Courage - July 23, 2019

Courage 

By, Michael Earnshaw 

July 23, 2019 

@mearnshaw158

Courage is something that every individual holds inside of themselves, yet not all utilize it and showcase it in their lives. The beauty of courage is that displaying it varies from individual to individual, situation to situation. Courage is a necessity for educators to truly reach their students and make a positive change in this world.  

I find courage in anyone that decides to enter the field of education. Teaching is a profession where one holds in the palm of their hands the outcome of all our futures. Educators can use what’s in their power, take risks to bring the best experiences, and build loving relationships with our students to change the course of the world. Educators display courage by knowing they are entering a field where the media focuses on the negative and they are judged by test scores from an assessment created by those far displaced from understanding what truly happens in a classroom. Teachers are courageous by doing what they know is best for a child’s well-being, advocating for them, supporting them and building them up when the rest of the child’s world has thrown their hands in the air and given up. I find teachers who fight for our kids, despite going against popular opinion, to exemplify courage.  

Last school year I had taken a leadership personality test. Hands down I came out as an “Ambassador.” Here’s the description:  

In the age of choice, the Ambassador is a more desirable, more important leadership type than ever before. Ambassadors are the entertainers of the leadership universe, bringing unmatched passion, enthusiasm, and charisma to the table with the goal of telling the best possible stories of their districts, schools, and classrooms.  

Out of the entire District Leadership Team, I was the only “Ambassador”. No one else even fell into this as a sub-category. Reflecting on this description I agree whole-heartedly that I am an “Ambassador.” It has not always been that way.  

Before last school year I was not myself. I was living my role as Principal in the stereo-typical fashion: sit as desk, stare at a computer screen, make phone calls, do a lap around the school to show my face, blah, blah, blah. I was unhappy, unproductive, and not a successful leader. I was fortunate enough the summer of 2018 to get involved in Twitter and build my PLN, realizing the role of Principal does not have to be that bland.  

In my role as an “Ambassador,” I display courage by going against the grain and challenging the status quo of how a Principal operates. I am never in my front office. Instead I’ll be found in the halls with my mobile desk, Adina, or in the classroom on the floor working with students, or reading a favorite picture book to Kindergarteners. I’ve displayed courage by telling my staff that I want them to take risks, design lessons that are out of their comfort zones, and I will support them through the process. I model this by openly taking risks myself and sharing them with our staff. It’s ok if it flops. No true learning or growth will occur inside of our safe little bubbles that we’ve grown comfortable with. It has taken courage to show that I will put relationships, the well-being, and emotional states of our students, staff, and parents first before curriculum and test scores. I display courage by knowing that deep inside my heart a positive relationship with ALL needs to come first, second, and third before true learning and growth happen. Our students will not reach their true potential, take learning into their own hands, discover solutions to problems that aren’t even birthed in our world yet, until they know we are here for them. It takes courage to fight for our students and see them as individuals with so much unlocked potential rather than a State Identification Number. As a leader, it takes courage to admit defeat and failures to our staff but is a necessity. We are all human, and no one of us has all the answers. We need others just as much as they need us to keep moving forward. 

Courage is a unique concept. Educators that fight for our students, lose sleep over what is going on their lives and try to brainstorm how to help them, that will implement relationships first and lessons that are smirked at by co-workers, all in the benefit of helping students, that is true courage.  

Seriously - July 18, 2019

Seriously

By, Michael Earnshaw 

July 18, 2019 

@mearnshaw158

I was watching the documentary, American Hardcore, when Ian MacKaye, singer of Minor Threat, Teen Idles, and Fugazi, talks about seeing one of the most respected hardcore bands of the early ‘80’s, and pioneers of starting the PMA movement, Bad Brains. “They made you want to take playing seriously.” 

This quote resonated with me. Individuals not involved in the punk and hardcore scene may feel that there is no talent in the music and structure. It’s just fast, angry, and screaming. The Bad Brains were extremely talented musicians, all coming from a background in jazz. They didn’t just play fast and hard, true passion was in their message. A love for what they were doing, how their songs were structured, the message in the lyrics and how it was delivered live to fans brought out engagement, fun, and a remembrance for all. YouTube a clip of Bad Brains playing “Attitude” live, every fan in the venue is moving, sweating, and sharing the same passion as the band on stage. Almost 40 years later and we are still talking about the impact they made in the scene.  

How is this any different from our classrooms and schools today? Educators need to know that the message they are delivering can be interpreted and taken in many ways. How our audience, our students, digest these messages is in our approach and delivery. If we just stand at the front of the room and talk to our students like monotone robots regurgitating information, is anyone going to be engaged, including the teacher? No. Will sitting in rows, completing a worksheet bring smiles and true intellectual growth? No. Instead, take a lesson from Bad Brains. Get your passion flowing, move around, get into the mix, the middle of where your students are, and get them involved. A classroom needs to resemble one of Bad Brains shows: the teacher facilitating, everyone involved!  

Education today is much more than learning facts and memorizing dates. We need to reach the whole child. It’s our duty to help them discover their strengths, rely and collaborate with others, and work together for the better of this world. We need to focus on building our students up, having confidence in themselves, and taking charge of their own learning. This will be accomplished by building relationships, providing meaningful, life learning lessons, and showcasing your passion to engage all learners.  

One lesson from the past school year that I observed had relationship building, problem solving, higher-order thinking, rigor, was cross-curricular, engaging and FUN! The grade level team decided to take a unit on teaching how to record and compare measurements by turning their classrooms into an ER! Students entered the day, not knowing they were now about to embark on open heart surgery! Each surgical team consisted of 4 students, strategically placed by the teachers to embrace different strengths and personalities. Students were given instructions and operating procedures from their teachers. Everyone was given an operating gown, mask, and surgical gloves. Students then used small tools to extract a scroll from Jell-O molded hearts, working as a team to carefully use the smallest incision and not desecrate the life breathing organ. Next, they needed to measure the length of the extracted heartbeat. Students then went to their operating files to convert their heartbeat’s measurements to different units of measure. The lesson concluded with students finding and measuring their own heartbeats after completing differing exercises to compare the different rates. Ask any one of those students if they know how to convert measurements or take their own pulse rate and the answer is, “Yes. We did that on the surgery day!” These teachers created a learning experience that led to student engagement, collaboration, and taking their learning into their own hands. They will never forget this lesson, the knowledge they gained, or the friendships they built.

The same holds true for Administrators. How we interact with staff and students, how we lead meetings and present information, all leads to the culture of the building. We need to create buy-in and ownership. The school is not ours, it’s OURS: administration, staff, parents, community, and most importantly, the STUDENTS! Don’t waste time with staff meetings reciting information that can be read via email. Get your staff collaborating and problem solving on issues affecting the students. Iron sharpens iron, and we need to get off our islands and work together to make schools a breeding ground for relationships, innovation, confidence, and problem solving.  

One activity I have heard from staff that was extremely beneficial is when we took a staff trip to “Struggle Island.” Prior to our staff meeting I asked everyone to anonymously write down an issue they were facing and needed assistance on. They were not told what these cards would be used for, building anticipation for the meeting. After the opening, signing-in, and passing of Gracious Grizzlies, we led the staff to the blacktop on the back playground. They all formed a circle, representing residing safely on the island. I stood in the middle and randomly pulled one of the cards they filled out and read it aloud. If anyone was facing that issue, they were to step backwards, representing themselves struggling in the waters. Those still on the island provided advice and solutions that have worked for them regarding the issue. This was something simple, but useful of our time together and everyone benefited from. The activity helped to build trust, community and a collaborative culture that showcased throughout the remainder of the year.  

Do not worry if outsiders don’t understand why kids or staff are out of their seats, smiling, and working with materials. You know that your audience is learning, discovering who they are, and that you are taking your role as a status-quo disruptor very seriously. Ian MacKaye would be proud! 

What identity are you establishing? What impact do you want to leave? 40 years from now will your name be discussed with changing the world through education? It can, the choice is yours if you take your mission seriously.  

Subcultures Pt. 1 – Our Individuality Unifies Us - July 2, 2019

Subcultures Pt. 1 – Our Individuality Unifies Us

By, Michael Earnshaw

July 2, 2019 

@mearnshaw158

I love music! If my foot starts tapping to the beat, my head starts resembling a bobble-head on a windy day, that song will have a place in my heart. It doesn’t matter if it is “punk” according the Punk Rock Police or music industry. If it’s good music I'm going to embrace it! I’ll never forget the first time I listened to The Blue Meanies live album.  Being from Chicago I had seen them numerous times and they never disappointed. In between tracks on this CD, their singer, Billy Spunke, stated something I had never heard him say live.  

“We’re not your typical ska-punk, punk-ska band. What we play is...MUSIC!”  

Then the frantic live energy they were known for kicked in full blast. My head began nodding, not because they were now barreling through one of my favorite tunes of theirs at breakneck speed, but because they challenged the industry by not placing a label on themselves. 

Unfortunately, media, and many individuals, feel the need to categorize everything. Take the genre of punk rock. There are so many subgenres that have been created; hardcore, ska-punk, metal-tinged punk, skate punk, softcore, emo, screamo, post-punk, horror-punk, post-hardcore, ska-core, crust punk, pop punk, political punk, blah, blah, blah. I love bands from all these categories, to me it’s all music. If it speaks to me, if it gets me moving and thinking, it’s good in my book, no matter what subgenre or label someone feels they need to stamp on it.  

I couldn’t wait for the summer at the Warped Tour (thanks Blink 182!). This festival took big bands that were getting radio airplay and filling stadiums to those that were selling demo tapes out of their backpacks. There were multiple stages, scattered, yet strategically placed throughout a parking lot with every genre of music available to bless one's ears with. There were demonstrations from skateboarders, BMXers, motocross, magicians and any other status quo challenging group one could imagine. This festival united and brought everyone together. All of us attending could be ourselves, showcase and embrace our strengths, appreciate those of others, and learn something.   

If you’re a classroom teacher look at your students, if you’re an administrator, look at those you lead. Are they all cut from the same mold? Are you only going to teach, inspire, and motivate those that are like you, that have the same interests? (At this point I'm closing my eyes and speaking to whatever Higher Power you believe in, asking that everyone who is reading this answers with a, “No.” If you answered “Yes,” it’s time to start looking for another career.)  

Our classrooms and schools are filled with individuals from different backgrounds, traditions, and beliefs. As educators, we must embrace, teach, motivate, inspire, and build relationships with them all. There is true beauty in having a mixture of differences surrounding us. Every time I left the Warped Tour I left with a few new favorite bands, all from different subgenres of punk, or metal, or hip hop. Scratch that last sentence. I left with a few new favorite bands that played music. Walk around your classroom and school, like I did when exploring the multitude of stages set up, and learn something. Get to know what is going on. Truly listen to what is being said. Keep an open mind and watch your world unfold to something you never dreamed possible!  

I had some acquaintances that were strictly “old school punk”. Anytime I tried to turn them onto a new record they wouldn’t even give it the time of day if it wasn’t labeled “old school”. I never understood why they would want to limit themselves to some amazing music being created. Closing yourself inside of a box leaves no room for growth.  

Take a look around baby (thanks Transplants!), there is so much knowledge, greatness, and individuality to learn from those filling our classrooms and schools. Don’t limit yourself. Don’t Krazy Glue yourself to one point of view, holding one dimensional thinking. Embrace all, listen to all, and love all. I guarantee you will live a much happier, and meaningful, life.