The Need for More "Tempered Radicals" in our Schools

Debra Myerson, Professor of Education at Stanford, and author of the acclaimed book "Tempered Radicals: How Everyday Leaders Inspire Changes at Work" is a very validating work for me. It provides hope and a sense of fulfillment as well. I often tell teachers to NOT underestimate their ability to influence others and make change. So often, I hear teachers' voices that sound tired and, to be honest, a bit hardened. So much of being a good teacher well into the latter years of teaching is about having some control over what happens in the environment. Having control over what happens in the classroom is easy, but what is more important is exerting a positive influence on those around us. Teachers have a huge influence on the future of the country, and it's well-being. I've known far too many excellent teachers who became passive because they didn't believe that their voice mattered.

Well, REJOICE, teachers... Dr. Myerson confirms through her research that by rocking the boat ever so slightly (and ever so kindly), we can be voices for real change. The key is to remain focused and firm in our beliefs and to have courage and compassion with our colleagues. It is difficult to swim upstream, but in many instances that is what it feels like to go against the majority in a school culture. Seniority and "years of service" often have the loudest voices in a school culture. It is the adult version of peer pressure. Young or new teachers may feel uncomfortable when speaking up, but Dr. Myerson would urge them to be brave and go ahead and rock their boat. Voicing our ideas and opinions may inspire others to do the same. She said the following in an interview with Dennis Sparks for the Journal of Staff Development [JSD, Winter 2005 (Vol. 26, No. 1)]:

"Effective agents of change at the grassroots level know who they are and what they are trying to accomplish. Effective tempered radicals hold on to their deepest goals, which enables them to push through their fears and to choose their battles effectively."

I think my dad would agree that I've always tried to gently "rock the boat." Maybe it has to do with being a child of the '60's. I don't know. I don't think so, though. What I do know is that Dr. Myerson's book validates my feelings and thoughts about this subject. Everyone knows that our secondary schools today must change, and change soon. Be a boat rocker, and stand for positive change in the schools!

Rock the boat, baby!

Wordle - Have you heard of it?

The graphic below is a Wordle I made. A Wordle is a "branded" word cloud. Take a look at my Wordle below. Can you see words that stand out? Can you draw some inferences or make some predictions based on the graphic you see below?



I've seen lots of word clouds recently. They aren't graphic organizers, but an analysis of words spoken or written by particular people at specific times or in certain places. A word cloud is a visual analysis which reveals some pretty interesting information. In fact, I just viewed one on the internet today that I found fascinating. It was a word cloud made from the last 8 State of the Nation addresses by George W. Bush. It, of course, looks much different than the one above. Below is the copy that was originally published at this website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7813432.stm.

I made mine today from all of my blog entries to date. I found it very interesting to look at. The words that stand out represent those words used the most often. I love this use of technology. It is a visual way of representing thinking which I find very thought provoking. We could probably learn much about our world (and history) through using it. As a teacher, I could think of lots of ways to use it across all of the content areas.

If you would like to play with this cool tool or look at lots of fascinating Wordle graphics, I urge you to go to the Wordle website. Click on my wordle below, and it will take you there. It is a completely free website. You can even name and post your wordle to the website. For teachers, writers, or armchair linguists of any kind, I think that Wordle is a very cool tool! Enjoy! The website is http://www.wordle.net/.