CONNECTIONS: Are We Settling?
“The biggest human temptation is to settle for too little.”
Thomas Merton
Several years ago, we noticed an ad campaign by DirecTV called, “The Settlers,” presenting a frontier-era family in a suburban neighborhood who stick to antiquated ways such as a horse-and-buggy, making their own clothes, faceless dolls, and...cable TV. Although we have no clue whether DirecTV is superior to cable TV, this ad campaign did cause us to wonder: In education, are we in any way “settling” for less than the absolute best? If so, in what areas? And, in which areas is it especially important that we refuse to settle?
In general terms, our profession’s customers--the children who attend our schools--are simply too important to allow ourselves to settle for less than the very best we can provide. Whether we are talking about facilities, finances, curriculum resources, technology, or extra curricular offerings, our children deserve the very best available. Having said that, we do reside in the real world and can accept that there are budgetary limits in all walks of life, and education is no different. In what ways, then, is it ever acceptable to "settle" in education and where must we draw lines in the sand, insisting we hold out for nothing less than absolute best?
An obvious standard for never settling is for each and every one of us to commit to giving our personal best every day when we arrive to work. This is easier said than done, of course, yet it is the one area over which we likely have the most control in terms of consciously deciding to not settle.
Another “no-settle” zone is to always ask, “What is best for kids?” when making any decision. We should never waver from this as the gold standard for decision-making in our schools. It may well be that budget constraints limit our choices, but once we have identified the choices available within these budget constraints, the question must always be answered based on which alternative will result in better outcomes for students.
Another area where we must resist “settling” is in the area of school facilities and classroom learning environments. Once again, we may not have enough money to build new state-of-the-art schools every few years or even outfit our classrooms with the most up-to-date furnishings and equipment. At the same time, we must do all in our power (and within our budget) to never settle in ensuring that our facilities and classrooms are safe, clean, welcoming, learning-focused places in which to teach, learn, and lead.
Finally, another area in which we should never settle: hiring new staff. Every year, many schools around the world look to fill teaching positions along with a host of other educational roles. At times, we may settle for filling them as fast as we can. Filling these positions is as important as any decision we make in education. Make the right decision and the lives of our children will be enriched, perhaps for decades to come. In addition, our own lives will improve, as we surround ourselves with new professionals who bring with them new skill sets, new perspectives, and new energy, while at the same time becoming the type of team member who fits in well with the current staff. Make the wrong decision, however, and a school/district could be in for an equally-long period of time--a time marked by disappointment and frustration, as we learn that the person we selected is neither a good fit, nor equipped with the knowledge and skills to succeed with their students and/or their colleagues.
Although the hiring process is arduous--particularly if a school or district is hiring large numbers of new staff--this is a primary area in which we should simply never settle. “Never” is a rather strong and absolute-sounding term, yet it is appropriate in this instance. That may mean that we interview a multitude of candidates, only to find that we need to keep looking and start the process anew. That sounds like a whole lot of extra work and time. Better, however, to spend this time and energy upfront, than settle now and spend much more time and energy later correcting a mistake.
As important as many of our programs are in schools, Todd Whitaker hits the nail on the head when he insists that it is people, not programs, that make the difference. People are always the problem and they are always the solution. Programs themselves are never the problem and never the solution. The true variable in our schools is our people. It is incumbent upon us, therefore, to never settle for a candidate who we are not 100% convinced has the skills, knowledge, character, attitude, and relational capabilities--or, at a minimum, the potential to grow enough in these areas, and quickly--to succeed with the students and parents they serve and the staff with whom they will collaborate.
In the ad campaign referenced at the start of this post, the father says to the son (when he asks why they cannot have the supposedly better technology), “We’re settlers, Son; that’s what we do.” Well, let’s not be settlers in our schools. As Merton suggests in the quote above, "settling" is quite a tempting proposition; however, this is a temptation we must resist. Never settling for less than the best we can do each and every day and never settling by hiring less-than-stellar educators help to make our schools better!
Lead with Passion,
Jeff and Jimmy
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
“The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.”
Stephen Covey
DAILY INSPIRATION EDUCATOR
(Please let us know about an inspiring educator you think we should highlight in a future newsletter by completing this brief form!)
WHAT’S NEW?
Daily Inspiration for Educators: Positive Thoughts for Every Day of the Year by Jimmy Casas.
Most of the daily thoughts contained herein are variations on the “Thoughts for the Day” Casas has shared over the past years. Others are sayings found elsewhere, some of which are hundreds of years old and others found only recently. The goal of this volume is that in some small way, these daily thoughts will provide hope, validation, and inspiration to some of the most inspiring people in the world: hard working education professionals. Serving as a professional educator is so important that we must commit to doing whatever it takes to ensure that every child achieves success each and every day we serve. It is noble work, indeed. But it is difficult work with many daily challenges and disappointments. Daily Inspiration for Educators can serve as a resource that motivates and inspires educators during times of joy as well as when things get tough--as we know they will periodically in a profession as important and challenging as ours. Check out more here!
Eyes On Culture: Multiply Excellence In Your School by Emily Paschall
In this new book, Emily Paschall supplies the recipe for success in today’s schools. School culture is the hidden curriculum that drives a school forward or backward, and when strong relationships and relentless passion are at its root, this is when excellence multiplies. This book is filled with a wide range of authentic stories and lessons, as well as tangible takeaways that will culturize your classroom, school, and community. Emily provides you with the necessary tools to not only live your own excellence, but to multiply excellence in others. In this book, you will learn:
How to use your lived experiences to help someone else
How to unlock the key to connecting with all kids, even those who seem unreachable
How to build partnerships with families so that they desire to work with you
How to make difficult conversations not so difficult
How to help every student, parent, and colleague achieve excellence
May the words in this book fill you with the joyful reminder of why you went into education in the first place—for KIDS! Check out more here
CONNECTEDD’S TAKE FIVE
Chats to Check Out: #SuptChat - 1st Wednesday of every month at 7:00 pm CST. This chat is not only for school superintendents, but for all educators interested in classroom, school, or district leadership. Co-moderators are Illinois school superintendents Mike Lubelfeld and Nick Polyak. Join them for a lively and engaging conversation about important school leadership issues.
Podcasts to Ponder: The Brian Mendler Show. Brian Mendler is one the nation’s foremost experts on working with all students, but especially our students who at times challenge us the most with their behaviors. On his podcast, he invites educators from all roles to discuss important and timely topics. Learn more here
Blogs that Make Us Better: Eric Sheninger blogs at A Principal’s Reflections. Each week, Eric shares a reflection on a key aspect of teaching and/or leading. He offers practical strategies for busy educators to grow. Learn more here and follow Eric on Twitter: @e_sheninger
Teaching Technique to Try: Annotating and Paraphrasing Sources. Check out this link from Facing History and Ourselves for a step-by-step process to teach this important cross-curricular skill.
Eyes On Culture: We believe that culture is a true difference maker in any classroom, school, district, or organization. As a result, we focus much of the work we do on creating and maintaining positive and productive cultures. We define culture as: The norms, attitudes, behaviors, beliefs, values, traditions, celebrations, and myths that comprise any group of people working together. Or, as Roland Barth once said, “It’s simply the way we do things around here.” In her famous TED Talk, the late Rita Pierson suggested a non-negotiable for any school culture: “Every kid needs a champion.” This is something that Jimmy also discusses at length in his best-selling book, Culturize. What are some ways we can “champion for kids” in our schools?
Please share your thoughts via Twitter: @ConnectEDDBooks We would love to hear from you!
Interested in having one of our authors speak at your school? Anyone of their book topics can be delivered as a Keynote, Presentation or Workshop and can be customized to align with your current school or district school improvement plans. An entirely new presentation can also be created to help you achieve a standard of educational excellence.
Contact us today for available dates, pricing and discounts on book orders.