Hopeful Attitudes

People have been setting goals since Abel beat Cain with his better gift to their Dad, Adam.  Of course, Cain then beat Abel like narcs at a bikers’ rally. There are personal goals, company goals, team goals, governmental goals, financial goals, and on and on and on. A goal is a desired result a person or system envisions, plans, and commits to achieve.  Envisions, plans, and commits to. Envisions, plans, and commits to.  A goal is really not a goal unless a person truly envisions it. A goal is really not a goals unless a person plans to make it happen. A goal is really not a goal unless a person commits to it. What were your goals when you were in elementary school? Middle School? High School? College? Adulthood?  Bet they changed over time. I recently read an article about students and goal-setting. A Gallup poll determined that the majority of students lack faith in their ability to reach goals.  Guess at which age to begin to form this idea – 7 or 8!  Yep, so those students who are 2^nd or 3^rd graders may have already developed a mindset on what they can or cannot achieve.  Still reading?  Only 42% of students aged 10-18 say they are actively pursuing their goals.  Still reading?  65% of students say that the obstacles in the way of achieving their goals are just too hard to get through.  They suffer from something I wrote about a few weeks ago – a loss of hope.  The key to achieving goals, not matter what age you are, is to have ahopeful attitude.  We could be influential in turning this data around.

A school corporation in Virginia uses the S.M.A.R.T. approach with their students.  S = specific. M = measurable. A = attainable. R = realistic. T = timely  We have set goals for this “testing season” at the school, team, and individual student levels. What about the daily goal that is posted in your classroom? Is it specific? Is it measurable? Is it attainable? Is it realistic? Is it timely?  Think about your long-term learning goals in the same way. As we help students track their progress toward goals, think about this - Does every student understand exactly what the goal is specifically?  Can you measure student progress toward these goals ? Is the goal that you posted attainable? (some will not think so) Is the goal posted realistic? (some will not think so) Is the goal timely?  That last one can be achieved by breaking the larger goal into smaller segments. As an example, ask the kids in your class what they want to be when they grow up.  Do you hear engineer, doctor, lawyer, vet, pro athlete? Then ask the kids what  they are doing to reach this goal. We have to show them the connection. What have to show them what it takes. We have to show them ways to go through the obstacles; not around the obstacles but through them and support them along the way.  As they reach segmented goals in a timely manner, their hopeful attitude is elevated so that tackling the next goal will be done with  fervor. We can help them envision it. We can help them plan for it. We can provide guidance on how to commit to it.  We have to give them hope.

Burn the Ships!

In 1519 (my sophomore year of high school), Cortez led a Spanish fleet to the eastern coast of Mexico.  All aboard had hoped for a new land full of promise; a land of milk and honey.  What they discovered was a little more than they bargained for – fierce looking Aztec Indians who didn’t look like they wanted to sing kumbaya around a camp fire.  Actually, their Chief, Montezuma, received Cortez and his men warmly and invited them in do exactly that…minus the smores.  Cortez was no dummy and he smelled the scent in the wind that this welcome party was really an act of deception enacted to catch the Spaniards asleep at the wheel.  Then all heck broke loose and the fighting was fierce.Many of Cortez’ men shared with each other their fear and pending desire to return home.  Cortez caught wind of this mutiny and put an end to any chance of return by simply burning their ships. He did leave them with the option of swimming back to Spain.  He pleaded with them to charge on and take what they had worked for months to get.  They did just that and the ensuing battles led to the downfall of the Aztec empire.  Side note = you may have heard of Montezuma’s revenge…that’s where the phrase comes from.  Plus, we all know what drinking the water in Mexico leads to.

In about three weeks, we will again face state testing in the form of ISTEP.  This is a scary time for some of our kids; okay, it’s a scary time for some of you as well.  The results from this testing session and the session in the spring will determine our status as a school in the eyes of the state in terms of student achievement and student growth.  Our results will be published along with the other hundreds of corporations in the state.  Our parents will receive an individualized report on how well Johnny did.  Plus, if you are a teacher in the subject areas being assessed, the achievement and growth scores will “significantly inform” the teacher evaluation.  So, there is a lot riding on these tests and no matter what are personal feelings are about them, they are still a savage that needs to be conquered!  I am telling you that if you have prepared your students academically and emotionally, then burn the ships, we are here to stay!  We have worked far too hard with a focused effort to let anything stand in our way. We’ve passed the point of no return so let the ships burn!

What Song Will They Open With?

Remember the time(s) you scored tickets to see your favorite music group in concert?  Did you heart race a little faster? Were you really looking forward to it?   Did the feeling of anticipation just overwhelm you?  Side note = what was the first concert that you saw? (it’s okay if it was The Backstreet Boys…if you are the ages of our daughters – 24 and 28). My first concert was The Doobie Brothers at the old Chicago Stadium with this really pretty girl that I am now married to. Picture yourself in your seat, or mosh pit, waiting for your favorite band or solo performer to begin.  Did you wonder what song would be the opening song? Imagine a group such as the Beatles beginning their concert with “Across the Universe” instead of “Get Back”. How about the Stones opening with “Fool to Cry”rather than “Start Me Up ”or Bob Seger beginning with “Shakedown” instead of “Old Time Rock & Roll” or “Nutbush City Limits”?  Billy Joel opening with “Cold Spring Harbor” rather than “Angry Young Man”? Bad Company not opening with “Bad Company”? Toby Keith opening with anything other than “Should’ve Been a Cowboy”?  No matter who your favorites are, you cannot help but feel a little disappointed if the opening song is not what you expected and kept you in your seat wondering why.  There’s a reason why music groups start their concerts with something upbeat, an easy sing-a-long or a big hit.  They do this to rev you up, to get you juiced, and to get you into the experience before they “sneak in” some new material.  You’ve been there, so you understand. They do it on purpose. The group wants to engage you and they do this intentionally.

It’s the same way in the classroom.  What does the start of your instructional period look like?  Do you have something that the kids are anticipating as being engaging or do they mosey into class with a look of boredom?  Are you capturing their attention right at the start or is it about as exciting as watching a haircut?  Do you employ bell ringers that get them engaged or do they request a nap?  Are they running to get to your class because they do not want to miss one second or do you regularly have multiple tardies?  Do you often use the time-honored Madeline Hunter’s “Anticipatory Set” or let the air out of the emotional tires?  Do your prompts have a direct tie-in to the essential understandings or is there no connection whatsoever.  While the old “Sage on the Stage” method of teaching is outdated, it does not dismiss us from getting kids excited about learning.  Talented teachers do this all the time.  Not sure how to do this?  Here’s a simple philosophy to remember:  the easiest way to get kids excited about learning is to be excited about it yourself!  You can make ANY topic come alive with a little creativity.  Start your classroom concert with one of “your best songs” and wait for the encore request from your students.  You have to do this intentionally.

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.