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.