Cartoons of WWII

Years ago I read about an AP history teacher who discovered that his students struggled with understanding and interpreting political cartoons. His approach was to have the daily opening activity being interpreting a cartoon. With the expansion of reading into the content areas, understanding cartoons has become an important and often overlooked topic. Seemingly simple cartoons like Calvin and Hobbes are often written at a high level because the amount of background knowledge and vocabulary use require a lot from the reader. Calvin and Hobbes has the advantage of being contemporary. When it comes to political cartoons, however, the background knowledge to get them is much more challenging.

Tony Husband's collection, Cartoons of World War II, purports to present cartoons from both sides of the conflict. In truth the vast majority of the cartoons are from the Allied view point with a few from the viewpoints of the Axis powers. Captions around the cartoon identify characters, key symbols and topics that the reader may be unfamiliar with. (I did not know that ducks were a German symbol for lies.) He highlights a few of the more prolific cartoonists of the time with short biographies. If you wanted to do a gallery walk of cartoons as an introduction to the WWII unit, you would need to include actual photos of the key players and more from the Axis point of view. This would be an interesting approach to showcasing the war and working on understanding political cartoons. A simple chart like the one below might be helpful to guide the exploration of the cartoons.

Cartoon title	Who are the characters shown?
What symbols are present?	Allies, Axis or Resistance viewpoint
What is the message of the cartoon?	What do you wonder about as a result of the cartoon or about the cartoon?

An interesting book, but fails to deliver on presenting a balanced view of cartoons during the war.

Death by Meeting

Years ago a principal told me he would rather go to the dentist than a PTA meeting. Unfortunately the sentiment of almost anything is better than a meeting is not uncommon. Patrick Lencioni's book, Death by Meeting: A Leadership Fable, takes on meetings. He says a meeting should be an interesting and exciting experience. So where do we all go wrong? First, we try to do too many things in a meeting.

He describes four types of meetings that can be used to make meetings more effective.

Daily Check-Ins- This is a meeting where people stand to help facilitate the short time frame. THey last 5-10 minutes and involve a quick update on what individuals are doing, what they need to accomplish the day's tasks. These meetings are not for PTAs and other groups that are not operating daily. For PTAs they could be modified by a quick phone call update on progress toward current projects perhaps on a weekly basis with a note of when the leader will be checking in next at the end.

Weekly tactical- This meeting has three distinct parts: Lightening round where each person quickly updates the progress and direction of the next week in a minute or less. Progress reviews (again a brief look at organizational goals and brief look at progress toward matrics), and a real-time agenda (after hearing what everyone is working on what are this week's priorities that need to be discussed? The goals are to resolve issues and reinforce clarity). From a PTA standpoint this would be the standard meeting.

Monthly strategic meetings where leaders "analyze, debate, and decide upon critical issues" (p. 241). It allows deep dives into a couple of issues. Sometimes issues emerge that require more immediate attention and ad hoc strategic meetings can be scheduled. These meetings have agendas and people should arrive prepared with the information and research they need to discuss the concerns. These meetings should involve lively debates not silent resistance or acquiescence.  In a PTA context, this could be a regular executive meeting or an open meeting focused on a specific issue of concern to the group (ex. how do we address the suicide or drug issue in our community or what can parents do to help maintain a safe reopening of school after the COVID closure, or how do we address the lack of bussing for our community).

The fourth meeting type is the quarterly off-site review. In these meetings there is a comprehensive strategy review, team review (how does the leadership team work), personnel review (high and low performers are evaluated for promotions, improvements and termination), and competitive and industry review. PTAs might have these annually at a transition or training meeting where they set goals for the upcoming year(s).

By limiting the scope of a meeting, you allow focus and enable fruitful discussion. One point that the author makes is that the leadership team is not looking for consensus. Everyone on the team needs to provide open and honest feedback, even if it steps on someone's sacred cow, and then the chief needs to make a call. After that the team needs to support the decision down through the ranks. I think it is critical that leaders do not find disrespect in disagreement or questions. These are avenues of growth. People in the ranks need to understand the rationales for making them and they need to feel heard.

Of importance is the idea that all of these meetings are not for the general assembly, but the leadership team. In a school, the place where I have experience, the staff meetings often involve professional development toward the goals and issues that the leadership team identified.

The book itself is a fast and easy read. The chapters are short so the book can be read in quick sessions. The fable format presents the ideas in a very relatable way.

Blindspot

I have long held that all of us are racist to some degree. The key is what we do with it. Mahzarin R. Banaji and Anthony G. Greenwald explore this very topic in their text Blind Spot: Hidden Biases of Good People. They start by exploring the idea that we all have blind spots- areas where our unconscious mind takes over.  These are present in an actual sense in our vision, but they also occur in our thinking. Our blind spots probably developed as a survival skill allowing us to identify members of our group and those of other groups who might endanger us. They are responsible for our innate skills in classifying things for better understanding. After all, it is important to identify the difference between the lion cub that might result in getting us mauled and the domesticated cat that will limit the number of rodents in our space.

They offer a series of implicit association tests (IATs) which are available online at their Harvard website. These can be used to explore biases around a variety of human characteristics such as race, age and disability status. What they have discovered is that these biases exist, are often based on cultural norms rather than membership in a particular group (blacks can be biased against blacks), and are difficult to shift. So what can you do? You don't want to behave in a biased manner, yet you unconsciously do so.

They suggest being aware of the bias is the first step. Then exposure to anti-bias messages can help make the bias more conscious and thus more readily countered. For example, many people believe that women are not as good at math as men. Exposure to women who are highly capable in math can help counter the unconscious idea. Movies and books like Hidden Figures, Math Equals: Biographies of Women Mathematicians, Women Who Count: Honoring African American Women Mathematicians, The Girl With a Mind for Math: The Story of Raye Montague (Amazing Scientists),             

Power in Numbers: The Rebel Women of Mathematics

, and             

Nothing Stopped Sophie: The Story of Unshakable Mathematician Sophie Germain

 highlight women mathematicians. Female math teachers and professors showcase people who succeed in fields dominated by men. Many of these books are either picture books or anthologies that could be easily used in a classroom to help develop awareness in children.

We all have hidden biases. Institutional racism is a current area showcased with the Black Lives Matter Movement. If we can become aware of our biases, we can overcome them. Dr. Seuss's book Horton Hears a Who says it well- "People are people, no matter how small." His message about biases still rings true today. We can overcome our biases, if we make the attempt.

Heightened anxiety in the wake of COVID

Cara Nissman's timely article, "Expect Heightened Anxiety, Behaviorial Issues in Returning Students," from this week's District Administration site provides some insightful ideas about coming back in the fall.

First she says we should review the curriculum. Her point is that sensitive topics might be wise to defer until later in the school year. Perhaps at least as important is that students have had a patchwork of school access this spring. We know they are coming in with a wider range of prerequisite skills. We will need to build in "review" and skill builder activities that we haven't in the past. Students who have been home for the last five months may need reassurance that school is something that they can handle again.

Second on her list is validate and reframe feelings. "It is common to be frustrated with adapting to the routine of school. We will all get through this together." Brainstorm possible ways to respond to whatever challenge the student may have.

Next is to focus on things an individual has control over. We cannot control whether someone on the bus is an asymptomatic carrier of COVID. We can wear face coverings, maintain physical distance (as much as possible), wash our hands, get enough sleep and eat a healthy diet. Switching focus to what you can control is a classic cognitive behavior strategy. If we can have our students focus on these things, it will have a myriad of benefits on their general health and academic performance- not just their anxiety.

Fourth is rethink breaks. A couple years ago I read someone talk about breaks as a test mod or academic intervention. They presented the challenge as students left the room- fixated on the challenge- and returned in the same or a worse place than they were before they left. When students need a break they need to be taught to shift their focus away from the anxiety producing activity. This could mean five minutes of listening to music, talking about their weekend (or pet or favorite thing) with a paraprofessional, doing some physical activity like jumping jacks while reciting something they know by rote like a nursery rhyme or song, or doing a puzzle. Another idea is to switch to an activity the child enjoys that is on the schedule later in the day. Then if they need extra time to complete the anxiety producing activity they can do it later in the day.

Misunderstandings from face coverings. As much 90% of communication is nonverbal. Face coverings do not mask it all, but a good bit is lost. Teachers of students with hearing impairments may need specialty masks or face shield to facilitate communication, but these provisions are unlikely to be available to everyone. Students on the spectrum often struggle with nonverbal components of communication. Thinking about the misunderstandings they have had and use it as a possible clue. Some students may struggle with identifying people because of masks. Become more explicit in your communication. Avoid sarcasm. Provide additional verbal clues. If you would have softened something with a smile- it will not translate through a mask. Be cognizant of the limitations of nonverbal clues and add more verbal ones.

Lastly, offer predictable positive attention. Using timers to regulate your behavior around checking in with students helps to ensure that it gets done. A smile at the door is no longer enough- more verbal greetings are needed. When students demonstrate attention-seeking behavior, recognize their need for connections and try to intervene early and provide the attention they need.

A great article. Nice work Cara.

Going broke by degree

Alas a book upon my shelf for an age, revealed why it sat unread for so long- dry uninspired reading full of statistical analyses. Richard Vedder's Going Broke By Degree: Why College Costs Too Much covers an interesting topic. His 230 page analysis is not an easy read. For a decent summation, the last chapter does a good job of summarizing the text.

College has increased in cost far faster than the rate of inflation, sometimes by as much as three times the rate of inflation. The portion of average family income needed to pay for college has dramatically risen as well. In the 50's it took 57 days of income. At the time the book was written (2004) it had increased to over 150 days. According to USA facts, the median household income in 2018 was $38,640. Tuition for the 2019-2020 year (not room board and other assorted fees) for a public institution averages $11,260 and $41,426 for a private institution (according to US News). That amounts to 106 days of income for a public institution and 391days (yes, more than a year) for a private institution. Again, that only accounts for tuition not the entire bill. It is no wonder Americans are concerned about the cost of college. Especially when the value is variable- students who graduate in 4 years with a technical degree like engineering or education earn considerably more over their lifetime than students with only a high school diploma. If you talk about liberal arts degrees, however, that assurance is far from guaranteed.

What drives the cost? The one that has been clear to me is in the uptick in "luxuries"- things like Wi-Fi all over campus, in room cable, doubles rather than quads for accommodations, lower students/bathroom ratios, and hugely improved food choices and quality in dining halls. As I explored campuses with my daughter I learned of other costly extras like multiple smartboards in every classroom, on campus tech support, free laundry, movies, and entrance to sporting events, and smaller student/ teacher ratios.

While he mentions the relationship between supply and demand- more students (parents) want a college degree so the cost of said degree can rise- he does not include it in the main reasons for increased cost. The author cites four main reasons for the increase in costs:

1. impact of third party payments- governments and donors provide funds such that consumers are less concerned about the price
2. price discrimination- the more money you have, the less sensitive you are to increased costs. Discounts in the form of need based financial aid or scholarships. (If you can get into Harvard- you owe nothing if your household income is less than $110,000.)
3. cross-subsidization- divert costs from instruction to other things- primarily research and luxuries.
4. lack of financial discipline- they have no incentive to be thrifty. Administration has increased in number of staff and budget at a significantly higher rate than faculty. Faculty teach relatively few  classes. Nontenure track staff (lecturers and adjunct professors) is increasing to take over teaching load. (p. 214)

Of important note is the rationale for the government aid to colleges. The oft cited reason is that it increases economic value of the community. One of the most interesting statistics Dr. Vedder presented was contrary to this conclusion. There appears to be an inverse relationship between a state's economic status and its investment in higher education. I would love to look into this phenomenon as it is contrary to our assumptions.  I would also like to see him reanalyze the data in terms of today. A decade and a half on, some of his predictions are surely proven out. Some of his predictions about ways to address the situation have been tried. Seeing an update would be valuable- but he should consider doing the presentation in a more reader friendly version.