Athletes are More than the Box Score

I'm sure you have heard the complaint.  All the school cares about is sports.  That's all we talk about.  That's where all the money goes.  If you're an athlete, you can get away with things.  I certainly do understand that perception, but I would like to shed some light on an angle you may be thinking of.  I do treat my student-athletes different from those that do not participate.  I actually expect more of them and that may sound unfair. The life lessons we have the opportunity to teach them are super valuable so yes, I do spend a lot of time on my student-athletes.  They are more than the box score.

Student-athletes are willing to put themselves under a micro scope.  This is a burden that has to be nurtured carefully.  Some little kid wants to be that athlete someday.  The athlete wears their community across their chest in every contest and everywhere they go.  When their behavior dishonors their team, their community and themselves, they will hear about it in more ways than one.  This is a great way to help them understand how blessed they are, but also of their responsibility.

Student-athletes are willing to take intense criticism.  Especially when they are not winning.  These kids, if done properly, put in a crazy amount of time and effort to play and compete.  When you are not winning or you are under performing, players can be the target of a lot of criticism.  More often than not, that can be unfair when you consider that there is so much that is out of their control.  That makes their time and effort seem to be a poor investment.  If you want more kids to go out for teams, you have to be willing to grow them and not tear them down.

Student-athletes are willing to be a part of something bigger than themselves.  I was impressed with the Hamilton County junior high boys basketball team when I saw all of them walk into the gym wearing ties and nice pants.  Kids make sacrifices, big and small, to acknowledge that they belong to a larger mission.  They are willing to put team before self.  Otherwise, they would not be there.

For student-athletes, everyday is a tryout.  Year around they are monitored to see if they are worth bringing back.  Many coaches don't want players that have baggage if it might hurt team culture.  Many coaches do not want players back that do not take care of themselves and work out in the off season.  That time investment that I mentioned is critical, but more so for those who play multiple sports.  They have to maintain a higher standard and that is worth recognizing.

I expect more of my student-athletes because they are willing to accept these conditions.  I give a lot time to these kids because they accept these conditions.  They are willing to do what it takes to weather the criticism, be a part of something bigger, and put in the work for their teammates and community.  In my business we call those people leaders.  If you are a coach, parent or community member don't be afraid to lift these kids up.  It is our job to nurture the next wave of change makers in our communities.  It's not always about the athletes, but we can't judge them solely on the box score.

Make the Impeachment About the Real Issue

This is not about Trump or an attempt to slam him.  I hope you didn't come here for that.

When I was a civics teacher, I loved teaching about the Supreme Court.  More specifically the idea that something has to go wrong somewhere before the court can make a game changing decision.  It was fun doing this with mock cases.  We read the facts of the case and got over our personal biases with the situation.  Once we could see things clearly, we applied statute and case law in an attempt to render a fair decision.  The main learning target was to understand that when the Supreme Court rules, it changes our way of life.

Our current impeachment proceedings are no different except we are dealing with the House and Senate.  If you are seeing this through the lens of being either for or against Trump, I wish you were in my civics class.  The impeachment is about the essential question of the case. Can we allow the president to use public funds as leverage over a country in return for help in damaging a political opponent?  This alleged conduct is and should be a defining moment for our Democracy.  Yes, it deserves a full and thorough process because the answer is too important to leave to simple politics.

This impeachment will help us decide what kind of democracy we want to live in. What we allow is what we become.  If we allow our president to use his office (allegedly) to influence an election or eliminate political rivals, what do we actually have?  If we say this behavior is okay, then we have to accept that we are no longer a democracy. One could argue that we are moving towards totalitarianism.  A far cry from what the writers of the constitution were hoping for.  Sure we are the great experiment, but I think this process is part of the same experiment.  The framers didn't intend for us to depart from democracy all together.

My only request is that you not make this process about who is winning, because we could all be losers depending on the outcome.  The decision made will surely change the political landscape and our attitude towards those who are elected to govern us.  Think back to your government or civics class.  It's all about checks and balances.  Let the process work and don't make it about the players.  It has to be about what is at steak.  Regardless of how I feel about the president, any president should be brought to impeachment for the same reasons.

The Clean Slate Protocol

You don’t want to be liked. You want to be respected.  I remember being told that in my teacher prep program when it came to classroom management. These were the days that we thought a quiet room was an engaged room.  As time goes on, we know differently.  We also know that as time has went on, we cannot approach students the same way have in the past.

I have current and former students tell me they like me all the time. They often report they get along with me better than all of their teachers. I don’t believe that’s true, but I know why students seek me out.  Sure, I'm nice and I like to have fun with my students.  A smile and a dependable interaction will always bring them back to you.  However, I think one habit that I have makes for great relationship building with the secondary students that I have taught and watched over for many years.

Every kid gets a clean slate every day. No matter what.  Even if they didn't behave at all the day before.  Even if their parents act like they hate you.  Even if they wrote your name on the bathroom stall.  Even if that school they transferred from told you awful things.  They get a clean slate.  If not, you risk severely disenfranchising your students and how then will they ever gain the skills they need to be successful?  Not wiping the slate clean leads to micro aggressions that jeopardize a relationship with a student.  I think we have all seen what James Comer says about learning and relationships.

I get it.  It is hard to wipe the slate clean every day.  Sometimes it is easier to make decisions based on our convenience.  Sometimes we just need a break and that kid goes to ACR so we don't have to have several of the same conversations with the same student in one day.  It is human nature and with our workload, we need a break for ourselves.  What I'm trying to sell is the idea that the payoff over the long run is worth it.  There are tons of experts that would endorse this if I am not enough.

If you are a Ruby Payne fan, this is an emotional deposit. If you are a Carol Dweck fan, this encourages growth mindset. It’s restorative for both of you.  When you show them that you can repair your relationship with them, they will be able to do it with their peers.  This is modeling an Achievement mindset if you are an Eric Jensen fan.  This simple act of kindness and forgiveness is central to my Christian faith.  I'm sure the list could go on with an official academic search.

I often tell people that I am not a poverty expert, but I am a poverty practitioner.  There are a ton of  great books being written in education and practices that are trending in research, but we say we don't have time to do all that fancy stuff. Sure you have time if you are willing to change your habits.  A change in your response and behavior does not cost you a minute of time.  Day after day, those habits become your official protocol for how you do things.  The clean slate protocol should be executed every day, for every kid, no matter what.  This doesn't mean that you change your expectations of them.  You are simply hitting the reset button the next day and starting the lesson over.

Competititve or Something Else?

Often I have to deal with kids that get worked up over a pick up game that comes to pushing and shoving.  Generally, a parent will say this happens because they are competitive.  I try to find a way to politely agree to an extent, but losing self control has nothing to do with being competitive.

What does it mean to be competitive?  The dictionary definition simply says inclined or suited to compete.  So what does it mean to compete?  A working definition would be to strive for an objective such a prize.  When a person is competitive, they are more likely to see any situation as a competition and have a need to surpass others.  In the given example, one party is trying to dominate the other out of frustration and that is not the same.

Here is my operational experience with being competitive.  Competitive people do not blow up when things do not go their way.  They work around setbacks.  Competitive people are results oriented.  They know their stats and have a plan to improve them.  The most competitive people I know or have coached, compete against themselves.  Things that they can't control, do not detract them from their goal.

So let's go back to the pick up game.  If you have never been on a junior high playground, this is scene requires a lot of patience.  My nine years of experience can be summed up like this.  They argue over every foul and no call even though there is no referee.  They pick teams with very little attention to winning the game.  They rarely pass the ball.  I have to ask them why no one is setting screens before they will do it.  The biggest thing that stands out, is the mouthing.  It is a hallmark of boys at this age.  This is the reason why some do not choose to play, because it becomes too intense.

Here's the bottom line.  Competitive kids don't give in to the mouthing.  They beat you and shut you up.  I loved playing pick up ball in school.  The best players were the most quiet players.  They didn't need to show a fierce attitude to make up for a lack of ability.  My students get frustrated with me when they complain about mouthy players.  I always tell them to beat them at the game so they will run out of of things to say.  That is not immediate enough as a solution for them today, but as they get older it will make sense.  So the next time your kid is mouthy on the playground, make sure you know if they are competitive or something else.

What's in a Last Name? A Lesson in Implicit Bias

I had to man lunch detention this week and I had an interesting conversation with one of my students.  He told me he wanted to change his last name and was begging his mom to do so. I asked why would he want to do that.  His response was that everyone with his last name always seems to be in trouble and he didn't like it.  I know where this kid is coming from.  My last name growing up meant nothing to anyone.  That might just be as bad as a name being associated with trouble all the time.

I was taken by this and immediately went into Man Lesson mode.  These are little lessons I give boys that hopefully will prepare them for manhood someday.  I related my own experience to his and told him that sometimes you have to make your own name.  If you want your last name to mean something, you have to build it up.  This isn't just for you.  It is also about your children and their children.  The conversation seemed to resonate with him and I reminded him that after nine years of being in this school, I had a lot of kids with his last name and his perception was not really accurate.

At the Mt. Vernon Conference I spoke about deficit mindset and implicit bias.  There is a lot to be said here and a lot to be applied.  Implicit bias is an unconscious attitude towards certain social groups.  Those groups might be low-income kids, special education kids or kids of color.  In other words, stereotyping students based on a social factor.  The result may be a micro-aggression against that student.  This could ruin a relationship and allow the student to accept what they think is a deficit.  Both are detrimental to the student's success.

Let's do a little soul searching.  Have you ever read a class list on the first day and noticed some familiar last names?  Don't lie and say you didn't take a pause before you kept reading the list.  Can you make a last name a stereotype?  What my student is saying is a legitimate concern for him.   The possible micro-aggressions that could take place might be:

• "Is your cousin still in the GED program?"
• "Your brother could not sit still ever."
• Call them by a sibling's name for fun or to joke with the student.
• Lowering their expectations based on previous experiences with family.

The best way to deal with my student is to simply treat him as an individual.  He obviously is affected by the baggage that comes with a last name.  He needs to be recognized for his own efforts and establish himself as a good student.  My point is that last names don't mean much.  If you have been at your school for a while, you either believe that or you don't based on your own experiences.  The part of the equation that should not be affected is the student.

Cussing in the Locker Room vs. Cussing at Denny's

I'm sure we have all seen the locker room video of Mike Schildt congratulating his players in a speech full of swear words.  It was pretty hard to miss on Twitter and I have to be honest, I was a little bit aggravated.  Not because he was cussing.  I think we all have done it or we have made up substitute words so we don't.  Let's not act like words offend us.  It is the context they are used in.

The social media commentary on the issues seemed to be pretty tame.  I did not read every comment, but he was largely supported by the fans.  The video was shot by a rookie and was not meant to be seen in public.  The whole thing backfired when my beloved Cardinals were bounced by the Nationals.  That makes his impassioned speech a little forgettable and laughable.

I recently ate at a Denny's. There were two 20- something women at the table next to me cussing severely.  One of them used the F bomb once in every sentence and I wish I was kidding.  If my family would have been with me, they would have offended me.  I was not offended in general.  Being unable to not listen to their conversation, I could easily determine they were not my kind of people and they were easy to blow off.  They have no responsibility other than to keep it down so not to bother the other diners.

If those are only words and people should get over it, why I can’t I do that at my job?  Could I talk like that as a school principal?  Imagine if I behaved like Mike Schildt for the state testing pep assembly.  It might read a little something like this:

The state board started some s–t. We 're gonna finish the s–t.  And that’s how we roll. No one f–ks with us ever. Ever. Now, I don’t give a f–k what test we take. We’re gonna f–k it up. We’re gonna take it right to them the whole f–king way. We’re gonna kick its f–king ass.

Obviously, this would not go over well.  I would be out on my behind by sundown.  There is a huge difference between what Mike Schildt did and what the two potty mouth young women did.  Locker room or not, he has presented himself in a leadership position.  Speaking for his organization.  My Denny's neighbors were only representing themselves, poorly.  Now, I'm not sure if Whitey Herzog talked like that in the locker room, but it is definitely not the Cardinal Way.  If you're a leader, show class and be polished so others will want to do the same.  If you are at Denny's, just keep it down.

School Resource Officers

I really like the show, Adam Ruins Everything.  It serves as a little dose of truth for complex issues.  Occasionally, Adam Conover will discuss things that impact schools.  In a recent episode he debunked a lot of myths about policing and that included School Resource Officers (SRO).  A couple of concerns raised in the show is that SROs are being used for what is typical school disciplinary issues and arrests seem to show racial bias.  With the call by some for all schools to have an SRO, it looks like the training for them has a lot to live up to.

So what goes into SRO training?  We are talking about two worlds of learning coming together for a very important mission.  Teachers are trained in child development and teaching while officers are trained in safety and enforcement.  Neither one could easily transition into the other's world.  The National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) provides coursework for officers moving into the schoolhouse.  The basic 40 hour course topics are:

• Function of Law Enforcement
• Mentoring Students
• Guest Speaking

NASRO also offers and advanced course as well as adolescent mental health training.  

Sargent Jim Hawkins is a great example of what an SRO should be.  I had the pleasure of working with him at Mt. Vernon Township High School.  He is a great human being on every level.  Hawk would be a part of my teaching.  I taught civics and he would come in after a discussion on the 4th and 5th amendments and talk about police stops and probable cause.  His appearance always spun into a deep dive about public service.  He cared more about motivating kids to be good citizens, and less about showing off his copness (new term).

He served in this position back when it was still largely undefined.  He very keenly understood that he was there to help grow students, regardless of the badge he carried.  He was a teacher, just like us.  Sure, at times he would placed in a position to be a cop, but he did not let that define him in this role.  I wish I could put a better finger on his uniqueness, but I just can't.  SROs can catch bad press just like teachers have.  I never felt Sergeant Hawkins might take advantage of his position, but I always knew he cared about the students.

The benefits of having SROs far outweigh the drawbacks.  We do have to be patient for the position to evolve into what we need it to be though.  SROs provide a link to emergency services.  SROs can serve as a resource for disenfranchised families.  SROs can provide perspective on safety issues. And as a last resort, be a cop.  If your school employs an SRO, show them your support.  They are entering a tough world compared to theirs.  They get to experience what we do and that is being one more caring adult for a kid that needs us.

Being a Golf Parent is Good Therapy

I got to enjoy the River to River Conference Golf Tournament this year at Hickory Ridge. While I waited I got to watch parents being so dedicated to their kids. Packing coolers and setting up equipment as they practiced pitching and putting.  It is nice to watch the care that goes into being a golf parent. We are learning to be golf parents now that my daughter is playing in her first year.

Golf is hard to learn for a 15 year old kid that has only played team sports.  She has played softball since she was four and learning a new swing has been a season long process.  Sure we all get frustrated, but we know this is a learning year.  It is great to see her have a good nine holes and maddening to see the next round fall apart.  As we watch matches, we see many girls struggle to find their game.  It is interesting test of a player's will when you realize in a team sport you get taken out when you are not playing well.  In golf, you have to overcome bad play and finish.  When it is all done, they huddle together to check their score cards and ultimately someone is disappointed.

I guess the parenting lesson that I am being reintroduced to is that you can't compare your kids to other kids.  This is especially true in learning golf where one shot to the next can be an emotional roller coaster.  That scorecard is not a definition of the player, but sometimes it can be devastating to a kid.  I came across a great line of thought in the book "Middle School Matters" by Phyllis Fagell.  She urges parents to not compare their kids to others kids.  Instead, we should focus on teaching our kids to elevate others until it becomes ingrained in them.  I get to watch this during golf matches.  The girls encourage each other, help find each other's golf balls, and generally help each other through this difficult learning process.  Sure there are players that standout on the scorecard, but you get the sense that they work as a unit to endure tough experiences on the course.  

Fellow parents, please don't compare your kids to other kids.  Not in sports or any aspect of their lives.  It doesn't work and it sends the wrong message to a your child.  I am very guilty of comparing my daughter's shots to other players, hoping that she will keep up with them and score well.  Shame on me.  As an educator, I know kids are on different levels and will reach their goals through a series of successes and failures.  Being a golf parent has brought my own mindset back to one of focusing on growth when it comes to sports.  Her stepping out of her comfort zone was not only good for her, but for me too.  It's funny how we forget that we are supposed to learn with them.  If you get the chance, become a golf parent.  It certainly has been good for me.

The Mr. Rogers of our Neighborhood

I am pretty excited about the upcoming Mr. Rogers movie.  I love that Tom Hanks is playing the role.  Mr. Rogers was part of my childhood and it is so awesome that we are celebrating such a special person with a film.  I hope it tops a billion at the box office.  It is high time that we change our cultural narrative through story telling and this is a story worth supporting and celebrating.

Every neighborhood has a Mr. rogers, but do we take it for granted?  We all have people in our lives that show unconditional kindness to others.  They don't usually make the headlines, but I hoped to change that last week.

Gene Alexander (Mr. A) is the Mr. Rogers of our neighborhood.  If you live in Franklin County in Illinois, you know who Mr. A is.  Yes, he is the man who paints the maps on the playgrounds.  He also paints classrooms.  He asks for nothing in return.  He loves to serve and that's it.  I have had the opportunity to get to know him over the years I have been at Central Junior High.  He is truly a kind man and only sees the best in everyone.  He also comes in to our building every year and donates money to our school.  He gives more than he asks for and we could all use people like that to look up to.

After he drops off his donation, I always post a picture with him and a thank you.  I really took some time to think about his contributions to others while I read the comments this year.  I thought I would share some of them here and let those closest to him, honor him.

• Mr. A was my my 4th grade teacher at Logan Grade School! He’s such a kind and generous man! I’ll never forget him! He’s an inspiration to all of us!
• When I went to Benton back in 2005, he would always be sitting in the breakfast room and read books to the children
• He is an amazingly kind, generous, Godly man!
• Greatest principal ever period. Use to bring donuts to Logan school for all kids. 38yrs ago
• Such a great man.. I still remember kids yelling say no to drugs at him.. He would reward the first one with some change. He is a phenomenal man
• Every year, Mr. A donates money to our library. We actually named the library after him. He also has came to the detention center nearly every week for 16 years to do a bible study for youth who want to join. And we have one of his painted maps on our outside basketball court.

These are the people we need to go viral.  I am so thankful that we get to be part of his mission to give back.  When I retire, I will be able to tell a lot of stories.  My experiences with Mr. A will be some of them.  I hope by then I will be just as driven as he is to make a difference.  Who is the Mr. Rogers of our neighborhood?

Pills

I really was frustrated the other day with a radio ad that I heard on Pandora.  I forget the product name but it was a medication for kids whose ADHD symptoms were being seen at home and at school.  This is aggravating for two reasons, those symptoms will show up in all the settings in life and for the love of all that is holy stop making up reasons to sell us pills.  Parents and teachers that work with kids with ADHD know that this is a real struggle that medication helps with, but it requires strategic face to face interactions as well.

I have had a lot of ADHD kids come through my doors over the years.  I have had mixed experiences with parents and teachers alike that have difficulties understanding and adapting to kids with ADHD.  I remember speaking with an angry parent many years ago about their child.  He was facing very serious disciplinary consequences and his parents tried to justify his behavior by linking it to his condition.  I ruined the interaction by abruptly saying, "There is no pill for disrespect."  I shouldn't have said that, but the damage was done.  We got past that and I began trying to learn more about it.

I have always felt that people want to link all bad behaviors to their kids needing medication.  Not just for ADHD, but for lots of perceived conditions.  I hate the idea of their being a magic pill that makes it all better.  If we are doing it right, the road to a diagnosis involves not only the parent and doctor, but the school staff as well.  I have mixed experiences with this also.  I have some families show up out of no where with a bottle of meds for ADHD and other conditions.  We had obviously not been a part of that process so it does confuse us.  Other times we get a battery of rating scales and questionnaires.  This, we like.  Evidence has to be gathered from all aspects of the child's world and we are happy to participate.

What I learned from my very poor statement is that disrespect may be symptomatic of ADHD and ADD.  The lack of executive functional skills frustrates some kids into very poor behavior.  The low tolerance for frustration causes these behaviors too.  The info-graphic below helps illustrate what is really underneath the surface.  The more you learn the more you realize that some kids really need these medicines.  Science has identified the risk factors for ADHD, but a cure is a ways off to non-existent.  One things is for sure, I stopped taking ADHD lightly a long time ago.  So much so I tend to push parents to be mindful and responsible for the meds their kids take.  My sincere hope is that my students are successful and if helping a family understand ADHD better and stay on treatment is what it takes, then I'm all in.

From Clerk to Civil Servant

The name sake for this blog comes from a line in one of my favorite movies, Clerks.  "You ever notice all the prices end in nine..." is not necessarily one of the many iconic lines from the film, but it captured what I was feeling when naming this little project.  Some things just happen and we are not sure why.  There is very likely a real explanation for why all the prices end in nine that some expert could give us, but we just go on with life accepting the mystery.  Like how does a former clerk, pizza delivery driver and server go from customer service  (like Randall and Dante) to public service.  Not only doing a job he never saw possible, but loving it at the same time.  Some expert might be able to explain it, but I'm happy perusing the mystery.

Customer service work is the best training I have had when it comes to working with people.  As a middle school principal I get to see wide range of easy to difficult situations that require tactful responses.  Much like when I was a gas station attendant, 95% of my transactions are mundane and required no thought.  Then there were those few that defined your whole day, aggravated you, and you told that story for years to come.  You went through enough of those episodes and it taught you how to deal with agreeable and non-agreeable people alike.  I was kinda good at it.

The biggest take away from those day is the simple courtesy that you show your customers. I'm more of a Dante than a Randall.  When I delivered pizza and waited tables, there were always little things I would do for the customer that would potentially yield a better tip. That still applies, but for a different reason. I want my parents and other stakeholders to feel that they are welcome back if they need me.

We can't operate in a pure customer service mindset in public schools, although many that seek us out feel that we can.  If we were to operate as if to satisfy every "customer" then we may cross the lines of fairness, violate a policy or heaven forbid, break the law.  It is difficult to to articulate this to an upset parent or other stakeholder that seeks us out.  The funny thing is, I still want those angry parents to dial me again.  Little by little, I want to gain their trust and respect.  Even if it takes a few attempts to do it.   Here are few tips for those customer service quagmires

• Do not predetermine your response before a visit or a phone call.  You never know how it is going to go.
• Be a good listener.  Most people that are upset, want to be heard even if you cannot help them.
• Make the situation important to you.  It is already important to them.
• Thank them when the exchange is over.

Back then, you might hear me say that this job would be great if it weren’t for the customers. Now that my role is drastically different with a much more important purpose, I’m thankful for my customers.  That sounds strange given that I have been yelled at and blasted on social media in the past when I was just trying to help.  I'd like tho think I am building a culture of welcome interactions with our parents and community members brick by brick.  That takes time and a lot of bricks.  It's worth the effort even though Randall might think there a bunch of savages in this town.

Presidential Politics in My Time

Last Sunday I watched a CNN interview with Jake Tapper and Pete Buttigieg. The first question was whether or not his sexual preference would go over well with black voters in the south. His response was stating that he hopes black voters sees what it will mean to them to have him as president.  I'm paraphrasing of course.  It got me to thinking about how much politics has changed since I became a voter in 1994.

First, lets be honest.  Presidential politics in my time means I have to be ready for people to be upset with my point of view.  I rarely post about politics because it unnecessarily divides us and it is quite sad to see good people argue online over a challenging political landscape.  Lets also be clear.  I do not care what your political preference is.  I am happy you participate, but hope you know how important it is to participate.

Moving on.  I remember my first presidential election.  I voted for Bill Clinton.  I remember the baggage that followed him from Arkansas.  Still, I knew he was type of leader that I was going to identify with despite his marital disasters.  It was simple to me.  I felt like I understood what our country needed and I felt that he was right for the job.  Simple as that.

It is no longer that simple. Since then, politics has taken a far different route and even farther from where our founders wanted it to go.  In my dream world, I am hoping we are electing Presidents based on their ability to be a public servant.  I definitely felt that way when I voted for Barack Obama twice.  I do not feel that way about Donald Trump.  Lots of Republicans feel this way despite so many leaders clinging to his occupancy of the White House.  We all knew what he represented when he was elected and somehow, he was.

President Trump was not elected based on his ability to be a good public servant for the American people.  He was elected based on probably the best election campaign strategy to date, even if he allegedly had help for a foreign country.  This is politics in my time.  We are electing the campaigns of candidates and not the actual names on the ballot.  Let me put this another way.  We have a really good way of marketing products, but the products are not very good.

Call me old fashioned, but I want to know what kind of person you are asking me to vote for.  What is their political experience?  What is their professional experience?  Do these things help make the candidate good for the job of President?  I know what is running through your mind right now.  You are probably thinking no candidate that emerges seems good enough.  No real fix of a problem is done over night.  We have to start voting for the right people.  If we make this a priority, only the right people will run for office.  Otherwise we are only voting for an election strategy.  That may be Presidential politics in my time, but it doesn't have to be fore my children when they become voters.

The Power of Grit on School Attendance

New school year means a new initiative will start.  Ours is improved school attendance.  This is my ninth year in my building and over and over again, I see the same attendance patterns play out.  We spend lots of work hours on our chronic truants between meetings and phone calls.  No we have shifted our effort towards reaching the chronic absentee.  Folks, this is a worthwhile endeavor that can reach more kids and improve academic performance.  We have turned to Attendance Works to shift towards a system of support, rather than a system of consequence for absenteeism.

Kids are absent from school for lots of different reasons.  As educators we know some do not have the support system that other students have.  Some have medical conditions that are out of their control.  And some just lack grit.  Those are the students I think we can impact as a school and as parents.

Angela Duckworth has made a career of research and writing on grit.  I read her book this summer and though it does not specifically provide insight on improving school attendance, it does provide a framework of habits and qualities that can help.  Grit defined in it's simplest definition is the passion and sustained persistence it takes to pursue long term goals.  It's about resilience and self-control.  The book is a great read.  But what does grit have to do with chronic absenteeism?

Why do kids miss school?  Surveys suggest that kids feel less engaged and connected with school as they get older.  To be clear, engaging students in the education process is the job of the school.  It should be our mission to help them see that school is theirs.  Grit is a personal quality of a student that arrives to our building.  So who then has that responsibility?  Families can raise gritty kids.  Gritty kids not only attend school, they power through obstacles and have a sense of purpose for what ever they take on.  They participate in extra-curricular activities and learn from adverse experiences.

What can parents do to raise gritty kids?  Duckworth describes this as "wise parenting" and it has only a few, but impactful components:

• Authoritative (not authoritarian)
• Hold high expectations
• Offers lots of support

She writes that this style helps produces kids that not only perform better, but they will try to match or surpass their parents through imitation.

After dealing with truant students for almost 13 years as an administrator, I can tell you that our kids that miss a bunch have parents that are not practicing this style of parenting.  Don't get me wrong, we have kids that miss a bit that do have gritty parents.  Again, we are not focusing on those with medical conditions or the severely poverty stricken (those could be a separate post).  We are talking about the kids that are staying home all day because they just didn't want to go.  The parents will call them in sick and go about they day.  This kind of permissive (or a lack of) parenting will hurt the student in the long run.

Instead, that parent should have consequences in place for blowing off school, communicated goals for school performance and be connected to the school if the child is not feeling supported by the school.  These meet the wise parent guidelines that Duckworth has set forth.  I can't tell you how many times I get the response "I just don't know what to do with them anymore."  When parents and caregivers lack grit, so will their kids.  This is best built from the ground up when they are small.  Trying to come in on the back end in adolescence is quite difficult.

Now that we are moving to a model of support, wise parenting will the be the dialog with our families.  Grit is a great personal quality that all of us can support in kids.  They will attend better and perform better and are more likely to lived more fulfilled lives as adults.

Resilience in Practice

I received some exciting news a couple days ago.  One of my students that has been battling Ewing's Sarcoma, has been told she is cancer free.  I remember saying that cancer didn't stand a chance against this kid in a Friday Afternoon video.  Knowing Piper like I did, I knew this was not a bold statement.  I knew she would beat her diagnosis and she did.

I lost a teacher to cancer several years ago.  If you have not been through this a school family, it is tough.  In a school setting you see students and teachers everyday.  You go through so many ups and downs that it bonds you.  When a serious situation like this happens, your school family takes it personal.  Our school and community rallied around Piper like they always have for others.  These are the moments that make you proud.  Everyone works towards helping the family and raising money for the path of uncertainty that comes with a cancer diagnosis.

I'm going to be a little selfish though and share what I got to see out of this outstanding young lady.  In my position you get to see kids do amazing things and make you proud to be where you are and doing the work that you do.  Despite all the craziness, she showed up.  She missed very few days of school and made the honor roll.  She only left school early when she could no longer physically stand during the day and still she could throw you a smile that would take your worries away.  One day she left early and I had just turned a young man away from wanting to go home.  He had a headache.  Sometimes I wish he had been there when she was in there to see how tough she was.  She was constantly showing resiliency and I hope the rest of our school family saw it like I did.

At Central, we say the word resilient all the time.  Did we catch it in practice?  Right under our noses we were getting an education, but did we know it?  I stole this picture from Jon Adkins' Facebook page because someday, I knew I would be telling her story.  Thank you to everyone that supported her, but most importantly I would like to thank Piper.  Thank you for your enduring spirit during tough times.  Thank you for smiling at my poor attempts at jokes in hopes of making you feel better.  Thank you for your example.  Thank you for inspiring others.  Thank you for being resilience in practice.  Now that you have beaten cancer, who knows what the possibilities are for you.  I know this 8th grader has left me with lessons I can teach to countless others down the road. 

Bearded Forgiveness

Warning: Personal post.

I grew a beard this year.  I'm not a beard guy.  I've never really had an opinion of them except to know that I would never want one.  My father wore a beard and maybe that's why I have such an indifference towards them.  I did not have a relationship with my father as I grew up.  It was a mild connectedness I would say.  I knew him.  I kind of understood what he did for a living.  I knew where he lived.  I was in his presence about five or six times that I can remember.  This was a far better relationship than I had with my mother.  I had never heard her voice until I was 40 years old.  I was raised by my grandmother (my mom) and I am happy for that.  I often remind myself of how lucky I am to have grown up in Marion, met the people I have met and ended up where I am.  Who knows if that would have been the same in Tennessee.

I saw him when my mom passed away.  It was a difficult time and it was tough way to try to reconnect with him.  As I left, we agreed to start over as friends and go from there.  At that point I was no longer angry with our situation.  I was grown, married and starting my life's work in the classroom.  I was happy to work on it with him, but we would have to take it slow.  I was a little optimistic that I would finally know him and understand my namesake.  My children would have a grandfather on my side to spoil them and some kind of normalcy might take place.  We never connected again until I visited him in nursing home care after a stroke.  He was non-verbal and struggling to stay alive.  He passed away a few days later.

It is a unique situation to be a dad that never had a dad.  My profession is mostly full of middle class folks with strong family ties.  Lots of conversations with them often start with, "my dad used to say..."  I never became bitter about my dad situation.  I just resolved to build my own family name from the ground up.  Then I was watching ESPN and Omar Epps was a guest on a show.  You may know his work in the 90's from the movies Juice and Higher Learning.  He later starred in the TV show House.  I liked his movies when I was in high school so his appearance perked my curiosity about his new book.  He had written about his experiences with the broken relationship with his father.  It was called From Fatherless to Fatherhood and I jumped on Amazon as quickly as I could to order it.

For me, this book was a page turner.  It was a stroll down hip hop culture's memory lane, but full of what life is like for a young man without a father in his life.  His mother was a school administrator so that of course scored points with me.  As he narrates his life and manhood struggles, he comes to a huge conclusion at the end.  He writes about the power of forgiveness and moving on.  He writes, "I stepped into a new level of maturity once I embraced the fact that my father was not my enemy.  He was simply a man, just as I am."  I grew my beard to show forgiveness towards my father.  It seemed like a harmless and removable gesture so I went for it.  I've never told anyone my motivation behind it and no one ever asked.  I just became some guy with a beard.

I had decided that I would wear the beard of forgiveness just for this school year and I was counting down the days until I cut it off.  Then, about a month ago my pastor does what he usually does and puts things in to perspective for me.  I'm not trying to recruit new church members, but if you have a chance to watch this sermon you should.  He didn't have the storybook relationship with his parents either, but still he honors his father and mother.  His message spoke to me that day and slowly, I started to reconsider cutting off my beard.  When I finally got up the nerve to do it, I asked my son if he wanted to watch.  I figured he would get a kick out of it.  Instead, he questioned me about why I was cutting it off and that I should leave it.  How's that for two signs that maybe I did a good thing?  The beard of forgiveness is still on my face.

Forgiveness is tough, but there are small ways you can show forgiveness to others.  As a teenager, I began to resent my father.  As I grew older, that resentment turned into indifference.  When I was a grown man and a father myself, I understood how to forgive him.  People are not perfect and now that he is gone, I can't try to understand why our lives were the way they were.  You have to move on and let others do the same.  I have no idea how long I will wear this beard.  Maybe one day I will feel like the gesture has been completed and I will shave it off.  Right now, I'm just a guy with a beard learning how to forgive.

Sin Taxes and the Collateral Damage

I sit in on some of my 7th grade classrooms to listen to their persuasive speeches.  I do this each year just to watch my students exercise a valuable life skill, to stand in front of others and defend a position that they care about.  The topics were what I would call typical for 7th graders,  Don't bully, don't smoke, etc.  One student did a topic that has real traction in this state and country.  He was persuading his classmates that marijuana should be legal.  This is not a new debate to those who follow state government, but he was especially passionate about it.

Central to the argument was that government could profit from the recreational sale of marijuana and farmers could benefit from the cash crop.  It is very hard to disagree with that.What I can disagree with is that the trend over the past few years to is to expand all the things that hurt or further impoverish our citizens that need us most. We have expanded gambling in this state and we have now legalized weed for recreational purposes.

Think about all the vices we have as a country.  Some can handle the recreational approach to gambling, drinking and so on.  Many cannot and become addicted.  This does not only have an immediate impact on them individually, but also their families and friends.  When we turn to get rich schemes with public policy, these folks are the collateral damage.  I understand that 60% of Illinoisans want this, but we have also been conditioned to understand our financial woes as a state.  We would welcome any kind of relief.  Even if it means at the risk of hurting more of our citizens.  If we were secure financially, would this be a discussion?  I'm not sure.

Gambling expansion seems to be another way out of financial crisis for the state.  Another addictive behavior that is becoming popular for revenue.  Don't get me wrong, my school has benefited form the way West Frankfort has used their gaming terminal revenues.  They have supported the needs of school groups and the development of programs for the city's kids.  The new money is a blessing for people that can benefit from it.  How many local communities are using the revenue responsibly?

My challenge to Illinois is that if we continue to balance our budget off of "sin" taxes, support those lives that are wrecked to make that money.  A recent article in the Southern Illinoisan detailed the state's record on the lack of support for gambling addiction and that they do not track the number of gambling addicts in the state.  This is shameful and irresponsible.  It gives the impression that this is purely a money grab and they the needs of vulnerable Illinoisans are not considered.  Step up Illinois, if you plan to balance the budget this way.

The Social Emotional Playbook

Being a junior high/middle school principal is tough.  In my building I am basically on my own when it comes to the social emotional struggles we face.  I do have a very good social worker once a week and we do get help from a local company with mental health issues.  These are for extreme cases though and the daily battle of handling conflict and issues the right way is time consuming.  For instance, to tackle a rumor that is going around that may be causing a student headaches at school can take the form of interviewing lots of kids until you whittle it down to the two that are actually having problems in hopes of helping them resolve their situation.  If you care about your students and handle this process with sincerity, it can help them learn how to handle these things in the future and keep the peace among your students.  The investment is always worth it in some way.

What I have caught myself saying over the years, especially to 8th grade students, is that they need to have learned the "playbook" by now so they don't get into these troubles.  Basically what I am saying is, kids see the same hurtful scenarios play out all the time but act surprised when it happens to them.  It's like there is a playbook when it comes to teasing, hurting or dominating someone.  This gave me a crazy idea to try with my students this year.  I am starting my own SEL playbook.

Lets be clear about the goals of having social emotional "plays".  These should be actions students can take to work out problems, show empathy and does not allow them to win or elevate their position against others.  Teaching kids to dominate others is a pathway to bullying and would be counter productive to the mission.  I have narrowed this down to the SEL skills I want them to master.  They are Relationship Building, Empathy, Conflict Resolution,  Adaptability, Social Awareness, and Responsible Decision Making.  Sure you can buy curriculum to address these but sometimes the best training is in the situations as they arise.

Here are the plays:

Pick Me Up - Social Emotional Skills Emphasized: Empathy, Relationship Building, Social Awareness.  Large group or whole school approach.  This play should be run constantly everyday.

What to do - Go out of your way to pick someone up.  Never let anyone sit alone or walk the halls alone.  If someone needs a pencil or paper, give it to them if you have it.

Shuffle - Social Emotional Skills Emphasized: Adaptability, Relationship Building, Social Awareness.  Whole school focus that can be done periodically.

What to do - Encourage students to attach to someone outside their normal friend group.  This might be at recess, the lunch table or at a sporting event.  Many of my students complain about cliques.  This is a way to help break them up.

Shutdown - Social Emotional Skills Emphasized: Responsible Decision Making, Conflict Resolution.  Very small groups and individuals as situations arise after an initial consultation with me.

What to do - When nasty rumors or fight talk is taking place, encourage students to find a way to shutdown all discussion on the matter by changing the subject.  For example, Jimmy tells Timmy that he heard he was going to get into a fight.  Timmy simply responds by saying that they have worked it out and nobody is going to fight and then quickly move on to another subject.  When done correctly, I have found that this reduces the "word around the campfire" affect that can happen when kids are arguing.  Kids tend to amplify trouble and prevent the two involved from really addressing their issue.

Goldie - Social Emotional Skills Emphasized: Conflict Resolution, Social Awareness, Adaptability.  Very small groups or individuals.

What to do - Based in part on a New York Times article and the golden rule.  When teasing and or bullying gets bad and unbearable, encourage the student to deflect it by using positive language that confounds the teaser.  Example: Jenny tells Suzie that she is not invited to her party because nobody likes her.  Suzie responds by simply saying, "That's fine.  I hope your party goes well."  When the tormentor is not getting a rise out of her, she will move on to someone that will get upset.  Suzie is also using the same positive language that she would want to have used with her.

This is obviously not a comprehensive list of plays for students to run to improve their own social well-being, but it is surely a start.  If your efforts fail it may be a signal that the students you are working with need more intensive support and a referral to your counselor may be necessary.  Don't fail to realize that even if your efforts are not enough, you are still forging a relationship with your students that will pay off.  They do appreciate it even if they are always finding themselves in trouble.  The coach in me wants to push my kids to success and there is noting wrong with having a playbook for them to use.  Happy coaching Principals!

Thankful for Bad Days

I was listening to a podcast by Dr. Scott England about double standards.  In his opening he talked about having bad days.  After I finished listening, I began to reflect on some of my bad days.  I can't lie, sometimes I get loud with students.  This is usually after several efforts to correct a situation that has failed either because the student didn't follow the coaching or because I had to go into dad mode and shut it all down.  I'm never happy with myself after getting loud with a student.  I do not go into each day inviting that situation, but it does happen every once in a while.  I have bad days like everyone else.

The strange reality is that I have come to the conclusion that I am thankful for bad days.  I spend a lot of time on kids that I know need me.  That investment can yield a lot of happiness or a lot of frustration.  When a bad day happens and I no longer am willing to tolerate poor choices, I get loud.  When I get loud, I am quite remorseful.  Sometimes I even instinctively flinch because I'm waiting on my mom to smack me on the back of the head because I know better.  So why am I thankful for bad days?

I have learned over the years to understand that my bad days happen because I care about what happens to my students.  I care about their success.  I care about where they will end up.  I care about how others perceive them.  If you have ever seen a passionate coach yell at a player or at an official in protection of a player, that is basically what we are talking about.  I'm not talking about the crazy coaches that can't keep a job.  I'm talking about the ones that knowingly practice a 10:1 rule, meaning 10 positive comments to one negative.  They know the relationship is paramount and it has to be protected even when you slip up.

Dr. England's message was certainly not lost on me.  If I expect them to handle conflicts with class and a level head, then I should too.  I saw a great meme being passed around on Twitter last week.  The way we talk to our children becomes their inner voice.  I cannot imagine anyone that could disagree with that statement.  I am 42 years old and I can still hear the stern voices of my mentors in most things that I do.  While I am thankful for the zeal that I show my students, I hope they get more from me than the experience of a bad day.  Be mindful of your double standards folks, but rejoice in your passion for students.  The kids have a way of seeing both of those.

Reflecting on Columbine

Twenty years ago today, an American tragedy took place.  Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris shot and killed 13 people and wounded 20 others.  This was part of a failed plan to use bombs to kill hundreds more.  This horrific event sparked not only a national debate on gun control and video games, but changed how school buildings operate and even how they are designed.  There is not a year that has gone by in my entire 17 year education career that I have not completed some safety training or improved a safety plan.  It is part of our education culture now for both educators and students.

I have to tell you that the worst thing I have heard an adult say over the years is, "He's our next school shooter" when they are worried about how a troubled student is acting.  Psychologists warn that there really isn't a strict profile, but rather factors for consideration.  These include:

• The theme for school shootings is revenge and anger.
• 75% of shooters felt harassed or bullied by their classmates.
• Shooters may have a history of cruelty to animals (this is a low probability factor, but a significant one when present)
• Shooters tend to have experienced dysfunctional family situations or experience a lack of effective adult supervision, mentoring, or oversight.

You can't profile a shooter, but educators are trained to spot warning signs.  I will be honest, this was not in my teacher education program.  

The law enforcement approach has changed also.  I attended a training several years ago where a video was shown of an active shooter simulation and how officers are trained to respond.  Body cameras were used for a realistic effect.  This was gut wrenching.  They are trained to rush in and engage the shooter to eliminate the threat.  In the video, officers were seen running past students that were injured and crying for help in an effort to reach the shooter.  I had to remind myself that these heroes run towards trouble to protect us while others run away.  I have reminded my staff of this when we have our active shooter drills and discussions.

There has been much debate over the years of how to prevent and/or respond to school shootings.  Is it a gun control issue?  Is it a the failure of the American family?  Are violent video games to blame?  These and other theories might be beyond your influence so I ask you, How are you rushing in?  I'm not saying rush in to a school shooting.  I'm saying rush in to being whatever influence you think is needed.  If you ask me, rush into being a teacher.  Rush into being a counselor.  Rush into the ministry.  Rush into something that allows you to make a real impact on a child that needs real human connection.  It is easy to sit in the cheap seats and say you think a kid is going to go off.  It's more worth it to save a troubled life before law enforcement has to be rushed in to save hundreds.  Please engage others in this conversation.  Not to place blame, but to focus on solutions.  Our kids deserve that.

On a side note, the Southern Illinoisan ran a great piece on how these shootings have affected the survivors and communities of Columbine and Parkland.  Please be reminded that these incidents have a greater impact than just the reported dead and injured.  You can click here to read it.

The Happiness of Losing a Teacher

I got a phone call about a teacher.  Not a complaint.  It was quite the opposite.  It was a reference check.  Dare I say it wasn't just any reference check.  This teacher is an aspiring administrator and was in the final stages of being employed as an assistant principal in a district nearby.  While I am bummed about losing a good teacher, I am excited for her to take on this opportunity.  She did some of her intern work with me and she is ready to lead.  Congratulations Marion Junior High.  You are getting a good one.

She is the third teacher I have lost to administration in eight years here.  Personally, I love it.  I get to check in with my other two occasionally and they have made me proud.  I have had co-workers and community members from both districts tell me that they love their principals and I'm sure this third teacher turned admin will also yield the same feedback.  I will not take any credit for how well they do but I do feel we have an obligation to help grow those who want to become building leaders.  By the way, another congratulations to Arcola Elementary School on getting a good one too.

I heard a colleague say about the teacher shortage that his current teachers used to be the best recruiters for new teachers.  They provided the narrative of how great teaching is and passed it on to others.  That is very true, but it is also true for us administrators.  We don't have to push people into administrative work, but we can always model good leadership so that others can aspire to make the leap.  One of my other Type 75 teachers once told me very honestly that he could not be a principal because he saw what I put into the job and didn't think he could do it.  I've always told him that he could, but I see this as positive feedback. He sees my commitment and passion for the work.  If I am doing anything right, I am leading by example.  If that moves people into the principal's office, then it is worth it.

I really have three hopes for my teachers that jump into administration.

1. Making the move is family decision.  Don't overlook that.
2. Realize that you are a public servant.  That entails responsibility and accountability to people.
3. Be better at this than I am.  Like, way better.

We are not only facing a teacher shortage but we are also facing a principal shortage.  One of the recommendations to keep principals is to work to elevate the the perception of the profession as a call to service.  In my opinion, this effort is past due by state officials and must be carried out by us.  The effects of principal turnover are harmful to both students and teachers.  Achievement tends to drop and teachers tend to leave.  Just as it is our duty to encourage teachers to become principals, it is the job of these new leaders to commit to staying to inspire and lead others.

When I was teaching they called making the move to administration "going to the dark side".  It is only appropriate then that we use a Yoda quote to wrap this up.  In The Last Jedi he tells Luke that "we are what they grow beyond.  That is the burden of all masters."  In other words, it should be the natural order of things that they become better than us.  So to LeighAnn Bailey, Megan Price and now Sarah Stowers please move past me.  By a long way.  That is the only way I am happy to lose a teacher.

Leadership Lesson Learned - Cell Phones

I came across a post about a Texas school considering changing their dress code to combat their growing problem with students vaping.  The change was to no longer allow students to wear long sleeve shirts because that is how they were concealing their exhales while vaping.  This seems like a drastic measure for something that is probably addressed with simply stepping up enforcement.  Then, I realized that it may work for that school.  After all, they know what will best serve their needs and it might be a little wrong for me to judge given that I don't know all the details.

This was us last week.  Our school went BYOD in 2012-13 and proudly welcomes cell phones into the classroom.  Last week, we changed our device policy to keeping phones and devices in lockers powered off for the school day.  This was a tough pill for me to swallow.  I did champion the pro-phone policy and often celebrated it.  We held an orientation for our parents and even made the local news.  It seemed like many others shared the sentiment that phones in the classroom could be very powerful learning tools.  Our mission was to show our school community that we could transition them from toys to tools and our staff was dedicated to the mission.

Things have changed over the years.  This year we had some red flags pop up.  For a long time we had been on cruise control with phones.  We enforced out policy and stayed consistent.  Student behaviors really didn't improve and they were still seeing them as toys or sources of entertainment.  During the first midterm of the second semester, we wrote more referrals for phones than we did for the whole first semester.  Things were getting out of hand.

I looked into what behaviors were taking place and it only confirmed my concern that we had meandered away from the our original mission.  Here is a sampling:

• Using their device without teacher permission.
• Using VPNs to bypass the school network.
• Texting their parents throughout the day.
• Constantly using them in the halls causing tardies. (They were not allowed to use them in the halls for this specific purpose.)
• Using their home screen as a way to cheat on test/quizzes.
• Social media use during the school day.
• Texting their parents even more.

These were also reasons my follow admins told me they would not be allowing phones in their school.  I respect that now.  When we started, this really worked for our school.  As time went on, the winds of change blew and we had to adjust mid year.  I have had some interesting feedback so far.  Some parents are praising the change and appreciate it.  Some do not.  I had a student tell me the other day that he is less distracted without his phone in his pocket.  That sounds promising.  We definitely have written less referrals (only one in the first two weeks compared to an average of five per week the whole second semester).  My problem is that a large number of students see this as a punishment to the whole school.  I do not like this perception.

Our job when designing local policy is to create something that serves the issue by understanding the unique qualities of your school.  The dress code change and our cell phone change are reactions to what we see as a problem or concern.  We can't react to problems.  We should be preventing them by always keeping the pulse as we go and staying informed by those affected by the policy.  During those cruise control years, we never really revisited the device policy or broke down the data.  The result is frustration and changing policy mid year to stop whatever bleeding we were experiencing.  

Consider this a leadership lesson learned for me.  It's okay to be forward thinking and to try and go where no man has gone before.  This does require oversight and care.  When we blow off the ongoing care of a policy, all we have done is check a box and say that were are done.  We all know there is no finish line in schools.  We will revisit the cell phone policy when handbook time comes, but for now we monitoring how things are without them.  The more information we collect, the better we can improve the policy for our students and teachers.  Lesson learned.

One of the Biggest Mistakes We can Make

I recently was given the chance to give my first full day workshop.  In front of a raucous crowd of four, I presented on students living in poverty and how to best reach and teach them.  I want to send a huge thank you to the attendees and ROE #13 for the opportunity.  When the day was done and I drove home, I began to reflect on my message and my presentation.  A talking point stuck out and it has been resonating with me since that day.

That talking point was the idea of deficit mindset and how that can be damaging to teachers as they try to connect with their free lunch kids. Having a deficit mindset causes us to set a low bar for kids we feel sorry for or are convinced that they will not ever be successful in life.  Daniel Booth has told us about setting the bar too low.  If you have not seen his Ignite session for the IPA, please do.  He often says that he would rather set the bar high and miss it all the time than to set the bar low and hit it every time.  He's right.  I feel like we should be applying this thinking not just with our free lunch kids but with all of our kids.

When we set the bar low or excuse the behavior or effort of our free lunch kids, we are simply ignoring the fact that our job is to help them experience social mobility.  We should be setting the bar high so we will communicate that just because their family might be disadvantaged, they do not have to be.  Isn't this why we all became educators?  We want to help students grow right?  This entails much more than raising test scores and skill deficits.  For these kids we have to teach them a growth mindset so raising a test score will actually mean something to them.

I was very careful to tell my workshop attendees that I am not a formally trained poverty trainer/presenter.  I am actually a poverty practitioner in life and profession.  I have been influenced by great people that ignored my deficit of generational poverty and helped me to use my own strengths to get out of poverty.  They set a high bar for me and never let me off the hook.  I do this everyday no matter how frustrating it can be. 

I ran into a former student not long ago and he asked if I remembered him.  I absolutely did.  It seemed like we fought with each other just about every day.  He told me that he had to be the worst kid that I had ever had and I disagreed with him.  "Sure we butted heads, but I never personally dislike kids that I am trying to work with." I told him.  He went on to say that I was always his favorite because I never quit on him and I always reminded him that I expected more out of him.  He went on further to say that he could never tell me that because he enjoyed arguing with me and didn't want that to go away.  It's funny how you might be making a difference even though you feel like you are spinning your wheels.

Let go of your deficit mindset and set a consistently high bar for your students.  One of the biggest mistakes we can make is to think that their future is set and they we, in the greatest profession of all, have no way to change it.  If you would like some inspiration, watch Daniel Booth's Ignite session and remember your why.