Servicing Customers vs. Customer Service: Hmmm...

As a basketball mom I spend a lot of time hanging out in the bleachers with other parents. This past week I spent more time in the stands than at my own dining room table. Bleacher time can lead to interesting conversations. This week I was talking to another mother who recently returned from a work conference. She was obviously excited about what she had learned and eager to tell those of us sitting with her. This particular woman is in sales, specifically sales for an exclusive line of women's clothing. (I know what you're thinking. What in the world does this have to do with education? Bear with me.) After filling us in on the highlights of the spring collection, (Great new Kelly Green jacket for us Yorktown folks, BTW.) she began talking about the overall message of the conference; servicing customers instead of customer service. This is the idea that if you serve your customers in a proactive manner and meet their personal needs upfront, the need for reactive customer service will decline. In their world this equals a better buying experience, a base of loyal customers, and in turn more sales. 

"Servicing customers instead of customer service".  It got me thinking how this same mantra could apply to the world of educational technology. I pride myself in providing my teachers with opportunities to develop their integration practices. I also feel members of my tech department and I provide quality service to our teachers. When issues arise we swiftly take care of their needs to see that instruction is not interrupted. Could we be better about anticipating the needs of our teachers in terms of additional tools, support, and their varying curriculums? Could I customize my sessions, even individualize them to see that each teacher gets the best "look" for him/her, just as my friend does with the clothing line she sells? Could I be better about explaining to teachers why quality technology use in one room may look different than that in another, just as one woman may need a size small sweater while the next needs a medium for the best fit possible? Could I service my customers in a more effective way? 
Everyone wants to feel and look his or her best. I believe this to be true whether we are talking about appearance or job performance. Perhaps this is why I am constantly reflecting on my "closet" of practices; deciding what practices I can keep, which ones need to be boxed up for donation, and which new ones I need to pick up to be my best. My conclusion; I need to transition to a bit more of personalized PD system, anticipating teacher needs and helping them to customize the learning experience that have with me to ensure the best integration fit. You know what? I think that I'll get that Kelly Green jacket too! 

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Big Apple in Education

This year I was fortunate enough to be able to usher in the New Year with over a million people from around the world in Times Square. My husband surprised me with this trip, as it was on my bucket list to be in the city and experience the biggest New Year's in the nation. As part of my 11-hour wait (yes I said 11hours), I worked on my resolutions and I resolved to be more consistent with my posts. In case you haven't noticed, I've struggled with that in 2015. Fresh starts, right?

I learned a lot through my first ever trip to the Big Apple.  I observed many common practices that if implemented in the world of education, would change the way students, teachers, and administrators feel about the school experience.

The hotel where we stayed was located right off Times Square and shared the block with several Broadway show venues. Each night as we were walking the block, I noticed audience members standing outside of the building after the show waiting for the performers to exit. Rather than moving on to their next Big Apple adventure, these folks waited for quite some time to shower the performers with cheers and applause for their performance when they finally emerged. What if we did this for students who had given it their all at the end of long week, or for teachers as they emerged from their classrooms after facilitating an outstanding learning situation?  What if we did this for administrators after they have spent hours, days, weeks, and even months developing plans to improve district performance or implement a new initiative? Would celebrating these educational "performances" not give those in the trenches the motivation to come back each day and do it all again, just as it does those performing on Broadway?

In addition to my introduction to Broadway traditions I was introduced to another fascinating and complex system...The New York City subway system. Let me tell you, it's not as easy as you'd think. There are maps and guides to help you determine how to get where you are going; however, there are both local trains and express trains and with several options to meet one end result, it's rather difficult to know which train to select until you get used to it. While I am VERY directionally challenged, my husband is typically masterful at navigating us around the cities we visit. Imagine my surprise when we ended up in Brooklyn one night instead of back in Times Square as we intended. (Side note: Brooklyn is one place we had been advised not to go to at night.) Oops! We spent the next 30 minutes hopping on and off trains and transferring until we were able to navigate our way back to our hotel. While it was incredibly frustrating to not know for sure where we would end up, the underground adventure we were on was well worth it due to the experienced gained. After that, we were subway masters. In my position at school, I see many teachers and administrators find themselves in the same situation Scott and I found ourselves. They have expectations set for where they need to go in regard to the implementation of initiatives and tools (including technology), but many seem to get frustrated when they cannot reach there expectation destination via the quickest/shortest route. Some even try to ignore that these changes/expectations are happening. You've gotta get home, people! What if instead of getting bogged down with the stress of ourselves to these educational destinations, we all embraced the adventure of reaching our goals; how much we are learning, the baby steps of change? We will get there eventually (where ever "there" might be). It is up to us how we will feel along the way. Feeling scared or anxious about ending up in the right place sure won't get us "there" any faster.

And then there was the communication factor. Communicating with folks in New York City can be a challenge in and of its self. Did you know there are actually guides online that tell you how to do this properly? Wish I would've paid more attention to those. What I found is that although language can be a barrier in city that is made up of people of so many different nationalities, there is one universal truth. Most people want to talk and are willing (and even excited) to exchange with perfect strangers so long as you are willing to initiate the conversation. During our time in the city we met and spoke with people from around the globe, including England, Syria, Canada, Mexico, Spain, various U.S. states, and yes, even many very friendly New Yorkers. That was by far the best part of the trip. Discussing the customs, experiences, and viewpoints of people from around the world and watching as them as they took what we said in and to heart was incredible. What if we allowed for that kind of communication in schools? Would students and educators, educators and parents, and educators and educators not be better off if we all listened (really listened) with an accepting ear a little bit more? If we listened to those we interact with every day as attentively as we do those we just meet, would that not provide clarity and result in us being more tolerant of our differences in opinion?

Needless to say I loved my NYE trip to NYC. That short trip provided a lifetime of take-aways for me. (I'm not saying I don't need/want to go back, Scott! ;) I hope that after reading this you will see why we need to put a little of the "Big Apple" back into education!

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KyariTheKonverseKidd

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WeLearn...Boy, Have We Ever

For the past three years Yorktown Community Schools has hosted an IDOE Summer of eLearning conference. Each year I've had a front row seat to the conference planning process. The first year I was a presenter, but jumped in on the planning a week before the conference to help with the last minute details. The past two years I've served as conference coordinator, planning everything from the keynote speakers and schedule of sessions to the design of the name tags. I've done a lot, but I haven't done it alone. My small but mighty tech team, our media specialist, and even our superintendent have all worked tirelessly to see that our conferences have been successful. It is their dedication to detail that has made each event a truly professional learning experience for those who attend. Each year our attendance has grown and conference feedback has been positive from those who have attended. Last year we branded our conference "WeLearn", a title/theme that promotes collaborative learning and embraces the idea of making learning a game, complete with avatars similar to those on the Wii system. (Get it? ;) 

Each year our conference has featured topics that are important in the world of EDTECH. We have been mindful to provide sessions that meet the needs of our own YCS teachers as well as the needs of those in the neighboring districts whose teachers often attend. But aside from all of that, so much more learning goes on at WeLearn. Lessons about who WeAre, how WeLook, and where WeLack were learned by those of us doing the planning. That’s right we were learning too, even before we ever sat through a single conference session. These lessons cannot be documented with PGP points, but rather with wisdom that impacts how we function as a district as well as how we interact with others.

WeLearn has taught us who WeAre. WeAre a corporation that truly believes that access to technology provides students and teachers with opportunities that would otherwise not exist. Opportunities to connect, create, and facilitate learning using methods that mirror the world we live in. The caliber of sessions that our own YCS teachers present each year is evidence of this. It is no doubt thanks to the leader of our district who has developed and continues to promote our vision. Her leadership has a direct impact on the attitudes about technology of all stakeholders in our district. As a parent of three YCS students myself, I appreciate that.  WeAre preparing our students for their world.

WeLearn has taught us how WeLook to others. The saying "perception is reality" is spot-on in the world of education. The comments and feedback from those who have attend WeLearn show that Yorktown is viewed as an EDTECH leader in our area and in the state. Folks look to us as an example, which can be a both a blessing and a curse. While the compliments and recognition are great, it is added pressure on us to deliver. This poses challenges when hiring new teachers and administrators, developing professional development plans, and ensuring quality instructional practices in classrooms. Nothing changes more quickly than tech. Seeing that we are keeping up is a constant challenge, but we are committed to seeing that the way WeLook represents the reality of who WeAre.

Finally, WeLearn has shown us where WeLack in resources. Lacking in resources in not new in education. The conference planning process brings full attention to how lean we are administratively and in our tech department. We are fortunate to have access to devices in our district, but the number of people assigned to see that these work and are used well is very low compared to other districts functioning at our same integration level. This becomes clear each year during the six months of planning for WeLearn as we struggle to keep up with our regular assigned job responsibilities while taking on the second job of organizing this event. So why do it? That PD piece, the "use it well" part of our job. Teacher buy-in is often a battle that folks in a position like mine face. YCS teacher participation in this summer learning opportunity is voluntary. While not all YCS teachers attend, the number of YCS teachers and administrators who come to WeLearn has greatly increased over the past three years. This year we had five times the number of YCS employees attended than the year our conference debuted. While we are still not at 100%, WeLearn is inspiring and motivating a number of teachers enough that they want to attend in an effort to improve their tech integration skills despite the fact they are not compensated for doing so. It is this type of dedication that further illustrates who WeAre.

I'd like to thank the IDOE for providing us with this opportunity the past few years. Not only has WeLearn helped hundreds of Indiana educators improve their integration practices, but it has helped us as hosts learn more about our district. So whether you’re a WeLearn attendee, presenter, or a conference planner I guess our conference slogan applies.  iLearn, uLearn, WeLearn...TOGETHER. 

For a snapshot of this year's conference, check out our #ycsWeLearn Storify. 

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Show Your Appreciation, But for What?

It seems that there is a day designated to "appreciate" every profession that exists; Administrative Assistants Day, Boss's Day, Nurse's Day, the list goes on and on. Last week in schools around the country we celebrated Teacher Appreciation Day. This day is a welcome event to teachers who work tirelessly every day in what is arguably the most under appreciated profession. 

On Teacher Appreciation Day you will find most every teacher's lounge in the land filled with goodies, principals walking through halls handing out gifts, and students bringing in cards and fists full of flowers they've picked themselves. (Sorry neighbors!) So what's the point in all of this? To appreciate our teacher for the work we do. It's not about being appreciated for the lessons we craft or the projects we grade. Rather it's about being appreciated for the people we are helping to develop. Teachers are responsible for molding minds, inspiring a love of learning, and teaching our students to be thinkers and problem solvers. By doing these things, teachers help to shape the adults our students will become. I think that we can all agree that a gift card to Applebee's is not near enough to show our teachers exactly how thankful we are for their service, but as parents that's exactly what we attach to the homemade card that our kids make to proudly hand over on Teacher Appreciation Day. More important than the dollar amount on the gift card are sweet sentiments that are printed on the card from the student. So this year when my daughter Zoe printed these words on the teacher appreciation card for her third grade teacher (who she adores), my heart broke. 

"Thank you for helping me pass IREAD and ISTEP? I love you." 

While these are very important factors in the educational life of a third grader, are they what a teacher wants her students to appreciate about her?  Don't get me wrong; I am not saying that this is in any way the fault of the teacher. She has loved and encouraged my daughter this entire school year, making Zoe love going to school each day. I am simply questioning an educational system that obviously puts more importance on standardized tests than developing learners. 

If you'd ask me what I remember or appreciate about my elementary teachers, I can guarantee it would have nothing to do with standardized tests. Rather, I remember that Mrs. Harold, my kindergarten teacher, taught me to tie my shoes. Guess what? I still use that skill. I remember that Mrs. Marquell, my second grade teacher, came to school every day dressed to the hilt, complete with matching heels and handbags. Based on my professional wardrobe I'm confident I learned something from being with her for 180 days. I remember Mr. Christopher embraced my bossiness and encouraged me to be a leader in a classroom full of fifth grade boys. That is definitely a skill that I use every day in my male dominated tech world. Obviously I know that academics were a major part of my elementary school experience, yet I don't remember the standards that each of my teachers taught me. Still, more than 27 years later,  I'm recognizing and appreciating what I learned from these great educators. If you'd ask me about my success on standardized tests, I'd have no idea how I scored on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills that Indiana students took in elementary school in my day. I can only assume I passed, but I couldn't guarantee it ;). 

As Teacher Appreciation Day has passed us this year, we should take time to reflect on what our students "appreciate" about us and consider if these things reflect the type of impact we hope to have on them. As teachers are more powerful than any test score. I know my teachers were. 

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One Man's Dream

It’s 1:00 am and my family and I are eager to get home after a fun filled week at Disney World. If a restful vacation is what you desire, Disney is not the trip for you. I’m pretty sure I need a vacation from my vacation. But, if your goal is to see your children (including the 43 year old big boy you’re married to) experience joy and happiness for six solid days, then sign up! I learned on this trip that Walt Disney opened Disneyland in 1955 to be a "play place for families" and that it is exactly what it is.

This is the fourth time my husband Scott and I have taken our children to see Mickey, a fact that I’m actually not proud of. It seems excessive to me given their ages. Over the course of our three prior trips, I thought we had seen everything Disney has to offer. It turns out I was wrong. Tucked back in the rear of Hollywood Studios is an attraction that we had never visited. It’s titled One Man’s Dream and it chronicles the life of Walt Disney. It’s pretty much a museum filled with artifacts from Disney’s professional life, followed by a 20-minute documentary. Sound boring? It was actually anything but! The artifacts displayed included a comic of the first character that Walt Disney ever created, Oswald the Rabbit (who by the way looks a lot like Mickey Mouse), as well as the desk where Disney sat when he created Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. (The little girl in me loved that!) In addition to these classic artifacts and stories shared, there were many examples of Disney’s failures and setbacks. That’s right, MANY examples.

While soaking in all of that history, I had to ask myself, why? Why focus so much on the things at which the great Walt Disney failed? After thinking about it, I came to the conclusion that in order to celebrate our successes, we must first recognize our failures. Now that’s a lesson we need to teach our children, both at home and at school! We are constantly telling our children/students that it is okay to take risks and to fail, but do we ever show them prime examples of how those failures can lead them to be better, inspire creative thinking, and build character? When our children have life successes, do we point out how prior failures contributed to those successes? If the answer is no, should we consider doing so?  Should we connect those dots for our children, or hope they all possess that natural drive and determination that Walt Disney seemed to have that allowed him to overcome his failures?

I hope that on this, their fourth trip to Disney World, my children walked out of the “happiest place on Earth” with more than a pair of mouse ears or a roller coaster fluttering tummy. I hope that they walked out with an appreciation for the creativity, perseverance, and grit that it took to create such a place. I also hope that when one day they take their own children to visit Mickey, they make this attraction a priority. That, my friends is this One Mom's Dream.

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Welcome the Butterflies, Welcome Change

Does anyone really like change? Change is one of those things that takes away that of which we are comfortable. Change pushes us to grow and morph into something other than what we were before. Even if the cause of the change is a negative one, it brings about a growth process that has the potential to make us better, happier, or at the very least more experienced. So why do so many people hate change? Are they scared of it? Is contentment really so satisfying to us as people that we will shy away from, or battle anything that changes our current situation?

This may be the only blog post that asks more questions than provides insight. I guess it's because I really don't understand the fear of change that seems to exist in all of us, myself included. Fear and anxiety are the emotions that seem to come first when change is introduced. This is the case when faced with change both personally and professionally. So how can we deal with it? My grandmother used to say, "If nothing ever changed there would be no butterflies". I thought she was so wise, but it turns out this really is a saying, not at all her own wisdom though the original author is unknown. When my grandmother would say this to me as child and as a teenager I would take it at face value. Caterpillars change into beautiful butterflies, so her message to me was change can be beautiful. Remembering this has always made situations of change a little easier for me to handle. Even when faced with the death of my beautiful grandmother many years ago. Her death marked a change huge change in my life, yet her own words helped me to find the beauty in her passing. 

Now I've reached a point in my life where I see opportunities for change a bit differently and this saying takes on a deeper meaning, something a bit more abstract. At age 39 when I call to mind the saying, "If nothing ever changed there would be no butterflies", I take to mean in my stomach. Change can be exciting. Change can challenge you and your belief system. Change can be a motivator. Change can lead you to a places you've never experienced and without it you never would. It can improve your situation, but even if it doesn't at least you can learn from it. Change can make you better. So as we face change whether in our workplace or in our personal lives, let's try to embrace the butterflies we feel in our stomachs and enjoy the excitement of the possibility of being better for it. Without change, those butterflies and all that they stand for wouldn't exist. 

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