Bringing in the Harvest

About this time of the year, when the moisture content is just right, the farmers start to bring in their harvest of soybeans.  If you have never watched a combine moving over the field separating the seed from the chaff, well, you’ve missed out on a spectacle.  Maybe I am in the minority, but I really enjoy seeing this done.  As I passed a field on the way home the other day, I again was treated to a farmer bringing in his harvest.   I pulled my truck over and just watched for a while as the sun began to set.  The crop dust flying as the combine churned and spit the seeds in the hopper.  Then it hit me – this man put a lot of time into tilling, planting, fertilizing, and praying for just the right amount of rain long before he got on that combine. You reap what you sow.  That is, unless you have one of the worst droughts in history as we did this past summer.  Remember those multiple 100 degree+ days?  One day was so hot I saw two trees fighting over a dog.  But I digress.   Despite all his prior work, the harvest doesn’t happen on its own.  Nope, you have to bring in the harvest.  It doesn’t come to you.  You have to go out and get it. 

Throughout the school year, you have been and will continue to sow into a lot of kids.  Our harvest will come, but like the farmer, we will have to go out and get it.  It will not happen automatically.  We must plant seeds of expectation and learning along the way.  We must provide the right climate in the classroom.  We must be sharp to teach them to be sharp.  We must plow our way through even when you don’t feel much like taking the reins.  We must cast aside all that may entangle us and run the race set before us.  We all want a good harvest.  You want your kids to get smarter about the objectives.  You want your kids to pass the ISTEP.  You want your kids to move to Pass+ status.  You want your kids to move from a red dot to a yellow dot and from a yellow dot to a green dot.  Guess what?  None of that happens on its own.  If it did, there would be no reason for any of us to be here. We put a great deal into this long before the ISTEP harvest. We can make the difference.  Like the harvest, we have to go out and get it.  

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The Browns play the New York Giants on Sunday.  Why are they called the “New York” Giants if they actually play in New Jersey?  It’s kind of like walking through a Sears store and wondering what they did with Roebuck. 

You Don't Win Until You Win

Anyone who knows me understands that I love the sport of Track & Field.  So, this past summer of Olympic Track & Field was like a needle and spoon to a smack addict (okay, bad analogy).  To watch Usain Bolt run away from the field in a 9.63 second 100 meter race was nothing short of insane.  To see the athleticism of so many and the intensity of which they competed was a marvel.  American Sanya Richards-Ross won the womens’ 400 meter dash in 49.55 seconds.  At the 2008 Olympic games, Sanya finished third in the same event and cried afterwards with the bronze medal around her neck.  Cried because she finished as the third best quarter-miler in the world?  Why would she cry over that?  Are you kidding me?  Well, the reason that she cried was because she was expected to win.  She wasn’t expected to place third or even as runner-up.  She was expected to win plain and simple.  She learned a lesson that day that helped her focus on winning the Olympic gold at her next opportunity.  That lesson was simply this – “What I learned is you don’t win the race until you win the race.  I knew I had to cross the line first to call myself the Olympic champion.”  Talk was cheap then and still is.  She did it this past August with her actions.  With arms pumping hard, a huge push off of her toes, knees driving, and a desire to taste the fruits of her labor, she surged to the finish.  This time, she wasn’t crying on the awards stand due to a loss, but rather because our country’s anthem was being played in her honor as Olympic champion. 

There are so many high yield strategies that are available to employ as a teacher.  No matter what subject you are teaching, there are strategies that will get you the most bang for your buck.  Conversely, there are many age-old strategies that while may part of a yearly repertoire, are not very effective at increasing student achievement.  Take a close look at some of the material on effect size from our Marzano study.  Tracking student progress and scoring scales ranks at the top – are you using this strategy?  Setting goals and objectives has a high effect size – is that in your plans?  Identifying similarities and differences is way up there in return, so what are you waiting for?  Research-proven strategies have a high probability of raising student achievement if, and I emphasize “if”, they are used in the segment or type of lesson that is appropriate and at the appropriate level of implementation.  This is the “Art of Teaching.”  Classroom strategies and behaviors (Domain One) have the highest impact on student achievement.  While it is true that you cannot win the race officially until the summative tests and ISTEP, now is the time to be using what will get you the most return on your investment of time. If you are using strategies that will not pay off and you want to be a gold medal winner (green dots galore), then make the switch now to strategies that will get you on the podium. Our expectations are that we reach our school goals, our team goals, and our individual goals.  We can’t talk our way there.  We have to make it happen.  You do have the cross the line first.

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It is guaranteed that the Browns will not lose this weekend.  Bank on that!

I Wish I had Legs Today

When given the choice, do you take the stairs or the escalator?  Be honest. Ever think about climbing a mountain?  Scaling a mountain is something that most of us have never done.  Sure, maybe we climbed Mt. Baldy at the Indiana Dunes State Park or climbed the stairs inside the Washington Monument.  Spencer West scaled Mt. Kilimanjaro this past July – Africa’s highest point at 19,341 feet.  Only 50% of people who attempt this climb make it to the summit.  Spencer West did…on his hands. You see, Spencer West, now 31 years old, was born with a genetic defect which resulted in both of his legs being amputated at the pelvis when he was a small boy.  He climbed this with a few friends, friends who were able-bodied.  Spencer West did this on his hands. Toward the end of the climb, the party began to experience pain beyond belief and two of his fellow climbers were vomiting profusely.  Between spewing episodes, they climbed.  In time, they reached the summit covered in blood, sweat, tears, and puke.  Spencer West’s first reaction to reaching the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro:  “I wish I had legs today.  I would have literally carried my friends who were struggling.”  Are you reading that?  Mercy, this guy is a leader!  He defines himself not that he has missing legs, but by what he does – his actions. His climb redefined what was possible for him but also served as an inspiration for others to overcome obstacles and challenges of their own. 

It’s not what you have.  It’s what you do with what you have.  At the end of the day, what do you wish you had?  Why do you wish you had it?  If you had it, what would you do with it?  Would you choose more technology?  How about a smaller class size? (okay, really dumb question) Perhaps parents who returned your calls?  Maybe a different group of kids?  The point is that this is our lot, what has been given to us.  We can look at what we don’t have and fixate on the perceived lack.  That only leads to further disappointment.  The other side is the same side that Spencer West took.  He chose to accentuate the positives that he had.  He let his actions define him.  All of you have positives that can be used to enhance what you do in the classroom.  You will be defined as a person by what you do, not by what you have.  Your actions will always speak louder than your words and in the very end, your heart will be judged.  Use your gifts now!  Do not hide your light under a bushel – it is meant to be shared with others.  Be an inspiration for the kids around you.  You may get to the top of your personal mountain, but know that life will also have valleys.  It’s the climb up that will define you.

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We are heading to Cleveland this weekend to see the Browns take on the Buffalo Bills.  I suppose “Buffalo Bills” is what you get when you buy a lot of buffalo…just a thought.