Teach Them How To Fish

A few weeks ago I picked up my son from open gym.  I experienced a large mix of emotions.  As he was scrimmaging with kids two to three year’s older, shirts vs. skins I saw my son growing up way to fast.  He is my first born child and will be ten years old in December.  Although he will always be my baby I realized I have less time with him now then I have experienced already.  In nine years he will be graduating from high school.  People are so right to say don’t blink.  I was very proud as I watched him scrimmage.  The older kids were much more skilled, but he hustled and embraced the moment.    This experience made me reflect upon whether or not I could have done that at his age.  Parenting is never an easy task as there is not a manual that comes with child birth.  Occasionally I ask my parents what they did when I did these things.  Often the answer is, we didn't have to deal with those things.  Well the fact of the matter is our students are impacted by many more challenges as our society operates much differently today. I have so much more to teach my son to prepare him for his future, to help him become the best person he can be and the years are flying by way to fast.

Sure there are different challenges with different generations of education, so I am not saying we need to go out of our way to make things easier on them.  What I do feel is that there is an important need more than ever to teach our youth how to handle raw emotion, communicate with others, and provide them with the skills necessary to be proactive and productive.  I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Jostens Renaissance conference in Orlando, Florida this past week. This years theme was the Joy of the Journey.   There was an extreme amount of energy from educational leaders, teachers and students.  It was great to see so many people focusing on the commitment for all students to graduate.  Thanks to Mark Brooks (@rockdog6912) and Frank Zucker (@jostensringguy) for this great opportunity.

Ninety percent of the conflicts I work with have developed in response to a lack of skill.  The students are lacking skills in dealing with emotions, conflict avoidance, and proactivity.  In most situations students have reacted based on their raw emotion.  From my experiences we have adults who struggle with this as well. One of my favorite sayings is that you give a man a fish you feed him for a day, but if you teach him how to fish you will have fed him for a lifetime. This week I have the opportunity to present to new administrators.  The topic I have been given is proactive discipline.  While preparing my presentation I began to reflect on my first few years as an administrator.  I was sitting in their shoes two years ago wondering whether or not I would know what to do in different situations.   Questioning whether or not I was ready for this or if I had enough experience.  Who am I to have tough conversations with parents as I am just a young parent myself?   I had a great team and staff who provided me the push to move forward with this professional goal.  I was excited, motivated and ready to learn.  To new administrators this is what I have learned.  It is a R.A.C.E., but one so worth running!

Relationships

Accessing Technology

Culture

Experience

Everything you do as an administrator roots itself in relationships.  As a new administrator you need to get to know your staff, students and parents in order to build trust. They must feel that you are invested in them and care about them on a personal level.  This is a proactive skill.  By creating these relationships you lesson the likelihood of future problems.  When dealing with discipline seek first to understand then to be understood.  Take time to have one to one conversations and follow up quickly as it builds credibility.  It is okay to ask for help often.  You don’t have to have an answer right away and it is okay to tell them you’re not sure but will find the right answer.  Lucky for me I was surrounded by a great team who was always willing to help. (@casas_jimmy, @joykelly05, @mwdegner, @ColinWikan, and @krskillet)  I have had a wonderful mentor who has taken time to help me grow both professionally and personally. Thank you Joy Kelly.

One of my challenges is with the rapid increase of technology in schools.  The major issue is the lack of skills that our parents have in educating our children at home as they don’t have the knowledge themselves.  Our students have access to a much larger audience all around the world but don’t have knowledge about the impact it can have on their future.  It is our responsibility as educators to teach them how to embrace technology as a tool and not a toy.  It is also our responsibility to support and educate the parents at home.  We are a 1:1 school and I have learned a lot over the past few years about the challenges that come with making sure students can access technology.  It is a proactive discipline as well. 

Proactive discipline is a culture that must be developed in your schools.  The culture in a school is really based on the adults in the building.  We need to model the same things that we expect our teachers to do within their classrooms.  Plant the seeds, nurture, and help them grow.  We must provide clear expectations of excellence.  It is very important to infuse a sense of school pride and community.

As new administrators you will grow through experience.  You will make more decisions in a day then you could have ever imagined.  The conversations will get easier and your ability to ask the right questions will get better.  Always make decisions in the best interest of the students.   Again seek first to understand and then to be understood!  The days are very fast paced and you cannot measure impact on a daily basis, but you are not leaving the classroom.  Your classroom just got larger and much more diverse.  Enjoy the race and always remember to stop and drink some water.  Reflection is learning and learning is growing.  I wish you the best in your first year!

Mindsets from Philly. “The Fish Philosophy in Education”

Have you ever observed a fish after it has been caught by a fisherman or when it has been washed to close to shore that the water is not quite deep enough for it to escape?  It can be sad and disturbing but if you change your mindset just a little bit, it can actually be very motivating.  The survival skill in the fish is to flap and wiggle with all its might; trying to free itself.  The moment that follows this is what has caught my attention.  The fish stops, relaxing as if it has almost given up.  The breathing slows for a few seconds, but then all of a sudden the fish goes right back at it trying to free itself.  Why does this intrigue me?  I can relate this fight to education.  Unlike the fish, the fight is always worth it because we are here to serve our students.  Having said this, what are our survival skills?

Recently I had the opportunity to travel with 19 other staff members to a conference in Philadelphia.  We saw the sites, visited an amazing school and participated in great conversations.  As I sat down to reflect on what I have learned and what I can apply at my school I can recall two things that impacted me the most.  Spending time with my staff and being mindful in education.

First impact was our staff enjoying time getting to know each other, educational discussions, and time just to sit back and visit with one another. I learned a great deal about our teachers and I am blessed to be one of their leaders.

This reminds me of the “Fish Philosophy” in which I included in my curriculum as a business teacher.  It was inspired by a business that is world famous for its incredible energy and commitment to service—the Pike Place Fish Market.

They identified four simple practices that help anyone bring new energy and commitment to their work.  Many organizations around the world are using the FISH! Philosophy to:
   • Provide amazing service that makes customers want to come back again and again.
   • Build a culture where employees love to give their best every day.
   • Build effective leaders who inspire through their example.
   • Improve teamwork and build trust.

So what is the philosophy?  It includes four simple practices

Be There: When people need you, they need all of you. Setting aside distractions and judgments to be fully present is a sign of respect. It improves communication and strengthens relationships.

Play: You can be serious about your work without taking yourself so seriously. Play is a mindset more than a specific activity. It allows you to throw yourself with enthusiasm and creativity into whatever you are doing, in a way that is natural, not forced. "Playing” with ideas helps you find solutions to everyday challenges.

Make Their Day: Simple gestures of thoughtfulness, thanks and recognition make people feel appreciated and valued. When you make someone else feel good, you feel good too.

Choose Your Attitude: To actually choose how you respond to life, not just react, you must be intentional. When you get up, decide who you want to "be" today. Moment-to-moment awareness is key. Ask yourself throughout the day, "What is my attitude right now? Is it helping the people who depend on me? Is it helping me to be most effective?"

The descriptions were taken from their website so I can’t take credit for those, but I don’t need to add any details.  The principles speak for themselves.  You can watch a preview of the video at this website http://www.charthouse.com/productdetail.aspx?nodeid=24103.

During our trip we practiced every principle of this philosophy and I believe it had a positive impact on each and everyone one of us! The second take away from my trip was the importance of being mindful in education.

 Being mindful in education is very similar to the Fish Philosophy, but it focuses on the individual state of mind. 

I attended a workshop at the conference that addressed being mindful in education.  First I want to compliment my district for always looking for ways to improve and to serve our students, staff and community.  Our students are very blessed, but with this commitment sometimes come costs.  I find myself as an educational leader, mother, wife, sister, friend, daughter and much more always feeling as if I can do more.  This isn't a bad thing but I have come to realize that we need to stop and enjoy the moment!  "Smell the roses" as some would say.

We constantly have that little figure on our shoulders saying do this, add this to the list and I have to get this done first.   Don't get me wrong our tasks are important, but sometimes we forget the most important survival skill.  I attended a workshop on being mindful in education because I have observed staff members very stressed out as they are always working very hard on doing what is best for students.  Even in my own life I have had moments where I think wow time just needs to stop and I need to slow down. 

I see my nine year old son asking me every morning what is the plan, what’s going on tonight, or what’s next.  Many times we will be having a great time, but he will be worried about when it is over and what happens next.  I love that he likes to stay busy but I have to remind him to enjoy the moment.  My favorite saying, “Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened"!

The workshop I attended focused on how important it is for us all to just take 5-15 minutes out of our day to just slow down, meditate if we must and enjoy the moment.  Sometimes we are so focused on what happens next and being proactive that we forget to slow down, enjoy the moment and celebrate successes.   This small window can rejuvenate us so that we can continue to do our best work.  We don’t always need to solve the problem right then and there.  Just like we need to listen to others you needed to listen to yourself as well.  “Be Mindful!”  Our challenge as educational leader is to model this for our staff and students.  We must also advocate for it or create opportunities for it to exist.