#bestyearever

Way back on August 1, 2014, I emailed all of the staff a welcome back letter.  In the letter were three main areas of focus- relationships, PBIS, and family engagement.  They were to be my three areas of focus and I think I was trying to persuade you to make them yours, too.  Towards the end of the letter was the motto that I hoped that we could live by this year- "Let's make this the best school year ever."  The motto became a bit of a running joke with daily announcements and the final line to "make it the best Friday, or whatever day it was, ever."  In retrospect, I think that the motto has stuck with each of us and with the kids.  You have truly made this the #bestyearever.

• Your relationships with our kids, their families, and with each other grew better and better every day.
• Thanks to Matt and Katie, our PBIS program has a very strong foundation that can be built upon for an even more effective program for the years to come.
• Family engagement is improving as seen by the number of volunteers we have visiting our school for academics, arts, athletics, and showcasing of student work at conferences and portfolio nights.

We now turn the page on the 2014-2015 school year and begin to look ahead to next year.

• We'll have a new look to some of our classrooms.
• There will be new students and families to build relationships with and foster growth and learning.
• There will be some adjustments to PBIS that will make this an even better program for our students and each other.
• Some of you will wake up in August, much later than the rest of us, with new opportunities that you have worked to attain during your many years of giving to others. (Best wishes Tracey, John, Beth, and Barb!)

Now I'd like you to enjoy this last day with our kids.  Find the good in each of them.  Share that last smile or hug or high five or fist bump.  To quote Theodore Roosevelt, "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."  That's the way it is for our kids and that's the way it is for adults.  Our kids, whether you know it or not, do know how much you care.

Think about when you were growing up.  During these middle school years, there were times when you thought that you were smarter than your parents.  I know that I did.  It wasn't until much later, when I became a husband and father, that I realized they were the smartest people that I knew.  Our students oftentimes feel the same way that I did.  But then there are times, like last night at 8th grade graduation, when the kids and their families step up, look you in the eye, and thank you for the direction that you have provided.  My hope is that you each have one of those moments today with your kids.

Thanks for making this #thebestyearever!

The BEST retirees

Eight years ago, I became the principal of Merton Intermediate School.  It was my dream job and allowed me to have "my own building".  I knew that with the job came great responsibilities.  As one of the fine Merton fathers said to me, in front of his son, "With power comes great responsibility."  The four retirees have been instrumental in guiding me to become a better listener, influencer, and leader.  I can't thank them enough.

One of the first things I did as a principal was to bring the motto "BEST" to our school and district.  BEST is an acronym for Believe, Encourage, Share, and Trust.  The four retirees exemplify each of these characteristics.  I'd like to mention a bit about each of the retirees, in alphabetical order by last name.

Tracey McGinnis

• She believes in each of her students and their ability to be the best musicians they can be.
• She encourages her students, and those teachers she has worked with, to become the best music teachers they can be.
• She shares her ideas with members of our Building Leadership Team and is the voice of the specialists.
• She trusts all of her students to do the right thing, especially when she takes them off campus to perform and showcase their talents.

John Rheineck

• He believes in the abilities of all of his students and guides them to do their best.
• He encourages those students who might otherwise fall through the cracks by reaching out to them on their terms.
• He shares his beliefs about middle school kids with fellow staff and me, trying to help us better understand what a "normal" middle school kid really is.
• He trusts each of his students implicitly, and they return this trust to him every day, knowing that a conversation with him is only with him.

Beth Rosen

• She believes that all students have the ability to do math and provides extra guidance, even if that means missing lunch or a prep.
• She encourages students to be better, both academically and behaviorally, by holding students to a higher bar than they might think they can attain.
• She shares her love of math with her students and her colleagues, taking a leadership role for our school and district.
• She trusts her students and encourages them to take responsibility for themselves.

Barb Schiellack

• She believes in all of her students and colleagues and knows that they are giving their best every day.
• She encourages students to take risks to learn something that is hard or different.
• She shares a wealth of knowledge with her students, families, and colleagues every day.
• She trusts that her students will leave her classroom and be stand up citizens.

These four retirees have shown me the BEST in my time as their colleague.  They have believed in me, encouraged me, shared with me, and trusted me, and I am forever in their debt.  You will all be greatly missed.

#10Assumptions I had as a kid

After reading a post by Joe Mazza (@JoeMazza) called #10Assumptions I had as a kid, I felt compelled to come up with my own #10Assumptions.  I was compelled because Joe actually emailed me the link to the blog and asked that I consider my own assumptions.  So here goes.
#1.  Money can buy happiness.  It doesn't.  It just buys things.
#2.  Everyone wants what's best for everyone else.  It's not true.  Some want what's only best for themselves.
#3.  My family was like everyone else's.  It's not true.  Every family is different, and that's a good thing.
#4. The only good basketball officials are male.  My sister proved me wrong over and over again.
#5.  Coaches had to yell to get players and teams to be successful.  My high school track coach proved that wrong with his constant positivity.
#6. The only happy couples are a boy and a girl.  My good friend Tony, and his friend Felix, proved me wrong.
#7.  I could only be friends with people I knew face to face.  Twitter and voxer have proved me wrong.
#8.  People that smile at you like you.  That's not always the case.  Sometimes they are laughing at you and don't like you at all.
#9.  My grandparents would always be there.  They aren't "there" now, and I should have done so much more to connect with them.
#10.  Your best friend in grade school will always be your best friend.  That's not true.  Sometimes you move away.  Sometimes they find a new best friend.  Sometimes you find a new best friend.  My best friend is my wife and I didn't know her in grade school.
What would you add to my #10Assumptions?

Judgement- It's all a matter of perspective

Recently I have begun looking over Pinterest, and not for recipes.  I have always been a fan of quotes.  I share them with our staff, with students, and always have one in my signature line for my emails.  The quote to the left really caught my eye for two reasons.

The first reason goes all the way back to 4th grade.  That's long ago enough that many of you reading this probably weren't even alive.  The year was 1973.  I was in a classroom in Louisville, KY, in the heat of a spelling bee.  Spelling always came easy to me but I think it was just because I could memorize well.  In all of the words of the quote to the left, only one has two spellings (not flower vs. flour).  It is judgement.  Or judgment.  The teacher said the word and I spelled it- J-U-D-G-E-M-E-N-T.  Success, or so I thought, but I was informed I had misspelled the word.  I didn't agree with her assessment and went right to the dictionary for proof.  And I found it.  There are two acceptable spellings for judgement but she would have nothing to do with it.  To this day, I spell judgement with the "e" that my teacher told me was incorrect.  So now on to the real reason the quote caught my eye.

We have the awesome power every day to look at a situation and make our own determination- is it a flower or a weed.  The voice mail light on your phone- a flower or a weed.  The most recent email in your inbox- a flower or a weed.  The disagreement with a friend or family member- a flower or a weed.  This quote reminds me of the glass half full argument.  It is a judgement call.  And those of you who know me and are still reading, you know I'm a glass half full kind of guy.  It takes just as much energy to be positive as it does to be negative.  It's a judgement call.  So why not choose the positive and make the judgement that the situation you are dealing with is a flower.  It sure makes it more beautiful.

My running streak- focus, persistence, commitment

Back in December of 2014, I was fortunate to be recognized by students, staff, family, and friends for something that started in August of 1987- a daily run.  That's right.  I have run every day since August 30, 1987.  That's over 27 years, a span of over 10,000 days.  My daily run can happen at any time of the day or night, on a treadmill, in school hallways, or outside.  Most often I run alone, but some of my favorite runs are with large groups of people, specifically marathons like Boston and Chicago.  Do you want to know why I started my running streak?  Well, you'll have to wait until the end of this blog.
I have often been asked a series of questions about my running, often with the topics of injuries or how far a marathon is (By the way, marathons are all 26.2 miles.) or why I started or continue my streak.  I answer any and all questions mostly because showing an interest might spark others to begin their own streak of exercise, whether that be running, walking, biking, swimming, or just about anything else that gets a person moving and physically active.
In thinking about this streak the other day, I realized that it has taken focus, persistence, and commitment.  Focus has allowed me to keep running in the forefront of my daily schedule.  Persistence has allowed me to find the time- morning, noon, or night- to keep the streak alive.  Commitment has allowed me to make my run a priority, no matter what the day brings.  There are five main reasons that I continue my streak.

#1.  Running has allowed me to visit great destinations.
I have had the opportunity to run in races in Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Green Bay, Madison, and Milwaukee, to name a few.  I have run around Lambeau Field, crossed the 50-yard line at Camp Randall, and crossed the finish line in Boston at the end of the 100th Boston Marathon.  I have run in nearly every state east of the Mississippi River and most of the states west of the Mississippi River.  I've also run in Canada and had an encounter with a bear, but fortunately the owner of the fishing lodge had a loaded gun to keep me safe.

#2.  Running is the true definition of "me time".
Whether it's before school, after school, or any other time of the year, running allows me to be alone.  A vast majority of the times I have run during my streak have been on my own.  I have watched more sports on television while running on a treadmill than I can even recall.  I have run on rugged trails and busy city streets.  If  I run with people, it's normally because I'm in a race or have met someone at a conference or on vacation that shares a similar interest.  But I must say, my normal 30-minute or so 4-mile run allows me to refresh and relax on my own so that I can, hopefully, be a better husband, father, and educator.

#3.  Running allows me to be a positive role model.
My work as a principal puts me in contact with students, staff, and families nearly every day.  Many of them would be able to tell you that I run every day.  My daily run is something that nearly everyone knows about and hopefully finds worthy of modeling, too.  There have been days when I have run with students and staff, sometimes as a fundraiser and sometimes as part of our yearly Celebration Day.  My hope is that many of the students and staff find their own way of being physically active and healthy because of my streak.

#4.  I have met some great people while I was running.
During my running streak, I have been able to speak with all sorts of people.  I have had some great conversations with lawyers, doctors, business people, educators, and regular people just like me.  My favorite story goes back to a time before my running streak began.  I ran with Mr. John Archer, the famous "Black Bart" of the Boston Marathon.  We were members of the same church and I met him on the start line of Al's Run in Milwaukee.  He changed me, over the course of that 8K run, from a low level Division 1 NCAA sprinter to a distance runner with a goal of going just one mile farther than the last day.  Mr. Archer told my stories of his runs with Bill Rodgers, Boston Marathon great, and my thoughts of running distances other than 440 yards began to become my focus.  Mr. Archer was my contact with running greatness and I really believe he is the reason that my streak began.

#5.  I do some of my best thinking while running.
Spending 30 minutes alone every day allows me to let my mind wander.  I don't need to talk to anyone unless I am in a race or have chosen to run with someone.  Many days I wait until school is over and think about the day, or the day to come, and what I need to do to make sure that I have done all that I can to make that day a success for our students and staff.  When I'm running, my thoughts move from the daily interactions I have with students and staff, to phone calls and emails, to personal responsibilities, to my family.  The opportunity to think about my entire day, and sometimes the day to come, make my run a way to relax, refresh, and renew to provide focus for my life and the lives of those I come in contact with every day.

There are so many people who have supported me during my streak.  The most important is my wife Jenifer, the love of my life for the past 22 years.  She has sent me for runs when our daughter was born, when a relative has died, when we've been on vacation, and just about any other experience you can imagine.  She has also stood behind me, literally, on one of the two days that I have only run one mile.  One day I had surgery and I ran before the procedure.  Jen went to work the next day and I snuck into the basement to run one mile on our treadmill for a mile.  I didn't tell her until she got home from work.  The other day was when I had walking pneumonia and she stood behind me as I ran a mile on the treadmill.  She knows the importance of this streak to me.  My daughter has also sacrificed time with me due to my streak, but she has also been able to visit Boston and Chicago and some other great locations because of my running.  My family and friends have also supported me in ways I cannot even believe to make sure that the streak keeps going.  And most recently, my PLN family has supported me with words of encouragement.  I cannot thank all of these individuals enough for their support.

So here's the answer to the question I posed in the first paragraph of this blog- Why did I start my running streak?  In August of 1987, I was coaching boys' volleyball at my alma mater, Waukesha South High School.  I had a great group of young men and I was putting them through a series of cardiovascular activities, and I couldn't keep up with them!  I decided right then that I needed to start running to get back in shape.  And I haven't missed a day since then.  I hope that this short blog will somehow give you the inspiration to start a healthy streak of your own.

One Word Challenge

In my #PT camp PLN voxer group, we have challenged one another to pick a word to guide us for 2015.  It's a twist on New Year's Resolutions, most of which fail anyway.  Here's a link to a website that provides some direction for us.  I have thought of a number of words (balance- I need to be much better at this, commit- find one thing and do it with all of your heart, perseverance- work on something I'm not good at until I get better at it) but one word sticks out- FOCUS!

(www.gsdfaster.com)

Focus is something we can all strive for.  In the words of Jim Detwiler (@JimDetwiler1) from his most recent blog, we must live in the moment.  In order to do that, we need to have focus.  Put all other thoughts out of your mind and give your all to the person or topic at hand.  Live in the moment.  Put all of your efforts into what you're doing at the time.  Listen more intently.  Find a distraction free environment.  Unplug.  Pay closer attention.  Put the important people and things at the top of your "to do" list, and then do them.

I also thought about ways that I can be more focused at school.  Get out of my office when the staff and students are around.  Hang out in classrooms and learn with the students.  Be more available for the students at lunch and recess.  Meet with staff in their classrooms and not in my office.  Provide more valuable feedback more often.  Block off times on my calendar every day to not be in my office.  Totally unplug when meeting with all individuals (staff, students, families).

The list of things to focus on seems long but that's alright with me.  The key is to focus on the moment at hand.  That's really the only thing I have control over.  And I would tell you it's the only thing each of us has control over.  We can't change the past and we can't alter the future.

So that's my challenge- focus on the moment and make the most of it.  It's quite a challenge for someone like me who pretends to do many things at one time.  If I don't focus on one thing, I'll do nothing well.  Focusing on one thing will ultimately lead me to being more successful.  And for those of you who know me well, don't hesitate to remind me to focus on the moment.

(www.shutterstock.com)

Back in the classroom- a challenge to administrators

As I sit in a Language Arts classroom, teaching for the first time in a long time, I realize the incredible effort needed to be prepared to engage students in this ever changing world.  I really enjoy the relationships that I have been able to build with our staff and the trust they have in me to teach their students without worrying about whether I will provide the instruction that they would have delivered.  I may not do the lesson exactly as they would, but every teacher is different and that's what makes teaching so awesome.

(from @iamkidpresident)

I am in classrooms every day, interacting with students and occasionally with staff, and see their awesomeness on stage.  They provide thought provoking lessons, work time for the content of their classes, opportunities for discussion and conferring, and the chance for our kids to be kids.  The kids are why we come to school every day.  (Sorry, I had to step away to confer with students about including figurative language, today's mini-lesson, in their essays.  I told them I would be writing while they were writing.  Just modeling that we all write, even if we're a 50 year old principal!)

The teaching profession is the most important profession in the world.  That may sound cliche, but it's true.  Without teachers, none of us would be able to do all of the things necessary to be successful in our chosen occupation.  Teachers need to meet the needs of a variety of students with a variety of abilities, backgrounds, and confidence levels.  There is no cookie cutter approach that works for all of our kids.  They are as different as the families they come from and the teachers who teach them.

This morning my daughter said to me, "You are in an exceptionally good mood this morning."  I couldn't deny it and told her it was because I was going to teach all morning.  I do love being in the classroom as a principal, but it is completely different when you are in the classroom as a teacher.  You are guided by the students and their needs, both academic and behavioral, each and every moment you are in the room with them.  It is their classroom after all.  They are the ones doing the learning, although we learn more from them on some days.  I recognized that again in my morning of being a guest teacher.  And recognizing, in my opinion, is more important than realizing.  I need to recognize our staff more for all that they do each and every day.

I had a great morning being a teacher again.  Lunch and recess duty, something I do every day, was great, too.  Now I'm getting ready to go back into classrooms with kids and teachers learn with and from each other.  It's the reason I come to school every day.  But truth be told, if I was asked to be a guest teacher again tomorrow, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

Now, to complete the assignment I gave to the students in Language Arts this morning, I'll include three pieces of figurative language in my blog.

Zowie!  Teachers are awesome!  (Onomatopoeia)
Teachers are like artists.  They find the best in all of us.  (Simile)
Administrators are teachers, too.  They should offer to teach a class, or two, whenever they can, even if it's unexpected.  Are you up for the challenge?  (Personification- a little humor that gives human characteristics to administrators.)