Are you reaching, or just teaching?

Are you reaching your students, or just teaching them? That begs the question: can you teach your students without reaching them? I mean, if you are simply lecturing, assigning homework, and handing out letter grades without analyzing your methods and strategically reaching your students, do they actually learn?

You are a teacher, even if that is not in your job description. For instance, I am the most important teacher my kids have (along with my beautiful and intelligent wife.) Therefore, I need to be cognizant of that as a parent and try to reach my kids in ways that are relevant to them in order to achieve the educational objectives that are important to me. I can talk all day long and say many wise and valuable things, but if if my kids are not listening, then all I have done is made noise and wasted oxygen. I have to think about how I can reach them.

I am a teacher at work, as well. My customers are often my students when I try to sell them a new product/service or if I try to increase they satisfaction with something they already have. I also am a teacher to my coworkers and managers who look to me for information or process improvement. Am I effective? That all depends on my delivery. How can I improve my delivery? That is a question that I must consistently ask.

What got me thinking about all of this is a video that my professor shared in his class. It is geared toward traditional classroom teachers, but it is relevant and applicable to so many different roles, especially parents. It basically describes how students in school today have a completely different paradigm on how they view the world and gather information, and traditional methods are barely reaching (barely teaching) them. It them describes how we can improve our teaching methods to really reach, and teach, our students in profound ways through unorthodox methods. It is definitely worth the next few minutes of your life:

The link at the end is worth visiting to: http://t4.jordandistrict.org/t4/

Corporal Jason L. Dunham, USMC

Back in 2004, my dad clipped an article out of the Wall Street Journal that he thought I would find interesting. It was the story of a Marine who had a theory: there may be a way to jump on a grenade and not only save other Marine's lives but also perhaps retain your own life. That Marine was then presented with an opportunity to test his theory in combat with lives on the line.

Normally, a grenade explodes and sprays metal (shrapnel) in every direction, effectively killing everything within 15 meters. If you are inside of that 15-meter kill zone, you may have your life saved if you wear body armor made of Kevlar or can take cover behind something armored.

It is well established that if a human body lays on the grenade at detonation, that body will absorb most of the blast and contain, deflect, or retard the lethality of the shrapnel. This action is the ultimate sacrifice: knowing that you will die to save your fellow Marines (or sailors, soldiers, police officers, etc...) This action usually results in a post-humous award of the Medal of Honor (MOH) when engaged in battle.

There are many medals and ribbons you can earn in the military. None of them rank as high as the MOH. Normally, enlisted personnel with the rank of Private through Sergeant Major do not rate a sulte from anybody; that is an honor reserved for Officers who are warranted or commissioned. However, anyone who wears the MOH rates a salute according to tradition. According to this tradition, if the lowest ranking private wearing an MOH were to be approached by the highest ranking General, they would salute each other out of mutual respect.

Some medals and ribbons have a reputation of being given away easily, more for political reasons than heroism. The MOH has never been accused of such. Most people who are awarded the MOH had to die in the process; the act of sacrificing one's life to save many others is a hallmark of MOH awards. In addition, refusing medical treatment while continuing the fight, or performing superhuman acts that turn the tide of battle, are common on MOH citations.

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Corporal Jason L. Dunham was a squad leader with Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines in 2004. He extended his enlistment contract in order to make his second deployment to Iraq with his unit, demonstrating his devotion to his fellow Marines. On April 14, 2004, Cpl. Dunham's squad was engaged in operations in Iraq. While enroute to support his battalion commander's convoy, which had been ambushed, he came upon a group of Iraqi vehicles. He and his squad began to stop and search the vehicles. One of the insurgents rolled a grenade nonchalantly, to avoid it being noticed. Cpl. Dunham saw it and, thinking quickly, threw his helmet and himself on the grenade to shield the balst from two nearby Marines.

Cpl. Dunham was issued his helmet to protect him from shrapnel and other projectiles. I wore a similiar helmet and held similiar conversations regarding its usefulness when I served back in the early 1990's. Luckily, my peers and I never had to test any of our theories. We knew that it was not bullet-proof; we also knew that projectiles do funny things when they detonate and it is impossible to predict what trajectory a projectile may take.

There is a common story of a Marine who was shot while wearing a kevlar helmet: the bullet entered one side, followed the interior of the helmet for some reason, and exited on the other side. You can try to explain it with nano-physics or you can blame it on guardian angels. The fact is that any effort you can take to contain or deflect a projectile is worth the effort.

There was no reason to believe that his helmet would contain the blast and save his life--or anyone else's life. One tiny projectile could find an opening or soft-spot and prove to be fatal. When Cpl. Dunham threw his helmet and himself on the grenade, I am sure that the only thing important to him was to save his squad members. I did not know Cpl. Dunham, but I have known men like him. They may be rare to find in the civilian world but they are fairly common among Marines.

This act of bravery was simply the final and most heroic act in a short but accomplished life. He was respected and loved for many character traits and accomplishments. Therefore, though this act was his final one, it was not out of character. According to everyone who knew him, Jason Dunham was not the kind of guy who stepped up occasionally when people were watching; he lived a life of service, heroism, and accomplishment every day.

We lost more than a Marine when we lost Jason Dunham; we lost potential. America's future, bright though it may be, is a little poorer without Jason Dunham. Who knows what else Jason had to offer this world. On the other hand, his example and the spirit he left behind will inspire many in current and future generations.

Cpl. Dunham's family and friends have established a memorial in his honor, to include a Scholarship fund. I believe in this scholarship fund, which is awarded to Marines and FMF Corpsman who "...demonstrate the core values of leadership, service, sacrifice, and a sense of other(s) that were the characteristics of Corporal Jason L. Dunham." (Quoted from the scholarship website.) I believe that this scholarship will encourage other men and women in our armed forces to act with integrity and honor, courage and conviction. For those of us who are donors rather than applicants, it is a reminder to us of what makes a person rise above the common character and inspire others to give more than they receive. The scholarship promotes the traits that make our nation great, and it elevates the people who aspire to such greatness.

I am not really known for quoting the bible, but I believe that there is a verse that applies here and means more than words can fully describe: "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:12-14 NIV) There is also a great quote that speaks volumes from one of Cpl. Dunham's leaders, on the Memorial website: "All that we have, has been given to us. What we do with what has been given is how we honor those who gave." (Kilo 3 Bravo Gunnery Sergeant Adam Walker)

It is difficult to argue with the importance of education, and how giving money to a scholarship fund is an investment in the future of our society. There are many worthy scholarships and other charities, but today I want to highlight The Jason L. Dunham Memorial Scholarship Foundation. They are still in the process of earning 501(c)3 status, so a donation is not yet eligible for IRS deductions. I am taking a chance that any money I donate this year will be eligible for deduction by the end of the year. Failing that, the cause outweighs my need for a deduction. What I really need is a nation full of Jason Dunham's, or at least more people who aspire to his example of leadership, service, sacrifice, and a sense of others.

If you can fit it into your giving budget, please consider sending a donation to establish The Corporal Jason L. Dunham Scholarship Foundation.

Checks payable to: CPL Jason L. Dunham Scholarship Mailing address: Corporal Jason L. Dunham Memorial Scholarship Foundation Inc. 187 Pinehurst Avenue Suite 1-B New York, New York 10033

Here are a few interesting links for more information:

Corporal Dunham's Memorial and information on his scholarship.

Corporal Jason L.Dunham's Medal Of Honor Citation.

A fantastic short film from MarineTV that describes who Jason Dunham was, in the words of the people who knew him:

A video of President Bush Awarding Cpl. Jason Dunham's family with the Medal Of Honor:

Watch D.O.G.S.

I have been looking for an opportunity to donate some of my time, in addition to donating money like I talked about last time. Of course, finding a place to donate your time is easier than finding a job. However, I have found it twice as hard to find an opportunity that matches my skills, passion, and time.

Recently, I found an opportunity that was a perfect match. At my daughter's school, they have a program called Watch D.O.G.S., which stands for Dads Of Great Students. The idea is to have a dad, grandfather, uncle, or stepfather spend a day at the school, and their presence both adds to the educational experience and increases the security of the school. According to the official website:

WATCH D.O.G.S.® is the safe school initiative of the National Center for Fathering that was founded by Jim Moore, a concerned father who chose to take action in response to a 1998 middle-school shooting in Jonesboro, AR.

My day as a Watchdog Dad was fantastic, and I will be doing it again soon. Let me just say now that if you have any kind of fatherly influence on a middle school child, you should look into joining or starting a Watch D.O.G.S. group. Every man who participates will have more fun than they could imagine, the kids have a great time and receive a new perspective, and the teachers and administrators benefit from the extra eyes, ears, mouth, and hands to both educate the kids and keep them safe.

I began my day by receiving an official vest that identified my role. I was then asked to stand out in the parking lot to observe the kids arriving. I have been a parent dropping off and felt the frustration of having to queue and move slower than I'd like. I have also wished there were more adults, preferably police, present at the beginning and end of the day when kids are most likely to be shot, run-over, or kidnapped. It was gratifying to be a part of the safety net that keeps the kids safe.

After morning announcements, my daughter and I had our picture taken for the WatchD.O.G.S. board, and the girl got to wear a T-shirt all day to identify her as the kid of a Watchdog Dad. She then went about her day and I was given an itinerary to follow.

My first stop of the day was in a kindergarten classroom. The teacher was previously my daughter's teacher, so we knew each other. She sent the kids with me one at a time to the hall where they read a little book to me. It was interesting to me to see who had the book memorized, including the teacher's voice inflections and gestures. Some of the kids could sound out the words that they were unsure of. The best was one child who would recite the memorized sentence in the book and then offer her own commentary on the story. I was laughing, which only encouraged her embellishment. I can't wait to read her first novel.

Most of the kids were a little standoff-ish because I was a stranger, but they warmed up a little and read the book. However, there were two kids that were unwilling to read to me. They didn't look at me, and they either did not respond to my questions or they mumbled an answer. I wondered if they have more anxiety with strangers than most people do, or if they are used to dangerous and abusive men. It was difficult to see kids with so much to deal with at such a young age. I can't imagine how teachers who see that thing everyday are able to deal with the sadness and frustration that these kids made me feel.

And that reminds me of the kids I saw coming in after the first bell. A teacher was stationed at the front door to sternly announce to each tardy child that they were late and they needed to hurry to their classroom. The oldest kids coming in were in sixth grade and the youngest were kindergartners. I like the idea of teaching kids to be responsible and punctual, but I wonder how much responsibility a sixth-grader can take for their transportation to school, let alone a kindergartner.

More than one of the kids coming in were crying, and many of them looked unkempt or disheveled, indicating to me that the parents have issues of their own. I wondered if making these kids feel bad about their tardiness was productive, but I also see the value in making the tardiness an undesirable condition to be avoided. It is too bad the school can't do more to punish parents for tardy children, and hold parents responsible for more of their child's education.

Teaching my children to read, write, add, subtract, and act with morality and responsibility is a no-brainer for me and my better-half. Unfortunately, my wife and I find that many of our child's peers have been left without any training or worse, they have learned about sex and violence at a young age without learning how to spell their name, hold a pencil, or count to ten. A few of the children are left with not only a lack of fundamental skills but also a lack of English. They arrive in school with only as much English as they can learn from T.V., which makes the teacher's job that much harder.

My daughter was ready to read in kindergarten, but her teacher was prevented from spending time cultivating that skill because she was still teaching the alphabet to kids who apparently received more than enough calories at home, but not enough Sesame Street or parental tutoring. They could recite the lyrics to Snoop-Dogg compositions, but couldn't remember what came after t-u-v in the alphabet. I understand that there are all kinds of issues out there and I have experienced a few of them. However, I can't imagine how having kids wouldn't cause you to find a way to rise above your issues and give them a better future than you had.

After a long, hard day, I had an hour or two that I could spend with my daughter and a book. On the other hand, the teacher had my daughter for several hours (she also had the education and experience to more effectively teach reading skills.) I know that she would have loved to help the best students go farther, but she was limited by the weakest link in the chain. I certainly wouldn't want any child to be seperated as "slow" or "dumb" at such a young age, but I also can't help but wonder how much farther along my daughter would be if she had been challenged more, rather than waiting for the other kids to catch up.

Just to be clear, I don't want to paint my daughter as the star pupil. There were several students like her who had the skills and willingness to do more than was asked of them. A clear divide existed between the students who had been worked with, and those who had been left without instruction. Perhaps we need to increase access to quality pre-school, or just start slapping sense into some parents. I know, the former idea is more acceptable but the second option would be more satisfying.

Anyhow, back to the story: After kindergarten, I headed to fourth-grade where I was read to again. The kids were bigger and more skilled at reading, and the books were much more interesting. I could ask the kids about the books they were reading to test their comprehension, and I could explain concepts and definitions to help them comprehend more. It was very interesting to experience the contrast and see how much a kid learns in just a few years.

Throughout the day, I was greeted warmly and enthusiastically by many kids and adults, which is a great change from my usual day. In my career, I usually meet people who expect me to either fix sopmething or try to sell them something, and usually both. I work in an industry full of gruff, bitter, and burned-out people. Needless-to-say, it was a fantastic change to have everyone happy to greet me without any expectations.

After fourth-grade, I spent 30 minutes observing a kid use a computer to enhance his learning. This was a child who was obviously below his age-group's reading level and was working on phonics. I do not know if anyone is to blame for his difficulties, and it is none of my business. I am just glad that his condition was diagnosed and that he is receiving the extra attention he needs. In other school districts he may have slipped through the cracks, but here he is taken out of the class and brought up to speed with special attention by literacy specialists. Even better is the use of techonology; with a moderately-priced computer and internet access, these kids are getting opportunities that were previously unavailable. Using computers to take the place of instructors, you can get more attention and instruction to more kids who need it.

I got to go out for recess for the first time since I was in grade-school. It is still awesome to run free on a muddy field and play football with the boys, even when it is 30 degrees. I think more adults should experience recess again and be reminded of how exhilerating and liberating it can feel. If we could incorporate recess into our work day, like Spain incorporates the siesta, we would have more productivity and less heart-attacks I am sure. Rush-hour would be less tense everyday as well; we would be too tired and happy to honk or flip eachother off.

I got to eat lunch with my daughter and her friends, and that was waaaaaaay better than eating lunch with my friends. I was grossed-out just as often, but the topics of conversation were much more fun and uplifting. When you are in grade-school, everything is fun, funny, or new. Burps are great, trading carrots for a cookie is the bomb, and no one cares who Hillary Clinton is or whether gas prices will break $3. I wish I could eat at her school everyday; I am sure it would make my life more satisfying and I may squeeze a little more productivity into my afternoon.

When I drop-off or pick-up my kids from school, I will be more patient now that I have seen how hard it is to control the chaos. I have been critical of teachers in the past; now that I have seen a full day and all the issues that need to be addressed, I will be unable to criticize these heros. It is too bad that our society does not value our teachers more; we have no idea what we could get out of them if we spent more time encouraging and enabling our teachers, rather than criticizing and cost-cutting. Shame on us.

Originally, Watch D.O.G.S. was started to increase safety in our schools. As a Marine, I can confidently report that my presence made the school safer that day; luckily, that safety was not tested. Perhaps, just knowing that there is a dad at school everyday will prevent many unsafe thoughts from occurring to desperate minds. Failing that, it is good to know that there will be more eyes, ears, and muscle to prevent bad situations from being worse.

This is a program that everyone should be aware of. If you are a fatherly figure, you really should get involved. If you know a fatherly figure, please pass on this program. If the school does not already have a Watch D.O.G.S. program, it can be easily started-up by clicking here. This is a fantastic opportunity to give back to your community, spend more time with your kid, and have as much fun as a grade-schooler. If nothing else, it gets you out of work for a day, and that is always a good thing!

Go To College

Something I have been thinking about lately is college degrees, partly because I am about to earn mine and partly because I am noticing smart, talented people who eventually will have to pay dearly for not having one. I received some college credit for training I received in the Marine Corps, but I didn't actually take a college class until Summer 1997, five years after I graduated from high school. The first class I took was Business Math at my local community college. It shows up on my transcript as an elective: I didn't learn anything important and it doesn't really count towards any degree requirement. However, I was interested in business at the time, but I knew I had a weakness in math. Taking a class I was interested in helped me make it through my first class, and getting an "A" in a class that I knew was a weakness increased my confidence. Now it is coming up on fall 2007, and I will be granted a Bachelor of Science in Management. It has been a long and eventful college career. After passing the summer course, I took a couple classes at the community college in the fall. I found it to be easy; it was so easy that I also enrolled part-time at another college: Devry. In 1998, I went to Devry full-time. However, Devry was difficult and expensive, and I got too busy with my career and dating, so I dropped out. I returned to the community college for a few semesters of the basics (Speech and History). In 1999, I started taking courses at Baker University, which had a unique program. I took classes one night a week, one class at a time, and half of the assignments were accomplished in a study group rather than individually. This was a great program, and I had a great study group. However, I got married, bought a house, changed jobs, and my ego was 100 miles wide that year. Therefore, I dropped out because I thought I was too good and too busy for Baker. In 2001, I got laid off for the second time, but this time the phone wasn't ringing no matter how many resumes I sent out. Was I being placed in the circular file due to a lack of a college degree? In 2002, once I got back to work for awhile, I began taking classes at National American University. The attraction there was that I was getting college credit for taking Microsoft and Cisco courses, which were relevant to my career. However, my finances and drinking were interfering with everything else, and I left National American before I got embarrassed. Somehow, my GPA was hanging around 3.7 through all of this, with mainly the Devry courses weighing me down. By 2005, I was getting my head screwed on straight, staying sober, watching expenses, paying off debts, and reading voraciously. It was time to get back to school and finish what I had begun. I began shopping the local degree completion programs which, in Kansas City, are many and varied. I finally decided to return to Baker University, since I perceived it to be the most prestigious and the most practical for my schedule, finances, and attention-span. I began Baker's B.S.M. program in February 2006, and we are two weeks from completing our studies. I have been with the same group the whole time, and that has made a big difference. When one of us is busy or burnt-out, the study group can help keep the momentum going. Having a built-in support group through college is indespensable. Not only that, but the program has crammed an unbelievable amount of knowledge into 18 months. I look back now and cannot believe how much you learn from experienced instructors and students. Our group has a wide range of experiences, strengths, and neurosis', which really accelerates and varies the lessons learned. Somehow, I have crammed life, career, and school together and made it work, getting straight A's for the last 18 months. Anyhow, I will soon be able to say I have that elusive degree, the lack of which has probably stunted my career. In the 10 year process of earning my degree, I got married, had two kids, worked for 8 employers, bought and maintained a house, suffered from alcoholism, got sober, suffered from depression and ADD, traveled all over the country for work and fun, and read for work, fun, and school. I dropped out for financial reasons, mental health reasons, and reasons of ego. And yet, I have found the degree attainable. I will graduate with about a 3.8 GPA, 150 credit hours, and an emphasis in International Studies. Moreover, I have honed my communication skills and discovered my passion for International Studies, especially Geo-politics. What I really want to say in this post is that if I can do it, anyone can. If you are 65 years old with little or no college credit, you can still do it. In fact, if you don't suffer from the same self-inflicted distractions that I do, you can get that degree in 4 or 5 years if you wish. If you are in your forty's or fifty's and you would rather do something else, or your future employment prospects are questionable right now, you really should consider getting started. Through my ten years of higher education, I have run into many people older than myself who were looking to secure their future, change their career, present an example to their kids, or just reach a personal goal. They realize now that they haven't saved for a long, healthy retirement. In addition, they realize that medicine and diet will allow them to work much longer than their parents did, perhaps into their seventies and eighties. They could have a whole second career in a completely different field after earning a degree. A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Take a step by taking one class at your community college, and then build up the academic muscles, build up your momentum, and get a degree. If the U.S. is going to continue to be the greatest nation on the planet, we are going to need all the educated people we can get.