5th Anniversary Ed of Wicked

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Integrity

Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful. - Samuel Johnson

integrity (noun)
1. the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness

As the conference continues to draw closer I find myself shifting my focus from Vision and Change to the more complex issue of Character. We can talk about strength of character but can we really know what that means until we are faced with impossible decisions?

My life philosophy centers around the concept of "choices and consequences", or the Karma concept of cause and effect. Character is clearly a key part of making that work. In particular, integrity as the foundation of a strong character, would need to guide all decisions, all choices.

So how do we truly get students to examine their character, to test their integrity, during a leadership conference that is only three days long? How do we say anything original? If we are untested ourselves, what value do we add?

I think the best we can say is that, life must be lived moment by moment - choice by choice - and then we need to spend significant time reflecting on the outcome. Integrity is not inherent, but rather cultivated. We cannot teach character, but we can teach the reflective processes that strengthen character. We cannot simply rush forward time after time without giving thought to our choices and consequences of the past. Using the daily lessons, reading literature, studying history, etc can all help us be best prepared when we come to face our tough choices, but it is only in those moments that we truly know who we are.

We are defined by the choices we make, and while our intentions are important, consequence follows choice - not intention.

Wonderful

LHC --- no black holes!

More Powerful Than Words

This is an incredible song. Period.

This video is powerful. The faces in the choral group - the real America.

Vision, Character, and Change in 2008

Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved.

-Helen Keller

A better way

The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers.
–M. Scott Peck

It seems as if so much of what we want is designed to limit how uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled we are. The commercials on television sell products and procedures to bring comfort, happiness, and fulfillment (at least temporarily). It reminds me of "soma" from Brave New World.

But it is that persistent, undeniable unrest that is so important to forming a life worth living. Poverty has been fertile ground for growing leaders of change. Those who would prefer the status quo would seek to placate those in poverty, those hungry for change. Alcohol, drugs, mindless entertainment, and credit keep things as they are.

I see it elsewhere... a failing school is acceptable as long as the athletic teams are successful, students avoid challenging courses and get the same grades, and tradition trumps progress when progress takes too much effort.

So here's to never being satisfied, to always feeling unsettled, and to always finding a better way.

What does change mean?

In describing today's accelerating changes, the media fire blips of unrelated information at us. Experts bury us under mountains of narrowly specialized monographs. Popular forecasters present lists of unrelated trends, without any model to show us their interconnections or the forces likely to reverse them. As a result, change itself comes to be seen as anarchic, even lunatic.
–Alvin Toffler


This quote, forwarded to me my a dear friend, captures my concern for this new generation of leaders. There is so much isolated information, poured nonstop upon the public, that they are drowning yet thirsty for something more. Context, connection, purpose... we need to make meaning from the bits and bytes.

Education here again could play such a vital role. History provides the backstory, Literature provides context, and Science provides critical analysis of cause and effect... but only when we see the grander purpose in education. Life is a series of choices and consequences - karma's cause and effect. When we teach in isolated bits and bytes, we hide the nature of life. Our ability to change is our greatest strength.

I continue to be amazed at the writing of Paul Hawken in Blessed Unrest. It's a new view of system, of collective action, of forest for the trees. In the end, we cannot wait for others to make sense of it for us, we must be the makers of meaning.

Sunrise

This is the sunrise on the first day of school 2008. It amazes me to look at something like this, my mind begins to spin. A vision like this requires so much. A planet with an atmosphere, which is rare enough, but then saturated with water vapor. Light diffracting through that atmosphere as the speed of each wavelength changes slightly, with blue (short wavelengths) scattering the most... but then our eyes, developing through evolution to sense those small differences in wavelengths... but that same stuff (electromagnetic waves) is what transfers this photo from my iPhone to this website... and yet the car I'm driving in affects that atmosphere and along with the natural factors, increases our global temperature on average because the sun's rays heat up the planet but that heat can't radiate out in the same quantities it used to...

A sunrise. A new day. A new hope.

p.s. we fixed the ozone

Leadership Legacy

This is a short video which captured some of the enthusiasm from the first-ever celebration of the National Student Leadership Week at South Western High School.  Our enduring theme is "Leadership Legacy".  More info here and here.

Trust

So, here I am... falling into the arms of my student council. Honestly, I wasn't feeling this at the start. Basically, I'm a big guy and I know the laws of physics... so the concept of falling off a table at 1am during a lock-in is a bit, perplexing. But the idea is that this is an issue of trust and I truly trusted this group. Eventually, I moved to the table-top and the rest is told in the video...

This is part of what makes teaching such a powerful experience: learning to trust teenagers. Beyond the classroom, beyond the curriculum, there is something critical to the relationship between teachers and students. Teachers are the link between the past and the future, between the status quo and change, between wisdom and hope. Trust is essential to this relationship.

This is for real...

We're preparing for our last PASC board meeting prior to hosting our conference... and none of us can really believe we're here. Our vision for this conference began so long ago when measured by a calendar, but it feels like last week when we were preparing for the bid. This is a true collaborative vision that has been refined over the many months of planning. During that time, I have witnessed such strength in the character of our students and advisors involved with the conference. I get the greatest satisfaction out of a relationship when I can trust someone completely... I have placed my complete trust in these three in the picture. You'd be amazed at how strong they are and how much they have each grown in their own way. Lastly, this conference is about change. We want to change what the experience is about... we want delegates to learn to lead with both heart and head, with both intellect and passion, with both conscience and inspiration. We've added content, switched schedules, raised expectations, shifted responsibilities, and so much more... to produce the change we hope will make a real difference. Tradition and building upon the past are important, but I'm always asking WHY? --- seriously, always asking why? And when the answer doesn't make sense, change is essential. Vision, Character, and Change is a powerful sequence that has gotten us to this point and will serve as the Origin of a journey for 1000 others.

My boys

This was during the 2008 NASC National Student Council Conference when we were invited into the community for dinner and entertainment. South Western was invited to a small but prosperous community to have dinner prepared by the "Holy Smokers". It was an incredibly warm welcome and the food was incredible. Once the tables were cleared, the dancing began. As usual, the South Western crew went to work on having fun and inspiring others to do the same. This picture shows what happens when an advisor sitting off to the side, decides to encourage the boys... she ends up with a special dance, just for her. 

Danc'n

PASC Executive Director

During the 2008 PASC trip to the NASC national conference in Texas, we enjoyed some authentic Tex-Mex food. While there, our Executive Director had his "birthday" recognized. This is actually symbolic of another year of PASC (76 years young).

Texas

Where does greatness begin?

I have witnessed greatness. She is amazing, beyond description and is deserving of greater praise than she'll ever receive. Where does greatness begin? And perhaps, more importantly, why are we so reluctant to recognize greatness?

There seems to be an effort underway to hide away the fact that some have achieved greatness while others exist. Being extraordinary should not be liability. Yet it seems as if the ambition of all too may has become the pursuit of mediocrity. Just enough, good enough, it will do, that's fine, etc...

For America to be great, we must accept that there are great leaders who deserve our admiration, support, and full commitment. Elite is a perfectly acceptable word to use in describing athletes, artists, and institutions... but not our leaders. Political figures who are perceived as elitist can be obliterated by public opinion. In our schools, teachers or students who strive for excellence can be shunned for their quest to be better than they were, than others will be. The journey to greatness can be completed with tremendous humility, but we should never deny the purpose of the journey.

I have witnessed greatness. And for that, I am grateful.

Buble

In an industry overwhelmed with insincerity, Buble brings a raw honesty that is both refreshing and entertaining. Vocally amazing, Buble understands his craft on a deeper level. 

Brave - Idina Menzel

There is something very special about Idina's voice, so distinctive and yet beautifully subtle. This song connects me to so many people, so many moments, where I've witnessed a willingness to go against convention. Bravery is not always about facing the end - but most often about facing the beginning.

Defying Gravity

An absolutely fantastic song with powerful vocals to match the powerful message. The song is about choice and about a willingness to accept the consequences. Through this acceptance, greatness is possible and everyone is giving the chance to fly (even if you're flying solo).

Crayon Physics Deluxe

More information

I am inspired

Capacity for change is greatest in our youth. They are not so invested in the status quo that change seems overwhelming for them yet they are invested in the future and so feel a sense of obligation to make tomorrow theirs. This capacity is often contained and limited by the structures put in place by adults whose investment is in the past and have grown cynical of the future. Fortunately, as a teacher and an advisor, I have witnessed such acts of courage and initiative in my students that I am inspired.

Inspiration is such an incredible sensation. It suggests something more purposeful than hope and more tangible than dreams. What inspires each of us varies greatly. I know that many draw inspiration from faith or spiritual sources. Many others still are inspired by stories. This has been true for thousands of years and is at the core of many oral language traditions. We humans, social and creative, must be inspired to reach higher, to move faster, to carve out our place in the world - and stories of greatness can do that for us. I prefer the everyday stories, the everyday choices, for my source of inspiration.

• I am inspired by the student who speaks kindly, even though he never hears a kind word at home.

• I am inspired by the student who gives freely of time and resource, even though the world around her screams "acquire, buy, hoard".

• I am inspired by the student who risks a newly begun adult life to donate a kidney to his mother.

• I am inspired by the student who is accepting of diverse lifestyles, not because she would choose that life, but because she sees how much it hurts the other to feel so alone.

• I am inspired by the student who take risks by questioning hypocrisy and who helps me see things more clearly.

• I am inspired by the student who challenges peer expectations by speaking up and out for a friend headed down a destructive path... perhaps saving a life or at least a future.

There is something so powerful about a young person who refuses to conform to the limitations set up in front of them.

Thank you to all of you who inspire me, and others, with your courage, strength, passion, audacity, insight, and capacity for change.