Reality Bites… back

While it seemed like a typical beginning to a Monday morning for the rest of us, for them, it was a chance of a lifetime. As the sun peaked over the horizon and simply yawned itself awake for us, to them it was as if it was exploding onto the scene proclaiming their lives changed. While most of us were robotically driving southbound surrounded by a herd of metal, chrome, and rubber, they were gathering, nearly 100,000 strong at Texas Stadium praying for their chance t be the next American Idol!

Now, I must admit to you (and only you, please do not tell anyone else) that I am a big fan of the show Please do not hold it against me, but it is true. To see normal people, like the busboy from Luby’s, make it big, is somewhat inspiring. But I must confess, I do not watch so much for the winners as I do for the losers. I am absolutely intrigued by what possesses bad singers to go on national TV, belt out a song that makes my cat cringed only to be ridiculed by the judges, and to be the source of laughter around millions of coffee pots the next morning. I simply call it the “American Idol Phenomenon.” Yes, there are those who perform who know they are terrible. They sing poorly, they laugh (and get laughed at) but in the end, they exit gracefully stage left, pleased with their 60 seconds of fame. The phenomenon begins and ends with another group of singers who are terrible but believe they are the next best thing. They kick, scream, cry, yell, and even curse at times, at the news of their rejection.  Their typical response is that their friends and family say that they are great singers! The reality is that they are not, and they are simply reacting to a convoluted portrayal of themselves.  In fact, in a show that I will never forget, a mother burst down the door and refused to leave because she felt her child deserved a second chance to be on the show. Given the opportunity to sing again, her daughter proceeded to squawk out a song that forced me to actually mute, yes mute, my TV. As the judges, my cat, and I stared in silent disbelief, the mother actually said, after misinterpreting the silence as positive, “See I told you she sounds like an angel.”

As with most life lessons, lessons from the phenomenon are bitter sweet. It shows that we as parents have a significant and profound effect on how our children view themselves. That, in and of itself, comes with an awesome and heavy responsibility. We must support our children in their chosen endeavors, but we must also sprinkle in a healthy dose of honesty. Honesty is important because not only does it validate your input as a parent, but it is also the birthplace for inspiration and hard work. Crushing their dreams by telling them they cannot sing is much different than supporting them and encouraging them to work harder. Now, I am not talking about 1^st grade piano recitals, but somewhere down the line your little angel does not need to find out on national TV that she, in fact, cannot sing.  

We as parents have the ability to shape our children’s own reality of themselves and their view of their own surroundings. Their honest inspiration is evident even on the opposite spectrum of the phenomenon.  Some of the most heartwarming portions of American Idol are the close-ups of contestants running into their parents arms. Mothers and fathers telling their talented children in response to making the show “See, I told you that you could do it.”  Seeing and hearing their parents’ pride in them, at that moment, is probably more important to them than the chance at fame and fortune.

Our words and actions as parents can help mold our children’s self-worth and lead them to the beginnings of great things. On the other hand, we can also mold their views to be less than practical with the absence of realism. The balance between being supportive and practical honesty takes practice. But in the end, if your conversations are not practical, it could leave their high school classmates to be the ones to tell them that Santa Claus is not real. Now that would be a reality show.

When Two Plus Two Equals Five

There are a few things that are recognized by nearly every single being in modern culture on the face of this earth. Coca Cola, for one, is the most recognized brand in the world, the bible is the most read book, and the word ‘okay’ is the most recognized word.  Along the same lines, 2 + 2 is probably the most recognized equation in the world.  How it beat out 1+1 or even 3+3 is beyond me but in the world of math, 2 +2 is king!  Since 2 +2 is king, we can all assume that if asked, every single person on the face of this earth who is familiar with the equation would probably write down the same answer. Don’t believe me?  Quick, write it down. 2 + 2 = _____. What is the answer? Write it down before you continue and no cheating. No seriously, write it down.  I’ll patiently wait…………………. You wrote 4 didn’t you?  Now ask everyone else in the house. In fact, call all your friends and family on your calling plan. The answer will be the same, 4! But what if I told you that your answer along with everyone else who answered the same was inherently wrong, or at best, incomplete? By now you have suspected a trick, and you would be correct. Let me ask it in a different way. Write down all the answers that it could be. In that light, you see, the answer is not just 4. The answer or better yet, the answers are actually infinite. The answer to 2+2 could be 3+1, or 5-1, or even the square root of 16 (for those who are doing the math, the square root of 16 is 4.) Traditionally, it has been ingrained into us that the answer to this popular equation is simply 4. That’s it, case closed. In the same way, it is ingrained in us that most problems have one very specific and in some ways, a final answer to it.  Don’t get me wrong, the traditional answer is 4, but what if we need more than the traditional answer? Sometimes, answers to questions and problems are solved and solved better by simply looking at it differently and refusing to be stymied by a traditional approach. The most popular toy in U.S. history, as disputed by toy enthusiasts, is the famed Frisbee. So popular that in the late 70’s, 9 out of every 10 homes in the U.S. had one. How did it come to be? In the late 40’s, poor college students found that tossing the unique metal pie pans from the nearby Frisbie Baking Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut made a cheap and simple sport.  A passerby by the name of Walter Frederick Morrison recognized the opportunity to cash in on the American publics’ infatuation with UFO’s. He literally turned over the pan and with no significant changes to its design, marketed it as a toy. Such a simple thinking solution made him a millionaire. Along the same lines, the inventor of the Slinky was trying to design a super-spring to combat tension found in submarines and the inventor of post-it notes was trying to design a new adhesive that would rival superglue. Both failed miserably in the traditional sense but recognized the answer to the problem was found simply looking at things a bit different. Many great events in our history, including our greatest inventions, our greatest inspirations, and even our greatest revolutions, started out as nontraditional answers or responses to traditional problems. Noted science journalist and author Roger Lewin is quoted as saying “Too often children are given answers to remember, rather than problems to solve.” Maybe the greatest gift to our own children is to instill in them a sense that it is okay to look at things differently. When it comes to raising and educating our children, the best thing we can do is not to give them answers but to give them the desire to find their own answers to their problems. 2 + 2 equals 5? Crazier things have been discovered. Rumor has it that the world might just be flat!

True or False: “Should We Be Teaching to Test?” Part II

Last blog, I addressed the necessity of aligning what is taught and what is tested.  As we continue, I think that it is important to delve a little deeper and address testing itself.  In recent years, there has been a movement to remove ‘testing’ in general from the daily business of teaching.  As much as I would like to see high stakes testing significantly revamped in the State of Texas as well as nationwide, I, for one, am not a proponent of such thinking.  Before you label me a heretic or worse, a staunch supporter of education standardization, my support for testing might surprise you.  In addition to providing educators important feedback on student achievement, thus enabling them to make sound educational decisions, my support for testing is simple. Tests are simply a part of our culture; it’s how we do business. Students, young or old, will always be asked to prove what they know at almost every stage in life. They will be asked to do so on the SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT, etc. In fact, I will go as far as to say that life is one big test.  (I propose that it is more of an essay test than a multiple choice, but a test nevertheless).  Now, now;  I can hear many groans and see many eyes rolling, but before you call me an educational hippie, think about it. Life is made up of one decision after another. I encourage my 2 year old every day to make good decisions. Every decision he makes is important and every decision he makes, right or wrong, has a consequence. Even the act of doing nothing (which he does a lot) is in fact, a decision. I reward him when he makes a good decision and guide him when he makes a poor decision. When I give him directions, I do not rush in and make sure he does it. I sit back and give him the opportunity to filter his decision-making through his past experiences. Am I testing him? You bet! I am thrilled each time he takes the time to think it through. In the end, that does not guarantee the right decision, and for those who have a 2 year old boy, you understand. The art and frustration of parenting as well as teaching is finding the appropriate balance between experience/content and decision-making/testing.Tip the balance of importance from the content and weight it more toward the test, and end result is students who simply have the ability to pass tests but lack the ability to retain knowledge.  Remember when you where in school and everyone said, “If you do not know the answer, choose  ___.” Yep, choose C. That thought process has been so engrained into our educational system that research exists that proves that test-makers are subconsciously ignoring C as an answer. If you must ask, research says it is now B! (The secret’s out. Don’t tell the kids.) This is a simple example of when testing or test-taking becomes more important than the content of the test. Too many students are successful in high school and college because they are simply good test-taker. There is nothing wrong with being a good test-taker, per se; I just think it is dangerous to hang your learning experience on it. I think that a healthier attitude to instill in our children is to look at tests as opportunities to express what they have learned. What a wonderful place for our students when they simply look forward to expressing, in and out of the classroom, their knowledge and experiences.  Learning outside of life circumstances is unpractical and in most cases, useless.  The irony is that testing itself is an appropriate part of our life, and thus, it should be addressed as such.

True or False: “Should we be “Teaching to Test?”

“Teaching to the test. . .”

There has been no single phrase recently in public education that sends parents and educators into a educational philosophical feeding frenzy as these simple words (for those keeping score at home, frenzies are typically not a good thing.) Don’t believe me? Next time you are in a public place full of parents and educators, yell it out and see what happens, or better yet, wear it on a t-shirt.  I suggest that you have your escape well-planned.

Joking aside, I think it’s important to set aside the emotions of the issue and sit back, take a deep breath, and talk about the pink elephant in the room: Is teaching to the test a bad thing? Now let me stop and make one thing clear. For those who want me or even expect me to stand as judge and jury over the issue, you will be sadly disappointed.   I will leave that to you, but before you make up your mind, I do invite you to join me over the next few weeks as I write more on the issue.  Why did I choose this subject?  Well, it is quite simple.  How we teach kids and how kids learn is at the core of education. Second, I believe that informed parents make informed decisions.

The question above is akin to another question that has troubled man for centuries; which came first, the chicken or the egg? We all know how the original question is still unanswered today (even though I am leaning heavily on the side of the chicken.) And if we are not careful, the questions about teaching and testing will go unanswered as well if we do not collectively talk about it. To get you thinking, ponder this: Let’s say you are studying for an upcoming certification exam in your chosen career field. A lot is riding on you passing it, including a significant raise. You have spent hours upon hours studying the appropriate content, specifically “XYZ”. You even took a weekend course on the subject. As you sit down to take the test, you are absolutely floored to find that none of the content you studied is on the test, and you are most notably upset at the absence of any questions about “XYZ.”  Not only do you fail, you are demoralized! There goes the big raise, the corner office, and the company car all because of that silly test! You start to think, I would have done much better if I had actually know what was on the test.  Aha!  Welcome to the debate, my friend! Did you fail because of the content (the chicken) you studied was wrong or did you fail because the test (the egg) covered the wrong thing?

Assuming the content you studied was appropriate to your field and the test you took applied to your field, the answer is quite simple. Neither the content nor the test was particularly flawed. The system of communication or the process between the content and the test was flawed. As with most failures in life, it was a simple breakdown of communication between the two. We cannot simply look to place fault upon the chicken nor the egg, we must look at the whole farm. Similarly in education, any breakdown of the link between what is taught in the classroom and what is tested can have painful consequences.  I challenge that a much more suitable question for us all would be “Are we appropriately testing what we have appropriately taught?”  and vice versa. Teaching and testing are both equally important products of the system (the farm).

The good news is this: good teachers, good administrators, and good district leaders have been focusing on these tough questions. The reality is that as tough as these questions are, they are willing to ask them and wrestle with them because it is what’s best for our kids. We tip our hats to you, educators.  I hope that over the next few weeks, my series of articles will help inform you as parents and reinforce the need to keep our children’s education at the forefront of all that we do.