Once a Bobcat, Always a Bobcat

This post was written with Dr. Todd Schmidt ( @tsschmidty ); you can find his blog here . In just a few short weeks, students all around the country will be getting ready to start school again. Invariably, on the first day, many teachers will go over the “rules.”  You know the ones… Raise your hand if you want to speak Stay seated Turn in your homework Follow directions...and so on... These are some of the rules to that game we call school.  Follow the rules to the game and you might get out alive.  Don’t follow the rules and you can be labeled all sorts of things.  We value the compliant student...the one who doesn’t get into trouble...the one who completes their homework on time and regurgitates the right facts at the right time whether it be in multiple choice or essay format. Like many educators, we were successful at playing the game.  Homework was completed, tests were studied for, and essays were turned in...but in reality,...

More than 25 years ago, I was finishing up my last day of fourth grade and walked out of school with one of my all time favorite teachers, Mrs. Lammers.  As we were heading to the walker line, she asked me about my plans for summer, how excited I was for the upcoming baseball season, and what I was most looking forward to in 5th grade. I loved Mrs. Lammers for many reasons: her passion for baseball, the way that she brought characters to life when she read Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing , and most importantly how she made an intentional effort to connect with me while pushing toward higher levels than I thought possible. I was not the highest achieving student, nor was I the hardest worker.  School was just not my thing; I really struggled with reading and did not put forth the effort to get better.  However, it was different with Mrs. Lammers, as she held this incredible belief in me and made me want to learn more each and every day.  She showed me that mistakes ...

Earlier in the week, I had a great opportunity to drop by two fourth grade field trips, each of them taking place at Four Mounds , a high ropes and team-building site that our students visit each year to wrap up a fantastic career in elementary school.  I have said for many years that this is the best field trip that I have ever been part of because of the incredible experiences that students gain in a short amount of time.  During their time at Four Mounds, students participated in high and low ropes courses that present physical, mental, and emotional challenges.  Communication, teamwork, encouragement, perseverance, mental toughness, and the ability to step outside of one's comfort zone are essential within the various activities.  As I observed, talked with others, and participated in the activities myself, I thought about key take-aways that can guide our work as educators. Taking Risks There is no question that students were pushed outside of their comfort...

I have been watching Peyton Manning play quarterback in the SEC and NFL for more than half of my life.  This man has dazzled me with touchdown passes, fourth quarter comebacks, competitive fire and unbelievable poise over the past 20+ years. I have been a fan of his since his days in Tennessee and even felt that he should have won the Heisman Trophy over Charles Woodson of my beloved Michigan Wolverines in 1997.  After 18 years in the NFL, two Super Bowl championships, five Most Valuable Player awards, and fourteen Pro Bowls, Peyton decided to officially hang them up earlier this month.  As I listened to his press conference and reflected upon his career, I couldn't help but think what leaders can learn from this incredible athlete. Be Humble Peyton Manning is an absolute superstar and simply one of the best to ever put on a uniform; however, when you listen to him speak, you would have no idea.  Peyton is quick to thank those around him including coaches, t...

One of my all-time favorite bands is Led Zeppelin ; I own just about every one of their albums.  If you ask me, it doesn't get much better than the 6:45 mark of "Stairway to Heaven,"  and I have been known to belt out this song, particularly in my younger years, but that is a different post for a completely different setting.  The other day I was listening to another one of my favorite Led Zeppelin songs as I was driving in between the two schools that I serve.  This song prompted some thinking about education, changes on the horizon and it happens to be the title of this post. There is one certainty in 2016...change.  Whether we are studying a new instructional technique to engage students, establish more efficient methods of collecting performance data, finding different ways to connect with families or recruiting new members to join our teams, change is happening rapidly before our eyes.  We consistently look for better or more efficient ways of doi...

A couple of days ago, I attended an IEP meeting at the end of the day.  The beginning of this meeting with parents was typical as present levels of performance were presented, goals set and instructional supports discussed.  IEP meetings are predictable as they follow a particular format, but something out of the ordinary took place near the end that left me thinking about what matters most in our profession. After the family was informed of their son's progress and plans moving forward, they shared how satisfied they are with the support that our school has been able to provide.  It is always great to hear comments like this because there are times when family support is not nearly as prevalent in these types of gatherings.  The mother continued to thank her son's teacher for her commitment and making an intentional effort to connect with him.  She said, "We love our son dearly, but also realize that he is a handful to say the least."  "You understand hi...

We all think of a brighter future and constantly discuss ways to get better.  I think it is human nature to want to improve while looking to increase the quality of our relationships, improve our skill sets, or work more efficiently.  I have given this a great deal of thought in the past few weeks and have come to the conclusion that the decisions and plans we make today will lead to a better tomorrow. I think of this practice as an investment and refer to it as planting seeds.  Within this post, I will share what I plan to do today to lead to a better tomorrow. Image Credit: DeonVsEarth, Inc Take care of the hard stuff now: If you work in education, there are going to be difficult things that you will have to tackle almost daily.  Maybe there is a hard conversation that needs to take place with one of your colleagues.  A procedural change may need to happen that is going to upset a group of people, but is best for your organization.  Or maybe it is...