FiboThinks is Legit!

We’ve moved! This site will soon be extinct. You can find all past posts and many future posts at the new http://fibothinks.com.

See you there!

Here’s a sneak peak of what you’re in for…

Days Go By

What if the days and weeks were different?

I have been contemplating some pretty heavy stuff lately… like, is the agrarian calendar the right calendar for us to still use as the base for the school calendar? I’m not sold.

I know there are lots of ideas about ways for the school year to change. Many teachers that I speak with would quickly stand in protest of their “low” wages and, in the same breath, turn down a 33% pay increase for working full-year. That’s right. I’m saying that teachers are currently making, on average, $36K in Oklahoma. That is for 9 months of the year, or 3/4 of it. That means that if the teacher worked the other 1/4 of the year, they would make an extra 3 month salary, or 1/3 of what they are currently making. I’m pretty sure teachers would have a harder time arguing for higher pay if they were making $48K.

Sure, people want to know that they can make a good amount of money in their career. So often teachers are compared to lawyers and doctors. Although I would never argue against teachers being as important, I would argue that the predicate of that logical argument, “then they should be paid the same,” is not valid. Yes, teachers are preparing the minds of the future, but the fact is that they will never be paid the same when the requirements to be a teacher only consist of a Bachelor’s degree and a few exams. This disconnect cannot be overlooked when making this argument.

Welp. I would love to hear what you think about the calendar. See you soon!

Restructuring Extracurriculars and Teacher Duties

I have really taken the previous post to heart

I think there is a need to consider what is good and what isn’t. I think there is high potential for this first topic I am about to pursue to be one in which many will find fault. For that very reason, I am even more excited to present an absolute proposition that leans very heavily away from the traditional school structure. I hope that all readers take the time to consider what is being said. It is not said to be trite, nor is it expected that the proposition is a holistic solution. Even more so, it is not to be thought that I am writing this proposition with the misguided belief that it might lead to change in the school today.

My proposal, however, is one that calls on the school system to rethink priority and to make changes now to provide students with a solid education. Perhaps my definition of “solid education” and the standard paradigm of education are not cohesive nor parallel, but I am sure that within all definitions, the focus on meeting students need is forefront.

Should They Stay or Should They Go?

Okay, I just wanted to get a quick post going to start a convo about educational change. So, I’m going out on a limb and asking that you respond with ideas about what must stay and what must go. I will do my best to respond to each with a dedicated post.

My first item: Take sports out of public education… Don’t worry. I’ll put a post up to explain further.

What do you think?

The World of Education

Hope you like it. You can download the 1600 x 1200 size image here.

A Teacher Manifesto for a New Phase in Education

Globally Competetive or Globally Cooperative?

What a question!

Here’s the definition of COMPETE:

strive to gain or win something by defeating or establishing superiority over others who are trying to do the same.

With that in mind, I say DON’T COMPETE! In fact, I would go as far as saying that any educator without a passion to cooperate in a world of marginalization, hate, and poverty should find a new job!

That’s right! I don’t beat around the bush. The vision of the K20 Center puts it plainly:

We envision interactive learning communities where citizens identify, analyze, and help solve problems in their local and global communities. Through cutting-edge research and development, local and international networking, school-university-industry partnerships, and interdisciplinary degree programs, we envision empowered citizens working for the creation of a global society rid of poverty, crime, racism, and other forms of inequality.

The statement that tugs on my heart strings is the last: “we envision empowered citizens working for the creation of a global society rid of poverty, crime, racism, and other forms of inequality.” Is that what you envision? Or are there teachers who strive to defeat all other people in the world who are in pursuit of happiness and freedom in the same manner as we?

I challenge you to ask yourself, “what is it that I strive for?” Contemplate that. Let it guide you in your relationships with youth and fellow educators. Incorporate your passion into education and share it with all.

For in competition, there are no winners; just someone who loses less.

Friday Night Out on the Town

I just wanted to post a few pics from my evening with a couple science teachers from Thailand. Enjoy!

Posing with a Buffalo in front of the AT&T Bricktown Ballpark

A Great Look at OKC from Bricktown

It's ball time! Noom (left) and O (right) are posing, while Adam is focused.

And the pitch!

Here are Noom (left) and O (right) leaning in, hoping to catch a foul ball.

Hijacking, Rain, and Posters

Well, I made it to DC! I’m not generally a nervous passenger on flights, but first news today: Plane Hijacking in the Bahamas! Naturally, I began brushing up on my “recover control of the plane” skills.

My flight was uneventful, at best. But, now I find myself in a beautiful, historic, and wet capital city. I literally stared at the White House for about 8 minutes. So much history!
I’ve just spent the last 1.5 hours perusing the poster session here at the magnificent DC Convention Center (notice image – top left). Lot’s of smiling presenters giving their, “here’s what I’m doing to change the world” talk. The rumble of greetings, contemplation, and theoretical bliss hovers in the small browsing area. A solid 100 to 150 attending. Not bad for my first session. Not bad.

Well, dinner calls.

P.S. – Follow me on Twitter… @fibothinks

Reflections on Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed

Holy Cow! I have read this book in sections for a class before… this time I read it as an entirely new person. One with fervent passion for being part of an education revolution.

I practically underlined everything in the 1st chapter. Of course I appreciate this diametric debate between the oppressor and the oppressed, between objectivism and subjectivism, and so on. The most profound statement of the whole chapter, however, was quite possibly the most simple:

with, not for (p. 48)

Freire discusses the complex dualities of the oppressed,