Category: Uncategorized

Does Production Match the Purpose? The Food and Education Industries

Ryan@educationandfaith.com

Too Close to See the Problem?

A person residing and working in a smog-filled city, probably doesn’t recognize the danger and harm being inhaled daily from his polluted surroundings. He is so deeply entrenched that there is no opportunity for perspective within the conditions. He doesn’t gain true reflection and perspective until he spends a long weekend at his countryside cottage amidst the pure, clean surroundings, infused with a natural floral fragrance.
After participating in parent-teacher conferences, contributing and listening to the concerns and priorities of all involved, I can’t help but think that the entire system is covered in pollution. We were obviously consumed by the educational smog as words like, “test scores, data, and common core standards” were repeatedly hacked from our mouths. The dialogue was clouded with the theme of WHAT students are thinking and learning. As we continue to sit in the fog we no longer notice the flaws in our purpose for teaching and learning.
Over at the countryside cottage, free from the suffocation, we consider the best methods for teaching children HOW to think and HOW to apply.

Education and Food: My two favorite things (when done right)!

I think there is a legitimate analogy to be made between our culture’s food industry and our process of education. (This idea has quite possibly resulted from me watching too many food documentaries).
            In both cases the healthy, organic alternative is an option, though this path is distant and often obstructed. While mass production and sheer numbers can be appropriate objectives, I’m not so sure we want that driving these vital areas of our lives.
In order to eat smart and healthy, a

consumer must be resourceful, committed and informed. I would say the same attributes are important when consuming an education. What do you value as an educational consumer? I’m concerned that our children are becoming obese on a hunger for extrinsic motivators, chasing a number, and competition.

Let me introduce you to an educator’s pesticides and hormones. Things like “data-driven instruction” and “adequate yearly progress” have disconnected the relationship between teacher and student,  just as the industrial farming processes are unnatural and inorganic.
We can earnestly evaluate food or education by asking the following questions:
Are these products being made in a selfish manner, or is the process pure, genuine and selfless? Does the producer cherish the wellness of the consumer?
God uses Paul and Jesus to express His strong feelings about selfish teachers. Paul in           1 Timothy 3-11, and Jesus in Matthew 23 both condemn these teachers that exert self-interest and base their instruction on measurable outcomes.

A School of Vitality: More than academics

Ryan@educationandfaith.com
Based on his Tedtalk, Andrew Solomon said “the opposite of depression is not happiness, but vitality, and it was vitality that seemed to seep away from me in that moment.” Solomon also points out that depression is the world’s leading disability.
These points caused me to consider two main things:
1.                    To what degree can our schooling environment and experience impact a person’s mental/social/emotional state? Is it a positive or negative influence?
2.                    How is vitality defined? Can we create learning environments that boost this characteristic?
While my medical knowledge only goes as far as WebMD, I can tell by the statistics that we do not have depression figured out. So I think it’s fair to discuss and even speculate how school, just one facet of a child’s life, is influencing the well being of these children at their fragile age. Oh, by the way, I’m talking about “well being” beyond simply academics. School has become so much about scores and academic growth that arguably the most important component is being left outside the walls of these supposed “learning communities”.
John Dewey, known for his educational reforming mind, wrote that education is the fundamental method of social progress and reform. How disappointed would he be to know that the public school system has become so hungry for a higher numerical mark that strategies today could be described as a divide and conquer tactic to increase each individual score. While this may work for what is being measured, all of the isolation and testing is harmful to everything that isn’t being measured. Since we’re really only measuring one thing these days, that’s suggesting a lot of harm!
I guess what I need to know is, what does vitality look like? I can surely describe what it doesn’t look like: worksheets, rote memorization, rows of desks, silence, “don’t forget this is for a grade”, and the list goes on.
Vitality however carries a culture of complexity. Each child is considered valuable to the social, emotional, mental, and yes even academic progress of every member of the community. Students are intrinsically motivated because their time is spent on authentic projects that relate to their current life and the world around them. The relational interactions are supportive, encouraging and even fun because we need each other to become better. Development and growth are found here due to productive collaborations and luminous reflections. Each contributes to and benefits from the community. I must infer that vitality aligns with a healthy and safe culture as well. This prepares kids with tools for living their lives today, which naturally will provide skills for the future.
In contrast, the creative George Lucas noticed, “Traditional education can be extremely isolating…many schools operate as if they were separate from their communities.”  
Lastly, I have a hard time thinking of vitality without encountering the concept of purpose. Rick Warren, in The Purpose-Driven Life writes, “Without a clear purpose…you will tend to make choices based on circumstances, pressures, and your mood at that moment. People who don’t know their purpose try to do too much – and that causes stress, fatigue, and conflict.”
It’s alarming how perfectly Warren has described today’s mainstream education.
We can probably apply this depression-vitality spectrum to many facets of our lives.
Let’s increase our vitality by making genuine connections for an appropriate purpose! I would also include the Author of Life as an essential for consistent vitality.

Joy in the journey.

The School and the Student: Who’s Serving Whom?

Ryan@educationandfaith.com
The apostle Paul tells of his approach to ministry in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23. The Message translation describes it as, “I kept my bearings in Christ – but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I’ve become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life.”
In order to communicate with and develop individual lives in a variety of cultures and communities, Paul went into their world and acted as a servant. What if our schools embodied these same attributes? Who is serving whom here? The schools today have not taken the time to experience the educational system through the eyes of the children. No set of standards or boxed curriculum can produce the learning that meets the needs of the kids’ futures. Especially when they are driven by uniform tests. It’s not productive to only know the needs, concerns, and interests of the students. We must come along side and live through their passions with them.
Not only do we need to implement this approach but we need to detox students from the definition of “learning” that school has branded them with. One of my fellow teachers, who is actively giving his students the opportunity to explore their interests and talents, tweeted this; “Freedom is the hardest part for the students to grasp.” Of course this generation of students lack a motivation and passion for learning because we’ve pushed our flawed structure of teaching on them. Marketing experts will tell you that if you have to continually push the product on the consumer then the product is broken. Federal and state legislatures continue to push a design of college readiness and rigor. Don’t get me wrong, these have their place, but above all, the child must feel that we (teachers, parents, and peers) are learning right beside them due to the genuine care and love we have for them.

Despite major contradictions between my philosophy of teaching and learning and those of the traditional school, I’m hopeful for an opportunity for educational reform.
A friend recently asked, where I was with my blogging and my search for ideal education.  I think the following works as an evaluation tool of my progress.
Seth Godin has said that a successful leader (and I think educators) can be compared to a good hockey player. They both require three main qualities: They must know what to do, have the resources to do it, and care enough to get hit.
At this point I feel comfortable saying that I possess two of these.
1.     I definitely care enough to get hit!
2.      I know what to do. (How humble of me)
–        Thanks to God’s guidance and the research of many smarter than me, I think I have an understanding of the critical components needed for an ideal place of learning.
I’m always searching for resources to make this happen. That means taking in everything fellow educators, parents, experienced administrators, and most importantly children can offer.
Joy in serving students.
Ryan Hershey see my blog at
www.faithandeducationcollide.blogspot.com

Raising Confused Children: The Effects of Contrasting Visions

Ryan@educationandfaith.com
One of my most cringe-worthy occurrences as a teacher is when a student simply asks, “Is this for a grade?”
In response, I usually maneuver by the honest inquiry with an ungraceful pirouette. I intend my reply to contain a powerful message about authentic learning and intrinsic motivation, but this is usually masked by a number of “uhhs” and “umms”.
So why do students ask this question and why do I have such a difficult time answering it?
When the school system, teacher, and the parent all hold vastly different visions for the child’s learning, the result is an innocent cry for clarity.

Background image courtesy of www.flickr.com/photos/mckaysavage 
I created a word cloud using the text from all of my blog posts to attempt to understand my own vision better.
I think the largest words (most popular) from my blog’s representation would be replaced by the state and nation’s vision with words like, assess, compete, and knowledge. I highly doubt that the students and God would be at the center of their vision.
With the K-12 education being a $500 billion industry, it would be impossible to maintain a common vision. 
Yong Zhao, a professor at the University of Oregon summed up the priorities of America’s public education by saying, “By imposing upon schools and teachers unrealistic, meaningless, and arbitrary goals, high-stakes testing has corrupted the spirit of American education, intoxicated the education environment, and demoralized educators. By forcing schools and teachers to teach to the test, it has narrowed the educational experiences of millions of children and thus deprived our children, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, of a real education. It has wasted valuable, precious, and dwindling public funds that could have been put into educating rather than testing our children.”

I’m envious of schools like Anastasis Academy (www.anastasisacademy.com), where students are fed confidence and clarity while inhabiting a passion for learning. When a school can simply be stripped down to the students, their talents and interests, and the community’s resources around them, these kids are valued as a major contributor to their community and society. The way public education is currently run, is rapidly convincing citizens to view schools and students as a burden. How sad.
Ryan Hershey see my blog at
www.faithandeducationcollide.blogspot.com

What’s missing?

Ryan@educationandfaith.com

The more I experience children (and teachers) whose minds are shackled by high stakes tests and the exertion of limiting standards, the more I recognize the students’ muffled cries, begging for the one thing the school is hiding from their grasp. Any idea what necessity for human wellness is missing? I will give you a clue…it’s not anxiety or intimidation.

 Figure it out? How about a relationship?! What is more motivating or inspiring than when a person invests in You? Oh, I mean You, the person. Not You, the test score.
 Unfortunately states and legislators are convincing teachers and students not to care for one another. I recently received the scores of my students that allegedly show their “growth” and my “effectiveness” as a teacher (or lack their of). I must say I was very disappointed. Then I was even more disappointed when I realized that I’d begun to actually consider this number important. Because the minute I focus on this piece of data is the time I devalue the wellness of the whole individual child.
 It’s scary that I even need to argue for the importance of relationships. 1 Corinthians 8:1-2 states, “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know.” Our students need a solid foundation, preventing destruction amidst a volatile world. Our students will naturally be motivated when they accurately view themselves as being uniquely made with a unique purpose in the world. The aspect of relationship can bridge the gap in our students, getting them from knowledge to a destination of wisdom. We are disconnecting from our students in a place and time that boasts connectedness.
 Our maker divinely made us to learn through relationship. He gave us the ultimate example of The Teacher, who loved first, is unthinkably accessible, and has incomprehensibly sacrificed. If I can give my students a glimmer of the power a Godly relationship can hold, the state can call me “ineffective” all they want.
 To give you an idea where our values are:

“Guiding Light” Jessilyn Park

 The U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan recently defended the new standards (Common Core) when parents opposed it. Duncan argued that “white suburban moms” are suddenly realizing their children aren’t as brilliant as they thought they were, and their school isn’t as good as they thought. I think the parents’ love their child for the person he is and the potential he’s been given. The parents recognize that these standards don’t consider important parts of their child and restrain their gifts.
You can probably tell by the Secretary’s comments that fostering supporting, encouraging relationships is far from being the priority.

Ryan Hershey see my blog at
www.faithandeducationcollide.blogspot.com

Pride vs Humility; What are we teaching?

Ryan@educationandfaith.com
What do our schools teach? Does the educational system instill and mold the characteristics we desire for our kids? While many teachers strive to build up the character of their students, the structure and policies of the public school often negate these efforts.
While pride can be a positive trait under certain conditions, the pride cultivated in public schools is birthed from competition. Today, school staff members are instructed to compare students to the norm in almost every way. Can you sit still as long as Johnny? Is your writing as neat as his? Most importantly, how does your high stakes test score measure up to his? And now that these standardized test scores impact teacher evaluations, I think it is safe to say competition is becoming increasingly fierce in the schools. Unfortunately, this jives with society’s positive view of pride while it sees humbleness as a fault rather than an admirable trait.
Under this formula in our schools students find themselves filled with a false pride or unnecessary shame.
This environment seems to preach bullying; are we working to prevent or promote it?
I came across a quote I find to be quite accurate:

“Nothing is ever done beautifully which is done in rivalship; or nobly, which is done in pride.” –John Ruskin

To avoid this damaging situation our students need to come to the determination that their true value is not of this world. 
(A lesson forbidden in the public system)


So what can a teacher do? 
  • Treasure and show love to each individual student.
  • Do not compare but work to seek and expose the unique abilities and strengths of every child. 
  • Allow them to explore their God-given capabilities while being a support and encourager to their peers. 

Imagine if students had clarity within their self-image and saw peers and the classroom as a support rather than an opponent.

-A couple verses on the dangers of pride. I’ve found a strong link in the bible between humility and wisdom.
Luke 18:14
“For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Proverbs 13:10
“Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.”
Ryan Hershey see my blog at
www.faithandeducationcollide.blogspot.com

God’s Vision for the Classroom

Ryan@educationandfaith.com
As I reflected on my previous post about traditional schooling I realized that there is such a contradiction between how God has designed us to be able to learn and comprehend things in such a variety of ways and the way this industrial style of educating only draws on one single form of intelligence.
The more I explore alternative ways of schooling, the more parallels I’ve encountered between the best learning environment and the way God has designed us to live. Let me explain…
One of the most proven ways to learn something is to experience it in a variety of ways, through different senses or intelligences. It was fitting that the devotional from Jesus Calling that I read this morning said this, “I (God) speak to you continually: through sights, sounds, thoughts, impressions, scriptures. There is no limit to the variety of ways I can communicate with you.” Amazingly I still manage to misinterpret or miss completely what He is trying to communicate to me. So, imagine how difficult it is for some students to understand concepts that they only experience in one way, offered to them using one sense, one form of intelligence. I wonder if God is disappointed when he has blessed us with such an intricate, unique human body, and we put constraints on what it can do. Do you know that we have over a dozen senses? Often we only give our body credit for five. Pretty incredible to think about!

Just observe the numerous ways we could appreciate a setting like the one pictured to the right.
Over time I think the industrial teaching strategies can numb the awareness we have of our surroundings.
Scary to think of an educational system that could actually diminish the range of our abilities.



There is another major aspect of learning missing from the traditional, industrial model of teaching and it happens to be the most accessible resource we have: The tool of collaboration and the strategy of learning and growing with and through those around us.

 It appears God agrees because Proverbs 27:17 states, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” In many places in the Bible we’re warned for the dangers of living in isolation, apart from guidance or support. We must allow students the opportunity to interact with and explore the world around them while sharing purposeful dialogue and conversation with peers. How can our children become a “city on a hill” or a lightbearer for the world if they don’t have an accurate understanding of the world around them?

Ryan Hershey see my blog at
www.faithandeducationcollide.blogspot.com

Traditional Schooling: What Is it Good For?

Ryan@educationandfaith.com

For those of us who had an adequate experience in a public traditional school, we might think “it didn’t seem so bad, it did the job for me.” Well, what is the job of the traditional educational process? You got your diploma, maybe a college degree, and hopefully a job. Could it have been better? Would you want more for the future of our children?
Here are a few video clips I mashed together. I think each bring up good points about traditional schooling.

After doing some reading and research about the original purpose and goals of schooling, I see a couple that are still way too powerful in today’s schools.
1.  Conformity: There is still an initiative to make all students alike. Unfortunately I think many teachers fulfill this unknowingly (me included). Too often I have robbed students of having a choice and have at times told them what to think and insisted the best way of doing things.
2.  The Selective Function (Darwin’s natural selection): Students are closely compared and judged. Are we basing our assessments on how the individual student is developing or are we blinded by how they compare to others? Do we look at the whole student’s broad range of intelligences and abilities or are we narrowly focusing in on their ability to take multiple choice tests?
Some teachers still believe that they hold all the information the students need to know for the year and it is there job to simply transfer it to them. This practice usually leads to every student learning a preset, universal curriculum, all the same way. In this classroom, would you be engaged, inspired, reaching your full potential? This is an absurd way of teaching in today’s informational technology age with complete connectedness. 
It’s like telling an ambitious fisherman that he is only allowed to fish in a small stocked pond while the ocean is 100 yards away. Don’t get me wrong; there are some foundational skills the fisherman should learn at the pond before taking on the ocean. Even when given access to the abundant waters, there is still a need for guidance, support, and encouragement regardless how skilled the student is.  
I think this final quote sums up the traditional approach quite well. Seth Godin cautions modern leaders with this: “Trying to lead everyone will result in leading no one in particular.” Most public schools are achieving this, leaving students disconnected, disengaged, lost, and at-risk.
There IS a way for EVERY individual to be passionate about their learning with a curiosity to inquire, determination to discover, and an eagerness to apply! Traditional education is not it.

Ryan Hershey see my blog at
www.faithandeducationcollide.blogspot.com

The Path I’m On

Ryan@educationandfaith.com
I’ve recently (the past year or so) felt that God is trying to equip me to fulfill His plans. I wish I could be more specific in describing those plans but they remain quite mysterious at this point. Although, time after time the perfect resource has been placed in front of me, constructing a foundation of thoughts and ideas in me about the perfect educational environment. I’ve been blessed with a passion and desire to research this path.

2 stumbling blocks in this journey of God driven enlightenment I’ve encountered:

  • Desiring the glory for myself: The holy spirit was adamant that this must turn into a passion for bringing glory to God before anything would move forward. “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God” (2 Corinthians 3:5).
  • Anticipating God’s plan: I think I’ve minimized the capability of the Holy Spirit by thinking I know what God wants to do. When our personal desires take priority we are again bound to our personal abilities separate from God. Galatians 5 describes this freedom we have in Christ, “the only thing that counts is a faith expressing itself through love.”

We can find the following point stated in many different words by many different people but The Purpose Driven Life makes it quite clear. “He (God) says, ‘My thoughts and my ways are higher than yours,’(Isaiah 55:9) so he often acts in ways that are the exact opposite of what we expect.”
So if we go back to Seth Godin’s precept: “Lean in, back off, but don’t do nothing,” I think God can be quite successful with us when we intently seek his will (Lean In), but don’t anticipate or limit his power (Back Off)!
We can live free in Christ when we don’t trap his Spirit in the confines of the worldly and fleshly limits.

Right now I don’t know where exactly this exploration is headed, but it’s exciting because this journey is not being directed by my meager ambitions. While reflecting on the path I’ve travelled described here, I realize this is a great example of how powerful inquiry-based learning can be. 
How can these ideas be applied in creating the perfect learning environment for our kids?

Ryan Hershey see my blog at
www.faithandeducationcollide.blogspot.com

“Lean In, Back Off, But Don’t Do Nothing”

Ryan@educationandfaith.com

Does our educational system allow us to push our students in a way that allows them to discover the power of their individual skills and abilities? Watch this short inspirational video and think about whether our outdated traditional classroom fosters an environment where students can soar.
This would be very encouraging if schools could simply operate as the “pusher” out of love, allowing students to discover the power and ability of their God given gifts. Unfortunately our industrial framed school system has a preconceived agenda with a narrowed definition of achievement and success.
I think one concept shared by Seth Godin in his book Tribes:We Need You to Lead Us, can really be applied to teaching in an alternative manner and also applicable to a journey of living by faith. Godin suggests that great modern leaders “Lean in, back off, but don’t do nothing.”
As for teachers:
·      To “lean in” means to care deeply for each individual student. Create an

atmosphere where each child is personally heard, encouraged and supported according to their specific needs. Simply take interest in every pupil.

·      To “back off” is a lot like what the parent eagle in the video does after the push. Continue to challenge while letting them explore. This allows the student to make their decisions and maintain authority of their learning development and growth. Let go of your own agenda. Get out of the way!
·      I interpret the “But don’t do nothing” as the teacher is constantly opening avenues for student learning and exploration. Also the educator is constantly offering guidance and encouragement throughout the process.
I think this approach can have application in living by faith and parenting as well. Actually there are probably numerous areas of application for this, but in my experience of teaching, trying to live according to God’s will for my life, and definitely parenting, the “back off” step is BY FAR the most difficult!
Too often I want to do it for my students or especially my 3 year old son, which would ultimately inhibit their ability to soar.
Ryan Hershey see my blog at
www.faithandeducationcollide.blogspot.com