My Beauty Best Teacher

Increasingly, one of the distinctive features of Obama's Presidency is its lack of vision. As I was reading about Obama's decision to cancel NASA's Constellation program, this thought struck me even more so than my earlier "Obama's New NASA Policy- Yet More Broken Promises and Lies" thought. Oh, I still believe that Obama's policy represents yet another example of how he breaks promises and lies through his teeth, but I'm past that now, and now I'm sad about the loss of the Constellation program because it demonstrates the lack of vision by our President.

If Obama was reaching for the stars and falling short, at least he would be getting into the upper atmosphere. If Obama was attempting to do grand new things, it would be a different story, but what we have with Obama is a President who is covering all the bases that Europe and the Soviet Union already covered long ago. Nationalized healthcare isn't bold or new- it's been tried and done and proven to be a failure for decades. High taxes, high regulation, and redistributing wealth to poor, unproductive people? USSR did that and found it failed too.

Go down the list of Obama's bold vision for the future, and what you find is someone who is firmly fixed on visions of the past put forth by people like Woodrow Wilson and FDR. Obama is not dreaming big and reaching for big things. He isn't going to remake society, or change society- he is going to drag society back into the mud, try ideas that have already been tried and failed, and display an utter lack of real vision when it comes to solving the problems facing our society today.

This is not to say that Republicans have vision- some of the approaches of the Republican Congress from 2000-2006 and George W. Bush's Presidency were pretty blind-sighted. Oh, there were visionary attempts- reforming social security, No Child Left Behind, Department of Homeland Security- but not enough. And this isn't to say that those were successes- some were, some were not- but at least he was reaching for the stars, trying to hit one out of the park, and doing something that got our nation excited.

Obama sees the moon, and instead of reaching for it, instead of dreaming about getting past it, instead of seeing Americans settling asteroids and exploring the galaxy, he looks down, and down, and down, and sees Chicago, and the power politics of that city, and drags people into the mud to squeal with him at the trough of pork and name calling. He pinches pennies from visionary programs and then throws dollars at failed policies of a bygone-era. He has an utter lack of vision. Listen to Obama talk about the America of the future and it looks strikingly like the Soviet Union of the past or the Europe of the past. It is not visionary in that it looks to the future and imagines how to get there.

As Obama's poll numbers dip, as Republicans win back the House and Senate, Obama will not become more visionary. To be a visionary, you need confidence in your vision, energy and skill to take someone there, and a self-confidence to plow ahead and drag a nation into the future behind you. That isn't Obama- he is a shell of a man, play-acting as an adult, desperately trying to hide his lack of knowledge of history and economics, and rather sadly filled with hubris and unfounded overconfidence. He has only been in office one year, and is snapping and fraying at the edges, looking old and haggard in spite of his low workload and frequent vacations. As he loses popularity, he will become less visionary and will push harder and harder for visions that he read about or was told about by someone else- you can count on that.

UPDATE: At least someone out there has vision- too bad it is Iran. Iran announced Wednesday it has successfully launched a research rocket carrying a mouse, two turtles and worms into space — a feat President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said showed Iran could defeat the West in the battle of vision.

Today I watched the movie Apollo 13 for perhaps that hundredth time. As I watched that wonderful movie, I grew a little emotional, but it wasn't because of the drama of the movie- it was because I am upset and angry and sad that America has abandoned manned spaceflight in my lifetime, and seems to be abandoning the larger future too, a future where man would harness the power of an atom splitting and travel among the stars, a future of dreams and inspiration. America instead is collapsing on the weight of promises made to generations past, ruled over by elitist politicians who seek only to control us, and everyday our nation moves farther away from living a prosperous life in the stars in freedom and liberty, however preposterous or unlikely that future may have been.

The current leadership of our nation speaks of 'progress,' but they are abandoning nuclear power and manned spaceflight in favor of providing healthcare insurance to people who are encouraged not to purchase it and spending money they don't have to support railroads and electric motor carriages and windmills. The future that Obama, Democrats, liberals, and Republicans that go along with them is not a future full of cheap safe energy and man roaming freely in the stars- it is a future with man going backward, remembering that once, long ago, before I was born and before my students were born, man built generators that were powered by the atom splitting and man walked on the moon.

Man once walked on the moon! Nuclear power plants were once built! Say it- and then realize that these are events of the past- that the new normal and likely new future of America and the world is a long, slow slide backwards into tyranny, injustice, and confiscation of property by elites. Oh, I know it is 'nice' to give out healthcare to anyone who asks and that we all want teachers to be paid a million bucks and that no job should be insecure and that energy should be provided from dancing on the suns rays or blowing gently on flowers, but that is not reality! The reality is that the future is slipping away, and much like the greatness of Rome was the standard for centuries or the might of Britain was to be envied for generations, ours is a time that is slipping away, slipping away based on the policies pushed for by Democrats like Obama, Granholm, Stabenow, Levin, Rogers, and others. Modern day liberalism has failed to move man into the future- rather, man has been moved backwards through its policies of standing in the way of human liberty and freedom, by embracing the killing of life and babies, and by stealing other peoples property.

The reality of the situation is that Obama and the policies of Democrats in Congress and in the Senate are stopping the development of nuclear power, which is safer and more environmentally friendly than any other power generation, even with the worst case events of Japan factored in. By moving away from nuclear power, especially in the way that we are moving away from nuclear power, we are retreating from what made and makes our nation great enough to get to the moon and beyond.

Here is part of my post from 2009 called Yucca Mountain, in which I wrote:

But this is not a nation built on laws from our legislative branch any more- our nation is turning into a dictatorship of tyranny under Obama. Obama declared that the policy will change, that the Yucca Mountain facility will no longer be considered as a site to store our waste, and that from now on, he is calling the shots in our nation, not Congress. He openly defied Congress and his energy secretary, Steven Chu, has mocked efforts by Congress to have him follow the laws of our nation with regards to this issue.

There is no real backup plan advanced either- Obama in all his brilliance is putting together a 'blue-ribbon' panel to produce a report on what to do with the nuclear waste that is piling up in our nuclear facilities, but nothing will come of this effort and 4 years from now, we'll just have more nuclear waste building up in temporary on-site storage's that were never designed or meant to house spent nuclear material for long periods safely. Obama's policies will hurt the security and environment of our nation, and he is putting these policies in place in clear violation to the laws and policies that Congress has legislated this very year.

The absurdity of the situation is that Obama and the Democrats are spending trillions of money that they don't have, spending more money and accumulating more debt than any other administration ever before, and yet they are actually cutting and blocking real programs that will take us into the future! Blocking funding and support for nuclear power is just one part of this retreat backward.

Here is part of my post from Feb of 2010 called Obama is No Visionary:

Increasingly, one of the distinctive features of Obama's Presidency is its lack of vision. As I was reading about Obama's decision to cancel NASA's Constellation program, this thought struck me even more so than my earlier "Obama's New NASA Policy- Yet More Broken Promises and Lies" thought. Oh, I still believe that Obama's policy represents yet another example of how he breaks promises and lies through his teeth, but I'm past that now, and now I'm sad about the loss of the Constellation program because it demonstrates the lack of vision by our President.

If Obama was reaching for the stars and falling short, at least he would be getting into the upper atmosphere. If Obama was attempting to do grand new things, it would be a different story, but what we have with Obama is a President who is covering all the bases that Europe and the Soviet Union already covered long ago. Nationalized healthcare isn't bold or new- it's been tried and done and proven to be a failure for decades. High taxes, high regulation, and redistributing wealth to poor, unproductive people? USSR did that and found it failed too.

Go down the list of Obama's bold vision for the future, and what you find is someone who is firmly fixed on visions of the past put forth by people like Woodrow Wilson and FDR. Obama is not dreaming big and reaching for big things. He isn't going to remake society, or change society- he is going to drag society back into the mud, try ideas that have already been tried and failed, and display an utter lack of real vision when it comes to solving the problems facing our society today.

This is not to say that Republicans have vision- some of the approaches of the Republican Congress from 2000-2006 and George W. Bush's Presidency were pretty blind-sighted. Oh, there were visionary attempts- reforming social security, No Child Left Behind, Department of Homeland Security- but not enough. And this isn't to say that those were successes- some were, some were not- but at least he was reaching for the stars, trying to hit one out of the park, and doing something that got our nation excited.

Obama sees the moon, and instead of reaching for it, instead of dreaming about getting past it, instead of seeing Americans settling asteroids and exploring the galaxy, he looks down, and down, and down, and sees Chicago, and the power politics of that city, and drags people into the mud to squeal with him at the trough of pork and name calling. He pinches pennies from visionary programs and then throws dollars at failed policies of a bygone-era. He has an utter lack of vision. Listen to Obama talk about the America of the future and it looks strikingly like the Soviet Union of the past or the Europe of the past. It is not visionary in that it looks to the future and imagines how to get there.

As Obama's poll numbers dip, as Republicans win back the House and Senate, Obama will not become more visionary. To be a visionary, you need confidence in your vision, energy and skill to take someone there, and a self-confidence to plow ahead and drag a nation into the future behind you. That isn't Obama- he is a shell of a man, play-acting as an adult, desperately trying to hide his lack of knowledge of history and economics, and rather sadly filled with hubris and unfounded overconfidence. He has only been in office one year, and is snapping and fraying at the edges, looking old and haggard in spite of his low workload and frequent vacations. As he loses popularity, he will become less visionary and will push harder and harder for visions that he read about or was told about by someone else- you can count on that.

Whether it is retasking NASA to build Muslim self-esteem or being too busy playing golf to get around to appointing an administrator to run NASA or cancelling our manned space programs, Obama's vision, supported by Democrats and liberals, is one that drags our nation back into the barbarian past and not to the glorious future.

I still want my nuclear powered jetpack to take me to the moon and back, but thanks to Obama and Democrats and their liberal policies, every year this dream becomes less a possible future and more a crazy dream of hope and change.

Africa has long been saddled with poor,even malevolent, leadership: predatory kleptocrats, military-installed autocrats,economic illiterates, and puffed-up posturers. By far the most egregious examples come from Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Zimbabwe—countries that have been run into the ground despite their abundant natural resources. But these cases are by no means unrepresentative: by some measures, 90 percent of sub-Saharan African nations have experienced despotic rule in the last three decades. Such leaders use power as an end in itself, rather than for the public good; they are indifferent to the progress of their citizens (although anxious to receive their adulation); they are unswayed by reason and employ poisonous social or racial ideologies; and they are hypocrites, always shifting blame for their countries’ distress. Under the stewardship of these leaders,infrastructure in many African countries has fallen into disrepair, currencies have depreciated, and real prices have inflated dramatically, while job availability,health care, education standards, and life expectancy have declined. Ordinary life has become beleaguered: general security has deteriorated, crime and corruption have increased, much-needed public funds have flowed into hidden bank accounts, and offcially sanctioned ethnic discrimination—sometimes resulting in civil war—has become prevalent. This depressing picture is brought into even sharper relief by the few but striking examples of effective African leadership in recent decades. These leaders stand out because of their strength of character, their adherence to the principles of participatory democracy, and their ability to overcome deep-rooted challenges. The government of Mozambique, for example, brought about economic growth rates of more than ten percent between 1996 and 2003, following the economic catastrophe wrought by that country’s civil war (which ended in 1992). And in Kenya, President Mwai Kibaki has strengthened civil society, invested in education, and removed barriers to economic entrepreneurship instated during the repressive rule of Daniel arap Moi.The best example of good leadership in Africa is Botswana. Long before diamonds were discovered there, this former desert protectorate, which was neglected by the British under colonialism, demonstrated a knack for participatory democracy, integrity, tolerance, entrepreneurship, and the rule of law. The country has remained democratic in spirit as well as form continuously since its independence in 1966—an unmatched record in Africa. It has also defended human rights, encouraged civil liberties, and actively promoted its citizens’ social and economic development.
GOOD APPLES
What has enabled Botswana to succeed where so many other African nations have failed? Some observers point to the relative linguistic homogeneity of the country. But Somalia, which remains unstable despite a similar uniformity, shows that this factor is far from sufficient.Others point to the century-old teachings of the congregational London Missionary Society—the peaceful, pragmatic outlook that is inextricably bound up in the country’s political culture. But this explanation also fails to explain why the same positive effects have not been witnessed in other countries with a history of Christian teaching, such as in neighboring Zambia. Nor are Botswana’s plentiful diamond reserves responsible:Angola, Gabon, and Nigeria all have abundant natural resources, but none has seen comparable returns for its people.It is Botswana’s history of visionary leadership, especially in the years following independence, that best explains its success. Sir Seretse Khama, Botswana’s founding president, came from a family of Bamangwato chiefs well regarded for their benevolence and integrity.
When Khama founded the Botswana Democratic Party in 1961 and led his country to independence, he was already dedicated to the principles of deliberative democracy and market economy that would allow his young country to flourish. Modest, unostentatious as a leader, and a genuine believer in popular rule, Khama forged a participatory and law-respecting political culture that has endured under his successors, Sir Ketumile Masire and Festus Mogae. Although operating in very differerent circumstances, Mauritius’ first leader,Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, held to the same leadership codes as Khama.Ramgoolam gave Mauritius a robust democratic beginning, which has been sustained by a series of wise successors from different backgrounds and parties.Both Khama and Ramgoolam could have emulated many of their contemporaries by establishing strong, single-man, kleptocratic regimes. But they refused to do so.Effective leadership has proved the decisive factor in South Africa, too: without Nelson Mandela’s inclusive and visionary leadership, his adherence to the rule of law, his insistence on broadening the delivery of essential services, and his emphasis on moving from a commandeconomy toward a market-driven one, South Africa would probably have emerged from apartheid as a far more fractured and autocratic state than it did.Too few African leaders have followed the examples of Mandela, Khama, and foreign affairs . Ramgoolam. Ghana, Lesotho, Mali, and Senegal are all showing promise. But in many other African countries,leaders have begun their presidential careers as democrats only to end up, a term or two later, as corrupt autocrats: Bakili Muluzi of Malawi, Moi of Kenya,and, most dramatically of all, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. Other leaders, such as Sam Nujoma of Namibia and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, may be heading in the same direction.
A BOLD INITIATIVE
To build on the positive leadership examples, a select group of prominent past and present African leaders who met over the last year decided to confront the continent’s pathology of poor leadership with deeds as well as words. At the conclusion of a series of private meetings(the final one of which was held in Mombasa, Kenya), they established the African Leadership Council, promulgated a Code of African Leadership with 23 commandments, issued a Mombasa Declaration promoting better leadership,and proposed a series of courses to train their political successors in the art of good government.Members of the council believe that absolute standards of leadership are both appropriate and attainable. Good leaders deliver security of the state and of the person, the rule of law, good education and health services, and a framework conducive to economic growth. They ensure effective arteries of commerce and enshrine personal and human freedoms. They empower civil society and protect the environmental commons. Crucially, good leaders also provide their citizens with a sense of belonging to a national enterprise. Conscious that Africa’s poor are getting poorer and that good governance is essential for successful economic development, the council sees itself at
the vanguard of fundamental reform in the continent. Its approach certainly goes far beyond the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (nepad) and proposals for the African Union. The Code of African Leadership, for example, says in its first commandment that leaders should “offer a coherent vision of individual growth and national advancement with justice and dignity for all,” implying that most leaders today do not. Other commandments demand that African leaders encourage “broad participation,” adhere to the letter and spirit of their national constitutions (especially term limits), encourage dissent and disagreement, respect human rights and civil liberties, strengthen the rule of law, promote policies that eradicate poverty and improve the wellbeing of their citizens, ensure a strong code of ethics, refuse to use their offices
for personal gain, oppose corruption, and bolster essential personal freedoms. This uncommonly bold agenda seeks to avoid renewed patrimonial leadership debacles, such as those presided over by Mobutu Sese Seko in Zaire, Moi in Kenya, Idi Amin in Uganda, and Jean-Bedel Bokassa in the Central African Republic. The council is highly conscious,too, of the hijacking of Zimbabwe’s government by Mugabe, which has resulted in starvation and drastically reduced living standards.The council is chaired by former President Sir Ketumile Masire of Botswana and includes former Nigerian head of state General Yakubu Gowon,Vice President Moody Awori of Kenya, former Prime Minister Hage Geingob of Namibia, and a dozen other present and former prime ministers and cabinet ministers from Sierra Leone to Kenya, Malawi, and Uganda. All are regarded throughout Africa as men of unusual personal probity and esteem and as accomplished proponents of good governance. The council intends to recruit additional members from the ranks of Africa’s outstanding democratic leaders, Francophone and Anglophone, female and male. Together they will serve the continent by advising international organizations, individual countries, and donor agencies on how to improve leadership. The group stands ready to assist civil societies in countries undergoing serious leadership crises. It will also urge greedy national leaders to attack corrupt practices and adhere to term limits (the current presidents of Gabon, Malawi, Namibia,Uganda, and Zambia, for example, have all had pangs of desire for illegal third terms). Next year(2005), it expects to begin holding special seminars for cabinet ministers and others. The council’s curriculum emphasizes constitutionalism, the rule of law, ethics, accountability,diversity, good fiscal management, coalition building, and the fundamentals of modern micro- and macroeconomics. Training courses will soon be launched.Whether the efforts of the African Leadership Council will reduce bloodshed,diminish corruption, and encourage more prosperity for citizens across Africa is by no means certain. But as a unique African response to the continent’s immense needs, this innovative endeavor is a promising, dramatic step forward.

By
Robert I. Rotberg

Reprinted with permission
Copyrighted 2004 Council on Foreign relations Inc. All Rights Reserved

My minister always says if you passed a test then you have a testimony. I am sharing this very personal story because recently I passed a test. One of my favorite biblical passages is aptly titled "For Everything There Is A Season." I have written about it here on my blog before. I hope that none of you will comment negatively on my blog this morning because today I am celebrating . Today is my season, my little boy, Blake (now five years older and a grown young man of 19 years) returned back home to his family of origin.

Blake was abducted from me almost five years ago this year. Many lies were told by a vindictive ex which propelled me into a legal court battle that defied reason. To fight this battle in court it cost me thousands and thousands of dollars and appearances before more than 12 judges . I was willing to pay whatever the cost so that I could continue to have a relationship with my son. Every legal door I opened somehow was closed on me despite the obvious evidence. In one instant of a judge's ruling- it felt like I had lost everything. I remember thinking in the parking lot that day- what is to become of me ? After all I had a full-time job but I also had spent the last 15 years being someones mommy. I imagined- what will I do now ?

I vowed to never become bitter or take out my anger on anyone because of what happened to me. I turned to God for guidance even though I didn't have a strong spiritual connection. I asked the question if not be a mother, what is it that you would have me do ? The answer to this question became my quest. I read the bible over and over again and even purchased many soul searching books. The answer eventually became clear to me symbolically. I was to use my talents to help others in need . I also developed a closer spiritual connection and joined a church.

Somehow many problems have landed conveniently at my doorstep. I use to say out loud- nobody's home, my plate is full, can't you see I 'm busy God ?

I remember thinking, what next? First my cousin Brice asked me to sign legal papers to be his medical power of attorney (MOA). I thought why not, we aren't going to get really sick before we are at least 90. Little did I know within 6 months, Brice was in a coma. Had I really took the time to understand my role as a MOA- I would have never signed onto this job at least not in my right state of mind. I made the decision that Brice would not be taken off a ventilator when the hospital and his grown daughters urged me regularly to pull the plug. I vowed to the hospital that like the legal agreement I signed, they would have to kill me or die trying to prove to me that there is not even a remote chance that Brice could regain consciousness ever. I studied the Internet on ventilator statistics . I became a resident expert on Brice's condition and questioned many of the doctors' questionable practices. They hated me but eventually came around to my way of thinking that there was a possibility that Brice would wake up. I think the medical staff only tolerated me really until one day I came to visit and there Brice was sitting up in bed. He winked at me and mouthed the words I love you. Later he told me this is why I picked you to be the MOA- you are fanatical in everything you do. I responded - I am, I didn't know that. I reasoned had I been a parent I would not been able to assume such a responsibility and help save Brice's life or develop a much closer relationship with him.

Even though I worked with Brice until he got released back home, the sad news is that Brice decided to give up on life without even telling me. He stopped taking his medication and all therapies unbeknownst to me, even though he had come such a long way. I was Brice's biggest cheerleader and he was mine. When I doubted my son would return home, Brice would light into me like I into him when he tried to stop believing that he would get better. I hope Brice is smiling down on me this morning. My only regret is he didn't live to see what he already knew would be.

Next came another challenge, I was asked to run on the union executive board slate on the Hicks/Nicholson campaign. Actually the race was quite close and we lost. I thought that was probably it for me as far as being a union officer. I convinced myself to believe I tried my best and it didn't work out. I had planned to spend some more time being a long earned couch potato. That didn't happen.

Challenge number 3- a colleague asked me to become the WTU Building representative after all she was retiring. I thought- hmmf are you kidding me ? She gave me a litany of reasons why I was the only one and I would be good for this job. At the time we had a lot of issues with one crazy, crazy boss. I knew that it could easily become another full time job. I longed for something to do while I mourned losing Brice. I was swamped with complaints from our members. I wrote emails into the night on members behalf. While I was burning the midnight oil, I enjoyed it immensely and ran 2 more times successfully. I was quite content just being a building rep. Then I was approached about running on another union slate as a board of trustee. I thought perhaps this would be a great opportunity to help our union, teachers and school related staff in a broader capacity. Of course we won and the rest is history. It lead to me writing this blog. Destiny ?

This past Friday, I was given an award titled 'Visionary' by my colleagues and program managers. While some other colleagues were given other awards- somehow the distinction of being a visionary humbled me. I was touched because I think that all that I have done for others was not of my own doing. I truly believe I was destined to be just who I have become. I had to lose my son for a reason so that I could be in this place. What's odd is that while I was just passing time awaiting Blake's return- I really wasn't waiting because I embraced my role and accepted my lot telling myself- it's not your season to be a mother. Time has really flown by fast. I cried through my pain the first 3 years of this ordeal. Sometimes, I didn't know if I was crying for Brice, crying for Blake or crying for myself. Heaven has many of my tears in a bottle to prove this. Little did I know while-I became engrossed in order to save my own sanity I found my true passion- the labor movement, albeit late.

This Saturday night I got a call from my aunt. Blake left of his own volition on Wednesday night from the controlling imprisonment of an alienating father. For those of you who don't know- there is a syndrome called parental alienation syndrome known as PAS where one parent tries to erase the other parent from a child's life by denigrating the other parent and brainwashing the child into a spiral of hatred against the targeted parent. In studies of thousands of custody cases, psychiatrists and psychologists have compared this syndrome to being in a cult. What we know about cults is that the cult leader (the father in this case) tries to deny contact from almost anyone from the outside world. The child complies in order to survive as well as others who reside with the cult leader. It leads to the child's virtual imprisonment and ultimate control by the leader or father in this case. This is what happened to us. After extensive research, PAS support groups, my participation in clinical studies , talks with my lawyers, I have better come to understand this syndrome.

I did not sleep at all last night. In fact I am still up and its 5:30 in the morning. I am not losing sleep for the same reasons that I did in the past. Tonight is the answer to a mother's long awaited prayers. Welcome home Blake! Thank you God- you're awesome ! I love and miss you too Brice- you will always be in my heart. For all of you who stood by me during these difficult times you know who you are and what you have meant to my survival. A 'special thanks' to my family. I thank you for all the times you listened and encouraged me to persevere. The names of my family members have been changed to protect them. (Posted by The Washington Teacher).

Edward Miguel discusses Nation Building in his Boston Review article about Africa's Prospects:

It should not be surprising that it is taking a full generation or more for real nationhood to take root in these infant countries. Everything started from scratch after independence. Politicians had to figure out how to forge political compromises across class, regional, gender, linguistic, tribal, and religious lines. History and civics textbooks needed to be written. Citizens had to come up with their own national narratives and heroes. Creating new identities and institutions is not something that foreign colonizers, aid donors, or the IMF and World Bank are willing or able to do. That kind of transformation demands visionary leaders, who have too often been lacking in Africa, or have themselves been victims of political violence. Further complicating matters, leaders and citizens trying to assemble structures of civic life must contend with the immediate economic imperatives of boosting agricultural productivity, educating the workforce, and building a modern transportation infrastructure.

via 3 Quarks Daily
Photo Courtesy of Christopher Herwig/herwigphoto.com

Image by FaceMePLS via Flickr

“I used to think that anyone doing anything weird was weird. I suddenly realized that anyone doing anything weird wasn’t weird at all, and it was the people saying they were weird that were weird.” Paul McCartney

What makes you, you?

What makes normal, normal?

What if "normal" just another word for boring? 


I love Lisa Durff’s cat in the hat and the funny avatars of some people. There are those who love virtual worlds and others who just love to banter on Twitter. We all bring something different to the table.


My Dad has always told me about criticism that the only people who are criticized are those who are actually doing something. He’ll say to me, 

“Hey, you’ve arrived. If someone thinks you’re worth taking the time time criticize then you’re doing something that someone has noticed. Don't be so upset.”

 Daddy, when will I really listen?



The only consistent  thing you and I have in common between this side of the monitor and that one is that we’re different. Let’s celebrate the things that some would say make us “weird.”


In Camilla, they used to think that this blogging thing is “weird” - now not so much. But I did go stick a foursquare cling up in the front office and I’ve emerged into weird again. I don’t care. Part of me needs to be experimenting, learning, and pushing the envelope and learning! If that is weird , then so be it. That is me.


That is you too!


I agree with Paul McCartney - how often do you hear the extraordinary person ever take time to call another person weird?


It usually comes from those who want to keep others “in line” - status quo, wanting to do the same thing the same way forever. Don’t be different from us - don’t do anything new - that’s weird - come back over here with “us” and be “normal.” Stay the same. Don’t move forward.


Celebrate being YOU! If someone criticizes you or calls you “weird” - hats off - you’re in good company. 


Think of those in history who were very different - most often it is the punctuation marks - the exclamation points of history - the leaders, the creators who have this label and also the joy of leaving a legacy of change and leadership. (And certainly, some with negative legacies as well.)

“We all live in a yellow submarine.”

Who would picture that as a great song - kinda weird? 


Nope. Not after McCartney and his Beattle Buddies sang it. No longer weird. 


After you sing your tune and people see how it is put together, you might not be weird either! You might just be a visionary.

(Oh, by the way, Paul McCartney has written his first ballet, to debut in September.)

5 Ways to be Weird (in a good way ;-)

1. Break your routine. Go somewhere different. Go outside when you usually go inside. Eat a different kind of food.
   
2. Associate with people who are different than you. Find someone who is not in your “circle of friends” this week and spend some time getting to know him/her. Ask him about his childhood. Ask her about her favorite things to do. Listen.
   
3. Find something that inspires you. Search for your favorite creative pasttime on Youtube and learn something new.
   
4. Do something creative. Art. Poetry. A Blog. Tweet a haiku. Take 15 minutes to create something out of the ordinary. Take a photograph.
   
5. Turn off the technology. Take an hour, a day or a week and turn it ALL off. All of it. TV. Radio. (did I just say radio - who listens to that any more?) Cell phone. Computers. Twitter. All of it. Go somewhere to be alone without it. Or just sit in your house Clear your mind and think. Use a mindmap or your journal or whatever to just think about your life, something creative, anything. Just take a mental vacation. Tackle something you’ve been wanting to spend time thinking about. Just be. 
   
   So, you say you "can't" turn it off. Let me ask you - if it is so important who is going to answer your phone when you die? Well, as the book I'm reading The Way We're Working Isn't Working says that people who take vacations live longer AND actually get better performance reviews. The more vacation they take, the higher the reviews!

To Zero
To finish up, I dedicate this post to a dear, talented, super bright someone I know that has named himself "zero." He thinks that everything multiplied by zero makes zero, but what he doesn't know is that people like him make others better and lives more interesting. 

When I have a student like him - he takes my 1 and ads a zero on the end to make the interest level in my classroom into a 10! He takes me to a whole new place!


Often people who think they are zeroes are just that - they take us to new places!!


Letter to my Zero
My dear zero, I identify with you because here are times in my life, more recent than you might think, that I thought I was a zero too. Celebrate that you are different and be who you are. You are dear, smart, and amazing and this too shall pass. I pray that I can be a magnifying glass for your soul to see the talent and wonder you bring into this world. You take me to new places.


Find the Zeroes - Help them see their 10-ship
Teachers, remember your noble calling. Look for the student who names himself "zero" and find what makes him/her great. YOU can and should do it. This is your noble calling. No one will ever pay you enough nor understand that this calling isn't a job it is the mission of your very soul. It is what you are put on this earth to do. 


Love those kids in your classroom. They are your legacy and no, not a one of them is a zero. 

You're not either. You may be tired. You may be disheartened. If you are, your emotions are LYING to you. YOU, my friend, are a vital link to our future!! You are the nobility of the modern generation - ACT like it!


In fact, if you're a teacher, educator, principal, IT director, parent volunteer - anyone giving their life to this generation - you're a perfect 10 to me!


Remember your noble calling!

George Ayittey wrote "...We need TECHNOCRATS to fix our broken, dysfunctional institutions. REPAIRMEN or plumbers who will unclog the gutters or the system. CUTLASSES to chop down all the dead woods Rawlings packed into the civil service. PINCERS to de-worm the judiciary, and so on...You do NOT need an Nkrumah (a visionary and Pan-Africanist) or a Mandela (a heroic campaigner against white injustice) because they are NOT technocrats..."

Ron Clark is unconventional but he gets results. Some of you will cringe when he talks about teaching on top of his desk or wonder how he does it when kids enter his school to a red carpet and applause. He has a flair for creating experiences.

I enjoy Ron’s writing. His optimistic, upbeat tone full of:

“I don’t have money. I have tons of obstacles but I’m going to do everything in my power to make learning magnetic for my students” attitude resonates with me. In fact, sometimes I feel like jumping up on the desk myself and saying, “Amen” to the empty desks as I read this book during lunch and break.

Ron’s new book, The End of Molasses Classes: Getting Our Kids Unstuck--101 Extraordinary Solutions for Parents and Teachers has lots of great ideas.

I got up on a chair

I do have to admit that I had one class that was being a bit loud and I got on a chair (a steady one) and the class completely quieted down.

“Mrs.. Vicki, we like that, do it again.” said one student. It was strange. I haven’t done it often but sometimes when I’m excited and really want their attention, I do. (Disclaimer: OK, if you can’t get up on a chair or don’t have anything steady, don’t do this in your classroom. Do it at your own risk.)

Esprit de Corps

I do love how he builds Esprit de corps with the four “Houses” at his school.

I recommend this book

I adore this book and have finished up reading it because I will hear him speak next Monday at the GISA conference where I’m also presenting a session. I know that I probably won’t be able to get near him with the crush of fans, but if I can score a pic then I’ll share.

I admit that I get a ton of books to review and my point to authors is that I will do no harm. If I have big criticisms I will let them know but if I love it, I will always tell everyone. This one I love.

He has lots of energy and I adore his ideas. I highly recommend this book. I do think it has value for parents but I really wish administrators would read this book because so many of these things come down from a visionary leader.

Dress for Success

I have to admit that I also like how the teachers dress. They dress in a way that promotes their professionalism and yes, that means suits, coats, and ties. I know that some of you cringe at the thought, but personally, I wear suits 4 days a week and on Friday I wear jeans and a Westwood Wildcat sweatshirt. I won’t look down upon my very professional peers who don’t dress that way, but I do think that attire makes a difference when you’re a teacher. Teachers dressed like hookers or college students make it hard to teach and invite the ire of parents and administrators even if they don’t know it.

I hope one day to get to see his school in action. He co-founded Ron Clark Academy with the Middle school teacher of the year in Atlanta, Georgia.

I’m headed to GAETC today to Atlanta and have been up since 3 am. (Up and back in one day.) I’m excited about learning so many great things today.

Mfonobong Nsehe asks? in an American Chronicle article:

Are there any universities at all which are as supportive of student entrepreneurs as to organizing business plan competitions to fund businesses of students which have mega potential?...Where are you going to find venture capitalists in Kenya or elsewhere in Africa who will be willing to swallow their pride and listen to a student entrepreneur who is armed with nothing but a world-shaking idea?

He believes that:

We have such bright student entrepreneurs in Africa. But until African financiers and the self-proclaimed 'Venture capitalists' are easily accessible and listen to student entrepreneurs in our African Universities, Africa may never have its own answers to such mega, internationally famed corporations like Google, Yahoo, TicketAdvantage, CollegeHumor and Facebook which were all the brainchildren of student entrepreneurs. We need financiers who will believe in and support the dreams of African student entrepreneurs and get those big ideas out of the boxes and into the pages of history. African student entrepreneurs are equally as smart, gifted and visionary and if supported can come up with big, world-changing ideas that would change the world.

And so, will the venture capitalists in Africa please stand up?

via eikonne

Michael J. Isimbabi of the The African Leadership and Progress Network writes about Leadership and Governance. "...While the international community can provide much needed assistance, it is unrealistic to count on it to free African countries from bad leaderships and poor governance, given the hard realities of global geopolitics and economics. Whatever the underlying causes of slow progress in Africa may be, Africans themselves have to take responsibility for their own progress. In this regard, the development of indigenous capacity and homegrown policies informed by local knowledge and perspectives provides the best hope for poverty alleviation in poor countries...The onus therefore falls squarely on well-off and accomplished Africans to proactively take charge of fostering good governance and the evolution of visionary and transformational leaderships in their countries. The financial, intellectual, and other resources of accomplished Africans, especially those outside the continent ("Overseas" or "Diaspora" Africans), are yet to be fully tapped and effectively utilized toward fostering African progress, particularly leadership/governance capacity building with a strong private sector orientation."

Several times on my blog I've written about how President Obama has handled NASA. I've criticized that it took Obama several months to bother to getting around to appointing a new head of this agency in my post Obama too Busy to Appoint Public Officials. I've criticized Obama's decision to cancel NASA's Constellation program, pointing out that by doing this he has revealed to me that he does not not have a bold vision of the future that reaches for the stars, but instead has a vision of the world that is old and already tried (call it tyranny, call it European socialism, call it whatever you want) that sets it sights on the mud underneath our boots- see my post Obama is No Visionary for more on this idea. And lastly I've criticized Obama's budget proposal for NASA last year, a budget that will have NASA focus on studies and reports and analysis for future plans, and change its mission away from exploration of outer space to research and monitoring of climate change- see my post Obama's New NASA Policy- Yet More Broken Promises and Lies for more on this.

Today over at Powerlineblog I watched a video from the Director of NASA (who Obama eventually got around to appointing) that is just mind blowing, and yet another example of how badly voters messed up our nation (perhaps beyond the point of no return) when they voted for Obama and the Democrats over the last several elections. Here is how Powerlineblog reviews the video:

In the video below, Charles Bolden, head of NASA, tells Al Jazeera that the "foremost" task President Obama has given him is "to find a way to reach out to the Muslim world and engage much more with predominantly Muslim nations to help them feel good about their historic contribution to science, math, and engineering." Thus, NASA's primary mission is no longer to enhance American science and engineering or to explore space, but to boost the self-esteem of "predominantly Muslim nations."

Exploring space didn't even make the top three things Obama wants Bolden to accomplish. The other two are "re-inspire children to want to get into science and math" and "expand our international relationships."

This is more evidence, if any were needed, of Obama's lack of interest in American achievement or, indeed, American greatness. He seems to believe we've achieved enough (or perhaps too much) and that the trick now is to make nations that have achieved little for centuries feel like we couldn't have done it without them (in the video, Bolden goes on to talk about how much NASA owes the Russians and the Japanese).

Behind the bravado of the Muslim world there may well lie an inferiority complex. If so, Obama is a fool if he believes we can help Muslims overcome that complex by having the head of the agency that symbolizes our technical superiority make patronizing statements about ancient Muslim contributions to science.

Here is the video, where Obama's appointment (confirmed by the Democrats in Congress) discusses NASA's new mission to build Muslim self-esteem, inspire children, build relationships, and study climate change (basically anything other than explore outer space, put men on the moon, build bigger rockets, conquer Mars, or anything that NASA was really established for):

Originally via Weasel Zippers.

• Cybraryman Internet Catalogue

  My Moodle page: http://tinyurl.com/y6454wb #mootnz11

  tags: mootnz11 twitter

• Leadership Lessons from Heroes, the Bravest of Men | C-Level Strategies - Visionary Leadership

  Leadership Lessons from Heroes, the Bravest of Men http://twrt.me/v2g01 via @LisaPetrilli

  tags: twitter

• Cooperative

  Cooperative Learning projects build community if done properly. My Cooperative Learning page: http://tinyurl.com/y8odpfu #sschat

  tags: sschat twitter

• Landing Page Best Practices

  La perfecta "Landing Page" http://t.co/8iux2H9

  tags: twitter

• Pfizer’s Facebook page hacked – don’t be next! | Naked Security

  #Pfizer's #Facebook page hacked - don't be next! http://bit.ly/o6tqxS #security #hackers

  tags: Facebook security hackers twitter

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

In FT:

...the direction of trade may be changing but its character, involving raw material exports and manufactured imports, has not. Yet over the long-term demand for African commodities, land and manpower is unlikely to diminish. This time optimism about the outlook has less to do with visionary autocrats and more with the macro-economic climate.

More here

Image via WikipediaThe Dealia's swimsuit catalog came in the mail for my teenage daughter and I handed it to my youngest son and asked him to take it to her. He padded in the den and I heard him say,

"Here's your bathing suit catalog, sis. Pick something that won't scar me for life!"

Scarred for life? lol. Hmmmm. Not a joke if I think about it.

Scarred for Life.
As I listened to my book on iPod and cleaned the kitchen, I started thinking that that is what is happening to many of today's teens.

We have driver's education because we want to protect kids from themselves. A car is a powerful machine and can kill.

We have sex education because we want to protect children as well. Sex is a very intimate thing that shouldn't be taken lightly. Sex can also kill if one contracts various STD's.

Cell phones and the Internet are powerful vehicles. Yet parents give kids cell phones like they are the latest gadget, ignoring what can happen if a child makes a childish mistake. They can be scarred for life.

Driver's education cannot stop accidents among teenagers - but well done - it can reduce them.

Sex education cannot stop sex among teenagers but it can prevent STD's and have students take it more seriously.

Digital citizenship education cannot STOP the headlines of people who do scarring things through improper use of their technology but I believe it can reduce them.

Margarite's Mistake
In the Saturday New York Times Article "A Girl's Nude Photo, and Altered Lives" ( a story we'll be talking about in Digiteen this week), Margarite is an eighth grader who posed nude in her mirror and sent the picture of herself to a popular athlete, Isaiah.

Isaiah forwarded this to a former friend of Margarite's who then forwarded it to every contact in her cell phone with the message:

"Ho Alert! If you think this girl is a whore, then text this to all your friends."

Pressed Send.

The video went viral and through four middle schools. When parents started calling in to complain, the Middle school principal at one school launched the investigation that led to the confiscation of student cell phones and three students being charged with dissemination of child pornography (a class C felony.)

The county prosecutor, Mr. Peters said, "The idea of forwarding that picture was bad enough," he said, "But the text elevated it to something far more serious. It was mean-girl drama, an all-out attempt to destroy someone without thinking about the implications."

As other kids left school to go home at the end fo the day, Isiah and Margarite's former friend were led off in handcuffs.

Scarred for life.

The article goes on to say that sexting (between adults) is protected first amendment speech and that many magazines are giving tips on "how to look good" in sexting photos. However, as many as 24 % of 14-17 year olders have been involved in "some type of naked sexting." (AP & MTV Poll - PDF)

Forwarding such photos can land you in jail.

Don't Freak Out, Fan Out
I think that banning cell phones and removing them from schools is NOT the right answer. You might as well dam the Mississippi in a few weeks during flood season. See if that will hold!

It would be like banning cars because too many kids die in traffic accidents. Not realistic. We have to co-exist with cars because they are part of our society and the way we get around.

Banning cell phones is not realistic. We must co-exist with cell phones because they are part of our society and the way we communicate.

When someone lost an earring in the grass the other day - we all took a small space and fanned out to find the earring and eventually did.

Likewise, we should all take the "plot of ground" assigned to us. Our classroom. Our Home. Our school. Our community.

We can't do it all but we can do something.

Don't Lecture, Learn.

This should be treated a lot like driver's education which does have a bit of classroom work but a lot of time IN a car navigating the spaces. If a kid is going to have a problem with a left turn or parallel parking you want them to have it under supervision so it is not scarring for life.

The final example from Facebook Friending 101 for Schools (about the student I named "Zipper) that I posted on Friday is from one of our Flat Classroom projects. (I did change the names.) The teachable moment that I discussed in that case study transformed our our kids and they all went in and changed their privacy settings.

Digital Citizenship in Situ
That is why I think effective digital citizenship education is done WHILE students are using educational networks (social networks for education) and cell phones. In fact, that is why we founded Digiteen and spun it off as a nonprofit - because we felt like the kids who came in to Flat Classroom weren't ready because they were clueless about managing their personal identity in safe, wise ways!

Kids DON'T get it, but neither do adults. We are learning as we go.

In fact, I received a SCATHING commenter accusing me of not knowing Facebook privacy settings because she says she has set lists to:

"I friend students. I also have a specific list just for them. This list is restricted so that they can't see:
- any of my default wall posts (unless I specifically select my "students" list, but even then when I post to that one, I ONLY post to students, so that my other friends can't see it)
- anything anyone posts on my wall
- any of my photo albums except for the one of my profile pics
- anyone on my friends list (you can even restrict that, it's just on the privacy screen under "Connecting on Facebook" rather than "Sharing on Facebook")
- any pages or anything else that I "like""

Now, I've got it on my personal PD list this week to check this out and learn if this is indeed the case. Furthermore, I want to test it and see if it actually works that way. I value commenters that let me know that there is more to be told.  

(Of course this commenter didn't do it in a very nice way and that, I feel was poor citizenship, but onwards and upwards - if we cannot learn from those who are unkind to us, then we are letting our emotions restrict our learning potential - aren't we? So, my friends, don't let your emotions on this topic cause you to make a decision not to learn either.)

If I wasn't on Facebook and wasn't blogging - how would I know? It is a MISTAKE to ignore Facebook. You should all also know how to send and receive text messages.

Case Study: Who is Mij Cosby?
I've changed this name because we don't really know if this is a real person or not. However, last week as my class and I were brainstorming our action project for Digiteen, a student said - we need to talk about friending because "WHO IS MIJ COSBY?"

I asked - WHAT?

He said -

"There is this girl over in an adjacent county who has no friends at her own school but who has asked to FRIEND every student at Westwood. I won't friend Mij because I don't know who it is."

We talked for some time and everyone in the class but one person (who said he needed a lot of friends) unfriended Mij because they realized that NO ONE knew who it was.

But I left the question on the board and didn't think another thing about it. My tenth graders came in and saw the board and several shouted out

"WHO is Mij Cosby? I mean really, Mrs. Vicki, who is it?"

They too had been friended - such was the whole day!! We don't know who this is, but what we found out happened is that this person was able to get about 5 kids to friend at our school and then everyone started friending Mij. In 2-3 days at least 50+ kids (that I counted) had friended Mij and NO ONE knew the person!

They admitted that they look to see how many mutual friends they have and then decide if they should friend or not.

Almost all of the students unfriended Mij because we cannot find ONE student in the whole school who knows her. NOT ONE. We don't even know if there is a family in that county of 2800 people with that last name! We think Mij is a fake.

And yet, several kids didn't want to unfriend. ("But I want to have a lot of friends, Mrs. Vicki.") And many didn't want to make their pages Friends only -- some have it set to public. ("I want people to know who I am.")

This live in-situ case study that happened because we were talking about what to DO about digital citizenship caused around 90+% of my students to change their behavior - at least for now. That did more to help them understand friending than anything else. Facebook is unblocked at school (at least for now) so they took action RIGHT THEN.

Get them talking and acting and learning and doing!


Time to Take Action

• Does your school have to end up on the cover of the New York Times for you to take seriously the need for digital citizenship education?
  
• Do you know that problems WILL happen and they will be WORSE if you ignore this issue?
  
• Do you think lecture from a fear-based uneducated un-social-media-wise adult is actually going to change anything? Do you want a person without a driver's license who doesn't own a car teaching drivers ed? Get someone who uses this stuff and can relate to kids to lead them in educated discussions - or join something like Digiteen.
  
• Do you think you have to find a place for this before you do it? We do what is important.
  
• Do you think educating parents on proactive ways to help will do more than scaring them into taking away cell phones? Cell phones are the identity of many kids. Face it.
  
• The best defense is a good offense. Are you going to be proactive or reactive? Which will paint you as more of a leader? Be a visionary, that is your job.
  
• What are you doing? Share.

Remember your noble calling. Handle this situation with nobility and wisdom and resist the desire to freak out and create fear.

And also remember this, I'm bringing attention to social media in schools because it is IMPORTANT. I will continue to talk about this and share what I know - but if I don't know something (and there is tons I don't know) please feel free to shoot me an email at vicki at coolcatteacher dot com and teach me something. ;-)

You are great readers and sharers. Thank you.

Facebook has added an incredible complexity to our lives and relationships for one simple reason: it is in writing. The courts have always put things "in writing" in higher esteem above word of mouth. Now that we are inundated with video, text, and photographs and a set of complex relationships - we end up with things "in writing" that are distributed far beyond our true "friends" into  places that get us in trouble.

I don't have all the answers but am wrestling with this problem and want to lay out the facts so you and I can become co-travelers on this journey. I speak from experience, however, having two significant experiences under my belt with the school in this arena, know that there are things that I cannot say about situations that come in out what I share. It can happen because it DOES. This isn't theory.

Defining "Friend"
Anyone who has seen The Social Network finds Mark Zuckerberg's use of the word "friend" ironic as through the course of the movie we see him lose the few friends he has in order to gain the millions that are online. I've heard it is a mischaracterization (come on what billionare 20-something year old doesn't havea  lot of friends ;-) but nevertheless friend doesn't mean what you think.

In "the South" we are taught to be friendly from the moment our Mom's tell us as a drooling tot to "say hello because he just said hello to you." Be friendly. So, we think we have to "friend" everyone who "friends" us - it is good manners, right?

Wrong.

Let's get this straight. We are talking about Facebook Friends (I call them FF's in class) and a Facebook friend has access to everything you put on your wall (unless you "list" them - more on that later.) It means that if you "friend" someone who hates you that they will be crawling your page and your life looking for something bad about you. It also means that if you "friend" your students and you skip school one day and post "I took a sick day to go to the mall." that you've just ratted yourself out -- in writing. Everyone will know, that sort of word travels fast.

I use my Facebook for my professional life.  I don't friend students. I only friended my husband and I definitely don't friend my kids. Let's look at why.

Basic Friend and Publication Structure

How "Friending" Distributes Your Work

You are on Facebook. Your settings determine how people view your content. Check them thoroughly and every month or so to make sure you know what is in there and UNDERSTAND them.

Friends (FF)
Your friends have access to everything you publish unless you override the settings. If you friend someone - they are in your inner circle or your FF's. Do you trust them?

Facebook has allowed "listing" which lets you specify "friends" "coworkers" "high school friends" etc. and specify what content goes to which. I'm not smart enough to keep up with the complexity myself  I started eagerly using lists the day they were released, however, have found that they didn't work as stated and and my primary interface for Facebook (my itouch) doesn't give me access to lists when I accept a friend request there - so it has been pretty useless. It has been difficult in implementation for me.

Update: 3/29/2011 My friend Suzie Nestico (see her amazing new blog Coal Cracker Classroom) uses this feature and has graciously given me some screenshots to show how to hide lists from one another. I'm still not sure how to hide both ways. (i.e. hide students from friends - but I also want to hide friends from students - I guess there is a way to do this.) Also, it is vital that every person you friend get put on a LIST for this to work. And some interfaces (like handheld Facebook apps) don't give the option to list the friend as of the writing of this post. Finally, this is just how to hide specific updates from specific people and the primary concern is still having the two way avenue opened between students and my adult friends.

This is how to make a status update that is hidden from certain people.

Hiding updates from specific people. How many jobs would this have saved? Not sure if you can get at this feature in a handheld app.

Obviously, Facebook realizes this as a New York Times article this week reveals that part of Facebook's strategy is "friend clusters" but that is yet to be determined. The article claims that this will return us to "Facebook intimacy" which is nonexistent in the behemoth we have on our computers today.

If you are "friends only" then only your friends can see your content. Simple enough. It has nothing to do with whether they can see each other's content.

UPDATE 3/28/2011: I have been told there is a setting in the comments below that will allow friends not to see each other. At this point, I've been through privacy settings (as I did before I wrote the post Friday) and cannot find this. If this feature is hidden or possible, please let me know but as of now it is not something available in my Facebook privacy settings.

Friends of Friends (FOF)
This is where we get in trouble. When a person has their settings as "friends of friends" then the friends of their friends can see their pages. In my work with students and adults - most people haven't gone in and edited the new, improved privacy features that Facebook announced last year that give you control over these three areas. Most people around here are publishing to FOF's.

Studies show the average number of FF's we have is 120-130 (New York Times Dec 2010). So, if you have 120 friends and those friends have 120 friends, your page is potentially being viewed by 14,400 people who probably have some loose relationship with you -- If you have your settings to be Friends of Friends.

But here is the trick. YOU may have your page set to "Friends only," however, you have no control over your FF's pages. If your students or the adults you have friended have their pages set to FOF or Public then your FF can go through your list of Facebook friends and see each other's pages.  

You are a living hyperlink between all of your Facebook Friends (FF's).

Public
This is what everyone can see. According to Facebook (May 2010) you

"can't hide your name, profile picture, network and gender (if you provide this info)." 

Be careful on your profile picture, many get tripped up just by posting an innappropriate profile photo. Everyone sees it.

Also, your " facebook network" means  the college, school, or other group you are part of. You are linked to your colleges, schools, etc. and so are your students. Everyone sees this. So, basically someone can pull up your school network and see the profile pics and gender and names of everyone at your school. (Does this bother anyone but me?)

You CAN set your page to public, which means that all of Facebook's users and everyone on the web can see your page. Kids can set it to public as well and many have.

How does this impact Teachers?

Teachers become "human hyperlinks" between groups of people.

 When a teacher uses ONE account to friend students - the teacher becomes a living hyperlink between students, adults, families, etc. This is where we get in trouble.

• Do we want everyone to know the names of our students? 
• If our students have their privacy set to public - do we want to accept responsibility that everyone in our friend's network is on the up and up and not a "creeper?" 

We all know and have probably FF'd someone who is strange. You have just accepted responsibility for all of your FF's and are a living hyperlink.

This is why teachers who really want to be on Facebook often set up a "school account" and just friend students with it. But now, remember, you are a link between students. (I'm not saying don't do it, I just want you to understand what this MEANs.)

A true-er picture of the world

 But as most teachers say,

"I want to be part of their lives and all of these other adults are friends with students - why shouldn't I be. Aren't you just talking "theory" here - the real world is that students and adults are friends all over the place!!"

Yes, this is true. The reality is that in the mess of privacy settings and indiscriminate uneducating friending that we do have a mass mess.

Say, an adult with a mental disorder has an argument with another adult and flames on Facebook posting profanity and horrible pictures. Their settings are "friend of friend" - anyone connected to that adult as a friend can see the page. They can be exposed by human hyperlink to trash. It happens and has happened.

If that "human hyperlink" happens to be a school or a teacher - parents can blame the teacher or school for their role in exposing students to that content. I don't like this but even if a child is friend with 100 adults and could get there to that content 100 ways, the school is one of those links and they expect us to be responsible. They blame us. I've taken the phone call, readers, I'm not making this up.

Parents are a Big Part of the Problem

Parents often don't realize that they are causing safety concerns when they friend their own children.

 I believe that if a parent wants to friend their child that they should create ONE facebook account just for friending their child. They should have just as many friends as they have children. Period. If they want to monitor their child's account that is set to "friends only" they should do this.

Otherwise, when a parent friends their child - they can also see everything for their children's friends who are set to "FOF" or "public" but also their child can see everything for the adults in Mom's or Dad's network. Likewise, when the friends of parents can see the child - that is too much information for me as a parent. My job is to protect my children and since I use Facebook more as a professional than personal, it is an overlap I cannot allow. 

I know of parent "creepers" that get into everything going on in a school. These are the ones that friend their children and then proceed to look at all of their friends on an ongoing basis. They know everything to the point that I think it is unhealthy. 

I've also seen kids who are defriended because of creeper parents. Parents have a responsible role to play here. Kids shouldn't be the Jersey-Shore entertainment for adults who don't have anything better to do. But, they should also understand about posting innappropriate content.

Why does sharing matter? A Real-Life Case Study.


I'm going to give a live example with names changed. 

Let's say that we have a large project with kids from multiple schools and one child has a funny name- let's call him "Zipper" and posts a really strange picture of himself as his profile. Kids from another school find this hilarious and start making fun of "Zipper" both in the chat and on the project.

Teachers intervene and put a stop to the behavior to which the student's who are picking on Zipper say "we're just going to take it to Facebook" to which the teacher says "If you take this to Facebook, there will be consequences." Of course, the kids laugh it off -- my school on Facebook, not going to happen.

Zipper now knows what is up and refuses the friend request from these students. (How many "Zipper"s are there on Facebook.) So the kids making fun of Zipper look at Zipper's network and see his school. They go through the school and friend Zipper's friends and ONE girl who has TMF's (too many friends) friends them. She friends everyone including Zipper and these kids making fun of Zipper. She has become a human hyperlink.

Zipper has not realized that his updates are set to Friend of Friend and gets a new cell phone number. He goes in and updates his cell phone number which is posted to his wall. The kids making fun of him and his name are watching Zipper's wall and see his phone number. They start texting him. One bold student calls him three times and leaves a message. 

This happens all in a 24 hour period. Now, how did this turn out?

Zipper's friends took screenshots and brought them to Zipper's teacher. Zipper brought his cell phone and in let the teacher hear the messages (he deleted the first two.) Zipper's teacher takes the documentation and sends it to the school of the students who are cyberbullying Zipper - because that is what has happened in this case. Fortunately, the school which housed the students conducting themselves in this way was a visionary school - the vice principal was involved and put the kids on suspension with notification if they contacted Zipper in any way they would be expelled.   The students were removed from the project and given an alternate assignment while the rest of the project continued.

Zipper's teacher helped him set his Facebook privacy settings, delete his cell phone, and spent time with the whole class using this as a powerful teachable moment on Friends of Friends AND sharing too much information. Everyone in the class set their page to FF only except for two who just didn't want to.

Zipper's teacher notified the principal and his parents and let them know what was happening.

36 hours - issue resolved.

Recommendations
This real-life case scares the dickens out of administrators but it happens. To be ready for this, I think that schools should:

• Consider the policy for friending and educate teachers and staff. (If some are actually TELLING kids to friend them based upon their role at the school - you have HUGE issues and they need to consider having a separate account.)  Tell them HOW they can friend students not that they CAN'T in any cases. You're not living in reality if you think you can stop it altogether, particularly if faculty have their own children at the school.
  
• EDUCATE EDUCATE EDUCATE. It is not an option to ignore facebook. Educate parents, staff, students. Have Facebook Fridays and help kids review their privacy settings (with permission from parents.) You can't talk about this issue enough.
  
• Consider multiple accounts for yourself and staff. Thus far, Facebook's efforts in this area have been lip service, in my opinion. They admit the problem is messy.Educators should listen. You don't want to risk being the human hyperlink in the equation of the problems that WILL not MIGHT but WILL happen between students, adults, etc. Faculty can also have pages to communicate with kids and NOT friend students. This is a great middle ground I recommend.
  
•  You should get on Facebook. yes, I said it. How can you understand it unless you use it yourself. Decide the purpose for your Facebook account and stick to it. Administrators and teachers not using it at all don't understand it. It is like people telling me how to raise my kids who don't have any of their own.
  
• Have a Facebook Page for your school. This is a safe way to get your information about your school from YOU - otherwise the grapevine on Facebook will do it for you. (I'll share how to do this in the next week or two.)
  
• Consider a digital citizenship education program like the Digiteen program, a nonprofit that I run, or Common Sense media or Microsoft's excellent Family Safety Resource or the many other resources out there. If you have driver's ed you should have digital citizenship education. Period.
  
• Teach kids how to Screenshot. "Stop Block and Tell" sounds nice but it is WRONG!! It is Stop, Screenshot, Block, Tell, and SHARE! (See my free downloadble 5 Steps to Internet Safety (for non commercial use) - you may also buy these posters at my Café Press Store or contact me for bulk printing discounts.) They need to be ready for WHEN not IF issues happen.
  
• Partner with those in global collaboration who have an active role in handling projects and the interface between schools so that issues like that of Zipper above can be dealt with quickly.
  
• Educate yourself. These issues will be dealt with by administrators and teachers the world over for the forseeable future.
  
• Look at Kidswirl for kids, parents, and faculty. This is an excellent option that my students and I have tested. They have some excellent privacy settings. Give a good alternative to Facebook.

And truthfully, Facebook can handle some issues like this. I know of kids as young as 7 on Facebook (with parental knowledge) - the conditions say you are supposed to be 13. If they have to network, try Kidswirl.

I think that Facebook should be able to block the searching of K12 networks when certain types of behavior are seen. There are ways to ferrett out innappropriate use and we know they are tracking our clicks for goodness sakes. But, don't expect it.


Remember your noble calling.

This is the first in a series of posts about Social media for schools.