Christmas Songs

The top 10 Christmas songs of all time are, according to no one in particular, in descending order:  Sleigh Ride, It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas, The Little Drummer Boy, The First Noel, A Holly Jolly Christmas, White Christmas, O Holy Night, It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year, Do You Hear What I Hear?, and The Christmas Song.  What?  No Silent Night? No Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer?  How about The Twelve Days of Christmas?  Go ahead – sing a few bars of that for a minute –“ On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me a partridge in a pear tree”…Did you ever think just how expensive buying/renting all of the items mentioned  in the 12 days would be?  Didn’t think so.  I did.  The cost of the partridge, a pear tree, two turtledoves, three French hens, four calling birds, five golden rings, six geese on the nest, seven swans, eight maids milking something, nine ladies dancing (hopefully appropriately), ten lords, eleven pipers, and twelve drummers is, in today’s dollars approximately $116,000!!!!!!!  Heck, the three hens alone are just under $200!  The song really isn’t about the cost.  It’s about the lengths that one person will go to bring joy to someone else.  It’s not about the money; it’s about the effort.  It’s not about the gift, it’s about the giver. 

There are, in my view, a lot of similarities between this theme and education in general.  Think about how classroom equipment has changed over your career.  Okay, maybe that’s not fair for younger teachers.  But for those of us who started with a blackboard and a box of chalk, the evolution is astounding.  We can buy all of the nifty tools that are so commonplace today in classrooms around the country.  We can have all of the computers, smart boards, visual presenters, personal electronic devices, the latest app, and 32 different dry erase markers but none of them mean a thing if the students don’t have the teachers.  It’s not about what is given, it is about the giver – the teacher.  Kids want that outstanding personal relationship with their teachers.  They want to know that they matter to their teacher more than they want the latest craze…seriously. The human element cannot be overstated.  It takes a wonderful person to truly be an effective teacher.  A huge part of that is being the teacher that enjoys their students and the students enjoy them.  That doesn’t mean that you cannot challenge them.  What is does mean is the lengths that you go to for each of your students to bring them a great joy – your very best.  Merry Christmas.

Perceptions and Reality

Physical appearance has a lot to do with how we perceive others.  If people wear glasses, we determine that they have a problem with their vision.  If a person has rings on each finger, then they must be wealthy, have won ten championships, or are channeling Sammy Davis, Jr.  If their clothes are shabby, then he or she must be poor.  If they are a Cleveland Browns fan, then they obviously are insane (guilty as charged). If they walk with a limp, there must be an anatomical problem or they have an injury.  If they are always smiling, they must be incredibly happy or have gas.  If they have their hair colored in shades that are not on the color wheel, then they must be a whack job.  If they have body piercing in places that are outside of the norm, then they must be “one of those” kind, whatever the heck that means.  Don’t let the outward appearance fool you.  My God, did you get a good look at Einstein’s hair?  Or Stephen Hawkings inability to walk?  Or Dennis Rodman’s multiple piercing…okay, maybe not a good example.  Don’t be fooled by outward appearance.  It’s what is inside that counts. It’s not about the wrapping paper; it’s about the gift inside.

We have all had kids walk through our classroom doors that we think we have all figured out by the time they reach their seat.  The kid with the hair dyed blue and a purple streak must be a freak.  Geez Louise, couldn’t he use complementary colors at least? The kid with the holes in his jeans must be on free or reduced lunch. Never mind that stores sell this style at ridiculously high prices. Oh, and the kid dressed “to the nines” must live in a mansion and have servants, three Beamers, and a country club membership.  How do you know that any of these notions are reality?  Short answer – you don’t.  Not until you get to know them.  Do you want to know a secret?  The kids had pre-conceived notions about you too.  They heard about you before they stepped one foot in your classroom. They may have siblings that had you as their teacher. Perhaps your reputation preceded you.  They sized you up on the first day of school. They saw what you wore, how your combed your hair and made a determination about you.  They did. They thought they had you totally figured out before the end of that first class period.  Ridiculous, isn’t it.  But true.  It wasn’t until they got to know you that they saw the real you.  It wasn’t until you worked hard to develop a positive relationship with them that they saw the gift that could receive from you.  Keep on giving that gift.  This doesn’t mean that we are changing the professional dress code.  It means that the gifts need to be opened.  Being this close to Christmas, the time has come.

The Browns play against the San Francisco 49er’s this weekend on the shores of Lake Erie.  This game is the unofficial “Draft Bowl” since both teams are in the cellar…way down in the cellar…

New Wiper Blades

When snow is forecast and my vehicle will be outside, I always leave the windshield wipers up.  Family tradition. This prevents the wiper blades from being destroyed when you scrape the snow and ice from your windshield.  Windshield wipers are important.  Without them, our necks would be in considerable pain from hanging our heads out of the window to see the road. Side note:  why do dogs hate it when you blow in their face, but the first thing they do in the car is to stick their head out the window?   Windshields get dirty fast.  A neighbor once told that in the summer, he never washed his car as he let a good rainstorm wash it away.  Not true.  You see, raindrops are hygroscopic, they are essentially bonded not only because of the elements contained in them, but by the dirt in the center of a raindrop.  Don’t believe me?  Check out your windshield after a summer rain.  Your windshield will be littered with dirt specks and spots – all courtesy of those raindrops. Dirty windshields are also caused by the winter elements, road salt, bug parts, and special  gifts from our feathered friends that fly above.  Anyway, it is vital that your keep your wiper blades fresh so that they do not simply smear dirt, salt, bug parts, and  bird droppings across your windshield and obscuring your view.  Just a safety tip from your non-mechanic professional.

In classrooms, students sometimes see the white board as one messy windshield. Teaching and learning isn’t always clean.  Sometimes it is downright messy.  The concepts you are presenting are blurry at best to some students.  The skills that you are trying to teach are as clear as mud to others.  Think of your teaching methods are a set of wiper blades. Maybe it is time to change them.  The concept is to make things clear for the students.  We can only do so if we are certain that our methodology is getting the job done.  So, check your wiper blades.  That would be in the form of informal assessments and formative assessments.  You have to actually use this data for self-inspection of YOUR teaching methods.   But the book says that it is time to move on.  The book isn’t being assessed; the kids are.  Moving on just muddies up the windshield even more. If your students are not getting it, if progress just isn’t being made, then the onus is on us to make it more clear.  You simply cannot move on if the educational windshield is dirty.   Only upon a good self-inspection we will be able to determine if what we are doing is working. Are the kids clearly getting it?  If not, it’s time to check your wiper blades.

The Browns host the Cincinnati Bengals on the shores of Lake Erie in Round II of “The Battle of Ohio”.  The last round was as pretty as my 7^th grade school picture. U-G-L-Y, we don’t have an alibi. 

Are You Serving Turkey? - Thanksgiving

On Thursday, millions of people will sit down to a large dinner of sweet potatoes, turkey, assorted vegetables, turkey, cranberries, turkey, dressing, turkey, rolls, turkey, pumpkin pie,  and more turkey.  How did the consumption of turkey get to be such a staple of Thanksgiving dinners?  I don’t know. I do know that the Swanson Company invented TV dinners in 1953 because they had such a surplus of turkey meat, that to avoid financial ruin, they put the turkey in aluminum pans, added some taters and a veggie and viola – the first TV dinners.   Turkey contains an amino acid called tryptophan. Tryptophan is a natural sedative and many believe this is what causes you to be sleepy after eating that meal on Thanksgiving.  What is more likely the cause of sleepiness is not just the tryptophan, but the enormity of the meal itself.  With a full belly of multiple food items consisting of fats and carbohydrates, blood rushes to your core and away from your extremities, thus making you listless.  And that, boys and girls, is why Uncle Joe falls asleep on the couch while watching the NFL game. 

What are you serving in your classroom?  Is it a “Yawn Fest” where the staples are heavy doses of boring lectures with a side of non-relevant examples?  Look at your students during your next class.  Is there a blank stare on their faces?  Do they have all of the energy of a garden slug? If so, you may be serving too many “turkeys” in your lessons.  Are you “spicing” your lessons with enthusiasm?  Are you stimulating your students to explore? Are you sparking their curiosity?  Are you leaving them thirsty for more?  Are you engaging them every day? One of the best ways to get students excited about learning is for their teacher to be excited about learning theirself. Are you creating a ripple effect on enthusiasm?  Are the kids running to get to your class because they don’t want to miss anything? The lifeless should not be teachers. Are you bringing life to our classroom? Are you teaching with passion? Are you rubbing off on your students in a good way? Have you been accused of drinking too much coffee? Are you full of vigor and vitality? These are all signs of a teacher that is not serving heavy doses of educational turkey.  Does your classroom resemble the family room after Thanksgiving dinner or is it a high-energy place?  The serving of  turkey-laden lessons is banned from our classrooms.

The Browns play on Monday night against the unloved Ratbirds of Baltimore.  Can you believe it – the Browns on Monday night?! 

Noodlers

I listened intently as my brother-in-law, gave a Memorial Day speech to hundreds in Griffith, Indiana about ten years ago.  He spoke of service and valor as only someone who served six tours of duty could relate. He spoke of sacrifice and his duty to serve “So that others may live” as the driving force and the motto of the C-CAT (Critical Care Air Transport) teams.  He also spoke of the fact that he had never been to a foreign country prior to Iraq and Afghanistan…”except for my time in Mississippi.”  That broke everyone up.  Mississippi, a word that kids never have to look up, sometimes gets a bad rap about being a place of backwoods thinking, coon dogs, and Brett Favre doing Wrangler commercials.  Along these lines, there are those in Mississippi that call themselves “Noodlers.”  Noodlers are a type of fishermen who do not use rods and reels, cane poles, or even bait. The technique that Noodlers use goes like this – they stick their hands in muddy water in the hope that a large catfish latches onto their arm (bait must really be expensive there).  However, that same arm can also be the “bait” for snapping turtles, water mocassins, or other assorted predators.  The catch of the catfish is the goal, but often they must get rid of other things that get in the way.

In teaching, sometimes we have to be Noodlers.  We have to put ourselves out there and see what we can catch.  The goal is to “catch” students making progress toward the long-term and daily goals. That is the “muddy water” that we trudge through.  We work hard toward those goals. We post them. We talk about them. We show the kids the connections between the two.  However, there are things that get in the way of the prized catch.  These will not be real snappers or snakes, but these will nonetheless get in the way of your pursuit. Our predators take the form of assorted physical issues of our students who suffer from them. Maybe that predator is your own physical ailment.  Predators to  Noodlers-Teachers may present themselves in the form of student apathy. Keep in mind that it is our job to inspire students.  So, those kids who just don’t care – they are yours to inspire. They are under your umbrella. Remember that message? The list of predators is far-reaching. Some you have a direct influence on; others not so much.  My advice is to keep putting yourself out there and sticking your hands in that muddy water.  You will catch what you are seeking.  Keep noodling!

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By the grace of God, the Browns have a “bye” week and will not play this weekend.  Sunday is already looking better for me!

Horseshoes and Rudders

Horses are large animals.  Gee, thanks Captain Obvious.  Stay with me – there’s a point.  The height of horses is measured in units called hands. A hand equals 4”. Horses generally range in height from 14-18 hands and weigh between 1500-2200 pounds.  The largest horse was “Mammoth”, who stood 21.2 hands and weighed 3,300 pounds.  A piece of equipment necessary for most horses in the horseshoe.  The horseshoe is essential as it prevents  excessive hoof wear and hoof splits, improved traction, and manipulation of the horse’s gait.  Cruise ships are large vessels. Again, thanks for the clue. The largest cruise ship today is 360 meters long  (almost four football fields!) Its breadth is 47 meters and weighs 225,300 tons.  Basically, this is a town that sails. A piece of equipment necessary for the cruise ships and other sailing vessels is the rudder.   The rudder steers the ship.  The size of the rudder varies per the size of the ship that it steers, but one thing is constant – the rudder is always considerably smaller than the ship that it guides.  Both the horseshoe and the rudder are essential to the success of the larger object that they support.  Both the horseshoe and rudder, though seemingly small in size, make the big things go. 

You may have heard me say countless times that “The little things make the big difference.”  I cannot overstate how important doing the seemingly little things is.  I used to tell my runners, jumpers, throwers and hurdlers that while every team does the “big things” in training, the champions do the “little things” in addition.  What does that look like for a teacher and schools?  First of all, realize that most schools do all of the big things – they provide a safe environment, they provide a curriculum that parallels the state academic standards, and they serve food at lunch.  We do all of those things as well.  Doing just those three big things will never get you above average.  We should have no interest in being average because average is being the best of the worst and the worst of the best.  It’s the little things that successful schools and teachers do that set them apart.  Greeting your students at the door would seemingly be a “little thing”, but it translates into developing a better relationship with your students, which gives them a reason to want to be at school, which leads to increased academic exposure, which results in improved achievement and growth.  This isn’t rocket science; it’s common sense.  Another seeming “little thing” is making sure that your lessons are relevant to your students.  Relevance leads to grasping the concept, which leads to application of the skill, which leads to taking similar tasks and being able to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate them, which results in improved achievement and growth.  Other “little things” are using RtI Period and Resource Period for interventions and enrichment; not as a study hall!  A final example ( I have a gazillion more examples) is the “little thing” taking the time to call (not just email) parents to partner with them in the child’s development.  That of course, leads to improved extended relationships and yes, improved achievement and growth.  Don’t’ have the time or want to take the time to do the little things?  Not interested in being a horseshoe or rudder?  I just hope you are satisfied with your students staying in the corral or docked at port.  Make a difference – do what some just don’t do.  A piece of equipment necessary for successful students is a teacher who does the little things.


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The Browns, or what is left of the team, play against our arch-rival, the dreaded “Pukesburgh” Steelers this on Sunday in enemy territory.  A win would make the season.  Absolutely zero love loss here.  Side note:  The new state prison in Pennsylvania is conveniently located directly across the street from the Steelers practice field so that the players will not have far to walk to work. 

Welcome Home to our Veterans

November 11, 1918 marked the cessation of fighting during World War I.  In 1926, the United States Congress officially recognized November 11^th as a recurring anniversary of the return of our men from Europe.  Today, we know this as Veterans Day.  In part, the resolution states “…a proclamation calling upon the officials to display the flag of the United States on all government buildings on November 11 and inviting the people of the United States to observe the day in schools and churches…with appropriate ceremonies…” Veterans Day continues to be observed every November 11th and I, for one, hope this is always the case for generations to come. This observance not only preserves the historical significance of November 11th, but it helps focus on the importance of this day.  This is to be a celebration to honor America’s veterans for their love of country, their patriotism, and their willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.

We have held Veterans Day celebrations at our school for a long time.  As long as I am Principal, we will continue to do so.  Next Wednesday, we will host the Veterans of the families of our staff and students.  It is an honor to do so.  Five years ago, we celebrated over 50 Veterans by serving them lunch and showing them a staff-made video.  Our kids give them a standing ovation.  I could see the pride in the faces of the kids and adults who introduced their loved ones as Veterans.  There have also been many looks of pride from the Veterans as well.  After the celebration that day, as I was saying my good-byes to the Veterans who attended, one Marine Veteran came up to me and did not shake my hand. Instead, he threw his arms around me and was sobbing. He told me that he had served in Vietnam and his welcome back to our country was less than a joyful memory.  As he walked through the airport terminal in San Francisco, he was called names such as “Baby Killer”. He was spit on. He was jeered. He was not celebrated, thanked nor honored.  I will never forget that moment.  He told me that he had waited 38 years to be welcomed home. He wanted to say thanks for finally providing that. At that point, I joined him in shedding tears at a rapid rate.  We are not waiting any longer to give these brave men and women the welcome home that they deserve.   Next Wednesday afternoon, we will provide a reception line for these folks to walk through with their loved ones leading them out that will span our entire perimeter.  Let’s give them what some of them never received – to be welcomed home like the patriots that they are.

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The Browns play TONIGHT in the “Battle of Ohio” vs. the Cincinnati Bengals on the shores of Lake Erie.  A team with orange helmets will win this one…I am hoping it is the one without a logo.

Thou Shalt Not Kill

Did you ever kill anything?  No, I'm not asking for a confession to murder here and repentance for violating the 6^th commandment.  Seriously, I bet the majority of those reading have killed a spider.  Maybe you have swatted a fly to its demise.  Perhaps you have added a “thousand legger” to the bottom of your shoe.  How about a mouse that you caught in a non-humane trap?  Maybe you are a hunter and you have brought home dinner or several dinners in the form of a deer, rabbit, pheasant, or quail.  Don’t forget about that enjoyable relaxing sport of fishing where the goal is to haul something in by use of a metal barbed hook that lances the mouth of the fish.  Maybe you have slaughtered farm animals with the intention that they end up on your dinner plate.  No, this isn’t a message from P.E.T.A. and a sad video asking for monthly donations, but here I go – why is okay to kill some things and not others?  Why is it okay to step on ants like Danny Kaye doing a tap dance and not okay to knock off the person who cut you off on the expressway? Why is okay to chemically kill a nest of wasps but not okay to drop the guy who looked at you funny? The answer is simple = it all comes down to what is valued.  Things of value do not get killed without penalty; sometimes the penalty is immediate and sometimes the penalty is down the road.  Regardless, there is a penalty.

Okay,” Where are you going with this?”, you may be asking.  In school, the worst thing to kill is a kid’s spirit.   How is that possible?  I would never do that!  That never happens here.  Not on my watch!   Let’s check on that.  The first check if you are a spirit slayer is to ask yourself if you know what makes each of your students tick.  By now, you should have some semblance of what that is.  If not, you are a prime suspect in the case of the spirit killer. Check two – when your students enter your classroom, do you greet them in a positive way, comment on a personal achievement or their appearance, or ask them how things are going? If not, get in the line-up so that the victim can identify you. Check three – do you celebrate the “little victories” with a student?  Do you compliment them on finally mastering a concept, improving their performance, completing their homework for the first time, or being at school five days in a row?  If not, there is a picture of you in the student’s “Post Office.”  In general, teachers do not kill any student’s spirit on purpose.  It happens unintentionally in most cases because we miss the opportunity to encourage.  We miss the opportunity to compliment.  We miss the opportunity to reward.  We miss the opportunity to value their aspirations and personal goals.  It doesn’t have to be that way!  We just need to recognize what they want from us – acceptance, praise, and simply recognizing that we value them.  Many years from now, these kids will attend their graduation reunion and guess what – they will talk about you!  They will, mark my words.  Here’s the part of you they will talk about – how you treated them.  Yes, they will mention the spirit killers, but will do so with disdain.  The bulk of the conversation will center on how you believed in them, how you made a difference in their lives, and how they wanted to be like you.  If you show them that they are valued, that’s what they will be saying.  Things of value do not get killed without penalty; sometimes the penalty is immediate and sometimes the penalty is down the road. Regardless, there is a penalty.

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The Browns travel to St. Louis to face the Rams.  Ironically, the baseball team in St. Louis was originally named the “St. Louis Browns.”  Go figure…

Labor Pains and Waiting

When Mary was pregnant with our first child, we attended the childbirth classes offered by the hospital.  Part of the philosophy was that the husband and wife team were “sharing” the birth experience.  Are you kidding me?  It’s this simple – fellas, unless you are passing a bowling ball or pulling your lip over your head, then it is best to just shut up!  Can I get an “Amen” ladies?   Being a Dad for the first time is surreal.  In a few months, I will be a Grandpa for the first time and this feeling of anticipation for this baby boy is way cool.  I remember that August day in 1983when Andy was born like it was yesterday.  At one point, I believed that three guys with crowns would show up at my door and say, “We saw a star dude.”  As I watched my wife go through labor, I just wanted it to stop for her because of the obvious pain she was experiencing. I did my best to provide comfort, but let’s face it; the pain is more likely to win out.  Labor has no time limits (unless the Doc has plans) and you really don’t know what time your child will be brought into this world. It’s a waiting game. A good representation of our family was in the waiting room waiting for a report. The perspective is on waiting and the waiting room.  Wrong perspective.  It should be on the delivery and the delivery room.

It’s similar with teaching a student or students that just don’t seem to be getting it. The results have not been delivered to the waiting room.  The perspective is on the wrong location.  You have worked hard.  You have tried to speed it up. You have put a time limit on it.  It just isn’t happening. Again, the perspective is on the wrong location. Some “deliveries” are fast and labor is quick and dare I write, easy.  Other deliveries have a long labor; it may be painful and you just wish it would end. Here’s the truth – some kids will take longer than 180 days to get it.  Someone, somewhere and somehow imposed the 180 school day minimum on public education and we are supposed to get it all in in that time frame = the waiting room. The perspective is in the wrong place.   The perspective should be on “delivering” the educational gains; not the place where it occurs or when it needs to be done.   The “baby” will get delivered. Sometimes it takes more time. But when it does, it will take a team of surgeons to remove your smile.  Keep laboring.

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The Browns host the Denver Broncos on the shores of Lake Erie this weekend.  We have a large contingent heading to Cleveland for the weekend as we take part in “Big Jack Tailgate Crazy 8”.  I am hoping for a victory in Mr. B’s honor.

Postage Stamps

It used to be that people actually wrote letters to one another.  They had paragraphs and everything. Envelopes, stationery, the whole nine yards.  One thing has always amazed me to this day about letters sent in the mail.  If you sent a letter to your Grandmother in Florida, circa 1976, the price of the stamp to affix on the envelope was 13 cents.  If you sent a love note to that cute girl a few blocks away in 1976, the price of the stamp to affix on the envelope was 13 cents.  Same price.  Distance was immaterial. The sentiment expressed in the message did not change the cost of the stamp.  It could be a business letter of straightforward nature or the greatest ode to that special someone…just throw a stamp on it and all was good.  However, the one thing that every letter, package, or box, had to have was a stamp that was affixed and did not come off.  If not, you got the proverbial “Return to Sender” stamp.  Neither made Grandma nor your girlfriend especially happy.

We need to be just like a postage stamp.  We need to stick to something until we get there!  In each class, there is a set of long-term goals.  Some of these are to be mastered in a few weeks; others have a projected mastery date later in the semester or in the school year.  One thing is certain – the time to reach these goals gets shorter every day. The delivery date of your “letter” will vary.  The constant will be that a stamp on it.  Think in terms of YOU being the stamp and a stamp has to stay on the package for the entire trip.  What this means is that you will have to stay with your student’s progress toward those long-term goals the entire school year.  You cannot just rip the stamp off and not be concerned with the contents actually being delivered.  We have to stick with it!  Will there be days when you feel like the letter is still in the mailbox and no progress is being made?  Yep. Will there be days where you the progress is at a snail’s pace?  Yes, but celebrate that as progress.  Will there be “strange days indeed” as John Lennon sang about? You bet your Grannie’s cookie jar there will be!  But there will be many more days when the light bulb comes on. There will be more days when you cannot wipe the smile off of your face because “they are finally getting it!”  There will be many more days when you go home satisfied that you are making a difference.  All of these success stories take work and that cannot be dismissed.  But, like a postage stamp, you have to stick with the effort it takes!

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The Browns travel to Baltimore to face the Ratbirds, I mean, the Ravens.  Division foe, the team that was stolen from Cleveland, yah, lots of love.

Brand Names vs. Generic

The top selling brand names in cookies are Oreos, Fig Newton’s, and Chips Ahoy!  The top selling name brand clothing linesare Nike, Polo, and Levi’s.  The top selling name brand soda/pop/soft drinks (geography dictates their name) are Coca Cola, Diet Coke, and Pepsi-Cola.  The top selling name brand sports shoes are Nike, Adidas, and Reebok.  Did you find any of your preferences on these lists of the top three selling brands?  I gave up cookies on the second day of kindergarten, I do not drink pop, I wear Asics, and I love Levi’s blue jeans.  The primary use of a brand label is to focus consumer attention of what makes the brand memorable.  To do that, the brand must be easy for the consumer to comprehend and to see the benefits.  Each of the brands listed above carry some memorable tag line or capture some allure.  The marketing departments of each of these companies are paid ridiculous sums of money for clever people to come up with the sales pitch.  Their goal is simply this –What is the primary message we want our target audience to remember about our product?  Don’t be fooled because the real primary goal is to make bucks…big bucks.  Generic products do not have a sales slogan.  They just kind of show up on the supermarket aisles, the clothing racks, or in soft drink machines.  Their allure, of course, is that they typically cost less money. They have no pizazz, they have no cute slogans, they make no promise of leading you to the zenith of your social interactions, they do not claim to make you run faster, jump higher, nor do they produce a claim of attracting the opposite sex in droves. 

Are you a brand name teacher or of the generic version?  What does a brand name teacher look like?  Glad you asked?  Brand name teachers put forward a strong message that what they are delivering is the most important thing to learn.  They are excited about what they are teaching and they do not put a muzzle on that excitement.  That excitement transfers over to their students and geez whiz, pretty soon you have a whole class that is excited about learning.  Generic teachers have all of the marketing skills of their subject as a Dodge dealer in Japan.  Their students do not get excited because their teacher is not excited one bit; in fact, they appear to hate what they are doing.  Brand name teachers create memories for the kids every day.  They do so with engaging activities on a daily basis.  Their kids flourish. Generic teachers have not created a memory for a student ever except that they all watch the clock and can’t wait until they are released from this non-cerebral dungeon of boredom.  Brand name teachers help their student see the benefits of learning the material. They make their instruction relevant.  Generic teachers just go through the motions and really don’t care if anything sticks.  They don’t tie any lessons to real-life experiences because that would take some effort.  People buy name brand items because they think that brand serves their needs well.  Students do the same thing with their teachers.  So, what are you selling in your classroom…and is anyone buying?

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The Browns travel to San Diego to play the Chargers. After a very tough loss to the Raiders last Sunday, we need to come back strong against another struggling team.  National viewing audience is expected to be in the hundreds.

The Soundtrack of Your Life

97.1 FM out of Chicago fancies itself with the motto of, “The Soundtrack of Your Life”. That is, if you grew up with the rock and roll of the 60’s and 70’s and are in the 50-70 age group. You know, us “AARP” folks.   This music is now referred to as “Classic Rock.”  Makes you feel old.   Did you ever buy the “soundtrack” to a movie? A look at the list of the best-selling soundtracks of all time will tell you that Generation X has some catching up to do. According to an independent survey, the top five movie soundtracks of all time are in ascending order:  (5)  The Wizard of Oz – 1939.  I wonder if the poppy fields were somehow involved in seeing flying monkeys... (4) West Side Story – 1961. Gangs weren’t as scary then; especially with Natalie Wood as Maria.  (3)  Saturday Night Fever- 1977. I hate disco!... Almost as bad as (C)Rap…  (2) The Sound of Music – 1965.  Julie Andrews at her finest.  (1) A Hard Day’s Night – 1964.  The Beatles…nothing else to say.  

What’s the soundtrack of your life?  Each day, you create this soundtrack with the words you speak.  Do you pour into people positive thoughts or do you drain the sink?  Do you fill the buckets of others or are you a bucket dipper?  Choose your words wisely.  They do have an effect.  The old “sticks and stones” philosophy is right off the stable floor!  Words do hurt – if they are the wrong words.  If the students in your classes were to produce a soundtrack of their experiences with you, what would itsound like?  Would it be moving or slower than molasses in January?  Would it have a connection to real-life experiences or would it just be a disconnected set of chords?  Would it be upbeat or would it be as boring as most, okay, all operas (sorry opera lovers)? Would it be something that the kids could take with them or is it just a bunch of fun with no substance?  Is it worth listening to or does it get put back on the shelf like the vegetable that no one wants.  Will it speak to them about how you treated them?  Here’s the big question – will it be something that is worthy for them to listen to?  How is the soundtrack of your teaching life coming along?

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The Browns host the Oakland Raiders on the shores of Lake Erie this Sunday.  Two wins in a row?  I am hoping that Oakland doesn’t “raid” our party!

Producing a Crop

I have a fascination with farm fields; especially those with a full grown crop.  The straight rows of corn seeds planted that one could walk through in April becomes a forest of growth in late summer .  I admire farmers.  They work hard at cultivating the soil, planting, ongoing field maintenance, and of course, harvesting. That latter task is beginning throughout the Midwest at this time and will continue until the last rows of field corn are brought to the elevator. Producing a crop takes more than just an acknowledgement that a field exists.  That vision will leave you hungry.  Producing a crop takes cooperation – the cooperation of the farmer, hard work, and a great deal of time.  The soil has to be worked, seeds need to planted and much care provided along the way.  A good yield does not happen automatically.  Farmers have to work at it every single day.

It’s the same in teaching.  Producing positive results, whatever that looks like, takes more than just acknowledging that there is a class in front of you.  That acknowledgement alone will not produce anything. Like crop farming, teaching that produces positive results takes cultivating, ongoing maintenance, and cooperation.  “Cultivating the soil” in a classroom may involve establishing positive relationships with your students – that is excellent “fertilizer”.  It can also involve engaging your students from the first second they stroll into your classroom. Engaged students produce positive results.  “Ongoing field maintenance” can include using informal and formative data to inform your instruction…that’s the academic side.  Continuing to build and maintain positive relationships is also included as well as making sure that your own ”field” (classroom) has the proper goals, decorations, and information centers.  Finally, “cooperation” in teaching is like a three-legged stool – one leg representing the teacher, a second representing the student and the third representing the parents. Lose one of those legs and that stool wobbles or falls.  Work hard at making the kids see the correlation between daily and long-term goals.  Work hard at talking with parents and making them part of the total team.  All of these things together will yield a tremendous crop that shows outstanding growth prior to the harvest.  Teachers have to work at it every single day.

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The Browns host the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.  After the butt-whipping put on us last week, I am ready for a victory. 

Emergency!

Emergency! was a television series that was on the air from 1972-79 – how it lasted that long is beyond me.  The show revolved generally around the life of the Los Angeles Fire Department, Station 51, and specifically around the lives of its two paramedics – John Gage and Roy De Soto.  The weekly series was pretty typical – a daring rescue, an out of control five- alarm fire, life-saving measures while riding in the back of an ambulance…impossible situations with no hope, BUT, all solved in 46 minutes not including commercial breaks!  A few months ago, I flipped on the television to MeTV, a channel that carries the “Oldies”; one of which is my favorite show, the greatest television series ever – The Andy Griffith Show.  Anyway, John and Roy, along with three doctors, worked on an emergency patient for an extended period with all of the equipment, knowledge, and technology that they could muster.  Unfortunately, the patient perished.  One doctor commented, “We did everything by the book.”  To this, a second doctor replied, “Maybe we need to get a better book.”

It’s not about the book.  The book is just one resource. Heck, some classes do not even have a book.  You are better than the book…aren’t you?  There are more resources than can be counted.  There are textbooks. There are periodicals. There are internet sites.  There is actual conversation with people.  Back in the so called “Old Days” when  kids like me actually had to visit the library (there was no such thing as a Media Center), choose six books about the topic you were researching and catch this – actually read them!  This was needed to write a 10 page paper for English X (the thought was that no one would figure out X as honors, Y was regular, and Z was remedial).  Back to my point.  It is important to utilize every resource that you can in your teaching.  One obvious choice is professional reading and making the most of every professional development opportunity (even the ones that are like watching paint dry). A great resource is to not only converse with your colleagues, but to visit their classrooms and check out their strategies.  Yes, it okay to steal the good ones.  One very important resource that is underutilized is creativity.  Get outside of the box and color outside of the lines.  Dare to make your class the most exciting one in the school. Be the class that the kids are running to get to because they do not want to miss a thing.  Keep them thirsting for more.  Sometimes we don’t need a better book. We need a wider imagination.


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The Browns open the regular season against the New York Jets.  Interesting, the Jets actually play their home games in New Jersey. This would be akin to the Browns playing their home games in Pennsylvania, which would be in violation of the Ohio state constitution.  Regardless, here we go Brownies, here we go!

Standard Time Zones

The band, Chicago, is one of our all-time favorites.  Mary and I have seen them live several times and their mix of keyboards, percussion, electric, brass, and wide range of vocals is unique.  One of their hit songs is, Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? There was a time when this was a fairly accurate statement.  In 1883, the United States and Canada adopted a system of Standard Time Zones.  Prior to this, 8:00 p.m. in Toronto looked far different than 8:00 p.m. in Seattle. The United States currently uses nine different time zones.  If it is 2:03 p.m. in Northwest Indiana, it is 3:03 p.m. in South Bend, Indiana, and just past one in San Diego.  Of course, it is 9:03 a.m. in Hawaii. Heck, most of Indiana is in the Eastern Time Zone with just a few small sections carved out as Central Times Zones (da Region included).  Go farther out into the Pacific Ocean and you begin to deal with the International Date Line (by the way, it is imaginary). How about this fun in converting – if you are traveling westbound and pass the International Date Line, you will add a day (Friday becomes Saturday) and eastbound travelers subtract a day (Saturday becomes Friday).  Crazy?  Not really, it does help greatly with the expansion of trade throughout the world.  So, this has to do with money?  Come on.

Could you imagine if each classroom in the school had a different “Educational Time Zone”?  You know, every teacher was teaching whatever they felt was important for the kids to learn.  A great big hodgepodge of “Education du jour”.  Take it up a notch – what if common courses had their own “time zones”.  A grade in one teacher’s class had a far different meaning than a grade in another teacher’s class.  There would be no common learning goals, no common objectives, no common desired outcomes, no common assessments, no common anything.  It wasn’t all that long ago when that was exactly what happened in classrooms across the country.  That was long before accountability became the norm and standardized testing really meant something.  Common courses should have all of the common traits that I mentioned.  That is why our biweekly common course articulation/planning time is so vital.  It gives you time to plan with your colleagues as to common goals and common assessments.   A grade in one class should mean the same as in another class.  It gives us standard measures across the map. Couple that with some excellent teaching tips on high-yield strategies and we have a winner winner chicken dinner.   So, does anyone really know what time it is?  We do.

If Only My Teacher Knew

Kyle Schwartz is a teacher in Denver, Colorado.  She is changing the way students communicate with teachers across the country.  Ms. Schwartz came to realize that while she saw her students gain or decline academically, she never fully understood what obstacles they faced outside of the school building.  She devised a lesson entitled, “If Only My Teacher Knew”, which involves students writing notes to her that detail exactly what the kids wanted her to know personally about them.  This isn’t the index card asking for favorite activities, names of pets and your street address. Nope, this is  kids pouring out their hearts on issues that they deal with on a daily basis.  Examples of this are “Sometimes my reading list is not signed because my Mom is not around a lot” and “I miss my Dad because he got deported to Mexico and I haven’t seen him in six years” and “I have no one to play with at recess” and “My Mom is getting sick a lot and was in hospital last night.”  It is kind of like asking God to break your heart for what breaks His.  She began to better understand her students.  Her mind was awakened to things.  Her level of empathy increased.  She was able to put herself in their shoes.  She was better able to connect with the kids under her charge.

What about your kids?  How well do you REALLY know them?  Do you know what they go through outside of school?  I challenge you to give an assignment in you class with an introductory phrase for “If Only My Teacher Knew…”  What you will gain is not just insight but perhaps a DEEPER insight than ever before.  Not all kids, but some kids, carry excess baggage. Quite frankly, it isn’t something that an 11, 12, or 13 year old should have to shoulder.  We have kids who are watching their parents separate.  We have kids who are struggling with finding friends. We have kids who did not eat dinner last night.  We have kids who have no conception of a family dinner table.  We have kids who are never told that they are loved.  We have kids who have not been told anything positive this week…or month…or year.  So, what do we do about it? We must fill that gap. If not us, then whom?  For such a time as this, we must fill the gap in the limited time we have with these kids. You can do this by establishing positive relationships with your students.  They need to know that you value them. You need to be the first to reach out and persist in that effort until a connection is made.  You have the be the one to build trust, not the other way around.  “I have done all I can” is not an option – please do not run that one past me because it will not be accepted.   When you send this task out where your students will write about “If only my teacher knew…”, remember to send back the message that you are invested in their success.

Did You Bring Your Umbrella?

The story goes like this – a town in the Midwest had been suffering a severe drought over a stretch of searing heat and arid conditions.  The grass around homes turned brown, the water table grew shallow, and restrictions were imposed on water usage.  The most critically affected acreage were the fields of farmers.  Their crops were just not drying up; they were dying.  Not only would farmers stand to lose financially, the consumers who relied on these crops for food would go hungry.  After a solid month of drought, the townspeople decided it was time to gather the religious leaders of the town and assemble for a prayer service.  The entire town – every man, woman and child showed up to pray.  The hundreds  amassed prayed fervently and appeared to be engaged in desperate prayer.  Notably, only one little girl brought her umbrella.  Why was that action so powerful?   Simple - she demonstrated an act of true faith and true belief in what would happen. You have to believe in what you are doing.  You have to believe that your teaching lessons are effective and will produce good results.  You have to believe that your plan will work.  You have to believe that your kids will grow academically.  You have to believe in your students and they have to believe in you.  But, and this is a big but (no joke response, please), you cannot just show outward signs of believing in what you do.  You can’t just go through the motions and perform a great “dog and pony show” everyday where you become the “Sage on the Stage” or the best entertainer at the Holiday Inn Express.  You cannot meet with your grade level common course colleagues and not engage in the dialogue.  You cannot accept exit slips from your students and just discard them like useless scratch pads.  You cannot ignore the data.  You cannot use teaching strategies that did not work in the 80’s, 90’s, or any time since.  You cannot fail to ask questions at higher levels of understanding. You cannot fail to write assessments that are of at least “state test caliber”. You cannot blow off the importance of developing positive student relationships.  You cannot point your students and yourself to the long-term goals and then do nothing about reaching them.  You cannot let your students lose focus nor can you let yourself lose focus.  You cannot ignore the advice given during professional development.  You cannot live your school year without vision for your students because without vision the people perish (hmm, I read that somewhere).  The bottom line is this – if you don’t believe that your plan and strategies will work, then please turn your umbrella in and move on.  On the other hand, if you believe, truly believe, that the path you have mapped out for your students and the execution of that plan is a great one, then open up that umbrella because the rain is going to come.  We have to cover these kids – that is not negotiable!  After all, Noah didn’t build the Ark when it was raining.  Did you bring your umbrella?

Is Your Bus Full?

My first experience on a school bus came in 1963 as a kindergartner. I was a “p.m.” student and my first afternoon resulted in getting my hand slapped by the teacher for taking one more than the undisclosed number of cookies during snack time.  Nice greeting. Heck, I don’t even like cookies.  If I knew any cuss words back then, I probably would have used them.  Mom instructed me to get on the same bus as my older sister when we were released for the day.  A bus number would have been helpful information. The teacher actually walking us to the bus would also have been beneficial. Heck, all I knew was that schools buses were yellow.   Regardless, I walked up the steps of the first yellow bus that I came to and asked the driver if my sister was on the bus.  He replied, “Sure kid, just get in a seat.” He had all of the comfort of  burlap underwear. The bus left and I still did not see my sister in any of the seats.  About 30 minutes later, I was the only kid left on the bus and had no idea where I was in relation to our house.  Eventually, the driver let me off about a half mile from our house when I noticed a landmark. I walked the distance to our house in a relatively new subdivision. Mom was not a happy camper. Boy, did my sister get it good…right after I got it good. Not surprisingly, the next day I knew the bus number, the teacher made sure we all were headed in the right direction, and I stopped eating cookies.  I did have a hard time sitting though due to inflammation of a tanned hide.  School buses are designed to carry a large number of kids.  Take a look at the next bus you see. Is it full to capacity or are there many empty seats? 

Imagine, if you will, the you have your own “personal success stories bus”. Think about all of the kids you have taught this year and the success stories you share with them.  A standard school bus has seating for 66 students.  Do you have 66 kids that you can honestly say were positively affected by your teaching?  Are there 66 kids in whose lives you have made a difference?  Are there 66 kids with whom you formed a tremendous relationship?  Are there 66 kids who made tremendous gains academically under your tutelage?  Are there 66 kids that grew as a person because of the example you set for them?  Are there 66 kids whose lives are better because you are in it?  Are there 66 kids who would list you as one of the best teachers they ever had?  Are there 66 kids who now have some direction because of your genuine care for them?  Are there 66 kids who would crawl over broken glass for you because they know that you would do that for them?  Are there 66 kids who look up to you as a role model?  Are there 66 kids that can say that your class was the best?  Are there 66 kids who you talked with every single day and asked them about their life?  Are there 66 kids that you phoned home about to tell their parents of the great job they were doing? Are there 66 kids who will forever be etched in your memory?   Start naming them. How many did you get to? In this business, you want your bus to be full every single year. You don’t want empty seats. Is your bus full?

Service Advice

When you have a problem with your car engine, you seek the advice of your optometrist.  When you have issues with your plumbing, you seek assistance from the mail carrier. When you have a toothache, you visit the baker.  When you have halitosis, you visit the psychiatrist. When you have issues with your car, you take it to the barber.  When you have the flu, you communicate with the traffic cop.  If you need legal assistance, you see the taxi driver. When you need help with your income tax return, you seek help from the roofer. If you need surgery, you schedule an operation with the carpenter. When you need help with your golf swing, you get lessons from the seamstress.   When you need to pour concrete, you seek out the nearest maker of fine chocolates.  When you cannot see straight, you go to the proctologist. Hmm, that last one may make sense.  Obviously, there is nothing logical about any of these.  Why?  In these examples, people are looking at the wrong source for assistance…kind of like asking me for advice on hair care.

It is important to seek advice from the right people. When teachers need assistance, where do they turn?  A wise man seeks the counsel of many…if they are qualified to give that counsel.  Never put yourself on an island.  Seek assistance when needed as there is no penalty for asking. In fact, it is encouraged.  We have so many talented people here to point you in the right direction.  Start with your teammates. They share the same kids. Try your department  colleagues. They share the same subject. Work with your grade level common subject area teachers. They share the same curriculum. Ask your Principal – he honestly cares about your growth as an educator.  As the school year approaches our final weeks, I am sure that you have reflected on the many lessons that you have taught and the many relationships that you have formed; both with students and staff.   You may be thinking, “How can I do that better?”  “How do I want the next school year to begin?” “What do I need to leave in and what do I need to leave out?” Toward the very end, pose these types of questions to your students. Ask them what lessons were most meaningful and which ones just didn’t move them. Warning on seeking advice – be prepared to hear some things that you did not expect to hear. Seek advice of the appropriate people.  They will give you the most meaningful advice.

Finish Strong!

What would you think about the home contractor who built a nice foundation, but from that point up, his work is pretty shoddy?  How about the marathon runner who sprints the first 285 yards and then walks the final 26 miles?  How about a baker whose products have an inviting aroma, but taste like they were half-baked?  How about the auto mechanic who changes your oil filter, but neglects to refill the engine oil?  How about the actress who does an excellent job in Act I, but never memorized her lines for the remainder of the play?  What would you think of the hostess who served undercooked food at a dinner party? How about the concrete crew who poured the cement for your new driveway, but failed to smooth it?  How about the tire center that only put 24 PSI of air in your tires instead of the standard 32? The fast food drive-thru that only gave you three- quarters of your order? The shoe store that gave you only one and three-quarters of shoes in the box?  The lawn crew who left 25% of your yard uncut?  In all of these, you are looking for someone to finish the job.

Now that the ISTEP is completed, many would think that the gig is essentially over.  Wrong!  There is still a job to finish!  Do this for the kids.  Do this for your colleagues.  Yes, it is understandable that there are some issues with having the state tests, the ones that are supposed to measure the academic achievement and academic progress of a student at a particular grade level over a school year in time is given in two parts – one 5 weeks before the end of the school year and one 12 weeks before we close up shop.   Now that the results are not expected back until sometime in the Fall, why not let us teach what needs to be taught until the end?  Let’s not go to the flaws of having two versions of the exam and two ways to take it and then compare the results as though everyone had the same playing field. Then, of course, the state insists on comparing growth on two different sets of standards rather than using this year as a base measure.  To say that some folks are disgruntled would be an understatement.  I have listened to and read opinions from colleagues around the state, parents, teachers, students, and the general public.  We have no control over these concerns and that is not what this message is about.  What we have now is an opportunity. Yes, we have an opportunity to make a difference.  Let’s face it – this may be the final chances that you will get to formally teach those kids that have been in your class since August. There is still a great deal more to teach our students this school year.  Think about those long-term goals that we are striving for in all subjects.  Think ahead of what these kids really need to successfully begin the next grade level.  Think about what they haven’t been taught yet in more than the academic sense.  Each grade level has some exciting events left.  Those are fairly large culminating projects that the kids have been working on for quite some time. It sends the wrong message to have “count down” calendars posted. The kids know how many days are left. We don’t need to advertise this.  We all need to finish strong with our best effort.  We need to finish the job.

Read the Fine Print

If your mailbox at home is like ours, it is filled with “special offers” almost on a daily basis.  These range from reductions on prices for oil changes, eyeglasses, sports physicals or dog neutering. Of course, the oil change does not cover synthetic oil, the eyeglasses are for single vision only, the sports physicals are between the hours of 1:00-1:15 p.m. and the dog neutering is only for dogs that do not have wet noses.  Maybe that junk mail is an offer for a special on laminate flooring installation, but the ends in 10 minutes and by the way, materials are extra.  How about five rooms of carpet cleaned for $119.00, but the fine print says up to a room size of 2” x 3” and only shag carpeting is included?  What about that “free” checking account?  Folks, there is no such thing.  The “$2.00 off any purchase of $15.00 or more”…if you pick up the entire dinner tab for the table next to you.  You get the point – there’s no such thing as a free lunch. If it’s too good to be true, then it is too good to be true.  This is not to say that all offers or coupons are bad, just be sure to read the fine print or you may be making payments on beach property in Nebraska. 

Take a look at your teacher contract.  The one that you signed.  In ink. With a date on it.  Within the contract is a bit of “legalese” verbiage such as “All of the terms of Chapter 182 of the Acts of 1915…” and “acts supplemental thereof and amendatory thereof” and a bit more that will exhaust you just deciphering it.  This is all under the title of “Regular Teacher’s Contract” (I would rather receive the “Exceptional” or Highly Effective” teacher contract, but I guess those don’t exist).  Regardless, in the entire contract it never really specifies what you are signing up for.  That’s where the beauty and dare I write, nobility, of being a teacher comes in. While others in different professions may say, “I didn’t sign up for that”, we cannot truly say so.  Yes, in signing up to be a teacher, we signed up for everything included in that.  Huh?  What’s “everything” mean?  I don’t know.  What comes your way.  We have to be the teacher in an academic sense.  We have to be the teacher in setting examples.  We have to the counselor.  We have to be the Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, or whatever gap needs to be filled.  We have to be the statistician. We have to be the planner. We have to be the mind reader. We have to be the support system.  We have to be a data analyzer. We have to be the communicator. We have to be….We just have to be whatever is needed.  Thanks for signing up.

Be Where Your Feet Are!

Roll Tide!  I have a direct connection to the University of Alabama football program.  My great uncle, Frank Thomas, was the Head Coach at Alabama from 1931-46 compiling a record of 115-24-7. His 1934 team finished 10-0 and beat Stanford in the Rose Bowl and was named national champions!  Prior to his coaching career, Uncle Frank played quarterback for Knute Rockne (yes, that Knute Rockne) at the University of Notre Dame from 1920-22.  One of his players – Paul “Bear” Bryant, who would later succeed Uncle Frank as Alabama’s coach.  Uncle Frank was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951.  Today, there is a statue of him outside of Alabama’s stadium. He passed away in 1955 of heart and lung disease - missed him by three years. I would have loved to have known him by something other than family records and books.  The Crimson Tide of Alabama continue to be one of the top football programs in the country.  They are continually ranked near the top and this past year made it to the “final four” of college football. Their current Head Coach, Nick Saban, was interviewed just prior to their final game and made a comment that stuck with me.  He was asked how he had his team focus on the task at hand and not get caught up in the hype of all of the festivities. His response was simple – “I tell them every day to be where your feet are.”  With that, he ran off to join the team.

Be where your feet are.  We have a big week next week. Round two of ISTEP.  We cannot afford to not be focused in. We have to be where are feet are. Here’s how it works – the Department of Education combines the results of the first round of ISTEP with the second round for a total score.  It’s not really like a first half/second half thing; it all counts!  Instruct your students to be dialed in.  Instruct your students to take care of business.  Instruct your students to give their best effort.  Instruct your students to be on time and on task. Instruct your students to show all of their work as required and to submit complete answers; even the ones that have more than one answer!  Instruct them to show, in dramatic fashion, just what they have learned this year.  Okay, that’s the kid part.  What’s the teacher part?  Encourage your students before and during the test.  Be up and about during the test. It is a temptation to get on the computer and answer emails while the kids are testing. Wrong move. Take this opportunity to check their efforts.  It’s the little things that make the big differences. Tell your students that the expectation is that no one is finished with their test until you physically see it.  Make that the expectation.  If you want to see achievement and bubble growth, this is another opportunity to encourage your students and increase their confidence.  Don’t miss that opportunity.  Be where your feet are!

Going the Distance!

What is the longest distance that you have ever walked or jogged without stopping?  Hopefully, your answer is not “from the couch to the refrigerator!”  We have several staff members who are active runners and who have completed full marathons.  Here’s the old coach in me coming out.  There is a vast difference in training for a marathon (26.2 miles) and the shortest sprint in Track & Field (100 meters). It means very little to a marathoner if he or she covers the first 100 meters in 10 seconds (but if they did, I can tell you that they are in the wrong event!). The finish line is still over 26 miles away.  It’s not about where you start. It matters where you finish. The best coaches will plan training for their athletes in a backward manner starting with the ultimate championship race.  They schedule training by then working back to day one. The end goal is always in sight and all work is directed toward achieving that goal.  For a long distance runner, it is the ability to stick with it mile after mile that counts. Being steadfast, not just short sprinting, will determine the outcome. 

You may want to spend time with your classes impressing upon them that the long-term goals are what they are shooting for and that the daily goals factor toward achievement. Use a backward approach to teaching = determine what the desired outcomes are, then script the assessments, and finally plan your instructional route.  Of course, be mindful of informal and formative assessments to guide your plan along the way.  This school year is not a sprint, although some days and units will feel like it.  It doesn’t matter where you start. In fact, it is far too late to change that.  It matters where you finish.  No one remembers who won the first race, but they do remember who the state champion was (missed that personally by one place…still bugs me). Always keep the end goal in sight and all work is directed toward its achievement. Right now, we are just past the three-quarters race that we call a school year.  That’s like lap 7 in the 3200 or the gun lap in the 1600.  This is no time to take your foot off the pedal!  Be intentional. Be purposeful. Be prescriptive.  Be inspiring. Be creative. Be logical. Be a critical thinker.  Nothing can stop you with a great plan!

Tossing Things Overboard

You may have heard that items have been thrown overboard from ships when in rough seas.  What exactly would be thrown into the sea?  A non-specific list would simply be cargo, tackle, and food. Thus, I am not including the Boston Tea Party.   Why would the crew do that?  Well, most importantly, it would lighten the ship.  The heavier the ship, the deeper the ship will sit in the water.  That is especially problematic in shallow water. Tossing cargo overboard lifts the ship in case the ship is blown to less deep areas where reefs and rocks could cause destruction. If the ship ran aground, the crew could be tossed into the sea. The moral of the story:  when faced with life or death, everything becomes expendable.  Taking weight off the ship also results in stability and prevents the ship from being capsized.  Lastly, throwing cargo overboard would allow the ship to go faster just in case the crew wanted to outrun the storm.  This all makes me think about the 60’s show, Gilligan’s Island. What the heck, “The Professor” could make an FM radio out of a coconut, but he couldn’t fix a hole in a boat?  Lame as it gets.

What things do you need to toss overboard as a teacher? As the remaining time available wanes, there is just no time for meaningless activities.  So, what can you get rid of? No, you cannot toss the kids.  Explore first the lessons that just don’t engage the masses.  Activities that do not have a positive impact toward reaching the daily or long-term goals is a waste of cargo. Throw it overboard.  But I really like that activity. It’s fun. I do it every year because well, that’s what my plan book says. Dump it. Next, take a good look at the collection of “materials” that you have. We don’t want to see you anytime soon on Hoarders. If you haven’t used something in the last two years, zip that sucker over to the USS Dumpster.  What else can lighten your load?  Try looking at grading in more specific ways. If you are assessing correct usage of adverbs, then why grade an entire paper?  Save the big grades for the big grades.  Outrun that storm by focusing on what the assessment is all about.  If you are assessing a Math problem set of “the odds on page 213 from 1-23 and each problem requires the same processes, why grade all twelve when grading a few will get you the data that you need?  Throw that to “Davy Jones Locker”.  Keep looking for things to toss overboard besides your cookies. While you are at it, toss the Gilligan’s Island DVD collection.

Navy Seals

It is without question that the dedication of those men selected to be a Navy Seal is peerless.  These men are physically fit, mentally sharp, emotionally mature, and resilient in character.  To be considered for this elite group, candidates go through multiple rounds of  testing that are closely scrutinized.  Only the crème of the crème are selected. Marginal candidates are simply not selected. After being selected, the team endures six months of rigorous and tortuous training. The creed of Navy Seals is five-fold:  (1) Begin each day with a task completed, (2) Find a buddy to help you through each day, (3) Know that life is not fair, (4) Step up when times are toughest, and (5) Never, ever give up.  Think about those for a minute…and then add this one in – Navy Seals put their personal belongings in coffins before they leave for duty.  Now, think about that for a little longer than a minute.  Navy Seals are not only willing to give the ultimate sacrifice for their country, they plan for it.  They are taught to never surrender and that giving your life for your country is part of the duty.  These men are a special group indeed.

How does the above relate to what we do as educators?  First of all, Navy Seals begin the day with a task completed.  To us, that could mean having your activity, your lab, your extension, and your plan ready to go for tomorrow before you leave for the night. It’s the old adage of those who fail to plan, plan to fail.  Navy Seals find a buddy to help them through the day. Now, although you may never go through a day similar to their day, the importance of collaborating with your colleagues is invaluable.  No teacher should ever be an island – use the human resources around you.  Navy Seals know that life is not fair.  It isn’t.  Sometimes, things don’t go as planned.  You don’t run and hide.  You come back with Plan B…or C…or D.  Navy Seals step up when times are the toughest.  So do great teachers.  No one promised that this calling would be easy.  Choose to be a teacher that is at his or her best when the biggest challenges come your way. Never surrender to mediocrity and never give up.

Destiny

I remember that day in the fall of 1964 very well.  It was a bright and sunny day and like any first-grader, I was looking forward to recess. Spelling lists and arithmetic…not so much.  At the designated time, out we went, as a class, single file, no talking until we reached the playground.  The playground at Mildred Merkley Elementary School was vast as I recall with adjoining softball fields and your standard slides, swings and monkey bars.  All of the boys headed over to do “boy things” while the girls did whatever girls did at recess.  I wouldn’t know what the girls did – they had cooties.  There was one boy in our class, Joe (not his real name), who was “different.”  He was gangly, talked “funny” and was not very good at the three R’s.  At recess, Joe was left alone. He wasn’t invited to the games that were taking place.  Thankfully, I had a Mom and Dad who taught me to treat others like you wanted to be treated.  So, Joe and I played together and like boys that age, we were rough-housing.  My teacher (name withheld), watched out the window and apparently thought that I was beating Joe up and flew out the door, grabbed me by the ear, and pulled me back into the building chastising me all the way.  I pleaded my case that we were only playing and I was befriending him, but she would not have it.  A few seconds later, I was instructed to grab the bars in the cloak room with both hands as she administered several swats across my rear end with her paddle.  Great way to start my school year. Actually, minus the sore butt and ear, this was a day that I shaped my future. You see, on this day I decided that I wanted to help people who were “different.”  16 years later, I began my work as a teacher of students with disabilities.

I am thankful for the evolution of the treatment and education of students who have disabilities.  When I first started teaching in 1980 with a full head of hair and shaving once a week whether I needed it or not, I taught in a school that was exclusively for “those kids.”  Thanks to the efforts of people like my Dad, who was a champion for the handicapped, schools became much more inclusive in the 1980’s.  Today, that same school where I began is for the most part, vacant.  A few years back, a parent approached me at our school with this question – “Mr. Vassar, what good is it doing for ‘those kids’ to be here?”  My reply, after counting to ten, was simply this – “I am hopeful that having these kids here does them a great deal of good, but I am convinced that having these kids here does everyone, and me personally, a great deal of good.”  I love our kids and look forward to interacting with them everyday.  I enjoy watching them make gains academically.  I marvel at their social development.  I long for their daily hugs and yes, I cried like a baby when I watched one girl “walk” for the first time.  Thanks to our staff for making this a great place for our students with disabilities where they are taught well and accepted without reservation by a dedicated team of exceptional teachers and paraprofessionals.  I marvel at our student peer program and the waiting list to get in.  That does my heart good as I see the good in so many kids.  While we are quite aware of “Disabilities Month”, we are much more tuned in to the recognition of what our special students are ABLE to do daily.  To our special kids here – thank you for letting me be part of your life. I am honored to be with you.

Are You Dialed In?

To be “dialed in” – what does that mean?  “Dialed in” is slang and means to be very proficient at a given activity.  Perhaps you are dialed in at playing the piano, dialed in as a tremendous cook, dialed in as a financial whiz, dialed in as a skilled nurse…oh, wait, I was describing some skills of my wife.  In drilling for oil, workers determine that a pump is “Dialed in” when the gauges recognize an optimal setting.  That’s where you get your “Gushers”and someone like Jed Clampett makes a bunch of money.  You can be “Dialed In” to a radio station…blasting it…singing like no one is watching and imagining yourself on stage in front of thousands…then the static comes because the frequency isn’t just right.  People can be “Dialed In” to whatever floats their boat from a hobby to studying to solving the problems of the world.  “Dialed In” is an adjective = exhibiting total concentration on AND mastery of the task at hand.  Side note – if adverbs modify verbs, shouldn’t adjectives modify “jectives”?  Just thinking.  “Dialed In” is to be tuned in, to be aware of what is going on, to be perfectly tuned, to optimize the opportunity and to be well-coordinated.

For two months, you have listened to daily announcements from your “93.5 Dialed In Team”.  You have seen numerous signs around the building with “Are You Dialed In?” prominently displayed.  You have heard all of the banter. We have set a school goal. Your have set team goals. The kids, with your help, have set individual goals.  Now is the time!  You have exposed kids to the frequency of skill sets and topics to be tested.  We are trying to provide the optimal environment for them in which to test.  We have encouraged the kids. We have talked with the kids. We have made videos.  We have made deals (I have a long list of kids at lunch who will be smashing my pretty face with pies when we reach our goals).  You have taught the kids.  You have challenged them. You have retaught. You have remediated them. You have enriched them.  Now is the time!  Is it time for EVERYONE TO BE DIALED IN!  We all have to be of one accord and I’m not referencing a Honda.  Our promotion has to be the same. We have worked far too hard to see anything go by the wayside because we were not dialed in.  Here we go – encourage, encourage, encourage!  Be dialed in and assure that your students are.  Let’s hit a gusher!