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!

Winning Synonyms

“Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing” is a quote from Vince Lombardi…or Henry Sanders, depending on who you ask.  Both were successful football coaches at different levels.  Just for poops and giggles, I looked up some synonyms for “winning”. Here’s what I found = victorious, successful, ahead, champion, conquering, triumph, leading, first, top, unbeaten, unvanquished, top-scoring, prevailing, conquering, carry the day, sweep the board, take the prize, achieve mastery, ascending, knockout, checkmate, grand slam, rake over the coals, outplaying, outdoing, dominating, outdueling, routing, subduing, surmounting, trouncing, bettering, and umgadakickbooty (okay, I made that last one up).  Everyone likes to win.  Those who say differently are either lying or have thrown in the towel.  There are thousands of quotes about winning; mostly from the world of sports.  However, not all are sports related. For example, Walt Disney said, “The difference in winning and losing is most often not quitting.” He didn’t run some “Mickey Mouse” operation.  “The extra energy required to take another shot is the secret to winning” was coined by author and motivational speaker,  Dennis Waitley.  I would like to concentrate on just one of the above synonyms for winning – Triumph.

While we were listening to our Pastor preach on the topic of “Mercy” in April of 2013, our youngest daughter took my notebook and wrote something profound in it.  “Triumph = trying plus a little ump!”  Smart girl...just like her Momma.  She’s right – winning doesn’t come to sluggards.  Winning doesn’t routinely exist for those who never break a sweat.  Winning doesn’t come for those who do the bare minimum.  It has been said that the difference of one degree Fahrenheit from 211 degrees to 212 degrees can move a locomotive with the energy produced.  Winning doesn’t come to those not willing to put forth the effort. Plain and simple.  If you, as a teacher, want your kids to win (i.e. Succeed, grow, learn, achieve, reaching goals), you will have to do the “little things” that make the big differences that you may hear me preach about on a routine basis. Everyone does the “Big” things.  Successful people know that it’s the “Little Things” that make the big difference.  So, when you think about wanting to win, remember two things it will take = TRYING and a LITTLE UMP!”

Love Songs

A recent poll named the top “Love Songs” of all time.  Here’s the deal -  you have to either sing or dance to one of these songs on Saturday.  Saturday?  Yes, fellas – Saturday is Valentine’s Day so consider yourself warned. DO NOT BLOW IT!  Back to the songs- here you go: I Can’t Stop Loving You by Ray Charles, Best of My Love by The Emotions, I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston, How Deep is Your Love? by the Bee Gees, and Endless Love by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross.  In my opinion, this poll missed a few. How about When A Man Loves A Woman by Percy Sledge or Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton?  How about Your Song by Elton John or Three Times A Lady by The Commodores? What about You are So Beautiful by Joe Cocker or Colour My World by Chicago?  The latter was the first slow dance that my wife and I danced to when we were 17 and 18 and would not hesitate to do so today and will definitely do so on Saturday…when she gets home from birthing babies all day.  So, go ahead – surprise your spouse or significant other with a song.  They’ll never forget it and neither will you.

What are the top five “Love Songs” about your teaching career?  What are those moments that you hold special?  You know, the ones you go back to when you need that boost. The days when you think you are not making a difference at all.  Those days when you feel like the bug and not the windshield.  These are different things to different people.  Maybe it’s the kid that you finally connected with.  Maybe it’s the card that you received from a parent, or better yet, from a student that stated how grateful they were to have you in their life.  Maybe it’s that day when every single one of your students scored at the mastery level on a summative assessment.  Maybe it’s the kid that modeled the same positive behavior that you modeled for him. Maybe it is that kid who finally got out of the wheelchair and took his or her first steps.  Maybe it’s the former student who called you up to tell you that you made a difference in their life and while you were tough on them at the time, they finally get what you were trying to do.  Think on these things. Cherish the good more than looking at the not so good.  Hold dear to those lasting impressions that will help you through those days when plans A, B, C, and D just aren’t paying off. Remember that you are making memories for someone every single day including yourself.  Happy Valentine’s Day!

Hitting the Snooze Button

What is your personal record for the number of times you have hit the snooze button on your alarm?  I mean, in a row.  1,2,12…?  My alarm is set for 3:01 a.m. and I rarely make it to the alarm.  Honestly, I think I have hit the snooze button 3 times in the last 35 years.  But, let’s face it, anyone who says that they jump out of bed with enthusiasm to start the day is lying like a rug.  Of course, we all know that hitting that snooze button too many times can create problems for you and others.  If you are a parent of non-self-sufficient children, then others may be counting on you to prepare them for their day regardless of the preparation needed to start your day.  Don’t lose heart young parent – it does get better. Perhaps you only have to get yourself ready to go, but you still have to deal with getting to school on time while factoring in road construction, traffic, weather problems and a host of other issues. The point is, we just can’t afford to keep hitting the snooze button. From time to time, I have had to deal with students who can’t seem to get to school on time.  My suggestion is pretty much the no-brainer – put your alarm clock on the other side of the room so that you have to get out of bed to shut it off.  Viola- you are up.  Excuse makers will say that this does not work…those are the same folks who make excuses about other things as well.  As the saying goes, if you snooze, you lose.

As teachers, we cannot afford to keep hitting the snooze button.  We don’t have the luxury of extra time to get everything completed as our time parameters are set.  We get 180, seven plus hour days to teach all of the standards. It’s really less than that since the state test is given twice – less than 75% of the way through the year and then again about 5 weeks prior to school ending.  Definitely not a end of course assessment.  We have to be good pacers in our lessons.  We have to have an excellent game plan by setting the essential understandings and the long-term goals. We need to establish meaningful daily goals tied to the long-term goals.  We simply do not have time to hot the snooze button of a “free day” or the like.  Our foot has to be on the gas pedal much of the time.  When we see a student in need of remediation, we need to remediate that student without a great deal of hesitation. The same goes for a student who needs to be challenged more deeply with extensions or enrichments.  We cannot hesitate to provide. We cannot put if off. “I’ll do it later” really becomes “never” because the clock is ticking. Take your hand away from the snooze button.