Becoming Principal (Snippet #4)

As you find yourself in situations where you don’t know what to expect, it can be easy to simply let life happen to you, to roll with the punches and react when things happen. “After all,” you may ask, “How can I prepare for the unexpected?” And the answer is that you can’t. Not really. It is a waste of time to go down the rabbit hole of “what if” scenarios. But what you can do is listen to people, ask lots of questions, and find time for yourself to do a lot of reflection so that you are fresh for every new day. There is no way you can prepare for every single unknown. But you can build up a vast background knowledge and keep your core values at the forefront of your mind so that you are ready to make the right decisions for kids and for teachers when the time comes.
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I think part of what you did was to be a good listener to those who had a gripe about the former principal. I never heard you say a negative word about the former principal, but she did leave you a mess in the area of relationships. Many people had a distrust for others, and we did not fully work as a team. You were kind to everyone who went into your office to complain, even those former employees who never worked for you and came back to complain.

~ Classroom Teacher

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It would have been really easy to jump on the bandwagon of negative thoughts; really simple to join in and “be a part of the team” because I wanted to fit in, wanted people to like me, wanted to gain their respect. Especially when you’re the new kid on the block. And this may work at the beginning; you may earn some brownie points at the outset. In the long run, however, you will only end up damaging relationships and cause doubt to creep into people’s minds. They will begin to wonder if you agree with everything, or if there is anything you actually take a stand on.

And this is where your core values come in handy. As mentioned, it is important that you keep them at the forefront of your mind, ready to fall back on with every decision you make. But first, it helps if you actually know what those values are. I mean, really know them. So good, in fact, that if someone were to come up to you right now and ask what you stand for, what you believe in, what your Core Values are, you should have no problem rattling them off AND being able to come up with evidence for each of them, taken from examples of decisions you’ve made.

I did not know what my Core Values were back when I was first offered the job at Murphy Elementary. I knew what I loved, what I was passionate about and cared deeply for, but had never really even thought about formulating those into a set of Core Values, not to mention think about how they applied to my thoughts and decisions and daily life. That was the real work. And it was about to be tested.

I came to discover, that first year, that our school district had been taken over by the State Board of Education for mismanagement of funds. We were “in the Red,” and so the State came in and wiped out the entire district office. They brought in a couple of renowned businessmen to try and bring the district back to financial health. I didn’t worry about this too much. I just set my mind to focusing on the job they had brought me in to do - run a school and focus on the academic achievement of students. I liked the CEO, CEdO, and CFO well enough, but it did take some getting used to. After all, most district officials have titles, like “Superintendent” and “Assistant Superintendent.” These guys were serious, tough, and business-minded, but they still took the time with me every time I had a question or needed help with anything.

I remember Dennis Rockwall, the CEO, bringing me in to his office after I had completed my first year and telling me that I should do some presentations or write a book around the topic of school culture. I assured him that I still had a lot to learn and maybe someday that would be in my future. He looked me in the eye and told me that I should seriously consider it, grasped me by the shoulder, and told me he thought my first year was a success. I didn’t know what else to do but thank him. And agree with him, of course. There was no way you didn’t agree with a man like Dennis Rockwall.

But to understand why he thought my first year could be considered a success, we need to go back to the first day of that year, the first week, the first month. We need to dig around a little bit, draw up some memories, understand what happened, understand where the school was at when I walked in the door to begin my first year at W.J. Murphy Elementary School.
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I had been a teacher in the building for about 22 years at that point, I had worked for 3 other principals by that time and had NEVER felt the way I did working for this principal. I felt threatened, harassed on a daily basis, feared communication, as many other staff did, with certain staff members. There was no trust. Staff walked around just doing their job and going home. We were always a very cohesive staff that had been ripped apart by very negative behaviors. 

~ Classroom Teacher
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There were many things I didn’t know or understand that first year,
but I very soon got the sense that people were divided.
School started at the very end of August,
and by the time the middle of July rolled around,
the building began to feel like a school again;
teachers and other staff started coming back to work in their rooms.
Decorations began going up,
empty bulletin boards came to life,
name tags were filled out and placed on children’s desks.

And teachers began to seek me out.

I had many closed door conversations during those first few weeks before school actually began, before my first-ever faculty meeting, and before kids roamed the halls. There was a palpable feeling in the air - a strange combination of doubt, fear, anxiety and excitement. The more I listened to staff members, the more I wondered about my decision. I knew that what they were telling me was the truth, and I also knew that truth could be someone’s perception. There are usually at least two sides to every story. However, the ripped up office chair I was met with when I entered my office for the first time that summer (clearly done by someone’s own hand), and the consistency in people’s stories - the pain in their voices, the hope they still clung to - led me to only one decision.

No matter what it took,
I would stand by my people.
These were now my people.
I would do my best by them.

Becoming Principal (Snippet #3)

MY OFFICIAL START DATE WAS JULY 1st, BUT I'M PRETTY SURE I was in that building the very first chance I could get. I was a hot mess, really - filled with anticipation, excitement, dread and fear - but mostly I was just humbled and feeling very blessed to have gotten this opportunity to serve as principal. I had a lot to learn, and I knew that; in fact, I had been saying it since the very beginning and as I mentioned, I even said it to the interview team at that first meeting together: "I don’t know much about elementary school, but what I do know is that I have an extreme passion for seeing people exceed expectations, and an unmatched love for wanting what’s best for my kids."

This must have struck a chord with the people in that interview room, because somewhere around the middle of July, as I’m sitting in my new office and trying not to panic because the first week is coming soon and there’s nothing I can do to slow things down, my phone rings. I think it may be the first time it had rung and I hadn’t prepared for how I would answer it. What was my greeting? I was the principal now… I had to have an official greeting, didn’t I? I picked it up and said, “Hello?”

On the other end was a vaguely familiar-sounding voice. It turned out to be the Mayor, asking me if I was settling in and wanting to know if I could meet her for lunch one day this week. 

Lunch?
With the Mayor?
Who was I?
I don’t have lunch with Mayors!
I don’t even know what I’m doing!
This whole thing could turn into a major disaster!

“Yes, Mayor. Of course I can have lunch with you. What day works for you?”

I met her at a local restaurant, the name of which escapes me at this time. I couldn’t wait to talk to her, to see what she had to say, to get insight about the community, and to hear from her about the role she played as part of the interview community for elementary principal. It was to be a one hour lunch, as she had many other appointments that day, and I expressed to her how thankful I was to have a chance to sit down with her.

“Jeff,” she started out, “I want you to understand the gravity of this position, the need for a leader like you in this community and in this particular school.”

“Thank you, Mayor. I don’t quite understand why I was chosen, especially after I made it clear to the team that I was definitely not the most qualified. I’m thrilled, don’t get me wrong, but why me?”

“Please, Jeff, call me Ila. You were selected strictly based on the fact that you were the most genuine, real, caring and passionate person we interviewed out of the candidates we called in. Over 50 people applied.”

I was stunned, to say the least. I don’t remember any of the conversation beyond that point.  I don’t remember what I had for lunch, and I think I even got lost on the way back to the school. The one thing I do remember, though, was the almost pleading look in her eyes, the very definite waver in her voice when she described her passion for the school, for the community, for the people and for the children of W.J. Murphy Elementary School. She told me that they needed me. She told me that they needed me in an almost desperate way.

They needed me.
Me.

This was really a first lesson in understanding the power of expectation; even more than that, however, the raw desire that people have to want to feel valued, to feel loved, to know that they are a part of something larger than themselves. I didn’t know how I would bring this experience to them, but I felt the weight of it bearing down upon me like never before. In fact, the only other time I have felt anything like it was when I became a parent. Holding your child in your arms for the first time, a sensation comes over you - it is a need to protect, a need to succeed, to not let her down, to not disappoint. And the pain of knowing that you will, at times, regardless of how hard you try.

I hadn’t even spent a day in front of kids or teachers, and already I felt the weight of the world on my shoulders.

Becoming Principal (Snippet 2)

THERE IS NO TRAINING FOR WHAT TO EXPECT YOUR FIRST YEAR AS PRINCIPAL, BUT I THINK THAT'S ON PURPOSE.

Once the school year was over, except for a couple of meetings, I was pretty much left to myself as I officially began the transition to my new school district. I found myself spending a lot of time in my new office, taking walks around the school, starting (trying) to figure things out.

There was only one strange event that occurred during the final weeks of the previous school year, when the assistant superintendent - his name was Stan - in charge of my hiring brought me to the building while school was still in session. It was late May. He wanted to introduce me to the teachers and walk me around the building for a tour. The final stop of that building tour was the main office... where the outgoing principal was cleaning out her office.

Stan thought it would be a good idea for the two of us to sit down and talk about the school, kind of a “transition meeting.”

To prepare me. 

The one thing he didn’t tell me was that it was not her decision to leave. 

Talk about awkward. 

Needless to say, she was not happy to see me and I tried to get out of there as soon as I could. 

There was no need in making her any more uncomfortable than she already was. 

I actually started to feel bad for being the new principal!

Remember when I said there was no real preparation for your first year on the job? Well, this was one leadership lesson I learned rather quickly - never put anyone in a position that is going to make them feel awkward and unprepared, and then leave them for the wolves, so to speak. Because that’s what it felt like - for me and for her. I don’t think anyone should have allowed this principal to have to sit down across from me. She had been asked to leave, for crying out loud! She didn’t want to see my happy, smiling face.  I was excited to have my first principal job!  I wanted to be happy, and she was, understandably so, not; it was not very fair of them to put her in that position.

In whatever circumstances I find myself when dealing with other people, I always try and remember that I don’t know what they are going through.  I treat people as I want to be treated, like they are the only ones in the room.  People want and deserve to feel valued.  It is the only one thing we really have control over, and it is our responsibility, as good human beings, to make sure when someone is in our presence, that they have our full attention.  As cliche as this sounds, it is true and sound advice.
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She (my best friend) makes me feel very happy and if you didn't make me feel so safe then I wouldn't have introduced myself and I wouldn't have met her. I want to thank you for all that you've done for me when I was in elementary, you made it feel like home when where I lived didn't exactly feel like it. I went through a lot when I was younger and every morning when I woke up I was looking forward to going to school because I saw you every single day, even if you didn't see me. Thank you for being the best school dad that anyone will and has ever had.

~ Student
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Becoming Principal (Snippet 1)

BECOMING TAKES TIME. It takes patience, and it takes the cultivation of one’s mind and body
and soul. It cannot be sought out. It happens naturally. Like becoming a parent. You can work at it
once it happens, but to Become is a bit of a mystery in itself.

I did not see myself Becoming Principal.

I did not want it,
I did not have any aspirations towards it,
I certainly did not seek it out.
At least,
Not at first.

And when it happened, when I physically received the title of Principal, I did not embrace it, did not fully grasp what it meant. It wasn’t until sometime later that I fully began to understand the gravity of what it meant to Become Principal. It was transformational. It was... spiritual. This is the story of Becoming Principal and the school and people from that school - the parents, the staff and faculty, the community, and the children… the beautiful, life-giving children - who walked with me during those years of my Becoming.

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Heading into my first-ever interview for principal, my heart was pounding and, truthfully, I was not holding out much hope. It wasn’t that I didn’t have confidence in myself or my abilities (well, maybe it was a lIttle of that), but I just didn’t have the experience. There was no way they were going to hire me. What could I bring to the table? What did I have - a middle school assistant principal with a few years of prior teaching experience - over someone else who would likely have years of experience?

I gripped the door handle and walked up to the receptionist in what appeared to be the basement cubicles of the district office. Upon introducing myself, she politely asked me to have a seat and told me they would be with me momentarily. I sat down in a leather waiting room chair and picked up a brochure containing highlights about the district. Before I had the chance to leaf through and refresh my thoughts on what I already knew - I had spent many hours preparing for this interview - a man in a dark suit and bright colored necktie came out of a side room and swept toward me with hand extended and a big smile ready. It was time.

I stand at the podium, full of emotion and not knowing how I will get through this speech. I do not want to leave. My guests tonight are those kids and parents I have served over the past two years, but many I have known for the last ten because of my time in the district. But it is more than that. It is leaving a place I have poured blood, sweat, tears… my life, into. This will hurt. I clear my throat and begin. I am ready.

I take my place at the head of the table - I assume this place is for me, no one actually tells me which seat is mine - and wait for the interview moderator to commence. Introductions begin and I attempt to focus in on who is who as they go around the table: a teacher, a principal, another teacher, a parent... we continue like this until we get to the seat directly across from mine. To each person, I respond that it is nice to meet them and that I’m happy to be here. The person directly across from me introduces herself as the Mayor of the village.

The Mayor.

I remember thinking that this was an odd place for a Mayor to be - the interview table for an elementary principal; this must be quite an important position for them to fill. My chances just got slimmer.

We continue around the table after I greet the Mayor, until we get back to me. I introduce myself and immediately follow with the disclaimer I had prepared:

“I have no idea about elementary school, except that I went to one a number of years ago. I don’t know anything about 1st grade, about teaching kids to read, or about a typical day in an elementary school.”

This was met with some laughter around the table; laughter I wouldn’t understand until after my first year on the job: there was no such thing as a typical day in an elementary school.

I don’t remember much else from the interview that day. I also don’t remember what day it actually was but I know it was getting late in the school year, because what I do recall is sitting in my office when I got the call offering me the job of principal of W.J Murphy Elementary School. I was working as a middle school assistant principal at the time. A week had gone by and I hadn’t heard anything since the interview, so I was definitely feeling that they were going to go with someone else, that they couldn’t possibly have faith in the answers I had provided them during the interview. I mean, I felt like it had gone okay, but there was no way to know for sure what they were looking for in their next principal. Until now.

I remember calling my wife and telling her that she was now speaking with an elementary principal!

She asked me where that was.

I had to remind her that it was the interview I had gone on a week ago. She didn’t really remember at first because she didn’t want to get her hopes up, so she had let it slip her mind.

“Well,” I told her, “I guess it’s time to start studying up on what it means to be principal.” She laughed nervously, but we both knew it was true. I didn’t know the first thing.

Letter During a Crisis

I hope this letter finds you safe, finds you healthy, and finds that, to the extent possible, you are home with family. We are hunkered down here on the north end of town, only going out when absolutely necessary. And I mean ONLY when it is absolutely necessary. We are staying in communication with family and friends ONLY via electronic modes of communication, and for the most part, everyone has been very understanding of our desire to keep family members safe as we practice social distancing. It has not been easy. This much I can say with absolute certainty. I think, however, that it is a necessary sacrifice to make at this time of uncertainty.

And I guess that is what is at the heart of all of this, right? Not the uncertainty of the virus - this much we know to be fact, as we watch the news and try to decipher truth and determine ways to keep ourselves safe and healthy. The uncertainty of knowing what tomorrow brings, however, is a different story. And even as I write this, I think to myself, "well, that's true no matter what the case, right? I mean, every day there is uncertainty." But this is different. This particular uncertainty is of a very different nature. This uncertainty, as we have seen, is truly a matter of life and death.

As I traverse any given school year, I keep this in mind when dealing with children, with their parents, with colleagues and with the leadership in the district: that there is much uncertainty in any situation we are dealing with. If a student gets into trouble, makes a bad decision, what is behind their thinking? If we are handling a particularly delicate situation, whatever that may be, what is the motive behind any one person's actions or words? What is it that makes someone behave in a particular way, or causes someone to react the way they do? In short - what is the uncertainty that every person brings to the table? Because this uncertainty is real, and it is invisible, and it is why, I guess, it is so hard to keep in mind when handling day to day situations as they come at people so quickly.

A long time ago one of my mentors taught me, when dealing with people, to remain firm on the issue but soft on the person. It is kind of the same lesson my Grandma taught us when she would remind us that we can "catch more flies with honey than with vinegar." I didn't know what it meant at the time, but I think I know now. When trying to help my 19 year old son understand the importance of staying at home, the importance of staying safe and the importance of refraining from hanging out with his friends, it would have been easy to use the reasoning that I have been so guilty of using in the past when I would say, "because I said so, that's why." Instead, I stayed the course, remaining firm on the issue but soft on him by reviewing the facts of our current situation and creating for him and for our entire family, reasons to stay home. Getting back to the basics of family. Getting back to our creative roots and doing what family does best - spending time together. This doesn't have to mean that we are all together, all the time; indeed, there is value in being alone. But it did force us to re-evaluate some of the priorities we held as important.

This is what uncertainty has done for us.

In the meantime, if you have gotten to the bottom of this letter, thank you for reading my ramblings. I also want to offer a couple of reminders and a word of encouragement. I want to remind your children, first off, that I miss them. Their teachers miss them. We all got into this profession because of our love and passion for working with youth, for being around young people, for helping students realize their potential to create a lasting change in this life. Please know that every one of us longs for the day we can return to the school building and see those faces again. Even at 6:50 in the morning when there are limited actual smiles... :)

Secondly, we don't stop learning just because we are not surrounded by the four walls that make up the traditional schoolhouse. We had a fantastic response to our first "digital learning" week last week, and this coming week will be more of the same. Please encourage your children to hang in there and keep up with their studies. And with the additional time they may have - hang out with family, play cards, read a good book or six, learn how to cook or sew, write for the love of writing, whether that be a short story, poem or play. DO something for the sheer joy of trying something new. That is where true passion and learning are at.

Here is the word of encouragement: FAITH. Have faith that whatever state of normal we end up with, that is where we will thrive. Together. As Warriors.

I look forward to hearing back from you or from your child(ren) if you are so inclined. I welcome the connection.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow, what you do may not be enough.
Tomorrow, you may have to set all else aside.
Tomorrow, you may have to listen to what your students need.
Not what you THINK they need, but what they are TELLING you they need.
And this may not be easy.

You will be pressured to cover content,
give assessments,
follow your scope & sequence,
assign homework,
get things done.

But a child has died.
One of our own.
Someone's daughter,
Best friend,
Sister,
Student.

It has taken over the thoughts, the lives, of everyone.
As it should.
So tomorrow will not be easy.
And tomorrow will hurt.
So take the time to listen.
Listen to what comes out of their mouths when they speak,
To what is in the air when they don't.

And understand that math
and science
and English
and history
may not be enough.
But you are.
You are enough.
And you are just what they need.

Tomorrow, you are exactly what they need.

Learning Walk, Part II (Wednesday)

Food for the body is not enough. There must be food for the soul.

                 ~ Dorothy Day

It is really, truly amazing how many things can get in the way of the things that matter if we let them, or if we're not paying attention, or if we're not ADAMANT that the things that matter will take priority over ANYTHING else.  This week I have been in countless meetings, been to my own children's school for an appointment, attended an all-day job fair trying to recruit teachers for next year... and it is only Wednesday morning.

Oh, and it was Fat Tuesday yesterday.  I mean, the excuses just keep rolling!

HOWEVER... I will be resuming my Learning Walk beginning 3rd period today (9:45).
Science.
At least until I get called out.
For something not NEARLY as important as observing Teaching.
And Learning.

9:50am - Third Period
I take my seat in the back of the room.  At the front, on a lab table, sits a large contraption that they will soon do a demonstration on.  Of course students are curious about it.  It sits directly on the front lab table.  Two kids sit at the same table with it.

In the room are some of the same junior level students that sat in the English class during 2nd period.  Some are different.  As I look around the room at the kids who comprise this entry level Science course, I see the guitar player who performed at Battle of the Bands this past Friday night.  He will also be in the upcoming Spring Musical - "Once Upon This Island."  I see a football player who struggles to get to school on time on a daily basis.  I see a varsity basketball player who rode the bench most of the year because she wasn't quite the calibre of the rest of her team.  I see a student who is not involved in anything at all.  He transferred here at semester and is still trying to figure out the culture here at our small community high school of only 700 students.

The student I have been shadowing suddenly blurts out that the boy next to her is making fun of her drawing of the equation she has been recording from the notes on the board.
There is laughter and joking, even from the instructor.
It's all in good fun.
At the same time, it reminds me of elementary school, where kids suddenly blurt out of nowhere that someone is looking at them, someone called them a name, someone's tummy hurts.  You get the idea.
It reminds me that they are still kids.  Just in bigger bodies.

There are 16 kids in the room.  As opposed to the English classroom 2nd period (close to 25 kids), one would think that there is more of an opportunity to ensure that every single kid in the room receives attention, that every single kid is known well, that every single kid in this room understands the content well.  And it's not that the master teacher in English can't give every single one of her kids attention, can't know every single one of her kids well; indeed, she does.  Rather, it's more about whether or not the teacher has the motivation to do so.  Which he does.  More on this later.

I asked the other day whether or not students in higher level courses can remain at least as engaged as when they are in courses that contain content that is a little more exciting (recall that they were learning about proper formatting for an MLA-style major paper).  This is a prime example.  Every single student is engaged and attentive.  Every single student is paying attention to the demonstration up front.  Most of the kids in the back are craning their necks so that they are able to see.

The kids in the back.
Let's talk about them for a moment.

In the back are five boys who may be the exception.  They are spread out and, for the most part, sit at different tables.  At least three of the five have headphones in their ears, the other end of which is connected to their phones.  Listening to music, perhaps.  Perhaps not.

My attention is drawn, momentarily, to two other students who have moved toward each other and have opened a survey they've apparently created.  For another class.

The five boys in the back have all put their Science materials away and are now fully engaged in whatever is on their phones.  There are still 10 minutes left in class at this point.  The teacher has made his way to the back of the room and is asking them if they are working on Science, engages in some conversation with them, discusses the video they were watching on their phone (related to the class). The new boy sits by himself with both headphones plugged into his ears, the table top in front of him blank. Clearly wanting to be left alone.  He gets his wish.

My student sits in the very front of the room.  She continues to utilize every available minute.  She has brought out little containers of snacks that she munches while her pen flies across the paper, figuring solutions and conversing with the teacher.  She makes notations as he guides and corrects her.  I check her grade.  She still sits at a 76.6%.  I notice that another grade has also dropped since last week.  Her Honors Spanish III is now sitting at a 78%.  Another C.  But her work ethic is strong.  I don't worry too much about her.

The period is about to end and I turn my attention to the back of the room.  There is no one there.  The boys have snuck past me and are waiting at the door for the bell to ring.  I want to follow my student to her next class - a higher level Math class - but I'm also thinking about my five boys.  One in particular.  I decide to pull up his grades before we leave.  He's failing the Science course with an incredible 39%.  He's also in a higher level Math.  With an 11%.

11%.

What's the difference between him and my other student?

My other questions still remain.
But I have more.
As I prepare to leave the room, I look at my own schedule, see when I can get back to the shadow project, dig in a little deeper.
I see that tomorrow is out -
I'm out-of-district all day, leading a group on a site visit of another school.
Friday I have meetings from 7:00am until 1:00pm.
Plus it's an Early Release.
Students are done at 12:40pm.
Another day where other things take precedence over the real work.

I made it to exactly one class today.
If you throw in the one class I observed last Friday,
that's a grand total of two class visits over four school days.
Two.
Not all that great.

Great Leaders - Repost from 12.27.2008

"If the bottom line of life is happiness, then it makes perfect sense to say that it is the journey that counts, not reaching the destination."

~Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

(I am reposting this piece I wrote about 10 years ago. Never before have I felt a stronger need to make sure we are exuding positivity in the work that we do)

What do great leaders do differently from leaders? What separates an average leader from an extraordinary leader? One characteristic that has been weighing heavily on my mind of late is attitude. Great leaders set the example and must remember that everything counts. My office is housed upstairs in our school, and the quarters are, to say the least, cramped. It can be difficult to stay positive 100% of the time when there are days when you feel everyone is on top of one another. I began to notice that if I came in feeling grumpy, by nine in the morning, my whole office staff was on edge, which effects the parents who come in or call, and the teachers who tend to drop by and say hello while making copies. And this, of course, could have a less-than-positive effect on the children in those classrooms. I decided to try a little experiment. After all, I could not possibly have this much of an impact on everyone. Could I?

For one week, I came in bright-eyed and cheery, greeting everyone I ran into, shaking hands with one and all, even bringing coffee into the office staff. They thought I had gone a little haywire, but hey, I could tell that everyone was feeling good about themselves. All right, so this was fun, and I found myself feeling very productive and on top of my game, even though I had forced myself to play this little game. I wrote all of my observations in a notebook.

The next week, I purposefully went out of my way to be grumpy, cut people off in mid-sentence, yell at my office staff (even though it was difficult to find anything they were doing wrong), and just be in an overall foul mood. At around 2:00 in the afternoon, mid-week of the experiment, a teacher came looking for me. I was holed up in my office and hadn't seen her or heard from her all week. She plopped herself down in a chair opposite my desk and said, "So, I hear you're in a pretty bad mood. People are wondering what's wrong with you." I was dumbfounded. I was also happy to know that people noticed my moods.

Whether or not our moods have a positive or negative impact on the people we work with, it is our responsibility to put a positive spin on things. We have the power and obligation to filter what comes out of our mouths, what information we share with others, and to model what kind of behavior we expect out of people. It all starts with our attitude. We set the tone.

In the words of the Hungarian psychology professor, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, "People who learn to control inner experience will be able to determine the quality of their lives." And if we can accomplish this for ourselves, who knows what we might be able to help others accomplish. It's worth a try, and those we serve are worth it.

Friday Learning Walk, Part I

As I write this morning (yesterday), I am sitting in an English classroom.  It is a room full of junior level students.  They are, for the most part, highly motivated.  They all have good grades and are all genuinely good, nice people.  I know this because I know every single one of them by name.  They are not, contrary to popular belief about kids who take either honors or advanced level courses, all involved in school activities - whether it be clubs, athletics, or any other type of extra-curricular activity.  I am able to, however, from my perch in the very rear of the classroom, see that there are a good number who are involved in Track & Field, Drama, Spirit Club, among others.

Today, they are being instructed in the proper formatting for the writing of major papers.  They are being instructed by a highly sought after, master teacher.  She is the kind that students come back to visit and talk about long after they have left school.  She is the type that students request and if her class is filled, decide they might pursue another course, another pathway.  She is that kind of good.  Maybe you've had the privilege of being in her class.  If you haven't,  I'm sorry.  I hate grammar and proper formatting and all things MLA or APA, and yet I could sit and listen to her and learn for hours.

I wonder about the rest of the day for these students.  What it's like, if they can remain as engaged as they are now with content that is not all that exciting, as opposed to when the content might be a little more interesting but the teacher in front of them is not as engaging.

I am pulling up a student's schedule in our student information system.  We run a straight, eight-period day.   It is a fairly rigorous schedule for a 17 year old.  Besides a couple of period changes, not much changed from 1st to 2nd semester.  The biggest difference is that she dropped her Intro to Psych class and picked up a PE.  Pretty good move for a schedule that contains mostly honors and advanced-level courses.  I believe in the power of physical education as a stress and anxiety reliever.

I follow this same student out of English and see where her schedule takes her.  She has AIM next, which is designed at the same time of the day for every single person in the school.  If a student needs assistance from a teacher, she can go and get the help she needs during AIM.  

Today, however, the student I have decided to shadow is involved in conducting interviews for next year's LINK Crew.  No time to study or ask for help in any of her classes this day.  At least she has that Study Hall at the end of the day.  Not that she will use it for what it's designed.  This is something I discovered early on last year, especially in what we call "Upper" Study Hall.  The student in an Upper Study Hall has maintained a GPA high enough to earn an unstructured 45 minutes.  Most of them are held in the Student Commons or Cafeteria.  Most kids in them watch Netflix on their phones or laptops.

I decide to look up my student's grades.  See how she's faring.  Solid A's and B's, except for her Physics class, which sits at a C.  A quick check into her historical record and I can see that has always been an A-B student, currently holding a 3.5 grade point average.  She is in the top quartile of her class.

Next up - a Science course. I know next to nothing about this material.  Or at least I don't think I do.  And I don't know if high school students know too much about the content going in to the class at first, either.  So what will their success depend on?  How do they know if they are even interested in a particular course in the Science arena?  I keep an open mind as I sit in the back of the classroom, give a nod to the teacher that lets him know I'm just here to take in some teaching and learning today, and open my laptop to take some notes as he speaks.

Of course, not all things go as planned... I'm called down to the office and have to postpone my investigation into one student's schedule.  I am intrigued, however, and will pick up where I left off next week - 3rd period Science.  A couple of things I'm interested in and will be looking for and noodling over next week:

• How much of an impact does the teacher really have on student learning, especially when the content is dense and perhaps tough to understand?  And how is one able to tell? What are the indicators?
• How do we know if a student's schedule and course load is developmentally appropriate?  
• What can we tell from shadowing a student?  What are the takeaways?  What questions should we be asking?  And what should we do about it?
• (Can I make it through this Science class??) 

Using Their Minds Well

In my Vlog this week, I went on a bit regarding the impact we can have on student achievement, as well as a brief discussion around one of the Common Principles outlined by the Coalition of Essential Schools.  While the Coalition officially ceased operations as an organization in March of 2017, the Common Principles are still alive and well in CES schools, and should be known and practiced by ALL schools regardless.  Because they make sense.  And they are good for kids.

The Principle I highlighted says this: "the school should focus on helping young people learn to use their minds well."  

Would you say this is true?  Is there anyone who would say no, that this is not something we need to make absolutely sure we are doing?  I mean, "using your mind well"... this is an absolute necessity in any walk of life, at any time of life, for every single person.  For living.  In fact, if you do not learn to use your mind well, I dare say you will fall victim to all kinds of treachery and maliciousness and deceit and lies and bribery, and the list goes on.  One cannot begin to decipher all of the various informational sources and on-the-spot decision-making thrown at a person throughout the course of one's life without being able to use your mind well.  I almost feel like this should be a no-brainer.

And yet, it's not that simple.

Even now, we can look around and find examples;
examples of students not using their minds well,
examples of adults not ensuring that every single class,
every single day,
is FILLED with the type of engaging, mind-inspiring, thought-provoking,
make-me-wanna-know-more,
knock-down-the-door-cuz-I-can't-wait-to-get-to-class
content and lessons and environment that should be part of every classroom.
Every. Single. Day.

Please don't walk away from here thinking I'm saying that it's a teacher's job to entertain the kids.  Because that's too much like babysitting.

Rather, what I'm trying to say to you is that every single moment counts, and even though not every single one of those moments needs to be filled with excitement (indeed, read the work of Mike Schmoker to discover the importance of making sure kids understand the basics; he reminds us that this is not always awe-inspiring fun), every single one of those moments needs to be accounted for.

Intentionally accounted for.

Intentionally filled with activities and moments that engage the minds of students, that show them the connections between what they are doing during the school day and what they could be doing beyond the walls of the school.  For schooling's intention, in its purest form, is to spark a desire for learning that continues well beyond the years of one's formal education.

How do we ensure this?  Obviously this intentionality, this passion, this drive and motivation and urgency about which I write isn't going to stick with every single student.  It goes back to a previous post where I included a quote about the student being ready, and only then does the teacher appear...

And it seems counterproductive, doesn't it?  That the student needs to be ready for the teacher to appear, only to not be needed in the end and become one's own teacher.

But that's the cycle.  And in the mad dash during those 12-13 years of formal schooling, why would we leave anything to chance?  Why would we not want to engage in an audit to ensure that every single thing we do - every day - helps students to use their minds well?

High Stakes of High School Relationships

In a weekly vlog I record, I recently spoke of trust and relationships and the fact that just because one holds the title of teacher or principal, or has the status of any type of leader in an authoritative role over students... does not necessarily mean that a student will learn from you.  Unless, of course, there is trust as the foundation of that relationship.

Think about the tenuous relationship you have with the typical high school student.  

The student who comes to us after five to six years with one main teacher, 

Day in and day out of his elementary school,
For approximately 

7,000 hours.

The student who comes to us after three years of middle school with maybe

four or five teachers, 

Day in and day out
For approximately 

3,600 hours.

This high school student 

Who will, over four years, spend approximately 5,000 hours with us - perhaps 

Seven or eight adults 

Every day

For a mere 45 minutes per day,
Per class.

By now, that student has developed some understandings (real of perceived) about school, about teachers, about relationships and about life.  He may come from a single-parent family home, may dread the thought of coming to school every day, may have had some negative experiences with teachers.  Now he's here in your classroom.  He shows up every day, though you find yourself asking why since he doesn't do anything anyway.  It seems he would rather get into fights with other kids and do anything other than what you are asking him to do.

And he will spend approximately 5,000 hours within the four walls of this place.
That's a lot of hours to spend
in a place that feels hollow to you,
in a place where no one seems to know you,
in a place where adults you barely know are
telling you what to do,
asking that you learn from them.

Now imagine a high school of over 2,000 students.  I speak from experience when I tell you that kids get swallowed alive in a high school of this size.  Not all kids, of course.  Many thrive in this type of culture.  But when I can walk out the side door during the middle of the day and no one notices but the security guy watching the camera, no one says anything to me except for the Dean of Students - and he speaks to me only because he has to issue some type of consequence for ditching - this is a problem.

Relationships are high stakes for these end-game users, these high school Seniors who have yet to experience a meaningful relationship with an adult other than (hopefully) a parent.
Relationships are high stakes to that kid who is only with you for 45 minutes a day.
Relationships are high stakes, especially if we want kids to learn from us, to call us teacher, to trust that we have their best interests in mind.
5,000 hours is a lot of time.
Plenty of time to build relationships,
Create a trusting bond,
Understand where a student has come from, and
Where he wants to go.
5,000 hours is a lot of time.
Make every one of those hours count.
Be intentional.

There was a quote I heard early on in my journey as a teacher and principal.  The origin has been lost over the years.  One version of it reads:

"When the student is ready, the teacher appears."  

I remember clearly struggling with the meaning of these words, not being able to comprehend their true meaning at the time...

Trust has to be at the center.
In order to build trust, you have to put in the time.
In order to put in the time with a kid, you have to be intentional.
With your words and actions, you have to be highly intentional.

5,000 hours may seem like a lot of time.  And really it is.
But if you are intentional about each of these hours,
Every one of those hours can be highly meaningful.
If you believe in the power of intentional trust-building.
If you understand how high the stakes are.

Only then will the student will be truly ready.
Only then will the teacher appear.