Another Perspective on the Teacher Shortage

Although this is not a new issue, I began giving this real thought in the last couple of weeks.  Thanks to some Tweeting by Scott England and a good conversation with Senator Dale Fowler, I began to actually consider not just the complexity of the problem but a side that maybe we don't talk about enough.

I first encountered the beginnings of the shortage several years ago when I struggled to find Family Consumer Science candidates for my high school.  Traditional posting was not getting any applicants and conversations with SIUC were revealing the fact that they just weren't turning out any teachers.    On top of that, there were not many avenues for non-traditional certification for this obvious area of shortage.  We eventually clawed our way to a provisional certificate for a teacher that only stayed two years.  

The Illinois State Board published it's response to the issue this year with a seven point plan for tackling the problem.  It promotes practices that educators have known could be effective, but we had to get to an alarming juncture to push action.  Senator Fowler says this is legislative priority for him and it should be.  Our region is not only having trouble finding teachers, it is having trouble making teachers.

I love telling the story of my first paycheck, that is to say that I forgot I was getting paid to teach.  I was so in love with my work that when my first check arrived, it was a happy surprise.  The difference between now and then is that I'm not a Millennial.   I come from the time of thinking that a college degree equals not only success, but happiness.  Millennials just don't feel this way.  In fact, there are a good number of them that support charters and vouchers if it means a better education for a student that might not otherwise get one.  Other polling and research suggests that Millennials see teaching for average people and that the profession is undervalued.  If they don't see college as valuable to being successful and that teachers are just average people, what chance do we have to convince them to go into teaching.  After all, college is a financial commitment these days.

A contributing factor to the teacher shortage is the student debt situation in this country.  I willingly took on my debt as a social mobility tool.  That was my way out of poverty, but for some student loans keep people indebted for life.  Forbes offers staggering statistics about the $1.5 Trillion that we owe nationally in student loan debt.  Let's put two and two together.  Young people that already struggle to see the value of college to be successful will be hard to convince that they should take on a large amount of debt to make a difference.  This is not something you will find in ISBE's seven point plan but it is a reality we need to address.  Check the graphic below.  It is a problem in Illinois.

It is not wrong to say that we need to change the rules and laws around teacher recruitment, preparation and retention.  It is definitely needed.  As all challenges worth taking up, there are several points of entry and the desire to actually go to college to be a teacher is one of them.  I can preach all day about how awesome it is to be a teacher and how it has changed my life, but it feels like the commitment to get there may be too much for so many.  Sure there are programs for student loan debt relief for teachers, but you have to teach for five years to qualify for them.  That doesn't attract people to the profession.  Maybe this needs to be an area of policy consideration too.  It may just help address our teacher shortage.

The Best Version of Yourself

It seems like this year I have encountered lots of disappointment in the various arenas of my world.  That is not to say that normally I do not have to manage differing degrees of disappointment but recently it sure seems like it is dominating most discussions.  It is taking many forms too.  Job dissatisfaction, mad at teachers or coaches, politics, and just plain being down on life are daily conversations and it can really wear on a guy.  I try hard to listen and be accommodating, but I really try hard not to let it bring me down too.

The best response I can give these poor souls is to just be the best version of yourself that you can be.  I think that is all you can do to make it in a complex world with so many twists and turns.  When you are being the best version of yourself that you can be, the noise just starts to go away and you are confident in your decision making.  So how can one do this? 

Live off of your uniqueness, not your troubles.  Everyone has a talent, skill, quality or characteristic that makes them unique in some way.  I attended a training last week in which a speaker told the crowd that they were not special.  He further explained that each of us were miracles instead.  He pointed out the the odds and probability of just being in that room at that time.  What are the chances that your parents would meet and their parents and so on.  The math is difficult to grasp, but he had a point.  There is really no one just like you and you should see your station in life as an opportunity.

Let your faith guide you.  I don't care what faith you belong to, but all of them ask this of us.  This is no accident.  As Christians we are asked to chase Christ's example and love others as God has loved us.  To forgive others as God forgave us seems to be the speed bump that we all hit.  People do wrong us at times and it makes us question and compromise the best version of ourselves.  Stay the course my friends.  If we all forgave each other collectively without any expectation of reciprocity, it would make a huge impact on how we live and treat each other.

People will gravitate towards your best version.  This is the best part of being the best version of yourself.  All of your relationships will be more genuine and rewarding.  When people value you for your uniqueness and kindness, they will want nothing exchange from you other than to be part of your world.  Can you identify those who are always demanding more of you?  More than simply being part of your experience on this Earth?  We all know who the toxic people are because they are easy to spot, but don't alienate yourself from the people that really get you.  They deserve your time.

I know all this sounds elementary and not really a ground breaking set of ideas.  Think about it.  We let conflicts convince ourselves that we are not good at being us.  We often ignore the messages of our faith instead of setting guideposts based on it.  We build relationships around give and take  instead of how people can compliment us, and then complain about all the drama.  Just be the best version of yourself that you can be.  It's difficult but I'm working on it.  Life's too short to be unhappy.

What about Free Lunch Kids and Sports?

In January I get the opportunity to provide a full day training on the perceptions of poverty and best practices for the school environment.  I am a little geeked up about this.  I finished the slides over a month ago but I still keep my radar on for anything I may have missed as it relates to students of poverty and how to reach them.  As I was leaving one day, the custodian pointed out that the boys basketball list had been posted outside the gym and some that came to see it were a little disappointed.  He said some of them remarked that only the "rich" kids made the team like they always do.

My knee jerk reaction was to disagree with the comment.  I new first hand how many pairs of shoes I had bought for kids that could not afford them.  I also took issue with the idea that we have "rich" kids in our school because we certainly don't.  After I spent some time trying to discredit the statement, I could not.  There is some truth behind what was said.  The gaps between free lunch kids and middle class kids are evident in all areas of schooling, including athletics.

Think about how the lack of resources effects the free lunch kid.  I had a colleague that told me a while back that he had to pick up some of his kids on the way to practice.  I was in my administrative internship so I cringed at the notion that he was putting kids in his car.  While he made me nervous about it, I realized that he was placing the relationship with his players above liability.  I've also seen coaches kick kids off of their teams because they missed practices due to a lack of a ride.  These are two extremes but there has to be a middle ground.  I would say there is a way to have high expectations and still establish the needed relationship that the free lunch kid needs.

Often, teams require the purchasing of extras for the players.  This might mean team shoes, bags, shooting shirts and what have you.  This is daunting to a family that does not have the funds to buy these things.  It may turn away those kids that desperately need the relationship that a coach and a team can provide.  This is where the illusion of players being the "rich kids" comes in.  If you have fancy things, you have money.  The lack of resources should not interrupt the the possibilities that await a good athlete that happens to be a free lunch kid.

While these seem to be two obvious examples, they can be overcome by being creative and showing your free lunch kid athletes that you care about the player/coach relationship.  If the culture/climate of your team works to overcome barriers such as these,  you might just end up with a group of good athletes, willing to be coached.  I know we often say that you don't just pick a player, you also pick their parents.  Coaches sometimes avoid kids because of their poverty baggage and its just easier to pick someone else.  If anything, we need to recognize their talent first and that baggage later.  Our faith in them speaks volumes to a free lunch kid, just like it did for me.

If you are interested in my workshop, follow this link to register.  I feel that topics we will address are real to our area and the kids we serve.  I also feel the responsibility to speak for these kids because I used to be one.  If you have any questions about the workshop feel free to contact me at ccass810@gmail.com. 

You Should Never Miss an IPA Fall Conference

I remember my first IPA fall conference.  It was my first year as a principal and by October you start getting that feeling that you are now an island to yourself.  In small districts like ours, you are usually the only administrator in the building and you don't get many chances to bounce ideas off of people like you.  I was having a good year but as a rookie, you have a lot of uncertainty that you need professional networking to fix.  I remember walking into the Peoria Civic Center that first morning to the general session.  I looked around and not only spotted familiar faces but soon realized that these were my people.  A building filled with people that do what you do for a living.  They understand the ups and downs of the field and they have shared experiences with you.  Throughout my masters program, Dr. Colwell continuously preached that we should join the IPA and upon my arrival at my first fall conference I finally understood why.

As I moved from session to session and the general sessions, I could see the special-ness of the IPA playing out before me.  I was beyond impressed with the organization and the presentation of the event as well as how the IPA honors it's members.  I watched the Principal of the Year honorees accept their awards and thinking how cool it would be if that was me.  Eventually, I got my chance to walk across the stage.  I have had the opportunity to present a small group session and do an ignite session last year.  I was very motivated to get involved after that first fall conference.  I have served on state committees, the conference planning committee and I recently took on the honor of being region director for the Egyptian Region.  My experiences over the years with the IPA have been very rewarding and I credit the organization for so much of my development as a school administrator.

This conference is one you can't miss from year to year.  Yes you get to see old friends and talk shop, but the learning opportunities are top notch.  Look through the small group sessions and tell me you can't find something that is beneficial to your building.  Personally, there are many sessions I could go to that could potentially impact my building.  We are re-branding this year.  There is a session for that.  We are constantly talking about the value of homework.  There is a session for that too.  Really, there is no excuse not to make the trip to Springfield to take advantage of these and many other professional development possibilities.

If you have been on the fence for some reason and have yet to register, what are you waiting on?  Go online and register so you can see what adventures await.

My Daughter's Principal

Caution: Very personal post.

My daughter's junior high principal rarely spoke to her over the course of those two years.  That is kind of a natural thing.  Kids like her don't really get a lot of personal attention.  She was that girl that worked hard in her classes, put herself around good friends, played multiple sports and joined extra-curricular clubs.  She was the kind of kid that would just die if she had ever gotten a detention.  I can sympathize, most principals are busy putting out fires and dealing with the kids most needing adult intervention and she was not really one of them.  The problem is that I was her junior high principal and it is no longer okay for me to accept that our relationship was on hold for two very important years.

I had always been looking forward to having my daughter in my school building.  When she was in first grade, I was hired to my current position.  Before that, she was a great sidekick for me at my previous high school.  She went to my dances and games with me.  She always seemed interested in what I did.  When she was older, she would play school with one of her friends (whose mom was a teacher there) in my building until it was time to go home.  As the years ticked by, the time had come to register her at my building.

I wasn't long before my excitement about her being there would be challenged.  In the first week of school a student in one of her classes told her that the only reason she was getting to play on the softball team was because her dad buys all the equipment.  She told us this story and we laughed it off with her.  Inside, this was a huge shock to my system.  Somehow I had lost sight of the fact that kids at this age would not see her how I see her while she goes to my school.  She is always going to have the appearance of special treatment no matter how hard she worked or excelled.  She would going to exist under my shadow and this was not acceptable to me.

I started to pull away and give her the distance she needed to be insulated from me.  Junior high is tough and I never wanted to make it tougher for her.  We did not take advantage of what we knew about what was going on at school.  This was good for both of us, but it was difficult to convince others that she was never an informant for me.  Sure we exchanged small encounters but we probably never appeared to be close at school.  Thankfully, my teachers took care of the fun stuff and jokes during my fatherhood sabbatical.  She had great relationships with the staff and I am indebted to them for that.  She ended junior high with great experiences in and out of the classroom despite me having very little to do with that.

8th Grade Night

She is a freshman now and we can breathe again.  She talks non-stop about school and even though I tease her about, I kinda like it.  She is getting ready for homecoming and shopping for dresses.  It honestly doesn't bother me at all.  It takes me back to the days that she was my homecoming date at Elverado High School.  A lot has changed since then and she is a great kid.  She didn't get the credit she deserved during those two years, but now she is free from the shadow to make her own path forward.  I am truly excited for her.

So to my daughter's principal, you are getting a good one.  I promise to be a supportive parent now that I can feel like one again.  She really likes kidding around with the teachers if you could make time to do that with her.  Her mother and I will do our best to guide her from here, but we need a great principal to guide her in there.

Social Studies Teachers Rejoice

I remember when I was a social studies teacher at Mt. Vernon Township High School.  That's way back when we were on the Prairie State Exam.  Yes, social studies was on the state exam.  These days we test math, English/language arts and science but somewhere we were left out.  Was it because the social sciences such as history, civics, and economics were not important?  Of course not.  Our subject matter was just not a legislative priority and we didn't make the cut for state tests.  Don't feel left out fellow social studies teachers, it is time to rejoice.

Most of the legally required subjects to be taught in school are social studies topics.  It's true.  I remember being told this long ago when Dennis Overturf was mentoring myself and other student teachers at SIU Carbondale.  I just thought it was because he was proud to be a social studies teacher.  Years later when I began to study the School Code, I learned he was right.  I wondered back then if all these statutorily required units were the result of our legislature being frustrated with what students didn't know.  It is comforting that the law making process was executed to make sure kids learned about the Holocaust, the US Constitution and African-American history.  It seems that our lawmakers over time wanted our kids to have well-rounded social studies education experiences and I'm happy for it.

The fact that social studies has been de-emphasized on our standardized tests does not mean teaching social studies is not important.  Anyone could argue that it is more important now than ever.  As I watched the news a few night ago I wondered, what if Frank Hartman got to evaluate me teaching a lesson on fake news?  What if I had to evaluate a teacher trying to wade through the student debate and discussion over border control?  We live an a point in history that is unprecedented and will certainly re-write all of the textbooks we teach from (if we can afford them).  Social Studies teachers are incredibly important right now.  Not to tell kids how to vote or what party to belong to, but to move past asking them to memorize the preamble and start inspiring them to exercise it.



Look at the graphic above and you will see why great social studies teachers are pivotal right now.  In the general sense, we are talking about the issues but where is the action?  We need strong civics education now more than ever.  Some say the 2016 election is the result of not engaging students in civics and the democratic process.  While that is a matter of opinion, the fact that voter turnout remains low cannot be ignored.  There's no better way to prepare students for the real world like practice.  Providing students with opportunities for participation and simulations in democracy is a great way to engage our students in the process.  This is one of the essential missions of schools.  We have to make more citizens and preferably some that are informed and ready to participate.  So yes social studies teachers, you matter.  You will be the ones that inspire students through knowledge and practice to be our next voters and difference makers.  Social studies teachers, rejoice and embrace this role.

Raising the White Flag on Cellphones

We are approaching a new school year and people like me start to get excited.  The promise of a new year and new opportunities is always something to look forward to.  You spend a summer fixing old challenges and creating new programs or policies.  As we approach August I have been seeing a lot more reports of schools banning cell phones from the classroom and I am now running across research support on the topic as well.  It seems that schools are beginning to raise the white flag on phones despite some earlier excitement about BYOD.

It is surely no secret that I am a BYOD supporter and that I lead a BYOD school.  I recognize that all schools are different and have unique needs.  It is completely within their scope to design their own policies when it comes to what takes place in their buildings and how they use the technology resources they have.  I would like to offer a couple counter points for those schools that simply see them as a distraction to classroom instruction.

My fist question would be, What is your policy climate like?  If your policy is as simple as they are allowed or not allowed, maybe the big picture is being missed.  BYOD is not as simple as the existence of personal devices in a school building.  It is an ed tech instructional initiative.  Your policy should include how students will use their devices as learning tools and the teaching staff has to actually model and support that activity.  Instructional initiatives take planning and follow up after implementation.  Sustaining BYOD is hard work and requires commitment.  Just like any other curriculum or instructional endeavor it takes dedicated people to make it work. 

My next question would be, Are your classrooms engaging?  When I was a kid, there were plenty of distracted students and we didn't have cell phones.  Kids were passing notes, doodling in their notebooks, carving in desks or just plain sleeping.  Those kids, and sometimes me, were simply not being engaged in learning.  I taught once upon a time and I know you can't reach them all, but I never stopped trying.  An engaging classroom environment will prevent distractions.  Lets not forget that a good set of classroom procedures for devices will help too.  Teachers, with proper administrative support, are the key to every success in a school building. 

Cellphones are not going away. They represent a skill set to be managed. They are not a fad that will go away so we should be addressing them and finding a way to leverage their power in the school setting.  I've said before that you have to find a way to win with what you have.  If the kids are on devices, then we should be beating them to the punch make them relevant tools in school.  We also complain that they behave horribly on their phones and they have poor habits.  That's very true, but shouldn’t we be the change we want to see in them?  If we are modeling that devices as tools and not toys, the students will respond.  We need to be catalysts of change and progress and not throwing up a white flag.

Lessons from the Matheny Firing

Last week the St. Louis Cardinals fired manager Mike Matheny.  Despite this being a game, it is a business at the professional level.  Decisions have to be made and people have to move on.  The organization decided that we would be better off with a new manager.  Let's be clear, he is not the type to bring shame to the Cardinals and he did not exhibit behavior that demanded him be fired.  Don't forget, hall of famer Tony LaRussa was arrested for DUI back in 2007.  Mike was fired for the well complained about poor game decision making that led to tough losses despite having a talented team.  Other rumors were that he had lost the confidence of the locker room and it was time to part ways.  I'm happy that it was not because he has compromised his values in any way.  From what I understand, he is very good man.

In Cardinal Nation there was jubilation and joking over the firing.  People see this move about wins and losses and in some ways see this firing as an indication that Matheny is a terrible baseball manager.  After the firing, new reasons to dislike Mike surfaced.  Look at the Tweet on the bottom right.  Remember when Matheny was hired, people liked the notion that he was a man of faith and it gave him credibility and we had confidence that he would uphold the Cardinal way.  It's funny how our perception of coaches can change with wins and losses.  I think fans have been a little unfair.

It's not all bad.  There are some reasonable people out there.  For all the guys with jokes there are people that do care that he will land on his feet.  Matheny has been very gracious in his exit and says he is thankful for the opportunity he was given.  He for sure has a ton of class and I'm sure he will find new opportunities in the MLB.

To my fellow school administrators, lets examine ourselves as people that could some day meet the same fate.  You can do everything right, lead with your values, genuinely care about people and give everything you have but still become a victim of a "change in direction".  In a lot of ways, we would suffer the same treatment.  If you were to be let go, there would be some that feel it was deserved and make their objections to you suddenly known and then there would be some that are sympathetic to your situation.  What creates an unfair scenario for us is that the most vocal seem to be those with objections to your leadership style or approach and they obviously do not know what you deal with and what you sacrifice for your position.  These are the people that shape public opinion and that is a painful experience for people like us.

Matheny was aware that if things did not improve, he was going to be let go.  He was aware that he was not longer a good fit for the organization.  We are very familiar with the word "fit".  We are taught early that fit is everything.  When we look for a job we are making sure that we fit the school or district so we can serve at the highest level and positively impact the students.  The critical element for us is to recognize when the fit is no longer there, we still must serve with our values and integrity just as Mike Matheny has.  His firing doesn't mean is a bad manager.  He obviously has something to offer if he has been successful at the highest level.  He will just have to find the team that can benefit from that the most.  A parallel we can relate to and learn from.

The Older Guy

I recently celebrated my 42nd birthday.  I had to do the math on that because I wasn't really sure.  When you get older, you don't really seem to know how old you are.  I remember when I started teaching meeting the "older" guys in the school and being a little envious of them.  They all seemed to have their stuff together.  They owned homes, had children with full and busy lives, they seemed to be comfortable in their profession and had that wisdom that only age can give you.  I used to look at them and think, I wonder what I will be like when I'm one of the older guys.

Well, here I am and there are sure fire signs that I'm an older guy.  These were not the things I thought I would be thinking about but here is how I am sure that I am one of the older guys now.

I miss the days when hip hop music was not on the radio.  The art is more special when it is not in the mainstream.  Now, you can hear a rap verse on every pop song on the radio and to be honest, it will never be as special as Eric B. and Rakim or Boogie Down Productions.  You had to go look for hip hop back when it was special.

Nobody cared about Lebron's next move back in my day.  I grew up watching Cal Ripken spend his entire career with the Orioles regardless of their level of success.  People compare him to Jordan and Bird, but to me, there is no comparison.  All this moving around for championships, makes an older guy frustrated.

I do enjoy the new super hero movies, however I am critical of little differences.  When you grew up with Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor, it is really difficult to watch this new guy.  I am watching these movies closely only to be able to explain what they were like when I was a kid to my kids.  And whats up with all the attempts at Batman and Spiderman movies.  It seems like we could get these right. 

I recently started wearing glasses again.  I don't think I care if I look like an older guy.

What is up with television content?  I cannot get over how much is allowed on television compared to when I was a kid.  I feel like I can't watch anything in prime time with my kids in the room.  I'm always a little anxious about what might come up in the show.  Most shows these days have suggestive language or sexual content in them and I'm talking about network TV.

I love mowing the lawn.  I get super aggravated when it is too long or it takes me a couple extra days to get to it.  That is a sure fire, older guy thing.  The only item missing is a funny hat while I mow.  Not that I am unwilling to wear one, I just haven't found one that I like yet.

I am an older guy now, but its not all bad.  I work in a profession that keeps me current with the kids these days.  When I see them wear a Bob Marley t-shirt, I make them name at least one song by him.  Only one student in the last seven years has done it.  It's fun to make those connections with them.  I have a younger staff and I often wonder if I come across as one of the older guys.  Maybe they look at me the way I always looked at them.  Minus all of the old guy quirks of course.

Cheating is a Symptom and not the Problem

My daughter plays travel softball and I take some comfort in being out of town for tournaments.  I get to "check out" as far as being the principal goes.  Nobody knows who you are in these distant lands and parents and their kids speak freely.  There are lots of times where you are just waiting for the next game to start and you sit in the stands and listen to how the kids talk and act.  This is the only time I get to be undercover and do real recon on what's current with kids.  Often these kids come from various states and they don't know me from Adam.  This season I have overheard a few conversations about cheating in class on tests or homework.

Of course I cannot react to this.  I may blow my cover and ruin it.  Sure, I am immediately aggravated by the discussion, but I had to talk myself down and consider a few realities.  The reality is that cheating has gone on forever.  Kids used to cheat off of me all the time.  I wore glasses so people thought I was smart.  This does not make it okay, but lest consider that due to the need to make good grades, students will do what it takes to get there.  Some call this cheating, some may call it innovation but we have to face some facts.  Students see cheating not as wrong, but as a means to an end, to pass or to get ahead for example.  According to one recent survey of middle schoolers, 2/3 of respondents reported cheating on exams, while 9/10 reported copying another's homework.  Cheating is not just a behavior for the "bad" kids, the "good" kids do it too.  It used to be more common among boys but now at the college level, there is no gender difference for cheating.  Think back to me eavesdropping on the out-of-state softball players.  All were girls and all reported that they made good grades every year.

Maybe the dependency on grades is the real issue.  I remember reading a student blog once that really opened my eyes.  She stated that she used to love school in the elementary grades because it was always about what she was learning.  When she entered junior high and high school, there was an insistence on getting good grades and having a high GPA.  She stopped liking school at that point.  (I apologize for not sharing this post but I could not locate it.)  We tie so much of a kid's life to their grades.  Participation in extra curricular activities, college admissions, awards and a lot of times parental approval all get tied to a student's grades.  This causes stress for our kids and it does lead to behaviors like cheating. 

Another reality is that grades often do not measure what a student can do.  When I am working with students to help them raise their grades, our strategies more often are targeted at changing habits in the classroom and do not aim at resolving some cognitive or skill deficit.  Let's be honest with each other, grades mostly measure compliance and not what has been learned.

So what is the alternative to letter grades?  The brave have already tested the idea of standards based report cards.  This is the practice of not assigning a letter grade but reporting what learning standards students have met or are still progressing towards.  All of us in the education field know this has caused some parental push back.  Traditional letter grades are what we have known since we can remember.  Parents often report that they cannot understand the standards based reporting system and push their districts to go back to letter grades.  Another argument is that colleges do not speak the language of standards when it comes to admissions.  Some districts are reporting both in an effort to win their communities over with the idea.  Schools have accepted that letter grades are no longer a good measure and see the implications of student stress, but it is very difficult to convince others.

While cheating and academic dishonesty are easily agreed upon as wrong by adults, kids often see nothing wrong with it.  It is a means to an end for them but a symptom of a larger problem.  We either need to find a way to make letter grades meaningful or find a way to report student learning that will change the culture around letter grades.  The pressure of grade performance is becoming too much for kids.  So I challenge educators and parents alike to answer the following: what is the biggest predictor of success, a high GPA or a love of learning?  I know how I will answer that, but can we all ever get to the same place?

"Supposed" to be Kids

I really was tickled with a former student's Facebook post the other day.  Robert Johnson was one of my favorite kids at Elverado High School.  He was sharp, had a great personality and had solid leadership potential.  He has a sense of duty to his community and knows he has a responsibility to it.  He is one of those kids that test scores don't measure.  His post made me reflect not only on my own experiences but the experiences of so many other students that have come through my doors.  There are those kids that are not "supposed" to be successful in the eyes of others.

My experience over the years is that those kids, you know the ones that have to climb the hardest and farthest to the middle class are the ones that have the greatest impact on others.  Don't get me wrong, good souls come from all walks of life but there is something special about the kid that is not "supposed" to make it but they do.  These kids turn out to be compassionate, progressive and responsible to others.  They appreciate the opportunities that come their way and they demand nothing from others and take pride in earning their way.

I was a first generation college student.  I wasn't "supposed" to go to college either.  I remember thinking about how much it was an honor to step on the SIUC campus each day.  Other students that were expected to go to college just saw it as a necessary step to move on.  I saw it as a gateway to end a poverty stricken life.  People I went to college with were there to get their papers so they could find a job.  I was there to learn how to teach.  It's funny the level of engagement changes depending on where you come from.  I never took college lightly because I wanted it to take me places.  My educational philosophy has always been that we should be giving these kids a shot.

This past year I had the opportunity to reach out and capture those kids that may not think they have a shot.  The Illinois Student Assistance Commission contacted us about a new program called Gear-Up.  The basic goal of the program is turn students on to the possibilities of college and careers.  They support the student through the process of finding their strengths and matching them with their potential futures.  They offer this program in higher poverty rural districts.  These targeted districts have lots of Roberts in them and the prospect of transforming the not "supposed" to kid is pretty exciting.  I am already talking to some of my students about their career or college choices.  So many of them are those that feel those doors have been closed to them.

I hope Robert continues to lead and inspire others.  We need success stories like his told in our schools to encourage kids to look past their current situation and see what their potential is.  Gear Up will be a kick start in the school building but its the stories told and the people connecting with them outside the building that will make a difference.  Keep telling your story Robert.

Don't Stop

I was truly inspired this week by the Tweets and news stories I saw about the teachers strikes on Oklahoma and Kentucky.  While these professionals are looking for better wages and working conditions, those who are critical feel that teachers should not be allowed to walk off the job.  This bold activism, coming off the heals of student protests, is exactly what the institution of education needs.  I have said before that it is time to be our own lobby and motivate the electorate to see things from our perspective.  My support goes out to these folks for a couple of main reasons; I am from Illinois and after what we have been through just to fund education, I am sympathetic and we really need to be aware of what is at stake here.

Dr. King said that a threat to justice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.  This is premise that can be applied to our schools on a national level.  If we allow states to fall into despair and into systems that fail our communities, one has to wonder who or what will be next.  People in education know that the stage is being set as we speak and the field of education has changed dramatically over the last twenty years or so.  We have a lot to lose and if we do not support our fellow educators in both activism and at the polls, we may see education as we know crumble.  If you have been living under a rock you might not know that our Federal Secretary of Education is not exactly a supporter of public schools.  We can't be silent.

What we cannot also lose sight of is how people see us as an institution.  I challenge anyone outside the field of education to sit down with a veteran teacher and just ask what it is like to teach.  Most people remember what it was like to be a student but few know what teachers go through.  It is a tough job that is far beyond a 9-5 and we really do not get summers off.  Here's a quick peek at just a few major issues that we have faced over the last decade:

• Pension systems crumbling
• Evaluations based on standardized tests
• School funding is a political football
• More and more unfunded mandates
• Challenging school communities
• Teacher shortages (caused by the others in this list and other factors)

It is really hard to be in this field given the beatings we are taking.  When I see images like the one above, I see people fighting for respect and dignity not just money or benefits.  Yes, we need to live and provide for our families but we need to see that the institution of education needs to be treated like our other noble professions again.  Finland has become the model of successful schooling and there are many take-aways that we should be picking up on.  Especially how the teaching profession is treated.  You can read the linked article but in short, teachers are treated like doctors and lawyers and because of the pay and autonomy they have a steady flow of applicants.  This is what our activism should be pushing to achieve.  Imagine a society where those who prepare our most important resource (kids), are happy and respected professionals. Some countries have that and its time that we make it happen for ourselves.

For those who are critical, please do not take the activism of students and teachers as whining.  The school landscape is too complicated to reduce our voices to whining or complaining.  All I ask is that you listen to us.  Listen to the people on the ground who know what is going on and can help educate the public about their grievances.

For those of us that support our teachers, don't ever stop.  Don't stop until we have a lobby as strong as all the other special interests that get a seat at the table.  Don't stop until we have inspired a new generation of kids that want to be teachers. Don't stop until we return our schoolhouses to their once respected glory.  Don't Stop.

Joy

Finding joy can be difficult these days.  I thought I found a small amount of joy after watching the reboot of Roseanne.  My mom and I watched that show way back when and I could hear her cracking up through it just like she used to.  I remember those good times and during the show wondered if she would have liked it just the same if she were still around.  I thought the show was pretty good and might better than the old version.  It had what I remembered back in the day, a real reflection of middle America struggling to get by.  If you lived that way, you got the show and got the humor.  Of course back then, you didn't have to wake up to the social media backlash of things.  I realize that Roseanne herself does not align with my political beliefs, but now I have to stomach the amplification of everyone else's political beliefs just scrolling thought Facebook or my news feed.  Look, I am not a Trump fan in any way, but I didn't want all of that.  I just wanted to be entertained and reminisce on old nights on the couch with family watching TV.

We are so flooded with public opinion that it is hard to find the joy in things anymore.  It's not just social media and the news.  People are just different now and seem to be looking for conflict any where they go and in any situation.  If you are a regular guy with no agenda for life, it can make for difficult and stressful days.  Recently, I have endured lots of misbehaving students, angry parents, and disparaging news stories.  Through all of that, I still seek out joy wherever I can find it.  The truth is, there are a lot of things that bring me joy.

I love watching my kids think they have said or done something funny.

I love it when my wife brings my misguided stress into perspective.

I love watching people worship at church.

I love seeing a teacher with an exciting new idea.

I love the mere act of a student stopping to hang out with me in the halls.

I love watching my kids play sports (especially now that I am not coaching).

I love attending professional development events with other teachers and leaders.

I love eating a good steak or Italian beef sandwich.

We all have little things we use to center us from all the negativity of the world.  I was pleased to see that the Illinois Principals Association's School Leader Continuum recognizes this.  It is nice to know that they realize that people like me not only shoulder our own problems, but also the problems of many others too.  It is our responsibility to actively take care of our own mental well being.  If we don't, we are cheating our families and our schools.  Where do you find joy?  Are you open minded enough to see it all around you?  Just like Eddie Murphy in Coming to America.  Are you seeing the challenges in the room or are seeing joy?  That is up to you to answer, but for me I will be looking for the joy.

Reflections from a Walkout

As the discussion heated up about the big walkout this week, our students had not said a word.  I was worried that they were apathetic and didn't care but the afternoon before the 14th, they finally spoke up and wanted to participate.  We had a lot going on that morning but we made an open invitation for those who wanted to walk out may do so.  I allowed them the area around the flagpole to gather.  Our local police department stood by to observe and they came out in far greater numbers than I expected.

I would say nearly 200 students came out and gathered around in a circle and stood silently for 17 minutes.  Some prayed, others just stood but all of them were still and did not disrupt any of those 17 minutes.  No signs were made or carried.  No chants were shouted.  They used their time to honor the 17 children that were murdered in Parkland, Florida.

I was very proud of our kids.  There were no politics and the feedback from social media was good.  I felt like they got it.  Even kids from very pro-gun families stood in mourning and prayed.  There are a lot of things that we use as measures of success in schools like test scores or winning teams to name a couple.  The honest reality is that these are the moments you should measure your students by.  If you can have a school year in which your students show tremendous heart and concern for others, you have a good school.  Our kids have stepped up many times this year and made me proud.

I woke up the next morning to find a comment added to the school's Facebook post.  To paraphrase he posted that we were indoctrinating these kids and that they knew nothing of the second amendment.  I knew this man personally and we had even worked together at my previous district.  I deleted his comment and messaged him privately to contact me directly if he had a concern about the activity and to not call out my students.  I did not hear back from him.

This commenter does not understand what I have come to know over all these years.  Kids are way better people than we give them credit for.  They absolutely frustrate us as we work to mold them but their moral compass is always good.  As I was saddened at the comment that was left, my wife sent me a post from one of our students that made my day.  A seventh grader from my building made the post below and I really hope people took note that he is one of many kids that just want peace for their fellow students.  My kids were not there to prove a political point.  They were there to honor and mourn.  Misguided adults are painting the nation's youth as too naive to understand the situation, but trust me they do.

Too often our "leaders" try to solve problems without the advice of those affected the most.  If I have learned anything in recent weeks its that it is time for policy makers to listen to the kids that are living this horrible reality of their time.  They may not be able to vote today, but it won't be long until they can.  This is not just the millennial generation it is also the era of the school shooting and it is the most unique time in our nation's history.  They will have their time to lead this nation but please don't count them out today because they are young.  They will always bring us grown ups back to where we know we should be.

You Are What You Celebrate

I had the opportunity to attend a very special event this week.  Our BETA Club went to their annual state convention in Springfield and man did they impress.  They entered in 25 competitions and placed in 13.  Of those 13, seven were first place winners.  This was the best state convention that we can rememeber and their trip to nationals in June appears to be very promising.  My daughter has been a BETA both years in junior high and it has been a very rewarding experience for her.  She has created lasting memories and learned what it takes to meet high expectations.  Our students truly are preparing themselves for sucess.  On a side note, our kids are some of the best behaved students there each year I have attended.

I found myself as excited as the kids were about their triumphs.  I had flashbacks of when I was a YMCA Youth & Government sponsor at Mt. Vernon and Elverado.  I remember fondly not only being a very successful delegation but also communicating how important it was to our students that they perform at a high level and put themselves on the map at every turn.  Our BETA Club has been successful over the years but not like this.  They got the full experience of being the school that everyone was looking at and wanting to know more about.  I was very proud and quickly took to the bus to tell them that before we left.  I also had to post about it on social media to tell the world how these kids made their community proud and represented them well on a large stage.  The comments and feedback were great and you could feel that community pride with each conversation.

I have no problem celbrating our kids.  What I have loved about our BETA Club is that every kid that is selected understands that they are expected to compete at a high level and add plaques to the wall when they get home.  Having high expectations and helping kids acheive to their fullest potential should be the mission of every school.   When that mission is executed, we have to celebrate our kids so it will perpetuate itself.

Let's use that word with caution.  Celebrating is great if you celebrate the right things.  You are what you celebrate.  If you celebrate mediocrity, that's what you will get.  If you celebrate reaching a low level goals repeatedly, there will be no motivation to go further.  You are what you celebrate.  I often have a lot of conversations about school climate with fellow admins and I usually take a quick peek at their social media pages to see what they celebrate.  Those school leaders that report that their schools feel uninspired, usually have very dull websites and social media pages.  I always challenge them to tell their stories on social media.  They might be uncomfortable with doing that but our families love to see that our schools are dynamic learning spaces that are growing students.  Social media is a great venue to celebrate who you are.

It was an absolute treat to travel with our BETA Club as a parent helper.  I would like to give a big shout out to our sponsors and kids for making their community proud but also for having high expectations.  We celebrate high expectations all the time and remember, you are what you celebrate.

Our Special Talent dancers saying a prayer backstage before competing in the finals.  They took first place in the event.

We Have a Heart Problem

I'm sure I will be one of millions that post a blog or editorial about school shootings in the next few days.  After another tragedy, we are scratching our heads again.  The media consensus seems to be that this is the 18th school shooting of 2018 and it is only February.  As I look back over the 16 years I've spent in education, I wonder how we have to gotten to this place in such a short time period.  A place where school and church shootings are common and sometimes don't make the news unless a body count is involved.  So I guess we are in a place where we need to know what direction to go in.

Lets settle some truths before we dive in.  There is not one school that I know of that does not make student safety a priority.  There may be varying degrees and approaches, but we have made active shooter trainings and plans a norm in the school leader toolbox.  It is a sad reality of our profession and to allege that schools are not safe is not true.

Will tighter gun control measures deter the school or church shooter?  Absolutely.  Many of the recent mass shootings have been carried out with an AR-15.  Eliminating the legality of owing an assault rifle will help prevent mass shootings.  This has been proven in many other countries that do not suffer the gun violence that we do.

Do the major social media platforms need to monitor and report this behavior better?  Absolutely.  So many of these incidents are connected to posts on social media that shows the shooter's intent.  To my knowledge, the responsibility to report concerning pictures or posts rests typically with the users.  I will admit that I have not reviewed their policies but it seems to me that with all the filters and algorithms we could catch these posts and they could be directly reported to law enforcement.

I agree that it is not fair to limit the freedoms of many for those "crazies" that commit all these acts of violence, but when that argument is launched with the enthusiasm that it usually does, I feel that the problem is sitting right in front of us and we will not give in and work for the solution.  Our country has a heart problem.  Our nation's priorities do not align with it's greatest needs.

There is no single angle that can be taken to stop school shootings.  It is multi level problem that requires serious diligence by all of us.  We can start by rebuilding our finest American institution.

If we use Columbine (1999) as our starting point for this horrible trend of school and church shootings, a  lot of social issues have shaped our policy making and culture during that time.  The poverty rate has been up and down since that time where we would like to see a downward trend as we go.  As expected, the unemployment rate is also in a sporadic trend.  The point is that last great generation in the country prospered on economic opportunity.  When families struggle economically, they begin to deteriorate.  The economy seems to be a political football and election leverage, but there is a real consequence for not prioritizing it. Along with other social and political changes, the American family is struggling.

Ever hear people talk about the good old days?  Those old stories remind us of what intact families felt like.  No one could even dream of a mass shooting happening in a school or church back in those days because our families were strong and our values wouldn't allow it.  Those were the times when families were strong.  It seems to me that the family unit has become an afterthought.  People seem to place so much more value on things that are far less important.  We complain about the millennial attitude but it is by product of this movement away from valuing family and community.  I have always felt that the family is the heart of our country and right now we have a heart problem.

We can spend a day arguing the merit of the laws passed and where we have went wrong in elections, but we have to begin to focus on rebuilding the American family.  This is multi level task also.  Its a change in policy, attitudes and priorities.  Most importantly, it takes the willingness to put the collective good before the benefit of the small few.  It will not be an overnight process and we will have to make sacrifices.  Its worth it if we want to return to a news cast that doesn't involve shootings, sexual immorality, or crime at every level.  We must fix our country's heart problem if we want to return to the American way.

I spoke to my students a grade level at a time today to help make sense of this mess and and how to be empowered in the event we suffer such an event.  I am 41 years old and I cannot remember my junior high principal needing to have this talk.  My profession has changed profoundly over the years and I hope people know the depth of concern and care we have for our students.  It was difficult to look at the seriousness of their faces today when I spoke.  They do truly care about the lives of their classmates.  It is our job to nurture that caring and help them build strong families.  This is the start to fixing our heart problem.

Your Kid Will Not Be The Next (Fill in the Blank)

I remember when I was in junior high I was a huge Oakland A's fan.  That's right.  I was a west coast fan in the middle of Cardinal/Cub country.  I relied on the newspaper box score and baseball cards to know what was going on with the Bash Brothers.  I always watched the All-Star game and when they were in the series, I was glued to the TV.  You can image my delight when McGuire was traded to the Cardinals.  It's like I was 12 all over again.

The 12 year old experience is far different these days.  Kids are now showered with media from many different directions.  With the internet and improved television coverage, no team is too far away.  My nine year old is even more versed about the NBA (his favorite) that I was ever about baseball.  He gets up and watches Sports Center and his video games bring him very close to the player experience.  He can have an intelligent sports conversation with this 41 year old any day and its kinda cool.

As with all things, you have to take the bad with the good.  The side effect of the sports super star on display is that we get to see every bad angle they have.  Watch this video of Draymond Green:

I obviously do not know the man personally.  He may be a great guy and a pillar in his community.  I have no idea but I know he can be disrespectful to officials in a game.  I can tune that out and watch the game.  Guess who does not have the emotional maturity to do that?  You guessed it, our kids.

I get the pleasure of watching a lot of junior high, and younger, players that have huge attitude problems.  You know the kids I'm talking about.  The ones that are going to be drafted in the first round in 8th grade and they are already sketching what their first shoe line will look like.  They feel they are too big for the game before they even start playing high school sports.

I do get frustrated with these kids but as you may have guessed, I do not fault them for this.  Somewhere in their very young lives, an adult has convinced them that they are good enough to yell at referees, argue with their coaches, disrespect their teammates and embarrass their school.  This adult may have been a parent or a coach, but based on discussions I have with parents and coaches it is always the kid's fault.  It seems easier to assign blame to a child then hold the adults around them accountable.  Now lets cram their brains full of images of pro athletes behaving poorly on and off the court/field.

I think the real problem is that parents want their kids to be the next (fill in the blank).  You know, the next Jordan, Jeter or Elway.  The problem with that thinking is that their kids most always are not going to be those people especially at ten years old.  We are failing our kids when we place too high of expectations on them.  When we tell them they have to play at a certain level or convince them that they are at a certain level is foolish.  That eliminates the opportunity for an adult to grow a player.  That eliminates the possibility that a player will be coach able and humble enough to grow their talents and abilities.  Your kid will not be the next (fill in the blank).  Only they have the power to control that and they will not realize their actual level of potential if we set the bar unreasonably high.  How about we push them to the next (whatever they want to become)?

Let Me Direct Your Praise Where it Goes

I have had the good fortune recently of people approaching me and complimenting me about various school related activities or accomplishments.  This is nice because we all know that we are usually the complaint department and manager of sticky situations.  I get bombarded with a lot of negativity and I was truly thankful for the acknowledgements, but I am usually weird about it.

I have always noticed that after one of these great encounters, I feel that I was not gracious enough or didn't' handle it well.  I have lots of trouble accepting praise.  I have always struggled with this.  When I was named Principal of the Year, I really had a hard time accepting so many congratulatory comments and messages.  It was flattering to have that kind of attention but it was uncomfortable.  I participated in an interviewing exercise to get help with job interviewing skills.  The feedback from all three helping me was the same.  They had to tell me I was not speaking enough about me and that would not play well when being interviewed for a superintendent's position.  They were right.  I have found over the years that it is socially awkward for me to accept a compliment and I have yet to put a finger on why.  So I will attempt to here.

I think one reason that I don't take praise well is because it feel unnecessary.  A long time ago I made a personal and professional commitment to serve public school children.  I do this to the best of may ability every day.  Sometimes I'm a hero and sometimes I fall short.  The title of principal should and must always imply that we are here doing the best we can for the most students possible at all times.  I take this approach to my work because I understand that is required of me and my best is deserved by the students.  So when I get a compliment on how nice the building looks, I smile and thank them but that praise should not be directed towards me.  It is my job to make sure the kids have the best and cleanest facility that we can offer, so I do not expect praise for something I should already be doing.

So where should that praise go?  The school staff of course.  I'm happiest when others are getting credit.  I told a teacher a couple weeks ago that I felt like it is my job to provide the skeleton and their job to put meat on the bones.  While a crude example, this is true.  Anytime you visit a school building, it is a reflection of the staff most of the time.  A good school climate cannot be attributed to the principal alone.  Teachers and staff interact with the students each day and maintain the relationships that it takes to be a great school.  While I will accept your compliment, I will very likely shake it off and redirect you to the staff member that is the motivation behind the act or accomplishment.

While it is not my intention to be rude or not acknowledge the sometimes uncomfortable act of approaching the principal, I just want the credit to go where it belongs and it is usually not me.  So thank you, but let me direct your kind words to the people who get it the least and deserve it the most.

Don't Miss Story Time

I was really excited to get the opportunity to do the February entry for the Principal's Calendar for the IPA.  The task was to use the School Leaders Paradigm to help fellow administrators to reflect on the leadership attributes in the Paradigm.  If you have yet to look at the Principal's Calendar, you need to.  I have found it to be a helpful resource for those things that are time sensitive and that help you stay connected to what we do.

I picked February for the attribute of "Guiding".  The short description is "Acts as a trusted adviser, drawing from personal experience and expertise to offer guidance and support."  I took this to mean, how can you help others to realize their role of guiding their staff and students.  One good way I have done this is through story telling.  I think this is something we all do but discredit it as a leadership skill.  Guess what, a lot of inspiration comes from storytelling.

I can speak to this personally.  During my undergraduate studies I had a great Civil Rights Law instructor.  He had a great way of telling the story behind a case before we had to learn the stuffy legal stuff.  When we heard the story first, we were invested in the characters and wanted to learn more about the legal process.  I loved this class.  When I began to teach civics and world history, I did this a lot.  I know we have to teach the technical stuff and the names/dates but my teaching effort was more fruitful when I was a good story teller first.  When I began my graduate work at SIUC, I again had great retired administrators that understood the art and power of story telling.  I'm not sure I would have ever been inspired to become a school leader without those experiences.

As a principal, I do not get many chances to be a story teller but I seize those moments when they happen.  One of my favorite times of the year is when I speak to the school news paper on the stories behind censorship in schools and the case law that has shaped their legal rights.  I tell stories when we have talk circles.  I use that opportunity not to read the handbook to them, but to motivate them with tales of students past and how they recover from their circumstances.  They are engaged with he story and even though you don't use names, they connect with that person's situation.  To begin this year, I asked our teachers to tell their stories.  This became a great way to learn more about each other but it inspired us as a group.

I think those that have been moved and inspired by others are easiest to convince that this is a leadership skill.  If you don't feel that this is something you could be good at, just try it once.  People want to hear about relate able experiences when they need help.  This art is everywhere we go and woven into popular culture.  If you're a Star Wars nut like me, you may have noticed that little boy at the end of the movie.  After listening intently to the stories the other children were telling, he went outside to gaze at the stars.  The real nerds were wondering if this kid would be the next Jedi in Rian Johnson's new trilogy, but I saw it for what it was.  A kid with potential, looking to be inspired.  You have lots of these little guys in your schools.  Don't miss story time when the opportunity arises.