A pause to think

As I sit to contemplate the similarities and differences between my learning organization and the organization our group observed I have an overwhelming sense of appreciation and gratitude for my department.  How cheesy, I know, but I just can't help but realize how privileged I am to be working for a Director who embodies our organizations purpose and mission, and to be working with an amazing group of individuals who bring their heart and commitment to the students of our university everyday.  Of course I this insight would probably not be as strong if I hadn't worked in an organization where there was incongruence between the goals of the department, the management style of the Directors, and the commitment of the employees.

In our ED 404 class we were asked to read a chapter from Margaret Wheatley's book "Leadership and the new science: discovering order in a chaotic world".  In this chapter she spoke of the unseen, but most certainly present, fields that influence organizations.  I'm a firm believer in fields, not only in organizations, but in all aspects of our lives.  When I was working for the disjointed organization I loved the work I was doing and the impact I was having on students' lives.  In fact, I was more excited about the student population that I was working with in that organization than I am with the student population I am currently working with.  However, many times per week I found myself struggling to get motivated to go into work, and when I did arrive I was counting down the hours until I would be able to leave.  These feelings were especially strong when I didn't have many students appointments to occupy my time.  I honestly can't describe what lead me to feel this way, individually the people I worked with were warm and caring, but as a whole the organization was out of sync.  I suspect that it was partially due to the leadership in the department, but I also believe that there were other forces at work including a disconnect between the way that the organization did business and the needs of the students.


I left that organization with both a sense of relief and a heavy heart.  It was very difficult for me to leave the students behind, but I was so thankful to have the opportunity to remove myself from, what was to me, a toxic environment.  So even though I've had to shift to working with a much broader student population with, in my opinion, a more limited impact on individual students, I have regained something that was beginning to recede, my motivation and passion for working with college-aged students, and a sense of belonging in an organization that shares this passion.  

It's just a little rain...

Last Friday, during the crazy rain/wind storm, Chris, Lauren, and I had a follow up meeting with the manager (J.V) of the organization we've been observing.  Again I was apprehensive about going in, not wanting to impose on his time or make him feel uncomfortable in anyway.  Once again my apprehensions were put to rest within 5 minutes of being there as J.V. and his staff welcomed us into the building and out of the weather.

Chris had arranged a meeting with J.V. weeks in advance and we had plenty to talk with him about after our tour at the beginning of the month and after hearing from our insightful instructors in the last few class sessions about how to go into these kinds of meetings.

I was thankful when we met with J.V., that we had heeded the advice of Patrick, Terry & Kate and ditched the formal questions and moved to a more conceptual framework.  I don't think we got as many questions answered as we may have if the meeting had been more interview style.  But I do believe that we would not have had the opportunity to hear the detail that J.V. shared with us in his response to the  "questions" we did ask, and we certainly wouldn't have experienced as much of the emotion behind the work he does with his organization.  And while the former would probably make for easier paper writing, the latter has given me a lot to think about regarding organizations and the kind of leader I hope to be someday.

Casual Observer

After some initial back and forth with our observation location, Lauren, Chris, and I went for our first visit this past weekend.  I found myself a bit apprehensive about going; the manager that we spoke with, while friendly, was unsure about us coming in to observe (he didn't want us to give the members of this organization the impression that the organization was under review in any way - so no note taking), and he asked that we come in wearing clothing that would make it seem less obvious that we were there for observation (wear workout clothes and maybe participate in a class or get in a workout).  So this is where my apprehension lay 1) I don't want to impose upon anyone, especially if they are uncomfortable with my being there, and 2) I haven't intentionally worked out, at a facility, in over a year.

What I found when we arrived was a warm welcoming environment.  The employees seemed genuinely happy to be there, and the members of the organization were treated like family.  The most interesting part of the day for me was how the employees treated us, as visitors.  The manager that we had arranged the visit was not there (we knew he would not be) so he asked another employee to give us a tour of the facility and answer any questions we might have.  We received a great tour, very thorough, and this particular employee was open to answering our questions.  We talked a lot with her about her experience working there (she'd been there almost one year) and I felt that she was candid about her experience. In fact, every employee that we had the opportunity to talk with expressed how lucky they felt to work there and what a wonderful environment it is to work.  I didn't have any feelings one way or the other what it would be like to visit the organization for the first time without the manager present, but in the end it was the perfect way to start.  I think we had a genuine experience of how the employees view the organization when the boss is absent, and what I observed was a well  developed sense of team, commitment to the organization, and care of the work that they perform.

Perception is Reality

I have to admit that coming back to class after the winter break has been a bit of a challenge.  Don't get me wrong, I love meeting with my cohort twice a week, exchanging ideas, and supporting one another in the process of changing our thinking.  But my motivation is beginning to wane slightly as the thought of another 10 week quarter, coupled with a rigorous selection process for a new student staff, looms ahead.

Imagine my surprise and relief as I completed the readings this week and the interconnectedness of the courses we are taking this quarter.  I find this years curriculum so refreshing as I learn new things each week that I can immediately take back and apply to my organization.  But I digress.

As a graduate student working on my Masters, a colleague of mine often reminded me that "perception is reality".  At the time, I was working as an Assistant Resident Director, with an additional assignment of serving as an advisor to a group  of students that served as Multicultural Assistants (MA's) in the residence halls.  Much like RA's, the MA's were responsible for programming around themes dealing with multiculturalism and diversity.  Since there was only one MA per building, the group would get together each week to discuss concerns, plan programs, and build capacity around diversity related topics.  Often I would draw on my colleague's mantra, "perception is reality", as I advised these young paraprofessionals about the important roles of culture, climate, diversity, and inclusion.

It seems to me no different in organizations.  This week's reading focused on organizational cultures and I was reminded of the lessons I learned from the MA group, and the students we served.  Culture is not always tangible.  It can't be touched, or held, or even, in a lot of circumstances, described to those who do not share the experience.  It is, however, something that each group member knows and understands, either as an insider or as an outsider.  So how do we as leaders create the culture that we wish for our organizations?  And, perhaps more importantly, how do we change a toxic culture to be one of shared responsibility, shared meaning, and shared purpose?  I'm feeling overwhelmed by the magnitude of this leadership role as I begin to put words to what I've known to be vitally important all along.

Thinking about technology and the generation gap

When Mark and I were preparing for our multimedia presentation we decided that we wanted to hear what students thought about the education if we took school out of the equation.  Initially we were going to send the prompt out to students are working or have worked for us, mainly because they are readily accessible with contact information and such.  Then as we were talking we decided that posting to facebook might prove to be interesting, and so I posted.

As a first-generation college graduate who comes from a small farming town in western Colorado, I have many friends that have a very different perspective than my own (as I'm sure most of us do).  So when I created the note on my page I decided to not only post to my wall but also to tag some individuals who I thought would have a very different take on the abandonment of brick and mortar schools.

One such remark came from my mom who posted this statement:
"If technology continues at the rate it is currently moving, the teacher will be a robot, the students will have computers implanted in their hands and no one will communicate in person any longer!!! Smell like rotten eggs to me!! God help us all! I know that's not what you were looking for, sorry Sissy."


My first reaction was "Wow, thanks a lot Mom for the help and the support".  But as time has past, and my ego is a little less bruised, I think I can understand a little more where she is coming from.  My parents have had a computer since 1997 but are still learning how to log on to the internet, check email, and make on-line purchases.  Forget about downloading iTunes, linking up for a video chatting session (which would be amazing since they live so far away), or participating in interactive gaming.  


I do my best to help them, as I have been deemed the family computer expert because I know how to add attachments to emails, but since they are not using the technology everyday they forget everything they've learned as soon as I board the plane back to CA.  I'm not sure where I'm going with this line of thinking since I know plenty of 50 somethings (even 60, 70, and 80 somethings) that have jumped on the technology bandwagon with gusto.  I guess mostly I feel a little sad that my parents are being left out of a huge piece of what is going on in the world, and while they may be just fine with it, I can't help but feel like their missing out on something amazing. 

October camping trip in CO with Dad, Mom, Sister & Brother (not pictured)

Using technology we have

The timing of simulated learning couldn't have been better planned.  Mark and I were meeting last week and started talking about using the technology we already have available.  For years airplane pilots have been completing training in flight simulators.  What a perfect opportunity for them to learn flying techniques under various conditions without the worry of harm to others.  We obviously place a great deal of trust in the effectiveness of flight simulation training as we take to the air with the confidence that pilots are well-trained and prepared to react on a moments notice to shifts in wind patterns, mechanical problems, and hundreds of other scenarios that can occur mid-air.  Why then has it taken us so long to use simulation in classrooms as another educational tool?  The answer most assuredly begins with money, access, and equipment.  These are certainly large hurdles to get over, there has to be opportunities to use what we do have access to in order to provide another way for students to engage in the process of learning.

I've also been thinking a lot about the shift of citizenship from a local focus to more of a global one and the role that each of us plays on the world stage.  It seems that there is not one piece of society that, with the availability of information sharing, is not globally integrated.   I strongly believe that each of us has a responsibility to make the human condition better, but understanding role is quite a challenge.  In the assignments for this week, I was especially excited by earth album and real lives (through Educational Simulations Corporation).   Each of these tools were exciting and engaging and left me wanting to explore more, in fact I'm thinking about downloading the free trial of real lives.  What would be the outcome if 5th, 8th, 11th graders, college freshmen, company executives, educational leaders, politicians took on the role of a world community member that is "living" a different experience than their own? Could the impact be great enough to lead to change in economics, education, the way we conduct business, society on a whole?

"In the future we will all be distance learners"

Ten years ago, as a Masters student, I was introduced to 'Blackboard'.  Our professor, Dr. Doris Wright, was convinced that distance learning was the future of higher education; I was convinced that she was crazy.  In my naiveté I could not imagine a world beyond the traditional brick and mortar campus.  Even greater was my disbelief that anyone would want to participate in higher education in this way when the "fun" of being a college student is being on campus.

I believe some of my initial thoughts about distance learning remain true.  Much of the learning that takes place on college campuses occurs outside of the classroom.  This learning takes place as students participate in clubs and organizations, attend performances, become active members of the community, and interact with hall mates in the residence halls.  It is difficult, if not impossible, to recreate the experience of living, growing, and developing amongst peers and in a distance learning situation there is a loss of what makes "going away to college" so exciting.

That being said, I know now that most of my initial thoughts on distance learning were completely arrogant and unfounded.  As an educator I believe strongly in access and equity in education.  It seems to me that distance learning provides a greater number of students access to education that could potentially change the trajectory of a student's life.  Most people attend college, or some form of continuing education, to earn a degree or certificate that, at least in theory, will provide them opportunities that would not otherwise be available with a high school diploma or GED certificate.  In this way there is power and strength in the future of education as we move from what we know to be true to the possibilities of tomorrow.