NAME IN PRINT: How will you do it for those you serve?

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

If you are a teacher, you recognize this unbridled enthusiasm on the first day of school!

I don't care if you are an elementary, junior high or high school teacher; all our students bring this energy on day one. Yes their energy "presents" differently. Some students actually jump around screaming excited about seemingly nothing like the character in the video. Other students are more reserved, but their exuberance is still there. It's obvious when you think about it, even though most try to be all cool They have these overly coordinated FIRST DAY outfits. They have new kicks with no scuffs or are so vibrantly white they burn your eyes. They have crisp shiny folders with labeled tabs, notebooks with actual paper inside, writing utensils with caps, and they smile. (check that paragraph again in February)

The first day of school is a special day, but so are all the rest of them. As educators, how can we try and make everyday as important as the first day of school? And the harder part is that the students won't be as enthusiastic as they were before. Every single kid is wanting to be the best they can be on that first day. They are going to "do all their homework", "take better notes", "not get in trouble, etc.It's just like Steve Martin's character in the Jerk. His name is in print. He's somebody.

For some students, day one is their peak. So the questions remain. 1.) How can we capitalize on that?
2.) How do we create more "First Days of School"?

And think about that first day. In elementary schools, students have names on desks, fun colors or themes are everywhere. They have names on tasks, jobs or whatever the creative teacher has provided. In junior high and high schools, their names get called each hour. There's acknowledgement of them being somebody.

"Your name in print. That makes people...Things are going to start happening for me now!"

So teachers, ride the emotional wave of excitement as long as you can. But find as many ways to get your students' names in print beyond the FIRST DAY. Acknowledge successes, celebrate and learn from failures. Social media and other forms of communication make it easier than ever to celebrate the wonders of young learners.
Go old school. Put their name in print with a small letter, post-it note for the locker, anything recognizing them for the efforts or accomplishments. Do that and watch them truly BE SOMEBODY then, watch as "THINGS STARTING HAPPENING" after that.

Administrators, same thing. Look at your teachers on day one. They have that Johnson, Navin R. enthusiasm as well. They love school, they love kids and they too deserve their name in print. And not just on the FIRST DAY of school, but throughout the year.

So for those who have started, I am jealous. For those about to start, I salute you. Please share and comment in ways that you may put your student's or colleague's NAME IN PRINT!

BIRD SET FREE: How sharks & Sia turned a life long learner's summer of relaxation into a summer of reflection

How can an educator who loves all things sharks go to a summer blockbuster; hear a song at the end of the movie and be moved to share reflections in a forum that he's never used?

It’s the power of song. It’s the power of passion. It's a powerful mixture of self-reliance & grit wrapped in emotion. When that's just right, it resonates. Feelings inspired by music combine with reflecting lead to ideas which causes me to have a bird that must be set free.

SHARKS & RELAXATION?!?!

SUMMER: It’s awesome isn’t it? For me it’s backyard BBQ’s. It’s late nights with family and friends. Summer is full of sun tea, sweet corn, golf stories, fiction novels, blockbuster movies & sharks. Sharks? Yes, sharks.  

No summer is complete in the Rodgers’ family without piling around the tv on hot summer evenings with a bowl of popcorn surrounded by our kids in pj’s ready on to tune in to the yearly summer ritual: SharkWeek. Thankfully, this week has traditionally been AFTER we come back from our beach vacation. So fears and nightmares are not a problem as we sleep safely in the heartland of the midwest. I’ve had a fascination with sharks since I was a kid. Another new rite of summer Shark-Passage is now the SyFy original Sharknado movies. These pop culture phenomenons fit right into my crazy repertoire of B movies that capture my interests just by the title alone: Two-headed Shark Attack, Dinoshark, Ghost Shark, & my personal favorite Sharktopus! I mean how can you NOT tune in just to check out what these things might look like?

So clearly this summer, the summer of 2016, was exceptional on the Shark scale. It had Shark Week a bit early and Sharknado is due to release this week. [Invitations are in the mail btw.]  But what put this over the top was the smash summer hit The Shallows.

I can remember standing in line in 1977 at the age of five to see Star Wars. Bitterly disappointed when we waited for over 30 minutes only to find out that it was sold out. I did get to see it the next night, and it was well worth it. So I was smitten not only by the magic of the Star Wars movies, but by the excitement and anticipation of the summer blockbuster. The blockbuster ritual has evolved since 1977, but the essence is still much the same. Going to highly anticipated movies still has a Christmas Eve type feel; a “time stands still” vibe. It’s much easier now. More shows, more tickets, they have entertainment before the show, etc. Yet, even at my slightly more advanced age...I still love it, & even as an adult, I still get those same feelings as that five year old kid waiting for Star Wars tickets. 

Which brings me to this summer. July 3rd. My wife and I are on a pseudo date at a matinee showing The Shallows - yes, a shark movie. The kids are in one theater watching BFG and we're across the all in an empty theater with our bucket of freshly popped popcorn waiting for the film to begin. (It's also 10:00 am...I mentioned cheap, pseudo date!)

SIA & REFLECTION
On July 3rd, the day my wife and I saw the movie, I heard a song, THE song! The song, a Bird Set Free, is played at the end of the movie. Perfect! The song is sung by Sia. Sia Furler to be exact.  So there I am loving my summer movie, googling the song, and purchasing it before we leave the parking lot. 

I listen to it and I’m transformed back to the movie. I think of the grit and determination that Nancy (played by Blake Lively) displays in the movie. (There’s also a great movie trailer for the Shallows that has an old fashioned 1950’s style PSA for self-reliance)

I share the song with my kids. They look at me funny, but they do like the song. The funny looks are because I have my hands stretched out like a plane listing side to side with the rhythm of the song. These are my fins & I’m a shark. “Just in cruise mode," I say. I replay the song over and over.  But now the words go far beyond the battle of wills displayed in the movie. I listen closely as Sia sings, “No, I don’t care if I sing off key. I find myself in my melodies. I sing for love, I sing for me. I shout it out like a bird set free” Powerful!

1st DAY of SCHOOL, the HOOK, TEACH ON!

My education hat is on now as I listen. I’m no longer extending my pectoral fins. I’m no longer in “cruise mode”. Life challenges, life lessons are flooding my mind. (The song is immediately added to various playlists on my phone) I'm hooked!

As educators don’t we always look for ways to integrate what we teach with real or current life? I’ve been listening to this song fairly regularly or at least every time I run ?!?! Within the lyrics is a message that speaks to me differently each time I listen to it. It adapts to my mood, to the present, and to the past.

As an educator, I’m like...this is GOLD! How could you not hook a kid with the song, the movie, the trailer, the MUSICIAN.  But oh man there's more: the messages, the intangibles, the symbolism...GRIT. In education we need kids to try, to fail, to want to try again. We want them to never give up until they get it. How do we get them there? How can we bring these values to life? My educational mind is on fire!

NEW MEANING

During that same week, the week of July 4th, Indiana released our high stakes test results. “Had a voice, had a voice and could not talk” took on new meaning.

Frustration, poor organization and political agendas, attack on teachers and attack on public education. My blood was boiling and Sia was speaking to me more than ever. “You held me down, I struggle to fly no...Oh”

I’m so proud of what we do in public education from the district level on down. Our country is great because of public education. Times like these, I do feel that public schools are under attack. I do feel like it could go away if we don’t speak up. I don’t want public education to die. T

“Yes, there’s a scream inside that we all try to hide. We hold on so tight, but I don’t wanna die, no I don’t wanna die…”  

I whistle and hum it out loud. Sia, you have struck a chord. 
Her lyrics are wrapped in passion for what is right. Speak up, find your voice! That's self-reliance and grit. Watch out, this bird is gonna fly!

“I have a voice, have a voice hear me roar tonight!”  

What bird will you set free? I have one.

NEW PERSPECTIVE, Bigger People = Bigger Problems

As I was mired in anger and frustration with the punitive pendulum of public education...shootings in Dallas and Minnesota occur.  Sia belts out on my playlist as I run miles faster than I’ve run before...I hit replay. New meanings flood me about grit & self-reliance; about BIRDS SET FREE that represent real life and death. Seriously, I’m mad about test scores for my teachers and schools, but nowTHIS is happening!  “I don’t wanna die…” This is no longer a figurative verse; it’s a literal one for many. New PERSPECTIVE achieved.

As an educator, I think how can we teach this? How can we delicately discuss & debate? #BlackLivesMatter #BlueLivesMatter #AllLivesMatter  

This is tough. It’s real. It’s painful. But it's so important.

Too often we get caught up in RIGHT & WRONG. Like there’s a clear winner and loser. Basically we’ve moved to all or nothing in areas of conflict. No middle ground, no compromise, no empathy. Even highly educated adults will debate facts in a point-counterpoint fashion, almost ignoring FEELINGS. 

Here I am, pounding the pavement on a hot summer day in July, hearing my own words to parents and kids: FEELINGS ARE REAL. Feelings may not be accurate. Video evidence or testimony may speak to the contrary to an emotional account but how your child felt was real and must be dealt with, too. This is school conflict. It’s not life or death. Our big issues are bullying, discipline, grades, etc. But we are in the human business as educators. I hear the song again...Sia's lyrics talk to me about the FEARS of many teenagers in America: body image, fears of peer acceptance, bullying, identification of oneself. I flashback to events of hatred and fear in Dallas, Minnesota, and Orlando in June. Tragic; life altering events. Misunderstood feelings wrapped and warped with FEAR. These are birds not set free. 

I listen again to Sia’s song and lyrics. How do we act when we feel held down, unable to fly, unable to have a voice? Frustration and fear take over. Misunderstandings, misconceptions are never bridged because maybe our voice could not talk, could not sing.

I don't know where I heard the phrase "Bigger kids, bigger problems", but I use it all of the time. It seems to fit seamlessly with reflecting on issues facing our youth and the issues facing us as a society. The bigger we are the bigger the consequences, the bigger and more permanent the damage. Education of our youth, what is happening in our country, and in France is all intertwined. I hope we can work toward listening to others and asking "why" instead of constantly pointing fingers and casting blame.

I pray that as educators we allow the voices of our students to be expressed. I hope we encourage them to write, to sing, to create and to find who they are and how to express themselves. As a society, there are times that our voices are not heard. Birds are not set free, just parroted voices of fear and prejudices. These voices are not genuine or unique to the individual. It's a mob mentality that fosters hate and feeds on fear.

Originally I was listening to Sia’s BIRD SET FREE and it spoke to me about standardized test scores.  Now , those same lyrics turn my thoughts larger moments with heavier consequences both here at home and abroad. Who will “..fly and hit the high notes..?” These are lyrics of a genius. Sweat stings my eyes as miles are pounded away as I get lost listening again and again.  This is my escape, my time for reflection & perspective.

BIRD SET FREE

So what’s the purpose, what’s the point?  What is my bird set free?

Simple: It's what's on my mind. It's what I am driven and passionate about. It's a story to tell. It's an educational itch that should be scratched. If you are in education, maybe there’s a great lesson in this story to start the year. Instead of rules, policies, syllabi, etc, on the first day possibly conduct a turn and talk or reflective essay/tweet about any of the topics shared. Anything from popcorn movies to the events of Bastille Day in France. These could be great ways to start the year and begin to learn about one another.  Highly effective teachers will recognize that there’s a wealth of hooks, topics, and content embedded in this artist, her words, her song and the movie in which it was featured. TEACH ON, I say  Ideas or thoughts, please share. Set those teaching birds free!

For all of us, what are we passionate about that we can share and that others can learn from? It would be listened to and learned from. Isn’t that the beauty of education? Isn’t that the beauty of a free country? As it was stated in the end of the PSA trailer, " a little dose of self-reliance can do wonders. But that's just the beginning of the story". So SET YOUR BIRD FREE. It’s not about always being accurate. It may just be about being a voice. A voice that is heard; that’s validated and nurtured.
“...I don’t care if I sing off key...I sing for love I sing for me”

So sing today. Sing loud and set your BIRDS FREE, whether or not you have comments about my taste in movies or my limited knowledge of Sia...or your heart aches with the concerns that face children, our country or our world. I hope you all enjoy what you love most about your summer. 

Teachers TEACH ON. Parents PARENT ON. All Americans from every walk FREEDOM ON. And those of us inspired by the words and musical talent of Sia, LISTEN ON. I look forward to listening and learning from all who SET THEIR BIRDS FREE.