Classroom III

Our school district’s delegation flies out of ILM on the day Apple and AT&T launch- June 29th.  It would be  fun to watch the lines or lack of lines at the local AT&T /Cingular Store, but I would rather be on my way to the conference.  It has been ten years since I have last attended this International flavored event.  The world was a much different place.  But, the changes are similar what I experienced in Munich, Germany, in 1978.  Soldiers/guards with machine guns and dogs were a real shock for me to see back in those days.  I had never seen anything like that except in photos from my father’s WWII photo albums and on TV and history books.  I thought I had gone back in time to a place run my Hitler or some fire breathing maniac.  ‘Why does this airport need guards with machine guns?’ I asked.  Someone said it was because of the terrorists that kidnapped the Israeli Olympic team and killed 17, during the ‘72 Munich Olympic Games.  Airport security is a sign of our times, much like the buzz around the launch of the iPhone.  The iPhone has already begun to change AT&T.  On their website, I noticed that they are offering Refurb Blackberry Pearls for $29.99 with 2 year contract.  It knocked the breathe out of me.  Talk about making changes– the fear in the marketing boarders on Gorilla Warfare.  Dramatic events change the way people conduct business.  

As an amateur podcaster and amateur blogger, I would am planning to record sessions, and conversations with fellow conference attendees.  This conference may mark a dramatic event for our school district.  Along with two of the five schools in our LEA will have new principals next year as the result of retirements.  Our superintendent is new as well.  Put all these together and they generate an environment of fear and or great opportunity.  It all depends on which side you are on.  In education, this tagline hits home with me– “Change is not necessary; survival is not mandatory.”  If you don’t think things should change, then you miss the opportunity to grow.  I look forward to change.  I have learned that it is a major pain to have to teach the same children year after year.  They are tired of me as well.  They are ready for a change.  The question is, will they take advantage of the situation.  Will our teachers step up and take advantage of the conference to learn new ideas and bring them back to their schools and classrooms?  I think so.

As part of my podcasts and conversations with our district’s delegation attending the Model Schools Conference the end of this month, I will be keying in on change.  I plan to read the book- “Who Moved My Cheese” to refresh my understanding of the issues involved in change.

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