Tell Your Story

Maybe it's because I've been traveling and occupied with so many other things in the past year. I'm sure that the distractions meant that I had to focus harder on the problems that arose when I was away instead of the good things. Maybe I didn't take a second to notice what was going on. Maybe it was a little of all of it. But Wednesday night at Ram City did my heart a lot of good. Students were proudly supporting their different clubs and organizations. Adults gave their time and effort to support them and had smiles on their faces throughout it all. Some cooked food, others coached flag football and some volunteered to be everyone's amusement in the dunk tank. Everyone had a great time.

I've been working on an initiative at the state level to get public schools to tell stories like this one more. Let's face it, parents have options now and those options are marketing themselves. Private schools and charters have budgets for that sort of thing, and we do not. But what we do have is a culture and a tradition of doing great things for kids. Events like Ram City and the myriad of other things like it that we just do as a part of "school" today tell a story and it's one we should be sharing louder. It's those stories that build relationships that convince students to try a little harder or stay when they would have otherwise given up. They set an example and they build character traits that aren't found in a curriculum. They build young adults. 

So this week, I'm giving you some homework. Go tell your story. Tell people about how cool it is to see students, teachers, and families come together for something really positive at school. It's a story that no charter can mandate and no voucher can purchase. It is our unique identity and it's what is really great about what we do. 

Coach Prime Fever

I'll admit it. I caught Coach Prime fever. If you haven't witnessed the media spectacle that is Deon Sanders and his latest role as the football coach at the University of Colorado, then you're missing out. Deon is Deon, always has been. In my youth, I hated him when he played for the San Francisco 49ers, loved him when he played for the Cowboys, and hated him all over again when he was traded to the Washington Redskins. His electric athleticism was only beaten by his showmanship and that's a good thing when he's showing out for your team and a bad thing when he's showing out against you. He's still good as a showman in his role as a coach, but now it comes with some experience and wisdom that age tends to put on us. His quotable moments come on topics of hard work and self-worth when you know you've done that hard work. I love his mentality as a coach, and so...I caught the fever. I follow him on Twitter (do we call it X now?) and my social media is full of his words and actions. One post this week caught my attention because it rang true with something we discussed in our Leadership Team meeting this summer. Here it is:

Consistency. Think of all of the things that can be accomplished through consistency. Every one of us was trained to feed ourselves, use the bathroom, walk, learn multiplication tables, read, and so much more through consistency. We did it over and over again until it was right. And it seems so simple when we think of it in terms of those basic learning blocks we go through as a child. But just imagine if someone who raised us allowed an inconsistency in one of those areas. Inconsistency would have stifled growth and ultimately, achievement in learning that skill. 

So if I need to do my best Coach Prime impression, I will. I'll post it on Twitter and say it in press conferences if that's what we need! But Coach Prime is right on this one. We can have everything that we want for ourselves, our students, our school, and our profession through consistency.