What's Your Mantra? Who are You as an Educator?

As I sit in my office at the conclusion of another school day at Fossil Ridge...which by the way was another GREAT DAY TO BE A T-REX!..I am reminded of the importance of self reflection as it relates to our professional and personal growth. I must admit, today was frustrating to say the  least; I spent the majority of the school day in my office away from students, teachers, and classrooms. Like the rest of you, when I'm in the building I want to be where the kids are, they are the reason I exist as an Educator and Principal! On days like today; and everyone experiences them, all we need to do is take a breath and remind ourselves why we entered the profession, why we have such passion for providing our students with a quality experience, and what our purpose is. Ken Williams essentially describes the answers to these three questions as our "Educational Mantra." "Our Mantra is a statement repeated frequently to aid in concentration of a thought." (Starting a Movement. Williams and Hierck. Solution Tree Press. 2015) Its a small, simple, yet powerful way to share with the world what we are truly all about. So as I reflect today, I wish to shout my professional Mantra as an educator from the highest mountain top for all to hear! Williams and Hierck recommend a short 5 word Mantra to be clear, concise and profound. It can be difficult to share what motivates you as an educator in 5 simple words. However the best part of the experience isn't necessarily finding the "right" words but the actual process of developing your own Mantra; its about the true reflection and purpose that leads to your Mantra (BTW mine is actually 6 words...sorry Ken). So here we go, Jonathan Howell's Mantra as an Educator and Principal at Fossil Ridge Intermediate School... "Passion and Purpose for Student Success!" That sums it up, I exist as an educator because of the kids. It is the kids that drew me to the profession with the hope that I could/would make a difference. I have a sincere and deep rooted passion for students and their individual and collective success. My purpose, our purpose at Fossil Ridge is to ensure that ALL students (ALL means ALL) receive the best education possible. It is our collective responsibility as a school-wide team at Fossil Ridge to provide ALL our students with fantastic classroom instruction and additional learning opportunities, resources and time (when necessary) to meet our purpose of guaranteeing high levels of learning for each and every student! Its not about me, the faculty nor our support staff; its all about the 914 students we serve at Fossil Ridge!  These are the things that continually push me to reflect, strive to become better and focus on excellence. So, here's my advice to all of us...When we have struggles, when we question the direction of education, when we become more focused on state testing than actual student learning, and when we have that day of frustration; simply take a breath, reflect and remember your Mantra.  BE EXCELLENT!!

When Will the Students Finally Arrive?!!

As I look out the windows of my office on this cloudy Friday morning, all I can think about is the "sunlight" that is about to break through the "clouds" next Thursday as the school year

commences and our Fossil Ridge Students walk through the doors! I am reminded of a TV show I watched as a young boy (I'm dating myself on this one)called "Welcome Back Kotter"...

          "Welcome back, your dreams were your ticket out.

    Welcome back to that same old place that you laughed about.
     Well the names have all changed since you hung around,
    But those dreams have remained and they're turned around.
   Who'd have thought they'd lead ya (Who'd have thought they'd           lead ya) Back here where we need ya (Here where we need ya)
    Yeah we tease him a lot cause we've got him on the spot,
     Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back, welcome back."

As a first year Principal, I have spent the Summer with our Admin Team, Teacher Teams, Literacy Team, Tech Specialists, PBIS Team, and individual teachers to prepare for the upcoming school year. It has most certainly been a busy summer of learning, discussion, planning, and reflection. For the most part the building has been relatively quiet during the Summer and as a result I am so anxious and excited to get all 900 of our students back into the halls and classrooms of our building. Our goal is to make this year, and every year at Fossil Ridge the best school year our students have ever experienced! To paraphrase a quote from another colleague in education Beth Houf; "We want to be the kind of school where students, parents, and faculty are beating down the doors to get in..." I can't share enough how excited I am for our school year to begin. The 2015-2016 school year at Fossil Ridge will be a new and exciting journey for me; but most importantly for the students, faculty, and staff at Fossil Ridge Intermediate School...WELCOME BACK! ITS A GREAT DAY TO BE A T-REX :)

Do We Look Out for All our Students...How "Wonder" has caused me to Reflect

This past week, as a result of the urging of my wife (who is also an educator) I began and finished the book "Wonder", by R.J. Palacio.  Without giving away the story, the book is about a young boy (August) who is attending his first year in Middle School after years of being homeschooled as a result of a birth defect called "Treacher Collins Syndrome." The book encapsulates his story through his eyes as well as the eyes of other family members, classmates, and friends.  It is both heart wrenching and touching as the story tackles stereotypes, social interactions, bullying (from multiple perspectives), middle school life, and the constant struggle of a young teen who must constantly live with a condition he can do nothing about.
As I read the book I was reminded of not only those students who have "physical" maladies that are easily noticed, but also those nameless and faceless students that deal with similar problems each day. As Educators and school leaders we must ensure that we know the "story" and individual circumstances of each one of our precious students.  Students like August roam our halls each day and return home not wanting to return back the next day or worse not wanting to even continue living the life they have been dealt.  Not only must we provide a "safe haven" for these students and provide them with an environment they will enjoy and succeed in, but we have the moral obligation to educate our students, faculty, staff, parents, and school community concerning critical issues like bullying.  Its easy to take the approach that "it doesn't happen in our school", or "our kids treat everyone with respect", but what are we as school leaders doing to ensure that students like August have every opportunity to grow, succeed, build positive relationships, and experience sincere joy?  Join me in this reflective process...remember when we say ALL, it means ALL.  Go forward with Passion!!

Jonathan

"Wonder" by R.J Palacio

Rita Pierson TED Talk: "Every Kid Deserves a Champion"