We Have Evolved!

"Learning is not attained by chance, it must sought for with ardor and diligence."

-Abigail Adams

This was sent to my staff:

Was it just me on Friday? Did you see it, hear it, and feel it? Let me take a step back. During the symposium this summer, our conversation revolved around getting a handle on troubled spots throughout the building. It took us roughly a day to hammer this out. Remember?

No one mentioned celebrations for our school, hall of fames, spirt week, Dragon clubs, or grade level incentives. We focused on the universals and the overall school-wide system.

On Friday, the conversation totally changed! I am wondering if you noticed it? We did not focus on the universals; instead, we discussed ways to celebrate the success we are experiencing.

We have evolved! In our PBIS culture, we have progressed together! This is BIG for us!

Do not get me wrong, we have a lot of work to do with our universals. 

However, Friday’s data tells me, we are evolving! As I have stated before, “progress” is one of the most amazing journeys. The beauty is, sometimes, when it takes place, you do not realize it is happening. 

Before I sign off, remember, never arrive on auto pilot in this profession. Our kids will most certainly lose. We (everyone, me included) will continue to push our learning against our personal learning curve. Simply, when we grow, our kids grow! 

-Rodney S. Lewis, Ed.D.

Incremental Progress

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."

-Thomas A. Edison

Our 5th grade students are awesome! However, like many elementary schools, some grade levels need more support. No big deal.

Lately, once recess has ended, lining up efficiently and walking into the cafeteria quietly has been a challenge for them. 

Thinking on a whim, I decided to talk to the grade level about my expectations and challenged them to finish recess quickly, line up in lunch order, walk quietly in the cafeteria, receive their lunch and eat in a timely manner. 

Their teachers and I challenged them to be the “best of the best!” After speaking with them, I will admit, I was exhausted. I was preaching! I did not know if my Wednesday tour among the three classes was effective.

Well, on Thursday, once recess ended, our classes would have made you proud! They did everything their teachers and I expected them to do. I was so proud of them! That afternoon, I went to each class, huddled them together, like my former basketball teams, and we screamed to the top of our lungs.....”WE ARE DRAGONS!”

I am sure our three 5th grade teachers would agree-it was an incredible feeling to see our students so happy for doing the right thing! That is incremental progress at its finest!

-Rodney S. Lewis, Ed.D.

Giving A Little More

Sophia, my princess

"The medicare teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teachers demonstrates. The great teacher inspires."

-William Arthur Ward

I love being Sophia’s dad! We are constantly playing and pretending to build and rebuild her playhouse. During this play session, I am “Daddy, The Builder.” Sometimes,  we play “ball-lee.” Basically, when I retrieve the ball, Sophia jumps on and tackles me. It is very fun!

There are occasions when we play “Great, Great, Great Grandaddy.” With this, I transform into an elderly gentlemen who has wisdom, a raspy voice, and a severe walking problem. 

Also, we play “Ice Cream Shop”, “Grocery Store,” Building Blocks”, read stories, find numbers, watch Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, and the list goes on and on. 

Being a parent is by far my greatest accomplishment. My internal beliefs about parenting travels with me to school everyday. With that said, I fully understand at our school there is a student that does not know his/her father. There is a student in our school who does not spend frequent time with his/her mother. There is a student in our school that does not feel they are loved by their immediate family. There is a student in our school who rarely reads with an adult or plays pretend games. 

In some cases, this makes our job slightly challenging-attempting to fulfill their basic needs daily. But-you know- our students are worth it!

I realize the unconditional love my wife and I have for Sophia is absent in a few children. I hope with a gentle hug, high-five, meaningful conversation, and playing at recess, we can give our students what we give our loved ones. Thank you for giving more of yourself everyday as we try to help our students grow.

-Rodney S. Lewis, Ed.D.

Your Enduring Influence

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to life forever."

-Mahatma Gandhi

Through out my schooling (elementary through undergrad) I was very insecure about my learning and thinking ability. I never looked at myself as a synthesizer of data or intelligent. Along the same lines, I did not affirm my own ideas or validate them.

While working at Lafayette High School (after graduating with my B.A. in 2004) my security guard colleagues were talking about Artie McCoy, my former high school math teacher, who was returning to the district as the new Director of the VICC Program.

I had not seen him in nearly 6 years. Later, as I was leaving LHS for the day,  Art was driving into the school. There he was, in a gray suit, gray car, and black dress shoes. 

Recently, he had just finished his Ph.D. from USML. Wow! “He must be extremely smart to earn a doctorate by his late 20’s!”, I thought. Quickly, as I processed his success- my self doubt started. I told myself I could never accomplish such a      “tall-task.” At 23 years old, I was looking for guidance. 

Still intrigued, I started asking him questions that sunny afternoon about the dissertation process, the complexity of his course work, and the time spent studying and writing. He told me, “If you want a doctorate or anything, you can do it. It is hard work, but if you are willing to put in the time-you can make it happen.”

Regardless of my position, he took out the time to motivate, inspire, and show me what hard work and success looked like, sounded like, and felt like in our profession.

                     

As I continued to progress in my career, I remembered his encouragement. Once I arrived at Maryville University in pursuit of my doctorate, nearly six years later, I understood the power of his advice.

In this arena, we are models of success, social capital, professionalism, leadership, communication, validation, and conflict resolution.

Everyday our students are looking to you for guidance and leadership. When school has dismissed, I know you have provided these attributes in some manner. 

On Friday, for 45 minutes, I had a conversation with two 6th grade students. I could have spoken to them for several hours! They were full of life and energy; they had so much to say. I hope by talking very little and listening more, I modeled respect, kindness, and compassion. 

You know, maybe our assessments cannot share our enduring influence on our students. However, in five, ten, or fifteen years down the road, our students will remember your inspirational words, your positive interactions with them during their "ah-ha" moments, your after school good-byes, and your tough love. They will understand you truly care about them as a learner, a student, and most importantly, a person.

You are to our students what my former math teacher was to me-a model of leadership and guidance.


-Rodney S. Lewis, Ed.D.

21st Century Skills

"Proficiency in 21st century skills is the new civil rights of our times."

-Unknown 

We hear about “21st Century Skills” in the educational media quite often. However, the question arises, what are they, and how do they connect with our daily work?

According to Skills21.org, 21st Century Skills are defined as:

Informational Literacy: The ability to use and find important information.

Collaboration: Working together for team success.

Communication: The ability to read ,write, and comprehend ideas from different mediums.

Creativity & Innovation: Refining and improving existing ideas.

Problem Solving: Experimenting with new and familiar ideas until a solution is reached.

Responsible Citizenship: Displaying appropriate technology use, global awareness, and moral capacity outside of the classroom.

What attributes would we want our students to master as they mature into adults? Process this, when our KDG students are 25 years old (that’s scary!), what will the workforce look like for them? We are all unsure; on the other hand, we could all agree these six skills, regardless of their profession, will play a major role in their ability to excel. 

Finally, let’s continue to educate, prepare, and guide our students for the unknown world-using powerful known skills.

-Rodney S. Lewis, Ed.D