Seriously - July 18, 2019

Seriously

By, Michael Earnshaw 

July 18, 2019 

@mearnshaw158

I was watching the documentary, American Hardcore, when Ian MacKaye, singer of Minor Threat, Teen Idles, and Fugazi, talks about seeing one of the most respected hardcore bands of the early ‘80’s, and pioneers of starting the PMA movement, Bad Brains. “They made you want to take playing seriously.” 

This quote resonated with me. Individuals not involved in the punk and hardcore scene may feel that there is no talent in the music and structure. It’s just fast, angry, and screaming. The Bad Brains were extremely talented musicians, all coming from a background in jazz. They didn’t just play fast and hard, true passion was in their message. A love for what they were doing, how their songs were structured, the message in the lyrics and how it was delivered live to fans brought out engagement, fun, and a remembrance for all. YouTube a clip of Bad Brains playing “Attitude” live, every fan in the venue is moving, sweating, and sharing the same passion as the band on stage. Almost 40 years later and we are still talking about the impact they made in the scene.  

How is this any different from our classrooms and schools today? Educators need to know that the message they are delivering can be interpreted and taken in many ways. How our audience, our students, digest these messages is in our approach and delivery. If we just stand at the front of the room and talk to our students like monotone robots regurgitating information, is anyone going to be engaged, including the teacher? No. Will sitting in rows, completing a worksheet bring smiles and true intellectual growth? No. Instead, take a lesson from Bad Brains. Get your passion flowing, move around, get into the mix, the middle of where your students are, and get them involved. A classroom needs to resemble one of Bad Brains shows: the teacher facilitating, everyone involved!  

Education today is much more than learning facts and memorizing dates. We need to reach the whole child. It’s our duty to help them discover their strengths, rely and collaborate with others, and work together for the better of this world. We need to focus on building our students up, having confidence in themselves, and taking charge of their own learning. This will be accomplished by building relationships, providing meaningful, life learning lessons, and showcasing your passion to engage all learners.  

One lesson from the past school year that I observed had relationship building, problem solving, higher-order thinking, rigor, was cross-curricular, engaging and FUN! The grade level team decided to take a unit on teaching how to record and compare measurements by turning their classrooms into an ER! Students entered the day, not knowing they were now about to embark on open heart surgery! Each surgical team consisted of 4 students, strategically placed by the teachers to embrace different strengths and personalities. Students were given instructions and operating procedures from their teachers. Everyone was given an operating gown, mask, and surgical gloves. Students then used small tools to extract a scroll from Jell-O molded hearts, working as a team to carefully use the smallest incision and not desecrate the life breathing organ. Next, they needed to measure the length of the extracted heartbeat. Students then went to their operating files to convert their heartbeat’s measurements to different units of measure. The lesson concluded with students finding and measuring their own heartbeats after completing differing exercises to compare the different rates. Ask any one of those students if they know how to convert measurements or take their own pulse rate and the answer is, “Yes. We did that on the surgery day!” These teachers created a learning experience that led to student engagement, collaboration, and taking their learning into their own hands. They will never forget this lesson, the knowledge they gained, or the friendships they built.

The same holds true for Administrators. How we interact with staff and students, how we lead meetings and present information, all leads to the culture of the building. We need to create buy-in and ownership. The school is not ours, it’s OURS: administration, staff, parents, community, and most importantly, the STUDENTS! Don’t waste time with staff meetings reciting information that can be read via email. Get your staff collaborating and problem solving on issues affecting the students. Iron sharpens iron, and we need to get off our islands and work together to make schools a breeding ground for relationships, innovation, confidence, and problem solving.  

One activity I have heard from staff that was extremely beneficial is when we took a staff trip to “Struggle Island.” Prior to our staff meeting I asked everyone to anonymously write down an issue they were facing and needed assistance on. They were not told what these cards would be used for, building anticipation for the meeting. After the opening, signing-in, and passing of Gracious Grizzlies, we led the staff to the blacktop on the back playground. They all formed a circle, representing residing safely on the island. I stood in the middle and randomly pulled one of the cards they filled out and read it aloud. If anyone was facing that issue, they were to step backwards, representing themselves struggling in the waters. Those still on the island provided advice and solutions that have worked for them regarding the issue. This was something simple, but useful of our time together and everyone benefited from. The activity helped to build trust, community and a collaborative culture that showcased throughout the remainder of the year.  

Do not worry if outsiders don’t understand why kids or staff are out of their seats, smiling, and working with materials. You know that your audience is learning, discovering who they are, and that you are taking your role as a status-quo disruptor very seriously. Ian MacKaye would be proud! 

What identity are you establishing? What impact do you want to leave? 40 years from now will your name be discussed with changing the world through education? It can, the choice is yours if you take your mission seriously.