Ring the Bell!

Earlier this week I had the opportunity to eat lunch (which is rare) at Subway. As a gentlemen left, he rang a bell, indicating that he received good service. I smiled when he rang it as the employee's shouted in appreciation of his gesture. As I got up to leave, I decided that I'd ring the bell too. This isn't something that I typically do and for a moment, I got a little nervous that people in Subway might look at me or think I'm trying to draw attention to myself. I decided to ring it anyway, and the same shouts and "Thank you's" were heard from behind the counter. I smiled as I walked through the door, feeling good for myself, but also, feeling like I had made some else smile too.

This made me think about how we tell people we appreciate them, what they do, and the impact they have on others. Recently, my grandmother passed away. At her funeral, my uncle gave a great speech about the impact she had on him and our family as a whole. I couldn't help but wonder... "Did she know this when she was alive?" Why do we wait until it's too late to tell people we appreciate them? How can we let others know that what they do is important?

As National Assistant Principal's week comes to an end, I think about all the people that helped me along with way, that I never told "Thank you!" to. I'm reminded that being in education is about people, about helping younger people grow into leaders and productive citizens, and that even students need to know when they have done a "good job!". I'm reminded that as an assistant principal, I can have a big impact on the people that I'm surrounded by every day and that I shouldn't take them for granted. Soon, nearly 400 students will leave this building and I'll have a chance to greet and meet 400 new students in the fall. I want to impact all of them and make each and every one feel special. I've got a chance to do that every day in my job and I know that I am extremely lucky and fortunate.

Go out and ring that bell for people you appreciate! In the end, you'll feel good about doing it but more importantly, they'll feel good too knowing they had an impact on YOU!

Doer

   Are you a "Doer" or a "Don'ter"?  January 1st of every year brings on new resolutions, new energy and new life to most people. There is a freshness that comes with the beginning of the new year. We often reflect on the past 365 days, both good and bad. Many people make promises to be more organized, be healthier and more fit. Enrollment in gym memberships during the month of January are the highest than any other month during the year. Most people in January are determined, focused and lazer sharp. 

   The educational field is no different. Even though most schools are in the middle of their year, students and staff have had some time to reflect, rest and regain focus on their education and jobs respectively.  Believe it or not, most schools at this time are also beginning to plan for the next school year. What classes will be offered? What will the schedule look like? How many periods are in the day?  January is an exciting time for schools as they begin to think about what's next down the line. 

  The idea for this post came from a tweet from Dr. Neil Gupta, entitled "One Word". The question was, "What will be your one word for the new year?" The question made me ponder for some time. In one word, how could I describe what will be MY motivation. What will be MY laser-sharp, motivating focus for the year? How could I summarize it in just one word? 

   Just like most people, I too began a new fitness program and promised to be healthier in 2016. The trainer I work with asks the question, "Are you a doer or a don'ter?" The first time he said it, it struck me as a funny saying? It just sounds weird. But, after I thought about it and it stuck in my head, it became motivational for me. A "doer" is someone who does something. A "don'ter" is someone who doesn't do something. The definition is very simple and straightforward, but behind it, the meaning is very powerful. I want to be someone who does something. 

     I began to think about all the obstacles people bring to the table in education. We can't do that because of bussing. We can't do that because of lunches. We can't do that because of a bell schedule, because of this or because of that. I'm an optimist by nature. I believe that in order for education to move forward, we need more "doer's" and less "don'ter's".  I'm seeing more and more educators, community members, staff and students becoming more open to new ideas, new strategies and methods. For me, my job is to continue to foster the "doer's" in the education field and convert the "don'ters". In 2016, Be a Doer, not a Don'ter!

School Reborn-The First Step

How do you begin something that you've never done before?  What's the first thing you are supposed to do?  Is there a process I'm supposed to follow or am I doing this right?  

Hello! Writing my first blog post has been somewhat of a challenge.  All of those questions above have gone in and out of my mind at least 100 times.  I keep picturing Chevy Chase in the movie "Funny Farm" where he moves to the country to become a writer and as he begins his novel, the only word that he can think of to type on the first page is "The..." It can be scary to create a document that outlines your thoughts, your beliefs and values and share that with the world to be criticized and judged by people who know you and also those that you don't.

One of my own personal goals has been to take more time to reflect on education.  So to do this, I thought one way to help support this goal would be to create a blog that teachers, students, parents and staff could follow and comment on to help me shape my own beliefs.  As I was working on the topic of this initial blog post, I remembered a video clip that my former administrator and friend, Shawn Williams, shared with me.  It was an ABC nightline clip from a company called IDEO entitled The Shopping Cart. The clip looks at an innovative company in Silicon Valley that looks at different ways to solve a problem or create a better product.  In this clip, their task is to create a better shopping cart.  One of the statements that the CEO of the company makes is that their motto is "Fail, and Fail Fast".  He describes that by failing, they are able to look at mistakes, fix them and make them better.


As an administrator for the past 2 years, I've told staff to take chances with their classes, try new methods, experiment and don't be afraid of failure. I've decided that I need to take my own advice and be vulnerable and take chances and not be afraid to fail. This blog is my effort to "walk the talk", so I hope that you take the time to make a comment, criticize and even judge me because as hard as it may be to hear, I know that it will make me better. In education, we have to do the same thing.  Things are changing at a rapid pace - a pace that has never been experienced before.  One year we have PARCC testing, less than 3 months later, it's gone and replaced by a new vendor assessment.  When things change, people will make mistakes as they learn something new. What I've come to realize is that our students don't care so much about making a mistake, they care that someone tried to be better, tried to experiment and provide a different learning opportunity for them. Because in the end, they know if you tried, you cared about them and their education.  Those teachers that don't try, that fight change, really are saying they don't care.  Not caring is something we can NOT have in education.

So I hope that over the course of this blog and the course of this year, I do actually fail. I hope that I make mistakes, make grammatical errors, post a wrong picture or say something I shouldn't.  I hope these things happen because I know I will learn from them and I will grow. And that's something that I'm truly excited about!