Do You See a Shadow?

Sunday is Groundhog Day.  So, when the groundhog, named Phil,  arises in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania and gets ready for church he will take that step outside of his cozy little burrow and predict the remaining length of winter depending upon the amount of sunshine that may or may not cause his own shadow to fall.  Who thinks this stuff up?  In Punxsutawney, they have been holding this ritual since 1886.  Crowds have been over 40,000…a nickel says there is alcohol involved.  This is so popular that a movie, Groundhog Day, was centered on this celebration.  Bill Murray stars as Phil (gee, how clever) the weatherman for a local affiliate and is sent to cover the event.  In short, he is not a believer in the chubby rodent.  Low and behold, Phil is sentenced to repeat the same day over and over and over again. He meets the same people, wakes up in the same spot, listens to the same radio show, endures the same crummy shower, and a host of other fairly lame stuff.  That is, until he changes his ways for the positive, gets the girl and lives happily ever after; never having looked at his shadow.

Sometimes our profession can feel a little like Groundhog Day.  Do some days just seem to repeat themselves?  Do you ever feel like you just left here when you are again walking in the doors.  Einstein once said that “Insanity was doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results.”  That is insane. Take a good look at the variety of strategies and activities  that you utilize in your classroom. Is every day the same…Bueller?…Bueller?…or is every day freshand exciting?  Do you engage the kids right from the get-go? Are they breathless with anticipation?  To be clear, it is good practice to have established routines for your students to follow; what they do upon entering the classroom and beginning the lesson, where they place their homework, where they line up for a fire drill, etc. But, what about the meat of your lessons?  Do you keep them thirsting for more or do they dread coming to class for another day?  Is every day Groundhog Day or is it February 3^rd, then the 4^th, and the 5^th…Change it up, keep it challenging yet lively. One of my dreams is to have to stop kids from running in the hall because they cannot wait to get to your class.  Who will be the first to make that dream come true? It doesn’t matter if I see your shadow or not.

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Super Bowl Sunday…again, my team is not in the mix.  My only hope is that Peyton Manning absolutely lights up #25 of the Sea Hawks so that his mouth will actually close.

The Cold and Flu Season

We are smack-dab in the middle of the cold and flu season.  Isn’t it fun?  The coughs and runny noses.  The high fevers.  The chills.  The medications.  The rapid discharges …okay, that was just gross.  This year was the first year that I ever received a flu shot…at Walgreens…adjacent to the Halloween decorations.  Doctors will expound on things to do to prevent flu symptoms from beating you like narcs at a biker rally.  You have heard the pitch – drink plenty of water; maybe even eight glasses a day.  Great, that equates to triple that in bathroom visits.  Get plenty of rest.  What exactly is “plenty”?  If I sleep over four hours straight, I consider myself blessed.  Eat the right foods.  Brush your teeth.  Take probiotics.  These are not “professional” biotics.  They counteract the negative effects at the cellular level of antibiotics, which, of course, is the standard script from the docs at this time of the year. Man, why didn’t I buy stock in Lilly?  Anyway, these antibiotics temporarily make your symptoms subside, but they really tear you down. “Bio” meaning life and “Anti” meaning against. Thus, the need for probiotics.  My point is this – you need to prepare yourself to fight against the gazillions of germs that fly around school, your home, and basically every inch of the third rock from the sun.

We need to prepare ourselves for what we face daily.  The scary part is that sometimes we don’t know what that is.  Did you ever have a day where everything went as planned?  Really?  I have yet to experience that.  Sometimes you just never know what events will come across your doorway.  Sometimes, however; we do.  We know what the plan is for the long-term.  We also know what the daily plan is. If you are unsure about either of these, then we really need to talk.  Anyway, our job is to prepare kids.  Prepare them for the tasks of today while preparing them for what lies down the road.  Preparing an 11, 12, 13, or 14 year old to flourish not just this year, but when they are 21,22,23, 24, and decades later.  Don’t buy that?  Do you still add single digit numbers or did you stop in first grade?  Thanks. Game over.  We need to cover kids against letting the worst disease ever – a loss of hope.  We cannot let that happen.  School isn’t easy and probably shouldn’t be.  But, when a kid loses hope, well, all of the prescriptions in the world won’t cure it. Be the probiotic teacher!  Be the one that builds up that educational immune system.  Be the one to prevent a loss of hope.  Be the one that makes a difference.  Be the cure!

Do Our Checkbooks Have Sufficient Funds?

Probably the most recognizable speech from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the “I Have a Dream” speech from August of 1963.  He closes with, “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed:  we hold these truths to be self-evident:  that all men are created equal.”  That is the part of the speech that is most often quoted across our country.  I want to look at another part of that speech that I believe is applicable to what we do.  Shortly after beginning his speech, Dr. King stated that he had come to Washington, D.C. to “cash a check.”  He goes on to say that our Founding Fathers in writing the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were essentially giving us a promissory note to which every American was an heir.  That note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  In that speech, he never cited as to where this note could be cashed in.  Anti-slavery?  Equal access to public institutions?  In the voting booth? At the drinking fountain? At the schoolhouse?  He doesn’t state where geographically this is to occur; these checks can be cashed in throughout the country.  He does say that in many cases, there are insufficient funds.  That part of the speech didn’t get the headlines, but it should serve as a reminder of doing what is right.

Education is one of the molders of our culture.  What can we offer as educators that makes good on a promissory note mindset that our students want to cash in on?  I believe it is things like a safe school where they not feel terrorized every day.  I believe this note covers them against being the constant victim of bullying.  I believe that this note covers them that they will be challenged academically.  I believe this note covers them that their teachers willmeet their needs.  I believe this note covers them that the adults around them intentionally build rapport with them.  I believe this note covers them that there is at least one adult that they can go to for advice.  I believe this note covers them that we will build a course of study that will lead them to their lifetime goals.  I believe that this covers them that we will instill in them a lifelong desire to learn.  I believe this covers them that we will set an excellent example for them to follow.  This promissory note that we must fund goes on perpetually.  They are making an investment in us.  When it comes time to cash in, will we have provided the amount needed or will it indicate insufficient funds?  That is up to us.

Mary Kay

You have seen the pink cars.  No, not the Barbie cars that used to grace our floor when our girls were little. No, not the 1955 pink Cadillac that Elvis owned.Not the pink Bentley owned by Paris Hilton (I had to look that one up by the way).  I am referring to the pink cars that some Mary Kay Cosmetics team leaders drive.  The first time I saw one of these cars, I thought of the Springsteen song, Pink Cadillac.  Mary Kay Ash founded this hugely successful company in 1963 and has nutured it into a multi-billion dollar company.  Yes, they sell a lot of cosmetics. I wouldn’t know personally since I have a face that took third in the axe fighting contest.  Her business philosophy is this:  “Every single person you meet has a sign around their neck that says, “Make me feel important.”  If you can do that, you will be a success not only in business but in life.”  Mary Kay passed away in 2001 and is remembered for her passion, commitment to God, family, and career and her belief in The Golden Rule.  Her initial investment of $5000 turned into a business with over a million employees and sales in the billions.  All accomplished with the model of putting others first. 

In our school, we have The Colonel’s Gold Star Character awards.  The purpose of this is to recognize those who do the right thing, go the extra mile, and go two steps past the cone.  It is not about getting your name on the wall.  That is done as a show of appreciation.  My vision is to see that board filled to the max as random acts of kindness becomes a way of life for all of our staff and students.  It’s a “Pay it forward” frame of mind.  How about the kids in your class?  Let me give it to you straight up – not every kid who comes through our doors has someone in their life that makes them feel important.  That’s the truth.  What can you do about it?  Well, start by greeting your kids as they walk through your classroom door.  Give them a compliment.  Tell them they did a good job.  Ask them their opinion.  Tell them that you appreciated their responses to your questions in class.  Tell them that you appreciate their behavior.  Make it a habit to call at least one parent each week to tell them that their kid is doing a great job.  Make it a priority to make your students feel important.  Let that pink Cadillac remind us that the most important beauty secret is to make a difference in someone else’s life.  You will not regret that.

White Christmas

The “Hilbrich” side of our family has a tradition at Christmas of having a contest of movie trivia.  Uncle Tim has been the designated quiz maker for many years.  The team that wins gets the honor of picking the Christmas movie from which the questions will be generated for the following Christmas gathering as well as earning some highly expensive prizes that I pick up from Dollar General or another fine retailer that incorporates $1.00 in its name.  Over the years, I have asked questions from It’s A Wonderful Life, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Elf, Home Alone, The Santa Clause, Jingle All The Way, and last year , A Christmas Story.  Last year’s winners (Aunt Barb, Annie, and Hayley) chose White Christmas as their movie selection.  Mind you, I have to watch each of these movies to generate questions from the relatively easy to beyond belief difficult.  If you have never seen White Christmas and are low on estrogen, this movie should boost production of that hormone.  The stars of the movie are Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Vera- Ellen, and Rosemary Clooney.  Crosby and Kaye play a successful song and dance team after their discharge from WWII and fall for the sister team of Ellen and Clooney. Wow, didn’t see that coming. Whatever.  As they perform around the country and gain notoriety, they end up at an inn in New England where their former military leader is struggling financially to keep the establishment in the black.  You guessed it – the boys round up the troops, host a show, and all is good once again.  They even throw in a little snowfall to romanticize the ending.  The idea to save the General from financial ruin was from Bing Crosby.  To this idea, Danny Kaye said, “I think it’s impossible, ridiculous, and insane!”  He then added, “And I wish I would have thought of it first!”    

When was the last time someone told you that an idea you had was straight off the stable floor?  If the answer is never, then you may be a “stay in the box” teacher.  Think about your own education for a moment.  What were your favorite lessons along the way?  I bet they weren’t a 50 minute lecture about the mating habits of horse flies or doing a stack of worksheets that were as tall as Sears Tower…or Willis Tower…or whatever they are currently calling that building on Wacker Drive with 110 stories.  No, your favorite lessons most likely involved actually connecting something to the curriculum.  Perhaps you actually got out of your seat and did something that was “hands-on”.  Maybe you actually had fun (God forbid) during the lesson.  Your teacher may have gone so far as to tell you to put your textbooks away because what you were about to learn wasn’t in the book.  If none of those ring a bell, well, then…never mind.  Here’s the bottom line – it’s okay to think outside the box and to color outside of the lines.  Yes, we all have standards that we have to reach and common summative tests to measure the achievement and growth of our students, but how you get them there is what makes a teacher a teacher.  Throw your boxes away and long for the moment that someone tells you your idea is impossible, ridiculous, or insane. Then let your buttons pop when they tell you that they wished they thought of it first. It worked for Bing Crosby.

Dead Ends

There are many names for those things we drive on.  There are roads.  There are streets.  There are boulevards.  There are avenues.  There arelanes.  There are expressways. There are parkways (interesting that we drive on a “park”way, but park in a “drive”way). There are state highways.  There are interstate highways.  There are roundabouts. There are gravel roads.  There are dirt roads.  Recently, I was driving on a thoroughfare(there’s another name) and for quite a stretch there were signs posted at each intersection that read “Dead End.”  Hmmm. Each of these lead to cul-de-sacs that provided no way through; just a simple in and out.  There was no means of passing through unless you wanted to “four-wheel” it through someone’s property and enjoy time in a concrete cell with bars. Then, as I retraced my route, I noticed that I had missed the intended way out; probably because I wasn’t paying attention to the way out as I was concentrating on the road blocks and not the passage.  The way out was there all along. I missed it because all of my attention was on the road blocks. 

Far too often, we get on roads that lead to dead ends.  If that is a personal issue, I would suggest an updated GPS or consulting Rand McNally (map makers for our youthful readers).  It’s a little different in the classroom.  We are not just on the road, but we are leading others down the road.  That road should end in success.  It should never end with a “dead end.”  That’s a dead end in the mind of your students; not yours.  Yes, there perspective on where they are heading is extremely important to the enrollment of themselves in the whole process.  The teacher needs to provide a road map for students that ultimately leads to their success.  A direct correlation is that their success will be your success.  So, plan your route (lesson planning) toward alignment with the assessments to be given and make certain that the assessments given are aligned with the objectives – what you want them to get smarter about.  If there are no long-term goals, then essentially, there are no roads because there is no destination to reach.  If the goals and assessments do not align, then the road will lead to a dead end; heck, it might not even be paved!  If the instruction does not align with the assessments, they you are essentially on the autobahn without a steering wheel.  Be certain that you keep your kids off of dead end streets.

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Okay, I will print it – my Browns were robbed last Sunday against the Patriots.  This Sunday, it’s the game all of you Chicago fans have been waiting for as your opportunity to let me have it = it’s the Browns vs. Da Bears on the shores of frigid Lake Erie.  Sorry, no monetary bets…I don’t have that much money.

How's Your Game?

Each August, I take time out to watch the Little League World Series which is held annually in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.  Without exception, I am amazed at the baseball skills of these 11 and 12 year olds on the baseball diamond.  This tournament has a special place in my heart because 43 years ago, I played in the same tournament and on that same field.  My head floods with memories with each game – my teammates, my coaches, our group leaders, and trying to communicate with other kids that spoke in languages far different than my “Da Region” dialect.  Of course, there was a lot of competition between the lines as well.  It was a blessing to compete in this tournament, in several sports in junior high and high school, running on scholarship at Butler, and then decades of coaching kids in several sports.  A constant that you hear coaches talk about is the need to “Bring your A- GAME!”  I lived this as an athlete and preached it as a coach.  Anything short of giving your best effort was unacceptable.  Your goals could never be reached with a half-hearted effort.  Your team would be let down if even one slacked off.  Successful teams have each and every player bringing their best effort (A-GAME) every single time.

What kind of game to you bring to the classroom every day?  Do you bring your A- GAME or do you just bring a game?  There is a huge difference.  Could you imagine if your doctor did not bring his or her A-GAME to the examination room or worse yet, to the operating room?  Seriously, imagine that you are going in for a heart procedure (been there) and your cardiologist just wasn’t into it that day.  How would you feel about that?  Maybe your mechanic just didn’t feel like putting their best effort into fixing your car and did a half-butt job but still charged full price.  Would you go back and demand a refund?  Maybe the grain farmers in America collectively decided that they just didn’t feel like plowing and planting this year.  Would that affect you?  We all have days that we are not feeling up to it.  No one can deny that.  There are days when you are just worn out and your personal life is in tatters.  It happens.  As a teacher, there are hundreds of students that are counting on you to bring your best every single day.  That’s not an absurd expectation – it’s what we should be doing.  We expect the best from anyone who provides a service to us or for us.  Our kids should not expect anything differently. Bring your A-GAME EVERY DAY!

The Browns travel to Massachusetts this weekend to take on the Patriots with a starting quarterback who just joined the team…oh, my.