A few days with the Marines
I was offered the chance to travel to Parris Island, SC to cover the Marine Corps Educators Workshop. It’s been a crazy few days and I’ve gained a ton of knowledge of what new recruits face as they arrive at the Recruit Training Depot.
I’ll post more after I get back to York. I’ve shot over 1300 images, plus video, in two days so I have a lot to go through.
March 12, 2009 at 11:14 pm
Ouch. I’m sure that left a mark.
Chris
March 13, 2009 at 4:03 pm
I can not wait to see the video documentary for this. Hope more school systems gives their staff a chance to take part. Thumbs up to the york Suburban School District
March 14, 2009 at 10:09 am
Sweet picture Dad!
March 22, 2009 at 9:55 am
John that picture brings back so man flash backs its not even funny so now you know what I went through.
April 15, 2009 at 10:10 pm
John, I was in this same class with you. I took photos of many of the same scenes as you did, but I’m looking forward to yours. Please let me know when more photos or video is posted. Thanks
April 15, 2009 at 11:38 pm
I’m looking forward to getting all the photos finished! I’ve been so busy since we returned from South Carolina that I’ve only gotten through about 1/4 of the photos I shot and haven’t even looked at any of the video yet!
Hopefully I’ll be able to get some more photos posted next week. I’ll make sure to let you know when I do. Thanks!
April 22, 2009 at 11:31 am
United States Marine Corps
The Educator’s Workshop
An Overview
Dr. Rob Calderin
George F. Will recently reported in his Newsweek column entitled The Last Word on March 23, 2009 that in 1994Goals 2000 anticipated a high school graduation rate of at least 90% – it’s 75%. Will added that the same report stated that American students would be first in the world in mathematics and science in six years. In 2002, No Child Left Behind decreed 100% math and science proficiency by 2014. It’s not going to happen.
The Coleman Report (1966) concluded that schools are remarkably similar in the effect they have on the achievement of their pupils when socioeconomic background of the students is taken into account (64). One scholar estimated that about 90% of the differences among schools in average proficiency can be explained by five factors:
• number of days absent from school
• amount of television watched in the home
• number of pages read for homework
• quantity and quality of reading matter in the home, and
• the presence of two parents in the home
Government has not been able to do much to make a dramatic impact on the above. Arguably the school system has moved closer to the national goals of higher educational standards. We still consistently fall short. However, it appears the United States Marine Corps has figured out the rudiments of goal achievement at least when it comes to young adults by instilling the importance of learning, adapting, and leadership. Admittedly schools and the Corps are two separate worlds. Still it’s a lesson worthy of inspection nonetheless.
What follows is an overview of the values I observed from USMC personnel share with us throughout the Workshop. It illustrates the Corps’ view of leadership development and, in part, education (see attached). They are the following:
• they do not select just any recruit; each must bring something to the table
• look in the mirror – see who is the problem
• thread the needle to service and growth
• identify core competencies such as developing a strong character ethos through honor, courage, and commitment
• values based training
• USMC is an achievement based society; no one is socially promoted
• competition is valuable; do you have what it takes
• lead by example; the difference between leadership and management
• applied rigor from the leadership from the top down
• calibrate the leadership development regularly
• institutional core values system: honor, commitment, and duty
• once a Marine always a Marine
• do what is right in the face of adversity
• do not repeat the same mistake
• routines; the group carries all its individual members; incentive training aka punishment
• training for leadership in high stress situations
• if you fail we don’t want you – get out
• how well do you handle failure
The public school system is not the Corps. However, it was a revealing exercise in what people are willing to endure to achieve excellence – individually and collectively – when it is perceived as “a path of service, a lifetime of reward”.
saanys
RC:rc
MARINES
THE FEW. THE PROUD
June 12, 2009 at 12:37 pm
I hope we can look forward to seeing some photo’s from the 2009 EDUCATORS WORKSHOP soon, they will be great to show others. Hopefully we’ll get them up soon!
July 5, 2009 at 1:23 pm
working my way through them slowly. I’ll post more soon, promise!