Where Are You Going?

"Where are you going?" It's a phrase often heard in the hallways of a high school. On any given day teachers and administrators ask students where they are headed. They may be in the hallway without a pass, in the parking lot or on a hall during lunch. Whatever the reason, we want to know where their intended destination is. Having a direction keeps you from wandering aimlessly. While students may know where they are headed in the hallway, how many of them have a direction for the school year or beyond high school? We often talk about students being unmotivated, but think how hard it must be to be motivated when you do not have a goal. So often, I speak with students that have no idea what they want to do after high school. They have no goal. Without that goal, they have no reason to make good grades or apply themselves in certain areas. Kids today have grown up in a mass media culture that
tells them what to wear, what to eat and what to listen to. So is it any wonder why they struggle to answer that question for themselves, that they struggle with the process?

Now that we have talked about students, what about us? What do we want? Do you want to be the best teacher? Do you want more kids to score well? Do you want kids to be better writers or thinkers? As a teacher, what do you want? Can you answer it? If so, what are you doing to make that your main focus? In essence, "Where are you going?" Take some time to focus on finding direction for yourself and help your students do the same. When we know where we are going, we are much more likely to be satisfied with where we end up.

Why Students Care (Or Don't)

Teachers are equipped to deal with learning disabilities. We have methods and procedures for overcoming language barriers, broken homes, and cognitive impairments. The biggest problem that we do not have a manual for is apathy. So what makes some students care and others not care, and why should we care? Those of us reading the Grit book have an answer to this question. While the author acknowledges that grit is naturally higher in some than others, grit can also be learned and grown in everyone. The first key to growing grit is finding a person's passion.

It seems like a no-brainer, but people tend to do better and grow more in areas that they have an interest. Our problem in schools, is that not every child comes to school with a genuine interest or passion for what we teach. In fact, some kids down right hate what we teach. So how do we move beyond that hate and generate a passion for what they do not like? Easy, build relationships first. All good teachers do it. A student may not care about what you teach, but they can care about you. I barely remember all of the things that I was taught in high school, but I do remember working to please my favorite teachers. Building a relationship with your students is an important first step, but it is not the only step. Leveraging that relationship toward understanding curriculum is what has to happen and that's the difficult part. Many teachers are good curriculum presenters or good relationship builders, but those that can make both happen are the ones that do the most good.

I wanted to say thank you again to those of you that have already taken the Positivity Challenge and I encourage the rest of you to jump in as well. It's never to late to appreciate others!

What Students Bring to School

It's almost so normal, that we don't pay attention to it anymore, but think about all of the times a student did not come to school with paper or a pencil. You (like me) probably rolled your eyes, and worked to provide the student with what they needed to make it through your lesson. It is easy for teachers to complain about what students do not bring to school. We find ways to get around this problem most of the time because doing anything else is counter-productive for us.

With all of the things that frustrate us about what students do not bring to school, it is easy to loose sight of what students do bring with them every day. Students bring the thoughts and words from their households and community with them everyday. These ideas cloud their judgement at times and keep them on the right path at other times. This week I have been hit hard with parent fears about their children. America is very divided right now. Politics, religion, race relations with police, immigration, terrorism and many other factors flood students ears at home and they can't help but bring these ideas to school with them everyday. As the election approaches, we are likely to see outward expressions of these things that students bring to school with them. I want for us to treat these the same way that we treat the missing pencil. We give them what they need to be successful in school and in life, and despite our personal frustrations or disagreements, we teach them anyway. Young minds are impressionable in many ways, and while they may hear things that we do not agree with, we still have to show them how to be the best person possible. They will remember that part as well.

It's OK to Learn to Struggle

Some weeks I find myself bogged down in the management of the school and I don't get an opportunity to speak with someone, or read something that inspires my writing. Then there are weeks like this one where I have been overwhelmed with topics. Despite a myriad of ideas on education and where our school is going, I felt the need to write about seeing people struggle. Early in the week, I went to leave and I saw Rebecca Burris and Rachel Spooner helping Luci Sanchez change a flat tire. I did the gentlemanly thing and asked if they needed help. I was quickly hit with a response I did not expect. These ladies were quick to tell me that they did not need any help! They handled it on their own. It took a little struggling, but they got it. 

Later in the week, Coach Fulghum had arthroscopic surgery on his knee. Coach usually unlocks the building each morning, so on Thursday I rode out before 6:00 am to unlock the building, thinking that he he would be on the mend for a few days. At the front door I was met by Coach Fulghum. Less than 24 hours after his surgery, he had walked across the street to the school and had unlocked the doors as usual. He said that the doctor had told him to walk as soon as possible, so he got up and started walking. He may not have been as fast, but he struggled through.

When you're struggling through something, it feels bad. You want to get it over with, complete the task, or get better. But struggling can tell you a lot about yourself. It shows how willing you are to persevere or how quickly you will quit. We have to start teaching students that it is ok to struggle. Struggling makes us stronger and better the next time. It is perhaps our greatest teacher, because we are not quick to forget how we got through. Every day we see students give up. They don't understand a question, or didn't pay attention to directions, or just can't grasp a concept. Sometimes this even leads to behavior problems or dropping out of school. Coaching kids to struggle through things they do not do well initially may very well be the best thing we can teach them while they are with us. They may not use much of the content we teach each semester in their adult lives, but I can guarantee that each of them will encounter struggles. 

Reading Matters

This week our students took the Reading Inventory test and we have a first look at where they are in regards to reading growth. This is something that we pay careful attention to in Greene County in all grade levels. My own second grade child can quickly tell you her lexile and growth from the previous test. It's something all Greene County kids know. If you know me, you know that I'm always looking for an angle and a purpose on why we test. So how much does reading really matter? Consider these statistics:

In a study of literacy among 20 ‘high income’ countries; the US ranked 12th

Illiteracy has become such a serious problem in our country that 44 million adults are now unable to read a simple story to their children

50% of adults cannot read a book written at an eighth grade level

45 million are functionally illiterate and read below a 5th grade level

44% of the American adults do not read a book in a year

6 out of 10 households do not buy a single book in a year

3 out of 4 people on welfare can’t read

20% of Americans read below the level needed to earn a living wage

50% of the unemployed between the ages of 16 and 21 cannot read well enough to be considered functionally literate

Between 46 and 51% of American adults have an income well below the poverty level because of their inability to read

Illiteracy costs American taxpayers an estimated $20 billion each year

School dropouts cost our nation $240 billion in social service expenditures and lost tax revenues

There is a correlation between illiteracy and income at least in individual economic terms, in that literacy has payoffs and is a worthwhile investment. As the literacy rate doubles, so doubles the per capita income.

3 out of 5 people in American prisons can’t read

To determine how many prison beds will be needed in future years, some states actually base part of their projection on how well current elementary students are performing on reading tests

85% of juvenile offenders have problems reading

Approximately 50% of Americans read so poorly that they are unable to perform simple tasks such as reading prescription drug labels

Statistics like this do not just highlight just how serious our situation is, they are literally depressing. But there is hope. Over time, our students have started to get better at this. 40% of our students read at or above the proficient mark and another 30% are at the basic level. This leaves 30% below the basic level and by the measure of the statistics above, that means that we are making ground on the problem. While we should be proud and celebrate our achievement, this is something that we can never be satisfied with, no matter what the score may be. Keep pushing your students for growth at every level. Teach kids to never be happy with where they are and to always want more and better. Then teach them how to work for it. One day, your students will have children of their own and we will need them to be able to read to them, and to push them as well. Changing the literacy problem in our area and in our country will not happen overnight, but we can make it a little better every day.

Single Parent Households

For most of this week I have been a single parent. My wife took a promotion this summer and I'm tremendously proud of her. She's worked very hard and deserves it. It has brought about some changes in our home and for the first time, I'm feeling what it is like to be a single parent. Erika has been in California on a recruiting trip and I have been making lunches, checking all of the homework, getting the girls ready and putting them to bed each day. I have had the help of my parents a few times to make everything work, but I can tell you that it has been difficult.  The competition for attention between my children and my job has left both coming up a little short in a few areas.

While my wife's absence this week has made me appreciate her, it has also made me understand what many of our student's parents go through as well. 34% of today's students come from single parent households. That is a huge change from 19% in 1980 and just 9% in 1960. Some of you are a part of these statistics (and I sincerely applaud you for making it work).  I write about this, because it is another aspect for us to understand as we seek to connect with our student's families. Connecting with these parents can be challenging enough at times, but connecting with those that are managing life and a family on their own can sometimes be impossible.

This is probably the week when many of you have started making calls home about behavior or academics. As I do every year, I encourage you to try to make a positive call home as your first connection. Est
ablishing a rapport with a parent can be a bright spot in their day and can also help make it easier when you need their support later, especially if they have a lot of competition for their time.

Family

On Saturday morning I received a call from my dad. He told me that his oldest brother had passed away in his sleep Friday night. My dad was upset, but somewhat relieved. My Uncle Ray was given six months to live, about 20 years ago. On Wednesday I decided to make the trip up to Virginia to the funeral and I saw family members that I have not seen since I was a teenager. My dad's family is not very close and for a multitude of reasons, we do not get together much at all. It was great to see everyone and we got to relive some old memories with each other. On the drive home I had plenty of time to reflect. I spend a lot more time with all of you and with our students than I do with my own family. I guess that's somewhat normal for educators. We dedicate so much of our time to school. In a sense we become a family for one another. I saw members of our football team exhibit this on Monday as they carried flowers to the mother of a team member that had lost a parent over the weekend. It was a gesture that seems normal for families and it felt right for them.

Families come in many sizes and in many places. We build bonds with the people we spend the most time with and care about. Like all families, we get on each other's nerves, we can be reluctant to say 'thank you' as much as we should and we take each other for granted at times. At the end of the day, we still help each other and we move on. That's what families do. Sometimes, like it or not, we're stuck with one another. This week I wanted to tell each of you thank you for sticking with me and for being a member of our crazy extended school family. It's nice having each of you with us.