WIN With Your PLN

Woodrow Wilson once said, “I not only use all the brains that I have, but all that I can borrow.”  I can’t think of a better quote that explains the relevance of a Professional Learning Network (PLN).

If you would have asked me 11 years ago when I entered the world of education what a PLN is, I would not have been able to give you even the foggiest of clues.  My biggest worry 11 years ago was surviving my first year.  It wasn’t until I started to take administrative classes that I grew a fond respect for networking.

My PLN came to existence when I got to know the fellow students enrolled in the same educational leadership classes as me.  We wrote curriculum together, solved problems, and bounced ideas off of one another.  We were entering the profession together, and thus had a commonality that bonded us.

Once initiated into administration my PLN began to grow rapidly.  Administrators near and far were always willing to lend a helping hand or just a simple ear to listen.  We have remarkable individuals in our schools doing remarkable things, and not one of them is afraid to share an idea or piece of advice. 

The past few days I was able to converse with many of these remarkable individuals.  The North Dakota Association of School Administrators (NDASA) Mid-Winter Conference was held in Bismarck.  The greatest thing about conferences is the opportunities to socialize with individuals.  It is a great feeling to know that you are not alone.  Somebody else has been where you are, and is always willing to help you through it.  It's even a greater feeling to know that as a group we are united in our ideology.  We are united in our pursuit of excellence, and we are united when it comes to creating great schools.

I’ve now attended many of these conferences and not a one has disappointed me.  Engaging in Professional Development from listening to speakers, to conversing with administrators that attend has been nothing but valuable to me as a young leader.  I know that trying to name all those that have helped me become who I am today would be impossible, but you all know who you are.

Besides conferences; being active on social media has also expanded my PLN.  Twitter has provided me opportunities to stretch my mind and build my capacities as a school leader.  My PLN has been allowed to grow through the participation of weekly edchats.  Local edchats such as #ndedchat has allowed me to collaborate and learn from educators around the state.  I’ve also expanded to participate in edchats in many other states and countries.  My PLN is made up of many people that I have never met in person, but yet have inspired me to be the best that I can be.

I can honestly say that I’m “winning” with my PLN.  I have allowed myself to step outside my comfort zone.  Eleven years ago I felt alone.  I was just trying to get by.  I did not allow myself to listen or to be heard.   My successes today are a direct result of the relationships I formed with the many wonderful people I’ve met in education.  I left the NDASA Conference today confident once again.  I’m confident that North Dakota students are in great hands.  I’m confident that our teachers are being put in positions to be successful.  I’m confident that our students are embarking in curriculum that is relevant and engaging.  I’m also confident in my ability to continue to lead my district.

As we progress through the days – we will have hiccups, and we will have triumphs.  Good, bad, or ugly my PLN will be there in a time of need.  Thank you for being part of my PLN.  Thank you for letting me borrow your brains.

Travis

More to the Score

This coming spring, our students and staff will tackle a new test to measure achievement.  This is the same test that measures adequate yearly progress (AYP) and will label our school either as succeeding or as failing.  Preparing to faciliate this test has not been easy.  Actually, we are not quite sure if our technology infrastructure is suitable to meet the needs of the testing software.  As we get closer, I’m sure we will learn more, but anxiety has already set in amongst the staff. 

This anxiety is not just attributed to whether or not we are capable of running the test, but it is also due to the fact that not only does the test have implications for our students, it carries quite a bit of weight for the staff as well.  You see, the label will also attach itself to our administrators and teachers.

I would like to remind you that this is one test.  It’s a standard test.  Every child takes the same test.  So the idea that children learn differently and excel when curriculum is delivered to fit their learning styles gets thrown out the window for this test.  Your intelligent child who’s not good at taking tests but can build anything with his/her hands, is already at a disadvantage.  Your child that is extremely creative and innovative but struggles taking multiple-choice tests is also at a disadvantage.

This one test will be taken in three days.  Your child goes to school for 175 days.  If you were going to measure your child’s intelligence, would you average three days or 175?  My point is simple.  You cannot get an accurate read on learning or intellectual ability from one test.  Besides, I can think of a number of different environmental factors that could play into the student's test scores as well. 

Interestingly enough, something came across my Twitter feed the other day that caught my eye, and it is applicable to this.  How many tests do we get to "do over" in our lives until we master them?  If we fail a driver's license test, we get to do it over.  As a teacher, I took the Praxis test twice because I did not pass the first time.  How about the ACT and the SAT?  You get the opportunity to improve your score on those exams as well.  Just about any certification course allows you to take it until you pass it.  You get one shot at this test in high school.  Your score as a junior is the score that determines proficiency for yourself and collectively for your school.

This test only measures academic ability in science, reading, and math.  It does not measure your child’s creativity.  It does not measure motivation or curiosity, nor does it take into account dependability, kindness, or loyalty.  To go further, it does not measure your child’s leadership abilities or courage.  To sum it up, this test does not measure character, and character is a large part of intelligence.

What if students could choose the way in which they take the test?  What if mastery could be determined through a variety of different mediums?  How about building something to show mastery in math?  What would be wrong with a student doing a science project to show mastery in science?  How about letting students write a story, blog, poem, or song to show mastery in literacy?  If we give students the choice, we will get a truer measure of their achievement.

So why do we use this test, you might ask?  We use it for different reasons.  Number 1, it is required. We don’t have a choice.  Number 2, we do get some academic value from the test.  We can use this test, along with many of our other assessments, to get an accurate read of a child’s progress.  It is also a tool we can use to compare ourselves to the rest of the state of North Dakota.  When you add the results of the test to the other 172 days of instruction and assessments, we can get an accurate read of our student’s academic levels.  As you can see, the test does have some value and your child should do the best they can on it.

In a couple months, the test will be upon us.  Our school will do whatever it takes to ensure we are ready to facilitate it.  Please understand that there is more to your child’s intelligence than this one test score.  If our scores meet the achievement goals – great.  If our scores don’t meet the achievement goals – ok.  No matter what happens, let me say this: "We have a great school.  We have awesome students and a wonderful staff.  We continue to achieve each and every day.  Our students will go on to be successful citizens.  We understand that a score on one test does not define us.  What does define us is our character and perseverance to become better."

Travis Jordan

Mother Nature's Relationship with Schools

It was late January of 2013.  I was in my final year as a high school principal, and was being mentored by the current superintendent.  I would be taking over his position upon his retirement after the school year.   I had repeatedly joked with him that the hardest part of his job was deciding whether or not to cancel or have school during inclement weather.   I can remember saying; “If the hardest decision I need to make will be to call off school or not, this job should be pretty easy.” 

Even though I was joking, I now get to eat those words a few times every year.  In actuality, weather related decisions are some of the hardest decision I have had to make in the last two years.  The other day was no different.   With a Blizzard Warning to our north and west, and a Winter Weather Advisory forecasted for our area I awoke at 5am to see snow falling at a moderate rate.  We were set to receive somewhere between 1 and 3 inches of snow overnight, and ended up with about an inch.  The wind was light, but was predicted to pick up throughout the day.

Immediately I started to feel anxiety.  I knew we could get the kids to school with no problems, but worried what it would be like after we got them there.   I looked at the weather forecast and glanced at the current school closures and late starts in our area.  I then contacted our transportation coordinator and we made the decision to go ahead with starting school on time.

Success!  We were able to get the kids to school on time.  However, my anxiety did not fade.  Of course I was worried what the rest of the day was going to bring.  The wind picked up throughout the day.  The visibility ranged from 500ft to about 3 miles depending on where you were.  I paced for much of the day.  We also had a Girls Basketball event scheduled for the night in a city about 45 minutes away. 

I decided that we would allow school to be let out at 2:45pm with the idea that our busses would have more time to get kids home before the sun set.  I also decided that it was in our best interest to postpone the basketball game.

These types of decisions affect many people.  If you cancel school, parents need to find alternative ways to find childcare for their children during the day.  Often time’s parents need to take off work.  With fewer employees at work, the businesses also take a hit.  Basically school related decisions affect the entire town.  Making that final decision is a bit stressful, but I have come up with the following tips to make the process a bit easier.

1.      Always error on the side of caution.  Children safety must always be the top priority.  At the end of the day, it is not about whether someone can get to work or not.  It is not about a local business being able to be open or not.  It is about our children and their safety.

2.      Activities should play very little in the decision.  You can always re-schedule (sometimes difficult, but something usually works out).

3.      Use the rural community as an important information piece.  Facebook allows me to keep an open dialogue about road conditions in and around our area.

4.      Network with other Superintendents (schools).  They can be a great resource.  Not only have many of them been in the situation a number of times, they also can give you great insight as to what the weather is doing in their neck of the woods.

5.      With number 4, do not be afraid to be the lone wolf.  The weather can be completely different a mile away.  School districts are different in terms of demographics.  Some schools have mostly urban students and teachers, and others it is the complete opposite.

6.      Admit mistakes.  Mother Nature is unpredictable.  Wrongful school decisions will happen, but as I mentioned in number 1, if you error on the side of caution you cannot go wrong.

7.      Remind parents that they always reserve the right to keep their children home or drive them in themselves.

I’ve come a long ways in two years, but every situation is unique and difficult.  I have called upon my mentor and former superintendent a few times for guidance, and I’m positive that he chuckles when he hangs up the phone.  He remembers how easy I said it was going to be.  I’m afraid that Mother Nature heard me joke about this as well and I will be paying for it until the day that I retire.

Photo by Linda Olson - Great Teacher & Better Friend

Hometown Pride

I have had the distinct privilege to live in a number of small towns since the beginning of my time.  If you have not lived the rural city life you don't know what you are missing.  To get the full effect of this blog, I suggest you read this to the tune “Small Town” by John Melencamp.

I spent my childhood growing up in Wilton, ND. Wilton is a rural community of about 1000 people just north of Bismarck.  It was founded as a mining town, hence the mascot Miner. You could ride your bike around the entire town in about 30 minutes (give or take a few minutes based on wind and the type of bike).  It also depended on whom you ran into.  It was a town full of friendly people.

Riding bike is exactly what we did though.  I'm not sure why this has now become a lost method of transportation, but our parents did not drive us everywhere back in the day. Riding bike to the park to find a pick-up game of basketball was a common occurrence during the spring and summer months.  As people walked or drove by we greeted them by name, and they often stopped to watch.  We rode our bikes everywhere.  I remember that a typical highlight in the day would be a ride up to the local Herner’s Mini-Mart to grab a refreshing soft drink and treat.

There was so much to do that we had little time to spend in doors watching TV.  That is the last thing we wanted to do.  If we were in doors, we spent it playing Nintendo on the rented console and games from Herner’s.  If you were lucky enough to snatch this up – you catapulted yourself into the cool-kid category in a hurry.

Speaking of cool, we gopher hunted at the city park and got paid to do it.  We gathered at our friends house to play glow in the dark football.  We played baseball at the fields and moved home plate to the edge of the outfield so we may possibly hit it over the fence.  We traded baseball cards on a weekly basis.  Often times the same card came and gone through your collection three times over.  We loved being kids and we especially loved our small town.

Everybody knew each other.  There was a sense of pride that circulated the community.  We were Miner Nation and we were dang proud of it.  I remember playing sports for the Miners.  My fondest memories were basketball games during the winter months.  When we put the uniform on before a contest it wasn't for our team or ourselves.  It was for the community.  Running out of the locker room before a contest to a packed house was some of the moments that I will cherish forever.  People looked forward to these games.  It was the topic of conversation amongst the regular morning crew at the local Fiddle Stix Café (it still exists, and you need to eat there if you haven't before), and other local establishments.

There were many other events that highlighted our community.  Friday night football, bingo at the city hall, and wedding dances to name a few.  Speaking of wedding dances, it didn't matter who was getting married, the entire town came to shake a hip. Speaking of hip; we wore Zubaz and wore them with pride.   I know that sentence doesn't really fit here (or in this blog) but come on…I couldn't leave out the Zubaz.

I will also never forget the generosity that existed amongst our community.  If somebody was struggling, a helping hand was given.  A pancake and sausage benefit brought the entire town.  We came together when we needed to, and we never turned down pancakes.  We celebrated street dances, and we prayed together at church. There was nothing more community like than attending church on Christmas Eve.  The entire town came.  We sang together, prayed together, and wished each other a Merry Christmas.

You just can't beat small town life.  John Mellencamp sang it right when he sang the line “had myself a ball in a small town.” We certainly did, and so much more.  I've been lucky enough to be apart of many small town families.  To the communities of Wilton, Starkweather,  Langdon, and currently Cooperstown (all in North Dakota) I say thank you for all the memories.  I'm having a ball and I appreciate being part of such great company.

Although my Wilton days have surpassed me, the memories will never fade.  It was Wilton Nation, once a Miner always a Miner.  Shout out to my brother Andy Jordan (@mrjordan_78).  He is currently leading Miner Nation as The high school Principal.

Disclaimer:  I have nothing against large communities and big city life.  You just can't ride your bike around one in 30 minutes.  Great people and great memories exist in big cities as well.  I plan to blog about them someday.

I would love to hear about your small town.  I think it would be a great idea to follow this blog post up with another which highlights many of the wonderful small towns out there.  If you feel that your small town is special and you want it highlighted in one of my future blogs send me an email to me at travis.jordan@k12.nd.us.  You can also follow me on Twitter (@Supt_Jordan) and send me a Direct Message.  I would love to showcase your community.  If that wasn’t enough you can “Like” my blog page (Mr. Jordan's Blogs) and send me a message there.

I'm from Wilton and couldn't be prouder, and if you can't hear me (probably not because I'm writing) I will yell it a little louder.  I'M FROM WILTON AND COULDN'T BE PROUDER.

Picture courtesy of my wonderful mother Aggie who braved the negative temperatures to capture it.

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