Owning The Room

Today we had the privilege of having Iowa Public Television #IPTV come into our two elementary buildings at Griswold Community Schools and watch magic happen. This magic wasn't done by a magician, or someone with a magic cape (although Dan did bring his cape). It was done by a regular, everyday person named Dan Wardell.

Never have I had the privilege of seeing one of Dan's shows but I'm glad the opportunity finally presented itself.  For the kids, they are going to remember his ability to relate to them, his ability to engage them, make them laugh and get up and move. Hopefully they remember his message of turning off our TVs, video games and computers and instead how important it is to get outside and play, eat healthy and finding a way to read 20 minutes a night.

For our teaching staff, I know they all made connections to his time with us in different ways. Some saw how we can "all have fun and learn simultaneously", "positive things bring positive results" and others noted how "it's OK to let lose and enjoy the moment." With that said..... I'm also wondering if they made a connection to my incredibly horrific dance moves (if we can call them that), my lack of singing voice and how that sometimes you never know what you're getting yourself in to.

Most importantly I hope they understand how Dan completely walked into a strange room, with kids he has never met before and owned it. Flat out, completely took over. How did Dan do this? Because he praised them. Every chance he got he thanked a kid for their work, he built them up and made them feel like what they were doing was the right way to do it, the only way to do it. He got a group of 5th graders sitting in the very back of the room trying everything in their power to stay completely undetected to fully buy in, to believe in his message.

He reminded me that when you make the conversation about strengths and positives kids will take risks. Those kids will take those risks so we as educators can correct and teach, which simply put is the reason we show up each and every day.

We Have One Job...... Don't Blow it.

Our job as educators is rather complex. We're asked to fulfill state requirements, meet AYP (adequate yearly progress), handle report cards, find new growth, become data experts, provide interventions, handle parent expectations, help sick kids, encourage students to make connections..... really the list is endless. It's not an easy job, and it's a job that most people who aren't in the education realm would have any real understanding of. That's OK, I'm OK with people not getting "it".

With all of these things though, there is an area that we can't ever lose sight of and it's job  #1.  Our first job always and forever is to build real relationships. To make connections and encourage kids to think, act and behave in a way that their family and community is proud of. It's something I'm so passionate about I often tell our teachers to throw everything else out the proverbial window . That looking at spreadsheets, data and curriculum is second. None of this matters until we've made serious connections. What makes this so hard are the "politics" that get involved with education.  It's big business, with state funding and major corporations placing stake in our students' future. It makes our job even more complicated than it has ever been. It means we as administrators have a job more important than ever.

Don't misunderstand what I'm saying. I have been called on more than one occasion "the data dork" by coworkers. I like data, I think once you consistently and reliably dig into it, our job as educators can be so much easier. I think good reliable data is the difference between finding growth and throwing darts in the dark.

I also believe in coaching, helping teachers do things they weren't comfortable doing a week ago, pushing teachers to dig into and reflect on best practice. Helping their students learn in ways they didn't know possible. I believe in much the same things that most administrators do.

But I also as an administrator feel like I have a duty to "protect my teachers".  And when it comes to all of the politics and expectations; they know my expectation, our buildings expectation is that relationships come first.  It's a fight that I think we as administrators have to be willing to fight. End of story. I hope you'll fight the same fight.

Dear Parents, Teachers, Mentors & Coaches - I Challenge You.

A concert...... Violins and 120 students (plus thousands of others from other schools). What comes to mind?

Yep - Exactly! We had similar thoughts(Will they behave? How many students aren't going to GET IT? Will they understand what we're trying to teach them and most importantly when is lunch?)

Now - Watch the video below.

Take that 15 second video and change your thinking about our day, because it DID not go as I had planned. The learning we encountered that day was unreal. 

Yes I said learning, and this is where my purpose of this letter is real, true and direct. Today I was inspired by the band Black Violin. Not because of the fact they've toured with the likes Alicia Keys, played at the Billboard Awards and countless other tours with recognizable bands (although it is pretty sweet). What I was truly inspired by was their message and what they were trying to teach. 

As an educator, coach and even a new parent I see things and have long wondered, why is it happening, why do they do that, why am I living my life this way? For example, if you know me I'm a huge believer in the fact that we are losing leaders because kids don't have unstructured play time. Instead we rush them from activity to the next by led by coaches, sponsors and directors who are telling kids what to do. We don't let kids think, do and be different. We don't let them get into trouble, argue with friends and disagree about the last 10 seconds of a pickup basketball game and who should have won. 

Sure structured activity has a great place - It's your foundation. At some point though we need balance, the passion to encourage others to do it differently.Today it hit home when in between songs Kev Marcus told the students something so real it gave me chills. He stopped the music and told the students to: "Go against the grain, do it differently, whatever you do don't do it the way it's always been done or the way your friends are doing it".  He looked at his violin and asked the students if the violin when created was intended to be played the way they were - of course the students in a roar of unison said "No!". 

I challenge you as parents to let your kids "Go against the grain, do it differently".  Make them think different, let them invent, break things, destroy things and fix things. Personally, an awesome thing my parents did for me as I look back on my childhood that I feel so blessed is that when I told my parents I wanted something or that something was broke they always asked me to fix or build it. Heck - When I told my dad I wanted a computer he bought me a box of "computer parts for Christmas and told me to get to work building my own. . 

Second Kev Marcus said that famous people are famous because of one thing and that's because they out work EVERYONE. They are doing the things that average people are not willing to do. From a personal perspective, a coach and a teacher I see this happening all the time (or lack of). Kids, adults and even myself say that they want to be great, so with the help of the people around them they join this team, that club, join this band, get this job and they work at doing something they enjoy. 

What I feel like normally happens though is (myself included) all of us do "just enough" to say they were there or involved. They get the ribbon or pat on the back for participating. 

What I don't always see is someone who loves/cares about them instill in them the absolute only way you can be great is to outwork others. The best bosses, performers, leaders, famous people aren't where they are because of talent. They are there because they outworked EVERYONE.   They aren't there because they played this many games in a season, sang in this many performances, passed this many tests. They are famous because they outwork EVERYONE. 

I challenge you as a parent, mentor, coach, teacher or leader to instill in young people the mind-frame of outworking anyone and everyone. That's the only way they'll be great. They won't be great by showing up to 30 games, performing in 15 musicals or acing 10 tests. They can only be great by having an unbelievable work ethic. 

Lastly - I challenge you to watch that music video above a second time and be amazed at how a group of guys got their foundation in classical music and then outworked EVERYONE.  How a group of guys got thousands of elementary aged students to learn differently and think outside the box. 

Where to begin...................

As my Spring is quickly flying by, I've been working on balancing all of the exciting things that are happening in my family's life, my 4th grade classroom, my community and my personal life. While doing this I have started the mental transition and mindset of being a principal for the Griswold Tigers. As my mind has started to do this, I've begun to create checklists, notes, questions and to-do lists to ensure that my transition for the Griswold staff, students and community is as seamless as I can make it. As I've prepared I've asked myself, “What are my core foundational beliefs and what do I need to do so that my new staff and students can find the most success?”

Honestly, this question has more answers then I could ever write in a blog post. There will be things I never saw coming, experiences I can’t prepare for and challenges that nobody could have warned me about.  With that said, at this point in my career I know and believe that if someone asked me to simplify it, I’d do it in 3 ways.

First – My main objective and first mission is to create an environment where staff and students wake up in the morning and can’t wait to be at school. Having the privilege of working at Treynor Elementary has taught me that if a student loves their teachers and loves coming to school the opportunity for a student to grow is endless. At the core of achieving this objective are relationships. It is my job for me personally to create relationships with staff and students that focus on trust and respect. As I’m building these relationships, it’s my belief that a teacher has one of the greatest gifts in the world and this is to create a relationship with a student that he or she may remember for the rest of their lives.  It’s up to the teacher to decide how they want to be remembered and my job to provide the environment for it to be a positive memory. 

My second core objective is to create an environment where the staff is committed to learning and growing. One of my favorite quotes is one I heard recently that went something along the lines of “I’m not saying what you’re doing doesn't work, I’m just asking if you are willing to see if we can find a way to get a better result”. This approach means you have to take risks and be willing to accept change, which are two of the most difficult things we as humans are asked to do. Having people willing to learn, share their thoughts, ideas and new learnings with others is the mark of people who are OK with taking risks and accepting change. Great ways to do this are through Twitter EdChats, blogs and most importantly from collaborating with the people around us. 

My third objective as an educational leader is to work tirelessly to find student growth. Anyone who has spent any time around me knows I am not concerned with where the student was, what the teacher last year has said about a student or how far below proficiency a student is. My objective and driving force, as a classroom teacher has always been to assess students to find out where they are, and continually monitor the student to make certain that growth is occurring.  As an educational leader I will be no different; help staff to assess, determine weaknesses, monitor growth and commit to making the necessary adjustments so all students can find success.

In a perfect world, this happens seamlessly. In the real world, the staff at Griswold Elementary and I will learn, grow and go through hardships and tireless days together. When the day is over though, it is always our job as educators to reflect back and ask if we've helped our students learn, so that they can be the leaders of our communities tomorrow.

Why the change?

As I begin the next chapter in my life, many people both in the education field and my personal life have asked me, "Why would you make the change to become a school principal?" To answer the question simply is impossible. Much like my decision to accept the principal position in an incredible school district in the Griswold Community School District; a couple of words don't do the decision justice but the thing I'm most excited about is the fact our family gets to be a part of two great communities. For those of you who know me closely know how I'm humbled and blessed to share with you a brief glimpse into my decision to making the change.

I think my hope and dream to become a school leader started before I even knew that I wanted to be involved in education. My desire to be a leader started as a junior high student when I had a man who would become my lifelong mentor tell me that I was a leader. He believed in me so much, he got me out of bed some random school morning when I was in 7th grade at 6 a.m. and drove me to Des Moines to a leadership conference for students. I distinctly remember thinking, "Why me? Why does he think I'm different?" To this day, I don't know the answer to that question, but I do know I was inspired to attempt to live a life where I could help lead and influence people. It's incredible to think of the difference those simple words made.

My journey took me to a place where I would eventually get involved in education and I knew from the first time I worked in a school building I eventually wanted to be a principal. My first "boss" was someone whom I've blogged about before and she instilled in me the passion it takes to help every single student in your building succeed. It means you're up late, you wake up early, people talk about you behind your back and sometimes your ideas make zero sense to anyone but yourself. As I began in education I learned through reading that principals, second only to teachers, have the most dramatic impact on student achievement. (You can read more about this here ---> Principal Impact). Some research puts them on equal footing, if a principal can create a culture and environment where kids love coming to school and learning.

The challenge of being a great principal, and doing it differently became something that ate at me daily.

Eventually, the dream became real and my goal had the possibility of becoming reality after a colleague told me about a leadership program based in Omaha through Doane College.  Early on, I thought pursuing my goal meant I needed to have various types of professional experiences and I had to have my life carefully planned out and I was in charge of it all. It wasn't until recently I learned how wrong I was. (More about this later.)

As I began working towards my goal I feel like I got "lucky" in finding and participating in the most incredible experience of my life.  The last 2 years of my life in the Educational Leadership Program through Doane College changed me. I've grown, changed, learned and had more sleepless nights in this program than I'd care to admit. It was intense, life changing, organized, individualized and frustrating all in one. I've many times shared with my wife, I'd pay triple for this experience because of the things it has taught me. I can't say enough great things about Jed Johnston and Doane College for this journey (but DON'T triple tuition :) ). As the end was drawing near on my master program I began to wonder what was next and how should I plan my future?

As a couple of opportunities arose in the winter of 2015, I began to work on "my plan" and decide where it is I should be. During this time I had a conversation with someone who was first my boss, later a mentor and finally a friend and he shared with me that, "There is a plan for you & you're not in control of it and once you can accept this; life will make much more sense". This conversation caused me discomfort for days as I didn't know what it meant. Sure I got the words, but the deep meaning didn't make sense until later. Eventually it did - eventually things fell in place and I know that my plan fits with my ultimate goal...

So in a couple of words? Why the change? 

 "To continue my dream of helping all students find success socially, emotionally and academically"

Don't Close That Shop Door

Don't Close That Shop Door

In my opinion one of the most exciting things as educators we can do to help students find growth is to implement or have an intervention in place to help those students who struggle to find their "light switch". That moment of A'HA! is personally one of the biggest reasons I and many others want to be in education. Recently, if you follow me on Twitter ( NigelJHorton) I had one of these moments after an independent read. It was powerful and filled my tank for my own energy bus for at least the next year.

At times though as educators we find ourselves asking the question of "where to turn next" when what we are doing just isn't working. We as professionals know, hear and agree that we want "all students" to be successful. It's ingrained into us and is why we as teachers come to work everyday with that being our goal. With that said, imagine being a car-mechanic in today's age with all of the computers, gidgets & gadgets and trying to solve every problem by closing your shop door and getting to work. It can't be done; car mechanics have to rely on constant training, peers for help and research from people who are smarter than them.

Teachers are the same - we can't rely on shutting our shop door and getting to work. We have to rely on tons of help to be successful. These include our peers, our social learning network, blogs, tweets & shares, #edchats, conferences and research to help guide us when we need some new ideas or help to back all of these ideas up.

Recently through the help of Tina Wahlert at our Green Hills AEA we were introduced to a very simple, comprehensive website that helps us find research on many of these thoughts and ideas we are introduced to. It's called the "What Works Clearinghouse" (Link below)  and is put out by the Institute of Education Services that uses research to give us educators outcomes and results for how well the different interventions work and then grades and scores them.

For me personally, it was great to find research not being provided to you by a company, or author but instead someone independent. As this compares it to all interventions that have been submitted to them. It also helped guide me in making those hard choices of "what to do next".

As an educator, I challenge you to go out and look at it and reflect back on your teachings, maybe you'll find something you didn't know about. With that challenge, I encourage you to not be afraid of change because that "light switch" moment is right around the corner!

What Works Clearinghouse

#REPresent - It's about something bigger than you

REPresent 

 "It's about something bigger than you"

What in the world do beatboxing, break dancing, an ex-BYU mascot and a harmonica have to do with the education of our youth?  That's what I was wondering when I heard Josh Drean would be coming to Treynor and boy did he answer that question.

Today, after many months of work from our district OLWEUS team and training by the entire district we had a kick off assembly for both the Elementary and Middle/High School students. The premises for our kick-off was to raise awareness, and get kids excited for the implementation of our district-wide OLWEUS anti-bullying program that is being rolled out the second semester of this school year.

With that said, it's more than just an anti-bullying program that we are working on implementing at TCSD. Our true goal is to make all students love coming to school. We know that when a student can trust the people around them to care and respect them` their potential for growth is limitless.

• As @joshdrean says it is about always taking time to REPresent your community, your school, and your family. 
• As a 4th grade so graciously told me after the assembly: "we are learning to remember that it's about something bigger than you".  
• As our district leadership always reminds us, it is about making sure our students feel safe and secure. 

And after today's message from Josh we all believe that when you remember to always REPresent yourself in a way your community, school and family can be proud of you will make a positive impact in your school and community for years to come.

What can you do in your school?

To start with, if you get a chance to have Josh Drean at your school, DO IT. I can't say enough about his level of engagement with the students. Not to mention the entire day the kids talked about his message. One kid even came back into my room and just said, "Wow...... Wow that's all!"  And if you don't get a chance to have him in your school, remember the little acronym he uses for REPresent.

Report
Extend a hand
Play nice
R
E
S
E
N
T