Franklin Schargel’s Blog

Dr. Jay Smink, the past executive director of the National Dropout Prevention Center at Clemson University, the staff  at the National Dropout Prevention Center and I have been honored to have been recognized by the US Department of Education and the National Education Goals Panel as developing the ‘most effective strategies to solve our school dropout problem.’

As I explain at my workshops and in my books, the strategies which are data-driven and research-based are effective but their effectiveness is increased by having:

• Visionary, empowering leadership
• a school culture which supports student learning and is not toxic to students, parents and staff.
• a high performing classroom.

At my workshops I explain that I am merely planting seeds that need to be watered and fertilized.

I have presented workshops and keynote addresses at National Conferences, in 14 foreign countries, in 49 states and at numerous school districts. If you wish to contact me call @ 505/480-6611 or at [email protected]

Those who have disrespected the American flag have never been handed a folded one.

“The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those who speak it.” Attributed to George Orwell

While it’s impossible to to predict what work will look like in the future, we do know that automation is wiping out middle class jobs. According The Week Magazine, (March 17, 2017) “robots are now replacing human workers faster than replacement jobs are being created.”  According to a 2015 Oxford University study, “about 47 percent of today’s jobs are vulnerable to automation. These include many white-collar professions like accounting and legal services.  Automation allows companies to make greater profits more efficiently. But what is the impact on workers?

As educators, what skills do we prepare students for? What jobs are the last to be automated? How do we protect them from the next great wave of automation?

There are some jobs that are less likely to be automated including teaching and senior care.  Schools can also provide retraining for people in current jobs.  

The following article was written by Amy Williams who is a free-lance journalist based in Southern California and mother of two. As a parent, she enjoys spreading the word on positive parenting techniques in the digital age and raising awareness on issues like cyberbullying and online safety. @AmyKWilliams

As educators or parents, we actively seek opportunities to empower our children. We teach them how to tie their shoes, budget money and cross the street correctly. We spend hours teaching a child stranger danger and how to operate a moving vehicle. After all, it is our job to instill these life skills in the younger generations. Unfortunately, many of us might be overlooking one area that poses a very real threat to our children: technology.

Online Dangers Facing Our Children

Far too often, we don’t bat an eyelash before handing our charges digital devices that connect to the Internet or social media. We use it to enhance learning for assignments, make study time engaging, and even to connect with other students across the globe. Unfortunately, hidden among all the innocent swiping are some very serious dangers that can derail any child’s future.

Listed below are four common pitfalls many kids digitally stumble into:

Cyberbullying. This is probably of the most well-known dangers out there. In fact, within the last few years cyberbullying rates have tripled instead of going down. Data has been collected that show 87 percent of our kids have witnessed digital bullying. This percentage is up from 27 percent in 2013!

Phishing or hacking. Phishing often involves tricking users into clicking on viruses or sharing personal information that can lead to identity theft. The problem with these scams is how authentic many of them look. Often, they lure children in with the promise of discounted goods, scholarship applications, free games, or free ringtones which can be hard for kids (and even adults) to resist.

 Sexting. This common online behavior is now seen as a “normal” part of development today; just an upgraded version of “show me yours, I’ll show you mine”. Unfortunately, due to a child’s age, brain development, and outdated child predator laws, sexting can quickly spiral out of control leading to felony charges, extortion, or bullying.

 Online predators. It is estimated that there are about 500,000 predators logged online everyday scouring the Internet for new targets. The problem for our children is that the anonymity of the cyberworld is how predators can assume any persona from behind a keyboard. Often, they create fake profiles that mimic other teens. Then, predators contact kids based solely on their usernames, ages, and interests. Children often fall for these fake profiles and start the grooming process.

Empowering Children: Strategies for Online Protection

The above danger make it essential that we are teaching our children with ways to protect themselves online. The following 10 strategies can help empower our kids so they can safely navigate the Internet and enjoy the world waiting at their fingertips:

Create a technology contract. Technology contracts allow us to clearly outline all expectations and consequences. It helps children know what is exactly expected and how they should behave. It also gives adults a guide to responding to inappropriate conduct or behaviors. When done correctly, this contract can prevent a lot of heartache, arguments, and slammed doors.

Never share passwords. A lot of cyberbullying occurs when ex-friends take over a child’s accounts or steal sensitive photos. Avoid this from happening by guarding passwords.

Always double check the sender’s email address to make sure it matches the content of the email. If you have any questions or something looks out of place, contact that company using a number from your records and ask if they have any details regarding the offer or message.

It’s okay to “say no” to a sext request. If a person really cares about someone, they will respect their decision.

 Never show your face or distinguishing marks in a sext. Let’s face it, kids will push boundaries. Even though authorities can track phone numbers and IP addresses, kids can prevent bullying if there is no way to identify a person in a photo.

 Have them tell a parent or adult immediately if you see anything online that makes them uncomfortable.

 Document any bullying or threatening messages. This is critical, because bullying is defined by repeated behaviors. If help is needed, a child should have evidence it has happened frequently.

 Only “friend” people you know. Avoid friending friends of friends or strangers. Users should stick to the people we interact with on a regular basis.

 Avoid meeting people IRL (in real life). For teens and children, this is crucial. Make it a rule not to share addresses, school schedules, or meetings.

Be careful about oversharing personal information. Teens love selfies, but the backgrounds reveal a lot about their behaviors. Tell them to crop out identifying landmarks or shirts that might give clues to their physical whereabouts or personal lives.

What tips do YOU have for teaching children how to protect themselves online?

School budgets are shrinking as states are attempting to make up for tax losses. One of the first places school boards make cuts are in art, music and physical education. These “frills” are the reasons why many children come to school in the first place. Each of the subjects listed above allows and encourages free expression. Every society in the world has them all and they are universally understood. Individuals are shaped through their artistic expression.

Students are becoming increasingly obese so eliminating a controlled, mandated physical education course in school helps keep weight loss to a minimum. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report in 2014,, “nearly one-third of children between the ages 2-19 are overweight or obese. My personal observations delivering workshops or travel indicate that this is a global problem. Overweight or obese children are at a higher rate for having heart disease, diabetes, stroke and cancer and are more likely to stay overweight as adults.

Could it be that these course are being eliminated or cut back is because the nation’s focus is on testing and these subjects cannot be tested?

Just asking.

I have the distinct honor to me a member of the Akribos Group.  They have just published an article that I wrote for them entitled, Teams and Their Value in Education.

For those of you interested in reading it the article can be accessed at https://www.akribosgroup.com/category/leadership/

Shawn Shehan, Oklahoma’s Teacher of the Year announced that he and his wife and their newly born daughter were leaving Oklahoma for a variety of reasons. “I feel like schools are struggling to get out of ‘Teaching 101’ because they’re losing veteran and experience teachers to higher paying states.” They filed for only one job in Texas and were immediately accepted. He will be making $20,000 above what he was making. “I will never ever see (that) as a public school educator in Oklahoma.”

He stated “We love our district (in Oklahoma) our city, our students and their families, but what’s happening in education in the state of Oklahoma is is criminal. But this session in the state legislature, it became clear that the legislators were uninterested in finding solutions.” Oklahoma’s schools have the lowest pay rate of any state.

There is a nation-wide as well as a global shortages of teachers. While there are a variety of reasons why teachers leave teaching, starting with a major pay raise is a good place to begin. No other professional with as much education and responsibility is lower paid.