Focus on Students

Empower student voice and provide student choice in order to improve student academic progress and achievement.

Creativity: Day 1 Reflections from the Jostens Renaissance National Conference

Dwight Carter Curriculum and Instruction, Focus on Students, Leadership, School Climate, Staff and Faculty

JRNCI’ve attended the Jostens Renaissance National Conference many times and each year I walk away feeling inspired and enthused about my purpose as an educator. While some of the faces in the leadership team are new this year, the foundational principles are still very much alive: relationships, collaboration, sharing ideas, learning, engagement, and fun.

As always, the keynote presenters, featured presenters, and breakout sessions leave the attendees excited to implement something new in their classrooms, schools, or school community. What’s unique about this conference is that about 30% of the attendees are students! Students who attend are either formal or informal leaders at their schools. They are just as engaged as all the educators and bring a certain level of energy that is contagious.

As I reflect on day 1, the word that comes to mind is CREATIVITY. Presenter, Kevin Honeycutt (@kevenhoneycutt), is an expert on meaningful learning and he shared several tidbits of information that piqued my interest. His presentation was creatively engaging and he stressed how we can harness the power of technology and relationships to make learning more meaningful for ourselves and for our students:

• “Administrators have to create a culture that appreciates teachers who try new things.” We are all creative and simply need the freedom to put a creative idea into action, reflect on the results, and try again. It’s easy to criticize what’s new and it takes courage to embrace, empower, and enthusiastically share what risk takers are doing. Protect the risk-takers from the naysayers by publicly recognizing, rewarding, and reinforcing this behavior. The result: more risk-taking behavior by teachers!

• “Emotion+Learning=Forever Learning.” I think about the most favorite teachers at GLHS and who comes to mind are the ones who make learning meaningful by making emotional connections with the content through song, performance, meaningful projects,by creating a supportive and collaboration classroom environment, and setting high expectations. The students respond by being loyal, working hard for the teacher, and removing any walls that would prevent learning from occurring. As a result, students stay after school for hours and on weekends working together to solve problems, complete quality projects, or to perfect a performance. It’s amazing to see!

• “We have to teach kids how to love to learn.” We are all creative in our own way and the more we foster creativity in our classrooms and schools, the more we will inevitably help students to learn how to love learning like they used to in their primary years. This is the type of culture we ought to strive to create!

The keynote presenter, Erik Wahl (@erikwahl), moved the crowd! His story not only resonated with many in the audience, but it was one of triumph. He demonstrated how we can unleash our own creativity and the creativity of our students by learning how to “UNTHINK”. Following are a few nuggets I gleamed from his presentation:

• “If we take ourselves too seriously, we block ourselves from performing under pressure.” The ability to perform under pressure not only sparks creative problem solving, but it opens up more opportunities for personal growth and opportunities to help others. I have a tendency to take myself way too seriously at times and it’s during these times that I am less creative, less effective, and become almost paralyzed with insecurity. I look to my Savior, my wife, my administrative team, and my PLN during these times to help me let go and just do. Eric reminded me of this today as shared passionate, creative stories that fed the audience.

• “We are capable of so much more than what we have been preconditioned to do.” Mandates, accountability, and standardization squelch creativity. One would be hard-pressed to find an educator who doesn’t believe this statement. However, we have to break through these mandated, or often times, self-made barriers to be remarkable at our craft. This resonated with me becuase it’s one of the reasons I continue to participate in the Jostens Renaissance National Conference and connect with others via social media.

I am still processing all of the events of day 1 and have not settled on specific ways to fully tap into the creativity of our students and staff at Gahanna Lincoln High School. We do, however, have pockets where creative lesson design and learning experiences for students and staff abound, but I want more of it; for the sake of our students and our school community. So, what are you going to do to unleash the creativity in your classroom or school?

Be Great,

Dwight

Characteristics Students Want in Teachers

Dwight Carter Focus on Students, Staff and Faculty

I’ve been following the hashtag, #stuvoice, on Twitter for awhile and have been inspired by the tweets, links, and questions about providing a platform for students to share their thoughts about school. We have some very dynamic student leaders at Gahanna Lincoln High School and after reviewing some of the #stuvoice tweets, it dawned on me that It’s been several months since I’ve taken the time to talk with a group of students. So, I set up a meeting with members of my school’s Student Council a couple of weeks ago. We had a great conversation and I was enlightened by their insight!

I went into the conversation with two questions and ended up asking a third question based on their responses. Before I go on, I have to say how impressed I was with their candor, enthusiasm, and maturity! The three questions I asked them are as follows:

* What are the characteristics of a great teacher?
* What does learning look like at Gahanna Lincoln High School?
* What is missing in your school experience?

I will only focus on the first question in this post and will share the answers from the other two questions in a later post. Since it’s the hiring season and we are looking for the very best candidates, I wanted to know, from the student perspective, what characteristics make a great teacher. As an administrative team, we have a list of characteristics we look for, but it’s important to know what the students think.

Question: “What are the characteristics of a great teacher?”

Answers:
* Passionate and Enthusiastic about teaching
* Knowledgeable
* Cares about students
* Flexible
* Understanding
* Willing to work 1 on 1 with students
* Organized
* Shows one’s personality
* Personable/Approachable
* Willingness to connect with students beyond the classroom
* Optimistic
* Devoted
* Creative with school work and working with students
* Engaging
* Able to reflect and grow
* Involved with aspects of school outside of teaching
* Treats everyone equally
* Clear expectations
* Direct communication
* Respectable

As I previously stated, I appreciate their candor. They were really thoughtful with their answers, they added to each other’s responses, and were pretty much in agreement about these characteristics. The bottom line is they want teachers who take the time to get to know them, who will help them learn, and who care about them as people. I plan to share this list with my Administrative Team and Department Chairpersons so that we are better equipped to bring in the best candidates to be a part of Team GLHS!

Be Great,



Dwight

Blended Learning at GLHS

Dwight Carter Curriculum and Instruction, Focus on Students, Leadership, Technology Integration

The concept of blended learning has become a hot topic in a relatively short time. As more states are looking at ways to make technology integration a part of the learning process, blended learning has gained momentum. This momentum has been created because of our need to adapt to a technologically connected and digital world in which we now live.

In June, 2013, Ohio Governor, John Kasich, chose Gahanna Lincoln High School’s Clark Hall to announce his blended learning initiative (Ohio SB 316). We were chosen because Governor Kasich recognized Clark Hall as a hub of blended learning and 21st Century learning. So that we are all operating with the same definition of blended learning, following is how blended learning is described in Ohio SB 316:

“…the delivery of instruction in a combination of time in a supervised physical location away from home and online delivery whereby the student has some element of control over time, place, path, or pace of learning.”

Even though Clark Hall is a model of blended learning today, our blended learning journey began about seven years ago when we had two teachers who designed their courses (an English 11 course and an Accounting course) in such a way that students did not have to attend class every day. They solidified a grant to get a set of laptop computers, designed a course on Moodle, and were free to explore. Students had to earn the right to use flex time (time outside of the normal class period) by meeting the agreed upon standards (grades, attendance, etc.) and they excelled.

Fast forward to the last two years, several GLHS teachers (Ryan Kitsmiller @rkitsmiller, Dwayne Marshall @marshall133, Katie Anderson @kpa12, Fred Donelson @mrdglhs to name a few) have created blended learning environments by using Google Apps or Moodle to house their course content. This fall, five teachers, including two previously mentioned, took a class to learn how to develop an online course. Through this class, they either enhanced their skill or learned to develop an engaging and rigorous course beyond just making worksheets digital. Three of the teachers have recently launched their blended courses. We will soon have several courses where students will have the option to take it completely as an online course.

The key components of blended learning include:
*Connectivity- access to web with a mobile device is essential because it makes learning an anytime, anywhere event.
*Relevant course content-student voice and choice in how they want to learn and present their learning.
*Engaging material, such as videos, blogging, inquiry-based questions.
*Collaboration- the opportunity for students to work together to solve problems and assist one another anytime, anywhere digitally.
*Feedback- teacher and peer feedback on blogs or other web 2.0 sites
*Time Management-students must plan according to maximize their time

Blended learning is not just the future of education, it’s our current reality as we have integrated technology, provided relevant professional development, and created an environment that is focused on learning.

Be Great,

Dwight

Leadership Principles

Dwight Carter Focus on Students, Leadership, School Climate, Staff and Faculty ,

Author and Leadership Consultant, Ken Blanchard, wrote in one of his books, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” I couldn’t agree more. However, I don’t think this has anything to do with positional leadership, but more about leadership principles. There are a number of people I consider leaders, from students to global dignitaries and everyone in between. I have learned and continue to learn what leadership is by observing others and reflecting on my own behaviors as a leader. Following are my most important principles that define leadership and how each principle is present or in the works at Gahanna Lincoln High School:

Vision
“Where there is no vision, the people perish.” -Proverbs 29:18. Vision creates a picture of what a group, team, or organization can become as the people involved work together towards a common purpose. Vision creates a powerful story about the organization and can inspire the high-quality, dedicated work of the people invoked. Without it, individuals will begin to do what they individually think is best, thus creating islands of excellence as opposed to a shared, collective and common purpose. Without vision, there will be conflicting values, uncommon language, and unclear expectations, thus leading to resistance, frustration, and low morale.

At Gahanna Lincoln, we are guided by the vision detailed in our district’s Graduate Profile. Teachers use the profile strands as learning targets as they plan lessons and units. Our Graduate Profile is aligned with the College and Career Readiness standards that are a part of the Common Core Stand Standards. Our Dean of Curriculum, Brooke Menduni, has done an outstanding job of facilitating the transition to the Common Core. Her leadership is helping us to ensure teaching and learning is focused on essential skill development through the content.

For the development of the key skills that are necessary today (communication, creativity, collaboration, and critically thinking) to occur, we have to have a positive school climate and school culture. Risk tasking, trust, and celebration have to be a part of the equation. To ensure this happens, we celebrate student and staff success on a consistent basis through monthly PRIDE (Personal Responsibly In Developing Excellence) Award nominations, monthly staff luncheons (bonding), quarterly student recognition ice cream socials, and two Renaissance Pep Rallies. Individual teachers, like AP American History and World Studies teacher, Ben Cullivan have even created student celebrations within their classrooms. Ben designed a medal he gives to the top student in each of his classes at the end of the year. This has become quite the tradition and the students work extremely hard to earn this special recognition.

Teachers can nominate students and their colleagues each month to receive the PRIDE Award for demonstrating any of the skills outlined in our Graduate Profile or our district adopted character education traits. The names of all the students during the month are scrolled on the announcements and they meet in the lobby to receive a certificate and to take a group photo, which is then displayed in one our busiest hallways. We then follow up with a quarterly breakfast for all the recipients and their parents. It’s a little thing, but our part of our vision is to recognize what is going well so that we get more of it!

Relationships
We are in the business of developing, nurturing, and sustaining positive relationships with people. One of my favorite quotes as an educator is, “No significant learning takes place without a significant relationship” by Dr. James Comer. This has guided me and will continue to do so as long as I’m an educator because learning is a social event that comes through sharing, discussing, debating, and exploring with others. Without significant relationships, learning can be limited.

At Gahanna Lincoln, the focus on creating and sustaining positive relationships is crucial to our success. We have created our Freshmen Experience (9th grade academy) to help nurture our freshmen and show them what it means to be a Gahanna Lincoln High School Lion. Our departments constantly have social events, staff parties, and have fun rituals. We encourage our students to get involved in something at school: the arts, clubs and activities, or athletics in order to create a connection with an adult at school. Currently, over 27% of our students are involved in the arts and over 33% participate in one of our 26 athletic teams. We offer over 30 clubs and organizations for students to participate in and students are encouraged to start a club of interest. Our new Library Media Aide, Brian Winston, has informally started a Chess Club this year and the room is packed before school, during the lunch periods, and after school. The activity is the vehicle that fosters the positive relationships and the same holds true in the classrooms.

Clear Expectations
Educator, author, and presenter Dr. Todd Whitaker reminds every educator to state very clear expectations at the beginning of the year in order to create a positive learning environment. Like the teachers at Gahanna Lincoln, I take the opportunity to do just that during our opening day staff meeting. My expectations of staff are simple:
a. Be Present- not just physically, but emotionally and mentally present
b. Be Punctual-punctuality is a sign of respect
c. Be Prepared- prior planning prevents poor performance
d. Be Professional- dress, talk, conduct, and learning
e. Create a positive climate in your classroom
f. Communicate with parents and colleagues

To include students in the process, the last two years I met with about 400 juniors and seniors who have classes in Clark Hall, our new addition to our campus, and asked them what we should expect of them. This conversation took place four times on the first full day of school and each group came up with the same expectations:
a. Respect
b. Responsibility
c. Trust
d. Team Work
e. Good attendance
f. Hard work
g. PRIDE

Could we ask for anything more?

Communication
This has become one of the most important characteristics any leader should possess. It’s not just disseminating information, but listening, responding, and using a variety of tools to share our story. Good communication, like presence, requires time, but it’s time well spent.

At GLHS, our teachers have embraced the use of Home Access Center, which is our online tool to share students’ grades with parents and students. Each teacher has also created a portal, or individual website, to let parents and students know about lesson objectives, homework assignments, and upcoming tests. In addition to the Home Access Center and the portals, we have several official GLHS Twitter accounts and Facebook pages. With the use of social media, a lack of communication should be a thing of the past.

I will continue to promote the use of social media as a means to communicate with our stakeholders; however, nothing replaces the need for face-to-face interaction.

Team Work and Service
Each of our departments has a Department Chairperson who not only represents the department as part of the school Leadership Team, but they are responsible for unifying the department, supporting new teachers, and tapping into the strengths of each of the members.

Several of our teachers are advisors of school clubs and organizations like Student Council, the Renaissance Action Team, the S Club, National Honor Society, Interact, and Key Club, to name a few. Together, these students have made a positive impact on our school environment by serving others, organizing events, or working together to solve a problem. The teachers help to create the environment for students to take risks as leaders and learn from mistakes.

Accountability
There is an old saying that, “What’s inspected is respected.” Accountability is not about getting people in trouble, but ensuring the expectations, values, and norms are met more consistently. Holding others accountable can be uncomfortable for me as a leader, but it’s not about my feelings. What is required is for each teacher, administrator, secretary, guidance counselor, custodian, and cook to do our jobs to the best of our ability. It’s my job to provide the proper training, support, and resources for this to occur.

We all have improved in this area, especially since we have started to use Google Docs to share what each department does during department meetings and we’ve circulated the book, Shifting The Monkey by Dr. Todd Whitaker, to help one another confront negative behaviors, put the monkey back where it belongs, and become more efficient. This is still a work a progress for me as a leader and for our building as a whole, yet we are definitely making progress!

Learning
I’ve learned from my staff and my PLN to be transparent about my learning experiences by blogging, tweeting, sharing books that I’ve read with others, sharing my teachers’ blogs, attending conferences, and presenting at local and national conferences. In the process of being transparent about my learning, I am promoting the learning at Gahanna Lincoln High School.

Over the last five years, our school’s grade point average has increased from a 2.77 to 3.02, our attendance rate has been steady at 94%-95%, more students are taking AP courses, our ACT score average is above the state average and our graduation rate has been steady at 93%-94%. Our expulsions have fallen below 20 each of the last four years and more teachers are providing the opportunity for students to redo tests and resubmit homework assignments as they become more focused on learning and less focused on time. This has been a muddy, messy process, but overall, it’s rewarding to see students feel like they have a chance to demonstrate their learning.

We continue to have teachers present their learning during staff meetings and department meetings as a way to encourage professional growth. It’s important for all of us to share our learning experiences from attending conferences and workshops with our colleagues. This eliminates excuses like, “the presenter doesn’t know my students, so that won’t work in my classroom.” The presenters in our building are members of our staff who teach our students in our district and in our building.

There is so much expected of school leaders today, which require us to review our foundational principles to make sure they are aligned with our daily activities. Change has always been a part of the field of education; however, the rate of change that we are currently seeing is like no other time in history. In spite of the changes, the leadership principles we hold onto must guide us as we guide others.

What leadership principles are most important to you?

Be Great,

Dwight

This is cross-posted on Connected Principals

Student-Centered and Staff Focused?

Dwight Carter Focus on Students, School Climate, Staff and Faculty

I had a very interesting conversation today about whether or not one can be too student-centered. The main point of the conversation boiled down to staff support or a lack thereof; listening to students (not agreeing with them, but just listening to them) versus staff support.

I struggle with this because I like to believe I’m supportive of my staff in regards to them taking calculated risks in the classroom, by helping to provide a safe environment so they can teach and students can learn, and allowing freedom to choose the type of professional development they need. In terms of discipline issues, the administrative team is working hard at being more consistent across the board. I use the phrase, “working hard” because with over 2300 students and six administrators, it can be a challenge. With that said, we are doing okay.

Now, I feel as if I have a fairly good rapport with my students and staff. I will take the time to talk with any student about any thing they want to discuss. Therein lies the problem. Based on today’s conversation, apparently feel that because I listen to a student’s concerns about an incident that may have occurred, etc., I am demonstrating a lack of support for my staff. I hear the student out, ask questions, and help them see things from the adult’s perspective and will then assign the necessary consequences. It takes more time, but at least the student feels understand and heard. The person I spoke with today disagreed with my approach and felt as I my actions are undermining the staff. Hmmm…

I’ve always been a student-centered educator so I struggle with the conversation I had today. If my staff feels like they are being undermined, then there is a serious lack of trust that will quickly erode our foundation. So, I ask you. Am I undermining the staff in any way by taking the time to listen to a student’s concerns? If this is a blind spot, then I definitely need to take care of this. I look forward to your responses. Thanks!

Be Great,

Dwight

Parting Words of Wisdom to the GLHS Class of 2012

Dwight Carter Focus on Students, Leadership, School Climate ,

The culminating event for high school seniors and their parents is graduation. It is the moment that tells the world, “I did it!” Twelve years of school and more importantly, the last four years of a number of experiences and captured in this rite of passage we call commencement. It is the final time the class will be together as one to listen to inspirational messages and celebrate as a group.

As the day approached, I reflected upon my year of learning from members of my Professional Learning Network, articles, blogs, or books I read, and the daily Words of Wisdom I read to students. This reflection led me to write my parting Words of Wisdom that I shared with the Gahanna Lincoln High School Class of 2012 just before they recessed from the graduation ceremony:

Good morning Lincoln High School Class of 2012. This is Mr. Carter with a few parting words of wisdom.

For the past four years, nearly every day we began with the Words of Wisdom. The purpose of the words of wisdom is to give your something to laugh about or think about that would change your mind or more importantly, influence your behavior. With that said, I cannot let you go without a few reminders:

• Spend your time doing what you should. This leaves no room for you to do what you shouldn’t.

• Remember to say “please”, “thank you”, “excuse me”, and “I’m sorry”… and mean it.

• Gentlemen, open doors for women, children, and the elderly.

• Ladies, be a lady… at all times.

• As difficult as it may be, don’t treat people according to how you feel, but how you want to be treated.

• Don’t make excuses; make choices.

• Whether you think you can or you can’t, you are probably right.

• Ignorance is a choice. Choose to be a life-long learner by reading on a regular basis.

• Learn something new by creating a 30 day challenge for yourself. You never know what old habits you will break or new ones you will create.

• Forgive others and forgive yourself… often.

• Learn from your failures, acknowledge your mistakes, and then move one.

• Presentation does matter. How you dress, how you speak, and how you interact with others can either open a door or close a door of opportunity.

• Pause before you post. What you post on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram or other forms of social media is a reflection of who you are.

• Take advantage of the technology that is at your disposal, but the best form of communication is voice to voice or face to face.

• At times, it’s important to disconnect in order to reconnect with the people that are closest to you.

• Don’t forget to play!

• Pay it Forward.

• Be the first to greet others. You may be the only person who speaks to them all day.

• Try to give 12 hugs a day.

• Finally, YOU MATTER and don’t ever forget it!

With something to think about, this is Mr. Carter. Make it a great life…. or not. The choice is yours. Thank you!

Be Great,
Dwight

What If

Dwight Carter Focus on Students, Leadership, School Climate

I recently had to attend the funeral of my wife’s two month old great-nephew. The funeral was in Georgia, which is about a 10 hour trip from  Ohio by car, so I had a lot of time to think. As I observed two 26 year old  parents mourn the sudden and tragic passing of their son, I couldn’t help but  think about how much we take life for granted. We get caught up on what we  don’t have or who has more. We, at times, focus on the things that divide us as  opposed to what draws us closer together. As life happens we start to run on autopilot until we are interrupted by a tragedy. What if we were more aware of  our coasting by asking ourselves several “what if” questions?

 Personal/Family

What if we took five minutes to pray every day?

What if families had breakfast or dinner together at least twice a week?

What if we exercised for 30 minutes every day?

What if we watched less TV and read, wrote, and talked with others more?

What if we spent less money and gave more?

What If we gave 12 hugs a day?

What if we genuinely complimented at least 5 people a day?

What if we choose to learn from failure?

What if we forgave more often and extend the grace we too often are given?

What if we choice one day a week to turn off our mobile devices, desktops, and TVs?

What if we create a bucket list and actually did it?

What if we weren’t afraid?

 

School

What if every staff member believed all students can learn at high levels?

What if schools truly focused on learning for all?

What if every student felt like they belonged?

What if every parent felt like they had a partnership with their child’s teachers?

What if principals truly made classroom visits and visibility a daily priority?

What if principals weren’t afraid to confront behaviors that are counter to the school  vision, mission, and values?

What if, for one night a week, there was no homework assigned?

What if the senior year was truly relevant?

What if teachers were inspired to work in your school?

What if students were passionate about learning in your class?

What if students were given the chance to recover from an academic failure?

I can’t help but to think about the words spoken by the 2 month old’s mother as she courageously  addressed the guests at the funeral: “Even though he wasn’t with us long,  he brought so much peace to this family and brought us all together. I hurt,  but I can’t help but to be happy for what he has done for this family.”

Her words caused many emotions to flood my system, and with the emotions came time to  reflect upon the many questions I’ve posed in this post.  Before another moment ticks by, before  another life is lost, allow yourself to question, “what if?” What are we going to do with the time we have? What if we picked just two questions from each list and took time to apply them to our lives? Imagine what a significant impact you would have on others. Let’s keep this going. What questions do you think should be on the list?

Be Great,

Dwight

Something To Believe In!

Dwight Carter Focus on Students, Leadership, School Climate ,
Images from Jostens Renaissance Facebook page

One of the most uplifting, exciting, and celebratory conferences for educators and students is the National Jostens Renaissance Conference which takes place every July. I’ve had the privilege of attending the conference for 7 years and each year I leave feeling recharged, rejuvenated, and valued as an educator. Yes, it’s that great!

Jostens Renaissance is a philosophy that focuses on creating a positive school climate and culture by inspiring students and staff to celebrate educational performance.  Learning, risk taking, collaboration and play are celebrated throughout the entire conference. The energy comes from the participants including students of all ages, teachers, support staff, and administrators.

This year’s conference will take place July 13-15 in Orlando, FL and the theme is “Something to Believe In.” The line up of featured speakers is top notch: Todd Whitaker, Keith Nord, Emmy Award winning speaker, Mark Sharonbrauch, Jessica Weiner, Justin Patchin and Sameer Hinduja, Ruby Payne, and the “Red Rubber Ball” man himself, Kevin Carroll! While this line up is outstanding, the power lies in the hundreds of presentations by educators like you and me.

There will be a list of breakout sessions that highlight what schools from across North America are doing to increase student achievement, attendance, citizenship and service in connection with local communities.  To top it off, for three days, those of us in attendance are treated like royalty! There is no talk about what educators aren’t doing, only appreciation for our service and dedication to the young people we have been blessed to work with. Carve out some time in July to attend this awesome conference! Not convinced? Check out Jostens Renaissance on Facebook. If you believe in inspiration, creativity, collaboration, celebration, unity, and learning, I look forward to seeing you there! In the meantime, check out this song by Parachute, which is the inspiration for the conference theme!

Be Great,

Dwight

When Will You Light the Fire?

Dwight Carter Focus on Students, Leadership, School Climate ,

Recently the Gahanna Lincoln High School Orchestra and Chorale collaborated on a meaningful performance that raised thousands of dollars for those in need. This was the second year of the event and both years the audience walked away feeling proud, overjoyed, and appreciative of how we focus on the arts in the Gahanna Jefferson Public Schools. This year I was much more aware of the time commitment and hard work it took for the teachers and students to prepare for this performance because of the use of social media. The final product was simply a masterpiece. I asked GLHS Orchestra Director, Kevin Dengel (@KevinDengel) to reflect on the collaborative process and share his thoughts:

What Drives You?

What drives you? For me, it is the creative process; developing unique experiences and facilitating collaboration. It helps to continually energize and refresh my battery – and those of my students. Collaboration also makes me a better educator, because it gets me out of my comfort zone. You know  ‘the comfort zone’, that forlorn cubical far away from any windows or humans. It’s adjacent to the fire escape and tornado shelter, and has not been dusted since 1943. Your comfort zone is where you keep your red Swingline stapler and await the next ‘TCP’ report (Office Space). Fantastic mentors instilled in me an appreciation and understanding for the power and impact collaboration has on individuals and communities, and I pursue these within my own department and across the curriculum. I have been able to find a new, more exciting and interactive, comfort zone.

Reaching Out

We were not created for isolation and must be cautious to not withdraw ourselves into it. “Think outside of the box” … well for heaven’s sake, who put me there in the first place?! In the Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools (@GahannaJeffersn), I am blessed to work with amazing colleagues and students. Many have thrown the box out with the trash – the same one with all the pre-scripted lesson plans. We are always pursuing new endeavors and initiatives, both personally and professionally, making the learning environment exciting and fresh, if one choosing to engage with it. Few quarantine themselves into isolation, but it is an educational travesty when they do. If we are all experts in our field, we should be engaging in authentic community. If nothing else, to show students that our world is not departmentalized.

Inception

Two years ago, I approached Jeremy Lahman (@JeremyLahman), LHS choir director, interested in combining two of our ensembles. This collaborative question is flourishing into something we could not have anticipated. Since then, our Chamber Orchestra and Chorale have joined musical-forces to perform Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem Mass and Antonio Vivaldi’s Gloria. We now hope to collaborate every year. It is not only fun for everyone, but it benefits Gahanna Residents In Need (GRIN) – a local charity! Preparing for this performance is always a tall order; however, I have learned that the best growth and learning occurs when we experience challenge and difficulty. To teach and not allow for these is … well, poor teaching. Do you always play it safe?

Light the Fire

Had Mr. Lahman and I not capriciously discussed collaborating that one day, Gahanna Residents In Need (GRIN) would have not had their yearly budget triple for two-consecutive years. Had our students not been exposed to these pieces by Fauré or Vivaldi, they would not have performed masterworks in the classical repertoire. Had the community not rallied behind the arts, our most-needy residents would have little hope. Had that ‘acorn’ of an idea not germinated, this collaboration would not have grown to bear fruit. 

What fruit? Firstly, the proceeds from ticket sales allows GRIN to improve the quality of life for many struggling families in our community. Secondly, it is service-learning; the process of aiding others grasp that one person or group can become a change-agent. Remember always that a Giant Sequoia (Redwood) starts as a seed no larger than a pea – and the seeds require a fire to germinate. What “seed” are you holding onto? When are you going to light the fire?

Reaping and Sowing

Pastor Claude Davis, at New Life Church, Gahanna, says, “Whatever is sown will give 1) what was planted, 2) after it was planted, and 3) more than was planted.” It’s a Biblical principal that is as real as gravity. Mr. Lahman and I hope that our first two “harvests” will pay forward for Gahanna, illustrating to our students the power of reaping and sowing for the benefit of our brothers and sisters. Who knows what our current students will do to improve others’ lives in the future, because of the collaborative experience in service-learning now.

“I had to keep pinching myself.”

Retired Director of Bands, Jeff Shellhammer said these words to our students, at the conclusion of our final rehearsal before GLORIA! “I had to keep pinching myself. Are we really in Gahanna?!” Gahanna has top-tier arts, from music to theatre to visual arts. We are able to offer our students high-quality opportunities, because our administrators, community, and staff value the arts. Parents encourage their students to enroll in our courses because of this! It is due to the convergence of ALL these that our students are able to thrive.

Moving Forward

So I ask, “What seed are you keeping in your cubical?” Become an agent of change and accept the challenges associated with it . Allow the words of Jeff Shellhammer to be your community’s reaction, “Are we really in ________?” Push the quality and opportunities to a new level. The process is not easy. It requires creativity and collaboration, but it is worth every drop of sweat. What will you sow? When will you light the fire?

In Arts Education, 

Kevin Dengel

@kevindengel

 

A Blessing, Not a Responsibility

Dwight Carter Focus on Students, Leadership, School Climate

Administrators wear many hats and deal with what can be categorized as minutiae throughout the day. It’s a part of the job. Athletic Directors also have to handle minutiae throughout the day and have the privilege to interact with student-athletes and coaches in very meaningful ways. I’ve asked the Gahanna Lincoln High School Athletic Director, Justin Sanford (@jsan0900) to provide us a glimpse of his day:

So let’s begin in the morning!  

I have certainly grown to appreciate the blessing of time; Time that you have to spend with those that you love and unfortunately, the time that you don’t.  The job of an Athletic Director doesn’t begin an end as a traditional school day would, this appreciation of time spent with your family is precious.  

Each morning, I’m grateful for the joy of preparing a quick breakfast for my boys – they love bagels or waffles; what can I say?  Then, I take one or both of them to either preschool (Kirill), or to catch the bus heading to High Point Elem. (Caleb).  Even if for just a brief 10 – 20 minutes with them each morning, I’ve come to cherish this time for, there are several evenings throughout the week that a sporting event will keep me at school after the boys have already turned in for the night.

Here at Gahanna Lincoln, I have the privilege to manage the custodial staff, oversee the operating expenses for the high school and serve as Athletic Director too.  

This morning arrival (7:20), I went straight to the gymnasium – I had received a call from one of our night custodians that there was an issue with the bleacher system retracting back into place following our Girls Basketball game last night (FYI, left the school for home at 9:30pm last night).  Knowing our Phys. Ed. Classes would need those retracted for class, that was the first order of business… Unlocked the bleacher lever that somehow locks on its own, and Boom!  Bleachers Retracted!  

Then it’s off to answer emails and radio calls-the front door closing mechanism isn’t working properly (I’ve got no answer for that one), maintenance work order entered into the system – done! 

Logged into the AESOP system to see what custodians might be calling off today…all present and accounted for!  

More email answering for contest requests of game scheduling, purchase order request to be completed and appropriated, met with one of our student-athletes to go over her NCAA clearinghouse worksheet, completed the officials payment statements from last night’s game, tally the deposit from the game as well…

Where were all the spectators by the way, that was not a very good gate…

Take a stroll through the hallways to get some face time with students (did you say facecake?)…

And before you know it, it’s off to an 11:00am meeting with Scott Schmidt at Central Office to discuss facility rental agreements and schedules.

How about some lunch?  Is there tuna salad at the salad bar…my favorite and would choose to eat that every day if available…..oh the suspense….Ahhh….Chicken Salad….skipping lunch and heading to the bank to make a deposit.

This afternoon will bring more paperwork…this time its documents for our athletic conference (the Ohio Capital Conference – OCC) for which we are a member.  I have the great pleasure to serve as the Audit Committee Chair and currently working the conference through compliance for our 501.c3 non-profit status.  Did I say great pleasure???  There are filings that need to be met for our Articles of Incorporation and the IRS  SS-4 filing…I must have missed a meeting and was assigned this position, I highly doubt anyone would volunteer to head up an Audit Committee…So this afternoon will mean meeting with our conference commissioner and getting his signature of sets of documents that need filed.

The next hour or so, I received several “pop ins” from teachers that have maintenance issues in their rooms, an impromptu phone call from a parent that’s upset with something going on in their child’s athletic program and a visit from Dale Foor, soliciting items for the Gahanna Jefferson Education Foundation Auction. 

Have to make copies….jam….clear copier jam and resume copying….jam….call Ms. Effie, she has the magic touch and doesn’t like when I touch the copier anyway!

As we approach the 3:00 hour, I will meet with our head night Custodian, Ken Wolford and discuss any scheduled events for this evening, issues that need attended… then, he and his crew start their duties as the building begins to clear out.

Make my rounds throughout the building to visit with coaches and teams, to see how the programs are doing…stop by for a quick critique of the Cheer Comp Squad routine…they’re gonna rock this route this year…and if I’m lucky, interact with several of our student-athletes along the way.  

This by far, is the greatest blessing of this job…to be a part of these student-athletes lives, even if from somewhat afar.  The lessons and attributes in which they learn and are exposed to, can be life-changing if they allow it.  Working with coaches that can influence the lives of these young people every day is not only a blessing, but a responsibility; and it’s one that the coaches at Gahanna Lincoln High School take great P.R.I.D.E. in.

It was said, “That a coach will influence more people in a given year, than most people will do in a lifetime.” Billy Graham

And our coaches – myself included, choose to accept this as a Blessing and not a Responsibility!  I’m grateful for our coaches, and my opportunity to be the Athletic Director at Gahanna Lincoln.  

Hey look, its 4:00 and we do not have an athletic event tonight, so I’m shutting down and heading home to spend a few, precious, appreciated moments with my family.

Until we do it all again tomorrow!  Go Lions!