Don't forget...

Very recently I had the opportunity to fill in for two days as a summer school principal at a K-6 elementary building in our district. Now, if you are a reader of my blog, you know I taught at the high school level and was a junior high administrator, so I don't have a lot of experience working with younger students. This past year has been wonderful because I've been afforded the opportunity to work K-12 district-wide, which means I can visit any of our schools on a daily basis, including our elementary schools!

During these two days at the elementary school I got to eat breakfast and lunch with the students, I got to listen to students explain to me a story they are reading, I helped arrange some construction projects, I walked three students home, and I got to play an intense game of basketball with some very talented young basketball players.

Most importantly, I got a great reminder of what it's like to be a kid. I got a great reminder of what an exciting time of their life these elementary students are experiencing. I got a refreshing and wonderful reminder of the innocence that kids have, and the nonjudgmental attitude and mindset they approach life with.

I got a reminder of why I wanted and eventually entered the field of education...

There's nothing earth-shatteringly new with this blog post and I'm definitely not saying anything that's never been said before, but it's a simple reminder to not forget.

~ Onward and upward

Give it some time...

Over the past couple of years I have grown fond of working in the yard and in the garden. In particular, I really enjoy planting, pruning and caring for all the plants and trees in my yard. This hobby has proven to be relaxing (especially when the deer aren't eating my flowers) and rejuvenating in nature, and it's something I very much look forward to on the weekends and after work. More importantly, I feel that I've learned a very important and valuable lesson while observing the growth of the plants and trees in my yard...

Sometimes, things just need time to develop and grow, and by sometimes, I really mean most times...

It's easy to rush into a new idea or new initiative. It's easy to make a change and expect new results immediately. It's easy to get caught up in a world where we want, expect, and demand things to happen both quickly and immediately.

As you might know from experience or from simple observations, things don't always happen quickly and over night. This is especially true in education. At times, it seems like education is a big train fully loaded with heavy rocks that is either headed one direction at full speed and just won't stop, or the train is so burdened by the weight that it just can't get started. Either way, the train is not very agile and definitely doesn't change it's course quickly, smoothly or easily.

In the garden, there needs to be work done on the front end before any growth or change can occur. Preparing the soil and getting the appropriate mixture in place for future growth is absolutely essential to having any success. The soil that is prepared in the beginning will ultimately be the lifeline of the future plant or tree, so ensuring it is in good shape is vital.

Once the soil is prepared, selecting the appropriate plant or tree for that specific area is the next step. Whether the planting area is full sun, partial sun, or mostly shade, are all important factors to consider prior to planting. You can't just pick an area at random and plant something and hope it grows. The appropriate plant or tree will have much more success when planted in an area that is best suited for future growth.

Once the plant or tree is selected, there is some work to do with the roots prior to planting. Typically, the roots of the plant or tree are wrapped around themselves due to being confined in a container. It may seem harsh and counterproductive, but tearing, ripping and even cutting those roots apart is crucial to the long term success of the plant or tree. For the roots to expand and spread in the future, they can't be wrapped around themselves. This would eventually lead to a slow death for the plant or tree as the roots essentially choke themselves.

The soil is prepared, the proper plant or tree is selected, and the roots are ready. It's time to put the plant or tree in the ground. The first several weeks after being planted are the most important as the plant or tree is most susceptible to disease, shock and possibly death. Be careful to provide ample water as the roots establish themselves, but also be careful not to provide too much water which could inadvertently drown the plant or tree.

Now, you can sit back and prune as needed, take care of any dead or broken branches, and enjoy the growth of your new plant or tree. If you are like me, you may check on the progress of your new plant or tree several times a week. Maybe you will check once a week or once every couple weeks. Either way, the plant or tree won't grow to full height over night. It won't happen in a week. It won't happen in a month... it's a process that takes years and years.

But, in the end, you will watch the journey unfold. Some years will yield better results than others, and at times you may need to make adjustments based on environmental factors. You will see how factors out of your control affect your plant or tree, and the only recourse you will have will be to sit and watch and respond once the dust settles. Your new plant or tree won't require daily attention, but it will require attention from time to time.

As time does what it does best, you will see more and more new growth. You will be rewarded with beauty for your patience and sporadic attention to the needs of the plant or tree. It takes time, and it won't happen over night... even if you check it every day... especially if you check it every day.

Thought this post doesn't speak directly to education, it has huge implications for what we do, and the structures in which we work.

What lessons are you learning from your hobbies...?

Make a decision...

If you have ever been in a meeting, you know what it looks like and what it sounds like when someone is avoiding a decision and avoiding to choose a side. They appear to be uncomfortable and can at times, come off as weak. This may not be the case, but indecisiveness and an inability to choose a side and stand for something, can and will impede any forward moving progress in your organization.

On the other hand, when you publicly stand behind and support an idea or an initiative, you put yourself at risk. You put yourself, whether you realize it or not, in the potential cross-hairs of the naysayers and the stronghold focus of the opposition. Making decisions and taking a stance can be unforgiving, but it's this strength, courage and willingness that ultimately move organizations forward.

Now, I'm not saying every decision and every stance is a good decision or a good stance, but without making decisions and taking a stand, nothing will ever get accomplished.

Making the wrong decision and then making adjustments and tweaks will always result in more progress than never making a decision in the first place....

So, when you make a decision and publicly stand behind an idea, initiative or a possible change, you better be prepared for the response. Remember, not making a decision and not taking a stance puts your entire organization at risk, while making a decision only puts those who stand behind the decision at risk.

In closing, stop dancing around the issue and get off the sidelines so you can make a decision. Those around you and those with whom you work will appreciate it in the long run. And, just as importantly, don't be discouraged and demoralized by those who lament the decision or stance you have taken. It's their discontent and uproar that signal you are doing something, which in turn means you are giving you and your organization the opportunity to move forward and make progress...

What do you see?

So often our eyes and mind play tricks on us... they distort and manipulate what we see, or at least, what we think we see. It's all about our perspective, and what we ultimately end up seeing can be easily influenced by our attitude and our willingness to see either the positive, or the negative...

If you have hall duty or bus duty in the morning do you see it as an opportunity to greet each and every student with a smile to ensure their day at school starts off right, or do you see it as just another short straw that you have drawn...?

If you know a colleague who is struggling do you see it as a chance to help him/her with their struggles because we work as a team, or do you turn your back on them and ignore their struggles while being thankful it's not your problem...?

If you have a conversation with a colleague and you disagree, do you see it as an opportunity to learn about another perspective or do you concentrate all your energy on proving that your perspective is correct...?

If you make a mistake do you see your failure as a chance to learn and grow or do you see your failure as a defining characteristic that will always follow and haunt you...?

If you experience success in your classroom with a particular activity do you see it as your professional responsibility to share it with your colleagues or do you see the activity as something you must protect and hide from others...?

If you get stuck doing something that isn't your job, do you see it as an opportunity to learn about another role in education or do you see it as a burden that shouldn't fall on your shoulders...?

If you are selected to do lunch supervision do you see it as an opportunity to build and strengthen student relationships or do you see it as wasted time that comes with the job...?

If you have a student who is unmotivated in your class do you see it as a chance to help the student find the root cause of the issue or do you see the student as another lazy and unmotivated kid...? 

If you are assigning work to be completed outside of school, do you see the other time commitments and constraints your students may have or do you see homework as more important than family and/or interests and hobbies...?

If you discover that a student is passionate about something that is not related to your content, do you see it as an opportunity to connect and relate your content to his/her passion or do you see his/her passion as something that is getting in the way of his/her learning...? 

Does what you really see match up with what you 

really want to see? Does what you really see match up with what's best for our students?

Every day before you go to work think about what set of lenses you are wearing, and remember that from time to time it's not necessarily a bad idea to throw out your old lenses for a set of new ones...