The mounds of daffodils and tulips were brimming with buds, had just started blooming around our yard this past weekend while temperatures soared into the 70's.  But of course, we live in Kansas, so they were not shocked early Tuesday morning when temperatures dipped into the 20's.  These are tough flowers, ready to face whatever challenges Mother Nature sends their way.  I thought about covering them, but did not.  I hoped they would make it through.  I hoped they would bloom anyway.  The temperatures rebounded quickly, only to be followed the next day by a howling wind, with gusts big enough to move vehicles on the road, send trash cans rolling out into the street, and whip those new blooms into frazzle.   But today, with calm winds on a cool, partly sunny, spring day, the daffodils and tulips continue to open new beautiful yellow and red blooms, denying the Kansas weather victory despite it's best shot.  They did as I had hoped and bloomed anyway.

And isn't this the way many of us face life?  What takes down one person, is just another obstacle to hurdle for another.    Some of us just bloom anyway.

Kansas educators have taken some real gut punches in the last few weeks as politics reared its ugly head in the legislature.  There were some wins for kids and teachers alike, but they came with a price.  But when it was all said and done (and really it's still not done), teachers went to school and taught their students, coaxing them to bloom, just like the do every day.  Political battles may take their toll, but we still are able to experience the true beauty of teaching and learning.  It would be nice to make more money, have general support from the public, and have tenure to protect us from undeserving criticism, but no matter what, we are educators first and we will find a way to bloom anyway.

As a teacher, I saw many students over the years demonstrate their ability to persevere and stand tall despite the odds stacked against them.  There is no greater joy for a teacher than to see a smile spread across a child's face when they finally get something that has been difficult to understand; or when hard work pays off for an athlete so they are able to feel the joy of a personal best and perhaps earn a medal too.  Some kids give up easily while others dig down deep and find a way to bloom.  Maybe they weren't as smart or talented as their peers; maybe no one supported them like they should have, but somehow, some way, they found a way to bloom anyway.

I see this same thing happening right now with people that I know.  Some are fighting cancer.  Some are dusting themselves off from a failed relationship, loss of a job, or other disappointment.  Some just can't figure out why today, of all days, that tire went flat on their way to work.  But I see their determination to emerge from these pitfalls and sometimes tragic events.  I see them find ways to bloom amid frustration and bad news.  I see them deepen their faith and offer comfort to others, whose plight might be just as dire as their own.  We  win when we choose to stand strong and bloom anyway despite overwhelming odds.

It is the resiliency of the tulips and daffodils that inspire us during their fight to give us a burst of color as we emerge from the grays of winter.  It's easy to bloom during those springs when temperatures are warm and rains fall generously.  It is in those times of personal challenge, when others may have said it couldn't be done or stood in our way, that makes us appreciate our efforts to stand strong and bloom anyway.  

Driving across the Flint Hills of Kansas along I-70 or any other such stretch in Kansas, one sees the scorched earth nearby and the rising white smoke in the distance.  What in the world?  Why are they burning?  But in those places where the burning occurred a couple of weeks ago, the blackened pastures are being overtaken by new, bright green grass.  In Kansas, and I'm sure in other Midwestern states, this is a very normal part of the growing cycle.  Through a controlled burn, we purge the thatch and dead grass from the past season and allow it to be reborn with new growth.  Is this annual rite of spring something we can use in our own lives, both personally, in school, our business, or organization?  

One of the big attractions of spring is the greening of the grass, trees and shrubs, and the blooming of those first spring flowers that brave the elements to show us their bright colors of hope.  The landscape transforms from the dull grays and browns of winter to the energetic colors of spring and summer.  But do we realize that those colors are more vibrant if we prune, remove the thatch and dead leaves that accumulate from the residual effects of autumn, and get rid of the things that delay growth?  Those very things that protected the plants from the harsh winter temperatures are also the things that keep the growth from coming to the surface in the spring.

In our own lives, we often do those spring cleaning things around the house - remove clothes we no longer wear; clean the windows of the film accumulated from the furnace that kept us warm; and uncover all the items that we prepared for winter for use in the spring and summer.  Maybe we look at the bad habits we have and remove one or more of them.  Perhaps we get off the couch, get outside, and get active; or vow to remove the soda from our lives and replace it with life-giving water.   

At school or work, spring is a time to review our policies and practices that provide the expectations or parameters of our work.  Are they effective?  What could we revise or consolidate?   What new strategy will we implement and in exchange, what will we stop doing so we don't overload ourselves for this new idea?  What "controlled burn" will we undertake in order to emerge transformed with new growth that results in real progress?

We all stand aghast as forest fires rage each year - an uncontrolled burn if you will - but marvel at the new life that emerges from those horrific events.  Park Rangers tell us that lightning strikes that begin many of these fires are nature's way of renewing the forest to sustain it for the future.  Do we look long term like this when we make changes - bringing in the new "thing" to replace the old?  When I buy a new outfit or a pair of shoes, I think about all the places where I could wear the item or what else it goes with in my closet.  I am looking beyond the fact that I like this outfit or pair of shoes.  But my closet is not big enough for every item of clothing I ever bought, so I must take something out when I get something new.  We must be like the Park Rangers or the burners of the prairie and see how this will impact the future and ultimately the big picture.  

Out of control burns are dangerous and may burn things we didn't intend to be destroyed, so burning or purging must be done with care.  We don't randomly reach in the closet and pull out just any piece of clothing to send to Goodwill.  In fact we think about how that will impact future outfits (or at least I do!).  When raking the dead leaves from the perennial flower beds we take care not to dig up the new sprouts peeking through the ground.  We must purge with intent so that our work fulfills our purpose or goals for the future.  To that end we must have a vision for what we want things to look like.  That vision then results in the need for controlled burns from time to time so that new growth can emerge.  

As I look at the Kansas Legislature this year and some of the members who continually want to pass legislation that essentially is an assault on public education, I'm thinking a controlled burn (purge) might be beneficial there too come election time.  But I digress.  That probably should be another blog.  But the idea of a controlled burn in all aspects of our lives has its merits. What can we remove in order to renew?  Let the practices of the prairie inspire your thinking as you look to remove some of the dead grass in your life that may be keeping you from the green that you seek.

It would be nice if K-State, KU and Wichita State athletic wins were the most prevalent headlines featuring the State of Kansas.  Unfortunately, Kansas has had its share of national headlines lately with some of the decisions being made in the legislature and by the governor, bills being proposed, and issues being raised.  And this is just about education!  

There have been several other headlines generated from our economic policies that stripped our schools of much needed funds, forced additional hardships on those who need our help, and bills passed that  included legalized discrimination as part of public policy (which thankfully has since been voted down).  It makes for a hotly contested election season; one that will be loaded with vitriol and misleading information.  It is time for Kansas voters to be informed.  It is time to teach our kids how to think critically so they can be informed citizens and not swayed by the influence of big money, attention grabbing headlines, and the faulty thinking and actions of our leaders.  This is not a made-for-TV reality show.  This is real life.  These are our children at stake.

Today's headline that grabbed my attention came from the Lawrence Journal World:  Area Legislator Hopes to Halt Common Core in its Tracks.  Wow! Another attempt to derail something in education that has been approved by the Kansas State Board of Education and is currently being implemented in schools across Kansas!  So I clicked on the link and began to read (you can too by clicking on the article title).  Much to my disdain, but unfortunately not a huge surprise, was the notion that the representative in question (who thankfully does not live in my district), put this bill before the House Education Committee which would nullify Common Core ELA (English/Language Arts) and Math, as well as the Next Generation Science Standards and prohibit any school from administering tests aligned to those standards.  Seriously?  

But here's the kicker, and I quote:  "The Common Core standards, I do believe, are not addressing the problems of the children," Dove said.  It's not the standards themselves that worry him.  In fact, he said, "I haven't seen the actual content of the Common Core.  However I do not believe it is within the scope of our federal government to put something together when it comes to education," Dove continued. End quote.  

Well here are a couple of lessons from the Common Core ELA Standards for this legislator if he chooses to read them before his bill is voted on: 

From the Reading Anchor Standard #1:  Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

How can you make logical inferences about Common Core if you haven't read the text?  We want to teach our children to read the text and be able to cite evidence to support what they believe to be true.  Perhaps the adults in their life should model this skill.

From the Speaking and Listening Anchor Standard #3:  Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.

I am hesitant to make judgments based on the quotes in one article, but on the surface it appears that this legislator's beef is with the political view that the federal government should not tell states (Kansas) or local schools what to teach. Well they didn't and if this legislator had been listening, or reading, or doing his homework, he would know this by now.

If you haven't taken a look at the Common Core Standards - do it now.  You don't have to be an educational expert to read the ELA Anchor Standards (page 10). Look at the verbs they are asking kids to do - "read closely, examine, analyze, make inferences, integrate and evaluate content."  

Or look on page 6 of the Math Standards for the 8 Standards of Mathematical Practice that reach across all content areas.  What business doesn't want their employees to make sense of problems, reason, construct viable arguments, persevere, etc.?

Kansas parents and citizens are finally starting to hear the voice of reason and are beginning to stand up to the special interests and misinformed people that would undermine our educational foundation and reduce the effectiveness of Kansas educators.  If that happens, Kansas kids lose; businesses lose; and Kansas will become irrelevant, known only for the Wizard of Oz, some basketball wins, and a place to pass through on the way to Colorado.  We are better than that.  We have a beautiful state with wonderful people and caring educators who work hard and want what's best for kids.  Unfortunately we have some leaders who don't believe we know how to think for ourselves so someone outside our state must tell us how to think, vote, and act. 

I, for one, think the lessons to be learned from Kansas leaders making today's headlines are that if you practiced the knowledge and skills offered in the Common Core framework, we wouldn't be having this divided political mess we are in right now.   Stay informed.  Keep Educating Yourself.