Doing Something Right

This week I have been at the annual NCASCD conference. The few days that I spend at the conference with other principals gives me some time to share ideas and reflect on what we are doing. One of Thursday's keynote speakers was Wes Kieschnick (@Wes_Kieschnick) and he speaks to educators about the importance of mixing blended learning, tech devices and digital resources with "old school" professional development and lesson planning. He has coined this type of teaching and learning under the hashtag #BOLDSchool on Twitter. Wes is a captivating speaker and as he spoke, I got mental images about some of the great teachers in our building and the amazing professional development that we get from Mrs. Garcia and Mr. Shaw.  

Ironically, our own opinions on how well we are doing with digital learning, don't exactly match the images that ran through my head. This week I updated the Leadership Team on the survey data that we had collected for our upcoming accreditation visit and one of the things that we said that we needed work on was digital learning. Now it wasn't rated poorly or anything, but it did show up in surveys and observations as something that we thought should be seen more or should be more interactive. The observation tool and the survey questions wanted to see the digital learning taking places in all classrooms and it needed to replace things like worksheets and other classroom activities. That's exactly what Wes says that we should NOT be doing. Instead of trying to figure out what tech tools we can use in the next lesson, we should start old school and plan the learning out with objectives in mind. If by the end of our planning, we see a place that tech can help us or engage kids, then we use it. This is literally what Team Garcia & Shaw have developed over the years and despite what those surveys say, I think we are doing something right. 

Over the past few years, I have seen a dramatic shift in the way that many of you teach and think about teaching. As new teachers have arrived at our school, you've rubbed off on them as well. The concept of "old school" teaching mixed with blended learning is alive and well at Greene Central. I'm proud to say that we are a BOLD school. 

The Hero of the Story

I recently read a news story about a high school cross country runner in California that captivated my attention. This past fall, Paradise High School’s boy cross country team made the tough decision not to travel to their sectional championship race. The wildfires that spread throughout California had reached their hometown and assembling the team and traveling to the race was not a major focus. The race went on without them. 

A senior, Gabe Price, had been running great times all season and now had no chance of qualifying for the state championship. After the race, there was talk of his situation and he was given permission to run the course to attempt to qualify. However, instead of racing others, he would have to run it alone. The day before the race, it was confirmed that his home was destroyed in the fire, along with his running shoes. Discouraged, but unbeaten, Gabe showed up to run the course. 

On the original race day, Chico High School had won the meet. This team had heard about Gabe and the rest of the Paradise team and decided to travel back to the course to cheer him on. A parent on the team even brought Gabe a pair of running shoes. They cheered Gabe on in his attempt to qualify. He needed to run the 3.1 mile course in 17 minutes and 41 seconds. He ran it in 17:12. 

Chico’s team was full of runners better than Gabe. They had no benefit of supporting his effort. But they respected his attempt in spite of the struggle. Their support, both in their presence and in the shoes, undoubtedly helped him earn a trip to the state championship race that day. 

There are teachers in our building that are nothing short of amazing. There are mid-career teachers well on their way there. There are beginning teachers with a heart full of passion that work hard to figure things out day to day. There are also those of us that have tough times like Gabe. Bad things happen to us personally that impact our work. We make professional decisions that don’t turn out like we wanted them to. Sometimes things fall apart. And when that happens, you have to have the grit of Gabe Price. You show up, barefoot and alone, prepared to give it your best. But the most important factor for success in Gabe’s story, was the support he got. The hero in the story isn’t the kid that qualified for the state championship, it’s the ones that supported him in his effort. 

Take time to look at your colleagues. You probably won’t have to look long or hard to find someone that needs your support, or just a kind word. Remember your last struggle as a teacher and remember what you needed most. You have a chance to be the hero in their story. And because you are helping a teacher, that story impacts so many more people.

I'M BUILDING A ROCKET!!!

This week I had the privilege of visiting some classrooms at Snow Hill Primary. I was taking a look at what STEM classes do at much lower grades. One of the first classes I entered, I saw a familiar face at the back table. Kristin White's son, Asher, was with his group and was very busy. The class had drawn balloon-powered rockets and were now starting to construct them. When I went to Asher, he was feverishly cutting at a cardboard box with a pair of safety scissors. The other members of the group were working quietly at their seats. When I asked Asher what he was doing, he was VERY ready with his reply. "I'M BUILDING A ROCKET!!!!" (Now I don't know that printed words can do justice to the level of excitement that needs to be conveyed here. Picture this sentence coming from an early 90s pre-fight professional wrestler and you're starting to get the picture.)

To say that Asher was into his work is an understatement. This lesson captivated him. It led me to think that I had never seen that level of excitement from another student, and while that level may be hard to reach, it is something we can strive for. There's a lot of debate today about education versus "edutainment." While I do not think that it is our job to entertain students on a daily basis or to trade fun work for quality work, there is a middle ground somewhere. Our job as educators should not simply be the delivery of information. Books have long been able to do that and today online programs or even YouTube videos can achieve the same thing. Our job is to unlock thoughts in young minds so that they can accept that information and do something with it. And to be honest, that means it has to be interesting. Mr. Shaw and Mrs. Garcia work very hard to make your professional learning interesting and let's be honest, you're getting paid to sit there.

While Asher-level excitement may not be within reach for all students, it is something that we can work to achieve. Remember that teaching is a service industry. Students do not come to school so that we can get paid. We get paid to do something with them while they are here. Let's do our best to keep student engagement in mind so that we can be better than an online program every day. Who knows, one of these students may just build a real rocket some day.

Move On

The events of last Friday's basketball game at South Lenoir and the subsequent discussions and meetings that took place this week, as a result, taught me a lot. Bad things happen and at some point, we all have bad days, say or do things that we don't mean or are out of our character. As educators and the person "in charge" in our classrooms, we often recognize this from our students. Some have bad days more often than others and some we rarely ever see it at all. You don't have to teach very long to see this behavior from an adolescent. If you work in a high poverty school, you've been told or quickly came to realize that things like hunger, family conflict, lack of sleep, inconsistent home lives and a myriad of other issues can translate to aggressive behavior or a lack of engagement in the classroom. First-year teachers learn this more quickly than they learn how to access their curriculum online or complete their PDP.

Recognizing faults, or the reason for them is only the first step toward correcting that behavior. Most good teachers know to take the next step of counseling with a student or getting help from someone that can connect with them. That is where we usually stop, and this week taught me that it is not over there. You have to consciously make the decision to move on. You have to articulate that to the student as well. When students (and let's face it adult too) mess up, there is often guilt associated with the behavior. Correcting the behavior also involves letting the individual know that tomorrow is a new day and that you're ready to go back to work. It's a principle that is at the heart of most religious teachings. Helping and working with others involves recognizing faults, but also in forgiving them. It expresses care for them as individuals, and that's probably something that we all need when we are having a bad day.

So the next time a student, colleague, parent or administrator has a bad day or moment with you. Remember that improving that behavior and maintaining the relationship involves addressing it, but also in moving on. We are all guilty of this at some point and that grace is certainly appreciated when it is given back.

How You Start

My last blog post of 2018 referenced my last track race in high school. I've written several times about the metaphors I find between running and life and even some of the lessons that sports and competitive running and coaching taught me. One of the most difficult things to figure out (and to teach) as a competitive runner has nothing to do with stride, breathing or the distance of the race. One of the toughest things to figure out is how to start. Starting too slow guarantees you a spot at the back and once you realize it, you spend extra energy making an attempt to catch up or you resolve to do your best another day. If you start too fast, you dictate the pace for everyone else but if you can't hold that, you're likely to burn up your energy and finish poorly. Often, experience is the best teacher for this, but as you improve,  you continually have to remind yourself to change how you start. Starting the same way at the beginning of a season, even for experienced runners, almost guarantees to finish the same way you did at the start of the season. That's not growth or improvement.

Those that figure out how to start, know that you push yourself and you continually monitor yourself. Treat the start of the semester the same way. Beginning teachers need the feedback that reflective practice gives them. Even experienced teachers can fall into the trap of not starting out a semester the right way by not pushing their practice. Simply put, if you want more out of students than you got last semester or last year, you have to do more than you did then. And you have to monitor it.

With 95 days left in the semester, we are very much at the start of a long race. If you don't have a plan, get one now. If you do, monitor it and check for progress often. How you start will dictate how you finish.

8 Laps

While I viewed Greene Central as my school's rival when I was in high school, I did run my last track race at Greene Central. The Rams hosted a regional championship and I qualified for the 3200m that year despite a nagging knee injury. I knew at the start of the race that it would likely be my last. Since then I have been in and out of running depending on if I had a personal goal or race in mind. Over the past couple of years I haven't been very motivated to lace my shoes up and go for a run, but lately, it has called me back. After most of the students and staff are gone for the day, I have headed back out to our track to run the 8 laps of the 3200m. It takes me about 5 minutes longer than it did when I was 18, but it has brought me a lot of inner peace and time to reflect. It's frustrating not being as fast as I once was, but I don't think it's about racing anymore.

Over the next couple of weeks, I hope that the time you have to sleep in, visit with family, share gifts and eat great food gives you the time to recharge. During your time off, take a moment to find some inner peace and reflection, especially if that's something you've put in the background like I did. What may take 8 laps for me, can be something different for you, but either way, it's an investment in yourself. When you invest in yourself, you're more valuable to everyone else. Enjoy your time off, you've all earned it.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Someone To Go To

On the way to school each day, I pass by a neighbor's house with horses. I grew up with horses and I can't help but look at them each morning. This morning I noticed that two horses, an older mare and a young filly had gotten out of their pasture and were standing beside the road. I couldn't help but pull over and try to get them to safety. The horses let me walk up to them and they both followed me back into the yard and away from the highway. They stayed beside me until the owner came to put them back into the pasture.

Aside from my horse wrangling time, I'm reading a book about children with Adverse Childhood Experiences titled, Childhood Disrupted. I led a discussion at my principal's meeting this week on a chapter about resiliency. The chapter looks into why some people, despite the negative events that happen to them, turn out to be ok. It appears that genetics can determine how sensitive we are or are not toward negative or stressful events. But despite those genes, having an adult in your life that you can trust and talk to during stressful childhood events, can almost completely negate the effects of the events or the genetics.

Often, as school employees, we become that caring adult that students talk to. You don't have to teach very long before a student will open up to you and tell you things that make you worry about them. As an administrator, I often get tough stories from students, their parents, and teachers that need to get something off their chests. I'll quickly admit that I do not always feel like I know the right thing to say. But I think that the few minutes I spent with two horses this morning, taught me that you don't have to hear the right thing as long as you have someone to go to when you feel like you are in trouble. Those horses also showed me that it works for everyone, young and old. While students look to us for a caring adult, remember that you need that person as well. I had to tell myself that just this week, and I'm glad that I did. Teaching students about mental health, grit, and resilience also means modeling those behaviors and being vulnerable enough to talk about it.