Social Network Christmas

Heard it from a friend

"Heard it from a friend who heard it from a friend who heard it from another you've been messing around." "I heard it through the grapevine."  Hopefully you recognize these lyrics from REO Speedwagon and Marvin Gaye.  I also wish I was just writing this blog post about great songs.

In the past few weeks I have heard many rumors/gossiping in the hallways and have even been asked if this or that rumor was true.  I personally feel that our need to gossip is a power thing.  In this case this power is knowledge.  Knowing something that someone may not know and being able to be "the one" who knows more than someone else. But what are we really doing?

If we look at the eighth commandment and Luther's meaning, we can see we are breaking this commandment. (Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.  What does this mean? We should fear and love God that we may not deceitfully belie, betray, slander, nor defame our neighbor, but defend him, speak well of him, and put the best construction on everything.)

In many cases, gossiping is making untrue statements about someone.  God forbids this (Proverbs 19:5, Ephesians 4:25, James 4:11). But, what if what you heard is true, should you tell others?  NO! We are not to betray our neighbors either.  If you have an issue with someone, you need to address them yourself and alone (Matthew 18:15).

We are part of CTK as a whole.  Each person is a very important part of the whole.  None more important than the other. The school needs: Parents, Teachers, Office Staff, Other Staff, Volunteers, and most importantly Students.  We need to work together and work past the rumors we hear.  As parents, you need to work with each other also, just like teachers need to work with each other.  As parents you pick CTK because the type of education we give your child(ren).  

What to do when you hear gossiping?

There are two appropriate actions that can be taken.  1) Walk away or 2) Tell the people who are gossiping to stop.

Is "getting it off your chest" or having someone to hear you out considered gossiping?

That is a big question that has a very shady line of where too much is too much.  Sometimes, it just takes letting one other confidant know what is going on and bounce thoughts off of them.  I have mentors that I talk with about issues, to hopefully help shine some light on solutions.  At CTK we have the Principal Advisory Committee for this purpose, to help me make decisions.  The crossing of the line comes into play when spreading information, true or not, and whether it will cause harm to someone or not.    

CTK Security

I want everyone to know that since I first came here, I have been assessing the safety and security of CTK.  While I was at Holt Lutheran, I revamped our security procedures to coincide with local agency.  Even on Thursday night, I told the voters at CTK that security was one of the top 3 items I want to work on this year (technology upgrade and math curriculum being the other two).

I met with the security team about a month ago to talk about some immediate changes that need to be done. Though it may not be much, or enough to stop someone who breaches into our school with a gun, it has helped a little.  Part of not using the church doors in the morning was to help the Church office workers, but the other half was for security reasons.  We also replaced a lock by the daycare room and added a light so those who are working can see out.  I also talked with our corespondent to the local police agency.

Some of the things on the security team current to-do-list is: 1) add 16 cameras, hooked up to a DVR around the school /church.  Each door will have a camera, as well as each major area.  We will be able to record anyone coming in or coming out any door.  2) adding a mag lock to the school doors.  This will make the inner doors lock, with needing to be buzzed in.  Some of the other objectives is to have the police into our building to run some drills and a mock emergency.

What else?

I am working on reviewing our Crisis Management Manual.  I want to update it to be in-line with other schools in the downriver area. By law we have at least two lock down drills during the school year.  Although we have not had one yet, they are planned for the near future.  We have had a few tornado and fire drills, which we need many drills for.  After we update our crisis management manual, the teachers will need to be trained on current tactics for school safety.

Some of our difficulties?

The biggest difficulty we have is being a big building.  We have a lot of entry points with doors and windows.  We are also connected to the Church.  As a church and a school we want to be welcoming to visitors, but we also want to be safe.  Lastly, we have many groups that use the school and church.  A lot of times the other groups consist of people who are not a part of our Church and school, ie. Boy Scouts.

How can you help?

Even with the Cameras, mag lock doors, and lock down drills, we can't plan or prevent every possible outcome.  But, with all of that, we need your help also.  If you see someone in the hallways or on school property that you don't recognize, ask them how you can help.  If they seem off or won't answer, ask them to leave.  Let the office know and if need be, call the police.  Please don't ever put yourself in harms way.  We are fortunate that we do have many parents that are in the line of law enforcement.  We have individuals that do check throughout the day and have a lock up committee to make sure all doors are locked at the end of the day.  Also, if you see anything that concerns you, please let me know.

If you are wondering how to talk to your child, I have seen this article going around on Facebook http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/resources_for_families/talking_to_children_about_community_violence 

My prayers and the CTK staff prayers go out to the families involved in this tragedy.  Please continue to pray for those involved and let them find their focus on the salvation in Christ.

No Classrooms Building Plan?

If I said CTK was going to an Educational Model where there were no classrooms and students work on their own, you might think I was crazy.  One of the newest schools in Sweden is just like that.  Dr. Bernard Bull of Concordia University Wisconsin, a personal friend and mentor, shared this article on his Facebook page.

This school was built to foster "curiosity and creativity."  They use collaboration zones and small conference areas (called houses) to help the student become an independent learner and life-long learners.  To top off not having any classrooms there are no letter grades and students are grouped by level not age.  You would think this is a type of private education with high tuition costs, guess again.  Students attend for free as long as parents pay taxes to Sweden.

This school uses Project Based Learning, here is a short post about Shift to PBL (I will write more about PBL at a later date),  to make sure students are meeting the standards put in place.  Sweden is looking to their neighbors, Finland, to see what is working.  Finland is rated as having the best schools according to the PISA studies.  PISA, Programme for International Student Assessment, compares 15-year-olds' reading, mathematics and science abilities.  What Finland does and Sweden is copying is more teacher training, and lots of special-needs teaching.  But, as a whole, Sweden is not there yet.  Sweden's orthodoxy for education has been, since the 1970's, competition and grades destroyed a child's motivation.  Kids are just passed along.  Sweden's independent schools (like charter schools here is the US) are changing the look of education.  A Burger King "Have it Your Way" type of education.

What does this mean for CTK?

No we are not knocking walls down.  We are, however, knocking down the belief that students only learn in the classroom.  Inside the 4 walled rooms which we call classrooms, we are starting to use social media and technology as a tool to engage students and help them understand the importance of learning and help them become life-long learners.


PS. I will be keeping track on how this school works and what the outcomes are.

Here are a few photos from the new school in Sweden (see article for more pictures)

 

Read this Blog Post

A college friend of mine wrote a great article about raising kids in a World that will Hate them.  Just because they are a Christian.  http://www.thevillagechurch.net/the-village-blog/raising-kids-the-world-will-hate/  You may get a pop up about choosing your campus.  That is part of the Church's website as they have more than one campus in Texas.  You can just x out of it.

Private Schools Good for Students

Are you wondering why families choose private schools like CTK?  Are you a CTK family looking for a way to explain why you've chosen to invest in private education?  This video provides some insight into why private schools, like our school here at CTK, are a a great choice for children.


From the Council for American Private Education

Bloom's Taxonomy

In Battle of the Homework post I mentioned Bloom's New Taxonomy.  Knowing that may not mean anything to some people, I wanted to plot out some of the original thoughts behind this Critical Thinking Pedagogy.  Benjamin Bloom was the chair of a think tank committee in 1956.  They sought out to look at learning objectives and how to improve curricula.  The committee concluded that there were three domains to objectives set by the teachers.  These were Cognitive, Affective, and Psychomotor.  In common terms:  Cognitive - Knowing / Head; Affective - Feeling / Heart; and Psychomotor - Doing / Hands. When dealing with students, we want to touch on each domain in order to give the students a holistic view on education.  As each domain is important in its own right, usually the domain mostly focused on is the cognitive domain.  This domain deals with critical thinking and knowledge, which is also the first level.  Within the 6 Levels of Critical Thinking, the higher the level, the harder it is to actually teach, but richer are the rewards.

  Level - 1 Knowledge - Recall facts, terms and basic concepts. 

Key Words: show, tell, who, select, find, what, list, how, why, define, quote, where, describe, label, which.

  Level - 2 Comprehension -Understand information by organizing, comparing, interpreting, and describing. 

Key Words: compare, contrast, demonstrate, interpret, explain, extend, illustrate, infer, outline, relate, rephrase, give examples of, summarize, show, classify.

  Level - 3 Application - Apply knowledge, facts, techniques, and rules in new situations. 

Key Words: apply, build, relate, change, develop, solve, organize, predict, plan, produce. 

  Level - 4 Analysis - Break information into parts, looking for patterns.  Understand difference in facts and inference. 

Key Words: analyze, discover, list, simplify, categorize, infer, theme, survey, classify, divide, relate, take part in, compare, examine, function, explain, contrast, inspect, motive, distinguish.

 Level - 5 Synthesis - Combine given information in different ways to create new meaning.

Key Words: elaborate, formulate, prepare, suppose, theorize, create, imagine, predict, discuss, choose, design, invent, propose, modify, combine, develop, adapt, solve, change, compile, estimate, originate, solution, test, compose.

Level - 6 Evaluation -Make judgments about information and ideas based on a set of criteria, recognizing subjectivity. 

Key Words: appraise, determine, interpret, measure, prove, conclude, dispute, explain, compare, select, criticize, evaluate, support, assess, agree, decide, judge, convince, relate, prioritize, defend, justify, critique, recommend, opinion. 

 So what does this mean for CTK? 

 As teachers, we are striving to be ask Level 6 questions of the students.  As parents, you can help by doing the same. Getting students to think about what is important and why it is important and then be able to explain the rationale or problem to someone else will help aide in their Success.

Christmas Program Preview

Just a taste!

My Anti-Bullying Pledge

As the principal, I am dedicated to ensuring that every child at CTK receives a quality education.  I will work daily to model and nurture the behaviors that form the basis for a safe and supportive educational experience, including mutual respect, friendship, compassion, honesty, and self-esteem. I am profoundly aware that the impact bullying in all of its forms can have a profoundly negative impact on a student's development. It can destroy positive school community and culture. As the principal, I pledge to foster a school climate based on mutual respect and tolerance for every individual in the school, to hold everyone in the school community accountable for preventing bullying, and to intervene in bullying incidents whenever they occur.  I pledge to do all I can to give all educators and staff the knowledge and skills they need to create a school culture that supports every child's well being, safety, and self-confidence. My door will always be open to students, staff, and parents to help.

Thanksgiving

From Christ The King Church website

Chapel Message

Phase 1 is a go!

On Sunday, Christ The King Lutheran Church had a special voters meeting.  The voters approved the start of Phase 1 of the building plan.  Phase 1 will include a Worship area on the Penn campus.  This Worship area will be able to hold around 500 parishioners.  It will also be built so that when CTK is ready to add on, Phase 2 can be easily done.

What does this mean for CTK school?

It means we are continuing the Journey that was started 6 years ago.  As these phases continue, the Church staff will move over to the Penn Campus.  At that time, the Church and School will look at where we are as a school: how full are we, what room do we need, and what are our needs.

One day we will move over to building 16, we just need to be patient and listen to God.

The Battle over Homework

What is the purpose of homework?  I am sure that as a parent you may have asked yourself this on more than one occasion.  Don't fret because you are not alone.  Homework has been a debatable topic since 1750 -- 30 years before we even had what we know as school today.  In the 1780's Sunday Schools were established to teach reading, writing, arithmetic, and religion.  Monday through Friday was time for children to work, not to learn.  This leads to the debate, what is homework, how much homework is good, is homework even important?  From the 1780's to the 1900's every possible answer has been given and supported, from all work at home to no work at home and all work done at school to no work to be done at school.

In 1937, a New York elementary school report stated students who did not have homework in elementary school obtained lower grades in high school.  The report stated that there were no short term results on homework and increase of learning at the elementary level.  It was shown as an effective strategy for enabling students to acquire basic knowledge and skills.  Homework is an opportunity needed for the student to gain mastery.

What kind of homework is needed?  Typically there are four types of homework: 1) preparation 2) practice 3) extension and 4) creativity.  Preparation - enables the student to be ready for the classroom lesson even before it is presented by the teacher.  Research indicates that a student learns more if they had the time to review the material in advance.  Practice - the repetition of work to the point of an automatic response, sometimes called "overlearning".  Practice is  protection against forgetting.  You do need to be careful that the assignment isn't boring.  Extension - challenges the student to "go beyond."  It stretches the student creative and analytical abilities by doing more than required. Creativity - acquires reasoning and critical thinking skills.  It is the link that put together skills and concepts in new and different ways.  Based on Michael Pohl 2000 a.d. book "Learning to Think" Bloom's New Taxonomy on learning creativity is the highest order of learning.

So what does that mean at CTK?

Homework is a vital link between the school and family.  In younger children, homework fosters positive attitudes, habits, and character traits.  In older children, homework facilitates knowledge acquisition.  It should be a regular part of the teacher's instructional process.  Child, teacher, and parent must work together to see the benefits of homework.  It is important to set positive guidelines for the child.  Teachers need parents as much as parents need teachers.

What about at home?

Parents can create a learning environment that promotes independent study for the student.  Set a physical and mental culture at home for the child to be successful. Be a resource for your child.  Give them tools to do the job they need to do.

As a staff, we are continually discussing assessment.  We are continually asking ourselves what do we want CTK to stand for academically and how do we get there.

Let the debate over homework continue for another 200+ years.

Gibbs, Ollie. Homework: Assignment to Assessment. 1994. ACSI Whitter, CA.

Good Search

You can help support Christ the King Lutheran Church and School - CTK Southgate (Southgate  - MI) when you search the web, shop online or dine out. Find out more about GoodSearch.com http://bit.ly/pnwg

Teacher Spotlight #1

In this first Teacher Spotlight, as principal, I would like to spotlight Mrs. Drinane. Mrs. Drinane comes to us from St. Paul in Ann Arbor.  She has been a part of our Church for a while now.  Mrs. Drinane is our 3rd grade teacher and may have one of the best locations for a classroom: the old Church library.

The reason I want to spotlight Mrs. Drinane is because of her fast learning and implementation of recording her lessons with the SMARTboard.  (as seen above).  We are still working on the fine details like getting a mic that will make the audio smoother, clearer, and louder.

I was able to sit in on some of her lessons using the SMARTboard.  Her teaching technique and skills engage the students.  The students are having fun and learning a lot.  Mrs. Drinane will be attending a conference on how to use the SMARTboard at the end of January, along with Mrs Efird and myself.  We are hoping to learn a lot and bring back some new tricks and skills for the other teachers.

Besides using the SMARTboard, Mrs. Drinane's class is having fun with the new whiteboards that we now have. According to Mrs. Drinane the two day conference we recently attended in Grand Rapids was exactly what she needed.  The love she has for Our Lord and for the children is incomparable.

Having previously taught 3rd grade, I understand the difficulty that grade level can conjure up.  The students are in a huge transition period.  They are no longer learning how to read, but reading to learn.  Students have to decipher answers out of a paragraph of text.  Students are pushing their limits on how to think critically.  I am always amazed, however, by the lack of limits third grade students have.  As parents and teachers we might not think they are capable of doing some of the concepts that need to be laid down as the foundation of their education.  But, guess what... THEY CAN!   I loved teaching third grade.  Partly because third grade students still love school, but also because I was up to the challenge to plant the seeds.  Planting Seeds to Succeed was my theme for third grade.  Sometimes teaching third grade is the toughest job emotionally as well.  Many times as a teacher, the seeds we are planting in third grade won't bloom until fifth, seventh, or ninth grade.  I commend Mrs. Drinane for taking on this challenge.

Every week I am looking forward to seeing what is going on in that third grade class and every week I am checking out what lessons are on the school website.  Mrs. Drinane, thank you for being a great teacher and doing what the Lord has called you to do.

I have some candidates for the next teacher spotlight.  Parents, if you see your child's teacher doing something wonderful in the classroom, let them know and let me know as well.

Martin Luther and the Reformation

Martin Luther was the leader in “reforming” the Protestant Church (thus the term “Reformation Day”).  At age 21, he became a monk and was ordained as a priest at the age of 23.  Throughout his career Luther was torn by this thought, “If man was ruled by sin, how could he hope to gain redemption in the eyes of God?”  He was never able to feel cleansed or at peace despite all attempts through “good works”.

In his study of scripture Luther came to a new conviction.  He realized that man could NEVER gain credit with God or earn His favor...BUT...that man could receive, THROUGH FAITH, the gift of salvation through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  The doctrine of Justification by Faith became the basis of Luther’s teachings.  This doctrine teaches that through Jesus we are made right with God and therefore salvation is NOT “EARNED” by works; it is a DIVINE GIFT from God that we receive freely through faith in Jesus.

Based on this teaching, Luther nailed a critique of indulgences (purchasing merit earned by others for one’s own salvation) to the Castle Church in Wittenburg.  This critique was known as the 95 theses. In the years ahead, Luther faced many hardships, including excommunication from the Catholic Church.  Despite this and many dangers to his life, he continued to stand by his teachings and the number of people who followed his teaching grew.  Among his writings is Luther’s Catechism, which describes Lutheran teachings and gives biblical support for those teachings.

We celebrate the fact that due to Martin Luther’s convictions, we, as Christians know that salvation is ours not because of what we do…but because of our faith in Jesus.  All glory is given to God, who through His wisdom has provided us with a path to His heavenly home!!

Student Whiteboards coming to the Classroom

One thing we did purchase at the Conference was classroom sets of Whiteboards.  Below is a video for teachers, but it helps explain how these whiteboards will be used.

Conference Recap

The teachers and myself took two days to learn.   As a teacher, some may think we know it all.  Some may think why would you need to learn more?  The way I look at being a teacher or better yet, an educator, is we are never done learning.  What is a better way to show our students how important learning is than by showing them that we too as teachers are life-long learners.

This conference was the MANS conference, which only comes every 3 years.  This year was also celebrating their 40th year.  I heard one teacher state, this was the best MANS conference in their forty year history.  But, what is MANS?  MANS stands for Michigan Association of Non-Public Schools.  MANS is an organization that CTK belongs to.  Our membership to MANS lets us be part of these conferences, but also gives us as a Private School, a voice.  Mainly this voice is in the Michigan courts and congress.  MANS fights for the equal rights and protection of Non-Public Schools.  Some of MANS recently victories are the change to Shared Time teachers with the public school districts.  They made it easy for private schools to work with school districts and work better to avoid conflict with public school districts that do not want to participate in the program.  Another victory was dual enrollment for private school students.  When I was the principal at Holt Lutheran, I was watching this case very closely.  This victory lets private high school students dual enroll with a college or university.  Previously the private school student had to enroll into at least one class with the local public high school and then they could enroll in classes in the college/university.  MANS has been fighting for us for the last 40 years and I thank them.

So What did we learn?

As an administrator, there is not usually a lot of sectionals for me or the keynote speakers wouldn't be focusing on the office staff.  Even with all that, I loved the keynote speakers.  They were engaging, funny, smart, and full of wisdom.  I have chatted with one keynote speaker over twitter a little bit, to thank him and to continue conversations.  His, Kevin Honeycutt, presentation was more of using technology and tools to engage students and let them,the students, become important.  I have read some of his stuff before, and  seen his video about how teachers need to learn.  The premise of his thought is, technology isn't something to be scared of, it is a tool and who is going role model it for the kids.  Some of his thoughts and how he uses technology is interlaced in a program our teachers are working on.  We are working on a Tech Plan for the school.  In this tech plan, we are thinking about what do we want, where do we want to go, and how will we get there.

One of my goals for this tech plan is, that every graduate of CTK will leave with an iPad (or similar tablet).  The need for them in high school is irreplaceable.  Lutheran South is a BYOD (bring your own device) campus.  What Mr. Honeycutt and I agree on, that yes it is a "toy" but more importantly it is a "tool" that can open your child's mind and feed his hunger for learning.  My first goal is to get the teachers trained on how to use tablets in the classroom and to use them effectively.  I see a tablet as important as a pencil or a ruler.

The teachers went to many different sectionals.  I can't wait to discuss it with them and hear what they had learned.  Some of the ones I am really looking forward hearing about is the RTI (Response to Intervention) and the FLIP Classroom sectionals (Flip classroom has been a teaching method I have used and seen growing over the last 5 years).

The best part of conferences is learning all this new stuff and being able to implement them into the classrooms.

Garage Sale

Our CTK garage sale has two more community sale dates-Friday and Saturday, Oct. 26th and 27th and Friday and Saturday Nov. 23rd and 24th. We have some beautiful Christmas, Halloween, and Thanksgiving decorations on display like wreaths, dishes, tree decorations, angels, etc. We also have artificial trees, lights, and outside blow  up figures.  We could use help on those days, as the community is invited.

Fall Festival

Family Fall Festival

Sunday, October 21st

At the Pennsylvania Campus

Events:

4:30 PM                   Prayer & Praise Service with Cherub Choir

5:00 PM                   Mostaccioli Dinner -Pre-purchased tickets

-  6:00 PM               sponsored by Lutheran High South       - gym.

5:00 PM                   Café open: $1 hot dogs, $.50 chips, $1 pop

5:00 PM                   Hayrides - West Lawn

5:15 PM                   Pony Rides & Petting Zoo - Middle Lawn

5:15 PM                   Games

6:00 PM                   Free Dessert Available - Atrium

6:30 PM                   Treat Trek - Inner Square

Mission U

The next Mission U course is scheduled for Saturday, October 27 at Christ The King, Trenton Rd.  There were over 90 people registered for the September course.  If you missed the September course you can still attend one of the other five.  They are all independent topics. These courses will equip lay people with the tools and training needed to confidently accept their mission of sharing Jesus Christ with unique people in diverse settings. The sessions are from 10:00 AM—3:00 PM:

                October 27 - Witnessing Methods

                January 12 - Tough Questions

                February 2 - Outreach Minded Church

                March 9 - Sharing the Gospel in a Digital Age

                April 20 - Christ Alone

Course costs are $20/course or $99 if you pre-register for all six. Register online today at www.michigandistrict.org/missionu.

 High School Youth: Don't miss out on the special event designed JUST FOR YOU! Go to www.michigandistrict.org/missionu for details.

Membership At CTK?

Discipleship Class

Nov. 6 – Nov. 20, 2012

Tuesdays, 7:00 – 8:00 PM

CTK Trenton Rd., West Gallery

     

This class is led by Pastor Jay and discusses Christ The King Lutheran Church as a group of believers in Jesus.  New Member Sunday is Dec. 2.

This class is designed for those who have attended the Good News Class or are transferring as members in good standing from other LCMS congregations. This class is informal and reading out loud is voluntary.

Town Hall Meeting

Town Hall Meeting

 Sunday, October 14

Bible Classes at TR and PA

We have a lot of exciting plans to talk about as we prepare for the 2013 and beyond.  We are going to have a “town hall” type meeting during Bible Class, on October 14.  We are hoping the bible class hour will be a more convenient time to reach more people. This town hall meeting will address the plans for staffing.  We will also talk about plans to enhance our worship at the Pennsylvania Rd. Campus.  Bring your questions, comments and ideas to the gym on Oct. 14, 9:45!

Shift into Oxygen

Wieser (1991) and Lehman (2009) state that, “the most profound technologies are those that disappear. They weave themselves into the fabric of everyday life until they are indistinguishable from it. It needs to be like oxygen; ubiquitous, necessary, and invisible.” Wieser (1991) went on to state that “whenever people learn something sufficiently well, they cease to be aware of it. When you look at a street sign, for example, you absorb its information without consciously performing the act of reading.”

Weiser, M. (1991). The Computer for the 21st century . Scientific American Ubicomp Paper, Retrieved from http://www.cosy.informatik.uni-bremen.de/staff/seifert/UC-Seminar-2006/T...

Lehmann, C. (2009, February 28). School tech should be like oxygen. Retrieved fromhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUWzQYLqLLg&playnext_from=TL&videos=GPAxi...

Effective Communication

Dear Parents,

I want to first off praise the Lord for what he has given me in my life.  I am loving my Call to Christ the King. My family and I feel welcomed and at home.  I am glad I am the principal here and I want to keep moving CTK in a great direction.

I will come out and say a flaw of myself.  Usually it is hard for someone to admit their weaknesses.  Most interviews, you have the question, "What is one of your weaknesses?"  We are trained to spin that question into a positive, instead of actually admitting our faults.  One of my key answer for that question has been, I work hard, sometimes too hard.  That answer is true, I am not lying, but I want it to portray a positive image about myself.  I remember in one of my interviews, which I wasn't too sure about the position or even if I wanted to get the job, I was asked that famous question and I answered it, "I am a sinful person, I don't deserve anything I have received."  I could never been more honest in that question, but also didn't really answer the question.  So here I am looking from the outside onto myself, one of my weak areas is, "EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION".  What does that mean though?  If you don't know by now, I am not a paper type of person.  I am very online, electronically, and green.  I can be very stubborn in that way.  Also with that, I know what I want, or I know the goal I want, but I am not always the best explaining it or putting it in words.   If you have something to say to me, I prefer to have it in an email then face to face or on the phone. That is how I feel comfortable.  Part of Effective Communication is adapting to how others communicate.  My door is always open for you to stop by to say hi, or need to talk.

The secular world would want to believe, that we would never have an issue at CTK with sin or anything, but we do.  We are sinful and we do sin.  I have had a few conversations with individuals and some items have come up that would fall into the non-effective communication pot.  Looking at my own weakness, I want to change that.  One thing that I found and I have brought it up with my teachers is this concept " The Question Behind The Question." http://qbq.com/ While reading about this concept, they gave an example of a teacher asking, “Why don’t the parents read the beginning of the year information that was sent home?” I have heard that question before as a Principal and I have asked that question as a teacher.  Griping and moaning, Why can't the parents just get it?  Going to a fellow teacher, Do your parents get it?  Do they understand what we are trying to do here?  But, what is the problem with all of those questions?  It has nothing to do with yourself or something you can change.  It is putting the focus on someone or something else.  The QBQ method wants us to ask the question behind that question.  So taking our initial question from the teacher, "Why don't the parents read the information..." We shouldn't just ask that, but ask “What can I do differently to communicate this important information to the parents?” Another QBQ might be, How can I communicate to all of the parents the importance of this information?”  I am asking my teachers and myself to do this and remember to ask that question behind the question.

In the same request of the teachers to ask the question behind the question, I am asking you, the parents to do the same.  I know it may be hard, and it may take some time to get into the habit of asking that question.  We are all sinful.  But, Effective Communication is needed.  One of the issues we have right now at CTK is our parking lot.   Speeding, Wrong Way Driving, and plain, old selfishness is plaguing our parking lot.  I have been asking the question behind the question on this topic.  The question is, "How do we get people to act courteous and drive safely?"  I have been wondering how can we better ask that question.  We tried having Vickie standing out in the corner of the modular, which was after we put the few cones and slow down guy.  We have put it in the newsletter, fast direct, and school reach messaging system.  You can find a parking lot diagram on our website.  I have had a few parents give great thoughts about how to change some of our issues, and we are looking into them, but as of right now, not sure that will decrease the speeding, wrong way driving, or mean words that have fallen onto our parking lot.

Lastly,  I want to remind you the parents, that I welcome your thoughts, your opinions, and your love for CTK.  I know when you are upset, it is because you want the best for your Child and for the school.  But, I urge you to follow the Gospel of Matthew.  If you have an issue with a teacher or a coach, go to them first.  And, follow the chain of command.  I know the frustration you may have or the feeling that as Principal I can dictate orders, but as much as I am here for you the parents, I am here for my teachers.  It will help my relationships with my teachers by doing so.  It is not that I don't care, because I do.  I care too much at times (another great answer to that weakness interview question).

We are in a Customer Service business / ministry.  We want everyone to be happy and we want everyone to learn.  Lastly we want everyone to grow closer to Christ.

When I started this post, I goodsearched Effective Communication.  It returned this website http://www.helpguide.org/mental/effective_communication_skills.htm Now, I haven't read everything on it word for word, but looked over their skills and believe those are wonderful skills to work on to help improve CTK all around.

If you have pointers so I can effectively communicate with you in a more concise and appropriate way, please let me know.  Some of you will be leaving CTK for one reason or another (and besides moving or graduating, I will be sad) and some of you are CTK lifers.  Your in here for life.  Maybe because you have many children, or you are part of our Church family.  I know it has been a long time since we bought the Penn Campus and talks about us moving over there.  That is still in the works and I am hoping to better communicate where we are at and where we are going in the near future.  My goal is to be moved over as soon as possible.  But, I know it may take longer than I want.  See that is another weakness of mine.  When I have a goal, I just want to get there.  I am never happy with where I am at, I always want to improve (another stock answer for that weakness interview question.)

In God
Dan


QBQ Article I read - https://luthed.org/mailingfile/viewfile/id/23949

Shift into Child-centered Program

(Bocchino, 2000). In a child-centered program, learning is developed by the student discovering, experimenting, and exploring new thoughts and ideas. According to the child’s development needs, teachers guide the student through activities and experiences that will meet each learning objective. Teachers are needed in child-center program to support the student and reinforce the learning objectives as they play. Academics, social development, and emotional development are all concerns the teacher must support growth and development of in each of the students. The teacher must be of superior quality (Gnezda, 2006). A child-centered approach provides enriched learning experiences that go beyond learning in a program focused on direct-instruction. In a child-centered program, the learning occurs as the child explores life and the world around them. Student become confident, self-motivated learners. They learn how to use their experiences, seek answers to their own questions and develop understanding for themselves. Learning becomes authentic and meaningful, and children can use their knowledge and skills in a variety of situations. In a child-centered program, children come to own what they know because they discovered it, and they can easily use their new found experiences when faced with new questions and ideas (Hersh, 2009).

Bocchino, R. (2000). What about Direct instruction?

Gzenda, Ph.D., M. (2006, January). Child-centered or direct-instruction preschool what's best for my child?. Washington Parent.

Hersh, R. (2009, July 16). The Importance of child-centered learning. Retrieved fromhttp://classroom-issues.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_importance_of_child....

Shift into Critical Thinking

Critical thinking needs to be placed at the heart of educational reform. (Paul and Binker, 1990). What is critical thinking? Critical thinking is the ability to be in control of one’s thinking. “It includes the ability to consciously examine the elements of one’s reasoning, or that of another, and evaluate that reasoning against universal intellectual standards: clarity, accuracy, precision, relevance, depth, breadth, and logic”
(Eichhorn, 2006). One way teachers can foster critically thinking skills is with online tools and discussions (Macknight, 2001).

Binker, R. (1990). Critical thinking: what every person needs to survive in a rapidly changing world.. Rohnert Park, CA. Center for Critical Thinking and Moral Critique, Sonoma State University.

Eichhorn, R. (2006, April 17). Developing thinking skills: critical thinking at the army management staff college. Retrieved fromhttp://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/army/critical/roy.htm

MacKnight, C. (2000, November 4). Teaching critical thinking through online discssions . Educause Quarterly, Retrieved from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/EQM0048.pdf

Shift into Project Based Learning

According to Project Based Learning Resources Website (2010):

Project Based Learning is an instructional approach built upon authentic learning activities that engage student interest and motivation. These activities are designed to answer a question or solve a problem and generally reflect the types of learning and work people do in the everyday world outside the classroom.

Project Based Learning is synonymous with learning in depth. A well-designed project provokes students to encounter (and struggle with) the central concepts and principles of a discipline.

Project Based Learning teaches students 21st century skills as well as content. These skills include communication and presentation skills, organization and time management skills, research and inquiry skills, self-assessment and reflection skills, and group participation and leadership skills.

Project Based Learning is generally done by groups of students working together toward a common goal. Performance is assessed on an individual basis, and takes into account the quality of the product produced, the depth of content understanding demonstrated, and the contributions made to the ongoing process of project realization.

According to the Buck Institute for Education (2010) Project Based Learning is more effective than traditional instruction in increasing academic achievement on annual state-administered assessment tests. It is more effective than traditional instruction for teaching mathematics, economics, science, social science, clinical medical skills, and for careers in the allied health occupationsand teaching.  It is more effective than traditional instruction for long-term retention, skill development and satisfaction of students and teachers. It is more effective than traditional instruction for preparing students to integrate and explain concepts. It improves students’ mastery of 21st-century skills. It is especially effective with lower-achieving students. Lastly it provides an effective model for whole school reform.

Project based learning. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://pbl-online.org/

9/11

Do you remember where you were?  11 years ago, I remember.  I was a RA for Concordia University Wisconsin.  I was sleeping in, when I heard one of my residents yelling we are under attack.  Mad that he woke me from my sleep, I got up and went out to yell at him to be quiet.  Quickly I realize he was playing around.  Turning on my tv, I saw the second plane hit.  What was going on?  Seriously was this some sort of joke.  Then it became really personal to me.  My father was flying from California to Wisconsin for a business trip, but also to visit.  My dad didn't have a cell phone at the time, and there was no way for me to get a hold of him.  I quickly called my mother, but she didn't hear from him either.  I didn't know if his plan left already.  Then the Pentagon was hit and the plane crash in Pennsylvania.  Watching, listening, trying to comfort my residents as best as someone could, report comes out of more planned attacks from other major cities.  One of those being from LAX, where my father was flying out of.  I was suppose to have archery class in a few hours.  I made it to my prof, to let her know, there was no way I could shoot a bow until I heard from my father.  Have you ever felt that helpless?  That hopeless?  In the Bible, there are many stories that people have felt helpless and hopeless.  The Israelite wandering the desert for forty years.  The Israelite captives in Babylonia, where Jeremiah reminds them they will have to suffer another 70 years. And so on.

Later that afternoon, I finally got word, my father was ok.  He was on the plane, they were about to take off when they got word about the attacks and the air ports were closed.  I was relieved in the sense my family was safe, but what about everyone else.  The people in the buildings, the people in the planes, their families.  Every year on 9/11 I took a lot of time to remember and watch the news and shows.  I even taped 16 hours worth of broadcast 1 year after 9/11 (which I still have on VCR in storage).  I was never going to forget.  It was a sad day.  When I began teaching, I made sure my students remembered also (or taught about the events, as I began having students born after 2001).

Then 7 years ago happen!  7 years ago I was sitting in a hospital room, being the supportive role I could be as my wife gave birth to our first born son.  September, 11 2005 at 5:35am in Fullerton, California.  Each year that has past since the birth of my son, the sadness of what 9/11 once was is replaced with happiness of what to come in my Son's life.  This year, I will never forget 9/11 I will always remember the day America was attacked, but it won't be a sad day as my son was way too eager to go to bed last night so he could wake up early and be his birthday.  This day is about my son.

May God bless everyone at CTK and never forget

Shift into 21st Century Education

What is 21st century education? According to Scott Mcleod Blog(2008), “It is bold. It breaks the mold. It is flexible, creative, challenging, and complex. It addresses a rapidly changing world filled with fantastic new problems as well as exciting new possibilities.” 21st Century education is a shift in the teacher, the learner, and the space the learner is in. Christopher D Sessus (2009) states, “21st century teaching and learning is about developing skills and habits of mind that allow people to actively participate in society using all forms of media available. It stems from the need to teach people how to think and reflect critically on what is happening around them and to develop creative solutions that serve personal and social needs.”
To “bridge the gap between how students live and how they learn,” P21 has identified six key elements for 21st century education including, core subjects and learning skills as well as 21st century tools, contexts, content, and assessment. These six elements shape an educational reform agenda that P21 argues will enable young people to develop a wide range of skills (e.g., media, communication critical thinking, creative, problem solving, interpersonal, collaborative) while using information and communication technologies in real world contexts. To help education leaders and policymakers implement 21st century teaching and learning, P21 recently launched Route 21 (P21, 2007), an online, one-stop shop for 21st century skills-related information, resources and tools. Daniel Pink in A Whole New Mind, (2005) boldly claims that “the future belongs to a very different kind of person with a very different kind of mind—creators and empathizers, pattern recognizers, and meaning makers. These people . . . will now reap society’s richest rewards and share its greatest joys.”

McLeod, S. (2010). Dangerously irrelevant. Retrieved fromhttp://www.dangerouslyirrelevant.org/ Learning space design in 21st Century –

Sessus, C. (2009, August 8). What is Your personal definition of 21st century learning and/or teaching? Retrieved from http://eduspaces.net/csessums/weblog/724788.html

Partnership for 21st century skills: route 21(2010). Retrieved fromhttp://www.21stcenturyskills.org/route21

Pink, D. (2005). A Whole new mind: moving from the information age to the conceptual age. New York: Riverhead Books..

What is "Curriculum"?

What does the word mean? To some it just means what textbook are you using. Usually that is the easiest way to define what our Curriculum is. I would like to share with you 5 other definitions of the word curriculum:

• A course of study (derived from the Latin "currere" meaning "to run a course")
• Course content, the information or knowledge that students are to learn
• Planned learning experiences
• Intended learning outcomes, the results of instruction as distinguished from the means (activities, materials) of instruction
• All the experiences that students have while at school

I really like that last definition. All the experiences. When I was a teacher, some of the best time to learn was in between classes or while at recess. As a teacher and educator, we must look at four different type of curriculum.

• The explicit curriculum - what schools list and document as their teachings through course work and school activities, including goals and aims, courses and lessons, knowledge, skills, and attitudes
• The hidden curriculum - the behaviors, attitudes, and information that schools many unintentionally teach students such as outlooks toward authority, ideas about "success," and internalized beliefs about works righteousness.
• The null curriculum - what schools do not teach or make available to students including certain courses (such as anthropology or architecture) as well as certain outlooks, attitudes, and beliefs (such as concern for assorted social issues or political perspectives)
• The co-curricular program - already acknowledge in the explicit curriculum above for schools who view curriculum in a holistic way; but sometimes distinguished from formal classroom work. (Consider whether or not you want to make this distinction.)

As a Christian school we must have essential Biblical imperatives.  We must blend intentionally faith and Scriptures into our daily lives.

Source: Planning for a Lutheran High School, The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. 1997.

First Day of School

Today is my first day of school for the 10th time.  5th time it has been at a new school building.  Even now, I am excited and nervous for the first day of school.  As I stood at the front door to let parent and students in, the rain came down.  What a way to start the school year, in RAIN!  But, something is cleansing with rain.  As the students enter the building, their past, their dirt, their sins are washed away.  The great thing about the first day of school, you have a fresh start.  You can decide how this year is going to be.  How is it going to be better than last year, what are you going to do differently.

I know God will bless us this year and I can't wait to see what he has planned!  I hope everyone has a great school year!

Updates to the Website

We are updating the look, feel, and navigation of the website.  Please let us know if you can not find something that used to be on the website.  For Example:  Teacher's website links are now found under their picture on Meet the Staff page.

Parking Lot Diagram

Lutheran High School

Although this video doesn't have anything to do with CTK, it has many of my former students from Holt Lutheran.  The Michigan District put this video together to use for this past summer District Convocation.  We are lucky at CTK to have two Lutheran High School for our students to choose from, within 30 minutes from us.  As a graduate of Lutheran Westland and being a principal at a Lutheran High School, I can attest the much needed and good will that happens in these schools.

Test Post

This is a test post to see if it will embed correctly on the CTK Southgate website