Well, it's been two weeks...

Good morning, Merton family!  I hope that you have been enjoying your first two weeks of summer.  I have had the pleasure of seeing or tweeting with many of you so far and hope that our paths will cross often over the remaining days of summer.  As you probably know, I have participated in two fantastic learning opportunities since our school year ended.  I participated in #summerspark on June 15th and 16th and had the honor of presenting a few sessions with my good friend Tom Whitford (@twhitford) as well as suggesting an administrator session for the EdCamp that concluded the conference.  Our very own Heidi Jones also participated and presented.  Way to go, Heidi!

Earlier this week I participated in the National FCE (Family and Community Engagement) Conference in Chicago.  To say the least, I was completely blown away.  I met my #ptcamp PLN (Somewhat explained in this blog), the same people who signed a copy of "Beyond the Bake Sale" and had it hand delivered by my good friend Geniene Delahunty (@GenieneD).  If you want to know more about this experience, please stop by.  I'll be at school from time to time over the summer and would love to talk to you about my ideas and how you can support improving family engagement in our school.  I am meeting with our new PTO president, Mrs. Payne, next week to discuss having our own book chat of "Beyond the Bake Sale" with families and staff.  I am really excited about this and know that it will help to make our school an even better place for our students, our staff, and our families.  Neither of these opportunities would have been possible if it weren't for the connections I've made on Twitter and Voxer.  So what can I do to help you get connected?

Here is a graphic from this blog (tea@chtought) about the 27 things teachers do well.  I know that it's difficult to read all of the words so please check with in the blog link if you are interested.

Here is a link to the Meemic foundation grants.  It's a very simple process that I hope you all take advantage of this school year.  Who doesn't like "free" money?

Quotes, blogs, and tweets

"When a thing is done, it's done.  Don't look back.  Look forward to your next objective."- George Marshall, military leader

"I was born with an enormous need for affection, and a terrible need to give it."- Audrey Hepburn, actress and humanitarian

"The moments of happiness we enjoy take us by surprise.  It is not that we seize them, but that they seize us."- Ashley Montagu, anthropologist

How to change a from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset in 4 easy steps. (from @TraceyKracht)

(image from www.flickr.com)

So I leave you all with this image, and a request.  As the summer continues, find something that you struggle with, either personally or professionally, and try it again.  The ideas in the growth mindset link above the image may assist you with this.  You can choose to share your struggle with others so that they can support and encourage you or you can keep it to yourself.  The choice is yours.  But please, take the challenge.  You'll be glad that you did, and so will your students and family.

Have a happy 4th of July.  I'll blog you all again after the holiday.

Jay

#ptcamp- Explaining the unexplainable

For the past year, I've been a part of a wonderful online, interactive community of learners.  The members of this community are from all over the world, nine different time zones to be exact, with parents, teachers, building and district level administrators, authors, and state and local school boards.  These individuals have become a family to me and I can't really explain why.  It's something that will probably only happen once in my lifetime.  I would love to have it occur again, but the perfect storm of people, conversations, and activities is nearly impossible to replicate.  That doesn't mean, however, that I won't give it a try.  I really think that you should, too.  So, here's what you'll need. (To my #ptcamp family, I hope you notice the use of "P" words!)

1. People-  This is where it all begins.  You'll need a group of people that are willing to take chances, have honest conversations, share their ideas, and ask for suggestions.  The #ptcamp family which began in June of 2014 has people with all of these qualities.
2. Passion- This is defined as a "strong and barely controllable emotion."  The #ptcamp family exudes family engagement.  Sure, we had conversations about things other than this, like our own families and schools, but ultimately the conversations came back to the main focus- family engagement within our schools
3. Purpose- The purpose of #ptcamp family was to share ways that we all encouraged family engagement.  Like any good group of educators, we "stole" ideas from one another, came up with new ideas, and shared stories of things we tried that just didn't work.

So how did all of this work so well for the first edition of #ptcamp?  It started with a great book, "Beyond the Bake Sale", written by Anne Henderson, Karen Mapp, Vivian Johnson, and Don Davies.

Dr. Joe Mazza (@Joe_Mazza) pitched the idea of a global book discussion around the book, asked for people to sign up, and encouraged the conversations to begin.  Interested participants used Twitter, Voxer, Apprenet, and personal blogs to share their thoughts and ideas.  We all got to know one another through the social media apps, but no one could ever imagine the connections we would make during the book chat.

Although the formal chat ended in early August, a core group of passionate individuals stayed on board and continued the discussion throughout the school year.  This, I believe, is when the family started to gain strength.  The school year began and we spoke about all of the ideas we had to improve upon family engagement in our schools.  Some were successful, and others were not, but we celebrated the successes together and talked through the disappointments.  Just this week, many of us met in person for the first time.  But that is a story for another blog.  I'm still too overwhelmed to be able to put my thoughts into words about that.

The moral of the story is this.  Find a group of people who are passionate about a topic.  Connect with them, face to face or through social media.  Foster conversations around the passion.  Find your own purpose through these conversations.  Share your successes and your challenges with one another.  But, most importantly, take a risk and push yourself to places that are uncomfortable.  You will learn more than you could ever imagine, you'll connect with great people, and you might even find that you have a family that you didn't even know about.

Now, #ptcamp friends, who's next to share their thoughts?

If you are interested in joining the next #ptcamp, here is a link and explanation so that you can sign up.

#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.