Learning for the Sake of Learning

"I wonder what's at the border?"

"What do you mean, David?" my wife replied.

"Well, when we actually cross from Montana into Alberta, Canada, I wonder what we will see?"

And then from the backseat our 12 year old daughter confidently stated, "All of the trees for a 20 foot line will be cut down.  You should be able to see the border very clearly."

"How do you know that?  We are in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by mountains and huge trees, and you're telling me all of the trees will be cut down at this border?"  I asked.

"Dad, I follow this video blog, and they share all sort of neat information.  I'll show the blog to you when we get back to civilization and wifi."


As you can tell, we were traveling.  My family and I were visiting Glacier National Park in Montana, and we had planned to cross into Canada to see the Canadian Waterton National Park.  I live about 45 minutes from another international border with Canada that is easy to understand.  The Detroit River marks the border, but I had no real idea how the border looked in the mountains.

When we crossed the border we saw a line about 20 feet wide cleared of all trees.  The line went directly over mountains in both directions.  Jennifer was correct.

She later showed me the video blog  (Please watch.  It's fascinating.) and said she follows other blogs on topics that interest her.  She was learning for the sake of learning, and I clearly had a lot to understand.

I got to thinking that our daughter knew things that neither my wife nor I had taught her.  She also didn't learn about international borders in school.  As an elementary school principal and teacher I have a fairly good idea of what kids should know at certain ages--especially when they are in the younger grades.  Jennifer had gotten to the point when I no longer controlled or even knew all that she knew.

Our district has worked for 5 years to clearly articulate our curriculum.  In other words, we have worked to identify what kids should know and be able to do.  You can see that work here.  You can see essential questions, key concepts, and a general calendar of when those concepts will be taught.  Our curriculum website has transformed our school system and helps us focus resources and training so all students can be more successful.

I'm fairly certain, however, nothing in our curriculum website states, "We want students to be able to learn for the sake of learning--not just because it might be on a test."  I'm being sarcastic here, I know.  We do need to teach specific concepts and skills, and schools should be held accountable for that teaching and learning.  I worry, sometimes, that we get so hyper-focused on specific skills and concepts that we are missing the larger point of learning for the sake and joy of learning.  We need to find a balance.


As we teach and raise children to be successful in the 21st century, I caution all of us to be sure to help kids desire to learn and to not just learn because it's on a test.

Deciding or Doing?

Have you ever decided to lose weight?  How about to exercise more?  What about to be more active in a community organization?  Of course, many of us make decisions to be more healthy or to be more active.  I suppose each New Years Day many of us make resolutions to be or to do something better for the upcoming year.  Making decisions to be or to do something better is a great step.  In fact, it's probably the best first step, but is it the only step?

I was recently given a flyer that included "The Riddle of the Twelve Frogs."  It basically goes like this...

Twelve frogs are sitting on a log.  Twelve frogs decide to jump into the pond.  How many frogs remain on the log?

The answer?  Twelve.  Twelve frogs remain on the log because there is a clear difference between deciding to jump and jumping.  If you are going to lead, you not only have to decide, but you also have to make the leap.

I've decided to lose weight in the past.  I've even decided to exercise more.  Unfortunately, I've not always been successful at losing the weight or exercising more.  As the story of the frog goes, deciding to exercise more and actually going for a walk, a run, or even a swim are entirely different steps.  I suppose that makes me human.

This year I did decide to be more positive.  This sounds painfully simple, and I must confess up front that being positive in Novi and at Novi Woods, where I am principal, is actually quite easy because of all that is happening.  Regardless of our professions, however, everyone seems to doing more with less.  And between balancing work and a busy life at home with two teenaged daughters, remaining positive can get to be tricky.  But, deciding to be more positive and actually being positive...

In the front lobby of our school, we have a Paws for Great Leaders! board.  (We are the Novi Wildcats which explains the paw connection.)

Staff gives students small certificates when they see someone doing something extraordinary.  I'm not big into giving students rewards, but we do want students and visitors in our school to realize we are focusing on the positives that students do.  We send home one certificate and then put one certificate in a small box by the office where they eventually get placed on our board.  Throughout the year and at our regular all-school Leadership Assemblies I select 3-5 students to recognize.

I usually ask the students what they did to earn a PAWs card.  Then I say something to the entire school body like, "Great leaders are prepared and ready to learn-even without being asked.  Can you be prepared and ready to learn-without being asked?"  The students reply, "Yes," and we are finished within 3 minutes in order to get to the main event of our assembly.  It's a nice reminder to highlight what is good and extraordinary for all of us.

This year we have taken our PAWs cards one step further.  I am personally calling each student's family  that earns a PAWs card.  I've made well over 100 calls, and it's only the middle of October.  I hope I can get to over 1000 by the end of the year!  First, it's a way for me to establish one on one communication with a family.  With almost 500 students, creating and maintaining that communication is important to me.  Next, I strongly believe that if students know they are cared about or if they know they are learning in a supportive community, they will work even harder.   More  importantly, I get to spread even more joy about the student earning a PAWs card.  Inevitably I end up leaving a message, but I often hear back from the parents or from the student thanking me for the call.  Those parents usually share how much they appreciated my call, how much their child is learning at school, or they highlight the work we are doing at Novi Woods.  In my quest to be more positive, people are actually showing me what I should be positive about!  It's a wonderful circle.

I encourage all of us to move from deciding to doing.  To move from just thinking about taking that step to actually stepping--even if it's a tiny step.


(Today, I'm skipping the candy bar as an after lunch snack, by the way.  I'm working on eating healthier!)