Maui

Maui

November 20, 2018 

By, Michael Earnshaw

@mearnshaw158 

It’s that time of year where everyone is giving thanks to their loved ones, co-workers, & other individuals holding a special place in their hearts. Of course, I’m thankful for these people.  My wife, my rock, my mentor. My beautiful, healthy, busy children. Our caring families. My amazing staff that supports me and works hard for our students. My District Office that trusts me to do things my way. Our amazing students and parents that know our children are the future. If I wanted to be cliché, I'd write a whole blog on all of these. But that’s not me.  

I recently had the privilege of seeing Dave Burgess speak at his Teach Like a Pirate workshop. If you haven’t read the book, do so without hesitation, regardless of your role in education. This book is a game changer. If you get the honor to see Dave live, DO IT! His workshop is nothing but eye-popping motivation! I drink gallons of coffee a day. I wouldn’t leave to use the restroom unless it was a break. Yeah, that’s how good he was. During the workshop Dave discussed how his past, his background, has helped to mold him into the experience delivering educator he is. I pondered about this a lot, about my background. I came up with three aspects of me that I am thankful for that make me the leader I am today.  

Endurance. Ever since I joined the middle school track team I was a distance runner. This wasn’t by choice. I wanted to sprint the 100 M, do the hurdles, launch the shotput, you know, the exciting and entertaining events in track. My coaches at the time said Mike, “You’re doing the 800 and mile.” My first thought was, “Nobody is jumping out of their seat cheering for an underweight, gangly kid running around a track for 6-8 minutes.” I’ve been raised with the trait that you never quit something once you start. So, I stuck with it. And you know what, I was actually pretty good. I kept with it and ran cross country through high school, running on the varsity team as a freshman and sophomore, a pretty huge accomplishment! After college I began running again, multiple half-marathons & now 4 full 26.2s! The reason I’m thankful for my endurance racing background is that in my role as a leader, I’m constantly on the go. I’m up and down the halls with my mobile desk and skateboard. Getting down on the ground with students and working. Lots of long days. I typically try to get up at 4:15, get a run in or lift weights at the gym, go to school (I never call it work), and have some late evenings with meetings. When I get home I need to be there for my beautiful family, and my kids keep us active. If I didn’t have the grit and motivation to get through a 26.2 mile marathon, I may not successfully get through my days as a leader. The staff, parents, and most importantly the students, deserve me at my best.  

Punk rock. Punk rock changed my life, and it’s still affecting it for the positive. When I was a teenager it was bands like Rancid, The Suicide Machines, Good Riddance, and Propaghandi that got me through some rough patches. Hell, they still do. Music is my go-to whenever I’m stressed out or confused. I’m thankful for the punk rock attitude, the DYI ethos, that I have. For the first few years of my administrative career, I led like I thought I was supposed to lead, a cookie cutter. I wasn’t myself. This past year I have done things my way, ways that are unconventional, out of the box approaches. Faculty meetings are hands on, collaborative, culture building hours. I’ve been in my front office only 5% of the school year. Friday’s you can find me teaching some aspiring skateboarders tricks out on the back playground. I’m visible, working with staff as a teammate to solve those Rubik Cube puzzles we all encounter. Punk rock has taught me to not worry about the perceptions others have on you or what you're doing. I do my thing because I know it’s the right thing to do, even if it’s not what your “typical” principal does.  

Defamation of character. Ok, this isn’t as bad as it sounds, or maybe you will have your jaw jumping to the floor when you hear this story. Sticking with the middle school theme, when I was in 8th grade, the year I was introduced to punk rock, I had hair that liked to change colors depending on my mood. Sometimes green, sometimes blue, but never its original dirty blonde. As I was strolling down the hall with my crew, the principal at the time was standing next to a paraprofessional and whispered, “That kids gotta be on drugs.” Now you’re probably asking, “Mike, how do you know he said that?” Well, here’s how. That paraprofessional, she was my best friend’s mom! Yep, always think before you speak. Of course, my mom caused a stink, he had to meet with me and apologize, and then left our district at the end of the year. That comment has taught me the cliché saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” As a leader we need to accept differences in all our stakeholders. I know what it’s like to be judged and not taken seriously simply because of how I looked. I will never do that to a staff member, student, parent, or any human being. Oh, just so you know, that principal couldn’t have been more wrong. If he truly knew his students, he would’ve known I was an Honor Roll student that went on to take all Honor’s courses in high school. And I was straight edge, sXe. 

These traits have helped make me the leader I am. I’m thankful for my past, all the ups and downs. Some of these experiences left me confused and depressed at times, but now I see the light. Without them I wouldn’t be able to change the game, break the mold, and challenge the status quo.