College acceptance

 

One of my students felt discouraged when he was rejected from several selective colleges this year.  My first comment to him was that he should not take it personally.  Truthfully, he did all he could academically and with extracurriculars. Sometimes, it comes down to whether the school needs a student from the East or West coast.

I also told him that the college experience is more about the student than the school.  Every college offers you the chance to explore your passion—the four-year experience is what the individual student makes of it.

I have students get rejected from their first choice and have a great four years at their second or third choice. When you think about your dream school, ask yourself these questions: How many times have you been on the campus?  How many classes have you attended there?  It is almost like thinking that you will get married after just one date.

When I reflect on the many former students who had great experiences at their second- or third-choice schools, I realize that they were determined to get the most out of college in the same way they made the most out of high school.

The challenge that students face is not to take the rejection personally.  Also, do not compare yourself to other students who might have been accepted to a school from which you were rejected. The acceptance decision is something that only makes sense to the admissions officers.

Just say No

 

In school, I see some students joining as many activities as possible to boost their resume for college applications.  They are taking more AP classes than ever before and always pushing for the highest grade.  What worries me about these students: Will they ever be content?  Or will they always be on a treadmill, never taking the time to enjoy their accomplishments?

This summer, the Ravens’ quarterback Lamar Jackson was negotiating his contract.  While the billionaire owner was negotiating with a millionaire player, I wondered, how much money did either party need to live a good life?  How many accomplishments do you need to feel fulfilled?  How many awards do you need to make yourself happy? 

More is not always better.  As a matter of fact, I might argue most times it is not.  This summer, I reflected upon why I became a teacher.  In answering that for myself, I developed a list of questions I now ask myself before I say yes to any request:

1.      Is what is being asked of me aligned with my values and why I became a teacher?  If the answer is no, I respond “no” to the ask.

2.      Will what is being asked of me make me happy?  There are times I might do something that just brings me joy. 

3.      Will what is being asked of me make me a better husband, father, teacher, or colleague?  I still enjoy growing in all of these areas.

The challenge is that we often feel guilty when we say “no”.  The truth is that when you learn to say “no,” you do the things that are important to you better.  “No” might be the answer to improving mental health for all of us.

As always, your feedback is appreciated.

reframing your emotions

 

The Baltimore Ravens were a big underdog in the first round of the NFL playoffs.  They were playing with a back-up quarterback against the Cincinnati Bengals, one of the most talented teams in football.  However, in the fourth quarter, the game was tied, and the Ravens were two yards away from scoring the leading touchdown.  At this point, Tyler Huntley, the Ravens’ back-up quarterback, tried to leap over the pile to score.

As Huntley stretched out his arms, a Bengals player knocked the ball out of his hands, picked up the ball, and ran it in for a touchdown.  Instead of the Ravens leading by seven, they were now behind by seven. That wound up being the final score and the end of the Ravens’ season.

As the game ended, my friend asked me what I thought John Harbaugh, the Ravens’ coach, said to his quarterback.  I told him that Harbaugh probably realized there was no reason to emphasize the final play.  During the season, you are going to make good plays and bad plays.  What was important for the team was what would Huntley do the next time he was put in that position.

What Harbaugh probably did was call the team’s video coordinator to put together clips of all the great plays Huntley had made to get the Ravens to that point.  The goal, of course, was to restore the quarterback’s confidence so that he would perform at a high level the next season.

When facing adversity, it is easy to fall.  What is more important is how you bounce back.  Take a moment to think about all your successes that helped get you to where you are today.  Do not live in the negative world. Rather, reframe your situation.  Instead of thinking, “This is the worst I have ever been,” change your language into “This is extremely challenging.”

The challenge for all of us is to make sure that we neutralize our negative emotions in a way that allows us to find future successes.

Learning to love the process

 

After every basketball game my team lost when I was young, my dad would ask me what I could do to help the team win. My first response usually was to blame another player, but that was not an acceptable answer to my father. He wanted me to reflect on the game, think about my performance, and then decide what I needed to do to help the team win.

When I had identified something that could have been improved, his next question was, how you are going to fix it. As a result, I spent many days at the schoolyard shooting jumpers or thinking about the proper way to defend a player.

This practice of identifying improvements is one I have kept my entire life. After finishing any project or teaching a class, I think about what I need to change the next time. It has become second nature for me to admit my failures and learn from them. I have even taken the process a step further by asking students to evaluate me after every class.

When I grew older, the question became how I could help my teammates become better players. This forced me to think about their strengths and how to use these strengths to help us win. Again, I had to reflect upon what was happening on the court.

What I started to realize is that if you really want to win, you need to analyze the process. The process is going to change depending on different variables, and you need to be very flexible with your thinking.

The challenge for all of us is to open our minds to change. Remember, the best time to change is when things are going well, because you usually have the confidence and resources to make these changes work.

As always, I appreciate your feedback.

My New Years resolution to flip flop

The New Year brings, of course, New Year’s resolutions. One of my New Year’s resolutions is to become more of a flip-flopper. When I have told this to people so far, they look at me like I am crazy. There is such a negative connotation to changing your mind—but after all, isn’t that what learning is all about?

Ten years ago, when someone told me that they were allowing their students to retake quizzes, I thought they were crazy. “Why should we allow them to retake the quiz?” was my quickly retorted. “If they do badly on the quiz, then they should study harder the next time.”

As I started to open my mind to the idea, I realized that it does not matter when the student learns the material as long as they learn it. Sometimes, factors beyond their students’ control impact their performance, so giving them another chance seems reasonable. This is one example of how flip-flopping benefits student achievement.

Recently a friend of mine asked, what is more important, the situation (class environment) or the student? If we think a student is lazy, is that student just lazy in my class? Is that student not good at math, or are they just not good at math in my class? Can a change in the situation totally change the student's performance?

These questions are what I am going to try to think through this year. I am going to ask former and current students about the characteristics of a classroom that allow them to reach peak performance. I hope that some of these ideas will get me to flip my previous beliefs and allow my students to become more successful.

The challenge for all of us is to open our minds to change and realize that new information can lead to new decisions. I am hoping that at the end of the year, when I tell people that I am a flip-flopper they will congratulate me.

There are many students and teachers who read this; I would be very interested in your thoughts.

Ravens Way

 

The Raven Way

 

I had the opportunity to attend a talk by Eric DeCosta, the general manager for the Baltimore Ravens, and wanted to pass along some valuable nuggets of information.  Whether or not you are a fan of the Ravens, they are considered one of the best-run franchises in the NFL, and DeCosta gave us a glimpse behind the curtain.

When asked about what he learned training under Ozzie Newsome (the previous GM), he mentioned patience.  He then told a story about a time he lacked patience, and it cost the Ravens.  When he was first promoted to GM, the team had lost some veteran players to free agency, so he wanted to make a big signing.  He rushed into a deal without doing the proper due diligence on the player.  While that player was good, he did not fit into the team chemistry.  It was refreshing to hear someone in that position admit to mistakes.

He also gave insights into how he hires. When he was on the search committee for a new coach,  he looked at how much the coach wanted the job.  What was important to him was the candidate’s enthusiasm for the role combined with his intelligence and how his work ethic fit the organization.  While the Ravens might have been able to hire a more experienced coach than John Harbaugh, they felt in the end that he was the right fit.  What came across was that the organization not only thinks about the day-to-day but are truly invested in the long-term success of the team.

DeCosta went on to discuss the importance of how you judge people.  For example, you might have in a defensive coordinator’s contract a bonus if the team has a top-five defense.  But say the team is winning a game 42-0—you look out on the field, and your best players are still playing, risking injury.  DeCosta stressed the importance of having the entire organization’s goals aligned.

He then talked about how the fans want the sexy signings.  Fans (myself included) love the skill position players because it is easy for us to keep track of.  However, the key to winning in the NFL is to have great lines on both sides of the ball, he said.  Similarly, I find that in education, we are sometimes looking for the silver bullet when the real answer is usually rolling up your sleeves and working hard.

I was a Ravens fan at the start of the night, and I walked away with an even greater admiration for the organization.  They take risks, they learn from their mistakes, and they think about how each decision affects both the short and the long run.  They do not get every choice right, but they have built an excellent organization.

Thanksgiving leftovers

 

I was recently invited to a former student’s athletic Hall of Fame induction I was looking forward to seeing her but did not realize the other folks I would encounter at this event.

 

As I tried to find my table, I bumped into my first educational mentor. As we caught up, I was reminded what a kind and positive person she is. When I first started teaching, she was able to explain to me the politics of education while reminding me what a blessing it is to teach students.

 

Next, my former student walked in with her family. She had graduated from University of Pennsylvania and was starting her masters at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she told me, which reminded me that she was both a great athlete and a great student. What came across in talking with her, however, was that she is an even better person.

 

I then realized that another former student of mine was being inducted that night into the Hall of Fame. As I went to say hello to him, he told me that he was now the track coach for his alma mater. I noticed how excited he was at the prospect of becoming a full-time teacher. It has been a long time since I have seen a young person that excited about teaching.

 

Lastly, I ran into a friend, one of the best science teachers I have ever known. As we caught up, I could hear the excitement in his voice as he talked about new strategies and how he was working to improve his craft. Another truly great person.

 

As I walked out, I realized how lucky I am to be in the field of education. These are four examples of the many great students, teachers, and mentors I have met along the way. I have always felt teaching is about heart and soul, and this evening truly increased both of them in me.