John and Randy
I believe John’s points are on the
mark but the question that begs to be asked is how do we attract entry level
workers. Are we willing to support, promote and sponsor legal emigrates from
Central America, from the Pacific Rim and Africa into our community? Are we willing to provide baby bonuses as was
done in Canada after WW II and is now being put into practice in Japan now to combat declining
populations of young people in rural cities? Are we willing yet to offer
free Technical College Educations for those who move here in the trades to deal
with the shortages now and in the near future? The trades of Electricians,
Carpenters, Auto Mechanics, Nurses and Plumbers just to name a few will not be
replaced by offshore jobs nor Wal-Mart.
While Tony Wagner recaps the problem I do
not believe that the solution is to change to motivation logic. I believe
that moving the model back to “sticks and carrots” is the
quickest and best long term correction that needs to be made. It took 40
years for these changes to occur yet I would argue that reversing them can
occur in half that time.
Was the loss of expansion jobs in Winona to Rochester a strong enough message
to bring the issue to the front burners of the city council? Is the possibility
of a second company taking the same path the second blow? As the city
found out the issue is far less complicated than available commercial and high
end residential development land. Maybe now affordable housing and active workforce
recruitment will take center stage and not Shakespeare.
Paul Double
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf
Of Randy Schenkat
Sent: Monday, January
02, 2006 2:32 PM
As I think of this discussion on the
challenge of finding workers for Winona companies, I recalled a
wonderful article that I've shared pretty widely in Winona by Tony Wagner
from Phi Delta Kappan , just 5 years ago now. It's titled
Leadership for Learning: An Action Theory of School Change
The full link is:
http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/k0101wag.htm
I think this pertains to our WOD
discussion:
"But the other changes -- changes in all students' life
circumstances and motivations for learning -- represent perhaps the greatest
dilemma for many teachers and are much less well understood. The traditional
motivations for learning, the "sticks and carrots" teachers have
relied on to get generations of students through school -- fear and respect for
authority and the belief that sustained hard work equals success and happiness
-- don't have much traction for many young people today, regardless of their
social class, skin color, or proficiency in English.
Adult authority has much less influence on young people today, for several
reasons. First, as a culture, we have grown increasingly skeptical of all forms
of authority. Respect for authority is no longer automatic; it must be earned.
But far more serious for students is the absence of adults from their lives.
Single-parent families, longer work hours, and large, anonymous schools in
which very few adults interact with students outside of class all contribute to
students' sense of isolation and lack of respect for adult authority. Most young
people spend too much time alone and are essentially being reared by their
peers. Many feel ignored or neglected and harbor resentment toward adults.
This leaves just the work ethic as the remaining dull tool in too many
teachers' small bag of tricks for motivating students. But
"downsizing" and our "shopping mall" society have conspired
to render this appeal ineffectual for most students as well. They've seen too
many people work hard and get laid off, and they've seen too many ads that tell
them to have it all, have it now, and get it without effort. Students today
have been acculturated to believe that the aim of life is to consume, not to
create. Unless there is an immediate payoff, most simply don't see much point
in working hard, especially in schools where the tasks are often boring and
unrelated to their needs or interests." From Pages 4-5
This quote points to some changing times. It's not as simple as cracking
down on unmotivated students. Is there a parallel between the old work
ethic of Danielle Durnen
featured in the Winona Daily News article and what Wagner is describing?
I don't think we should see it as all tapped out but rather consider some
pretty creative community responses in having all students have a higher
sense of purpose and in seeing a future for themselves. This might
call us to step back and look at the delivery system of education and how the
community's involved. I'd sure recommend reading Wagner's whole
article.
--
Randy Schenkat 1358 Skyline Dr. Winona, Mn 55987
507-452-7168
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