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!