Editor’s Note: We welcome yet another blog by guest author Ed Carter on a subject near and dear to my heart. It was not until I retired before I discovered the joy, responsibilities (and challenges) of pet ownership. I have two little doggies (one bichon frise named “Gracie” and a yorkie-poo named “Brewster”) who keep me engaged and occupied throughout the day. “Daddy, I’m hungry.” “Can I have a bone?” “It’s time to go out…” Those frequent walks are good for me and part of this retiree’s long term wellness plan! But, pets may also restrict the flexibility of your schedule and limit travel. You cannot necessarily “drop everything” at the last minute and take a cruise or long car trip. (I’m not putting my “kids” in a pet jail, aka a kennel!) Planning is essential. Ed shares new perspectives on merging the demands of your digital job (encore career, business or retirement pursuit) with the needs of your sometimes fussy furry family members. PKF
Deciding to pack up and chase the digital nomad dream isn’t as easy when you have a pet depending on you. But it’s not impossible. You’ll just need a different kind of strategy—one that balances your professional goals with your animal companion’s comfort and safety. If you’re ready to take your work on the road without leaving your dog, cat, or other furry friend behind, here’s how to make it happen and thrive.
You Are the Brand—Market Like It
You’ve probably heard this before, but now it’s even more true: your personal brand matters. When your lifestyle is non-traditional, clients and employers want reassurance that you’re still professional and reliable. Build an online presence that highlights your experience, your skills, and the unique flavor you bring to the table. Whether it’s a clean portfolio website, a LinkedIn page with testimonials, or social proof via Twitter threads or TikToks, you’ll want your digital footprint to reflect someone who gets the job done—dog barking in the background or not.
How Education Can Reboot Your Career Path
If you’re feeling stuck in your current role or ready to transition into something more dynamic, going back to school can be the smartest move you make. For instance, by exploring a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, you’ll open the door to new opportunities in tech, where the demand for problem-solvers and creative thinkers never slows down. Also, learning online means you’ll have the flexibility to pursue your degree at your own pace, so you can continue working while you build your future.
Pick a Job That Gives You Breathing Room
Not all remote jobs are built equally, especially when you’ve got a pup tugging at your sleeve or a cat trying to walk across your laptop. Jobs with flexible hours or asynchronous communication are a goldmine here. Think virtual assistance, freelance writing, UI/UX design, social media management, or coding—anything that lets you pause when you need to and doesn’t expect you to be online at 9:00 a.m. sharp in someone else’s time zone. It’s also worth considering pet-focused work like blogging about your travels together or offering online pet training consultations if you’ve got the skillset.
Stretching the Budget Is an Art
Moving around with a pet in tow doesn’t just cost more—it requires creative budgeting. Flights often come with extra fees for animals, and not every country has affordable vet care. To save, consider slow travel, staying in each spot for at least a month to cut down on housing costs. Sign up for loyalty programs, travel with collapsible gear to avoid bulky luggage fees, and always build an emergency buffer for unexpected pet expenses.
Downtime for You, Uptime for Them
You’ve got Zoom calls and deadlines, but your pet doesn’t care. Their boredom can quickly become your stress. To keep them occupied, build routines they can count on—morning walks, midday playtime, and evening snuggles. Fun pet toys, lick mats, and interactive feeders are your new best friends. If you’re in a location for a while, look into local pet daycare options or even trusted pet-sitters who can help when your calendar’s packed.
Communication Is Still the Currency
When your lifestyle is flexible, your communication needs to be rock solid. Clients shouldn’t have to guess if you’re off-grid or just ignoring their messages. Use tools like Slack, Notion, or Trello to keep everyone aligned. Set expectations upfront about your availability, stick to response time windows, and always double-check your time zone math before scheduling meetings. Transparency builds trust, and it’s the one thing you can’t afford to fumble when you’re juggling time zones, Wi-Fi hiccups, and a restless Labrador.
Get Paid Without the Headache
No matter where you’re working from, you still need to get paid like a pro. Skip the international wire transfer chaos and set yourself up with services like Wise, Payoneer, or Deel that cater to global freelancers. These platforms help cut down on currency conversion fees, and many now offer debit cards linked to your earnings. Just make sure you’re still handling taxes back home—yes, even if you’re on a beach in Bali.
Plug Into the Right Tools
Your tech stack can make or break your setup, especially when your “office” might be a hammock or a hostel lounge. A reliable VPN keeps your data secure on public Wi-Fi, while apps like Clockify help you track billable hours. Backup power banks and a universal adapter are non-negotiables, and a noise-canceling headset can turn a chaotic café into a client-ready zone. For pet tracking, consider a GPS collar if your dog has wanderlust, or a camera you can check from your phone to ease any separation anxiety.
Taking your life and career on the road with a pet isn’t going to be flawless. There’ll be missed trains, barking during meetings, and that one time your cat jumped on your keyboard mid-presentation. But with some intentional planning, the right tools, and a healthy dose of flexibility, the rewards far outweigh the bumps. You’re not just choosing freedom for yourself—you’re creating a life where your companion gets to come along for the adventure.
Check out other articles by Guest Author Ed Carter at this blog site:
Education, ethics, professionalism, and lifelong learning.
Hope you are enjoying the winter season and, for many of you, the anticipation of warmer weather returning soon! Sorry, skiers! I am sick of shoveling snow!!
Here’s a quick “catch-up” on things going on in educator professional development.
For PA School Administrators & Educators
There is still time to register for the upcoming 25-hour, PDE-approved, Act 45 course, “PA Educators: Your Ethical Codes & School Law,” which will cover the recently mandated PA Title 22 Chapter 49 (Certification) Professional Ethics Competencies. The next online series of Act 45 classes will be held Tuesday afternoons in March, and provide “the keys to the car” planning for your own school district’s future continuing education and induction programs in ethics training as required by the PDE.
Now sponsoring our eighth series of classes, I am designated a “qualified instructor” in partnership with the course’s creator/facilitator, retired social studies teacher and attorney Thomas W. Bailey. For more information, please click on these links to his website:
In addition, since over the past year PDE revised their website (and changed most of the content links), I compiled a super-index of “places-to-go” and “things-to-read,” sites of supplemental resources on school ethics here. I recommend visiting this blog if you are interested in our library of links to the Pennsylvania Code of Professional Practice and Conduct, the Model Code of Ethics for Educators, the PA Educators Discipline Act, and research and citations from the PDE, PA Professional Standards and Practices Commission, Connecticut State Department of Education, and Iowa Board of Educational Examiners, among many others.
If you would like to see the kind of things we cover in these classes, take a look at the slide summaries I posted from my presentation at the PDE SAS Institute “Purposeful Leadership” state conference last December:
It’s that time of the year… again! The PMEA Annual Conference on April 9-12, 2025 will be held in the family-friendly, perfect-for-a-mini-vacation spot in northeastern PA: the Kalahari Resort in the Poconos.
There is still time to register! (Click here.) If you would like to see a summary of the sessions and performances, go to the PMEA website here or download this PDF brochure.
Why attend the conference? In my five-plus decades in education, I may have missed only two or three of the annual PMEA state events, and heartily recommend you remain actively involved in your professional association. This is what I wrote about it in a recent PMEA Retired Member Network eNEWS:
For some of us, it’s a just chance to catch-up with our colleagues, see our friends, and socialize. Others are more focused and take advantage of the near-perfect opportunity to network with other professionals, perhaps seeking new working relationships, partnerships, or even employment. Many are on a look-out for newly published music, that perfect music lesson or teaching strategy, technology tools, fundraisers, advance educational venues, or much-needed equipment to purchase for our ensembles or classrooms. Most come to hear/see the “state of the art” in music education – concerts, demonstrations, keynote speeches, panel discussions, exhibits, research presentations, and workshops. PMEA’s PD Council would likely submit that the primary purpose of a conference is for professional self-improvement… What did Stephen Covey call it? His Habit #7 of “sharpening the saw” – to build a balanced program of self-renewal in the four areas of your life: physical, social/emotional, mental, and spiritual. Covey would insist we embrace “the process that empowers us to move on an upward spiral of growth and change, of continuous improvement.” So, in short, conferences help us “grow” – to revive, re-inspire, re-energize, rejuvenate, re-direct, and re-motivate all of us – pre-service, active in-service, and retired teachers towards making successful new connections, updating our knowledge and skills, and forming new goals. This is how we “keep up” with all the new standards, benchmarks, and cutting-edge advances, and meet the “movers-and-shakers,” visionaries, and leaders in the profession!
There’s a lot in store for college music education majors. Besides the aforementioned state meetings, concerts, clinics, and keynote addresses no one should miss, the music industry exhibits (new innovations in sheet music, instruments, technology, summer school and graduate programs, etc.), and the chance to introduce yourself to other music colleagues (aren’t some of you looking for a job soon?), there will be a “coffee and connections” informal lounge to ASK-AN-EXPERT on Thursday afternoon to pick-the-brains of PMEA mentors and retirees on any subject. Do you have a question about conducting technique, musical literature, lesson plan idea, classroom or time management tip, or teaching method? And, just take look these sessions the PMEA Professional Development Council has targeted specifically for YOU:
For Retirees… They are special, too!
PMEA Retired Members, consider this your personal invitation to join us at the Kalahari Resort in the Poconos for the chance to catch-up, connect, collaborate and communicate with other colleagues throughout the Commonwealth! (a plethora of “C’s!”)
As usual, we will “break bread” together Friday morning (April 11, 2025) with the annual retiree breakfast. Be sure to register soon for the PMEA Annual Conference (now only $25) and check the “yes” box that you will attend our meeting. Those in attendance will be treated to some “conference swag!”
Retirees are a valuable resource to PMEA! Our experienced retired members are among the best-trained (unofficial) mentors in PMEA. Facing many years of “boots on the ground,” we have at our fingertips numerous strategies to solve problems in education. Frankly, in my opinion, we have a lot to offer “the future of the profession!”
On Friday, April 11, at 3:30 p.m., we are offering a special sharing session for soon-to-retire teachers… the annual one-hour Retirement 101 workshop joined by a panel of experienced retirees: Rick Coulter, Jeffrey Dent, Sister Kathleen Doutt, Dan Klingbeil, Chuck Neidhardt, and Louise & Richard Victor. Active educators who plan to retire over the 1-5 years can learn valuable techniques from us for a smooth transition to post-full-time employment and successfully reinvent, reprogram, and “recharge” themselves to modifying those essential elements of purpose, structure, and community throughout their “golden years!”
My Professional Advertisement
You may have noticed in my last blog-post an outline of past article topics archived at this site, and a complaint that I feel I must repeat myself (or repackage the material) to meet the changing personalized “bookends” – life cycles – specific passages of my readers. The earlier February post was mostly for job seekers. If you were not looking for employment or coming fresh out of college, it may have seemed irrelevant. The same goes for specialty articles on self-care, ethics training, or retirement transitioning… WHEN WOULD YOU BE MOTIVATED TO STUDY THESE?
I have decided to maintain a comprehensive index of my writings (see “Inside” link in the top menu bar). Please visit the sections of this blog-site that matter to you most… and, when things change, come back and look again. You may find something that “hits the spot” or satisfies the needs of your new journey in education or personal/professional life.
I remain willing and able (aka “very interested”) in doing in-person or online sessions for college methods classes, PCMEA chapter meetings, PMEA festival directors’ meetings, PMEA District or Regional PD workshops, or school district/department inservices. Just give me a call. My contact information can be found in the top “About” link. Please visit this section for catalogs of my presentations and articles. FYI, I created this trifold of some of my past work.
Best wishes on your future successes in career development and professional goal setting.
Surveying my past blogs, I feel like I had to repeat (repackage) the content until my readers reached that particular stage in their career. Once they experience first-hand that sometimes tumultuous “passage,” they would be ready to reflect on this information. But, I doubt they would closely examine it until then. As an example, for more than a decade as the PMEA Retired Member Coordinator, these past articles I wrote for PMEA News and the PMEA Annual Conference’s session Retirement 101 revisit the voluminous insight of gerontologists exploring the “who, what, when, where, and why” of retirement. Regardless at how often it is presented, you tend not to consume advice on coping with post-employment until you feel you are “ready” to retire. This is the same issue for soon-to-graduate collegiates and those transitioning to a new job; who wants to read about branding, marketing, and interviewing until they are in the middle of seeking first-time (or new) employment?
Please click on the “plethora” of links throughout this article to be redirected to these past writings. My apologies in advance to what may seem like to be a lot of duplication!
I went as far as updating the most comprehensive and “perfect” PowerPoint for collegiates: Bookends – The Life Cycle of a Successful and Happy Music Educator– portions of which I have presented several times to Professor Jessica Vaughan-Marra’s Seton Hill University music student teachers. This slide handout starts with the material from the first three bullets in the first paragraph above and then adds information about teacher health and wellness, time management, and retirement. We offer Bookends… to preservice music educators in their junior, senior, or graduate years and “rookies” to the profession. I encourage you to download this resource, visit the PCMEA website (click here/scroll down) to read past issues of Collegiate Communique, and the paulfox.blog posts. While you’re at it, acquire your own copy of the Ultimate Interview Primer. Click away before these links become inactive.
Soon it will time for graduates to enter the workforce… and boy, do we need you! By most accounts in PA and the surrounding states, we are experiencing a teacher shortage. School districts are seeking quality candidates to apply for their open positions. But, much of what happens in the job screening process seems to be influenced by chance. Collegiates, ask yourself: Are you truly prepared to market your experiences and abilities, share your brand and stories of your interactions with children in educational programs, and relate positive anecdotes of your teaching, problem solving skills, and other professional attributes? I may have been a little Type-A when I first applied for those music teaching positions back in 1978, focused on saturation publicity and persistence, and organized with a large paper portfolio of past experiences, but I was clueless in responding to those tricky interview questions and what administrators actually wanted to see in prospective new members of their staff.
One more piece advice for first-year and recent transfers to music education: Seek out a PMEA mentor and/or a member of the Retired Resource Registry (access from the PMEA Retired Member focus area after you login to your member portal)… both are groups of volunteers willing and able to help “newbies.”
Have a question about selecting music for your ensemble, a dynamic lesson plan, classroom management issue, interviewing, curriculum innovation, or a conducting tip? Stop by the “coffee and conversations” informal lounge at the PMEA Annual Conference on April 10 and “sit-a-spell” with us!
In conclusion, the following is a sequential outline – a “to-do in this order” list – a preservice toolbox of past posts and other resources for you to assemble a marketing plan. Take time to sort through these “nuts and bolts” (all links in this blog), process the information, save anything you want to read further, and then “practice, practice, practice!” This “gift” to PCMEA and music education majors embraces my best wishes for successfully finding the job you always wanted and preparing yourself for the greatest “calling” of your life – an enriching and satisfying lifelong career in music education! Good luck!
Using the Collegiate Toolbox – A Roadmap for Becoming a Music Educator
Peruse everything in this and past paulfox.blog postings.
Download the PDF documents to your hard drive. Review a portion of them each week!
On your computer, create a “ME” file documenting your accomplishments, awards, experiences interacting with children, etc. – a library of the things you may wish to include in your future resume, professional website, and (e-)portfolio. Add to this folder throughout your college years.
Prioritize what you think you need most. Write down your goals! Pobody is nerfect!
While you are still attending college, work on shoring up any weak content areas or specialty skills (e.g., how is your “piano chops,” knowledge of specific methods, grade level repertoire, etc.?)
Write a philosophy of school music education (overview) and your mission statement: “Why do you want to teach?”
Be ready to answer the question (and defend your response), “What is your vision of the role of music education in the schools?”
Be ready to define your “brand.” What are your professional attributes? What makes you unique? Why would you be a good candidate for a school music position?
Begin to assemble a list of stories that would “show not tell” your positive attributes.
Practice ethical decision-making (with your peers) by reviewing these mock scenarios, first deciding what level of misconduct (if any) is reached in each case study, and then more discussion on the incident’s effect on the students, parents, staff, and community, and what proactive steps may be taken to remediate the situation.
Join and become active in appropriate music education professional organizations (renew your memberships and add new ones): ACDA,AOSA,ASTA,NAfME,NBA,PMEA, etc. to name a few.
Feel free to leave comments about this blog. (See the link just below the title.) How did you use these tools? What was particularly beneficial? What suggestions would you have for future music teacher applicants?
To PCMEA chapter officers/members, music education majors, and college instructors: I am available to present Bookends or other online or in-person workshops for college students. Send me an email.
ALL ABOARD THE E-TRAIN… Embarking and Embracing a Journey of Essential Educator Ethics
The wheels of the train go round and round…
“All black, well stacked, goin’ down the track clickety clack” = the train looked good on the visual roll-by inspection.
“Highball it out of here” = proceed at maximum permissible speed
“Let’s pull the pin and roll” = uncouple so we can get out of here
The fall season is bringing upon us a series of ethical workshops, classes, and the creation of other resources, and the perfect time to warehouse everything at the main rail terminal! Take an excursion below to learn more about “staying on track” with research on the responsibilities and “regs” for serving as an educator.
Can you name the exact title of your Code of Conduct? What agency enforces it? Do educators have a Code of Ethics? Are school teachers fiduciaries or model exemplars? What does allof this mean?
First, let’s take a pretest of your knowledge and experience on the subject of school ethics. Which of the following statements has the least validity?
Moral professionalism involves being well informed about students, education, and content, confronting parents of underachieving students, cooperating with colleagues to observe school policies, and criticizing unsatisfactory policies and proposing constructive improvement.
Teachers, attorneys, doctors, nurses, counselors, therapists, and the clergy have “fiduciary” duties: own the highest legal duties of good faith and trust and are bound ethically to act in another party’s best interest.
Although not always defined in exact terms of school law or policies, professional ethics are “standards that assist practitioners within situation and systemic contexts in choosing the best course-of-action.”
A code of ethics outlines a set of principles that affect decision making, while a code of conduct delineates specific behaviors that are required or prohibited and governs actions.
The primary goal of professional ethics training is to emphasize the “minimum standards of acceptable behavior” and focus on specific illegal and unethical actions that may result in disciplinary actions.
After a thorough exploration of the materials below, you should feel confident in responding to this question. (If you need help, scroll down to answer at the end of this blog-post.)
Classes and Conferences on Ethics, Oh My!
I am looking forward to sharing insights on ethical issues and especially the seeming “conundrums” or conflicts in the myriad of snap judgments of daily decision-making, both in and outside of our classrooms. Upcoming opportunities are on the ethics e-train schedule.
Currently, we are completing the sixth series of our 25-hour PDE-approved Act 45/PIL online course for school/system leaders, career and technical center directors, and other administrators. Sponsored by my colleague Thomas W. Bailey (check out his website here), the next class “PA Educators: Your Ethical Codes & School Law” begins on October 22 for four consecutive Tuesdays from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Thomas Bailey and I were also invited to present this Act 45/PIL course for the Northeastern Intermediate Unit #19 as a two-day workshop on November 19 and December 16, 2024. Visit http://www.iu19.org or click here to register.
I am venturing out of the Western PA to Eagleville, PA (near Valley Forge) to provide a 70-minute in-service, a school ethics “refresh” for the faculty at Methacton School District on October 14, 2024. Click here to download a copy of the slide summary with all links active.
Finally, I am happy to report that I was invited back to the PDE SAS Institute to do two sessions: “Planning School Ethics Training, Part I – Definitions, Codes, and the Commission” and Planning School Ethics Training, Part II – Model Code of Ethics for Educators. My proposal to present the session “CATCH THE E-TRAIN – Codes, Case Studies, and the Challenges of Ethical Decision-Making” was not approved for the 2025 PMEA Annual Conference in Kalahari Resort (Poconos). However, a facsimile of similar slides from past NAfME/PMEA workshops and webinars on educator ethics is available here.
Supplemental Resources for the Study of Codes, Case Studies, and the Challenges of Daily Decision-Making in Education
And now, the grand daddy of school ethics destinations…
Especially for Pennsylvania educators, pre-service students, and newcomers to the Commonwealth (citing the PA Professional Practices and Standards Commission website)
A code of ethics sets a higher threshold than regulatory codes of conduct or even a nonprofit organization’s bylaws and compliance rules enforced by the government. A code of conduct, such as the Pennsylvania “Code of Professional Practices and Conduct” of the PSPC, provides absolutes for employment, licensure, and/or civil/criminal sanctions. In contrast, the Model Code of Ethics for Educators document serves more as a general compass to help steer professionals towards sound judgment in their daily decision-making. What is unique about a true code of ethics vs. a code of conduct is that the principles are not defined in exact terms of law or policies, nor do they necessarily model family morals or values on which we as individual educators have been raised. The proposed standards are not about definite issues of right/wrong or black/white, but shades of grey. They are more open-ended, offering opportunities to discuss recommendations for consideration from a set of possible choices based on the circumstances of each ethical dilemma or resolution.
– excerpt from “The Ethical Music Educator,” Winter 2020 issue of PMEA News
Teachers are ethical professionals. Our moral aspirations, the “codes” and “standards” we subscribe to, and our professionalism are important to us, our students, our programs, and our communities. Essentially, these are the beliefs for which we stand, the values and behavior we model in our day-to-day decision-making to “make a difference” in the lives of our students, and the overall integrity of the profession. Therefore, the answer to the PRETEST above is #5. (#1-4 are TRUE!) But, as stated in #5, the goal of meaningful ethics training is NOT to emphasize the minimum standards of acceptable behavior or to focus on specific illegal and unethical actions that may result in disciplinary actions.
Do you have anything to add to this collection? ALL ABOARD! The conductor would appreciate feedback! Please feel free to make a comment to this blog (see link next to the title).
As summer draws to a close and schools begin to reopen, we look forward to the coming autumn season (and hopefully some relief from the scorching weather). After all, tomorrow will be the first day of classes at my former place of employment (and the dress rehearsal for Friday’s marching band senior show). Soon we’ll enjoy one of my favorite transitions of the year! In Western Pennsylvania, deciduous trees will gradually change color (some bright red, orange and yellow) and then shed their leaves… the perfect metaphor for the final sections of my “Bookends” series.
(Yes, fall is a month away… but, as you can see, the stores are way ahead in anticipation of the changing seasons!)
Autumn is a season of harvest, a time to reap the rewards of our hard work and reflect on the blessings in our lives. The Fall Equinox is a reminder for us to assess our accomplishments instead of our shortcomings.
We return to a discussion first introduced last October in Bookends – Part One – The Life Cycle of a Successful and Happy Music Educator, exploring:
Stage 4: Veteran/Sustaining Years (this blog)
Stage 5: Next Chapter/Living the Dream (future blog)
When do we become “experts” in our field? When are we “master teachers?” Do we ever reach the apex of our achievements, the crowning glory of our career, or the pinnacle of our profession?
Never! You snooze, you lose. If you stop expanding on your knowledge and skills, forgo exploring new ideas, methods, and media, or become stagnant and settling into a rut at work, you might as well RETIRE (“Stage 5”). Instead, I direct you to revisit “Stage 3” in Bookends II here. As dedicated educators, the focus must be on constant retooling… reviewing/revising “best practices,” setting new goals, and building on the existing networks and engagement in the profession. These have always been the essential elements of a true professional.
Now I should mention that during our middle-years, we sometimes return to education, get advanced degrees, new certifications or teaching specialties, apply for new job assignments, etc. When my PMEA colleague and fellow music teacher retiree John D’Ascenzo left full-time teaching, he went on to pursue a doctorate degree. Also appropriate for our next Bookends section, I have often quoted his analogy for all career stages to “swim like a shark” (since a shark never stops moving, even when it is sleeping). Sage advice for us all!
During my whirlwind of more than five decades in the field of music education, I went through several “first-year-of-teaching” passages, such as accepting my first job in general music at Edgewood School District (1978-1980), then being hired to direct strings (grades 6-12) at Upper St. Clair School District in 1979 followed by a 16-year appointment to the USCHS choral program of over 200 singers in 1980 on… transitions requiring massive job retraining and revitalized professional development. I may have not appreciated the stress of these “hurry up and relearn” periods at the time, but these periodic challenges made me GROW. In the end, I “lived” and embraced Robert Frost’s poem, “The Road Not Taken.” It may have not been the initial pathway I imagined for myself when I started in music education, but “I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.”
To this day, this violist and orchestra director has NO REGRETS teaching so many years outside of his so-called “specialty” or emphasis! It comes back to me every time I run into former choral or musical students, those I taught in those early years of being a vocal novice (at times when I felt less prepared). My past instrumentalists/singers/actors reminisce a little and literally rave about their musical experiences and what they meant to them.
My emphasis to foster success in our “veteran years” is also on teacher self-care: health and wellness, burnout prevention or remediation, stress and time management, and personal life and work balance.
Let’s start with examining the probable causes of STRESS in TEACHERS:
Overwhelming workload, long hours, and/or challenging classroom situations
Lack of administrative or social supports
Feeling a lack of respect, loss of job autonomy, or not being valued or appreciated in the organization or assignment
Dysfunctional or hostile work environment
Inconsistent hydration and consumption of a balanced diet and healthy quantities (length, depth, and frequency) of rest and sleep
Irregular amounts of daily aerobic physical exercise
Misuse of the voice at work and inadequate hearing conservation and protection from over-exposure to sound
Deficient scheduling of opportunities for mindfulness, meditation, and/or reflection
Deprivation of personal outlets for creative self-expression (not related to job) and the lack of time to explore hobbies, interests, and socialization with family and friends
Infrequent use of sick days or vacations even when they are needed for restorative health
We all have experienced at least a few of these “bumps along the road” (but hopefully NOT most of them). Although I generally had very supportive administrators throughout my years in the public schools (and no one would claim I exhibited any symptoms of “burnout”), I did model a few of the inconsistent habits of personal health (diet, sleep, etc.) and an unbalanced work/personal life schedule. And, perhaps it could be said that I did some of my best work totally exhausted!
Besides being aware of your “body chemistry” (especially what the challenges of constant willpower, deferred gratification, and relentless scheduling can do to lower your blood glucose levels later in the day), to quote Murphy, some of his suggestions for remediation are NOT so easy to follow:
Work less/fewer hours
Time before school is worth more than twice as much as time after school
Use class time to check work
Leverage technology
Don’t grade everything
Stop assigning things
Sorry! My wife and I modeled the behavior of “more-than-full-time” music teachers with after-school rehearsals of marching bands, musicals, community orchestras, chamber ensembles, private lessons, music festival preparation, etc. How in the world do you work fewer hours? Also, since most music teachers do not assign “paper” homework requiring teacher correction, “checking for understanding” and in-class formative assessment could improve efficiency. Sometimes we are own worst enemies… We should “keep it simple” and focus on the priorities. That brings us to time management.
My favorite strategies for organizing our time and fostering a better work/life balance involve these resources (click on links below to past blogs at this site). PLEASE STUDY THESE!
I return to the “Four D’s” concepts several times in past writings, and the “system” can be applied digitally as well… as long as you make a concerted effort to take the necessary time (10-20 minutes) every day to manage the up-front decision-making to “do immediately,” file, or weed out most of the “voluminous noise” (distractions) you get in email, texts, voicemail, snail-mail, etc. Get ready to push the “delete” button… over and over again!
Also, if you are a member of NAfME (National Association for Music Education), search their vast library of related blogs here, several articles to which I was fortunate to have contributed.
Final thoughts for the “sustaining years” of your profession and to avoid any touches of BURNOUT is to develop a self-care plan. My first go-to for building meaningful wellness habits comes from “What Self-Care Is and What it Isn’t.” In past health and wellness workshops, I echo these “basics.”
Promote a nutritious, healthy diet, and hydrate often.
Get enough sleep.
Exercise.
Follow-up with medical care.
Use relaxation exercises and/or practice meditation.
Spend enough time with loved ones.
Do at least one relaxing activity every day, whether it’s taking a walk or spending 30 minutes unwinding.
Do at least one pleasurable activity every day, from going to the cinema, cooking, or meeting with friends.
Find opportunities to laugh.
Self-care can take many forms, such as physical, spiritual, and emotional self-care. It’s an important factor in maintaining health and well-being.
Self-care might range from a hot soak and yoga to everyday activities like preparing meals you want to eat or dressing in your choice of style.
Self-care is not an indulgence. The WHO recognizes it as a crucial aspect of health maintenance.
Tailoring self-care for your budget, season in life, and personal needs for whole body wellness, inside and out, can be energizing and exciting in itself.
Veteran full-time educators: To sustain and nurture success in the middle to twilight years of your career (Stage 4), seek to understand and practice personal wellness and work/life balance while continuing your pursuits in self-motivation, self-assessment, self-energizing, self-(re)invention, and “growing” personally and professionally, and if it becomes necessary, promote the diagnosis, prevention and self-remediation of debilitating stress and burnout.
Editor’s Note: I am taking several weeks off (a retiree’s summer vacation?) from writing articles and creating new material or proposals for workshop presentations on “the life cycle of a music educator – from preservice training to retirement.” Frequent guest contributor Ed Carter (see his past blogs here, here,and here) has graciously offered the piece below on advice for musicians to promote/market their music. Thanks for your insight, Ed!
In today’s digital age, getting your music discovered isn’t just about creating great art; it’s about strategic visibility and connection. For musicians, the realm of possibilities is expansive, yet selecting the right path can significantly influence your success. This article shared courtesy of Paul K. Fox delves into practical strategies to amplify your presence, engage with your audience, and carve a distinctive niche in the bustling world of music.
Dive into the Heart of Your Community
Embracing local music festivals and events can be a game-changer for your music career. These gatherings are not just events but a vibrant ecosystem of music lovers eager to explore new sounds. By participating, you’re not merely performing; you’re immersing yourself in a community that thrives on discovery. The connections made here, both with fans and other artists, can lead to collaborations and opportunities that extend far beyond the festival grounds.
Creating a Website
In the era of streaming, the significance of owning your distribution channel cannot be overstated. Setting up your own website brings your music directly to fans without intermediaries. This approach not only boosts your earnings but also strengthens your relationship with your audience. Offering exclusive content or merchandise can further personalize the experience, making your listeners feel like part of a special circle.
Crafting the Perfect Pitch
Waiting for discovery is a path of uncertainty. Seize the initiative by reaching out to publishing and media outlets with your music. Crafting a compelling pitch requires understanding what makes your music unique and conveying it in a way that resonates with journalists and bloggers. This proactive approach can lead to coverage that boosts your visibility exponentially, attracting new listeners and opening doors to new opportunities.
Mastering the Business of Music
Consider bridging the gap between music and marketing by going back to school for a business degree to sharpen your business acumen, essential for marketing and selling your art. A business degree equips you with vital skills in marketing strategies and financial management, crucial for a sustainable career in the arts. The convenience of online degree programs allows you to pursue education while continuing to create. Indeed, this could be the ticket to not just creating art but making a living from it.
Develop a Press Kit
A well-crafted press kit can be your passport to gaining attention in the music industry. This toolkit should encapsulate your music, personality, and achievements, providing a comprehensive snapshot to journalists and industry insiders. High-quality photos, a compelling bio, and standout music samples can make your press kit an irresistible introduction to your sounds.
Hosting Your Own Event
Why wait for an invitation when you can create your own event? Hosting your own event or showcase puts you in the driver’s seat, allowing you to present your music exactly as you envision it. This initiative not only demonstrates your entrepreneurial spirit but also creates a buzz around your work, attracting both fans and industry professionals to see what you’re all about.
Harmony and Philanthropy
Aligning your music with charitable causes is a powerful way to expand your reach while contributing to the greater good. Offering your talents for charity events or auctions showcases your commitment to social causes and can endear you to a broader audience. This approach not only elevates your profile but also enriches your musical journey with meaningful connections and experiences.
The journey to getting your music discovered is multifaceted, requiring creativity not just in your art but in your approach to marketing and community engagement. By exploring local music festivals, leveraging your online presence, and engaging directly with the media, you’re building a foundation for success. Supplementing your artistic talents with business skills and giving back to the community add depth to your career, making your music resonate on a deeper level. With dedication and strategic effort, your sound can rise above the noise, connecting with fans and opening doors to new opportunities.
The following course content, outline and supplemental materials were presented at the Upper St. Clair High School Leadership Academy on July 24, 2024.
As a follow-up to my workshop for the attendees and to grant full access to important links, a facsimile of the slide presentation, and printable handouts, please download the PDF documents below.
Below is a comprehensive summary of “Leadership 101.”
7/27/24 Update – Leadership Presentation
At the invitation of Upper St. Clair High School (USCHS) German teacher and summer leadership instructor Jacob Reis, it was my pleasure to meet and share my thoughts on “Leadership 101” with students in phase 2 of the USCHS Leadership Academy on Wednesday, July 24, 2024.
The national award-winning USCHS Leadership Academy is a one-week summer workshop offering students exposure to leadership concepts and practices. Students identify their leadership strengths and learn how these skills may be used to make them successful in all stages of life. Through experiential learning strategies, group projects, and hands-on activities, students experience the application of leadership skills, building confidence in their abilities and enhancing their capacity to serve in leadership roles. https://www.uscsd.k12.pa.us/Page/495
I enjoyed my interactions with about 30 rising sophomores who demonstrated they were already well on their way to becoming significant student leaders… and the proof was taking a week off from their summer vacation to enroll in the academy and then enthusiastically participating in my 45-minute workshop right after lunch! (Instead of nap time?) Hopefully, I was able to provoke some new thinking on the further development of their advancing leadership skills.
The only negative comment about the day is that I did not fully cover everything I intended (probably needing at least a full hour but would have enjoyed a half-day!)… thus the rationale for creating this blog-post. I only hope these budding “future leaders” will revisit this material and devote more time on it in research and self-analysis… and complete my optional homework to explore more perspectives on “the definitions of, distinctions in, and directions to becoming a dynamic and dedicated leader.”
Let the Games Begin
With a backdrop of more than 52 years in the field of education (beginning with my own HS days offering private lessons) and incorporating the experiences of an ongoing 44-year relationship in the Upper St. Clair schools, I was able to share philosophies, “best practices,” and anecdotes of lessons learned in working with countless past Fine and Performing Arts student leaders… so many “cream of the crop” drum majors, section leaders, concertmasters, producers, directors, rehearsal assistants, crew heads, leads, etc. Several of the hands-on interactive exercises we have explored in past student staff meetings and even at PMEA/PCMEA conferences were beneficial (“doing” works better than “saying!”), including:
The Clapping Game (stepping outside your comfort zone): “Put your hands together, clap and hold. Is your right thumb over your left or vice versa? Now try it the opposite way… until you can do it just as confidently! Now you have expanded your comfort zone! This is how we GROW!”
We reviewed some common “leadership vocabulary” during the session. Recognizing that there is a wide divergence in opinion on what makes a great leader, I chose to focus on portraying three triple-threat skill types that LEADERS ARE…
Visionaries
Coaches
Managers
I have always felt that leaders need to embrace change, not be afraid to “upset the apple cart,” foster a shift in new directions, create goals, and make improvements to the status quo… to bravely go out and figuratively “break something!” Things to do with a problem:
Ignore it
Resist it
Define it
Enjoy it
Find a use for it
Find a bigger problem
Numerous giants in the field of coaching and education have shared these one-line gems:
Leaders embrace new ideas or challenges.
Leaders are catalysts for change.
Leaders make goals and define targets.
Leaders model commitment and passion.
Leadership is all about creativity, innovation, and problem solving.
Leadership is about taking risks.
Leaders have positive self-esteem.
Leaders master good listening skills.
Extra handouts: Last week, I was not able to distribute these leadership quotes or the stuff and tasks of leadership, including words of wisdom from “leader luminaries” like the late great Babe Ruth, Abraham Lincoln, Vince Lombardi, Theodore Roosevelt, and my first USC school administrator and mentor Thomas Harshman.
At the Leadership Academy session, we did enjoy taking an insightful quiz about left or right brain hemispheric dominance (although we were unable to finish scoring it), something which was first introduced to me at a teacher in-service led by USC Supervisor of Curriculum John Small, and many years later, shared in a virtual session of my community orchestra during the pandemic. Examples of the type of questions: Would you choose to complete a crossword puzzle (left-brain) or a jigsaw puzzle (right-brain), or view a movie (right) or read a book (left)?
This test introduces “thinking styles” and a taste of lateral brain research. (Disclaimer: There has been a lot of scientific debate on whether there is any value in measuring brain dominance. In addition, a true test of hemispheric brain dominance would take hours, MANY MORE questions, and still only offer a few generalizations! This exercise is only provided to give us a little more understanding in the way we think and how others may respond to our attempts to lead them.) I concluded with the following statement:
Now apply this to the “types” of people you may lead. The lefty “analyticals” may want meetings to start and end on time, keep to the agenda, follow Robert’s Rules of Order, receive written documentation, etc. “Righties” (a.k.a. “spatials”) may arrive late, prefer more time for free discussion (“bird-walking?”), enjoy more charts/graphs, demonstrations, and “hands-on,” offer good brainstorming… but fewer restrictions or rules to organizing the meeting.
More Self-Reflection Exercises and the “Oreo Cookie Technique”
Back to interactive “show-don’t-tell” FUN activities! We introduced several tools to motivate additional self-analysis (insights into current leadership skills/tendencies and future needs):
Brainstorming of Leadership Habits: “Close your eyes and visualize a ‘model leader’ you have known and admired. What were his/her outstanding personality characteristics? In 30 seconds, write down as many of these traits and others that would define a great leader.”
Step #2 Brainstorming: “Circle three of these qualities you feel are the most important for success.
Step #3 Brainstorming: “Highlight, underline, or star two of these traits that YOU model – your most developed skills. Now print these in the top two bubbles of the pink graphic below.
Step #4 Brainstorming: “Review the EI chart of the Union Nations Systems Staff College, outline of AWSL leadership skills, and the types of thinking/leading skills (above), and add one or two characteristics you feel YOU are well on your way to mastering (understanding that, as my wife would remind me, ‘pobody is nerfect!’ and there’s always room for even more work on them.”
Step #5 Brainstorming: “Once you have completed a self-analysis of the material covered in this session (blog-post + handouts + slides), select up to four ‘challenges’ you would consider for further study or goals for self-improvement.”
Now, the process for “peeling back the onion skin” and doing a deep dive into a critique of an individual’s strengths and weaknesses (without crushing egos) is best done by first using positive reinforcement (what are the good things already accomplished?), followed by the problem(s), need(s), or trait(s) that resoundly land “outside the comfort zone.” This punch list of one or more items will be the basis for generating an action plan for making positive changes. Finally, you should always end everything with the positive… a reflection on the progress that has already been made, observation of past achievements or gifts, and confidence that a set of recently adopted S.M.A.R.T. goals (below) would be attainable:
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Relevant
Time-bound
The Oreo cookie symbolizes layers, a progression from top to bottom, starting with the chocolate cookie (dunk it in milk if you wish!) which represents “the positives,” next going to the cream which depicts a “focus on improvements,” and then finishing off the bottom cookie (return to “the positives”). This is relevant for self-analysis as well as a model for the care and motivation of team members. The experienced and empathetic leader knows that “you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar…” and most people respond better to positive-first feedback along with a little sensitivity and diplomacy when pointing out their shortcomings. Whenever you can, “sandwich” the cocoa’s good things (“keeps”) around the cream’s criticism (“fixes”)… for yourself and in others within all work/school settings!
Coda: Personal Inventory Profile
I hope throughout this workshop attendees will self-assess their leadership potential and make a few plans for ongoing personal development. The above checklist outlining my USCHS leadership academy content was provided in this handout to help examine areas of interest and to formulate new goals. I also recommend taking time to peruse the homework for future leaders and especially read a few of my past posts on creativity in education and leadership showcasing several exemplary models of leadership… outstanding visionaries, coaches, and managers:
June 28-July 1, 2024 Marriott Marquis – Washington D.C
It is my pleasure to be invited to present two sessions at the Educators Rising Conference on June 29, 2024 in the Liberty L/M Room of the Marriott Marquis in Washington D.C.
This is a very unique venue, something in which I encourage other educators and clinicians to consider participating. The event brings together prospective future educators, middle to high school and college education majors, with veteran practitioners and experienced educators in the profession. This is from their website:
Each year, Educators Rising hosts a national conference to convene our network of rising educators and teacher leaders. It’s a unique opportunity for students and their teacher leaders to:
Connect and learn from each other through more than 40 breakout sessions;
Network with other members from across the country;
Compete for national titles in competitive events designed to allow students to develop and showcase their teaching skills; and
Be inspired by keynote presentations from national education leaders
An outline of the conference schedule may be viewed here. Additional information may be found at the conference website here. You can still register for the event.
My two offerings will not come as a surprise to anyone who has been following my work at this site:
GETTING A JOB
My first workshop, “Interviewing & Branding 101” (Saturday, June 29 at 9 a.m.) will provide an overview of important definitions (e.g., “professional,” “total educator,” etc.) and dive into interactive exercises to exploring the basic building blocks of personal self-assessment, building “a brand” and “marketing plan” for the job search, practicing networking and storytelling skills, and analyzing and “playacting” better interviewing techniques. Although I will need to shorten the presentation to fit in the 45-minute time block allotted and provide more focus on the interactive partner and small group exercises, this was the initial outline that was accepted by the Rising Educators Conference Session Selection Committee:
My favorite candy, Hershey Symphony bars, will be distribute as incentives for the more “brave” attendees who volunteer themselves to serve as good (as well as bad) models of the mock interviews.
In conclusion, this is “the session” I wish someone would have provided me before I went out into the labor market! We will have some fun connecting with each other, learning something new about our core values, goals, and strengths – especially those areas we want to broadcast to future employers – building a marketing plan of the essentials to promote ourselves in future employment screenings, and breaking-out into “duos” and small groups to “practice-practice-practice!” The branding and interviewing exercises and suggestions may be applied to finding any job, but will definitely be a big help for landing “the one” teaching position you always wanted.
For the participants who attend my session (facsimile of slides available after June 28), here are links to the printed handouts and other supplemental materials:
My second workshop (offered one hour later), “Embarking the E3 Train – Ethos, Ethics, & Engagement,” brings to fruition my passion for the preparation of future educators to embrace the essential ethical standards of our profession. Again, back in 1977, no college methods course nor student teaching prep covered the meaning behind such terms as “fiduciary,” “ethical equilibrium,” “moral professionalism,” etc. To be fair to my college professors, Pennsylvania had not yet written its Code of Professional Practice and Conduct which now “governs” the educators in our Commonwealth, nor had the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification facilitated the creation of the amazing document called The Model Code of Ethics for Educators. It was not until 2017 (four years after I retired) when I was asked to research and present my first educator ethics session for PMEA District 7 did I “discover” the need for interactive, open, peer discussion of these core questions:
How do ethics inform a teacher’s personal and professional actions?
Why is the study of educator ethics essential for all educators entering the profession?
What does it mean to be a “fiduciary” and “moral exemplar” in the community?
What is the difference between a “Code of Conduct” and a “Code of Ethics?” Is one more important than the other?
How do you avoid any action and/or appearance of impropriety, and prevent the “slippery slope” of inappropriate student-teacher relationships, and other ethical problems?
During this presentation on Saturday, June 29 at 10 a.m., we will discuss the thousands of daily rapid-fire decisions (many snap judgments) of teachers and evaluate the potential effects of any who “stray” – “levels of misconduct + consequences.” Furthermore, we will unpack and review a portion of the five principles, 18 sections, and 86 standards in the Model Code of Ethics for Educators. Fostering open and interactive discussion, we will empanel a mock “ethics jury” (volunteers from the attendees) to assess fictitious “fact scenarios” of potential ethical issues, hazardous choices or vulnerabilities, and even tackle a few “conundrums” or problems in educator decision-making. Our jurors will receive our thanks and an Educators Rising Mock Jury t-shirt for their “willingness to serve as guinea-pigs.”
Admittedly, some of our past material on ethics was “for mature audiences only” resulting in the need for adjustments to be made to some of the hypothetical case studies (serious infractions) for group analysis. However, the majority of my work on educator ethics is available for review on this site (in reverse chronological order) by clicking here.
Here are additional case studies for group discussions of ethical dilemmas.
For the participants who attend my Washington D.C. session on June 29, 2024, a facsimile of “Embarking the E3 Train” slides are available. (CLICK HERE.)
The Life Cycle of a Successful and Happy Music Educator
Joyous Holidays, Season Greetings, and Happy New Year from “The Foxes!” This is a time for reflection and gratitude… and we feel blessed for all the opportunities allowing us to share our insights, gifts and experiences with other music education professionals.
We hope to inspire YOU and literally model the concepts in this blog series. We continue with our discussion first introduced a month ago in Bookends – Part One – The Life Cycle of a Successful and Happy Music Educator, exploring:
Stage 3: Inservice/Growing Years (this blog)
Stage 4: Veteran/Sustaining Years (future blog)
Stage 5: Next Chapter/Living the Dream (future blog)
This article is an abstract from a session presented to Seton Hill University music education student teachers on October 17, 2023. Click on this link to download the slide summary in PDF format.
“I have written a lot of articles in support of these topics… now compiling them for your easy access. Depending on your current status and interests, feel free to peruse the checklists (links) in this series. It is possible a few of the resources contained within these blogs have gone inactive, but I believe enough are there for you to gain the insight, tools and motivation to achieve professional development for life.”
– Paul Fox
Stage 3 – Inservice/Growing Years
[ ] 8. Becoming a Music Educator:For a review of Bookends – Part One, take a step backward and revisit what you have done to “get ready” for your “rookie years.” Take special note on the things-to-do list (“secrets”) as a first-year educator (perhaps completed during your student teaching semester):
Subscribe to a discounted NAfME + PMEA first-year membership (If you are a recent college graduate in your first year of teaching, or if you are the spouse of a current or retired NAfME member, contact NAfME at 800-336-3768 or email memberservices@nafme.org) to find out if you qualify for a reduced rate.
Hook up to PMEA Mentor or other state’s MEA support program for new teachers.
Need to fill in a few gaps missing from your college courses in skills and knowledge? Continue your “enrichment” viewing PMEA Webinars and the exhaustive video library in the NAfME Academy.
At some point you will be writing/editing curriculum, so research the awesome resource of Model Curriculum Framework (Have to be a PMEA member)
Too busy to participate in the PMEA Annual Conference or NAfME national events? Look into going to a PMEA summer conference (usually at a lower-cost!). Check out your own state’s MEA discounts and offers for collegiate members and new teachers!
[ ] 9. The Care & Feeding of Your Principal:Although not covered in any detail during the Seton Hill University presentation, it is recommended that you read in its entirety “The New Teacher’s Guide to Fostering Positive Relations and Good Interactions with School Administrators” offering a wealth of excellent recommendations from these trustworthy sources:
Enhancing the Professional Practice of Music Teachers: 101 Tips that Principals Want Music Teachers to Know and Do by Paul G. Young (my personal favorite, available from Amazon here)
A favorite question I pose to college music ed seniors is, “In what professional associations are you a member and actively involved?” For the price of consuming one fewer Starbucks latte a week, you can open up the Wonderful World of “C’s” – Contacts, Coachings, and other Connections, including research and resources that will benefit your Continuing Education. You can’t afford NOT to join groups like these.
To help “nail down” a few related definitions critical to personal growth and career development in our profession, especially “engagement,” “professionalism,” “collaboration,” and “networking,” please take a little time to travel and consume the following archived blog postings.
[ ] 10. The Meaning of PRO:This is one of the oldest articles at the paulfox.blog site. How about a little soul searching? Are you truly a professional? Do you have the skills, habits, and attitudes of a professional in the field of education?
[ ] 11. Transitioning from Collegiate to Professional (Part II):New teachers have to move away from “book learning” or higher education research and emphasize “practical application,” and at the same time, assess the precise areas needed for immediate (re-)training… everything from new exposure to specialized teaching areas and grade level focus for the job to which you have been assigned, to the enhanced skills of classroom management, student assessment, curriculum writing, class or ensemble warm-up materials, music repertoire and programming, etc.
While we are on the subject, it is important to intentionally seek out mentors or consultants in your early years of becoming an educator. PMEA offers a mentoring program (read all about it here) and PMEA Retired Members are also an excellent resource to “phone a friend” for advice as needed (see their section on the PMEA website here). That leads us to the next most essential “habit” of attending professional conferences… #12 below.
[ ] 12. Getting the Most Out of Music Conferences:Our PMEA Annual Conference sites are cyclical. This article, written on March 5, 2017, showcased that year’s event at the Erie Bayfront Convention Center – coincidentally the same location for this year’s PMEA Annual Conference: April 17-20, 2023. For a sneak peek at the proposed sessions and guest performers, click here.
There are a myriad of conferences offered every year… something for everybody in just about every state. Make plans to go, “recharge your batteries,” and pick up new state-of-the-art ideas, lessons, music, technology, etc. Again, you cannot afford NOT to attend… or becoming stale in your teaching or “stuck in a rut!” Besides, going to your state’s or national conferences and regional workshops are FUN places to meet other like-minded, inspiring colleagues! This is how professionals network, collaborate, and share their “latest and greatest!“
Implementing the NEW PDE Chapter 49 “PE” Competencies – “The WHO, WHAT, WHY, & HOW!”
Blogger’s Note: We will return to Part II of “Bookends” next month to explore:
Stage 3: Inservice/Growing Years
Stage 4: Veteran/Sustaining Years
Stage 5: Next Chapter/Living the Dream
Instead, our November blog will share methods, modes, media, and other materials to provide meaningful professional development on ETHICS for EDUCATORS in the Commonwealth, resources from my upcoming presentation to school administrators at the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s SAS Institute – Successful Leadership – Shaping Your School’s Story to be held in the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center on December 11-13, 2023. Click below for my handouts.
Interested in joining us at the Hershey Lodge on December 11-13, 2023? Please click herefor more information or to register.
A Summary of My SAS Institute Ethics Session
To paraphrase the wisdom of one of my favorite recent visionaries and online workshop presenters, Simon Sinek, “Every organization should begin with “the WHY!” According to SmartInsights, Sinek’s Golden Circle theory explains “how leaders can inspire cooperation, trust and change in a business based on his research into how the most successful organizations think, act and communicate if they start with why.” On his website, he declares his own WHY: “We are here to inspire people to do the things that inspire them so that, together, each of us can change our world for the better.” I love his mission!
“Your WHY is your purpose, cause, or belief. WHY does your company exist? WHY do you get out of bed every morning? And WHY should anyone care about the work you do?” – Simon Sinek
So… lets ask the questions that define our own golden circle, my session, and this article:
WHY should we be so concerned about professional development in ethics for PA educators? (Why should you even be reading this blogpost?)
HOW should we train our staff?
WHAT should be introduced and reinforced over the long term?
And, I will add one additional question: WHO is responsible for all of this?
Well, the quick response to that last query is EVERYONE in the profession. However, this blog is particularly geared to school system leaders, career and technical center directors, and administrators charged with the responsibility of continuing education/professional development and induction programs for their PA educators.
The “WHY!”
Quick. Calling on all PA teachers! Without looking on the Internet, can you identify the exact title of your “code of conduct” (1)? Do you know the PA agency responsible for writing this code and adjudicating its rules (2)? Can you name the “code of ethics” recently adopted by PDE and the Board of Education which provides school staff comprehensive guidance in professional decision-making based on context (3)?
Hints? How about a few acronyms?
CPPC
PSPC
MCEE?
Don’t you think “we” should at least be familiar with the commission that grants us the license to teach in PA as well as the document that “governs” our behavior, violations of which could remove us from our job or revoke our certificate?
Of course, six years ago, even I didn’t know we had a PA “code of conduct!” (I started teaching in the public schools in 1978 and it wasn’t written until 1992!) After retiring from full-time teaching in 2013, I was asked to present my first ethics workshop back in 2017 for a Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA) Regional In-Service Program. Already scheduling me for two other sessions, the organizer came to me, “Could you add a presentation on educator ethics?” My first reaction was, WHY? Why would this be necessary? I promised him I would do a little research before getting back to him… and found these (now updated) statistics. Here’s the WHY in a nutshell!
HORRIBLE! These are the number of PA educators by year who had misconduct complaints filed against them. Sure, a majority of their cases were not always fully prosecuted nor did they all result in a “guilty” verdict or plea, as this glimpse of educator disciplinary resolutions for 2016 (out of 672) for comparison shows (statistics from PDE):
But, if you can read the above graphic, that means that in 2016, 156 educators surrendered their license or had their certificate suspended or revoked! Obviously, no matter how you interpret the stats, this is a SERIOUS PROBLEM! And it may be due to a lack of training or understanding of the regulations and principles of ethical decision-making!
Why is this topic crucial for all pre-service, “rookie,” AND experienced professional educators? It is essential… not so much to serve as a reminder of the penalties for ethical infractions or spotlighting the occurrences you read or hear about in the news… but, because ETHICS are what we all stand for, the values we exhibit in our day-to-day decision-making, the integrity of the profession, and our “making a difference” in the lives of the students.
Ignorance of the law is no excuse for breaking it.
(Oliver Wendell Holmes)
The “WHAT!”
My colleague Thomas W. Bailey, a retired social studies teacher who reinstated his law license, and I set ourselves the goal of creating continuing education courses to provide REAL ethics training for PA educators. Thomas applied to the Pennsylvania Department of Education and received approval for a four-hour online Act 48 continuing education course for all PA educators (earning credits in PERMS) and a 25-hour online Act 45 PIL continuing education course for school system leaders, career and technical center directors, and other administrators responsible for planning the professional development of their school staff. The dates for our next two series of classes with open for enrollment in January 2024 are:
“Chapter 49 requires instruction in professional ethics to be integrated in educator preparation, induction, and continuing professional development programs as follows.
Continuing professional development programs must integrate the professional ethics competencies no later than the 2023-24 academic year.
Educator preparation and induction programs must integrate the professional ethics competencies no later than the 2024-25 academic year.“
Our Act 45 and Act 48 courses cover the following subjects, definitions, and applications of these terms:
Fiduciary
Ethical Equilibrium
Personal Morality
Regulations of Law
Professional Ethics
Professional Dispositions
Moral Professionalism
Differences Between Moral and Ethical Standards (with Examples)
Codes of Conduct (Examples)
Codes of Ethics (Examples)
Differences Between a Code of Conduct and a Code of Ethics
PA Professional Standards and Practices Commission
Paths of Educator Discipline in PA (Local and State)
Loudermill Hearings
State Discipline System (from Misconduct Complaint to Appeals)
PA Code of Professional Practice and Conduct
The Educator Discipline Act
National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification
In my SAS presentation, I review several different modes of case study analysis, from simple to comprehensive, modeling small group interactive peer review, encouraging healthy discussions of diverse opinions in an “open,” non-threatening environment. The following approaches could be adapted to your setting of in-service programs or inductions:
MOCK JURY
Degree of Misconduct, scenarios for learning the PA Code of Professional Practice and Conduct (CPPC): For more details, revisit the application of my misconduct rubric and explanation in the blog “Ethical Scenarios” here.
In collegiate sessions, I have used color-coded popsicle sticks and handouts of different hypothetical case studies for “the jury” to evaluate the behavior and “find the relevant code” in the CPPC.
VOICES IN MY HEAD
Random Bad Attitudes for review of the standards in the Model Code of Ethics for Educators: I doubt (or sincerely hope) you would not hear too many of these directly from the school staff, but comments like, “Don’t ask for permission, beg for forgiveness” are NOT ethical precepts! Let’s dissect these bad boys!
SEARCH FOR THE STANDARDS
Hybrid Approach for using “the negative voices” and researching appropriate provisions in both the CPPC and MCEE: Select a single bad attitude and break off into two or three teams, each focused on corroborating related ethical principles in CPPC, MCEE, and even the PA Educator Discipline Act (EDA).
What possible issues/concerns might this scenario raise?
How could this situation conflict with school policy, CPPC, EDA, MCEE, or case law?
In this situation, what are some potential negative consequences for the educator’s students, fellow educators, and the school community-at-large?
What responses/actions will result in a more positive outcome and/or what proactive measures might be considered?
A single hypothetical scenario would first be presented to the full group, and then the educators would break off into 4-6 smaller groups to review these questions. Individuals may or may not all agree. A group leader is usually appointed to record their responses and then upon reconvening, report back to “the whole.” Here is a sample case study (painful reading; fictitious but based on actual past incidents):
The moderator may promote further discussion (sample answers below) and even pose additional questions like the following:
What if the relationship was always of mutual consent?
What if the teacher never taught the student while she was enrolled in his school?
What if the relationship did not start until after the student graduated?
What if his student was over the age of 18 during the time of the relationship?
It deserves mention here that this final training mode, representing perhaps the highest degree of scaffolding of the learning for the ethics training of your staff, proposes the establishment of a permanent school district Professional Learning Community (PLC) or ethics committee. We know from our past experiences in providing continuing professional development of educators that promote free, open, healthy sharing of potential professional decision-making conflicts or ethical “conundrums” – “what would you do” scenarios – will foster lasting long-term benefits. Danielson Framework for Teaching (Domain 4) and CSDE reinforce this philosophy of peer collaboration.
“Teachers must engage in district-facilitated conversations that focus on ethical and professional dilemmas and their professional responsibility to students, the larger school/district educational community, and to families.”
My educator ethics mentor and “hero” Troy Hutchings, Senior Policy Advisor to the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification, admitted that in his early years of teaching, he felt a little reticent about going to his principal for advice in handling a situation of a student developing a “romantic crush” on him. To paraphrase his remarks during his webinar, “I was concerned that my supervisor might think I was encouraging the girl… Who could I turn to?” Sharing these anecdotes and talking informally with other faculty members will go far in building teamwork, mentor-mentee relationships, and intra-building trust in allowing more peer review towards enhanced educator decision-making.
If you need a resource on PLCs, my colleague (PA Principal of the Year to be honored at the upcoming 2023 SAS Institute) Dr. Tim Wagner recommended the handbook Learning by Doing by Richard DuFour, Rebecca DuFour, Robert Eaker, Thomas W. Many, and Mike Mattos (Solution Tree Press, 2016).
The authors’ summary of reasons to implement a PLC in your school building(s) are to:
Improve staff’s individual and collective practice
Build on staff’s “shared knowledge and experiences”
Build clarity and understanding in the use of a common vocabulary
Develop a library of accessible tools, templates, and protocols (i.e., ethical scenarios)
Promote non-threatening, thought-provoking discussion on ethical decision-making
Wrapping It Up with More Resources
Every school setting is different, and your application of these staff ethics training ideas will be unique. Hopefully I have given any interested PA school system leader, CTC director, professional development or building administrator, or department chair some “food for thought.” For example, if you wanted to set up a PLC to meet regularly to discuss ethical issues, many of you may need to involve your teacher’s professional association and/or review their contract… or perhaps on-your-own implement a rotation of educators to experience these case study discussions during pre-scheduled inservice or induction days.
For “the keys to the car” to build your own local ethics professional development programs, we encourage you to sign-up for one of our classes here. For our PIL series, Thomas Bailey shares the native files of his PowerPoint presentations so that they can be turned around and taught to other educators, and then even students who are studying their own discipline code or online anti-bullying school policies. Here is an image of our PIL brochure which will be offered beginning on January 3, 2024.
I also suggest perusing Thomas Bailey’s free videos on this topic, slide #61 (page 31) from the handouts to my SAS Institute presentation (above), and these links to other blogs on paulfox.blog.
NOW YOU HAVE IT… the entire toolkit and rationale… the “who, what, how, and why” of educator ethics training and satisfying the new PDE Chapter 49 “PE” competencies.
paulfox.blog 