The Good Old Boy System is Alive and Well

I have to operate in a profession that in some places is very much subject to the good old boy system. You know what I'm talking about. The system in which a few can get together, make a few phone calls, and make a desired outcome happen for the benefit of those few. That manifests in different forms such as hiring practices, facilities decisions, who plays or not and so on. Now you would like to think that this shouldn't happen schools systems because we should be working for the kids and not for ourselves but to the contrary, it is alive and well in schools. This seems to be the easiest route of influence for those who seek personal gains for their families.

I realize that this is largely based on perception. If you are ending up on the short end of the stick all the time it is easy to chalk one up to the good old boy system. I made my own way. I put myself through school, earned my first position in education through merit and the rest is history for me. I am always complaining about the good old boy system because I have never been a part of it. In fact I have days where I feel that I have helped the helpless beat this system and some days I feel that I was a part of it. It is frustrating for guys like me. I have struggled over the past six years with preserving my core values and not "playing the game."

Time has granted me a small bit of wisdom however and I have made peace with this maddening phenomenon. I just need to break even. Sometimes I win and sometimes I loose but the good old boy system can work for you. I don't mean join in, I mean play the game to break even. As long as I win a few and loose a few. I complained to a friend no too long ago about how one organization I have to work with has been overrun by the system and my hope for it was lost. At one time he was a candidate for the director of this organization and I told him that I sure wish would have gotten it so he could make the right impact for the group. He then said that would have put me in the good old boy system. He is right. Wanting my buddies in the right places is exactly what I am complaining about. Idon't want to be a part of the system but I do want what's best for kids. This comes through careful compromise with the system which in turn requires a great amount of patience. If the system wins too many battles, then kids are losing. If I win too many battles, I am part of the system and the kids are losing. The most impact full change for kids seems to be breaking even with the system. Honest compromise helps me be true to my values and helps me advocate for my students.

Man Up!

You may have seen this news story and picture in the Southern Illinoisan.  I found myself very tickled by it for two reasons.  First I'm not sure I would have reported this to the police.  To be honest I have had many threats made against me by angry parents and I have never once felt that anything would come to fruition.  My initial reaction was confusion as to why the administrator felt threatened.  The article states, Brown threatened to “kick her (the administrator's) teeth down her throat and make her suffocate on them,” when the administrator is “old and no longer a principal,” according to the information.  There is no immediate danger to this person and I'm sure she didn't feel the urge to schedule an ass whoopin in her calendar for a post retirement date.  But hey, to each is own and I can't say how one should feel.  I was told once in a voice mail that I was going to get my throat slit.  It became a great joke around the office when that person apologized the next day.

Here may be the reason that it was reported since no immediate threat existed.  Simply put, payback.  I have parents do this very thing all the time.  They get mad at the school for something that may or may not have happened so instead making a simple phone call, they take to the airwaves thinking that it is private and hoping to gain support from their peers.  This is the most frustrating thing that can happen to a school administrator.  We come to work representing all of our students, teachers and families and we do it with pride.  When we get bashed, it does sting a little.  The fact that a parent will go on Facebook, discuss facts that have not been substantiated and place blame, is tremendously disrespectful to the school as a whole.  Man up!  If you have a concern, call.  I love all my students but they are going to cover their butts when they can so you likely do not have the whole story.  Be fair.  I spend more time with some of my kids than their parents do.  I'm not complaining but I may be in a good position to tell you how they behave.  By the way, is she laughing or crying?

http://thesouthern.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/prosecutor-woman-used-facebook-to-threaten-school-principal/article_8ba292f6-ab86-11e2-bc21-0019bb2963f4.html

Leading With The Positive

Each day I wake upland do the same thing, I check the news.  I check my CNN and AP apps and I check my ESPN app as well as watch the airing of Sports Center that's on when I get up.  I have come to the conclusion that the news coverage I get exposed to follows the following pattern:

• There will always be war and violence in the Middle East and Asia. 
• Individuals that are white and pretty usually get all the kidnapping coverage. (Many people get abducted but these are the ones we get to hear about.)
• Lower level idiots in most types of institutions always bring down higher level idiots. 
• Football at all levels gets coverage in their off seasons
• And yes, Republicans will never like any president unless that president is a republican. 

I was able to start my morning today with a break from the norm.  Sports Center led their broadcast this morning with a great story about a seven year old cancer patient that was allowed to play in a Nebraska spring football game. Not only did he play, they set up a 69 yard touchdown run for him.  I'm not going to lie, this is a get choked up moment. I then thought back to the effort that ESPN made to announce that they would skip NCAA basketball highlights to show this story first.  Wow, how refreshing is this?  What if the news started each broadcast with something positive.  I went through my day feeling motivated and morally centered. 

What if, I mean sriously, what if the news led with a positive story.  This would without a doubt rock traditional wisdom when it comes to the broadcasting business. Lets skip the story about the murder that happened last night and focus on people that work hard to prevent bad things from happening. Lets skip the story about political gridlock and run a story about the coach that doesn't abuse their players but builds them into great people. Is this too much to ask?  Try it for a week and tell me that a  small revolution wouldn't occur that helped people feel positive and confident in their fellow man and community. Maybe it would be hard to sell advertising. Or maybe people would just might start believing in us as a nation that leads with the positive.

Watch the video

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_Jmisv1Spck