cc licensed flickr photo shared by alancleaver_2000
Struggling with weight for my entire childhood, I have done almost every type of diet that I could think of to shed pounds (and failed). For the last eights years though, I have finally found a balance in my life and have stayed fairly healthy (no one is perfect!) for a consistent period of time. Hearing about all of these “education reform” policies happening in the United States, it reminds me of a bad diet.
Standardized testing and judging teacher quality solely on test scores is similar to focusing on a strict diet for the sole purpose of losing weight. You might hit your goal (your weight or your test score) but what happens when you do? When you are so focused on the goal, the journey doesn’t seem to matter. It is like the “juice” diet. It might get your to your goal weight, but after that, are you a healthy person? Will you maintain that diet once you have hit your goal?
More importantly, what happens when you don’t hit your goal weight? Will you feel like a failure while also not having developed any healthy lifestyle habits? I know that I can always be better, but the reason I have kept off my weight for such a long period of time was that I did not go on a diet. I made lifestyle changes that I can consistently maintain. I exercise regularly, eat healthier than I used to, while also ensuring that I maintain balance in other areas of my life (music, reading, social activities, etc.).
Should we not take this same approach with our kids in school? Should we not be more focused on caring about them and teaching them to be confident, respectful, thoughtful, and passionate about what they do? Should we not try to encourage an educational balance? When you are so focused on a few things, what essential human nutrients are we cutting out of the diet? Music? Art? Play? Physical Education?
My belief, is that if you can help a student develop these healthy types of habits, their results will inevitably increase as well. However, I also believe that if they don’t hit the measure that someone else has determined to be “acceptable”, we will have still helped them develop tools for them to be successful in what THEY ultimately believe is important to them. They will follow their passions and dreams. Schools need to be the place where this spark needs to be ignited. Ignited BECAUSE of school, not in spite of.
Should we not be focusing on healthy education lifestyles instead of standardized diets? I know where our school is going to be focused. How about yours?
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Leave it to you George to reduce all of these policies to something even a politician can understand. It reminds me of the trends in education that have come and gone. These trends were going to be what saves education… obviously they did not work. I am sending this to all the politicians in Michigan. Thanks for all you do…even for your friends in the US!
I am glad that I can contribute anything to do what is RIGHT for kids. I appreciate your caring for your students Kelly
Absolutely.
There are several female teachers in my school right now that are on this 'fad' diet that is known to be seriously dangerous. They see quick results, though, so they feel they can justify what they're doing. I keep telling them that there are no shortcuts in life, but they're happy with the short-term results.
It's the exact same situation with learning. There are no shortcuts or easy answers.
I wrote a blog post over a year ago (http://avenue4learning.com/2009/03/25/knowledge-vs-know-how/) about over-emphasizing test scores. Sure, our kids seem like they know a lot when they perform well on these tests. However, in the long term, the kids suffer from not knowing how to THINK. Unless they are given a set of tasks and steps, they tend to have difficulties starting a project or solving a problem.
Thanks for being an administrator who cares for his students and staff as PEOPLE.
I appreciate your thoughts on this. We definitely need time to prepare our students for LIFE, as opposed to tests.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Shelly S Terrell, Sarah Edson, gcouros, Karen Szymusiak, Professor Karrie and others. Professor Karrie said: LOVE this analogy —> RT @ShellTerrell Why (Learning) Diets Don’t Work http://bit.ly/atIPus ~ @gcouros #edreform [...]
Excellent post! It's all about the journey, not the destination! Thanks for sharing!
Love the metaphor. Loved the connected principal forum even more. Both give me the necessary positive balance to deal with one sided superman media bashing. Have a great week!
What a powerful message! Your advocacy for kids and your respect and love for the humanity of every person shine through in everything you post. Thanks!
Creative and thought provoking as always. Thanks for the post. Easy to understand and relate the way education and assessment are being "exercised" in the political arena.
Balance is the key to life. It strikes me that in this diet metaphor that not every diet works for every person. For example, I was always on the other end of the spectrum, not a bit of fat on my bones no matter what I ate. I was often sent home with notes from my PE teacher that I was underweight and my parents needed to change my diet. No matter what I ate I didn't gain weight (I was thrilled about the milkshakes after every meal though). The point is, even in balance we aren't all the same. We can have the appearance of being healthy weight wise, but have a disaster diet. Or we can eat healthy and still be considered overweight. Why? Because we are all individuals. There is something to be said for a healthy balanced diet and a balanced education. But even within that balance there will be some who can eat dairy and carbs at every meal and others who really have to limit the intake. There are some kids who are going to need extra understanding, praise, attention and some who don't need nearly as much but may need an extra dose of understanding when it comes to math.
That is so true Kelly
Everyone is different and that is AGAIN why basing so much on standardized tests is so wrong. It says everyone should be the same and on the same diet. It just does not help our kids!
I think, because I am more of a traditionalist when it comes to sharing my ideas, I end up reflecting on what others have said, my daily interactions, and what I have read between comments and have, for now, lengthier commentary. I found most of what has been said fascinating and, once again, apologize for my verbosity.
I propose we look outside the mainstream to find novel oasis of practices. They are frequently in front of us, if we accept a different view of creativity and leadership, resulting in transformation not tinkering through reform and bureaucratic mandates via policy change. Acknowledge and embrace the idea that transformation has never happened from the mainstream but from the margins and fringes of the world to grasp the magnitude of the work ahead. When seen in this light, not through new eyes, but the same eyes, viewing a world anew, vibrantly emergent, will transformational, seismic change occur. Florida (2002) suggested the creativity to muster change of this nature “flourishes in a unique kind of environment: one that is stable enough to allow continuity of efforts, yet diverse and broad-minded enough to nourish creativity in all its subversive forms” (p. 35). Leadership, in this world, is an uncomfortable place to be unless you are willing to look to the furthest educational horizons, the margins to welcome innovators often stigmatized as dissenters. Accept a powerful new social interaction, in the form of meaningful dialogue at the heart of transformation rather than just another algorithm to provide the next cookie cutter layer of bureaucracy. Every day a leader and professional must walk the walk to answer a simple and direct question. What did I do today to make those around me better? This includes recognizing, all colleagues at all levels, as leaders bearing gifts, rather than simple, obedient folk complying with the next pontification while cowering at the foot of a hopefully benevolent master. Only leaders able to step up and embrace the uncertainty of relinquishing power to author authority through words and deeds need apply.
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Kelly Alford :
Leave it to you George to reduce all of these policies to something even a politician can understand. It reminds me of the trends in education that have come and gone. These trends were going to be what saves education… obviously they did not work. I am sending this to all the politicians in Michigan. Thanks for all you do…even for your friends in the US!
We need both! Encourage and provide space for creativity, but ensure that every student is equipped to navigate the critical literacy demands of our global community. Common assessments can help us to create clarity about our students literacy learning needs.
I totally agree! We need to really give space but provide what is necessary for our students to succeed! Thanks for your comment
Perhaps those education reformers could use a Weight Watchers routine. It's the only diet that teaches people to really think about the choices they make and change their eating practices. Great metaphor!
George,
As you might know, I am huge fan of analogies and I think yours is spot on. Too many people want to take the fad "diet" to fix one problem but create many more. The key is to live a healthy lifestyle not a fad diet that will cause greater health damage. This is the same with ed reforms that might get results in the form of a test score but cause more damage. Our students might be able produce a good test score, but are they learning better or just better trained? I fear though that higher ed is still using these test scores for admittance, scholarships, etc. However I am a realist and know that standardized testing will play some role in education for the foreseeable future. I hope to see it lessened but I remain "real" in thinking of their existence.
The key then is how to create life long (healthy) learners in the midst of this testing culture. One huge step is differentiating instruction which is no longer a buzz word, but now the expected way of doing things because it is best for kids. It is also key to know that one approach will not work for all. I run to stay in shape and some people do a DVD workout, while others take classes at a health club. The same should got for teaching. Currently you may have read that I gave teaching up…not in the literal sense. http://stumpteacher.blogspot.com/2011/02/i-resign…
The reason is that is what is working for my kids this year. Have to go with what is working at the current time and evolve on the fly. No one size fits all diet will work. One size fit all approach is often one size fits very few.
and per your previous post George..
The difference is that in education, I am not worried about losing money (inserting: losing/gaining weight), I am more worried about losing our kids.
we often see responsibility and result so clearly when it comes to money or health or environment, how do we miss the urgency of it being mind/spirit of a human life..
keep on George.
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