| Recently I read of a new website where teachers | | | | and time must be spent after school hours to |
| can post and sell their lesson plans to recover the | | | | complete their daily tasks. And the question then |
| time that they had spent in developing these plans. | | | | arises, if I am doing it on my own time, then I own |
| On the surface, this sounds reasonable and why | | | | the intellectual capitol and have the right to sell this |
| would anyone object to teachers making a little more | | | | capitol. However, many salaried people take their |
| money through such a capitalist venture and | | | | work home to finish it and are not compensated for |
| leveraging their intellectual capitol?However this | | | | those efforts. In the real world, it is part of the |
| question is much more about understanding the | | | | job.What for me is most troubling about teachers |
| importance of retaining intellectual capital (knowledge | | | | selling lesson plans (that in many cases are the |
| management) within the educational system and how | | | | intellectual property of the school) is one of ethics. |
| this demonstrates questionable ethics on part of the | | | | Since I was a former teacher, I experienced first |
| teachers.Consider the following scenario:I am an | | | | hand the extra hours invested in preparing my room, |
| instructional designer (person who writes training | | | | grading papers and creating engaging learning |
| programs) and employed full time. Part of my job is | | | | activities. Yet, coming from a small business |
| to create activities that promote learning for the | | | | background, doing all this perceived extra stuff |
| target audience. Do I have a right to sell those | | | | wasn't really all that extra because it was part of the |
| activities on my own time on a website? Even | | | | job, plain and simple. To go out and sell the fruits of |
| though I am not a lawyer, I know that this would be | | | | my labor that were paid for by my employer would |
| highly unethical and probably illegal. These activities | | | | be totally unethical and probably would get me fired. |
| are the direct result of my job description. My | | | | Yet, teachers are being encouraged to engage in |
| employer has already paid me for their creation.Now, | | | | unethical behavior and they probably believe it is |
| I am a teacher who is paid to educate young people. | | | | OK.And finally there is the issue of copyright. In many |
| Also, I am paid to attend numerous professional | | | | teacher professional development workshops, the |
| development days in which I learn to create specific | | | | speakers distribute sample lesson plans. With today's |
| lesson plans that promote learning for my students. | | | | technology, a quick scan and a few edits can change |
| Do I have a right to sell those activities on my own | | | | the visual ownership of the lesson plan, but the |
| time on a website? From a legal standpoint, I don't | | | | intellectual capitol still belongs to the presenter of the |
| know the answer to that question. However, from | | | | workshop. Of course if a student did this, it would be |
| an ethical standpoint, absolutely not! What is | | | | cheating or plagiarism.As a small business and |
| happening is that I am being paid twice to perform | | | | education coach who has created hundreds of |
| the same work. Some individuals call this double | | | | learning activities to help clients better understand |
| dipping and in many proven cases it is illegal.As a | | | | key concepts, I have always acknowledged the |
| former public school teacher, elected school board | | | | source of the activity such as a concept, story or |
| trustee and now a performance improvement | | | | quote when it wasn't mine. This keeps me always |
| consultant, I have seen hundreds of thousands of | | | | aware of my own ethical standards and ensures that |
| dollars lost by school systems because they had not | | | | I hold fast and true to those standards.So before |
| created a knowledge management process. Lesson | | | | any teacher sells what they believe to be their lesson |
| plans created during school hours and during time | | | | plan, maybe they need to identify where that plan |
| designated to teacher professional development | | | | came from and ask themselves: "Have I already been |
| should be archived by the school corporation so that | | | | paid for that lesson plan?"Leanne Hoagland-Smith |
| every teacher benefits from this knowledge. Just | | | | coaches small businesses to large organizations and |
| think about all that lost knowledge and wisdom and | | | | high school students to entrepreneurs to double |
| its very expensive price tag.Professional development | | | | performance by closing the gap between today's |
| is truly expensive. According to Northern Central | | | | outcomes and tomorrow's goals. Please feel free to |
| Regional Learning Laboratory (NCRL), a quick search | | | | contact Leanne at 219.759.5601 or visit and explore |
| revealed the following allocation of funds for | | | | how she can help you from the free articles to the |
| professional development:Illinois over $100 million | | | | improvement tips.One quick question,if you could |
| annually for professional development | | | | secure one new client or breakthrough that one |
| Iowa over $50 million | | | | roadbloack, what would that mean to you? Then, |
| Michigan over $20 million | | | | take a risk and give a call at 219.759.5601 to |
| Ohio over $25 millionAdditionally within each school | | | | experience incredible business.Mention that you read |
| day, teachers receive paid preparation time to work | | | | this article and receive a complimentary 60 minute |
| on their lesson plans, grade students' papers, etc. For | | | | coaching session. |
| many teachers, the designated time is not enough | | | | |