Providers of educational training and materials sell products. I understand that. They are businesses.

What I don’t understand is how educational administrators know what to purchase without a definition of what it means to be educated? For example, here is an Education Week advertisement for “The Evolving Role of the School Leader” (a free webinar on March 19, 2015):

The role of the school leader has never been more important or more challenging . . . Successful principals embrace and fully understand the vision and direction of the system, empower staff to collaboratively raise the achievement of all students, and build the instructional focus at every level of the organization.

How do educators know if this webinar is worth their time, if they don’t have a clear definition of what it means to be educated? Without a clear definition, how does anyone know if the webinar is worth their time?

According to the first sentence, school leadership is important and difficult. According to the last sentence, it involves: (1) understanding the system’s mission, (2) empowering staff to raise student achievement (which really means test scores), (3) building an instructional focus into every level of the organization (which really means emphasizing higher test scores).

But there is more to be learned, so administrators should attend the webinar to discover the rest. Providers of training and  materials make money by convincing administrators that their work is difficult AND complicated. In this case, practicing administrators should hear the lessons learned by others who accomplished difficult things in their schools.

So, the advertisement goes on:

Join Phee Simpson, Mike Oliver, and Sue Gendron (moderator) in a discussion of successful school leadership and Q&A centered on the challenges they have faced and the solutions they have implemented in their schools.

I did not attend, but I know what they said. They described difficult situations created by ignorance, intellectual incompetence, weakness, fear of truth, pride and selfishness. Then they described how understanding, imagination, strength, courage, humility and generosity made things better.

In spite of what providers of goods and services tell administrators, leading schools is difficult, but it is not complicated or expensive.

Richard Elmore recently edited a book entitled, I used to think, and now I think. Twenty well known educators wrote essays on this topic. I was struck by the ridiculousness of what they used to think, and the common sense of what they now think. In other words, they used to think what they were taught within the social science paradigm for school improvement. Now they simply use common sense and experience, when they look at school improvement.

Here is my personal IUTTANIT:

Like many education professors, I used to believe:

1. Good teaching cannot be defined, so we describe it in hundreds of ways, hoping aspiring teachers learn something from those descriptions.
2. Good teaching produces test scores that are better than the ones students would have gotten with less “effective” teaching. (Teaching is an applied social science.)
3. Teachers should be held accountable for the development of student knowledge and skill. Student test scores are the bottom line.
4. Our beliefs about education should be based on “research-based” facts and reason because those are the “best” beliefs.

Now that I am wiser, I believe the opposite:

1. Good teaching can be defined. A definition says what something always is and what it never is. Good teaching always involves understanding, imagination, strong character, courage, humility and generosity. It never involves ignorance, intellectual incompetence, weakness, fear of truth, pride, or selfishness. It is difficult to be a good teacher, but it is not complicated.
2. Good teaching starts with teacher appreciation for the subject and students. It ends with student appreciation for the lessons and teacher. (Teaching is an art.)
3. Knowledge and skills are not “measured” by standardized tests. Test results are not points on a ruler, they are like light switches that are either “on” or “off.” Therefore, teachers should be held accountable for modeling and teaching the six virtues that lead to knowledge and skills. They are easy to observe. No standardized tests needed.
4. Beliefs are based on experiences, not facts and reason. All of us “just believe” many things. An example is those who just believe that “beliefs should be based on facts and reason.”

Nobody believes what I believe. So, although I am right, I am irrelevant.  I love irony.

Guest blog by Stephanie Shaw
Low Incidence Support Teacher, Wake County Public Schools

Last year our district enrolled an autistic student from another state. This student (who I will call John) arrived with an individual education plan (IEP) that described aggressive behaviors and a boy with no communication system. To be specific John would bite and latch on. He had injured staff and students in his previous school district. His program was so restrictive that they provided two behavior assistants. The staff who worked with John wore Kevlar sleeves to limit the damage if John did bite.

Developing a program for John required creativity on the part of our district. We needed to find a classroom and a teacher. We have a team of home/hospital teachers and it was determined that one of them would be John’s teacher. The selected teacher was unhappy and scared about her new assignment.

Our district provided comparable services — 2 extra adult assistants and Kevlar sleeves for all staff. Surprisingly, John made a successful transition. He tried to bite on a few occasions but the staff was prepared and no one was injured. The teacher ably taught John to use a visual communication system, which alleviated some of his frustrations. After 3 months the district was able to remove one of the assistants.

Another surprise was that the teacher became fond of John. She discovered and talked often of his sense of humor and intelligence. Now that he was learning to communicate, he was also able to participate in more academic activities. The teacher enjoyed teaching John far more than she ever thought she would.

This is a good example of a teacher’s courage. Although she was afraid and did not want to teach John she put on her Kevlar sleeves, did what was right and taught him. Along the way she grew to like him, and she successfully taught him to communicate.

At the end of the school year she called me and told me I was right when she didn’t want to teach John and I had said to her, “This is an opportunity for professional growth.”

Guest blog by Sandra McMahan

Cullowhee Valley ES, Jackson County, NC

In the small, rural area where I teach, it is a big deal for young people to wear “hats.” Especially in the upper grades of our K-8 school, teachers are constantly reminding students to remove their hats during class time.

Five years ago one of our fifth grade students was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer.  Her mother struggled to afford the doctor visits and treatments.

A team of teachers and the student council brainstormed ideas to raise money to help the family. The idea came about to have a “hat day.”  Each student, teacher or staff member, who wanted to wear a hat, had to donate a dollar to the cause.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many hats in one place.  There were all kinds of stories about kids that had emptied piggy banks into the collection bin and teachers who donated more than one dollar. We held three “hat days” to help the girl’s family.

Since then, anytime a need arises, or there is a charitable organization in need, we have “hat day.”  And “hat day” has inspired other ideas to raise funds for good causes. It is inspiring to see a whole school come together in support of each other.

Guest blog by Mick Galloway

Assistant Principal, Brevard High School

In 2008 I was asked to chair the Relay for Life fundraiser at our school. Being a coach, father of 3, husband and teacher I was reluctant to commit to another duty. But this cause was personal to me. My mother lost her life to ovarian cancer a couple years before.

Teaching at a small, K-5 school in a rural community, during tough economic times, I knew it would be a challenge to raise funds. I had to engage my students for this event to take-off. Therefore, I allowed the students to come up with an idea of what they would like to see me do if we met our goal for the fundraiser, which I set at $10,000.00.

The students tossed around several ideas and came up with the idea that I had to sleep on the roof of the school, if the $10,000 goal was met. This idea was published throughout the school community.

As funds started rolling in and people became involved, a local business agreed to match what the school raised. Amazingly, this small community rallied behind this cause and we surpassed our goal. We raised the most of any business or organization in our county despite being the smallest of nine schools.

I was humbled by the generosity and compassion of our students, staff and community. True to my word on the night of our May Day festival, I slept on the roof of the school. My principal even agreed to stay with me due to the overwhelming response by our community. We spent all night on that roof talking about education issues, politics and of course sports. We even had parents coming by at 2 am to check on us and bring coffee.

This was one of the most rewarding experiences during my 20 years in education. I learned to never lower my expectations and always aim high no matter what situation we are in.

Guest Blog by Laura Garrigus

Biology Teacher, Cumberland International Early College, Fayetteville, NC.

Last year I taught a very bright young lady. I will call her Katie. At the end of the school year, Katie became very sick and was out of school a lot. Nobody knew what was wrong, but through the testing, pain, nausea and hospital stays, Katie kept a positive attitude and a strong work ethic. She is truly remarkable.

But my post isn’t about Katie. It’s about her classmates.

At the beginning of this school year, after all her treatments, Katie was completely wheel chair bound. She no longer could use her cane or walker. As she sat in my first period biology class, other students witnessed her dizzy spells, her vomiting, her falling asleep due to her medication, and also her determination.

My students have grown because of being in class with Katie. Specifically, based on my observations, students have become more virtuous. They are being understanding, courageous, humble and generous in ways I did not notice, before.

They are understanding of people in situations different from theirs. They are understanding when I have to leave the classroom and carry her to the office.

They are courageous as they become their own person, not needing to conform. They are available to Katie, even if it isn’t “cool.”

They are humbled by being a friend to a person who has gone through what Katie has gone through.

And they are generous. They give to her and to others without expecting anything in return.

I am humbled by what I have seen happening in my classroom. I will never forget Katie, and the impact she has had on me, my student’s, my classroom, and my school.

Guest blog by Heather Hollifield

A first-year, assistant principal has to learn many things about the school’s families and students. So far my most difficult task has been to learn how to know when students are lying to me.

Between 30 and 50 percent of my time is dealing with discipline issues. Many of these issues revolve around cell phones.

Recently, one young lady was turned in for having her cell phone out in class. I received the referral and was getting ready to assign one day of ISS (in-school suspension).

When the student got to my office, she started crying. At first I thought it was fake. Then I listened, while she described some of her problems. She is in therapy, getting help to deal with several related issues. I was still ready to assign ISS until I looked at her record and saw no prior violations.

I decided to let her go with a warning—even though I was maybe “being taken.” Later that afternoon I called her Mom about the cell phone. The mother said her daughter had been cutting herself for several months and that her older sister committed suicide earlier in the year. I was saddened by the story, but I was glad I got that one right – letting her go with just a warning.

As I think about the six virtues, the one that seems to be important for HS teachers and administrators is generosity. Troubled students need to feel like adults in their school have generous spirits.

Guest Blog by Dustin Kerley

PE Teacher, Watauga HS, Boone, NC

I started my current job in November, 2009. I had previously been substituting and working in interim positions. I was happy to finally have a permanent position, but I knew that, by starting mid-semester it would be difficult because students had been following a different teacher’s routine since August.

When I received my schedule I learned that I would be teaching Leisure Skills, which is an adaptive PE class for students with disabilities. To say that I was nervous would be an understatement. The principal ensured me that I would have plenty of help with the class. My “help” included several special education assistants and a few “student helpers.” I had eight EC students enrolled in the class and six student helpers.

I was unsure of what activities these students could perform, but I was blown away by the strong character of my student helpers and adult assistants. They stepped in whenever they could help.

Routine is very important for adaptive PE students. I knew that they had been doing certain activities since August, so I was careful not to “rock the boat.” The activities included going to a local pool to swim, and going to our local wellness center to walk and exercise. I was amazed when watching these student helpers assist the other students. They were caring, patient, and understanding.

When we went to the pool the student helpers “jumped right in” to demonstrate techniques and have a little fun too. When we went to the wellness center the helpers led workout routines that made use of multiple pieces of equipment and strategies.

It was rewarding to watch high school student helpers demonstrate imagination and creativity as they related to our special needs students. Watching them demonstrate understanding, humility, and patience taught me how to interact and communicate with all my students.

I continued to teach this class for two more years. I became more comfortable, but I learned to choose student helpers who have generosity and humility, like those who helped me the first semester. Those students not only helped the special needs students, but they also had a huge impact on my life as well.

Guest blog by Derrick Calloway

Social Studies Teacher, Avery County HS, NC

I am the head wrestling coach at ACHS. This season one of my wrestlers is ranked number one in the state. At one of our recent meets the opposing coach told me that a boy with autism would be up against our number-one-ranked wrestler.

Before my wrestler took the mat that evening, I told him about his opponent, but I didn’t coach him in any other way. I just told him what the other coach told me. Upon taking the mat, my wrestler looked focused and ready to wrestle.

None of us (the crowd, the teams and coaches) knew that we were in for an amazing demonstration of humility and generosity. My wrestler, who could have pinned his opponent in the first thirty seconds, made the match last the entire bout. He made some offensive moves, but he also made it look like his opponent was making good offensive moves, too. At one point, he even let the opponent begin to pin him. Being humble in his athletic ability and being generous with his “mistakes,” my wrestler ended up winning by a single point.

The smile on the happy yet exhausted autistic opponent was priceless. My wrestler hugged his opponent after the match. Everyone was clapping and cheering.

Later, when I asked my wrestler why he chose to wrestle that way, he said, “Sometimes we all need some encouraging. I win a lot and it feels good. I wanted him to know what it feels like to have your hard work pay off.” I smiled and patted him on the back.

This High school student looked past just competing to win. He helped another human being, and he inspired all who were in attendance. This was a beautiful display of understanding, imagination, humility and generosity.

Guest Blog by Brent Lance

Science and math teacher, Hiawassee GA

It’s easy to “catch” students being generous this time of year (close to Thanksgiving and Christmas). But I am witnessing something that demonstrates this virtue beyond what I expected.

Our high school created a class competition called “Pennies for Presents.” Each grade level has a 5-gallon water jug, placed on the stage in the cafeteria during lunch periods.

Each team gets 1 point per penny in its jug, and it loses points for any coins that are not pennies. This is how the penalty works — if a freshman places a quarter in the seniors’ jug, the seniors lose 25 points. In the end, the team with the most points will receive a pizza party and helps wrap presents for needy children, purchased with the pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters.

It has been exciting to see kids competing this way. Most of the jugs were filled by Thanksgiving break. Students were excited to compete against the other classes in a way that helped needy children.

Many told me they were hoping to win so they could wrap the presents. They said they had never wrapped presents for other kids, and it would help them experience the “giving” side of the holiday.

Our principal enhanced the excitement by offering to donate $500 worth of pennies to the winning team.

The overall winner will be announced a week before we get out for Christmas break. I estimate that this fundraiser has had over 75% student participation between October and the first week in December. The students showed tremendous generosity as did our principal. We have experienced how this kind of generosity and teamwork make the world a better place for everyone.