and I wasn’t sure if I was still on track. When I stopped at lights I quickly looked through the steps and scanned the scene for road signs to determine where I was in the list.

When I finally had a minute to gather my thoughts, I brought up that map instead. With just a quick glance I got my bearings straight. I knew the direction I was heading and the general direction of my destination. I knew immediately that even if I missed the next road I could take other side roads to get to the right building. I was even able to take in more of the surroundings, which will undoubtedly help the next time I have to visit.

I can’t emphasize this enough. When it comes to competency, the big picture perspective is essential to the learning process. Waiting for someone to tell you the steps and relying on lists for procedures will never be sufficient. Obstacles, problems and changes (which steps can never fully account for) will always lead to frustration in the times you most need to get where you’re going.

The best way to see that there is a real, significant difference between these two types of thinking is to ask a question to someone who is competent in any domain. Ask about directions to a location is in an area the person is familiar with. Ask a tech person to tell you the steps for some process. The first thing you’ll notice is they will have to translate from how they think about the task to steps. They never rattle off each turn or each click as if they’ve memorized them.

The thinking that leads to success comes from relationships in our mind between ideas, tools and experiences. They are connected in multiple ways like rooms in a building or locations across a landscape.  The mental organization necessary is too complex to be contained in lists of steps. A map is a better way to imagine what’s going on in the heads of those who successfully navigate from problem to solution.

A couple clarifications

To be clear, I’m not saying steps are useless. I still look up those “click here, then press this key” lists now and then. Those are best for the first time you have to use a tool to get something done. They’re handy for important tasks you only complete once in a while with tools that aren’t used otherwise. There will always be those tools you really don’t have to master and steps are good reminders.

Also, I am not offering any practical advice here on how to see the big picture. There are some things we can do to form those essential mental maps. My goal for now is only to relentlessly call out this important distinction and to point to a better way for success.

Where are we going?

I keep referring to success with tech tools, but let’s get more specific. This goes beyond just doing routine tasks. It also includes:

• Learning new tools quickly
• Applying the tools to new situations
• Communicating effectively to a variety of audiences through the tools
• Finding a solution when something goes wrong
• Using the tools in new ways to create things that didn’t exist before

These skills make up what we call technology literacy. At that level, people are thinking with and through the tools. That level of understanding is required for problem solving and meeting specific needs with the tools at hand. Achieving such a high level of comprehension requires a higher level approach.

If thinking in steps is like getting only where the roads and sidewalks already exist, technology literacy is like finding a new path to a new place no one has visited. Imagine how that’s easier with a rugged mountain bike compared to someone who wants to keep their training wheels on. After a while, wanting the training wheels on is probably what’s making it harder.

True literacy and expression through the tools requires a deeper understanding of what they can do. More than just how, it also grasps the why behind the various tools and elements of a problem or task. Meaning is significant in the process.

Imagine learning to write by simply copying down words void of their meaning. I could probably get a good student who doesn’t speak English to copy all the words of this paragraph. In the end, every time he does it, all he could ever say would be what this paragraph says.

Being literate with tech tools goes beyond forming letters and then words. It’s using those letters and words to write the sentences, essays, poems and more that only you can write. And then it’s saying those things with enough volume and clarity to reach more people more effectively than you ever could have otherwise.

You can see examples of this in projects I’ve written about on this blog. Here are two of my favorites:

• Ecosystem and game design lesson for middle school science 
• Smart Jams music video project at the elementary level

In those we accomplished new things with a personal touch and then presented them to the world within constraints formed by our skills, personal experiences and resources. To accomplish that, we had to approach the work from a big picture perspective.

On the other hand, limiting yourself to memorizing steps is limiting how far you'll go.

Getting personal

I wonder sometimes if those people I train ask for steps because they really think steps will help or if it’s just a way to put off the real work of learning. You will have to decide that for yourself. I only hope my examples and analogies here have made the options clear.

In that way, this article is a call to clarify the level of tech use you want to achieve. Do you want to just finish the routine tasks or do you want to use technology to accomplish far more of what you love to do?

I think it’s valuable for anyone to become more literate with digital tools. In many fields where we help others, we owe it to them to learn more so we can do our best. Still, learning happens best when everyone sets their own goals.

If do you want to develop that essential “big picture” thinking, please check back over the weeks ahead. Upcoming articles will provide practical ways to accomplish it. Also, please send along any comments questions so I can better suit the series to your needs.

How to Be Good with Tech - Part 1

Photo from Kevin Jarrett from Flickr -
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kjarrett/

I’ve been working with computers for over 30 years. I have also worked with teachers and students as an instructional tech coordinator for the past six years. Helping them use more technology (and working with some who resist) has driven home one point time and time again:

Being “good with tech” is largely a way of thinking.

There’s no magic involved. I'd even argue there aren't hours of training sessions involved. Instead there are mindsets and resulting practices that make it easier for some to pick up the new tools. In other words, these are things anyone can learn and improved tech skills will be the result.

So in this series I will point out a few myths the tech challenged believe that hold them back. I’ll also explain some approaches the rest of us use that give us an advantage in keeping up with the never-ending stream of new.

Since I work in education, I’m often thinking of the teachers and students I encounter there, struggling or resisting to use more technology for learning or sharing ideas. Beyond that, though, I’m writing to anyone who finds digital tools to be an obstacle, but knows the tools can help them accomplish more of what they want to.

If you read through this article and, at any point, can't accept what I'm saying, please leave me a comment or send me an email. I hope to use any feedback to improve this series.

And for now, I will start by tackling the biggest myth of all:

Myth #1: Technology is hard to learn.

I start with this myth because:

• For as often as I hear it and the thoughts resulting from it, I don’t believe it for a second.
• Believing it leads directly to some of the other inaccurate thinking I’ll address later in the series.

When a new tool comes along, maybe you fall victim to a very real fear because of this myth. It’s hard to learn and no one wants to look dumb, right?

And of course many have discovered this view of technology makes an easy excuse to avoid the necessary work of learning or using something new. A good share of the population heartily agrees that computers and all those gadgets take more effort to learn than they’re worth. Point out just one instance when time was lost, more problems arose or someone was frustrated by a new tool and nearly everyone in the room agrees: There’s no time for learning that complicated stuff. Back to the old way!

Regardless of why you’ve held to this notion, until you get past the false perception of how hard it is to use technology, you’ll always see yourself in the ungifted group. You’ll keep waiting for some convenient time when you have days to learn and nothing else to do. In other words, you’ll never start.

I hope by the end of this article you'll be open to this simple fact: Learning to use technology effectively is not as hard as you think.

A simple first step

So let’s start with an exercise. Next time you’re amazed when you see a person (maybe even a child) do something impressive with a new tech tool, don’t immediately attribute it to a gift you'll never possess. Instead, be open to the possibility that digital tools are simpler than they used to be.

I feel like I’m giving away a secret here. I like to appear really smart when I help teachers with new programs. I love it when I’m the hero that bailed out the teacher in front of the whole class. (Early elementary students will break into applause for these feats. It feels amazing.)

But I’m just trying to be honest. Instead of new tools confounding me now and then, I am regularly amazed at how much simpler they are.

Yes, I remember how long it took me to hook up a new printer or connect to a new internet service years ago. New software was hard to configure, and that was if I managed to install it correctly.

I understand that many adults of a certain age had years of those experiences (or maybe, years of witnessing others going nuts with those experiences). This formed the idea that technology is hard to use. 

Now, relatively speaking, that’s simply not true.

Photo from Brad Flickinger on Flickr -
https://www.flickr.com/photos/56155476@N08/

Think about this for a minute. I mean no disrespect to your kids or grand kids, but isn’t it possible that all those young people who quickly learn to work the new gadgets simply don’t hold this myth in their minds? They come at the new stuff thinking it’s meant to be intuitive and work effectively. They act accordingly and success is the result.

Technology is wildly popular and used throughout our society now not because the younger generation is so much smarter. It's largely because the tools are easier to use. Nowadays if a new tool is hard to use, you’ll never see it survive the market long enough to reach the masses.

But what about...

Before you hit me up with recent horror stories of incompatible software destroying your meeting or network failures that brought the office to a standstill, please keep a few things in mind.

First, I’m talking about technology that’s working as intended. Realistically speaking, that happens the vast majority of the time. Organizations dealing in a day with hundreds of times more money than you and I make in a decade trust their fortunes to this fact. It doesn't let them down in any significant way.

I’m also talking about average use. The amazing wizardry we see from people who live in front of their computers, have budgets for the what’s beyond the cutting edge and who work in specialized fields is difficult to replicate. That's why they are paid good money to do it.

But I’m taking about common tools that allow normal people to achieve more than they do without them. And that's an important goal I'm glad to help people move toward.

And if you’re still doubtful, I’m not saying the skills are so simple that no brains or effort is required. My later articles in this series will address what and how much is required to become competent.

Examples of positive change

To get specific, here are a few ways I regularly notice the tools have become easier over the years:

• Language in the apps is far less technical than it used to be. Menus, buttons and even error messages use common words instead of all the specialized terminology we used to see.
• Help features of programs are written better and many are making excellent use of video to explain exactly what you need to know. I’m very impressed with the quality of virtual training involved in much of the new software I encounter.
• Apps only do a few things, so options are limited. It used to be software companies boasted of all the things their programs could do. I guess the goal was to make tools like Word, Publisher or PowerPoint so flexible they could be used to turn out many different types of content. That made software complicated, with features buried in menus requiring many steps. Now apps are specialized. You find out what you need to do, look up the best app for it and it does just that with a few taps.
• There is more consistency across tools. Yes, we still have the PC versus Mac and iOS versus Android divides, but overall similar icons and terms appear across many common programs. Once you realize this, it won’t look so mystical when your teen figures out your new iPad app within seconds of opening it. 
• If common problems and questions weren’t addressed in the Help features of the software, they are only a web search away. Anyone who works regularly with technology will tell you the power of a simple Google search when it comes to using a tricky feature of a new program.
• You can hook up most new hardware by plugging in a cable. Sometimes you have to download a driver first, but do I even have to give examples of how difficult this used to be? I am continually grateful for these improvements.

_________

I’m not expecting now that you'll sit at a computer and churn out an amazingly easy, yet visually stunning video to upload to YouTube. I’m just hoping when the next person bails you out a tech bind you won’t immediately attribute success to his or her mad skills. Instead, think...

Maybe the tools are easier now. Maybe I could learn to do that too.

Try thinking that way for a few days. Once you’re open to that possibility, you’ll be ready to take the steps I’ll address in part 2.

The 4 C's of Success - Tips for students at the start of the year

Here is a presentation I gave students when I was a classroom teacher.  I also tried to consistently use the language throughout the year.

The main purpose of the carefully defined "four C's" is to distinguish between a commitment to improve and the choices one must make along the way to achieve that.  Identifying the key choices and the times those choices must be made is an essential insight for success.

Helping Students Live Better Stories - A review and thoughts for lessons based on Donald Miller's Storyline

I can’t say enough good about Storyline by Donald Miller.  It's not too much to say it has been life changing and I am working on ways to integrate the principles with classroom activities.  

I’ll elaborate on the book, in the way of a review, before addressing those activities at the end of this post.

I've been a fan of Donald Miller's books for about four years now.  I started with Blue Like Jazz since that was the one everyone was talking about.  It was Searching for God Knows What that really caught my attention, though.  I read it the summer before a job change pulled me from the high school classroom and I found myself working with professionals at all levels in the school district.  The book was very timely and it changed the way I saw the purpose of my work.

Our Lives as Stories

Recently one of the themes of Miller's writing has been that the things that make great stories also make for more meaningful lives.  He tells how he came upon those truths in A Million Miles in a Thousand Years.  That book was a birthday gift the year I turned forty.  Once again his thoughts were timely.  I read it again a few months ago and I found it even more helpful the second time through.

Miller started doing Storyline conferences a couple years ago.  Over the course of a few days attendees work through a process of viewing their lives as part of a larger story.  He also draws heavily from Viktor Frankl's logotherapy--a "therapeutic process" based on the idea that humans are not so much seeking pleasure or power, but meaning.  

As for the power of stories, there’s nothing terribly fresh there.  From our PowerPoint presentations to our company websites, we have been told that a strong story speaks to the heart.  But the beauty of Storyline is how Miller combines the essence of a great story (a character who wants something and overcomes obstacles to get it) and this idea that we can find meaning in suffering into a simple process that infuses those potent ideas into one’s daily choices.  

Much of Miller’s other writing actually speaks against any X-step process for self-help, so I don’t want to make this sound easy to actually live out.  It’s not.  It is easy to see the truth he is onto, though, and I will personally attest to it's potential for making vital change..

The Book

Near the end of 2012 Storyline was published as a stand alone workbook for the process he presented at the conferences.  The book was, again,a gift for my birthday.  Even with all the space for recording the exercises it is a short book of less than 100 pages, but it took about six weeks for me to read it through.  I still have not completed all the exercises even as a draft yet, but I have made enough progress to greatly appreciate the message he’s telling.

It bears mentioning that Miller's writing is always unashamedly Christian.  When he talks about finding your story in the scheme of God’s larger story he refers repeatedly to the Bible.  That might turn some away, but his good intentions are always clear.  From his books to his blog and his speaking (and even his film), I've never heard anyone outside of the faith accuse him of being offensive in his approach.  I'm sure people of all faiths and even those who would claim none have found some benefit to the ideas he presents in the Storyline book and conferences.

The Storyline process starts by reflecting on the positive and negative turns throughout one’s life.  These are the events that forever changed the way the reader sees himself or life.  From there the task is to identify a life theme which encompasses where one fits in the overall story.  According to Miller, we all fit in God’s story of saving many lives.  For example, my own theme (which will likely be rephrased over time) is “always teaching, always learning”.  (It took about two minutes to realize if I'm going to do anything important it will have to happen through my work in education. I remain hopeful.)

It is the next step that I found most helpful so far.  Drawing from logotherapy, the reader is encouraged to find ways in which God can redeem the negative turns in life by working through them to help others.  This is a deeply personal affair beyond the scope of my usual work on this blog, but the activities opened my eyes in ways nothing else has. I have found and been motivated by a renewed sense of purpose in the weeks since I have started working through the book.

In the remaining chapters we get back to what makes a better story also makes a better life.  Roles are identified (spiritual being, parent, co-worker, etc.) and within each of those roles the reader makes some clear plans.  This is all phrased within the concept of story--ambitions, inciting incidents and climatic scenes.  While I have only finished a few stages of this for a couple of my identified roles, I love the approach.  As Miller claims, the process leads to clarity and there is a deep sense of satisfaction in taking steps toward those climactic scenes.

Besides just the book and the conference there is a website devoted to the process-MySubplot.com.  Users can create an account there and track their stories with the simple organizational tools.  Some social network features also allow for comments and sharing if one chooses to make their profile public.

After finishing the book and seeing the benefit of the exercises I bought copies for a few family members. My wife is working through the book now too and, while it can be painful at times, she agrees it is a valuable experience.  

Plans for the Classroom

Another teacher, a friend of my parents, found the book at their house while we were visiting.  Having devoted much of his life to middle school students through P.E. and English classes and his passion of coaching wrestling, he was amazed by the content of Storyline.  Page after page he was taken back at how Miller was putting into words the things he felt for decades.  

That experience confirmed my plans for me the need to develop some classroom activities based on the book.  It will take more time than I’d like to try this out because I do not have my own classes.  As with most of my work, I have to wait until I find another teacher who is able to fit my ideas into her plans.  Just last week I arranged something (at some unspecified time in the future) with a middle school Language Arts teacher.  She sees the value of my ideas in terms of educational standards we can cover, but she also knows it goes beyond subject matter and test scores.  It’s about reaching young people.  

She already planned to do a journal project along the lines of Erin Gruwell’s work with The Freedom Writers Foundation.  We agreed it should be easy to to integrate the Storyline concepts within that and I am very excited to see where it leads.

Obviously, since I work in the public schools I plan to rephrase a lot of the Storyline content so that it doesn’t sound like I'm teaching Sunday school.  In the past when I work in classes that involve personal reflection or lessons about success it has been my practice to make it clear students can express their religious beliefs or matters of faith.  I don't require this of course, but at the same time it seems like a shame to leave a vital part of the human experience out of the picture.  From what I’ve seen in their work, many have been grateful for the opportunity to openly express themselves. 

(Almost all students have been positive about my sometimes deeply introspective assignments.  I’ve received many thanks from some for the work I’ve done.  I find it’s still hard for me to reach those guys coming from Auto Mechanics at the Skill Center, though.  I get no hate from them, but I have accepted we come at life from very different paths.)

As for the classroom activiites, here is the basic outline of what I want to cover in the classroom:

• What makes a good story? - Through discussion and other activities, we’ll determine which elements are present in the most popular books and movies.
• Viewing our lives as stories, what would be the theme?  - I will probably bring in the Three Movie Exercise (See step 2 of this blog post.) I often use when we talk about our passions.
• If our stories are about helping others, who do we think we could help?  - Here is where I want to bring out the idea of finding a redemptive purpose in our suffering.  I plan to talk about logotherapy to some extent and it is here that we can tie in the Freedom Writers and Anne Frank’s story.
• What are our ambitions and what steps can we take to realize them? - Students will set goals, some of which they can achieve by the end of the school year.  
• How can we tell our stories? - I’m most excited about how we will use blogs, podcasts and video to present the results of our work so others can be inspired to do the same.

From the educational standpoint, the reading, writing and presentation skills involved in each stage will be very beneficial.  We’ll have no trouble covering the bases as far as content standards go.  I’m also confident that students will be motivated to complete the work simply because it connects with their lives in a way that most school work does not.  And beyond our own classroom, as we perfect the project I look forward to presenting results that can inspire other students and teachers.

Obviously this is just a plan at this point, but it’s probably also apparent it is part of my own exercise in the Storyline process.  I am very grateful for Miller’s work with Storyline as it has opened my eyes to a potential blending of my work with technology, education and my passion to help others reach their potential.  I will continue to mark my progress here as I see the results.

For the First Time - Starting something new with the power of technology

I was inspired when I read Seth Godin's book Poke the Box last summer.  This past week I assigned a journal project to the high school students in a Digital Media class that I work with.

I encouraged them to reflect on some things they did for the first time in 2012.  Going beyond just the message of the book, I also asked them to evaluate the items on their list of "first times".  The assignment then ended with some goal setting.

To tie this into technology, I firmly believe the tools that allow us to connect with others nearby and around the world require us to start big things that make a positive difference in the lives of others.

A high school technology course should not be about the technology, but how the technology can help the students achieve their potential. 

If you're interested in the presentation and assignment:

First I spoke to the class about the book and some examples from my own life.  Here is a recording of that talk that I made later.  It's about 4.5 minutes long.



Then I showed them the video about Caine's Arcade.  This a great example of people starting something new.  I make sure students consider the action of the filmmaker in this story.  He is really the one who "poked the box" by seizing an opportunity that grew into something powerful.  Students can appreciate something that gets over three million views on YouTube and results in a scholarship for a young boy.


And finally, here's the journal assignment that I gave to the students.  I was very pleased with the response the class gave to the presentation, the video and the journal assignment.

The Three P's of Success - What makes a full life?

From 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ex_magician/4587972292/ 

When I taught high school seniors in a class about life goals they would often talk about wanting to "live life to the full".  The phrase turned up on mission statements and final presentations but it was rarely defined.  


What does it mean to live a full life?  


Certainly a full life would be defined differently in specifics by each of us, but I didn't like that being an excuse to get away with a throwaway line.  


Wasn't there something we could agree on as a basis for discussion or written reflection?


I knew from their conversations that their vision of a full life looked like crazy vacations with friends over spring break and having a nice house and car.  I hoped to get them beyond superficial dreams that would cost more than they realized (almost all of them lived with parents).  I wanted to get them thinking about responsibility too.

After weeks of reading and hearing their thoughts, I put together a few activities and presentations that I called the 3 P's of Success.  I could tell from engagement and comments that it connected with many of them.  I'm not teaching that class any longer, but the themes still are apparent in my work.

Here are three P's with a little elaboration.
Passion - A student can spend a lot of time in school without experiencing much passion.  It's a shame that I was discovering this while working with seniors, kids that had been in the system for almost 13 years.  For this "P", it was an exploration of figuring out what good things they liked to do.  I developed a few questions to let them write about that.

________

Purpose - If passion is what they liked to do, purpose is what they should do.  While our passions almost certainly come into play, purpose is what we're meant to do even if we don't really feel like it in moment.  It's the piece I think students were forgetting when they envisioned lives of fun and material possessions.  


It's also a realm that can touch on matters of faith.  A lot of teachers won't go there, but I refused to back away from this vital concept that I know is an important component in the lives of many successful adults.

This was my approach.  Using thought provoking questions I encouraged the students to consider their purpose in writing.  I told the classes that for some questions, this topic will bring up matters of faith, religion or spirituality for some people.  I made it clear that they were in no way required to include those elements in answers.  At the same time, however, they should feel completely comfortable expressing those thoughts on the assignment.

For writings like this, I never cared if my students expressed very different religious beliefs or if they had no beliefs at all.  I just wanted them to consider the basis of their worldviews and how they affected their purpose.  Many of the comments I read from students as they expressed this important part of their lives surprised me in a good way.  I concluded that they needed to consider their lives in this way.  I decided I would never rob students of the chance to express their personal beliefs, but that I would encourage it in non-threatening ways.

________

Potential - Passion fuels us and purpose sets the direction, but potential is the final measure.  Did we achieve as much as we should?  Of course, potential is impossible to define in detail because our skills will always improve and often we'll be surprised by what we can do.  I just encouraged students to dream about what they could accomplish.  I hoped it would be the exciting start to a never ending process of discovery.

Here are two resources related to these ideas.  I discovered them long after teaching the class, but they provided some thoughts as I continue to develop my work:

• This is a great blog post about finding one's passion in three steps.  It combines the three elements together in different ways than I do, but it's well worth the read if this sounds useful to your work in teaching.  I particularly like the Three Movie Exercise for use with teens.
• And check out Seth Godin's book Poke the Box.  It is a quick read.  He has a few paragraphs on p. 64 about why he believes it is our moral obligation to seize an opportunity.  It's a great thought for discussion and it fits well with the three P's.

I'll be glad to hear other thoughts you might have on this or activities you use with students.