March 24, 2016

The Supt Dish                   

                                                                                                                   March 24, 2016

During spring break, Kristi and I entertained some friends and family for a few days and spent time unpacking the last few boxes from our move.  We also caught up with our reading and watched some of our favorite shows. We saw an advertisement for a new show, Little Big Shots, with Steve Harvey as the host and decided to watch it. For those of you who have not watched this show, Steve brings out children who have special talents and talks with them. Some of the things the children say are amazing!

All of us in education know that our students say some amazing things. After watching one of the Little Big Shots episodes, I reflected on a story about our granddaughter, Chloe, from two years ago.  Our daughter, Monica along with Chloe were living in Seoul, South Korea, as our son-in-law was stationed there in the Army.  When Monica became pregnant she and Chloe came to live with us to have the baby in the U.S.

Thus, “Papa” as I am called, was going to have a granddaughter attending our elementary school as she was in pre-kindergarten at the time. Chloe had visited us several times prior to going to Korea and spent time at my office, and going to the playgrounds. She was now proud to say she is going to “Papa’s school”.  It had been a long time since I walked a child to school. It was a special moment as Monica and I walked Chloe to her classroom her first day.

Ms. Wyble is a wonderful pre-kindergarten teacher and has spent most of her career in pre- kindergarten. During Chloe’s first day, the children were on the playground during recess. All of a sudden, Ms. Wyble saw all the children gathering around Chloe. Ms. Wyble very quickly ran to the children thinking the students were bullying the superintendent’s granddaughter on her first day. When Ms. Wyble approached the students she asked one of the boys, “what are you doing?” The young child responded, “we are lining up.” Ms. Wyble asked the child “why” and the child responded “because Chloe told us to!”  Chloe thought it would be cool to help Ms. Wyble as she had heard her Papa say many times that he is here to help the teachers.

Children are always listening. As educators we have a tremendous responsibility in shaping their lives to be productive in their adult lives. You never know how children will interpret things, as you see in the story about my granddaughter or in some of the things on the TV show Little Big Shots.  The late Rita Pierson spoke at a TED conference last year and stated “every child deserves a champion, an adult who insists that they become the best they can possibly be.”   Thank you for being the champion our students deserve!

Happy Easter!

March 11, 2016

          The Supt Dish                

                                                                             March 11,  2016

It is hard to believe that spring break is upon us. It seems like yesterday Kristi and I arrived in Goliad. I guess one of the reasons I feel the first ten weeks of the semester have flown by is that we have had so many outstanding performances by our students and we have tried to attend many of them. From UIL Academics, spelling bees, One Act Play, FFA, basketball and powerlifting; our students have performed admirably. These performances would not be possible without outstanding teachers and staff who have prepared students for success. And of course our parents and community have attended these performances encouraging our students.

There is an old saying, “A good education can change anyone, but a good teacher can change everything.” When I became a teacher, I wanted to be that teacher that when my students look back on their education they feel love in their hearts, have a smile on their face, and can truly say they knew that I cared!  Most recently, I had dinner and attended the boys’ basketball playoff game in Seguin with one of my former students and his wife. It is very rewarding to see how former students succeed in their adult lives and remain in contact with me.

We are blessed to have such an impact on young lives. Last month I tweeted out a slide from edutopia entitled “5 Habits of an Effective Teacher.” I would like to share these 5 Habits:

1.     Enjoys Teaching – all of us probably became teachers simply for the joy of teaching and making a difference in young lives. We wake up each morning with the opportunity to mold students to be successful as adults.

2.     Embraces Change – our profession has changed tremendously in the last 16 years. As technology changes, our profession as well as all professions change. Do you realize that the Kindergarten class, the class of 2028, we are preparing this class for jobs that may not exist? It is important that we embrace change and we know that change is coming next year with the new teacher evaluation system. T-TESS will prove to be a more collaborative tool between teachers and campus administrators as we work together for the success of our students.

3.     Spreads Positivity – a colleague once told me that negativity brings failure and that we are not trying to fail we are trying to succeed. When we are positive, those around us are positive.  It is important that in our daily interactions with students and colleagues, we spread positive attitudes towards the success of our students and campuses.

4.     Finds Inspiration – we must be inspired every day as we have the opportunity to mold young lives. Someone recently shared a slide with me that states, “I teach because knowledge is the most powerful tool a person can have to create the life they have always imagined.” This statement should inspire us all.

5.     Makes a Difference – I stated above in “Enjoys Teaching” that one of the reasons I became a teacher was to make a difference in young lives. This is such a huge opportunity for us. Every day, we have the opportunity to inspire students to embrace education for each of them to make a difference now and in their adult lives.

As we leave for spring break, may each of you relax and come back “recharged” to inspire and make a difference in the young lives of our students. Have a safe spring break!