Am I complaining too much about complainers?

I had to laugh at myself the other evening when I was talking to a friend from back home.  I went on and on complaining about the various complaints I receive.  These complaints range anywhere from lost soccer balls on the roof of a building and a site's communication regarding a student council meeting to serious personnel complaints and safety concerns.  When my email inbox tends to be filled with complaints and concerns, it is sometimes difficult to focus on all of the positive things happening in our school district.  For that reason, I am listing ten positive things that I experienced this week:

1. Our community leaders have joined together to revitalize Faith PAC (Faith Partners and Community) with a focus on making lives better for the youth in our community.
2. An 8th grade student was working on creating a new video game at one of our middle schools.
3. Two of our students will be dancing with Justin Bieber this weekend.
4. One of our juniors in high school nearly broke a four minute mile by crossing the finish line at 4:14!
5. Students at one of our schools inquired as to when salads will return on the school lunch menu.  This prompted a future visit to to their class with our Director of Child Nutrition.
6. The parent advisory members provided input to our Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP).
7. Hokki stools arrived and made many teachers and students very happy!
8. Students at our middle schools are using their chromebooks to enhance their learning.
9. I received emails from two teachers who have participated in recruitment trips.  This feedback was super positive--"I loved that experience!!! It was so exciting to meet potential teachers and hear about what they're learning in their teaching program.  I would love to do it again if the opportunity arises.  We really do have a strong and very contemporary school district so I was proud to represent it."
10. Everyone in Administrative Council actively participated in an LCAP exercise which deepened understanding and helped with strengthening a shared vision.

According to Elizabeth Scott, a stress management expert, there are many effective techniques that focus on the benefits of a positive outlook.  "Positive thinking brings great benefits, and a cheerful attitude can be contagious in a most enjoyable way.  A constant focus on the negative can obscure many of the joys of life, can dampen an attitude of gratitude, and can be experienced as an 'energy drain' to others."

What if, for one whole day, people could only utter positive comments or communicate with positivity?  I enjoyed reading about the Spread Positivity Campaign at spreadpositivity.org.  I loved their idea of hosting a Compliment Party.  The idea behind the event is to bring and emphasize the value of using an honest compliment as a way to make others feel good.  The party also emphasizes the importance of consciously acknowledging and thanking people who often get taken for granted.

So, in the spirit of the compliment party...

Thank you Joe for taking the concerns about the hand towel dispensers seriously and for holding high standards of cleanliness in our schools.

Thank you Chief Allio for your compassionate leadership of the Fairfield Police Department and for maintaining a positive focus regarding the youth in our community.

Thank you Ana for advocating for those who may not have a voice and ensuring everyone is treated with dignity and respect.

Thank you Donna for your daily cheerful greeting of anyone and everyone who walks in our front door.

Thank you Todd for taking responsibility for your decisions that impact recess and lunch.

Thank you Maria for maintaining your focus on assisting a parent in need.

That felt GREAT!  It's true.  I feel healthier, less stressed, and more motivated...just three benefits of positive thinking.  Pass it on!

 

These Students ARE Included!

Often times, I think that our influence as public educators is subtle.  The influence seems gradual and expected.  It is difficult to pinpoint how important and impactful the educational team is because there are so many other influences in a child's life.

The following two stories are more than subtle as to the impact educators have on students' lives.  By including students and supporting them in their journey, lives are changed for the better.

The first is the story of a 7th grade student who was introduced to me by his principal, Martha Lacy.  Principal Lacy praised the student telling me how much he had grown academically.  She noted his fantastic attendance and how he comes to school ready to learn every day.  She proudly shared that this student would be participating in the Oregon college tour.  She acknowledged this student's hard work, growth, and effort.  After the student left, she said that up until this year, the student was many years behind in reading.  He missed over a third of his school year in the previous year.  His mother was incarcerated, and he was being raised by his great-grandfather.  She told me that what made the difference was his teacher and other staff members who believed in him, encouraged him, and supported him in building his confidence.  He was included  rather than excluded in school activities.  Rather than being punished or excluded for not completing assignments or turning in homework, he was supported academically so that he could be successful.  This student was not lost in the shuffle nor dismissed.  A life has been changed for the better.

The second story is of an inspirational young woman who has encountered many challenges.  She entered FSUSD in fourth grade not speaking English.  Despite physical challenges and not knowing the language, she was embraced at Anna Kyle Elementary School. The staff came together to ensure this child's success.  Our maintenance team went above and beyond to make certain that she had equal access to the entire facility.  When she was slated to go to a different middle school than her friends, we helped her family through the process of requesting open enrollment.  In middle school, she was embraced by the Grange Middle School staff and continued on the path of success.  While all of our Students of the Month are special, this young woman's story is extraordinary.  This recognition epitomized the impact that quality and caring educators have on students and their families.  Preparing for the recognition serves as an example of the fantastic team effort that happens in FSUSD.  Various departments worked together to ensure that this student could access the podium.  The special staircase was built by our outstanding maintenance department for this event.

Inspirational Student of the Month

Whenever I get discouraged with some of the issues we confront as public educators, I am provided with reminders like these two students. These serve as examples as to why we do what we do and how important the work is to everyone's future!

Are we including or excluding?

I was a kindergartner when I was hospitalized for pneumonia. I obviously didn’t know at the time the seriousness of my illness.  What I do remember was that I received so much attention!  My mom, who was usually very busy taking care of me and my five siblings, spent hours just with me.  She held my hand, read to me, and told stories.  My dad who worked long hours stopped by the hospital throughout the day to check in on me.  This small town hospital in the South Dakota had one room with a TV.  I was the special patient assigned to this room.  I recall my room being very busy with many people wanting to check in on me and also see what was on TV. I remember thinking that kindergarten must be closed since I was in the hospital.

After a couple of weeks, I was able to go back to kindergarten.  It was obviously an emotional day if I can still recall it decades later.  To my surprise, kindergarten had gone on without me!  My assigned desk had moved.  My buddy was assigned to another buddy.  The bulletin boards had changed.  Classroom art projects had been completed and displayed with my classmates’ names attached without me.  I felt lost and like an outsider.  As an adult, I look back on this memory and think, “Wow!  Five-year old Kristin was such a baby!”  On the other hand, to five-year old Kristin, this was a painful, emotional time when she felt lost and excluded.

I can’t help think about all of the students who come into our classrooms and feel lost and excluded. How often do our students enter our classrooms and feel overwhelmed by what has passed them by?  What about those student who join our classrooms and don’t understand the language?  How about those students who miss 10% or more of their school year?

Our students miss school for many reasons.  Whether it is a day of illness, a day missed for waking up late, or a day of suspension, schools keep moving forward without them.  It is difficult for educators to adjust and support students who miss school and simultaneously keep the rest of the class moving forward...but isn’t it our job to be inclusive?

I heard of an instance this past week in which a middle school student entered her classroom only to be told by the teacher to get out.  The student was told she didn’t belong in the class.  Apparently, the student had received an additional day of class suspension.  A teacher in California has a right to suspend students from class.  This suspension serves as a time-out or exclusion from class.  I often wonder if a class suspension, or exclusion, continues even after the student is allowed to come back to class.  Is the student welcomed back?  Is there an effort to use suspension as a means of corrective action or is it a form of punishment?

Being inclusive is so important.  Being inclusive combats bullying.  Finding ways to include everyone build friendships.  Making positive, inclusive relationships builds culture.  Everyone wants attention.  All students want to feel important and as if they matter.

Back to my kindergarten memory.  My teacher must have recognized that a child who misses two weeks of school would feel lost and anxious.  She asked me to share my story of the hospital with the class.  I became the hospital expert.  Suddenly, I was included and important.