Stephen R. Dalby
It's a Small World After All
By: Stephen R. Dalby
When I was a boy, I had an impactful experience that I still remember today. My mom, who was a single parent, told me that she had been saving up the funds so that we could go on a vacation. This obviously peeked my interest because this is not something that we had ever done. She opened up a map of the United States and asked me to pick anywhere in the country that I would like to go. Being about eight-years old and knowing that Disney Land was in California, I told her that’s where I wanted to go! So, a short time later I found myself at the destination where I desired to be, Disney Land. While there is much about that day that I don’t remember, there is one ride I will never forget. The ride is entitled, “It’s a Small World” and what the ride consists of is sitting in a hollowed out log while floating through a representation of much of the world. As I floated through, I saw dolls representing the different nations of the earth. While they were all dressed differently and spoke different languages, they were all united in singing the theme song, which included the phrase, “It’s a small world after all”.
I think that this is an appropriate theme as I reflect on what I have learned over the
past four-years that I have participated in the online Master of Arts in Education
degree (MAED) from Michigan State University. Why? Because much of what I
learned, were things that I had already learned but had forgotten. While I can not
speak for anyone else, sometimes I feel like I am needing to learn the same lessons
over and over again and my MAED experience was no different. For me, the phrase
"it's a small world after all" is a metaphor for the lessons that we all need to learn
over and over again in life. While there is much that I will bring with me in the future,
in this essay I will be writing about three specific courses that I have taken in the
program and what specific lessons I was able to learn, again.
Lesson one, learning how to think.
Albert Einstein is credited with saying,
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
Learning how to think is no easy learning, especially when you are the one in charge and the weight of heavy decisions fall on your shoulders. One of the classes that I took that emphasized that reality and trained me on how to think and solve complex problems was EAD 867 / Case Studies in Educational Leadership taught by Dr. Marilyn Amey. This was truly one of my favorite classes offered. The framework for this class typically consisted of reading a complex scenario and discussing as a group how you would try to solve the situation. The complexity of each case study was what I truly enjoyed because the cases not only consisted of complicated educational issues but they were also mingled with social, political, and financial difficulties. The main take away for me from this course was imbedded in the "analysis" portion and this was the lesson that I learned, again. Each student was trained to go through a series of analysis and info gathering steps before making any decisions on how to proceed with the case. I felt this was so impactful was because sometimes I have felt in my leadership style that I have made decisions before gathering all of the information and walking through the analysis and information gathering steps. I felt this was a great exercise and reminder in learning how to think and solve problems.
Gathering the information before making a decision is a wise principle to live by. Like all true principles it has a wide variety of situations in which it can be applied. For example, my seven-year-old son may come up to me saying that his older brother just hit him. Instinctively, I may react to the situation and want to scold or even discipline his older brother. However, what I have learned over time is to gather just a little more information by asking some basic questions like, "So what you're telling me is that your older brother just came up to you and hit you?" Often times it is in this moment that the older brother will arrive with scribbles on his homework, holes cut out of his new shirt, or Sharpie marker crossed on his forehead. By me gathering some additional information before acting it allows me to see a bigger picture and act in a more consistent and fair manner. True principles are applicable in a wide variety of circumstances and gathering all the information before making a judgment call is a wise way of thinking.
Another example of this principle is found in the context of classroom relationships between teachers and students. I heard recently a story of a college professor that was teaching a new class and each time he turned around he heard a couple of young women begin to talk and whisper. Over a period of time he began to be irritated at the disrespect of these two girls. However, he didn't say anything and finished lecture he was giving. After class had concluded these two girls approached the professor and provided a little insight. One of these girls was deaf, and each time that the professor turned around she had no chance of knowing what was being said. The other girl was a friend in the class that was simply relaying the words that her friend had no chance to hear and understand. Once again, being patient to gather all of the information can assist us in making better decisions. Recently, I had a student that I had taught two-years previously. When I saw his name on the role I was quite excited due to the success we had experienced a couple of years back. However, in this new class I noticed immediately that things were not the same. In stead of being involved, participating, and assisting other students to remain focused he was quiet, shy, and felt almost cold towards the learning experiences that were taking place. One day after class he asked if we could speak for a minute. It was then in my office that he informed me about another student in the class that he was sitting by and all of the history and drama that had taken place with that particular boy. The reason why he wanted to speak with me was to apologize for not being 'himself' while in class. This experience , along with countless others, once again exemplifies the importance of not being too judgmental without knowing all of the information.
Lesson two, learning how to create impactful teaching moments.
In Spring 2014, I took CEP 882 / The Nature and Design of Compelling Experiences instructed by Professor Nguyen. The main lesson that I was re-taught here was the importance of variety in my teaching and how I should not just plug in a different lesson into the same lesson outline! Let me give you an example. In Dr. Nguyen's class he has his students arrange the desks any way that they would like on day one. Through out the semester if the class would like to change up the way they are seated they are free to do so. Some classes are set up in half-circles, others in more traditional rows, and others are spread out in a chaotic random arrangement. But Dr. Nguyen's approach to me is brilliant. Because just by allowing the students to create their own seating arrangement, it is almost like he is allowing them to create their own experience. The students really buy in and Dr. Nguyen is not a "Type A" personality so it's easy for him to provide that autonomy.
For me, creating compelling experiences are far and few in between. This course gave each student opportunities to learn, grow, and to practice creating "compelling experiences" though a wide variety of methods. We created compelling experiences through music, videos, photography and finally we watched and analyzed impactful moments on the movie screen to learn how such experiences were created. One of my favorite portions of the class was when we analyzed the opening five-minute scene of The Godfather. We read and studied how different angles with the camera, the tone of the speaker's voice, and the power of "zooming in." If we really stop and think about it, compelling experiences are all around us because that's what people are seeking. They seek it in movies, music, and in life. As a teacher, I have the opportunity to create these types of experiences, but unfortunately, sometimes I don't allow myself to try new things, or allow my students the autonomy that Dr. Nguyen does. Regardless, this course really inspired me to try new things that would lead to creating an impactful moment!
Lesson three, learning how to love reading.
I remember in Junior High taking a class that would allow us to read for almost the entire period from just about any book we went and chose from the school library. I think these are some of the earliest memories that I have of a love of reading. Later, while serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day-saint, there was one part of the day that I always looked forward to and it was the mornings. Why? Because that is when we had 60 minutes dedicated to personal study. I had once again discovered a love for reading, learning, and progressing. During my time at MSU I took a class that once again rekindled this love. The course was EAD 864 from Dr. Weiland and it was entitled Adult Career Development. This course is reading extensive, which at first looked to be quite intimidating. However, once I got in the rhythm of reading I found myself almost consumed with what I was learning. Whether it was about a female deep-sea sword fisherman, or a biography on Steve Jobs, the more I read the more I enjoyed reading.
I have heard it said that, "Some people will lie, cheat, steal and back-stab to get ahead... and to think, all they have to do is READ."
To me what this is trying to say is all one really needs to do is become better, and the opportunities afforded to such an individual will also become, better. About six-years ago I made a decision in my career that I was not going to be like others in my industry and chase dreams. Instead, I decided that I would become a professional and learn everything I could about my industry and it was my belief that dreams would become realities. I think that so many times we look at others who have the good fortune of "luck." But what we don't see is the work, sweat, and dedication it took to get that one opportunity that by standers would consider, lucky. I guess what I am stating here is that kindling the love for reading is perhaps the very foundation upon which success is built, in any industry. Those who are apt to thinking, analyzing, improving, and developing are the ones that slowly and surely get ahead and separate themselves from the rest of the pack.
Conclusion.
Last summer, I did something akin to what my Mom did with me. My beautiful wife and I sat down with our children and asked, “Where would you like to go?” It was not a surprise when all of the children came to a very quick consensus that Disney Land was the place for us to be! As we entered the theme park I could feel the excitement in the air. While it was clear to me that much had changed, how joyful I was to see that one had remained the same. As I stood outside the ride, I couldn’t help but reflect on what I had experienced some thirty-years prior. As we entered the same hollowed out logs, and listened to the same theme song, I couldn’t help but to think to myself, “You know, maybe it is a small world after all.”
