Little Mac Just Wanted a Dancing Partner in the Squared Circle - 4/29/19

Little Mac Just Wanted a Dancing Partner in the Squared Circle 

By, Michael Earnshaw 

April 29, 2019 

@mearnshaw158 

Yesterday I was blessed and got to spend some quality time with my son in our Man Cave. My wife was working, as she does every Sunday, and my daughter was invited for a play date at one of her best friend’s homes. This left just me and my son together. Our time started as individuals, he was playing his Nintendo Switch while I straightened up, did laundry, and put together our new patio table. He would continually come and find me and excitedly ask, “Dad, when can we go into the Man Cave?” 

After I completed my chores, I rummaged through his backpack and found some weekend homework he had buried in the pit. I approached him, asked if it was homework, and he reluctantly said it was, but he didn’t want to do it. I told him if he cranked it out he would be finished at the same time I was and then we could hang out. Now usually getting my son to complete his homework is more excruciating than a root canal with no meds. To my surprise, he plopped down at the table and got right to work! He took his time to ensure he did everything correct, but he got it done without me having to plead, persuade, guide, and sit right next to him. I knew there had to be catch.  

Once we got into the cave he said that he only wanted to watch me play Punch Out! and get to Mr. Dream. I tried to convince him that we should play something together, start a new file on his new Super Mario Bros. Deluxe game, but he insisted on watching me live my boxing dreams out through Little Mac. Again, I knew he was up to something and soon I would figure it out.  

As I ducked, weaved, and jabbed me way through each circuit, my son munched on popcorn and talked to me about video games, school, and life in general. We laughed, smiled, and had a great time talking about everything, anything, and nothing. It was then I finally realized his what he was up to. 

It did not matter what my son and I did together. All my son wanted was to spend time with me.  

Kids do not care what they do with the adults in their lives, what matters to them is that they are WITH them.  

I began to think about many of our students, students that don’t have parents and families that can, or are able to, spend quality time with. That’s where we, as educators, come in. Sit down and take an inventory of how many moments you have throughout your day where you can talk with a student. I challenge you to give up one lunch a week to either eat with a table of students or invite them to eat with you in your classroom. Instead of checking your email or texts when students are working on a task, go chat with some. At recess, get involved, play a game, draw with chalk and get some conversations going.  

Many of our students don’t have an adult outside of school who is able to give them undivided attention. As an educator you can make that difference for kids. Take advantage of this, don’t let moments slip by, and be their difference maker! 

Schools are the Perfect Venue for a Circle Pit - 4/17/19

Schools are the Perfect Venue for a Circle Pit 

By, Michael Earnshaw 

April 17, 2019 

@mearnshaw158 

 

“You are not punk anymore!” is what my wife yelled laughingly, hands at her side, palms facing the skies, torso bent slightly forward, and her beautiful eyes cutting through me! “Yes, I am. Punks not about the look, it’s a mindset babe!” “No, you’re not. Please stop calling yourself punk!” Then her body straightened, eyebrows raised, and I knew the conversation was over.  

If you’ve read through some of my older blogs you know that I grew up listening to punk rock, skateboarding, and styling my hair with Elmer’s Glue. While yes, these are the traditional “signs” of a punk, it’s much more than that.  

Punk rock is not just a bunch of young, lost, frustrated adolescents setting out to cause havoc every day. Punk rock is a mindset, and one that has a place, and needs to be, in our schools today.  

Punk rock to me has not just been about expressing oneself, but about challenging the status quo, not accepting mediocrity. When one looks at a stereotypical punk, they see kids with growing pains (thanks Lagwagon!) The outsider gets uncomfortable. They begin clamming up, palms sweating yet body freezing. Sometimes their face forms as if they are looking at molded roadkill, nostrils inflamed from the rancid smell. Punk rockers are not a pleasant sight for those that aren’t familiar with their beliefs and ideals, and that needs to change, especially in our schools.  

Too many of our schools are still delivering kids with antiquated methods. There are far too many trees being cut down for worksheets kids do not care about nor connect with. Much of the delivery students are receiving is how you and I may have gotten our education years and years ago. Today’s student is much different than when we were. Today, students have education literally at their fingertips every second of every day. The world you and I originated from is a myth to them. Kids will never understand what it meant to plan a road trip by studying maps, getting lost, sucking in your pride and asking a gas station attendant for directions. Kids will never understand why it was essential to study spelling words every week, when now everything they type auto corrects their misspellings. Kids will never comprehend the hours we put into a research paper, scouring World Book Encyclopedias, knowing and taking full advantage of the Dewey Decimal System to locate backups of our claims.  

And this is all OK.  

The world has changed, education has changed. What took us hours, days, and weeks to learn is now literally seconds away in our students' pockets. We need to accept that fact and make our classrooms and lessons more engaging, more hands on, more collaborative and exploratory. We need to ensure our students are prepared to work with others, rely on others’ strengths and accept their own weaknesses, and build empathy for all. This approach to education will ensure success for tomorrow. Our job is to prepare students to become successful and productive members of society. We must prepare students to solve today’s problems, and those of the future.  

If we want to prepare our students for life, we need to get away from the suit and tie model of education. We must throw on our bomber jackets, get our liberty spikes sticking up with glue, and challenge the system. It’s time to take a different approach, one that is not popular or stereotypical. The alarm is going off to get punk rock again.  

I will never agree with my wife that I’m not punk rock. My coat my sport a Northface logo instead of an Operation Ivy patch. No longer are my feet housed in Dr. Marten’s with plaid laces, but now reside in a pair of comfy Steve Madden’s. The hair on my head may be showing signs of gray, thinning and not sticking straight up in a mohawk. None of that matters.  

With all of my heart I'm challenging the traditional belief of education, and it doesn’t get much more punk than that.  

WWSD? (What Would Spiderman Do?) 

By, Michael Earnshaw 

April 15, 2019 

@mearnshaw158 

Over the weekend we were able to celebrate my nephew’s 6th birthday. It took place at a bowling alley and the kids got to partake in Cosmic Bowling. If you’ve never experienced Cosmic Bowling, imagine your eardrums being loaded with the thunderous cracking of the ball crashing into the pins combined with music escaping through the establishment’s speakers at a ferocious volume. Add to that the overload of your visual senses. Black lights, strobe lights, and flashing lights giving your eyeballs a WOD from Hell! There is so much stimuli going on it’s very difficult to focus on any one task or conversation. 

During this thunderstorm of a dance party, I sat down next to my mom for a while. She asked me how school was going and if there was anything new going on. I told her about the year and then about many of the projects I have going on, both inside and outside of my role as lead learner and principal. Throughout the controlled chaos of the party, with 100% of her attention on me, my mom said with sincerity, “Mike, I’m so proud of you!” 

After hearing these words, I can’t explain to you the feelings of accomplishment, success, and pride that began flowing throughout my body.  It meant the world to me, it gave me drive, it pushed the gas pedal to the floor to keep going!  

I’ve been hearing that phrase from my mom, “Mike, I’m so proud of you!” replaying in my mind over and over these past few days. It has me thinking of how powerful a phrase it is. If at 39 years young it has had that much of an impact on me, what can it do to a child struggling to find themselves? How can it change the trajectory of their path? How can it help you serve the role you set out to accomplish when you first got into education?  

I can already hear the rebuttal to my claim, “Yeah, but that was your mom, it’s different, teachers are viewed differently.” My response, it depends on what kind of teacher you are. If you look at this as a “job”, clock in for your contractual hours, stick to lesson plans and curriculum, then yes, I agree. By you stating that phrase it will have a very minimal effect, if any. Kids see through fakeness. But if you are the educator that builds relationships with your students, pushes them out of their comfort zones to take control of their own learning, helps them learn from their failures, and believes and supports them daily, then when you state that phrase to a child with full attention on them and only them, it is powerful!  

If you’re the latter of the types of educators just described and haven’t yet pulled this powerful tool from your chest, I urge you to do so. Pull that one kid aside and truly let them know how proud you are of them and see what magic unfolds.  

Don't Let your Passions Swim with Concrete Boots - April 11, 2019

Don’t Let your Passion Swim with Concrete Boots 

By, Michael Earnshaw 

April 11, 2019 

@mearnshaw158 

It was a beautiful afternoon. The sun was shining down our students and staff as they exited our den for dismissal. Some hopped in daycare vans, others skipped towards the community with their comrades, while others ran to their parents with open arms and mile wide smiles. I was strolling through our school parking lot, passing all the busses and burning my nasal cavity by inhaling their exhaust fumes. I didn’t mind, this day was perfect and the blessing from Mother Nature was icing on the gluten free, vegan cake. As I was strolling to the end of the bus line a student stopped me. They looked at me, shot their chin in the air, and said, “Mr. E., what happened to your passion?” I replied with a confused look at responded, “What are you talking about? I’m bringing my passion to school every day!” “Nah, I feel your passion is all spent!”  

I jumped up, confused and not knowing where I was or what was going on. I checked my watch, 1:43. It was a dream, a nightmare more like it. I didn’t even get to catch the end of the movie playing in my mind. What was my response going to be? What would I have said to explain? Honestly, I feel that’s why I awoke. I have been given the opportunity to reflect and see where my passion stands. Is it as strong as the beginning of the year? Has it fizzled down? Am I still getting out of my comfort zone, pushing boundaries, doing what’s best for kids, all while challenging the status quo of education?  

After thinking this over on my morning run, I can confidently say, “Yes.” Is there room for improvement? Of course, there always is. None of us are perfect. We still have 38 days left of this school year (I don’t do countdowns and had to go to a calendar to count) to make a difference, to change students’ lives. I still have many tricks up my sleeve, opportunities for self- growth and the success of those I lead. I’m far from done and this dream has awoken my understanding for keeping the fire of passion burning each day.  

This is an extremely tiring time of the school year for educators and students. State testing, limited breaks, routines thrown off due to end of the year activities. We cannot let our passion simmer. We cannot get dulled down and just go through the motions of the job. Our kids don’t deserve that. Every day is game day. Our students are always watching and know when our hearts aren’t in it. It’s not fair to them. Get some logs on your fire and finish this year strong until that last student steps out of view at dismissal on the final day of school. After that, after knowing you gave your all every day for students, sleep like a baby.