tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26357612115153792562024-03-05T17:16:11.404-06:00Notes from the Principaljdpricketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17783884686361610855noreply@blogger.comBlogger85125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635761211515379256.post-83288094674281681432020-04-23T16:29:00.003-05:002020-04-24T08:14:30.910-05:00Becoming Principal (Snippet #6)<b>Core Value #2: Perception is Reality (remember that everyone is watching you)</b><br />
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IF I HAD REACTED BADLY IN THIS SITUATION, rest assured everyone within earshot would have been telling all of their friends that I had lost my temper and was not very approachable. I’m not sure I changed this parent’s mind about me that year, but the real issue, I knew, had nothing to do with me and I just had to grow a thicker skin. This was tough for me. As someone who doesn't like conflict, this also means that I am much more comfortable around people who are usually getting along. <br />
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As I was to learn in the years to come, this doesn’t always happen in a school setting.<br />
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Even though adults are all there for the same reason - the students - they don’t always see eye to eye, and they definitely don’t always get along. I had better grow that thicker skin sooner rather than later. <br />
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But this is really where my second core value came into play, and came in handy. I have always understood that perception is reality, whether true or not. People are going to make all kinds of assumptions based on what they think is true; they will tell stories about what they see, about what they hear, and this will become fact. It will become what people talk about. And it will turn into an image of you, of your school, of the kids and teachers in your school… whether it is the truth or not. <br />
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That first day of school, I was walking around and introducing myself to parents, high fiving the kids, being goofy and having a good time. I don't know if this is what the former principal had acted like. Maybe she was more stern than me, maybe she didn’t joke around with people, maybe she didn’t smile ‘til Christmas (this was actually something we learned in our undergrad program. I still can’t believe that one). Whatever the reason, the father who didn't like me was most likely not ready for someone who looked like me; I mean, I was 33 years old at the time and definitely looked much younger than, perhaps, principals are expected to look? I don't know what his reasoning was, but I know I thought about it a lot. Probably too much.<br />
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Either way, I knew that he had already made his mind up about me. <br />
His perception was his truth, and I could do nothing about that. <br />
But I also knew that I was on stage. <br />
I knew that everyone was watching me. <br />
People are like that when someone is new - they are watching your every move, <br />
waiting to pounce if you fail. <br />
Maybe even hoping you fail. <br />
These two manifestos go hand in hand - <br />
“Perception is Reality,” and “Everyone is Watching You.” <br />
Mess up while everyone is watching, <br />
and the new reality becomes everyone’s truth. <br />
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As I navigated that first year, one thing stood out to me more than anything else. This was not going to be easy, and it was not always going to be fun, but it WAS going to be the best I could make it, and I was still so VERY excited to be doing the work I was doing. It has always resonated with me how grateful I am to be working in the field of education. I have worked many jobs in my life - many of them directly out of high school, or while I was in college trying to support my young family. I have worked in a photo lab, worked on a food truck delivering meals to factories and warehouses, worked 3rd shift on an assembly line in an air filter factory, worked for a carpenter learning how to build room additions, shingle roofs, constructing backyard decks, worked for a construction company pouring concrete basements, and worked at my dad’s full-service pumping gas, changing oil and fixing tires. <br />
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NONE of them compared to this work. <br />
This was not work. <br />
This was the stuff I lived for. <br />
There was never a time when I wasn't excited to go in to the school every day.<br />
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We made it into the building that first day without further incident. The parents eventually left. I kept peeking out the front windows of the main entrance wondering what they were doing, when they would leave. My secretary had been in the building for at least a few years prior to my arrival and told me that they always do that. </div>
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"What for?" I asked. </div>
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"Mr. Prickett, are you serious?" I must have looked pretty dumb. "These are their babies. This is harder for them than it is for their kids."</div>
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"Oh," was all I could muster. And then this: "Call me Jeff, would you please?" </div>
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She looked at me and turned to walk away.</div>
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From down the hallway, she hollered, "Okay, Mr. Jeff."</div>
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It was better than such a formal greeting. I wasn't used to it, and didn't know if I ever would be. </div>
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And she was right, of course. About the parents, I mean. It was 30 minutes or so before they had finally all dispersed and gone back home, or gone on to work, having given in to the fact that teachers weren't going to come back out and return their kids to them for a few hours. </div>
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I walked down the first grade hallway.</div>
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I had no idea what to do. </div>
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There were 6 classrooms, 3 on either side of the hallway.<br />
I decided to take a peek into the rooms, </div>
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see what goes on in a 1st grade classroom. </div>
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To my surprise, </div>
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there was a great old piano in the first room I walked into, </div>
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the teacher already sitting at it, </div>
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kids at her feet on an oval-shaped, braided rug, </div>
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singing songs of welcome.</div>
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My plan was just to pop in and welcome everyone for a minute or two, hang out around the edges of the classroom, not be much of an intrusion. After all, this was what I did at the middle school as an assistant principal the prior couple of years. </div>
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It didn't quite work out that way. </div>
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Over time, I got the reputation of being quite a troublemaker. It wasn't intentional - well, the "troublemaker" part wasn't; what was VERY intentional, was the <i>having fun at work</i> part, the <i>having fun with kids and with teachers </i>part. If we couldn't be serious about our work and still have fun, I didn't want to be there.</div>
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______________________________________________________________________</div>
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<i><b><br /></b></i></div>
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<i><b>When I say he walked the halls causing trouble, here’s what I mean. I had a classroom in the “basement” in a room with no windows. It would get so dark with the lights off, that there were emergency lights in that room. One day, as Mr. Prickett often did, he walked the halls to just look in and say hi. He came by my door, switched OFF my lights and walked away! As the kids started screaming, I yelled “Mr. Prickett…. get back here”. He slowly walked back in the room wondering why I called out for him! The kids were nuts telling him the lights just went off for no reason! I QUICKLY corrected the kids telling them what really happened. They thought it was the funniest thing ever.</b></i></div>
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~ Classroom Teacher</div>
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jdpricketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17783884686361610855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635761211515379256.post-69956539682676392692020-04-20T09:32:00.000-05:002020-04-20T09:32:24.868-05:00Becoming Principal (Snippet #5)<b>Core Value #1: Stand by Your People (Loyalty)</b><br /><br />If there is anything I have learned over my years of experience as a school leader, it is this: <b><i>stand by your people, take care of your people, LOVE your people</i></b>! If you’ve ever heard the saying, “Feed the teachers, or they will eat the students,” and thought that it was just a funny phrase, you’re wrong! It’s absolutely, hands-down, 100% true! I mean, they won’t actually eat the kids, but it is true that they will treat them with love and respect if they feel loved and respected themselves. And the phrase doesn’t mean you necessarily have to feed them donuts and cookies (although this doesn’t hurt); rather, I take it to mean the feeding of their souls, their minds and their spirits! <br /><br />Fill them up! Make sure they feel noticed for all of the little things they do on a day-to-day basis. No, you can’t possibly know everything as principal, but you can certainly make them think that you do (if you worked with me and you know me, I know what you’re thinking… he most definitely THINKS he knows everything)! Recognize your people at staff meetings for the small gesture of kindness no one thinks you know about, surprise them with random treats throughout the week just because (<i>NOT during Teacher Appreciation Week, but DEFINITELY during Teacher Appreciation Week as well</i>). These small acts done consistently let your people know you care and that you are thinking about them, even when you can’t always be there for everyone all the time. <br /><br />I didn’t always realize the importance of this value, and of the simple yet powerful ways in which you can show people that you value them, <i>but I did always know how <b>I didn’t</b> like to feel</i>. Unfortunately, I learned this from working for some seriously not-so-nice people over the course of the years, and learned ABSOLUTELY what NOT to do. At the start, though, I was just walking blindly through the days, trying to learn, trying to understand.<br /><br />One of the things I walked blindly into was my first-ever faculty meeting. I don’t remember much about that meeting. I’m sure it’s because I was a nervous wreck (and the whole "walking blindly" thing). I’m also sure I created a long list of all the things I wanted to make sure I covered - things like who I was, my wife and kids, my background, what I envisioned the school year to look like.<div>
Mostly, I just wanted that first day with kids to be here. I was ready to get started and didn’t want to wait any longer. I had heard from many teachers for the last couple of weeks, and though it was overwhelming, I thought I had an understanding of their feelings and thoughts. </div>
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There was one thing I do remember from that first staff meeting. A veteran teacher pulled me aside and suggested I send out a “Dear Jeff” letter, inviting teachers to tell me things they may not want to share in public or in person. I took her advice and got many suggestions and great pieces of feedback to start the year.</div>
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<br /><i><b>When you arrived I was so hoping there would be a positive change in our whole school atmosphere. It definitely took patience and time to transform us all from the inside out. I remember sort of feeling you out to see if you were approachable and open to suggestions. Once I knew you were I suggested the “Dear Jeff” letters from the staff. I’m not sure how many teachers participated or how many letters you received, but I am sure they were eye opening. At least you knew where to start Becoming Principal. I still wonder if you continued that practice once you left Murphy.</b></i><br /><br />~ Classroom Teacher<div>
______________________________________________________________________<br /><br />The very first day with kids was finally upon us.</div>
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That day was chaotic for me, and I’m sure my teachers were feeling the same way. Everyone was coming up to me, asking how I wanted things done and to tell the truth, <b>I had no idea!</b> I don't know if anyone could sense this, and I tried to walk around confidently and like I knew what I was doing, but I'm sure I looked like a deer-in-headlights. Eventually, I just told them not to change a thing. I needed to be able to see things run the way they always run. No sense in changing things up if they already worked how they were meant to work. </div>
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<br />One thing I discovered right away, and that was concerning drop-off. There were two main drop-off points - the bus lane and the parent drop-off. There were kids who didn’t fall into either category, those kids who either walked or rode their bikes, but they were older and knew what to do already so I didn’t pay them much attention at first. The problem with the bus lane and parent drop is that they were the same lanes; this, and the fact that the staff parking lot was directly beyond the main drop-off lane. Parents would pull into the staff lot to let their kids out, leaving them to walk across the drop-off lane… which meant they were running in front of, and behind, all of the cars and buses! <br /><br />Because I didn’t know what else to do, I asked a couple of teachers to stand out there and help to escort kids across the drop-off lane. It wasn’t perfect, but it was the only solution I had at the time. </div>
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It was the first day, after all. </div>
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I took advantage of the time to circulate around on the concrete playground in front of the school, which is where the kids all lined up in classroom rows that had been spray-painted on the concrete. All of the teachers were out front that day; we had agreed to use the term “all hands on deck” for anything big like the first day of school. It was basically a call for anyone and everyone to come out and lend a hand. We started using it with parents a few years later, as well. People came to understand that this call meant that we just needed bodies - we may not have known exactly what you were going to do once you showed up, but we could guarantee that you would be doing something!<br /><br />With all of the teachers and other support staff outside on the playground that morning, I could get around and mingle with kids, take a look at any potential problems, welcome parents who were waiting around with their kids until the bell rang, and introduce myself to people. It was warm outside, but excitement for a new school year (and a new principal) was in the air, and I was feeling ready to go. <br /><br />Until I made my way to the back of one of the 5th grade lines.<br />Where some parents were congregating by themselves, </div>
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Away from everyone else.</div>
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I could feel them watching my every move. </div>
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As I approached to say hello and introduce myself, one of the dads looked right at me and said, </div>
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“I can already tell I’m not gonna like you.” </div>
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<br />I had to put my tongue back in my mouth...<br />I don’t think it registered exactly what he just said to me!<br /><br />Now, I’m not a confrontational person, but my blood was really starting to boil! I really didn’t understand this mentality! I wanted to tell him that I had similar feelings about him as well (not that I really did, of course)... but I thought better of it, and so just didn’t say anything at all for a good minute. <br /><br />What could I say to this man I didn’t even know?</div>
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This dad who had clearly already made his mind up about me? </div>
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How could he possibly know that he didn’t like me? </div>
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What had I done to him? </div>
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As soon as I asked myself this question, I knew the answer. </div>
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Of course I knew the answer. </div>
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He didn’t even know me, </div>
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There was absolutely nothing I had done that could have brought about this reaction in him. </div>
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He was clearly still not over the fact that the previous principal was gone. </div>
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He wasn’t ready for this change. </div>
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There are lots of people who don’t handle change very well. </div>
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He could be one of them.<br /><br />What I eventually said, after what seemed like an hour, was, “Well, sir, I’m sorry you feel that way. I hope you’ll give me a chance and eventually change your mind. What really matters to me is that your children like me; I’m here for them.” </div>
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I’m sure I didn’t need to add that last part, about me being here for his children, but I was still mad.</div>
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jdpricketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17783884686361610855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635761211515379256.post-28628356876544388872020-04-18T10:18:00.000-05:002020-04-18T10:28:22.155-05:00Letter to Our Students - 4.18.20Kids,<br />
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I don't know the right thing to say. I watched the Governor's news conference yesterday with tears in my eyes, as did your teachers, as he announced the closure of schools for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year. I began watching the posts on social media roll in, and started receiving emails from my kids.<br />
<br />
Our Kids.<br />
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The sadness is overwhelming.<br />
The disappointment, palpable.<br />
It is not how we would have chosen to end the year.<br />
It is not how we would rather spend our days.<br />
<br />
To my Seniors, I am sorry about the second half of your final high school year.<br />
I am sorry about the Spring,<br />
with all of its Glory and Promise and Hope of<br />
New things to come.<br />
<br />
And mostly,<br />
I am sad that we didn't get to finish our time together.<br />
Seeing you in the hallways,<br />
In the classrooms,<br />
Cheering for you trackside,<br />
On the sidelines,<br />
High-Fives and Fist Bumps,<br />
Hugs and I'm-Proud-Of-You's.<br />
<br />
And yet, my kids,<br />
And yet...<br />
<br />
We have <b>HOPE</b><br />
We have <b>LOVE</b><br />
We have <b>FAITH</b><br />
We have <b>EACH OTHER</b><br />
We are <b>TOGETHER</b><br />
<br />
So we haven't lost.<br />
We haven't lost anything.<br />
We can only win.<br />
<br />
And WIN we shall.<br />
<br />
Because that's we do.<br />
Because we are Warriors.<br />
Because we are in this TOGETHER<br />
And you are NEVER alone.<br />
<br />
#Classof2020<br />
#Classof2021<br />
#Classof2022<br />
#Classof2023<br />
#InThisTogether<br />
#WarriorStrongjdpricketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17783884686361610855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635761211515379256.post-12304314710370107412020-04-16T06:58:00.000-05:002020-04-16T07:19:35.020-05:00Becoming 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.<br />
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<b><i>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. </i></b><br />
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~ Classroom Teacher</div>
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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.<br />
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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. <br />
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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.<br />
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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. <br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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<b><i>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. </i></b></div>
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~ Classroom Teacher<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBE08O_gGjOQEoEYozWvJdMm8xVhsjOqJ7qIwKzZVFbAg6OhS6oCF7ATIQ4xdXOb37SM8iOhlR6qpc-Z4EZ2YEzu89QOx_xV89Z1NXVMHp0yAshfj-jRc5z3c5ZosnQjX4baSxUq54dkc/s1600/DSCN2329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBE08O_gGjOQEoEYozWvJdMm8xVhsjOqJ7qIwKzZVFbAg6OhS6oCF7ATIQ4xdXOb37SM8iOhlR6qpc-Z4EZ2YEzu89QOx_xV89Z1NXVMHp0yAshfj-jRc5z3c5ZosnQjX4baSxUq54dkc/s320/DSCN2329.JPG" width="320" /></a>There were many things I didn’t know or understand that first year,<br />
but I very soon got the sense that people were divided.<br />
School started at the very end of August,<br />
and by the time the middle of July rolled around,<br />
the building began to feel like a school again;<br />
teachers and other staff started coming back to work in their rooms.<br />
Decorations began going up,<br />
empty bulletin boards came to life,<br />
name tags were filled out and placed on children’s desks.<br />
<br />
And teachers began to seek me out. <br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
No matter what it took,<br />
I would stand by my people.<br />
These were now my people.<br />
I would do my best by them. </div>
</div>
jdpricketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17783884686361610855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635761211515379256.post-89203872996443897692020-04-14T08:11:00.002-05:002020-04-14T08:25:12.784-05:00Becoming Principal (Snippet #3)<div>
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>"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."</i></div>
<br />
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJLb8q9J0ICAKwWNGGXLRAYpORWj2oDnRMNEOnl7dKg9TXa1z-qSVJe4PzGdH3UPqsC59ICO_N8ith1UHItP5QTIdUFRYFaqkVx_H3kgd4qMH-Irgm81sMts2zLkeXWx49pvXUxpxStyY/s1600/DSCN2333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJLb8q9J0ICAKwWNGGXLRAYpORWj2oDnRMNEOnl7dKg9TXa1z-qSVJe4PzGdH3UPqsC59ICO_N8ith1UHItP5QTIdUFRYFaqkVx_H3kgd4qMH-Irgm81sMts2zLkeXWx49pvXUxpxStyY/s320/DSCN2333.JPG" width="320" /></a>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?” <br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
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. </div>
<div>
<br />
Lunch? <br />
With the Mayor? <br />
Who was I? <br />
I don’t have lunch with Mayors! <br />
I don’t even know what I’m doing! <br />
This whole thing could turn into a major disaster! <br />
<br />
“Yes, Mayor. Of course I can have lunch with you. What day works for you?”<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
“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.” <br />
<br />
“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?” </div>
<div>
<br />
“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.”<br />
<br />
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. <br />
<br />
They needed me.<br />
Me. <br />
<br /></div>
<div>
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.<br />
<br />
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. </div>
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jdpricketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17783884686361610855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635761211515379256.post-68699638900552285832020-04-12T15:45:00.001-05:002020-04-13T14:53:11.815-05:00Becoming Principal (Snippet 2)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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THERE IS NO TRAINING FOR WHAT TO EXPECT YOUR FIRST YEAR AS PRINCIPAL, BUT I THINK THAT'S ON PURPOSE.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
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. <br />
<br />
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.”<br />
<div>
To prepare me. </div>
<div>
The one thing he didn’t tell me was that it was not her decision to leave. </div>
<div>
Talk about awkward. </div>
<div>
Needless to say, she was not happy to see me and I tried to get out of there as soon as I could. </div>
<div>
There was no need in making her any more uncomfortable than she already was. </div>
<div>
I actually started to feel bad for being the new principal!<br />
<br />
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 - <b style="font-style: italic;">never put anyone in a position that is going to make them feel awkward and unprepared</b>,<b style="font-style: italic;"> </b>and then leave them for the wolves, so to speak. Because that’s what it felt like - for me <i>and</i> 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. <br />
<br />
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. <i>It is the only one thing we really have control over</i>, 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. <br />
___________________________________________________________________________<br />
<br />
<i>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.<br /><br />~ Student</i><br />
___________________________________________________________________________<br />
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jdpricketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17783884686361610855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635761211515379256.post-57173538829870509282020-04-11T13:54:00.001-05:002020-04-14T11:53:06.475-05:00Becoming Principal (Snippet 1)<br />
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BECOMING TAKES TIME. It takes patience, and it takes the cultivation of one’s mind and body<br />
and soul. It cannot be sought out. It happens naturally. Like becoming a parent. You can work at it<br />
once it happens, but to Become is a bit of a mystery in itself. <br />
<br />
I did not see myself Becoming Principal.<br />
<br />
I did not want it, <br />
I did not have any aspirations towards it, <br />
I certainly did not seek it out. <br />
At least, <br />
Not at first. <br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
_____________________________________________<br />
<br />
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 <i>years of experience</i>? <br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
<b><i>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></b><br />
<br />
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. <br />
<br />
The Mayor. <br />
<br />
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.<br />
<div>
<br />
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: <br />
<br />
“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.”<br />
<br />
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. <br />
<br />
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 <i>do</i> 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. <br />
<br />
I remember calling my wife and telling her that she was now speaking with an elementary principal! <br />
<br />
She asked me where that was. <br />
<br />
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. <br />
<br />
“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.</div>
jdpricketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17783884686361610855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635761211515379256.post-36785451736159085902020-03-28T12:29:00.000-05:002020-03-28T12:43:19.206-05:00Letter During a Crisis<blockquote style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" type="cite">
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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. <br />
<br />
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. <br />
<br />
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 - <i>what is the uncertainty that every person brings to the table?</i> 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. <br />
<br />
A long time ago one of my mentors taught me, when dealing with people, <i><b>to remain firm on the issue but soft on the person</b></i>. 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. <br />
<br />
This is what <b><i>uncertainty</i></b> has done for us. <br />
<br />
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 <b>I miss them. Their teachers miss them</b>. 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... :) <br />
<br />
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. <br />
<br />
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. <br />
<br />
I look forward to hearing back from you or from your child(ren) if you are so inclined. I welcome the connection. jdpricketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17783884686361610855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635761211515379256.post-90031209803938312392019-03-17T11:47:00.000-05:002019-03-18T06:48:31.303-05:00TomorrowTomorrow, what you do may not be enough.<br />
Tomorrow, you may have to set all else aside.<br />
Tomorrow, you may have to listen to what your students need.<br />
Not what you THINK they need, but what they are TELLING you they need.<br />
And this may not be easy.<br />
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You will be pressured to cover content,<br />
give assessments,<br />
follow your scope & sequence,<br />
assign homework,<br />
get things done.<br />
<br />
But a child has died.<br />
One of our own.<br />
Someone's daughter,<br />
Best friend,<br />
Sister,<br />
Student.<br />
<br />
It has taken over the thoughts, the lives, of everyone.<br />
As it should.<br />
So tomorrow will not be easy.<br />
And tomorrow will hurt.<br />
So take the time to listen.<br />
Listen to what comes out of their mouths when they speak,<br />
To what is in the air when they don't.<br />
<br />
And understand that math<br />
and science<br />
and English<br />
and history<br />
may not be enough.<br />
But you are.<br />
You are enough.<br />
And you are just what they need.<br />
<br />
Tomorrow, you are exactly what they need.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />jdpricketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17783884686361610855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635761211515379256.post-12755289672903021252019-03-06T07:37:00.003-06:002019-03-21T08:15:38.390-05:00Learning Walk, Part II (Wednesday)<b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Food for the body is not enough. There must be food for the soul.</span></i></b><br />
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<i><b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <span style="color: red;"> ~ Dorothy Day</span></span></b></i><br />
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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.<br />
<br />
Oh, and it was Fat Tuesday yesterday. I mean, the excuses just keep rolling!<br />
<br />
HOWEVER... I will be resuming my Learning Walk beginning 3rd period today (9:45).<br />
Science.<br />
At least until I get called out.<br />
For something not NEARLY as important as observing Teaching.<br />
And Learning.<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>9:50am - Third Period</i><br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
There is laughter and joking, even from the instructor.<br />
It's all in good fun.<br />
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.<br />
It reminds me that they are still kids. Just in bigger bodies.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
The kids in the back.<br />
Let's talk about them for a moment.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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%.<br />
<br />
11%.<br />
<br />
What's the difference between him and my other student?<br />
<br />
My other questions still remain.<br />
But I have more.<br />
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.<br />
I see that tomorrow is out -<br />
I'm out-of-district all day, leading a group on a site visit of another school.<br />
Friday I have meetings from 7:00am until 1:00pm.<br />
Plus it's an Early Release.<br />
Students are done at 12:40pm.<br />
Another day where other things take precedence over the real work.<br />
<br />
I made it to exactly one class today.<br />
If you throw in the one class I observed last Friday,<br />
that's a grand total of two class visits over four school days.<br />
Two.<br />
Not all that great.<br />
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jdpricketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17783884686361610855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635761211515379256.post-35182760299159933402019-03-04T10:44:00.001-06:002019-03-04T10:49:05.062-06:00Great Leaders - Repost from 12.27.2008<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "times new roman";"><em>"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."</em></span><a href="http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/38429.html" title="Further information about this quotation"></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large;"><b>~Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi</b></span></div>
<i><br />(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)</i><br />
<br />
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?<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
In the words of the Hungarian psychology professor, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, <i>"People who learn to control inner experience will be able to determine the quality of their lives."</i> 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.jdpricketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17783884686361610855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635761211515379256.post-86907337540609057762019-03-02T11:28:00.003-06:002019-03-21T08:15:07.090-05:00Friday Learning Walk, Part IAs 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.<br />
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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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
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<br /></div>
<div>
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. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
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.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>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?</li>
<li>How do we know if a student's schedule and course load is developmentally appropriate? </li>
<li>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?</li>
<li>(Can I make it through this Science class??) </li>
</ul>
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jdpricketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17783884686361610855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635761211515379256.post-371993286676436522019-02-19T11:13:00.001-06:002019-02-19T14:27:32.131-06:00Using Their Minds WellIn my <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcjPJNjVHmU" target="_blank">Vlog this week</a>, 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 <a href="http://essentialschools.org/" target="_blank">Coalition of Essential Schools</a>. 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.<br />
<br />
The Principle I highlighted says this: <b><i>"the school should focus on helping young people learn to use their minds well." </i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
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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.<br />
<br />
And yet, it's not that simple.<br />
<br />
Even now, we can look around and find examples;<br />
examples of students not using their minds well,<br />
examples of adults not ensuring that every single class,<br />
every single day,<br />
is FILLED with the type of engaging, mind-inspiring, thought-provoking,<br />
make-me-wanna-know-more,<br />
knock-down-the-door-cuz-I-can't-wait-to-get-to-class<br />
content and lessons and environment that should be part of every classroom.<br />
Every. Single. Day.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
Intentionally accounted for.<br />
<br />
Intentionally filled with activities and moments that engage the minds of students, that show them the connections between what they are doing <i>during the school day</i> and what they could be doing <i>beyond the walls of the school</i>. 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.<br />
<br />
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...<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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?<br />
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<br />jdpricketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17783884686361610855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635761211515379256.post-28696524784609708592019-02-13T07:16:00.000-06:002019-02-13T07:16:10.853-06:00 High Stakes of High School RelationshipsIn a weekly <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7ZQxwHBBvo" target="_blank">vlog I record</a>, 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.<br />
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<br /></div>
<div>
Think about the tenuous relationship you have with the typical high school student. </div>
<div>
The student who comes to us after five to six years with one main teacher, </div>
<div>
Day in and day out of his elementary school,<br />
For approximately </div>
<div>
7,000 hours.<br />
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<div>
<br />
The student who comes to us after three years of middle school with maybe</div>
<div>
four or five teachers, </div>
<div>
Day in and day out<br />
For approximately </div>
<div>
3,600 hours.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This high school student </div>
<div>
Who will, over four years, spend approximately 5,000 hours with us - perhaps </div>
<div>
Seven or eight adults </div>
<div>
Every day</div>
<div>
For a mere 45 minutes per day,<br />
Per class.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
And he will spend approximately 5,000 hours within the four walls of this place.<br />
That's a lot of hours to spend<br />
in a place that feels hollow to you,<br />
in a place where no one seems to know you,<br />
in a place where adults you barely know are<br />
telling you what to do,<br />
asking that you learn from them.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
Relationships are high stakes to that kid who is only with you for 45 minutes a day.<br />
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.<br />
5,000 hours is a lot of time.<br />
Plenty of time to build relationships,<br />
Create a trusting bond,<br />
Understand where a student has come from, and<br />
Where he wants to go.<br />
5,000 hours is a lot of time.<br />
Make every one of those hours count.<br />
Be intentional.<br />
<br />
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:<br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<i style="font-weight: bold;">"When the student is ready, the teacher appears." </i><br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></i>
I remember clearly struggling with the meaning of these words, not being able to comprehend their true meaning at the time...<br />
<br />
Trust has to be at the center.<br />
In order to build trust, you have to put in the time.<br />
In order to put in the time with a kid, you have to be intentional.<br />
With your words and actions, you have to be <i>highly</i> intentional.<br />
<br />
5,000 hours may seem like a lot of time. And really it is.<br />
But if you are intentional about each of these hours,<br />
Every one of those hours can be highly meaningful.<br />
If you believe in the power of intentional trust-building.<br />
If you understand how high the stakes are.<br />
<br />
Only then will the student will be truly ready.<br />
Only then will the teacher appear.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
jdpricketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17783884686361610855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635761211515379256.post-68703648910596352902019-01-29T07:29:00.005-06:002019-01-29T07:43:51.291-06:00Why Wanting to be the Best in the World Matters a Lot<br />
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Through a culmination of life events, on-time choices and a few perchance happenings in my life, I have found myself wanting to be the most successful in the world at what I do.<br />
<br />
And it is not really even a want.<br />
It is a <i>need</i>,<br />
It is a burning <i>desire. </i><br />
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
<i>And I know how this sounds. </i>I know this sounds gluttonous, perhaps, or even a little over the top and unnecessary and a little like perfectionist theory when we are usually telling kids to stop trying to be perfect and that no one is perfect - just be the best version of you.<br />
But I would tell you that this is wrong. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Think about it. If you wake up in the morning and you roll out of bed, ready to <i style="font-weight: bold;">get after it</i>, and you are excited about the prospect of getting after it - whatever "it" is for you - it’s going to be a good day for someone.<br />
<br />
It's going to be a good day.<br />
For someone (besides yourself).<br />
<br />
Because if you are rolling out of bed ready to hustle, ready to grind and you are <b><i>actually excited</i></b> about it, that will probably be good for you and will lead to your own feelings of goodness about yourself and being motivated and anxious to see what the day brings.<br />
<br />
<b><i>But it is probably even better - this burning desire for perfection - for the recipient.</i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
I'm sure of it.<br />
<br />
If you don't believe me, consider the students and colleagues of the ever-exuberant classroom teacher.<br />
<br />
The teacher who gets out of bed at 5:00 so he can get to school by 6:00,<br />
There with the morning milk delivery.<br />
The same teacher who is waiting at the door for his students when they arrive -<br />
Each and every morning,<br />
The one who greets each one of them by name and with some type of silly handshake,<br />
Or perhaps with a quick check-in because he knows something was going on the night before.<br />
<br />
He is the one who comes to each faculty meeting with a smile on his face,<br />
The one who sits up in the front,<br />
Even though some of his closest colleagues may be sitting toward the back.<br />
The teacher who asks questions and tries to get something out of the meeting,<br />
Even though there really isn't much content relevant to his particular duties.<br />
It's mostly administrivia and stuff that could have been put in an email.<br />
<br />
Think about this particular teacher and the impact he is going to have on each person he comes into contact with every day.<br />
Think about his students every morning,<br />
and how his attitude and optimism make an indelible impression on each and every one of them.<br />
He has the power to take a bad day and make it manageable for receptive young adults.<br />
Some may even look forward to seeing him each day because they know<br />
It's the only time that day they will receive any kind of warmth from anyone.<br />
<br />
And think about his colleagues.<br />
The ones who aren't thrilled to be at work that day (probably because <b><i>they are viewing it as work</i></b>).<br />
The ones who sit at the back of the faculty meeting and<br />
grade papers<br />
or chat<br />
or surf the internet<br />
instead of being attentive and showing respect to the presenter.<br />
The unsaid influence he has on these fellow teachers, the impact his smile and that pat on the back has, will go a long way toward their overall attitude and mood.<br />
They may not even realize it at the time...<br />
<br />
I had a student come up to me last week. I was standing in the hallway at the end of the day, talking to a group of students before they departed for the weekend. If I remember correctly, one of them was crying over her worry at not being able to afford the college she wanted to attend. She's a junior, mind you, but that's a story for another post.<br />
<br />
This student came up to join our group after he retrieved his belongings out of his locker. As we were preparing to go our separate ways, he turned and said, "I want to thank you. Without even knowing you did it, you helped me have a great day by what you said to me in the hallway earlier today."<br />
"Well, you're welcome. I'm glad I could help!" I offered up, with a smile and a fist bump.<br />
He walked out the door, clearly off to have a great weekend.<br />
To tell you the truth, I don't even know what I said to him.<br />
I remember having a brief conversation with him, but couldn't tell you which part of it was the catalyst for his great day.<br />
<br />
But that really doesn't matter.<br />
What matters is how he felt after speaking to me, no matter how brief our chat.<br />
What really matters is that we, as human beings, don't leave anyone's feelings to chance.<br />
What really, really matters is that we wake up every day wanting to be the best, wanting to be number one, and that we have a burning desire, an inner drive, to be the most successful in the world.<br />
<br />
Someone is on the other end of your desire. While you are busy trying to be the best, someone is the unknowing recipient of all that greatness... greatness disguised as kindness, warmth, caring, hope, optimism. How great you want to be matters. It matters a lot.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
jdpricketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17783884686361610855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635761211515379256.post-40677581844574698902019-01-28T09:55:00.001-06:002019-02-25T21:03:14.000-06:00High Schools and Hall PassesWhy do we insist that high school students carry passes with them through the halls of our schools? I thought we were trying to encourage them to be responsible, to know how to be adults, to be accountable for their own actions...<br />
<br />
Aren't we,<br />
By telling them that need a pass to be in the hallway,<br />
Actually telling them that they don't belong here??<br />
Isn't this actually saying we don't trust them to do the right thing?<br />
Aren't we the ones who let them into the building in the morning,<br />
Welcomed them at the front door?<br />
Encouraged them,<br />
Told them we're happy to see them?<br />
<br />
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If all of this is true, then why in the hell would we require them to take a pass with them when they need to use the bathroom? I'm talking about high school students here, not elementary kids. I could even see this applying to middle school kids... <i>maybe</i>.<br />
<br />
But seriously, consider the 18 year old high school Senior who:<br />
<br />
drives a car,<br />
has enlisted in the military and<br />
will go off to Boot Camp a week after graduation,<br />
holds down a job after school and on weekends,<br />
helps her single parent out at home with the younger siblings,<br />
has her share of household chores, and<br />
maintains a 3.5 grade point average in her Honors and Advanced Placement classes (paraphrased from the work of Dr. George H. Wood).<br />
<br />
This is the same kid we say we are helping to become a "well-rounded citizen" who is a "lifelong learner."<br />
This is the same kid we say we are encouraging to become responsible and accountable for her actions.<br />
This is the same kid we are asking to make sure she takes a pass with her to the bathroom while she's at school.<br />
<br />
If we are worried about kids getting into trouble, ending up where they're not supposed to, spending too long in the bathroom, and whatever other worry you can come up with (there are a million... I've heard them all), then maybe we haven't expressed strongly enough to them that this is a public school and therefore belongs to them. Maybe we spend too much time, expend too much energy, on devising rules and procedures for things because we know of no other way to control them. Maybe we haven't brought our students into the fold, gotten to know them well enough, helped them to understand their connection to school in such a way that helps them to see that they are a part of something larger than themselves - a true and genuine community that <b><i>relies upon</i></b> and <b><i>respects</i></b> each individual as a core member of that community.<br />
<br />
We wouldn't say to students: " I don't trust you so take this pass so I know you're supposed to be here." We wouldn't do that.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />
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<br />jdpricketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17783884686361610855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635761211515379256.post-83947767443062210222019-01-22T09:52:00.000-06:002019-01-22T13:30:35.799-06:00AAA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
What does it mean to expect something more? To know that you will not just get what you paid for, what you were hoping for, but something <i>extra?</i> And to actually <i>expect it</i>? I think many of us don't ever really <i>expect</i> something extra out of anybody or anything; rather, we are just thankful and surprised when it does happen. It lifts our mood - like the person in front of us in the drive-thru at Starbucks, the one who pays for your drink out of nowhere and you know you will never be able to repay him or her. This is an added bonus - something more that we weren't expecting! (This actually happened to me once and I'll never forget that feeling. So much so that I decided to make it an occasional habit).</div>
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<br />
I was speaking with my closest, dearest friend and she actually used AAA as an analogy for making sure that your affairs are in order, that you are making sure to have the protections in life that you need - especially when you find that you are not able to do it for yourself. She was actually, to be perfectly transparent, talking to me and giving me gentle reminders that maybe I hadn't been using all of my resources; that maybe - just maybe - I had been falling off of my game and could be doing a little better.<br />
<br />
She said it ever so sweetly, but I took her meaning.<br />
<br />
That's when she threw in the AAA analogy. If you are not familiar with AAA, they offer 24/7 Roadside Assistance so that if your car breaks down on the side of the road in the middle of the night (or at any time, for that matter) you have the security and peace of mind to know that you are covered. That's literally on their website: "The Safety, Security, and Peace of Mind of AAA."<br />
<br />
AAA also has this on their website, right next to the three unmistakable A's that are the hallmark of roadside assistance: "<b><i>Expect Something More</i></b>." And as I dug deeper into their website I was able to find things unexpected, things that surprised me, things that, being familiar with school districts and how our institutions operate, we always put up in a prominent place on our websites. I found them to be critical components and well worth sharing. They included:<br />
<br />
<b><u>The AAA Commitment:</u></b> AAA exists for our members and will judge everything we do by how well we serve their needs.<br />
<br />
<b><u>The AAA Code of Conduct:</u></b> <i>Always do what's right</i> (this can be found embedded within a link entitled "Integrity," and the Code is accompanied by the symbol of a compass rose).<br />
<br />
At first I was confused by their reasons for burying these critical pieces so deep within their site. I literally stumbled across them as I searched for content to include with this post (indeed, this fact is not even the main focus of this writing, but an important one). But then I remembered an important lesson we teach our kids: your actions speak louder than your words.<br />
<br />
AAA exists to serve their 55 million+ members.<br />
AAA exists to provide peace of mind, safety and security.<br />
AAA exists to model integrity.<br />
AAA wants you to know that you can <i>expect something more</i> from them.<br />
<br />
They don't need to flash this all over their marketing materials, shouting to the world that they have integrity and that they live by a code of conduct. These might as well be unwritten rules, as they expect that all employees model this with every call for help they receive.<br />
<br />
Which leads me back to the original concept.<br />
Which leads me back to a painful truth.<br />
<br />
When you fall short in life,<br />
What do you do?<br />
How do you respond?<br />
Where do you turn?<br />
When do you get back up?<br />
<br />
Because it will happen; inevitably, it will happen that you will fall short of expectations, lose sight of your purpose, let someone down, not follow through on your commitment, only do the bare minimum and not put forth any additional effort... this will happen. And it's really important that you are in a position to be able to answer the questions posed above. It's really important that you begin thinking about your Roadside Assistance, your AAA.<br />
<br />
Who are they? Who are your people? Do you have them? Have you set yourself up so that you have somewhere to turn, someone to bounce ideas off of, someone to come in and go that extra distance for you when you just can't?<br />
<br />
As with the roadside assistance commitment promised by AAA, it is critical that we have the Safety, Security and Peace of Mind of a network of people and supports that can be there for you when you're down because there is nothing wrong with you...<br />
<br />
You should actually expect that this will happen from time to time - this natural ebb and flow of life.<br />
<br />
Not everything is perfect.<br />
You need to be ready when there are more ebbs than there are flows.<br />
It's part of the self-care that I've been talking about and writing about in previous posts about<br />
living your best life, and<br />
practicing some outside-the-box thinking.<br />
<br />
From whom can you <b><i>Expect Something More</i></b>? Think about it. Take care of it. Do something about it. You're going to need it, as much as someone will come to expect the same of you.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />jdpricketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17783884686361610855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635761211515379256.post-30993694300363020912019-01-17T08:39:00.000-06:002019-01-17T08:39:44.236-06:00Living Your Best LifeI had a conversation with a student this morning - it was just a quick chat in the hallway - while she was on her way to class. She was late and I knew she hadn't been here the day prior, and so I wanted to quick follow up with her on a conversation we had had earlier in the week. Coincidentally, I ran into her in the hallway on that day as well.<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>(Sidebar - I think our most productive conversations might be had in the hallway, on the off-chance we run into someone and take that opportunity to do a quick "how ya' doing?")</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Turns out she had taken a "mental health" day to process some of the things we had spoken about earlier that week. She needed it. I would encourage anyone to do the same - adults and students alike. You need to be the best version of yourself in order to be available for anyone else. On an airplane, it's why they tell you to put the oxygen mask on yourself first. You need to be there for your little ones (or anyone else, for that matter). You can't do that if you're not healthy - physically, mentally, emotionally.<br />
<br />
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Back to my kid in the hallway. I walked with her to class. As I had mentioned, she was already running late. I asked her: "What Now?"<br />
I wanted to know what happened next.<br />
I mean,<br />
she took a day off to take care of herself.<br />
Perfect.<br />
Take it if you need it.<br />
But then what's next?<br />
What's your plan?<br />
Don't just show up without a plan,<br />
tell me you spent the day on the couch -<br />
feeling sorry for yourself -<br />
and now you're here without a plan for moving on,<br />
for taking care of yourself now that you're back in the swing.<br />
<br />
She looked at me before she walked into class. We were only a minute late. I don't panic about tardies unless they're chronic. And then I still don't panic, really <i>(This is another sidebar, perhaps a topic for another day). </i><br />
<br />
The response was one pretty typical of teens:<br />
"I don't know; I haven't thought that far ahead."<br />
And I knew we'd be meeting again.<br />
<br />
So are you living your best life? How do you know? Are there things you need to follow up on? Questions that nag at you that need answering? How will you answer them? How will you make the time to ensure that you really, <i>really</i> understand what it is that's bothering you? <br />
<br />
One of my favorite quotes that I've been pondering recently comes from author, speaker, entrepreneur and internet personality Gary Vaynerchuk. He said: <i>"<b>You're not coming back. Now live like that." </b> </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>If you lived every day like that, what would it look like? </i><br />
<i>How are you living your best life? </i><br />
<i>If you can't answer that, </i><br />
<i>take a day off. </i><br />
<i>Think about it. </i><br />
<i>Come back with a plan. </i><br />
<i>Take care of yourself.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<br />jdpricketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17783884686361610855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635761211515379256.post-41832319488311788402019-01-15T07:53:00.001-06:002019-01-15T07:55:26.728-06:00REPLACEABLEI sometimes wonder what my school would be like without me in it. Without me here every day, greeting kids and visiting classrooms and walking through the hallways and meeting with teachers and talking to students and... the list goes on.<br />
<br />
And I wonder what teachers feel as well. Not about me, but about themselves. If they wonder what their classrooms would be like without them. If they wonder about the school they spend so much of their lives in,<br />
and what would happen if they were no longer there.<br />
If they care about that.<br />
Because they should.<br />
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<br />
I have a feeling that I know what most teachers would say. And if they won't say it aloud, I know what they are probably thinking. I would bet they have this crazy notion that they are replaceable; that someone else could come in here and do this job, teach these kids, put their heart and souls into this work - this important, awe-inspiring, work of giants - and that if they were to leave, if they were to no longer be here one day, then life would just go on and these kids would continue to come to school every day and learn with someone else standing in front of them, next to them, with them.<br />
<br />
I know that there are teachers out there who feel that way. And perhaps with good reason. Perhaps, over the years, they have been made to feel this way - that they are replaceable and that anyone could come in here and do what they do on a daily basis. Some may have even lost some of the spark that drew them to this work in the first place. And I would say I understand that.<br />
<br />
I understand why someone would feel that another body could come in and pick up where the previous teacher left off. Because, indeed, that is truly what happens, right? I mean, there can't just be an empty classroom left behind. Right?<br />
<br />
But it is. It is an empty classroom. And sure, it might fill up over time; it might fill up with energy and warmth and all of the good stuff that is created when the synergy of a passionate teacher combines with kids to create an excellent teaching and learning environment. That might happen.<br />
<br />
But the SOUL of that classroom.<br />
The soul of that classroom left hollow by YOU,<br />
the TEACHER,<br />
the NURTURER,<br />
the CAREGIVER,<br />
the COACH,<br />
the COUNSELOR,<br />
the MOM or DAD they don't have at home.<br />
YOU might be the only thing she looks forward to seeing each day,<br />
the ONLY one that keeps her coming back through these doors every day.<br />
<br />
So I know what you might be thinking, teacher. But you're wrong. You can't be replaced.<br />
And if you haven't thought about how your classroom, your school, looks or feels like without you in it, read this again.<br />
Let it sink in.<br />
Get out there today and be you.<br />
That's why you're here.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />jdpricketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17783884686361610855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635761211515379256.post-45286169723478976172019-01-13T13:01:00.001-06:002019-01-13T13:03:08.266-06:00"Outside the Box" ThinkingFollowing up on a Video Blog I created this Sunday entitled, "<b>Outside the Box</b>," I was reflecting on how what I said in it really pushed my thinking around the things we do in education, the everyday actions we take in schools that respect students and families, the status quo that we allow without questioning it because it's easier, or because we don't think the people above us are listening and so why bother speaking up anyway...<br />
<br />
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The part I vlogged about (<a href="https://youtu.be/Ekha3l85Es0">watch here</a>) that I want to follow up on has to do with the little girl who was sneaking extra breakfast from the cafeteria for her mother, who was waiting for her in a little-used staircase of the school after the bell rang and all of the students and staff had begun their morning work. My first reaction was not, as one might typically think, one of anger or surprise or "you-can't-take-food-that-you-didn't-pay-for."<br />
<br />
My response was (much to the admonishment of our cafeteria manager) to ask what else she needed and to bring her trays full of the remaining food that would have otherwise gone to waste.<br />
My response was to question why we didn't see this before;<br />
My response was to challenge staff and faculty to think about the ways in which we were currently meeting the needs of our kids and families so that they didn't have to worry about coming to school hungry, or worry about their families at home who didn't have the luxury of coming to a schoolhouse during the day, where there was food and words of praise and bathrooms that worked and heat in the winter months.<br />
<br />
These were my responses, meant to challenge and push our thinking, meant to offer something different from traditional, status quo thinking. We didn't change the world with our discussions, but we did work hard to make a difference in the lives of the students and families we served. We did work hard to think differently about the challenges our families faced and how we could better offer developmentally appropriate resources and services to these kids while they were in our care.<br />
<br />
This extended beyond the school day, as well, because we know that extreme need doesn't stop when kids walk out of our doors at 3:15pm every day. We connected with a neighborhood resource center to offer parents free English classes in the evenings, free computer classes so they could help themselves get a job and connect with the world beyond their immediate, poverty-ridden neighborhood; we worked with the local community college and one of our high school teachers who knew a thing or two about gardening, to help our families start a garden <i>right on school property </i>so that they could plant and grow vegetables, and then sell them at a Farmer's Market that we all worked together to set up in the parking lot every Friday throughout the summer; we created a partnership with a local church to start a weekend program for at-risk youth that met at the school to offer a safe haven and also served to provide a weekend meal and some strong relationships with adults and older teens.<br />
<br />
My purpose here is not to brag on all of the great things we did - however, we don't do enough bragging on all of the awesome things we do for kids and families - but to make the point that <i>Outside the Box Thinking</i> is a desperate need on many levels. It provides solutions for students and families that no one has ever thought of before (provided we are asking the right questions), and has the added benefit of - hopefully - giving the adults doing the serving, doing the thinking, doing the questioning, a much needed shot in the arm of creative energy.<br />
<br />
This is passion work!<br />
This is work of the heart!<br />
<br />
It might even allow us to reclaim our purpose in this field,<br />
because if you think that you are here to teach content,<br />
you're wrong;<br />
kids can find anything they need online.<br />
Anything at all,<br />
anytime at all.<br />
What they really need is you, is<br />
human connection, is<br />
someone to think outside the box about the "problems" in education -<br />
problems for which most adults have,<br />
unfortunately,<br />
thrown in the towel because they are too hard to solve.<br />
<br />
<br />jdpricketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17783884686361610855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635761211515379256.post-32967069351001860282019-01-08T11:27:00.000-06:002019-01-08T14:10:09.839-06:00The Most Soul- and Mind-Inspiring Places<b><i>"Schools should be the richest and most soul- and mind-inspiring places they can be."</i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
I saw this quote somewhere and wrote it down in a safe place. So safe that I just ran across it again years later. A quick Google search did not immediately reveal the source of the quote, so for now it remains anonymous. I know it is from some book I've read, and I'm so very thankful that I ran across it again. So let's look at this a little bit and try to understand what it means to be <i><b>the richest and most soul- and mind-inspiring place</b></i>.<br />
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I write from my current vantage point, which is High School Principal, but my thoughts can always be altered to come from the elementary or middle school levels as well. I have had stints as principal at all three levels, and so my thoughts sometimes blend and <i>always begin with students first. </i><br />
<br />
I wonder what would happen if our meetings with staff and faculty began with this question: <i style="font-weight: bold;">"What are we doing to ensure that our schools are the richest and most soul- and mind-inspiring places they can be?" </i>What kinds of responses would we get? I bet they would look like they had been ripped from the Anytown USA School District Mission page. You would see things like: <i>Ensuring that our students are lifelong learners, </i>and <i>Providing all students with a challenging curriculum </i>and <i>Helping students become productive citizens</i>. And these responses are just fine. There is nothing wrong with these answers, and no one would say we don't want those qualities in our own children.<br />
<br />
But what does that look like?<br />
How is our school <i>the richest</i>?<br />
How is our school the most <i>soul-inspiring</i>?<br />
How is our school the most <i>mind-inspiring</i>?<br />
How do we know?<br />
Where is our proof?<br />
<br />
When I can walk into a high school classroom and find students coloring a map of the world... is that my proof?<br />
When I walk into a high school classroom and see kids frantically scribbling notes from a lecture... is that my proof?<br />
When I walk into a high school classroom and notice kids with their heads down at the back of the room... is that my proof?<br />
When I walk into a classroom that is being subbed by a guest teacher and kids are mindlessly watching a movie... is that my proof?<br />
<br />
Certainly there are, without question, MANY classrooms that look and feel exactly the opposite from my examples above. I can go out on any given day and do random walkthroughs and find examples of <i>stellar </i>teaching and learning that is rich and absolutely soul- and mind-inspiring. Make no mistake. What I am wondering is, "what about the rest?" What about the rest of the kids, the rest of the classes kids are sitting in, perhaps bored, or completing mindless tasks, or... just not learning.<br />
<br />
One could easily say well, yes, but let's make sure we are putting blame where blame is due. Let's make sure we are properly holding kids accountable. After all, it can't simply be the quality of the teaching, or the content of a lesson, that is causing kids to be bored and/or "not learn," can it?<br />
<br />
Really. Can it?<br />
<br />
I would urge you to think about the typical high school student's day. Look at the typical high school student's eight-period schedule with a lunch installed in the middle of the day, a study hall if she's lucky, and the rest of the day taken up by back-to-back classes of 45 minutes each, with bells interrupting each period. If she is a high-level student, she is probably taking Honors and/or Advanced Placement (AP) classes, which even compounds the issue further.<br />
<br />
That one study hall is probably being used to watch Netflix in an attempt to de-stress from the day, hang out with friends, or maybe catch up on some homework that didn't quite get finished. The issue with a straight, back-to-back eight-period day is that the learning which might be taking place cannot even begin to compare, say, to the learning that takes place out of school - the things I really want to be learning. I know for myself, that when I'm learning something and I'm really deep into it, I am not going to stop and switch gears after 45 minutes.<br />
<br />
I know I brought up a sticky point, here. I implied that the only time someone ever really learns anything is outside of school. But that is only one half of the story. I have learned many great things during my time in school; granted, they were only cursory glimpses into things (like Greek Mythology or 20th Century English Literature or Creative Writing), and I am highly thankful and may not have ever learned of this content had I not attended these classes. But where did I <i>really, deeply learn</i> about this subject matter? Certainly not during a 45 minute class period, where just when I was starting to get into it, the bell rings and I've got to switch gears and try to pay attention in algebra. I hate algebra. I'm no good at algebra.<br />
<br />
There is another point that needs some clarification here, which my loathing of algebra calls to mind: the power of the teacher. There can be no replacement for a highly energetic, passionate, caring, patient teacher. Even though I hated algebra; despite my intense anxiety and sudden stomach aches an hour before I had to be in that algebra class, my high school algebra teacher was caring and she was patient and she clearly LOVED the content, and THAT made all the difference in the world for me. To this day I don't love algebra, but I am somewhat good at it, and I never fell asleep in her class because I didn't want to disappoint or offend her.<br />
<br />
Still, our current system is not working for everyone.<br />
Something needs to be done. For the sake of everyone.<br />
<br />
Where do we start? I would say that a good place would be with the question:<br />
<br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;">What are we doing to ensure that our schools are the richest and most soul- and mind-inspiring places they can be?</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />jdpricketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17783884686361610855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635761211515379256.post-46673133402911523682019-01-06T14:25:00.000-06:002019-01-06T14:31:24.862-06:00Constantly Examining (Thoughts on School Culture, Part III)I wrote previously that culture is about knowing who you are and about knowing your people, and about how you can’t know your people unless you know yourself and where you're coming from and your emotions and where your head and heart are at.<br />
<br />
The next step, after making sure you have those pieces in place to the best of your ability, is to align your core beliefs with your daily actions so that people who work in the organization understand that <b style="font-style: italic;">this is who we are</b>, and <b><i>this is just what we do here</i></b>. Everybody in the establishment needs to understand that that is what the culture is here.<br />
<br />
If people can’t align the core values that have been established to their personal and outward daily actions, then they don’t belong here. It's that simple.<br />
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And then again, it's not simple at all, is it. It's not as simple as saying, "please align with these core values and beliefs." You've seen it all too often - people sit in a room with the best of intentions, they work together to hammer out what everyone believes will be the mission and vision of the school, and then the year gets going, people get lost in their work behind closed doors, things take place, honest, open discussion doesn't happen as often as it should (always to the detriment of the group... and the students), and all of a sudden it's the end of the year and the organization's Core Beliefs, or those finely tuned Mission and Vision statements, all of which everyone worked so hard on and were so excited about, are a distant memory.<br />
<br />
Roland Barth wrote, <i>"Show me a school whose inhabitants constantly examine the school's culture and work to transform it into one hospitable to sustained human learning, and I'll show you students who graduate with both the capacity and the heart for lifelong learning."</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
The notion presented here by Barth ties in directly with my point - unless a school and its inhabitants are <i>constantly examining</i> shared beliefs, core values, mission statements, big picture visions and the like, the direction of the organization can tend to get lost, the path muddied. It is worth remembering that if it is worth saying, if it is worth bringing people together and spending any substantial amount of time on a thing, then it is worth repeating. Multiple times.<br />
<br />
This quote by Barth is one I had come across many years ago, probably during that 1st principalship I held at Murphy Elementary School. Like the discussion I had with the Mayor over lunch before the start of that year, this idea has stuck with me through the years, and done a lot to help in the formulation of my thoughts around schools and teaching and learning and students and communities. I ended up staying at that elementary school for 8 years before receiving the internal call to move on. During those years, the idea from Barth that one needed to <i>constantly examine</i> <i>the school's culture </i>stuck in my head like no other idea ever has.<br />
<br />
For 8 years, we examined the school culture.<br />
For 8 years, we talked about and discussed school culture.<br />
What it looked like in everyday action,<br />
What it sounded like in classrooms and in hallways, in the cafeteria and on the playground,<br />
What it felt like to outsiders who came into our building, and<br />
What it meant if something wasn't working how we wanted it to work.<br />
<br />
These were not easy conversations, some of these. We didn't like to admit when we had it wrong. We didn't like how it felt to discuss with people when they weren't living up to the expectations that we had so painstakingly and lovingly announced publicly. We didn't like the feeling of starting over constantly. What we discovered throughout this process, however, was that we weren't wasting our time having fruitless conversations around test scores and academic initiatives. Were these important? Of course they were. We knew that, and they were in place. They had a purpose. They are part of life in the schoolhouse. But they were taking care of themselves.<br />
<br />
Because we engrossed ourselves in conversations around Culture and how to constantly "Do Culture" better, everything else took care of itself. After 8 years, we were the only elementary building in the district to be meeting and exceeding in all areas of AYP (remember this??). And the only thing we changed was the Culture of the building. It was the only thing that mattered.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />jdpricketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17783884686361610855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635761211515379256.post-42510000961961176072019-01-04T17:08:00.000-06:002019-01-04T17:23:32.850-06:0027 Years (Thoughts on School Culture, Part II)27 years ago I was 21. My dad was my age currently - 48. I don’t recall what he was doing at that time of his life, but I know that I was not in a good place. I had graduated high school and taken a year - or maybe two - off, working odd jobs and not liking too many of them. I had decided that I would move back home after living in what I can only call a “drug house,”<br />
<br />
where people were using their kids as mules, and<br />
I was waking up to people shooting heroin into their veins, and<br />
snorting cocaine into their nostrils off of broken shards of mirror, and<br />
I was the only one to somehow still be holding down a job.<br />
<br />
And while I didn’t think about it at the time, I am now very thankful that my mother even let me move back home. I decided to enroll at the local community college, and begin working at my stepfather’s gas station, pumping gas and doing oil changes and tire rotations and minor automobile things of that nature. I was not a mechanic, and had no plans of being a mechanic, although at one point I do recall entertaining ideas of taking the business over. I’m glad I didn’t, though.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2K9P1d_L9i-fqcb90C0GJCoG-eNKvMlOGyLHO0JoB1GXWT-fPPleJqTVqFYFR1juoZfu7LUjhv2LSVYqDzRc5e_EYAs-P-Q0Jn-A9heXnCbWoGujoIFBQfzjCdsB2RusEtK-xLQPoyQc/s1600/Experience.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="423" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2K9P1d_L9i-fqcb90C0GJCoG-eNKvMlOGyLHO0JoB1GXWT-fPPleJqTVqFYFR1juoZfu7LUjhv2LSVYqDzRc5e_EYAs-P-Q0Jn-A9heXnCbWoGujoIFBQfzjCdsB2RusEtK-xLQPoyQc/s320/Experience.jpg" width="241" /></a>Every decision I made from that point on - as a teacher, a Dean, an assistant principal, principal - all led back to those days in my troubled youth and early twenties, days where drug dealers were my mentors and the only time I ever looked anyone in the eye was when I was trying to pass off that I was telling the truth to avoid getting beat up or killed.<br />
<br />
While those days are long gone now, and I am the first one in my family to achieve the status of Doctor, the memories still haunt me, still motivate me, still remind me of what could have been...<br />
<br />
And so I use them. I use the memories and I use my experiences and I use what I know internally to be good and true and right... I use all of this with what I bring forward every day onto the high school campus.<br />
<br />
It is what I lean <i>on</i> when leaning <i>into</i> a kid who is<br />
<br />
failing or<br />
making excuses or<br />
not pulling his weight or<br />
allowing things to happen <i>to him</i> instead of the other way around...<br />
<br />
It is what I know about building culture. Because this is the first step. This is where you begin. You have to know what you are bringing with you every day, what you are putting out there every day, what you are leaning on every day, before you can ever begin talking about culture, before you can ever begin to understand how to change a culture, or to know what it smells like or feels like or looks like.<br />
<br />
I brought my dad into this a few paragraphs ago. There are some obvious reasons why he showed up today, and some not-so-obvious ones as well. One of the not-so-obvious reasons is that I have not seen him in over 5 years.<br />
Until today, that is, when we met for lunch.<br />
And so he was on my mind and I had to write about him so that I would be ready for our meeting.<br />
<br />
While that lunch meeting with my dad is not the subject of this entry (good fodder for a future post, however), he does play into this Culture Equation. He does have a part to play.<br />
<br />
It's in what I bring every day. I need to recognize it.<br />
It's in what I put out there every day. I need to be able to name it.<br />
It's in my work with students and teachers every day. I need to be able to understand it.<br />
It's in my blood and my emotions and my head and my heart. I need to be able to harness it.<br />
<br />
It's the energy that we bring to the school campus every day. If we don't know it, we don't know ourselves. If we don't know ourselves, we can't possibly begin to know others. If we aren't able to get to know others, we can't begin to recognize and understand culture.<br />
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<br />jdpricketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17783884686361610855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635761211515379256.post-72071480690004831562019-01-03T15:26:00.004-06:002019-01-03T15:49:59.314-06:00Thoughts on School Culture, Part IWhat I understand about culture today is not very different from what I thought about it 5 or even 10, 15 years ago when I first started out in administration. I hadn't really thought about it much before then, however. When I taught, and when I was the Dean of Students at a middle school, what I thought most about was what I was going to do that day - survival stuff. Now, it seems all I think about is the culture of the place and what it looks like, feels like, smells like - to both outsiders and insiders alike. People ask how you know what the culture of a school is like, and to be honest, there really is no data to show that. There is no possible way - not even through a survey - that you can measure the culture of as school in order to tell how that school is doing in this category. The only one sure way to know, is to spend as much time as possible within the four walls of that school, with those teachers and adults, with those kids in their classrooms and in the cafeteria and hallways and at athletic and performing arts events. This is the only way you will know for sure what the culture of a building is like. And trust me, you will know.<br />
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The first time I really started paying attention to this phenomenon known as culture was when I was offered the principalship of W.J. Murphy Elementary School. It was a bright, chilly afternoon in early January of 2003 and my principal, who was my first real mentor and fellow administrator, had called his admin team into the office to tell us he was leaving; he had taken a principalship at a neighboring high school. We were shocked, I remember, and didn't know quite what to make of it. I was too new in these shoes, but did the only thing I thought of to do - congratulated him and asked if he would write me a letter of recommendation.<br />
<br />
By early May of that year, as we were wrapping up at the middle school, I had been on a couple of job interviews and finally accepted the elementary school position at Murphy Elementary. I remember the interview clearly. At least 15 people were sitting around a conference room table in the district office basement. At the head of the table sat the assistant superintendent and the Mayor of the town. I have always had much respect for principals, but to call the Mayor in? Wow. This must be some gig.<br />
<br />
A month later, as I'm moving myself into the new office - the first real office, with an actual principal's desk and the word PRINCIPAL carved into a nameplate on the office door, who should give me a call and invite me out to lunch, but the very same Mayor who sat at the head of the interview table and asked questions I was sure I had gotten wrong. I shared this with her when we sat down together for lunch as the agreed-upon day arrived, and she just laughed and told me that there were candidates who were much better suited for the job of elementary principal - <i>those with actual elementary principal experience, for example</i> - but at the end of the day, what it came down to for every single person sitting down at that interview table, was:<br />
<br />
my personality and ability to speak truth and life into every single question,<br />
the fact that I looked at every single person around the table<br />
and held their gaze when speaking to them,<br />
the way I remembered each person<br />
and thanked them by name at the end of the grueling, two-hour interview that day.<br />
<br />
I may not have had the experience, but I was honest about what I did and did not know, and offered them something different - something they had been missing for a long time: a fresh outlook and a cheerful disposition. That was it. That is what the Mayor of Round Lake Park disclosed to me at our lunch date that day in June as I was preparing to take on my first principalship.<br />
<br />
I have carried that memory with me for the last 16 years - the Mayor's words to me, how she made me feel, the trust she and others were putting in me to lead and work alongside those teachers, those children, those parents and community members. That was really the first time I began thinking about culture and what culture is, what it means, how it feels, what it looks like on a day to day basis.<br />
<br />
The first day of school that year was an eye opener for me in terms of culture. As I walked the lines of children awaiting the morning bell telling them it was time to file in and get our year started, a father walked up up to me and said, "I can tell I already don't like you." A teacher approached me later that morning on break while her students were at Art and said, "This is a really toxic culture here, I hope you know what you've walked into."<br />
<br />
I didn't know it at the time, but I would need to call up those warm and fuzzy feelings from my lunch date with the Mayor many times that year...jdpricketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17783884686361610855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635761211515379256.post-58676488491580297732019-01-02T12:08:00.002-06:002019-01-02T16:38:48.993-06:00#OneWord 2019 - Commit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0RLhhHoMBiffdYc7R4BrQyjgzTbEUdl1o2ybiTXIfw8DPzNeAqmEuiW1vPhaIhckUiyrdJ6ENqBvsoTaDqSOsD5t6hCf0v1K8Q9ku2uWKt-A1f_FXjtKJnLANCioejF_JMnwagroGqhs/s1600/Commitment-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1319" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0RLhhHoMBiffdYc7R4BrQyjgzTbEUdl1o2ybiTXIfw8DPzNeAqmEuiW1vPhaIhckUiyrdJ6ENqBvsoTaDqSOsD5t6hCf0v1K8Q9ku2uWKt-A1f_FXjtKJnLANCioejF_JMnwagroGqhs/s320/Commitment-1.jpg" width="320" id="id_c676_47f7_a5a5_e328" style="width: 320px; height: auto;"></a></div>
The post that follows contains select events and experiences that stood out from 2018. This is NOT a resolution post. I don't make resolutions. Instead, I break them. Like, for example, the fact that I don't regularly write in this space as much as I should. That is probably someone's resolution: <i>to write on my blog daily.</i> If I resolved to do this, it would get broken. There is no doubt.<br>
<br>
So let's see where this goes.<br>
<b><br></b>
<b>2018 Highlight Reel:</b><br>
1. Leaving the comfort of middle school life and seeking a position at the high school level<br>
(in a previous post, I wrote about how the <i>opportunity</i> called to<i> me</i>; <i>I</i> wasn't the one looking);<br>
2.) Adjusting to life with 4 adopted children (we are still adjusting, by the way - kids who come<br>
from traumatic environments never stop being kids from traumatic environments);<br>
3.) Our son's 18th birthday and the subsequent meaning of this event (college searches, the<br>
realization that our youngest biological child would, most likely, be leaving home at the end of<br>
his Senior year);<br>
4.) The marriage of our daughter and her storybook wedding in Rye, Colorado (our decision to drive<br>
cross-country from our home in Illinois to the wedding in Colorado with all of the kids in a<br>
rented 12-passenger van is the subject of another post...);<br>
5.) The selling of our beloved Turnberry home and subsequent October 31 move (yes, we moved on<br>
Halloween) to the Cobblestone home just one month after our daughter's wedding adventure...<br>
6.) Hosting Thanksgiving Dinner for 18 a mere three weeks after moving in to the new house (the<br>
top half of our double oven broke down on Thanksgiving morning; there was still lots to be<br>
thankful for, however).<br>
<br>
I mentioned before that I break resolutions. I see no point in resolving to eat healthier when I know darn well that if my son offers to go and bring back ice cream, I will probably say yes. This doesn't mean that I don't know the value of eating healthier (which I do), only that I am a sucker for ice cream... and for people buying it for me.<br>
<br>
What I DO see the point in, however, is making commitments. <br>
You commit to something, you better live by it. <br>
It's stickier. <br>
I also know that it's what many people are afraid of - Commitments. <br>
It's taking a piece of yourself and putting it out there for all to see and no matter what...<br>
<i>no matter what</i>, not taking it back. <br>
It's a very vulnerable place to be. <br>
I get it. <br>
But committing to something, to someone, shows that you understand the value of that person, that thing. <br>
A commitment means that your word is your bond, not meant to be broken. <br>
It becomes you. <br>
It is who you are. <br>
This is very different from a resolution, whereby you resolve to get better, to do more, to do less, etc.<br>
<br>
I look back at my Highlight Reel from 2018 and I begin to wonder what the tape for 2019 will look like. I know it will contain more of the same and, indeed, I hope it does. It's the path we are on, the path we have chosen, the path that He has selected for us and so we will follow.<br>
<br>
But what I can Commit to is to get out in front of that path and Lead from it. What does this mean, to Commit to Leading from the Path you are on? On the one hand, it's a submission to be content where I am at in life - to slow down and enjoy what we have, what we have been gifted with; I do believe that there is a great need for us to slow down and just <i>Be.</i> On the other hand, it means that I still understand my responsibility as a Leader. As such, it is my honor and my duty to figure out how to be content on the path, and still lead from it. <br>
<br>
I don't always follow my own advice. As I mentioned before, I break resolutions more than I stick with them. But I do, at the start of this New Year - 2019 - Commit. I Commit to:<br>
<br>
Being in the Moment<br>
Leading with Heart<br>
Building strong Relationships<br>
Understanding the Path I am on<br>
Listening for Clarity<br>
Being Content<br>
Just Being<br>
<b><i><br></i></b>
<b><i>#OneWord 2019 - Commit</i></b><br>
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<br>jdpricketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17783884686361610855noreply@blogger.com0