A fond memory of schooling

This blog is in repsonse to the following prompt:

As part of your assignments in this course, you are asked to look into your past to think of events that shaped your own thinking as an educator and person. For this task, I want you to look into your own background as a learner (anything up to the completion of your bachelors degree) for your own most powerful learning experience. Choose just 1 learning experience. Be sure to choose a positive learning experience (not some time you were deeply embarrassed, for instance) that was structured by some other individual intentionally (likely a teacher, but it could be a scoutmaster, coach, etc.). Your tasks then (you can do it here on the discussion board, but perhaps also repost to your blog only if you want) are:

1. Describe the learning experience being sure to provide enough background so that a reader can contextualize (what age, etc.).

1. What about the learning experience really resonated and stuck with you over time.

1. What about the intentional design of the designer (looking back) really made the learning experience work?

1. Also looking back, what type of form of learning modality (lecture, activity, project, etc.) did the experience take? 

I remember it clear as a sunny day. I was a freshman at Jackson City High School in Mr. Sewell's English class. Now, Mr. Sewell had this aura about him: he was tall (think 6'6', maybe), had a beard, and said exactly what he meant with as few words as possible. He just commanded respect and gave respect to students as well. You didn't show up late to his class, you didn't come without your homework, and you definitely didn't try to distract from honoring the learning time of the class. 

On this particular day, we were working on a research paper. My chosen topic was the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and who was to blame (the thesis really isn't important as I'm sure my perspectives have shifted since writing that paper). There were numerous things that stuck out to me from this project. Many of the skills and habits I developed through this project still enable me to do research and structure papers in ways that are coherent, clear, and compelling. I definitely credit him and this project for massively improving my writing abilities. 

The project was kicked off with a structured discussion of the expectations of the project. We had a rubric detailing the areas in which we would be scored including grammar, length, thesis statement, organization, and having three strong arguments. We explored this rubric in detail and even looked at a few other research papers and scored them using the rubric. Looking back, this was pivotal in my understanding of what good research papers include and how arguments are formulated in ways that make the reader want to take action. This activity set a clear foundation for what was expected, how we would be scored, and why research and research papers are important for our future selves as scholars. 

Fast forward, I was on a computer looking up research for my topic. Mr. Sewell stopped by and asked me how my research was going and for me to tell him something I've found that could play a role in my arguments. I replied, "Israel don't recognize the Palestinian State." He immediately replied, "Let's revisit that sentence, does it sound correct to you?" And I said, "I think so." He said, "You should have said, Israel doesn't recognize the Palestinian State. Be careful to make sure subjects and verbs agree, always." In that moment, he didn't make me feel stupid, but he definitely made me feel as though I needed to interrogate how I wrote and how I spoke in order to be correct. While this moment was part of his every day job (and probably not memorable for him), I consistently ask myself if am I using language that is correct and structuring words and sentences in a grammatically correct way. I guarantee you I haven't made that mistake again. 

In addition, Mr. Sewell deeply believed in learning and growth. We had the option to submit our paper for feedback before the deadline. Of course, I submitted mine for feedback to ensure I was on the right track. I received comments from Mr. Sewell that frustrated me and challenged me (I just wanted to be told it was OK). Mr. Sewell wasn't one for "OKs." He demanded excellence and looking back, I am thankful for the time he took to give us tailored comments that improved everything we did in his course. I still carry those comments with me! 

When I think what made this lesson effective, it's that it wasn't a lesson focusing on one skill. It was a lesson that brought skills together. Mr. Sewell could have ignored my error since it didn't technically align to the project, but he had such a vision for what he wanted to be true for English students (and the skills necessary for us to be competent) that he went for it and made an in-the-moment correction. Of course, the rubric, the expectations, the structure of the research paper, the feedback was all great and made this a deeply personal and challenging learning experience, but it was the vision of "this paper isn't enough and there are so many more skills necessary" attitude of Mr. Sewell that made this particular assignment and the overall class great. 

What should the high school diploma mean?

For those of you who don't know, I am currently enrolled in a PhD program at the University of Kentucky (go cats)! For one of my courses, we were tasked to dream about what the high school diploma should mean. I wanted to share some of my thoughts with you here through an Appalachian contextualized lense.

This is a very difficult question to answer since each district can change the qualifications for a diploma in their district (as long as it sticks to the state minimums). However, when I close my eyes and dream about Appalachia and what it will take for our students to lead the greatest economic turnaround ever a few things stick out to me:

- there must be a clear focus on STEM. When our students graduates high school they should be fluent in coding and the language of computers (I am not)! Some of our biggest bets as a region revolve around making eastern Kentucky a hub for tech startups dubbed silicon hollers. If this is to be true, our students must leave high school with the skills to enter the tech startup world prepared.

- there has to be a focus on interpersonal and intercultural awareness. We know jobs of the future are going to require constantly working across lines of difference (in geography, in beliefs, etc.). Having a high school diploma should mean a student has the basic skills of collaboration, knowing who they are, and recognizing that because others are different doesn't mean anything about their abilities to do great work.

- there has to be a minimum benchmark for the academic knowledge students possess. For instance, do they have the arithmatic and reading skills necessary for the world they're entering? A high school diploma must mean a student can analyze complex texts and figure out real world problems that involve math. A high school diploma should also mean students can express themselves clearly in both verbal and written communication.

- there has to be a focus on failure through the lens of growth mindset. When students graduate high school they should have experienced challenge and failure. At the same time, they should have developed the skills to navigate failure and challenge knowing that the failure they had won't be repeated with the new knowledge they gained. In a world where our jobs are yet to be envisioned in Appalachia, there's going to be a lot of challenge and failure and our students MUST be able to navigate that space appropriately.

Those are just a few thoughts on what I think a high school diploma should mean. What do you think?

Kicking it off... and we have to start with a vision!

As a new Executive Director, I am often finding myself with so much to say (to keep us (and myself) grounded, to share good news, and to make sure we're focusing on the larger picture each day in the work we do with kids across East Kentucky). At the same time, I don't want to send another e-mail to clutter up an inbox or *shutter* it goes directly to someone's trash without reading it.

So, with that in mind, I am starting my own blog to share my thoughts. My first real blog will be coming out soon and I would like to prime it. At Teach For America-Appalachia, one our of main priotities is to make sure we're continually elevating the voices of people doing great work in Appalachia. Given a recent experience I had with a dear friend (which you will read about), I feel even more strongly that I need to share the great things happening around the region to continue to shift the predominant narrative of Appalachia. It's going to be great. It's going to be hard. It's going to be vulnerable.

While I want this to be a place where I orginically share my thoughts, I also need structure and topics to write about. Therefore, here is a list of things you should stay tuned in for (and also feel free to propose some topics too):

1) What does it mean to grow up in Appalachia?
2) What is culturally responsive pedagogy and why is it important in Appalachian classrooms?
3) What are examples of success in our region that the rest of the state and country should be envious about?
4) What does it mean to manage a non-profit attempting to disrupt systems of oppression?

So, here it goes: I am making a commitment to update this every other week. I hope this becomes a routine with a regular cadence in my life. As a leader, it is my responsibility to engage a myriad of people in the work we're doing in the region and this will be just one of the tools as my disposal. I'm glad you'll be on this journey with me.

-Josh