Yearbooks are an endangered species!

Back in the early 2000's, I was asked to consider taking on the Yearbook course at Barrie Central. Consider might be a little misleading ... I was volun-told ... but I will admit that it was something that sparked a little excitement in me. I am a closet "Yerd" (a Yearbook Nerd) who still has all of his high school and university Yearbooks carefully stored away for safe keeping. I embraced the challenge, and although there was a steep learning curve, the experience was memorable. I say was because, sadly, the Yearbook course and, subsequently, the Yearbook itself, have become an endangered species because the students are no longer willing to support the existence of a Yearbook class. I'm not sure that I understand their reasoning, but I accept their actions. I prey that it won't be a choice they regret some time in their future because the importance of a Yearbook, to me at least, increases with time and was up front and center when Central's closing was occurring.

Some of you who may be reading this have high school memories of Yearbook Clubs who shouldered the task of enshrining the year's memories forever in a book. I was never a part of the club at Central during those student years, but I had great respect for the job they did. During the closure of Central, I was actively involved with preserving its memories and a big part of that was preserving the Yearbooks by scanning them to create a digital copy. I have copies of the ones that I was involved in but the hard copies have all disappeared. Looking at their changes over the years, and counting in my bias, I would assert that they became better and better as camera and publishing technologies improved.

When I was asked to take over, I was initially worried whether or not I had what it takes to accept such an important task, but I quickly learned I was not in it alone as the Central students who enrolled were motivated to make each book a treasure. As it is with any class roll, there are superstars, dreamers, workers, and slackers, but I each year I have taught Yearbook there were always enough positives to ensure that we had a book to be proud of. Very often, the real go-getters were not readily apparent that first week, emerging later like butterflies after a slow metamorphosis. Easily the hardest part each year was the editing process since the students were full of great ideas that were much harder to engineer into something tangible. I have always struggled with spelling and grammar so being the final line of defense before submitting the copy to the publisher was fraught with pitfalls, some of which often meant there were typos that slipped by. Our group response to the few errors identified when the books were physically in the hands of the school was to accept the error, ask for forgiveness, and attest to doing the best we could. I still firmly believe that we achieved a pretty high standard considering all factors.

The most important function of a Yearbook, IMHO, is enshrining the memories from any particular year in a single place. I have had some previous Yearbook students share their opinion that Yearbooks are less desired these days because cell phone technology puts so many photos in their palms and social media spreads them far and wide. While I can certainly understand that argument, my rebuttal would be that it's also super easy to get buried by the volume of photos kids see and share, and the process of weeding out what makes the book ensures that the ones that get included tell the greatest story. I have long argued that technology will come and go ... Beta anyone? VHS anyone? CDs anyone? ... but a Yearbook will outlive everyone unless it gets lost, burnt or soaked. Those same students argue that comments about their photos are like their friends signing their Yearbook, but I would contend that the messages written in Yearbooks are of a far different, and more positive, nature. You couldn't pay me enough to part with my Yearbooks because they allow me to silently slip back in time and revisit parts of my life that are important to me.

One of the fringe benefits of "steering the ship" was the birth of my photography itch. As the students and I tried to improve our overall skills, the manifestation of those skills was the significant increase in the quality of the photos we had to choose from for the pages in the book. Being a Type-A personality, I felt strongly that I had to exceed the expectations I set for the kids, so improved ability quickly morphed into a full blown Shutterbug-itis. There's always a silver lining to every situation, and the extinction segued into a few years of teaching photography, something that I will be forever grateful for. As I am slowly slipping into the nether regions that is retirement, where my itch leads me will be an intriguing adventure.

Maybe there will be hope for the Yearbook ... maybe it will get saved from extinction.

It really never ceases to amaze me!

It's a Saturday night, I'm cozied up to my beautiful wife, and we're watching Netflix ... watching ... not chill ... although that did cross my mind (Big Grin). Tonight's choice was the acclaimed series "Vikings" and, so far, it's a good choice.

Our snuggle is interrupted when a text comes in, If you know my phone, it's arrival is announced by the Old Spice ditty and, since it's late I decide to look, unsure of who would be texting me at that time of night, prompting a wee pang of panic about my children. (Pause for dramatic effect) You can probably guess that it was a parent of a student in one of my classes who, not coincidentally, has chosen to be right on the brink of not achieving the credit thanks to multiple assignments that were never submitted, despite daily reminders and multiple one on one conferences. What likely prompted this questionable choice on the mom's part was a blunt message left on her phone that past Friday that this weekend was Make or Break for her child and she's likely frustrated by the situation.

My wife's face was filled with a look of incredulous bewilderment when I revealed who was responsible for disturbing our Saturday night. "She knows what time it is, right?" she said to no one in particular and followed by, "She knows it's Saturday, right, and that you're retiring this week?" After sharing me with thousand's of kids throughout our marriage, she has become a little less generous these days, as she has grown to like having me around more.

You want to know something? After almost 30 years together she still gets surprised by the choices some parents make. Awash with all of the negative criticism surrounding teachers these days, it's still considered okay by some parents to seek out counsel or assistance at a time that EVERYONE knows would be a teacher's family time. We both agreed that we would never be those parents, especially since it was made perfectly clear that the situation was created by the procrastination of our child.

In a microcosm, that's how things have significantly changed in education and why parents/critics who trumpet, "I had (this or that) when I went to school, and I made out fine." Education has made a drastic metamorphosis since 2012, the year that statistics tell us cellphones reached significant wide-spread usage. I know that I wouldn't be the only one to admit that there were often times during my own education that I made a good choice to complete assigned tasks simply because I was bored. Oh, don't misunderstand that there were thousands of times where some sort of activity shooed away my boredom, but school work was a distant second choice. Boredom is no longer an issue for today's students, and because of that, education has seen a steady decline in the proportion of students in any class meeting assignment deadlines, if at all. Who wants to write an essay or deal with fractions when the dopamine-filled world of Tic Toc, Snapchat, Instagram and whatever flavour du Jour is a simple click away ... and from the privacy of a bedroom, no less. Parents, you know that gnawing demon thrashing around inside you chest that strangles your heart when your frustration levels spike thanks to some sort of scenario that involves your child? Those of us who teach your children have 25 of them in class at the same time, and Ford wants that number increased to 30 or 35 or, shudder, 40. Considering this, even for a moment, do you still think that your child's teacher is lazy and over-paid? We're not in Kansas any more Toto.

By the time that January 31st rolls around, situations like this will cease to exist for our family, but I have grave fears for my younger colleagues about where the crux of it all lies. Pragmatically, I understand that we are still on the upswing when it comes to the effect of technology on the classroom, but at some point it will have to get better. My fear is for the state of education by the time that happens. Will Ontario be like Quebec where the best have left the profession and they cannot find competent replacements? Will the innovators and envelope-pushers have left as well? Or never choose that pathway in the first place? My own children are adults now so the immediate effect on my family is null, but I hope to have grandchildren at some point before I arrive at the pearly gates (YES, I am confident I am going that way and not the other), so the quality of public education is still personally important. THAT is why I have chosen to strike against Ford's cuts.

As I am writing this post, it's early Sunday morning and the sun is just coming up. As my wife hits the bottom stair, she sees me in my familiar perch on the couch, laptop in place and I am greeted with the question, "Are you marking that student's assignments?" That pretty much sums it up, doesn't it? Despite complaints and groans, teachers always seem to find a way to make it work, and Joe Public comes to expect more and more.

Sorry, I have to wrap this up. I have some work to do ... I haven't retired yet.

I never realized how much it meant ...

It's early evening, I've got my trusty laptop in its place, Joyce hasn't made it home yet, and I'm reviewing the day's events in my head. What a surreal feeling to have arrived at the end ... I taught my last classes today and I'm a little emotional about that. I can vividly recall the same basic scenario after my first day of teaching back in 1990, prognosticating all of the crazy things that I would get myself into ... which I did ... often ... and the end finally arrived.

What a wonderful day it turned out to be. We have an unbelievable program at North, led by an even more unbelievable teacher named Dave Emslie, where students learn all there is to know about broadcasting the school's news LIVE each day. This semester's crew created a goodbye video that they played today and I am astounded by the number of students who made the effort to wish me well and thank me for making North a great school. Many of them were kids that I never had the privilege of teaching, but passed in the hallways often, usually sharing a smile and a, "Hey, Sup?" I had a former student present me with a full sized sheet of bristol board, green no less, signed by many students with lots of little messages. To top it off, my HPE colleagues surprised me with balloons, cake, certificate and cap + gown to honour my "graduation". I don't mind sharing with you that I sat in the parking lot tonight for a moment and counted my blessings before pointing homeward.

I can't repeat it often enough, but the staff and students at North really made me feel welcomed, wanted, and worthwhile during these last few years. With all of the hoopala of retirement, I have contemplated what could have been, had the landing been one of the other SCDSB schools, and I have to say that choosing North was a wonderful stroke of brilliance on my part. To all who were a part of that and may read this, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Please know the profound effect it has had. A special tip of the hat to the HPE department at North ... Incredible human beings!

People have asked often, "Are you excited?" Of course the answer is yes, but also intimidated. I have reached out to a number of my colleagues who are in a similar time of life, some ready to leave, some hanging on for another wee while, and I finally understand what a few said about loosing a little bit of who you are when you finally leave. I chose teaching (and coaching) oh so many moons ago because I felt strongly motivated to pay it forward in honour of all those wonderful influences that helped me become a greater version of myself. I now can appreciate WHY they did it, what their motivation was, what was going through their minds. Helping others makes you feel like the proverbial "million bucks", fills you with an endorphin rush so exhilarating that it tingles, and touches you deep down in your core. The cost (there's always a cost) of this is the imprinting that occurs as a result of the selflessness, tying some of what you do to the person that you are, creating a sense of worth that is directly connected to being a teacher. When you retire, you lose a little of that, and that can be a source of trepidation and anxiety. TBH, I believe whole-heartedly in the good that I have accomplished during those 30 years and I face my new experiences with eagerness and excitement, but it would be a lie to say that I won't miss the daily interactions with students and colleagues.

I still have a few days of work left. They will be filled with culminating activities, grade crunching, some calls to homes with unfortunate news that not enough was accomplished to warrant earning the credit, and packing up ... like the late George Carlin says ... My Stuff. There will come a time, in the not so distant future, where I will hand over the true essentials of the job ... my photocopy fob, my laptop, and my keys ... and I will leave the building one last time, likely with a tear hanging wistfully to a bottom lash. I am damn proud of the job I've done! I feel awesome about what I have surmised is just shy of 8000 young people I have come in contact with over those years, be it teaching, coaching, organizing, convening and counselling.

An ever present tune loops in my brain ...
Recorded by the band Steam ...
"Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye."

Is education about kids anymore?

I've been reading a lot more lately. The choice du jour was an edublog where the author was lamenting about the apparent absence of kid's needs and welfare in the decision making process at the regional and state levels. Read her blog here Is Teaching even about teaching anymore?

Still thinking about that, I opened up a news site and my eyes were greeted with multiple stories about a leaked document stating that the Ford Government hasn't been completely truthful regarding the motivation to alter the present Ontario Education System ... the highly acclaimed, world recognized Ontario Educational System. Reading multiple articles, the thrust appears to center around converting the present system with actual humans facilitating learning, to a self-driven, on-line, "saleable" type of system ... modelled after the one in Alabama ... the state ranked 46 of 50 in education. Ford Nation can bleat its horn all it wishes about how this is tackling the bottom line and getting the Ontario house in order, but if it involves completely dismantling the system to save some money, then I am deeply saddened. Here's one of the articles Replacing teachers with computers?

Then I stumbled across an interview with the former head of EQAO, the government think tank that brought us the Literacy and Mathematics standardized tests, that reveals the impetus was skewed from what it was created to be. Read the article here EQAO focus has changed

When did we lose our way?

The education system, for as long as there has been one, is about the welfare of the next generation, the ones that will be in charge and making decisions when the present generation has stepped aside in retirement. Ask yourself, "Do I wish to feel satisfied that I have made the world a better place by assisting in the 'passing of the torch' to the next generation?" since they will be the ones that have the power to significantly alter your future life, just like I am for the generation that came before me. The elders of ancient times passed on their wisdom and knowledge around a campfire, a shared meal, a snuggle in a comfy place, by building trust-filled relationships where the goal was to ensure that acquiring skills was more important than managing data, persistence and resilience more important than natural ability. Education is a person to person, relationship thing ... a "let me show you" experience. I admit that I don't know as much as some, but how is that possible if the delivery vehicle is self-guided through some sort of technology lens?

I am on my way out of the system NOT because I have had enough but because I feel it is the right time. I have given as much as I could to ensure that the transference to my students was as bullet-proof as possible, feeling that they would be okay without me looking over their shoulder, guiding them to choose the best path. How do you do that without a living, breathing, and (most importantly) competent person facilitating that learning? Not everyone can be a teacher just like not everyone can be a doctor, a dentist, a mechanic, a lawyer, or a chef. We choose our paths in life based on revelations garnered through experience ... human experience ... and, admitting my profound bias, I feel that teaching is a vocation with the core being a sincere love of kids. It's ALWAYS been about the kids and if someone doesn't agree with that, then get out of teaching.

I was having a conversation about education with a nurse the other day. I have a student in one of my classes who requires a medical professional be close by because her health is fragile. The conversation involved perceptions of the Ontario system as compared to the nurse's personal experience growing up in a completely different part of the world. My thoughts were shared, her thoughts were shared, and we agreed that there were pluses and minuses to both systems. One thought stuck with me ... it was perceived that the Ontario system places higher stock in the whole child and not just the student. The explanation given to my puzzled look was that her experience was more "Sage on the stage", an "I'll tell you what you need to know" approach, and she felt that the efforts of the teachers here to build a foundation of partnership and cooperative problem solving was a better choice. Again, kind of tough to do with a computer rather than a person.

Here's an unpopular opinion ... education costs a lot of money ... and should.

If what I have stated above is true, we are honour bound to incur the cost of doing the best job that we can. Education is not something that should fall under the scalpel to find savings if those same savings will make education quality suffer. Do I think that there are ways to save money in the system? Absolutely! There are many ways to trim the bureaucracy that have been identified during our lunchroom bantering that will never see the light of a boardroom because they are logical and would enhance the classroom learning environment. Joe Public always cites the high wages of teachers as the problem, and while I can agree that teacher salaries are a major component of its cost, education is a people business so of course the cost of teachers is a major portion of the budget. There are a multitude of ways to save money that wouldn't affect the classroom ... the place where the relationships are built .... the place where the magic happens. The cost saving measures that Ford Nation is ramming through may save millions in the future but they are (not will ... it's already started) making significant negative changes to the classroom RIGHT NOW. Each year that these measures are in place, those negative changes will grow exponentially, and going back to what was recognized as World Class will be harder and harder. As a tax payer, a parent, and a caring citizen, I am willing to bear the cost of a great education system because I truly believe that all of those kids are worth it.

It's always about the kids.

Pssssst ... Can I share a secret?

As the title says, I have a secret to tell. The honest truth is that teaching right now, with the semester winding down, my exams all prepared, not spending hours coaching, not doing GBSSA/OFSAA stuff ... Well, I'm a little bored. Don't get me wrong, not the, "I'm having second thoughts about retiring" bored. More like, "Well I got that done ... check ... and that ... check ... and that ... check ... what's left?" bored. I didn't realize until now how many minutes all of the out-of-class stuff sucked out of my day.

I've written at length about coaching so I won't "flog a dead horse" ... such a curious saying ... but I haven't written about my experiences with GBSSA in general, the GBSSA Executive, OFSAA in general, and the OFSAA Executive.

In the fall of 1998 when I was hired at Barrie Central and moved to the secondary panel from the elementary. I received a phone call from an old friend, Terry Olaskey. Terry used to teach at Central, coached my brother Mike, was a huge basketball guy and, at the time of this call, the lead of HPE at Eastview. Terry, along with North's John Knapp, was responsible for the creation of the Barrie Royals so we enriched our friendship through me coaching with the Royals.

Terry was phoning to talk to me about the GBSSA Executive and whether or not I would be interested in joining. After the perfunctory "You'd be so great for GBSSA" and such, he finally explained that the VP position was open, and joining would be a 3 year commitment transitioning VP to Pres to Past Pres. Although interested, I had a stroke of matrimonial brilliance, choosing to run it by Joyce first. "I'll get back to you tomorrow." was my reply. Despite some initial concern, Joyce could tell that I had that oh-so-familiar gleam in my eyes and relented with a shrug, "It's only 3 years, we'll manage it." Oh Ho Ho ... you silly, silly girl ... 3 years? That decision led to a multi-year plunge into service for my association and community, other than a very brief pause for 4 years while I coached the Georgian College Men's Basketball program. During those years I served GBSSA as VP, President, Secretary, and OFSAA rep, then OFSAA on Executive Council and Championship Review. I met a TON of like-minded people from across Ontario, many of which who became good friends ... people I went out of my way to visit when travelling around the province.

What I didn't realize until this semester, was the volume of time that I spent working on problems, issues and concerns that had little to do with life in a classroom. I can safely say, comparing my days now to days during the previous 18 or so years, that 60-70 minutes a day would be an accurate average. Obviously, some days were more, some were less, but getting those minutes back has meant that I have all of my marking up to date, my planning extends more than a few days into the future, and I now rarely have work that needs to be done at home, making time for other pursuits ... like BLOGS! HaHa!

Let me set the record straight! None of what I wrote is a gripe or complaint! I truly enjoyed what I was doing ... almost every minute ... except transfers ... Just kidding, ven they were fine 90% of the time. Tooting my own horn a bit, I feel that I am leaving having been a positive influence on the growth and development of athletics in GBSSA and OFSAA, and as the saying goes, "Do something you love and you'll never work a day in your life!" I got a kick out of becoming the "Transfer Guy" that so many reached out to for input and advice. I took great pride in taking the role into the 21st century by making the transfer process on-line. There have been loads of people who have worked hard for the cause, but I can confidently say none worked harder.

Whenever you center people out from a group, you risk insulting someone else, but there are some individuals that I would like to publicly thank a few who I spent loads of time with:

Terry Olaskey (BCC/ESS) = Thanks for having a high enough opinion of me to invite me along for the ride AND thanks for showing me the proper way to represent GBSSA. You'll always be a good friend.

Bonnie Glover (BDHS) = Bonnie was my guide through the initial learning phase of OFSAA happenings. She showed tremendous patience with me, making sure that I understood the policies and by-laws well enough to be competent. Bonnie is a kind soul and I am still not sure that GBSSA understands how fortunate it was to have her.

Jean Goodrow (STT) = Jean was one of the Female OFSAA reps I worked with. My thanks to her for the incredible patience, generosity, and professionalism she brought to the partnership. I wonder if she can recall those crazy meetings at the Tim Horton's in Elmvale (halfway between Barrie and Port McNicholl) where we poured through a huge stack of eligibility applications that clogged the faxes at our schools ... That was before Google Forms/Sheets.

Dale Huddleston (EOSSA) = Dale did the bulk of his teaching at Ernestown SS near Kingston and we shared duty on a number of OFSAA committees. A consummate story-teller, Dale spread his wisdom far and wide during those social events I talked about before, and since I also have been known to talk a bit, we fit together like "peas and carrots". I learned a lot about a lot from Dale and I am thrilled he includes me in his friend circle.

Tim Lowe (NOSSA) = "Mr North Bay" and I have worked and coached with and against each other for a really long time, sharing duties on Championship Review and Executive Council. Tim is the voice of calm in the sometimes agitated world of OFSAA and we have spent many an evening talking teaching, coaching, sports and life. I am pleased to call him a friend.

Christine Baillie (SOSSA) = Easily one of the most passionate educators I have come to know well, Baillie (as she prefers) is an amazing human being who has set the bar incredibly high when it come to sacrifice for her students, colleagues and association. Unfortunately for all of us, Baillie had a medical issue that forced an early retirement from school and OFSAA. She is a complete sweetheart and a good friend.

Val Hargreaves (ESS) = Val became my OFSAA partner in 2015 when she was arm-twisted into taking over the role when no one else was stepping forward. We were acquaintances prior to this but we became good friends as this"Old Fart" helped her navigate the first few meetings. She has embraced the role and I hope that GBSSA understands how lucky they are.

Peter Kalbfleisch (BCC/ESS) = Honourable mention goes to Peter. We actually never "worked" together for GBSSA but all of those lunch hour chats about transfers and meetings during the three years he served in the role made it seem that way. Peter is a dear friend for a lot of other reasons so sharing a little bit of GBSSA+OFSAA made it all the better.

A final thank you to EVERYONE that I had the privilege of working with during those amazing GBSSA + OFSAA years!

I admit that it's all my fault!

 It's 1991, a young man fresh from Teacher's College decided to interview back in his own home town, an interview conducted by three of his old principals. Pedagogy was not the topic of question since the triumvirate was interested in what has transpired since he left/graduated their circle of influence. In the end, a contract position was offered but the impression of caring had already conjured the question, "Why are they even interested in what I've been up to?" The simple answer? That's the way educators are wired ... that's why they choose education ... It's their fault that I chose to join their ranks.

That was the first of a million lessons that I have been blessed to experience along the pathway of teaching . It really boils down to the relationships that are built with the students in my charge. In his book "Life in Classrooms", Philip Jackson states elementary teachers have 200 to 300 exchanges with students every hour (between 1200-1500 a day), most of them unplanned and unpredictable which means teachers make decisions in the moment. I am sure that the numbers are lower, but just as relevant, in a secondary classroom. The nature of these decisions cannot be planned for because they are based on choice, interaction, and reaction. Doing the math, this means high school teachers could make 1000 per day x 190 teaching days = 190 000 judgment calls, based on their experience and expertise, in a school year. Teachers use their experience and knowledge to make these split-second decisions in a classroom, all the while keeping 20+ students engaged in learning. They have to decide how to defuse a situation, encourage a situation, manage a student who is sad or confused or sick or tired or hungry. Those decisions change lives. The media and government have put education in a negative spotlight, questioning teacher motivation and salaries, insinuating they are selfish and lazy. Many teachers use their own money to make sure the learning environment is the best it can be. Parental expectations and demands have increased, expecting teachers be responsible for not only the learning that happens inside their classrooms walls, but also for the messes that spill over outside of it. This means teachers are spending their time before school, planning time and after school managing social-emotional learning as well as academic learning. The "elephant in the room" is each time something is taken away, the vast majority of teachers find a solution, often at their own personal expense, and THAT is the problem. By simply taking on the challenge without raising awareness, simply deflects, and Joe Public comes to expect a status quo, even though it no longer exists.

IMHO, teachers have been silent for too long. 

Having a heart for the kids ... because teachers are not in it for the money ... we have a system full of people who will do whatever it takes to educate students. The increase in demands results in an increase in teacher burnout, creating a huge problem in this country, and teachers have let this happen because they are passionate about helping children. The media covers negative experiences and sensational stories, but there are thousands more positive stories that go unreported about teacher selflessness blessed upon the kids. This imbalance prompts Joe Public to label everything as the teacher’s fault. Personally, having over 30 years experience in the educational system, I have to say I have had enough. I have a responsibility to the system and my colleagues to confess that there are indeed many things happening within education THAT ARE MY FAULT:

Not my student but
the same attitude

It's MY FAULT for Building A Future

Many years back I had a tough kid (he has not been the only one, however) that was particularly difficult, day and day out. TBH, I tossed and turned on a number of nights, thanks largely to frustrations on how to reach this young soul. As the year progressed, I learned more about his home life, its challenges, volatility, and how he carried that baggage to school each day. Academics took a back seat to helping him search for meaning and awareness in his life, and the gleam of self-awareness in his eyes slowly grew in intensity. The school year came to its ultimate end and he successfully achieved the necessary competency to graduate, walked proudly across the stage and disappeared into life. I am embarrassed to say that, since this was before the proliferation of social media, as each day that passed, our joint struggles faded from my memory. 

Barrie is a bigger sized city that still maintains a small town feel, thanks largely to people like me who grow up here, explore the world for a time, then return here to raise a family. As a result of this trend, I regularly encounter former students, many years later, and am blessed with a 10 minute re-acquaintance chat. At a local grocery store one afternoon, a familiar voice behind me quietly spoke, "Excuse me. Are you Mr Porter?" Turning, I was face to face with my tough kid, a number of years older, holding the hand of a cherubic chestnut-haired cutie. The resulting conversation revealed a young man who wanted me to know how he was doing, how thankful he was for the time I had invested all those years ago, and confessing that he attributed some of the blame for that to me. He insisted that it was my fault. Cue the waterworks and the Grinch-like heart growth.

His was one of hundreds of interactions I have had over the years that, if you extrapolate to include the multitude of teachers I have worked with, results in possibly tens of thousands positive stories that never made the media. And they are all our fault!

Not my students but very much
how a YBK gets created

It's MY FAULT for Building Self-Confidence
We have an epidemic in education right now with classrooms increasingly filled with students who’s "go to" strategy is to quit. They work well until they come to something they do not know and then they simply quit, despite having the ability and the understanding of the concept. What they are lacking is the self-confidence to move forward. I can recall a number of students I have interacted with where I spent our time together putting them in situations that would both build confidence and offer a chance to practice resilience. There were good days and bad days, but they wanted experiences and tasks that were simple and easy, and if they felt it was too hard, they adopted the stance that it was safer to not try than to try and fail. 

One such situation that stands out involved a young lady who chose to take the Yearbook elective I taught at Central. I struggled with understanding why she chose the course as she initially refused to learn how to take usable photos, how to use the computer software we used to create the pages, and how to effectively sell the Yearbook to the rest of the students. Although she regularly resisted early on, I had a gut-feeling that there was more to it, and I softly prodded her to accept more and more responsibility, eventually breaking her defenses down to where she accepted an active role. As time proceeded, as it always does, she displayed a growing self-confidence, even actively joining in on discussions about which features should be included in this page or that. Her most complicated page choice, the one with the most possibility for failure, she decided to complete solo, something she would never choose in the beginning. Once completed, we conferenced about it, and the look of accomplishment and pride that she displayed was astonishing. She still had self-doubt, but she was trying hard to master it. When the books arrived at the school the following June, she was one of the first to pick her copy up, and I watched her hurriedly flip to that page. The smile that slowly crept across her face as she admired the fruits of her toil said all that was needed. It's my fault that she gained self-confidence enabling her to reveal a piece of herself through the design and publication of her page. It was my fault that she grew in resilience, persistence, creativity and competence. It’s my fault she felt successful, proud and confident in herself. She is just one of hundreds of young people I have worked with.

It's MY FAULT for Building a Love of Learning
If you recall, I have been blessed with the responsibility of students from grade one through to grade twelve, a blessing not a lot of my colleagues have experienced. With such a range in ages, there are hundreds of stories about students who fell in love with learning and successfully plied that enthusiasm to subsequent challenges and situations throughout their educational careers. As you also may recall, I have been transparent about choosing teaching so I could support myself and my family as a coach here in Canada. I have just as many stories about former athletes who developed a passion for the activity that we shared. A love of learning is not limited to academic pursuits. 

Barrie Central's Taylor Paris

One such situation that I am particularly proud of involved a gifted young athlete that went on to achieve goals that likely began as no more than hazy images of a long night's sleep. This young boy was the youngest of his family, the last in a line of gifted athletes who were the backbones of numerous successful teams at Central. Although already well known for his athletic escapades, he chose to try something new when he arrived at Red Storey Field one spring afternoon for Junior rugby tryouts. He quickly engendered himself to his coaches with his determination, grit and passion but, to these old eyes, he was just another gifted athlete. As coach of the Senior team, blessed with the talents of his siblings, I surmised that he would have a very good high school career ... I sooo missed the mark!

Our paths crossed again when he tried out successfully for Team Ontario, a team I was coaching. As with so many elite sides, the management team had to determine the best way to utilize the talent in our charge, meaning that many players were asked to learn new positions. This young man initially resisted the change, since it was significant moving from flanker to wing, but eventually accepted his fate. Kudos to him for quickly embracing it, immersing himself in the required learning, and capturing the attention of coaches at the national level. His drive to learn and improve was incredible.

Upon his return to Central, he set himself to the task of learning as much as was possible about rugby, its strategies, core skills, required fitness, laws and leadership skills. This active decision resulted in even more attention from elite programs, even more learning, and culminated in a rugby exchange to the UK. Upon his return from overseas, it was readily apparent to all that he had decided that rugby would be the vehicle he would employ to change his life.

Once he joined Central's Senior program, all of the energy and effort he had employed made him a natural leader amongst his peers, and the expectations of many seemed to rest squarely on his shoulders. This, of course, was completely unfair as a 16 year-old, but he embraced the challenge and set himself to the task of being the best that our program had ever seen. One of his most endearing qualities was his humility. He owned his successes but also his defeats, accepting harsh criticism as an opportunity to become better, both as a player and as a person ... AND he performed! So well, in fact, that he set records for being the youngest player to represent Canada when our national program flew him around the world playing 7's and brought him to the World Cup in New Zealand as a part of the 15's team. He has since been a mainstay in Canada's national program up to, and including, the recent World Cup in Japan.

If all of this wasn't impressive enough for you, he has successfully earned a living playing rugby in both Scotland and France, most recently for Castres Olympique in the French top division. All of this a direct result of his thirst for knowledge and willingness to make sacrifices to obtain that knowledge. I am partly responsible for creating a lifelong learner who developed through a love of rugby. Although many of my fellow Centralites and Canadians stepped forward to help, it’s my fault (partly) he has found joy and love in a professional rugby career. It is my fault (partly) that he has grown into a selfless, steadfast, generous, and compassionate young man. Go ahead, blame me. I can handle it!

I am no longer willing to stand by and let the educational system be quietly attacked. The pervading negativity and systematic destruction of that same system I have loved for 30 years will no longer be tolerated. I confess that it is my fault students succeeded, found passions, developed skill sets, learned problem-solving skills, found confidence, performed random acts of kindness, recognized global problems, considered someone else’s point of view, and a million other things. I chose teaching and coaching because it is a gift I can share with hundreds of families to create a positive ripple in my community. I don’t ask for much in return, but it is high time we teachers are are finally blamed for all of the great things that have happened since making the decision to give, give, give, give. We are responsible for so much more than the media portrays or the government announces. The blame lies with us and, dagummit, it's time Joe Public recognizes it!

*I confess that I got the idea for this post from another teacher's blog ... Thanks Ms Rice!

What students really need to know!

A long while ago, I discovered a blog post by a person named C Mielke, and it struck me to my core. I would like to publicly thank C Mielke for changing how I deal with my students, each and every day. I took the message (without permission ... sorry) and personalized it to my own situation. Each semester since I have discovered these words, I have started day one by getting my students to read this short blurb, then discussing what it means to them.

It's the eve of another school year and it’s late at night. I’ve struggled for the last hour to go to sleep, but I can’t. I am tossing and turning, unable to shut down my brain. Why? I am a teacher and I’m stressed about my students. I mean REALLY stressed. I’m so stressed that I am forced from the security of my bed to write down what I really want to say ... the real truth I’ve been needing to say ... and vow to myself that I will let my students hear what I REALLY think!

Firstly, you all need to know right from the start that I care about you … ALL of your teachers care about you, or we would choose to teach. In fact, we might care about you more than you may care about yourself at times. we care not just about your grades or your test scores, but about YOU as a person. Since we care, I would like to be honest with you, both in what I say and how I say it.

Here’s the thing: Your teachers lose sleep because of you. Each and every week. Before I tell you why, you should understand the truth about school. You see, the main event of school is not academic learning. It never has been. It never will be. Properly motivated, you can learn about anything at any time. And, if you find someone who is passionate in claiming that it IS about academics, that person is lying to him or herself and may genuinely believe that lie. Yes, math, essay writing, civics, science are all are important and worth knowing ... but they are not the MAIN event.

The main event is learning how to deal with the harshness of life when it gets difficult ... how to overcome problems as simple as a forgotten locker combination, to obnoxious peers, to gossip, to people doubting you, to asking for help in the face of self-doubt, to pushing yourself to concentrate when a million other thoughts and temptations are fingertips away. It is your resilience in conquering the main event ... adversity ... that truly prepares you for life after school. Mark these words, school is NOT the most challenging time you will have in life. You will face far greater challenges than these. You will have times more amazing than you could possibly imagine, but you will also be confronted with incomparable tragedy, frustration, and fear in the years to come, sometimes by yourself and sometimes with help.

You shouldn’t be worried about the fact that you will face great adversity. You should be worried because you’re setting yourself up to fail at overcoming it. Here’s the real reason your teachers lose hours of sleep worrying about you; you are failing the main event of school. You are quitting. You may not think you are quitting, but you are because quitting wears many masks. 

For some, you quit by throwing the day away and not even trying to write a sentence or solve a problem or do a push up because you think it doesn’t matter or you can’t or there’s no point. BUT IT DOES. What you write is not the main event, but the fact that you do take charge of your own fear and doubt IN ORDER to write when you are challenged — THAT is the main event. 

Some quit by skipping class on a free education. Being punctual to fit the mold of the classroom is not the main event. The main event is delaying your temptations and investing in your own intelligence; understanding that sometimes short-term pain creates long-term gain and that great people make sacrifices for a greater good. 

For others, you quit by being rude and disrespectful to adults or peers who ask you to come to class, prepared to learn. Listening to others is not the main event. The main event is learning how to problem solve maturely, not letting your judgment be tainted by the stains of emotion. 

Some of you quit by choosing not to take opportunities to work harder and pass a class, no matter how far down you are. The main event is not getting a number that tells you that you’re successful. The main event is pulling your crap together and making hard choices and sacrifices when things seem impossible.  It is finding hope in the hopeless, courage in the chasm, guts in the grave. What you need to see is that every time you take the easy way out, you are building a habit of quitting. That habit will destroy your future by annihilating your happiness, if you choose to let it. 

Our society cares nothing for quitters. Life will let you die alone, depressed, and poor if you can’t rise up enough to deal with hardship. To quote Yoda, “Do or Do Not … There is no try.” You either resist adversity and grow stronger or blow in the wind and erode.

As long as you are in my life, I am not going to let quitting be easy for you. I am going to challenge you, confront you, push you, and coach you. You can whine. You can throw a tantrum. You can shout and swear and pout and cry. And the next day, guess what? I will be at the classroom door waiting, smiling and patient, ready to give you a fresh start because you are worth it.

So, do yourself a favour and step up. No more excuses. No more justifications. No blaming. No quitting. Just pick your head up, rip those Earpods out of your ears, put that gosh darned phone away and let’s do this … TOGETHER!


Personalized and reprinted from AffectiveLiving.com by C Mielke

When good isn't good enough

As previously written, one of the arguments posed by Joe Public around this political mess we're in right now is that there's loads of "dead weight" in the system. While I can agree that there are varying degrees of passion in the schools I have worked, I can say that the vast majority of teachers are competent. Having made that point, there are definitely some that are held in higher regard and here's some of my thoughts on why.
* I admit that I got some of these ideas from other teacher blogs*

Great teachers don't always create the best lessons, but they always foster the best relationships with their students. They understand that developing the right classroom climate is a must for great learning. They understand the power of connecting, so they are diligent about building conditions that foster it, even with the boneheads. Although I don't consider myself great, maintaining contact with former players and students is the sole reason I am active on social media.

When a lesson doesn't work out as planned, great teachers are not looking around the room for excuses ... they are looking at the face in the mirror. They own the responsibility and actively seek improvement. They don't show up for work... they show up for kids because t's about passion, not about a job. They understand the Golden Rule, "Treat every child the way you would want your own child to be treated."

Great teachers are always prepared to teach, but they are mindful of the fact that not all students are prepared to learn. They are not bent on winning "the battle" with the students because they understand that if there is a battle in the classroom, nobody wins. They define their success by the success of the learning ... it's ALWAYS about the learning ... and that's not always tied to the curriculum. With all of the energy and passion I directed at extra curricular things, this is near and dear to my heart.

Great teachers will spend some time during holidays thinking about how they can improve the lesson for the next time. That's not because they are told/instructed to do but because that's their mindset; there's always a way to improve the learning. Understanding that the crux of the matter is to facilitate, not indoctrinate, burns at their core. They are always in pursuit of a better experience for their students, demanding the same excellence of themselves that they look for in their students. There are many that don't understand this point ... Learning is personal and is solely under our own control. Teaching is about facilitating learning, not unlike a guide that finds the best pathway for each learner, and seeking understanding of many pathways is what lesson planning is all about.

Great teachers are never victims of unmotivated students because they refuse to let them get away without attempting the work. They can look past the attitude and realize there's always something else going on because they are not driven by courses of study, but by the faces in front of them.  They embrace the role of Key Master, opening the doors to the surest path to learning, yet allowing students to control the execution of that same learning. They did not become this way by accident, but by making a decision that being good was not enough for their students, and that everyone has bad days. They never lose perspective and refuse to let personal drama undermine the positive energy in the classroom.

Our city ... our county ... our province ... our country ... our world is a better place because of the passion and dedication of great teachers everywhere, be it in classrooms, schools, fields of play or living rooms. It's too easy to "paint" all teachers with global statements of shortcomings ... Look closely at the teachers interacting with your children because there's a very good chance that they're great ... and you should let them know how much you appreciate what they're doing for your family.