Assume the Best

I’ll never forget one day when I was an eighth grader in junior high school and walking down the hallway with one of my best friends, Michael.  I was a pretty good student from a behavioral standpoint (for the most part) and the staff liked and trusted me.  However, my friend, Michael, was seen as a behavioral issue and was scowled at often by teachers and administrators.  Michael was not a bad kid by any stretch of the imagination, but he would often ask a lot of questions which was viewed as a bad thing.


Image Credit: charismanews.com

We were two minutes late to study hall in the library when the librarian greeted Michael with a frown and immediately asked, “WHERE WERE YOU AND WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG!?”  He started to explain himself and she immediately cut him off and said, “I DON’T EVEN WANT TO HEAR IT!” Even though I was late as well, not a word was said to me.


Image Credit: kidzworld.com

What the librarian didn’t know was we were late because Michael saw one of our classmates fall down the stairs going to the first floor while spilling the two books and pencil case that he was carrying.  This student happened to have Down Syndrome and sometimes struggled with mobility.  Michael and I helped him get settled and got to the precious study hall as fast as we could.  Whenever Michael and I talk about school, he always mentions that walk to study hall and how much he cannot stand the librarian because she absolutely refused to give him a voice.


Image Credit: picture-inc.com

 

Situations like the one described are all too common.  This interaction has shaped part of my philosophy and one thing at my core is to treat all people as if they are good while assuming the best.  Every. Single. Time.  Kids might not remember the content you taught them, but they will ALWAYS remember how you made them feel.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Best...

Image
Over the past couple of weeks I've been talking with a number of teachers, administrators, parents, and other members of the school community about what the best educators do differently than everyone else.  I know that there have been a number of books written on this topic including What Great Teachers do Differently by @ToddWhitaker.  This book has informed many of the thoughts within this post however; I will explain the six things that I feel the best educators do better than everyone else. The best educators invest more time into their work.   The best educators are not clock or contract watchers; they realize that their responsibility of educating students never stops, regardless of the time commitment.  The best educators are passionate about their students, the subject they teach, and most importantly in the connections that they make with their kids. The best have high expectations for students but even higher expectations for themselves. The best educators will not
Read more

Why Do I Lead?

Throughout the past year I have become interested in social media and using various tools to make connections with educators across the country and world.  Twitter has been a "game changing" professional development tool for me, as I have been able to consume, create, and share a number of resources with unbelievable people within my Professional Learning Network.  About eighteen months ago I heard a lot of buzz about Twitter as an educational tool, but refused to believe the hype because all I could think of when this was mentioned was Ashton Kutcher, Shaq, one million followers, and what these people had for dinner the night before.  Only when I gave Twitter a chance along with some educational chats (most notably #iaedchat) did I find the true power and the ability to connect with so many great minds.  Twitter has given me the ability to connect with my educational hero, Todd Whitaker: @toddwhitaker, and learn from some of the best in the business such as Jimmy Casas: @cas
Read more

Nike, Amazon, and Two Incredible Elementary Schools

Image
I'm an avid Nike shopper, and have literally invested thousands of dollars in shoes, clothing, and accessories over the years.  Nike has created a brand that I feel is top quality, visually attractive, and trend-setting.  When I see the swoosh on apparel, billboards, and TV commercials, I know what to expect.  Amazon is another company that gets it done consistently; I am impressed each time that I order from them.  Amazon has developed a name for themselves by focusing on unbelievable, user-friendly tools and customer service that is second to none.  What's stopping schools from creating similar brands?     Over the past six months I have spent a great deal of time listening to experts, reading blogs, participating in Twitter chats, and having face to face conversations about creating a brand for our schools.  After listening to @NMHS_Principal , @Joe_Mazza , @TonySinanis , @Joesanfelippofc and @casas_jimmy , I came to realize what an incredible opportunity we have
Read more