What do you see in your selfie?: A commencement speech

Dedicated to the Turkey Run High School Class of 2016
May 28, 2016

Good afternoon and welcome to family and friends, teachers and staff, school board members, and most of all--our graduating class of 2016.

Today, I could easily talk about how awesome the last thirteen years of school have been, but that has already been said.  I could also talk about what your future will hold, but that, too, has been eloquently stated.  Instead, I want to talk about a very important issue in our society--selfies.  I know that it might come as a shock to many of you, but I have been known to take a selfie or two.  The word selfie was added to the Oxford Online Dictionary in 2013, and means “a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and shared via social media.”  

I think I can be fairly certain that nearly every graduate sitting up here has taken a selfie.  What do you really see when you look at that selfie?  Do you see what others see, or do you see what you wish others would see?  Only you can know what is going on behind that smile (or frown, or duck-lips).  There are traits that only YOU know that YOU possess.  Look inside the heart and mind of that person in your selfie.  

One social media graphic that is floating around the Twittersphere stated that there are ten qualities that every employer would want their employees to possess, regardless of how smart they might be.  These ten qualities all require zero talent.  Think about all of the classes that you have taken over the past 13 years, from Kindergarten to Calculus.  Are these qualities present in your selfie?

1. Being on time: When I was in high school, my band director had the phrase “being early is on time, being on time is late, and being late is unacceptable.”  The the only thing that prevents this from happening is a good alarm clock.  Some of you really need to purchase one, or two, or three--today!
2. Work ethic: Are you a self-starter, or do you always wait to be told to begin your tasks?
3. Effort: Are you working to your fullest potential at all times, or do you give up when tasks become a little challenging?
4. Body language: Are you dressed appropriately, well-groomed, clean, and focused, or are you unkempt, disheveled, and distracted?  Do you maintain eye contact with others, or do you keep your earbuds in your ears when others are talking to you?  Sometimes what you DON’T say is louder than what you DO say.
5. Energy: Do you take care of yourself so that you can function through the day, or do you give the impression that you could fall asleep at any time?
6. Attitude: Only YOU know if this is a positive or a negative aspect in your life.
7. Passion: Do you truly LOVE what you do?  If not, find something that you love to do.
8. Being coachable: This is not a reference to sports, but rather the ability to take criticism and do a task the way your supervisor, teacher, or parent wants it done.
9. Doing extra: Do you do the bare minimum or do you go above and beyond?  Doing extra without the expectation of being compensated, or helping a coworker when you find yourself with unexpected free time makes a huge statement, both professionally and personally.
10. Being prepared: Are you physically, mentally, and emotionally ready to tackle the tasks for the day?

Take a look at that selfie again.  How many of those ten traits to you really see behind those eyes?  Only you can possibly know.  My best wishes to all of you as you leave Turkey Run and head out to the great future that lies ahead, whatever that may be.  Congratulations.

...but the parents didn't come

Those of us who are (or were) secondary-level teachers may have had some of those very lonely Parent-Teacher Conference nights.  It seems that in some schools, no matter how much you publicize the event, only a handful of parents show up.  Even I have muttered the words, “All of the conferences I would have liked to have had didn’t show up.”  

Maybe it is the readily-available online grade books that parents can access 24/7 to see their student’s progress….

Or maybe it is avoidance of the (once again) negative conference…..

Perhaps the parent feels that the student is old enough to monitor his own progress….

Nonetheless, it is our responsibility as educators to include the families of our students to maximize their fullest potential.  Try this...on the day after conferences, do the following:

List the names of the students receiving a D or F in your class.

Add to that list the names of students who...

• are getting a B or C and are not working up to potential
• you already have concerns about not passing the semester
• have missing assignments in your class
• have behavioral issues in your class
• doze off in your class

Delete the names of students who...

• had parents attend conferences the previous night
• you have spoken with the parents in the last two weeks about any of the above issues
• had an IEP/504/RtI meeting that you attended and/or gave meaningful input in the last three weeks

What you have left are families that should still be contacted.  You could start with a generic email through your school’s student information system.  Here is a suggestion....

"I am sorry that we were not able to connect at Parent-Teacher Conferences on Monday.  I would still like to have the opportunity to discuss your child's progress with you.  Please email me some times that we could speak on the phone.  I look forward to partnering with you on your child's educational journey."

Perhaps to avoid the back-pedaling, do this exercise a few days PRIOR to conferences.  Reaching out to families shows that you care about their child and his progress.  They say, “Build it and they will come.”  Sometimes, however, you may have to bring “it” to them.

photo credit: www.dreamstime.com

Spokes in the Wheel

It may sound odd to you that I am a principal that does not have the explicit goal of improving test scores.  I would rather say that my goal is to increase student achievement.  EVERY school works to improve student achievement, and, good or bad, standardized test scores are usually the most publicized manner to show this growth.  Imagine that student achievement is a wheel with eight spokes.  Each spoke represents a facet of student success: rigorous curriculum, passionate teachers, student attendance, family support, extracurricular participation, positive relationships, student voice, and community involvement.  All of these must have equal support and strength to keep the wheel in line and balanced.  If one or more of these spokes are weak or missing, increased pressure is placed on the remaining spokes to produce the same amount of success.  As we work to strengthen each spoke, we create a solid platform for our students to succeed--academically, socially, physically, and emotionally.

It is my goal to collaboratively empower these spokes throughout the year at Turkey Run Jr/Sr High School in Marshall, Indiana.  This village will continue to raise every student that walks through our doors, propelling them into a future where their skills and knowledge will place them as competitive equals to graduates from any school in the state.

WHY?

WHY?  For those who have very young children, this question is asked more often than most others.  “Why does the sun move through the sky?”  “Why is the sky blue?”  “Why do leaves turn color in the fall?”  “Why we stay on the ground and not float into space?”  Have you ever tried answering those “why” questions with a one-word answer?  If you did, it probably was followed up by another open-ended question.  Your short answer just was not good enough for that inquisitive toddler. 

When, then, throughout a child’s formative years, do we switch over to only the “what” questions?  “What is 4+5?”  “When was the Declaration of Independence signed?”  “What color is produced when we mix red and blue?”  “What are three causes of the Civil War?”  Perhaps a better question to ask than “What is 3x6?” would be “WHY does 3x6=18?” or “Show me why 3x6 is not the same as 6x3, even though they both equal 18,” or better yet, “Describe all of the multiplication facts that equal 18, and represent them using arrays or another model.”  Now this "new math" has spawned serious discussion in many homes across the country, including the Schulz household.  Personally, I don’t have a problem if my fourth-grader has to occasionally use his fingers to figure out some multiplication facts.  I don’t care if he needs to add five 12s because he does not remember that 5x12=60.  I simply love to see the amazement in his eyes when he “gets it.”  He now understands how to add fractions by first making common denominators.  (Back in the day, I don’t think I learned this until sixth grade.)  Even more amazing, he can tell me WHY he needs to find common denominators instead of just performing a rote algorithm. 

We could endlessly debate the merits vs. the demise of society because of the Common Core or any other set of state standards, but it really is not about that at all.  Let’s not cease to use the same amazement when a student truly “gets it” instead of just “gets the right answer.”  If you are not asking WHY, then why not?

Feeding Frenzy

Sometimes I accidentally forget to fill my bird feeder for a couple days when it becomes empty--usually when I notice that I do not have a flock of finches, cardinals, nuthatches, woodpeckers, bluebirds, and blue jays roosted in my back yard.  It seems that it does not take long for word to spread in the aviary world that fresh seed is out for all to devour.  Soon, the flock returns to my yard, feasting upon the crunchy morsels, and then flying away to obviously spread word that there is “good stuff” in that yard over there.  Hard to believe that such a small act on my part can create such a feeding frenzy. 

Sometimes our schools can be just that—a feeding frenzy.  After a spell of non-communication with families, any little piece of information seems to spread like wildfire.  Obviously, I prefer POSITIVE messages to become viral, rather than the negative.  It is so easy for the public to think that nothing is happening in the schools if they haven’t heard anything in a while.  That is when the occasional negative message circulates globally in an instant, just because that is the ONLY message coming from the school in a while.  We have a plethora of vehicles to create continual excitement about our schools—social media, email, displays, websites, blogs, videos, and even retro newsletters!  Educators need to “toot their own horn,” for excellence occurs every day, and it is difficult for one person to be omniscient of every instance of awesomeness.  It can be as simple as a tweet about students on a field trip, artwork, lab experiments, or social studies presentations.  It could be a mass email congratulating students on the completion of a major test, project, or initiative.  A parent thank-you post on Facebook could be shared just as often as the tirade about displeasure about school being canceled (or not) due to weather conditions.

A regular diet of small awesome messages being circulated around our communities will significantly outweigh the occasional not-so-awesome ones.  We can all create that feeding frenzy—just don’t let your feeder go empty for too long.

Counting Sheep

Count sheep.  Don’t open your eyes.  I said, don’t open your eyes.  Don’t look at the clock.  Count sheep backward.  Don’t look at the clock.  Slow, deep breaths.  What time is it?  It MUST be close to my alarm time.  3:30 AM.  DRAT!  Looked at my clock.  My desk at school is piled with paperwork.  I hope little Johnny behaves better today.  Did little Susie have dinner last night?  I wish I would have handled that student discipline situation differently yesterday.  Hope I didn’t ruin that kid’s life forever.  Need to email my weekly agenda to the staff.  Seven parents to call and the state standardized test schedule to formulate.  I should get started on my taxes.  Did I miss my wife’s birthday?

No matter what your profession, no matter what your job, we all have restless nights.  Sometimes I wish I could just flip that switch and not think about school for once, but that would completely opposite of who I am.  I am wired to help students and staff be the best they can be.  I’m not always successful, and maybe that is why I wake up in the wee hours of the morning with my thoughts directed toward school.  The desire for me to make life better for others is why I am who I am, and why I do what I do—every day.  A great principal friend of mine includes the following sentence in the signature line of every email he sends to his staff: Today, I will do whatever it takes to help you have a great day! 

Educators (teachers, principals, deans, counselors, paraprofessionals, custodians, secretaries, librarians, bus drivers, coaches) strive to make every day the best day possible for our students.  More often than not, it includes time and energy the public does not witness.  No one said that teaching was an 8-5 job.  How could it possibly be?  Some days you may see a teacher leave the school building before 4:00, but most likely she will be awake at 3:30 worrying about Johnny and Susie, formulating lesson plans in her head, cutting out bulletin board letters, baking cookies as a reading goal reward, searching Pinterest, Twitter, and other websites looking for new teaching strategies, standing in line at Walmart to purchase school supplies for those who cannot afford them, or wondering how she will inspire her students to do their best on the state tests.  Some say, “No rest for the wicked.”  Maybe we should say, “No rest for those who truly care.”  There are those who just do not understand the complete dedication of a teacher, and that is OK.  WE know that we are doing what we are called to do, and we will not give up on any student.  Ever.

4:45 AM—load of laundry done, living room vacuumed, blogpost written.  Too bad today is a two-hour weather delay for our school.  Looks like I will need to brew a second pot of coffee.

I Don't Care Much for Geese

As I peered out of my kitchen window this weekend, I spotted a flock of geese flying overhead.  I can tolerate most animals (well, maybe not a snake, unless you really want to see me jump on top of a table and shriek in hysterics).  If there is one animal that I really don't care for, however, it is the goose.  I really didn’t have a problem with geese until 2003, the year I started at the last school for which I taught.  No, our archrival did not have a goose as a mascot, nor did a goose ever attack me in my sleep.  

For those who do not know, I was a band director for 18 years before I became a principal.  Part of my job that I absolutely loved was designing and teaching the marching band halftime show for football games.  When I was hired at this northern suburban Milwaukee school district, I was warned about the migrating geese that often times roosted in this area.  Geese?  Near Milwaukee?  You betcha!  Every day as the band took to the practice field, the musicians had the duty of chasing nearly a hundred geese who chose to use our “classroom” as their personal rest area on their trek south for the winter.  At first it was annoying to take time to clear these birds off of our field, but as time went on it became a fun ritual to see who could get the closest to these waterfowl.  It didn’t take me long, however, to discover that there was something even worse than the winged intruders on the marching field.  It was poop—goose poop.  If you have never experienced it, it is gross.  For most of first quarter, the band room smelled of nasty, smelly, goose poop.

No one in any teacher training course I took ever told me that I would encounter anything like aviary fecal matter in the classroom.  There are many things that they don’t teach you in college before you actually become a teacher.  It wouldn’t even matter if they did, for you wouldn’t believe it if your professors actually told you that certain events could occur.  Teacher preparation has come a long way since the late 80s.  Today, first-year teachers know more and are expected to do more to actually graduate and receive their licenses than many of us old timers could ever imagine.  As I reflect back to my first year of teaching in 1992, I wish I could just erase that year from history.  I am, however, blessed to know that I didn’t mess up too many of my students.  Actually, I recently found out that one of my freshmen from that year is now teaching social studies at a nearby middle school.  He told me that he remembers when I took the school’s jazz band to the Purdue Jazz Festival that year, and that particular trip helped inspire him to eventually choose that post-secondary institution.  It is scary that I inspired anyone that year.  I made so many mistakes, but don’t we all?  We must not give up when we make mistakes, but rather own up to them, strive to amend our shortcomings, and be determined to become the best educators we can be. 

I continue to make mistakes; I don’t have all the answers.  Sometimes I have to chase away the geese to get to the heart of the lesson.  Even after the geese are gone and the lesson is taught, there still may be goose poop to clean up.  Educators have one of the toughest but rewarding jobs on the planet.  Our classrooms may smell from time to time, but we know that when we persist, students will gain the knowledge and skills needed to be productive citizens in our global society, and be able to pass on the character traits that we strive to instill in them.