You Will Cry

A good friend and former colleague sent the following story to me.  I do not know if it is, in fact, true or not, but it is beautiful nonetheless.  It reaffirms my passion for working with children, and I hope it does for you as well.

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves children with learning disabilities, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its

Dedicated staff, he offered a question:

'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does, is done with perfection.

Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do.

Where is the natural order of things in my son?'
The audience was stilled by the query.

The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, who was mentally and physically disabled comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.'

Then he told the following story:

Shay and I had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' I knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but as a father I also understood that if my son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.

I approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning..'

Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt.. I watched with a small tear in my eye and warmth in my heart. The boys saw my joy at my son being accepted.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three.

In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as I waved to him from the stands.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again.

Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.

At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game?

Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.

However, as Shay stepped up to the

Plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact.

The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed.

The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.

As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.

The game would now be over.

The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman.

Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.

Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all team mates.

Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, 'Shay, run to first!

Run to first!'

Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base.

He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.

Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!'

Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base.

By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball . The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team.

He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head.

Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home.

All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'

Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
Shay, run to third!'

As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!'

Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team

'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world'.

Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making me so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!

So I had to share this post from Dan Callahan, one of my Twitter follows, who blends two of my favortie things: education and superheroes! True, it is a little quirky and cheesey (then again so am I) but the take-home message is pretty powerful. I hope you enjoy it!

https://mailaccess.burlington-nj.net/owa/redir.aspx?C=44b07a698f484f6e9e9ff21d86bcbb23&URL=http%3a%2f%2fremixteaching.com%2f2013%2f08%2fteach-like-batman%2f

Share a Blog & Share the Love!

Okay, so I am VERY excited to set up a blog for my two boys Nate & Spence so they can share their adventures with everyone! As both a parent and an educator I love to see kids using their imagination, creating and sharing. We are using Dragon dictation software, which makes things very easy! The cool thing for me is that after they create their post they must proof read and make corrections by typing...PLUS, they think the technology is pretty awesome and that makes it fun! Check out the wonderful things that I'm sure my boys are going to post at www.NSShap.blogspot.com and please feel free to leave some comments! Thanks and enjoy!

Balance and Change

So let me begin by apologizing for the longer than usual hiatus.  Just to catch you up; I am now the principal of the Wilbur Watts Intermediate School in Burlington City and today is my one month anniversary!  From what I can remember, it was a terrific start to what hopes to be a long and happy professional home.  I joke about not remembering, but it has been quite a blur!

LIFE LESSON: YOU HAVE TO STOP, TAKE A BREATH AND LOOK AROUND SOMETIMES IN ORDER TO REALLY ENJOY THE MOMENT BECAUSE BEFORE YOU KNOW IT, THE MOMENT IS GONE!

I attended my first national conference during my first month (actually week) of my first principalship.  It was the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) Conference in Baltimore.  My brother lives there, so it was a two-for-one, with awesome professional development during the day and fun times hanging out at night.  We even caught an O's game.  It was nice to see a home team win, as my Phils are struggling this year! 
(Check out my very first and second published articles on the NAESP online news site:
https://www.naesp.org/2013-conference-news-online-thursday-july-11/adjust-perceptions-support-black-male-students
https://www.naesp.org/2013-conference-news-online-saturday-july-13/rediscover-your-calling-and-support-your-teachers-their)

LIFE LESSON: BALANCE WORK, PLAY AND THE OTHER COMPONENTS OF YOUR LIFE WHEEL TO DECREASE BURN-OUT AND LEAD AN OVERALL MORE ENJOYABLE LIFE!
(Check out this link to Life Wheel: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_93.htm)

As I look out the three beautiful windows of my office (my office is SO cool) and watch the slow, gentle rain fall on my playground and field I reflect back on my first month: the conference, summer school, administration meetings (where I am already getting teased for being the teams' social media maverick), team leader meetings (nothing is better in building rapport than treating your teacher leaders to a nice working lunch) and so on, I am excited as to what my future holds and am thankful for all of those who have touched my life along the way.  Thus far, it has been a great journey and I cannot wait to take the next step, and as I travel I will be sure to keep my life in balance.
(http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/24004.html)

Don't get too comfortable to make a meaningful change!

Why do we do what we do?  More often than not, I would wager, is because, "it's what we have always done."  This is a comment I have heard, ad nauseam, over the past five years.  I get it.  Change is different and different is the unknown and the unknown can be just plain scary!  Sometime, however, venturing into the unknown can be quite rewarding.  Sometimes, one must bodly go where no one has gone before!  http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gAKiWvjfCiQ&feature=fvwrel  
(okay, so I am a bit of a Trekkie)

In all seriousness, we are creatures of comfort and comfort is good...but why settle for good 

when great is out there (or at the very least, better).  Too often in life, I think we settle in and 

become "comfortably complacent" because it is low risk.  Unfortunately, low risk is also low 

reward and the lack of payoff eventually gets old.  Soon, there is a void in our life and we are

left feeling unfulfilled.  If, like me, you thrive in Daniel Pink's "Conceptual Age", then, like air,

you year for a greater sense of purpose!  

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=wdzHgN7_Hs8&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DwdzHgN7

_Hs8

Recently, I made the decision to make a meaningful change.  I had a good job, in a good school,

working with good people, and for all intents and purposes I was successful.  I was respected, 

dare I say even liked, by students and staff alike...and I was...content.  But as much as I 

enjoyed my work, I was ready for the next challenge, and I knew that "upping" my professional 

ante would motivate me to further learn and grow as a professional.  So, will things be a little uncomfortable this fall as I take the helm as an elementary school

principal?  Maybe, but the excitement I feel as I venture into my professional 

unknown will be second only to my excitement once I attain mastery!  Wish me luck!
http://www.prayers-for-special-help.com/prayer-for-guidance-and-good-luck.html#axzz2TK8TmFqp

The Price of Being Proficient

So I have "hard evidence" that someone reads me!  My friend and former colleague, Jim Lymper, posted a real thought provoking comment about my last post.  Actually Jim makes two, as another friend and colleague, Andrew (referenced in a prior post) constantly reminds me that I take WAY too long in between posts!  How about that, my audience has doubled in less than one year.  Seriously, Jim makes reference to a great read by Yong Zhao called CATCHING UP OR LEADING THE WAY (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNpZ60IJ42o).  If you believe that, like Gotham City according to Jack Nicholson's Joker, our education system needs an enima (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1Tpe-dbPQI), then you should read this book.  If you believe that education is more than just scores on the test, then you need to read this book.  If you believe that education has become a political tool in an election platform, then you should read this book.  Basically, if you are reading this blog, then you should read this book!  With that said...on with the actual blog post:

This past Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday prayer was inadvertantly brought back to public schools!  You see, educators gave the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA) to 11th and some 12th graders and I am quite certain that EVERYONE was praying!  I have no real proof, but I am quite sure that the words, "please God...please help me (or my students) score Proficient on this test!"  or something of the sort. 

You see, EVERYONE will be judged by these test scores; the students, the teachers, the administration, the local school boards, state and national educational policies...and so on, because, in the minds of so many, these scores (and sadly these scores alone) define what a good schools is, or should be.  The question is, is should they?  The United States have been trailing the rest of the world on standardized tests since the 1960's, and politicians from Kennedy to Obama (sorry Barack) have used this to promote fear in the minds of Americans.  With this, they have won elections, set policy, "upped" testing (which in turns takes away from instructional time), "upped" accountability for schools (usually without the necessary support and funding). It's been over 50 years, and regardless of the political party in power, nothing has really improved.

Some would argue that things have actually gotten worse.  I, for one, believe that as we contiue to "chase the test" like a puppy chasing his tail we lose sight on what is really important in preparing the child for life after 12th grade.  Is our quest for Proficiency hindering our children becoming truley prepared to be responsible citizens?  In our attempt to have our students prove that they can solve a linear equation or write a poinient persuasive essay, we are forgetting about teaching to the mind, body and soul of the child.  Not that these academic prerequisits are not important, but they must not be the end-all, be-all definition of a quality education.  There is so much more that definds a good education, especially if you teach in a non-traditional setting, like a vocational school.  It begs the question posed by Herbert Spencer (over a hundred years ago...still no good answer), which Zhao refers to in the following clip, "What knowledge is of most worth?" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOXAJzqm2Rw

I think the answer to that question in as individual as the person answering it, and thus so should be the education of that individual.  If we can all agree that different people have different paths in life, and thus should be prepared differently, then why are we STILL, after all these years, trying to make school a one-size-fits-all product.  Take it from someone who is 6'7" and weights 280 pounds...one-size-fits-all actually doesn't!

Imagination and the New Year

     So it has been weeks...okay...months since my last posting.  As a matter of fact, one of my fans (I think I am up to three) reminds me on a regular basis how long it has been since since Adminsanity has delivered a thought provoking nugget of wisdom (some will argue it has yet to produce such a nugget)!  Be that as it may, this post, which was inspired by my children and the Christmas Season, is for you, Andrew.  Thanks for always breaking my "Christmas Balls" with the perfect mix of sarcasm and style!     

     Christmas has always been a magical time for me (if your faith does not celebrate Christmas, then substitute for your favorite holiday).  The magic, which engulfed me from my earliest of memories, came from the seemingly endless supply of imagination that accompanies Christmas.  This imagination is a common theme of both the religious and the retail "schools of thought" (a deeper discussion for another time) where the possibilities are endless.  This feeling was resurrected when I was blessed with two wonderful children of my own!  The excitement, the magic, the imagination I have now is stronger and more alive than ever! 

     Sadly, and I know I sound like my father here, I feel as though this generation is severely lacking when it comes to imagination (when I was young...).  I see it in my school, where even some of our best and brightest are more concerned with whether or not the answer is correct, or if a certain piece of information is on the test or not. What happened to learning that stretches the mind and sparks the imagination? I know I am not alone, as many of my colleagues have shared similar experiences with me.  Are schools crushing our children's imagination? Some say yes:  www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

     Not so fast, though.  Recently, I saw a piece about Chinese students and how they are choosing to continue their studies in the U.S., which leads me to believe that, despite the message of local and national news outlets, our schools are not so bad!  One student commented, "they accept all different kinds of different ideas.  You can dream about anything,” she said.  “In America, I can experience more…maybe all kinds of things I will never experience in China.”  See for yourself at: http://behindthewall.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/01/11/9679479-chinese-applications-to-us-schools-skyrocket?lite

     So, if it is not our school's fault, then what has caused this degradation of imagination?  when I was a kid (again, homage to Dad) we played games...OUTSIDE, not on a Wii or PS3 where the action and the images are dictated to you.  We also read books, where we created the pictures in our minds. Today, TV & movies supply that story for us, even though we always here people say, "it's not as good as the book"!  So maybe it is simply a paradigm shift in society...a result of the "not enough hours in the day", fast-food lifestyles we lead.   www.schoolfamily.com/school-family-articles/article/3750-too-much-tv-hinders-creativity-and-imagination

     Not me...and not my children!  I will ensure their imagination thrives and that they do not succumb to the temptations of the over-digitalized demons of an overreliance on technology.  After all, my wife and I read to them every night, we encourage independent thought and problem solving, spend time playing with them, and all the other good things that the good parenting books and magazines say to do. I was reassured that all of our "good parenting" skills have payed off, when I noticed our boys playing with legos. They were building!  They were being creative and using their imagination!  They do not need video games to have fun!        Then, my wife told them to clean up because it was time for dinner.  My youngest replied in the sweet innocent voice of a cherub, "Okay Mom.  We are on our last level anyway".  So much for the damn parenting books!  I should have waited for the movie!  Imagine that!! 

At any rate, regardless of wheter you are high tech, low tech, or a hybrid somewhere in the middle, have a Happy 2013, filled with fun, learning and imagination!