Bird Droppings April 6, 2011
Can we find answers?

Several years ago I would have said there were answers to most any question that could be asked. Today sitting here I wonder granted first you have to ask what is the question or questions but I have a different attitude now sort of one that is allowing for an unanswerable question. When I was researching yesterday and reading about W. Edward Deming’s and his solutions which was a rather simple solution to most quality issues in life. Deming believed in quality first and as I ponder education is it to pie in the sky to try and do such a good job that there are no questions no need to check at the end of the line. To high and mighty that there is no need to inspect or challenge and or no need to test results.
When other than spring break would I be sitting pondering eating cherry cheese cake and sipping a real strong black tea with agave nectar over ice and waiting on a sunrise. Actually there are many days of the week, other than the cheese cake. I figure I can work that off as the day progresses in the yard and gardens. But Deming’s ideas keeping coming back to me and I will diverse a bit in my thoughts as I wander to a discussion that came up yesterday with a regular education teacher a good friend who has concerns as well on education.
I was working on a paper on using academic achievement to address issues with Learning Disabled students by using a rubric which in and of its self is an effective way to provide quality versus simply quantity to an evaluation. This sort of led into as I headed toward school a discussion. As I sat driving around yesterday after discussing with another teacher the subject of Autism and dealing with where do these kids go after school is over? On a more critical note what is even available? I had a brainstorm which was in part due to the thoughts that came out in our discussion. Over and over again parents were concerned about how their child’s life was being directed by people who did not know their child. Often changes in staffing will occur and parents do not even know. For nearly ten years I have recommended teachers of some students track students more effectively perhaps including group meetings of staff up and down the line who will have or have had that student. More often than not we deal with a cold folder of someone else’s opinion. Knowing a kid can make the difference so many times between success and failure.
I met several years back at a conference a care giver who provides daily living assistance for several aspergers syndrome and autistic young men in a group home sort of setting. One of the young men who lived in this facility also was involved in the discussion. (This fellow lives on his own and not only has aspergers syndrome which is a high function form of autism but is legally blind as well sadly for years the visual impairment concealed the pervasive disorder). The care giver who works for an organization that is involved with disabled adults who need some assistance referred to knowing the person well many times. He and this young man have a language many would not understand actually part of this young mans disorder idiosyncrasies that the care giver has learned to understand.
So often in schools and workplaces we want all the ducks in a row and someone who is a bit different doesn’t fit in so push them aside. I could not help but think of IEP’s and such and even further to Deming’s ideas. My day yesterday was pondering achievement and a rubric and Deming while I cut grass and started several flats of sweet basil. It has been a while since I sat as a student in class but I can not count the times education professors have said we need to think outside the box. Yesterday as we talked two teachers walking the hallways of knowledge feeding our various critters and checking others for other teachers we discussed opening the box. So often we limit as I think Deming’s pointed out when we have “the inspection” we only really get what we ask for. This has actually been researched in industry numerous times if you want to find eighty percent effective parts you will get eighty percent effective parts. My mind jumped to those students for whom seventy percent is passing and we get seventy percent from many.
I have watched IEP’s set goals of eighty percent compliance on a behavior in such areas as not swearing at authority figures. I would have liked that my self back in several of my college classes. That translates into two out of ten times I could swear and it is ok since I am achieving my goals. This is literally exactly what Deming’s is saying, you get what you ask for. So how do we imply quality and success without setting limits and or parameters? How do we measure achievement without providing a box even within the confines of a rubric? How do we measure friendship without having parameters to measure from? Hopefully the last on perhaps is one of the easiest to escape from we measure friendship hopefully not in some testing situation and not in some box able format but we measure friendship in love and in emotion which often is not a measurable and quantitative form it is in simply knowing. Why do we have a difficult time in education? Far too often teachers do not know students. A school identity number and seat on a floor chart and we are off to educate.

“Eliminate the need for inspection on a mass basis by building quality into the product in the first place.” Dr. W. Edward Deming

This can apply in so many different fields including education but it will take some effort to teach teachers how to know students. It will take a different mindset for teachers to look for quality rather than quantity. It will take using innovative ideas to evaluate learning rather than standardized tests that so often are not even valid in the context of what they are testing. How valid is a test that students can score about the same in the beginning as in the end? I have not proved this point but I would wager on most High School Graduation tests if given to ninth graders they would come close to passing in effect if they are capable of passing the test in eleventh grade. I have similar thoughts on End of Course Tests. Sadly the difficulty is in developing within students and workers another of Deming’s thoughts.

“Create constancy of purpose toward improvement of product and service…” Dr. W. Edward Deming

Listening to parents over the years always makes me think. We seriously need to address perhaps differently children and even each other so often we come at life in general rather than looking for specifics in an individual. We approach each aspect as from past experiences which are still important and do not let that experience of the moment have its way for that person. We lose individuality in mass production even in our own view of things. I am always reminded of first impressions and first impressions are based on past experience and not on anything to do with this person far too often. We need to see and hear who this is before passing judgment and we need as those parents offered over and over to get to know the real person not just the symptomatology. I sit here trying to figure out how to create an open ended rubric some method of scoring that has no parameters and no limits and that is an interesting venture for the day ahead and more planting and gardening and mowing and reading. Please keep all in harms way on your mind and in your hearts.
namaste
bird