No Comparison

Each year a local news source publishes the salaries of all local government employees in our area. This release includes law enforcement, educators, town officials, etc. Since the funding source of the salaries are tax dollars, it is public information. This annual report serves as quite the conversation piece. Since the school district is the largest employer in the area, the majority of the folks on the list work for the public schools. I must admit that each year my curiosity eventually wins out and I find myself scrolling through the list. I find my name. The list of salaries is ordered from greatest to least, I begin looking at those names found above me on the list. My mistake has been that I compare myself to those who make more money than me. This practice has yet to reap me any positive benefits.

Comparing or critiquing others adds absolutely no value to myself. The amount of ones salary does not necessarily reflect ones value or level of success. I came into the education field to be the best educator I can be, not the best compensated. I am an educator to help kids, not my personal gain. My target is not to make more money than the folks above me on the “list”, my goal is to help the folks around me be their best. The only person you should compare yourself to is, you yesterday. Get better every single day.

Instead of making comparisons,  I choose to compete with myself. I’m going to continue to learn something new each day. I’m going to keep evolving. Personal growth will be my focus, not how I feel I stack up compared to others. I’ll read, reflect, and reach out to those around me. I’ll look in the mirror and constantly try to improve who I see.

Will the Moment Define you?

March Madness is upon us! What a glorious time of year it is for college basketball fans! Without a doubt, the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament is a great sporting event. As I write this, teams are punching their tickets for the Sweet Sixteen. This past weekend I watched game after game and witnessed countless critical moments. I'm talking about that split second of the game where the momentum shifts in the favor of a team. In these moments one team's spirit soars while the other team's will is broken. 

A definitive moment occurred towards the end of the Gonzaga victory over Northwestern in their second round matchup. Northwestern was fighting back from what had been a huge deficit. A Northwestern player's shot was blocked by what appeared to be a clear goal tending/basket interference violation. The basket should have counted. The referee missed the call. The Northwestern coach, Chris Collins, came out into the court to argue the call and was immediately issued a technical foul. This was a huge momentum shift back in Gonzaga's favor. That was the split second that determined the game. What could have been a three point game with just a few minutes to play turned into a seven point lead and ultimately a six point victory for Gonzaga. 

In every game there will be key moments like this. I believe the lesson here is that we cannot always control what happens to us, we can only control our reaction. Danny Bauer says regularly on his podcast that life is 90% what happens to us and 10% how we react to it. Regardless of what you do each day, you will face challenges. Life isn't always easy. We must not let our emotions influence our reactions in a negative way. We will not always win. The ball will not always bounce in our direction. Our job is to focus on what we can control. We should react to adversity with positivity and a smile. 99.9% of the problems that walk into our door can be solved. Sometimes educators can be quick to hit the panic button, overreact, and not embrace challenges with a positive mindset. Maintain the necessary discipline to stay focused and approach adversity with a "can do" attitude, not "why me." Don't let the moment define you. You define the moment. 

Walk in Their Shoes

"How many of the students who walk by you each morning came from a house filled with chaos just ten minutes before they arrived at school."

Since reading Kids Deserve It this summer, this particular quote has resonated with me. The quote reminds me how difficult life outside of school is for many of our students. The 8 hours that students spend at school each day can be a sweet reprieve to the adversity and chaos that students often face at home. Like many educators, I have middle class roots and cannot really relate to what its like to grow up in or live in poverty. Just last week, an interaction at school caused me to reflect about what life must be like for students with challenging home-lives. My thoughts placed me in the shoes of a homeless student who attends my school and the obstacles he and his family must face on a daily basis. What does he have in his control? Is he concerned about where his next meal is coming from or if has completed that night's homework? Should I blame him for having an attitude at times? What struggles does he face and watch his family face on a daily basis?  I wonder why he is so protective of his younger siblings. What has be protected them from?It is imperative that we have patience and empathy for students who face adversities that we can only pretend to understand. Our goal must be to enhance their lives. School needs to be a place of comfort and peace for our students.

I think back to a particular student I taught about 12 years ago. He was intelligent and hard working. He always gave 100% while at school. I noticed one winter morning that he arrived to school smelling of gas. I found this peculiar. I was unable to immediately think of a plausible reason why he may possibly smell of gas. I took him aside and asked him what was going on. He went on to tell me that he smelled of fuel because his parents left for work really early, before he was awake, and that they left the kerosene heater on for him so he would not wake up cold. The only heater they had in their home ran on kerosene.  It was his responsibility to cut the heater off before he left for school, before putting himself on the bus. I distinctly remember how upset he was the day that he was afraid that he forgot to turn the heater off. Heaters like this should not be left unattended. The frantic look and the complete state of concern he was in that day were unforgettable. Luckily we were able to reach one of his parents at work. I was afraid that he may have tried to leave school in order to check on the status of his home. Growing up middle class, I took things like having a home equipped with central heating system for granted. I share his story to remind us all that our students face circumstances that we are not aware of and may not truly understand. 

It is our job to offer stability to students who may come from difficult situations.We must advocate for students and be their champion. We must be dependable and compassionate. We must be patient, kind, and loving. We must provide relief and cushion for the harsh conditions they may face when they are outside of our care. They may come to us hungry, sad, and hurt. While they are with us, it is our job to make them feel safe, comfortable, and cared for. We cannot control what happens to our students outside of school hours but we absolutely control what happens to them and how they are treated while they are in our charge. 

Time

There is a phrase that I am done with. It is right up there with "we have always done it that way." It is often a cop out. It is overused and misused. Sometimes it is a straight-up lie. The phrase that I hold in such disdain is....I just don't have time.

In our busy and modern lives time is precious. I understand there are acceptable uses of this term I hold in contempt. I have used IDHT (I don't have time) on countless occasions. It made me feel better. It helped me save face when I didn't have a good excuse for not trying something new or different. I have used IDHT when I really meant things like:
Trying out that new idea is not a priority for me.
That is a risk that I am not ready to take.
I have no clue what that is or how to do it.
That is way outside of my comfort zone.
I am too afraid to fail.
I wanted to try that new idea but I got distracted.
I don't think it is a good idea.

Using IDHT is a poor excuse. I strive to not use it anymore. Educators need to be bold and take on challenges. We cannot keep offering students the current version of school. It is time to innovate. Try new things. We owe it to our students to push ourselves. Be genuine. If you think something is a bad idea, be truthful and say, "that is a bad idea." Don't use lack of time as an excuse not to challenge yourself to become better for students. Our time is precious and it is up to us to make the best of it. Repeating lessons, activities, and strategies that are ineffective, but comfortable, are the ultimate waste of time. Taking opportunities to be bold and inventive maximize our time. Make time for things that are important. Make student learning your top priority and don't be afraid to try new things.

It is the Process

I was thinking of one of my favorite quotes on the way from home from school this week.

"Its not about the product, its about the process."
-Inky Johnson

Inky has several inspiring videos that can be found on YouTube. I'll give them a listen every once in a while, especially when I need some motivation. I have even shared the video with a 5th grade student of mine. The young man is definitely a work in progress but when we cross paths at school, I will say to him, "Its not about the product...." and he will respond with "its about the process." I am proud of teaching him this quote and hope the wisdom sticks and helps him in the future.

This week on the way home I was reflecting about past and present goals. I was thinking how in the past I have lost focus on the process and focused instead on the product. The product being a promotion. I was focusing too much on being named principal of a school because "I was ready". I felt that I already deserved to be the principal of a school. My thinking was all wrong, I was focusing on the product and not the process. I still dream of being a principal one day. It will happen, eventually. My job now is to be the best AP that I can be and continue to learn and grow to prepare for the future and whatever it brings. I should only focus on getting better.

Luckily, I had my epiphany within the last year and came to the correct conclusion that it is about the process and becoming better for kids. We must focus on our daily performance, growing ourselves, and continuing to learn. Regardless of what happens, I will focus on my growth. I will focus on getting better. I will continue to own my professional development. I will reflect. I will challenge myself. I will pursue excellence. My ultimate destination in life is not the most important thing, what I learn on my journey is. I will not be satisfied with the husband, parent, or educator that I am today. I will continue to evolve because it is all about the process!

Be You

This week's big event for me was an interview for a principal position. My school district holds an event titled Aspiring Leaders. The event combines activities such as an interview, several role playing activities, and situational problem solving scenarios. This was my second year participating in the event. It is not a professional development opportunity, it is a competitive process the district uses to gather information regarding filing principal vacancies.

This year's event provided me with an important lesson. The lesson is to be yourself. I mentioned that I participated in the event last year. Last year, during the interview process I could have performed better. While answering questions, rather than speaking from the heart, instead I searched for the "perfect" answer. I was nervous, too. Rather than just speaking my mind, I attempted to answer the question almost from a textbook standpoint. The result was likely stiff and impersonal. I was afraid to make a mistake. This year my strategy was to be myself and to trust my instincts. I listened to the question and did my best to respond with what I thought or how I would handle the situation. I did not search for a correct answer, I shared my answer. In a few weeks, I will receive feedback on my performance, so then I will know how I did. However, with the honest approach I am more confident with my interview.

I share this experience because I think it is valuable and translates to life and school. We cannot always worry about finding the textbook answer. We cannot approach challenges in a rigid manner. Be comfortable. Be yourself. Trust your instincts. Find your right answer. Believe in what you have learned from your experiences. You cannot be someone else. You can only focus on being the best version of yourself and for that to happen you need authenticity. You have to put your voice out there. Put your personal touch on your work. This lesson is very transferable to the educational world. Your classroom cannot be generic or cookie-cutter. It needs your spin on it. Your lessons must include your interests, in addition to the interests of your students. Your classroom needs pictures of you outside of school. Your office needs pictures of your family. Students and teammates must know who you are. If you go about your job without inserting your personality, your performance will only be a fraction of what it could be. Whatever you do, make it yours.

Intentionally being more intentional

Life in a school is often unpredictable. Much of what happens is unplanned and spontaneous. There is a great need for educators to be proactive, we all know so much of what we do is reactive. Many times I have sat at my desk checking email or working on a project, and I receive a phone call where I am forced to react to several "fires" that arose one after the other. I truly believe that if you can get out and about in your school, you can get ahead of these "fires". If you are out observing and interacting in the building you can actually prevent problems from occurring. I also believe that the most important work of school leaders happen outside of the principal's office.

I am making a goal to be more intentional in my daily actions. To accomplish this, I think it will take discipline and planning. One of my mentors often says "Plan the work and work the plan". I am pretty sure that he stole that saying from one of his mentor but there is great wisdom in this borrowed statement.

Some of the things that I want to do more of are: informal classroom visits, positive communication with staff (written and verbal), positive phone calls to parents, and working with students directly in their classrooms. These actions will allow me to take a more active role in contributing to the culture and direction of my school. In the grand scheme of things these activities represent the "real" job of school leaders.

In order to make this happen I have found I must build them into my schedule. I am a huge advocate for my Google calendar and I have found it helpful to schedule my goals into a daily schedule. It doesn't have to be Google or a digital platform. If you use a paper calendar by all means put it to use! I may not always be able to make all of the appointments that I plan for myself, but if I do not insert these activities into my daily schedule the chance that they will happen will decrease significantly. Make a list of the things that you really want to accomplish during your day and plug them into your calendar. Keep what is most important at the top of your agenda each day.

If you have an idea, or best practice you use for making your days intentional, I would love other educators to add their proactive tips or calendar items in the comments section of this blog!