A View from the Now-Retired Principal's Seat

Christmas came early to me this year. A kindergarten student, whom I will call Billy (not his real name), came with his special education teacher to read a book to me.  This, in fact, was the first book Billy had ever read by himself.  It was a beginner book, but to be 100% clear..it was a book...a real book.  As you can imagine, the look of joy and sense of accomplishment Billy shared on his face just lit-up my office like...a Christmas tree.  Even more, I could tell his joy and excitment at being able to genuinely share with me was instriniscally motivating him to want to read more.  That moment was the best gift ever...for both of us! I'm fortunate.  As a school principal I get to experience these "aha" moments all of the time.  And trust me...they never get old. Kids come to me to share their reading, writing or examples of outstanding work on a test.  Our Specials teachers will highlight great musical performances...

"When you heat your house with wood, you get twice the heat!  First, you heat yourself when you work to cut and split the wood.  Then you get the heat in your house when you burn it." My dad would proclaim this statement each time we headed to the woods to cut down a tree. Growing up in rural Wisconsin and in the shadow of the oil crises of the 1970s, my parents took every opportunity possible to save money.  We heated our house primarily with a wood stove.  I'm not talking about a cute, decorative fireplace or ornamental stove.  No, we had a full-fledged wood furnace in our basement.  We used very little fuel for our oil-burning furnace, but I never remember us being cold. Heating your house with wood, however, is a year-long, multi-stepped endeavor.  First, you need to have access to wood.  We cut wood on shares with our neighbor who had many acres of hardwood.  We also collected and cut pallets and pretty much anything e...

How do you measure wealth? I suppose one way to measure wealth is to look at net worth...the dollars and cents of what we have.  Let's be clear and at the risk of sounding flippant, having a positive net worth sure does make life easier.  Life is expensive!  Shoes cost money.  My wife and I have a mortgage.  We like to go on vacations with our family.  We've never been hungry. As I'm writing this, my building is about to host a day we are calling Wear a "Hat to Help" The Philippines .  In response to the devatsating typhoon damage in that country, we encourage our students to wear a hat at school (not a regular privilege) and bring a dollar or two to donate to The American Red Cross.  We will probably raise about $500 today, and our students are learning that even the smallest efforts can make a difference in our world.  We've used this model in the past to collect money for different efforts in our community, our cou...

"David, what happened?" "I don't know, Doc. I was doing a few chores in our garage and then snap...I buckled over in pain.   My back just went out…bad." "It says here you had to go to the ER for muscle spasms.   I don't recall you ever complaining about back issues." "No. My back has never been a problem for me." "Well David, you know you're not 25 any longer?" "What do you mean?" "Well...I've been commenting to you the last several years that you could afford to lose a little weight and exercise a bit more." "What do you mean?" "David, I'm your doctor. We've known each other for almost 20 years now, but you don't pay me to say what you want to hear. Rather, my job is to tell you want you need to hear." You can guess how the conversation from last summer ended. I walked out of my doctor’s office with several pages of "lower...

"Dad, you don't usually eat with us in the morning." My experiment was a success! Regular readers of this blog will remember my previous post was about balance and finding that balance with our jobs and our personal lives.  Specifically, I wrote about being over-connected to cell phones, email, texts, etc.   You can read that post here . I committed to an experiment a little over a week ago: No school email/Twitter/Facebook once I'm home. No cell phone at church. No email or texting...during dinner or other family activities. No iPad near our bedroom. I knew I was on the right track when on the very first morning of the experiment our two middle school-aged daughters commented that I didn't usually eat breakfast with them.  My normal habit had been to check email while I was getting ready for the day and then eat a granola bar while I was driving to work.  My daughters immediately noticed that I had time to eat with them!  What a ...

I've been accused and caught.  In fact, I've been caught--red-handed--doing what I know is wrong--multiple times.  And...I know I'm guilty...very guilty. It started simply at the beginning of my career.  There were two IBM desktops in my very first classroom that used 5.25 inch floppy disks to load programs.  The screens were tiny and green, and you had to know DOS in order to make them do anything.  No internet.  No email.  No wireless.  No cell phones.  No tablets.  No Facebook, Twitter, (or even blogs)!  How did we ever survive? Over the years I became more tech savvy as the revolution moved through more generations of innovation than I can remember.  Along the way I feel like I have adapted about as well as expected.  I've tried to be on or even a little ahead of the curve.  Now, of course, I carry a "smart" phone that has (probably) more computing power than what was used to put a person on the moon.  Ou...

As a heavy equipment mechanic, it was not uncommon for for my father to come home at night soaked in fuel, oil, mud, or grease.  For over thirty years he worked in a shop and on construction sites repairing earth-moving machines that can literally move mountains.  Whether the company was laying pipe, building a road, or constructing a landfill or waste-water treatment plant, it always seemed like Dad came home each night with a new story about how a machine broke either buried in mud or deep in a hole.  Of course, the machines never broke while on a flat, dry piece of ground or in the shop!  And yet, Dad made sure the bulldozer, crane, or backhoe was repaired and repaired well. Some of my fondest memories as a young boy were being able to "help" Dad on Saturday mornings whenever he had to go to work to get a machine ready for Monday.  Usually early in the morning, we'd reach the job site and figure out what was wrong with the machine.  I'd pass him tools ...

How many phones are in your house?  Really...think about it.  How many cell phones, cordless phones, or even (oh my) corded phones are part of your home?  I did a quick check at our house.  Our two daughters, my wife, and I have 4 cell phones, 4 cordless phones, and 3 corded phones.  Our family of 4...our household---our home...has 11 phones! The Novi Woods staff, where I am principal, was asked this telephone question last week as part of our district-wide Leaderin Me Implementation Day training.  The facilitator helped illustrate for us the ever-widening gaps in cultural norms between recent generations.  Our daughters, for example, think having 11 phones is normal, but what about our grandparents, parents, or even ourselves?  My grandmothers were raised in homes where they either did not have a phone or only had one phone in the entire house.  My parents each had one phone in their families even though they had many, many siblings....

When you fall off a horse, you need to get right back on it! You know this saying.  In fact, I remember the day our daughter really did fall off a horse.  Over the years, we've encouraged our daughters to try all sorts of different activities.  In one way or another, our now 12 and 13 year old girls have participated in tap dance, gymnastics, basketball, volleyball, Spanish lessons, swim lesson, piano, and...horseback riding.  All kids seem to enjoy horses, and we are fortunate to live near several stables that offer riding lessons for kids.  The girls started when they were 4 and 5.  It's remarkable how big a horse looks - even a small horse - next to your 4 year old daughter!  Yet, with helmets, boots, and riding gloves, our youngest started riding lessons.  She, of course, had a grin from ear to ear.  I love that sense of immortality that all young people seem to have.  Parents, however, know better.  Let's fac...

What do you expect?  No, really.  What do you expect for your child? As a school principal I get asked quite often by parents what they can do to best help their child be successful.  It is a privilege to work in a community where parents proactively support their child's education and social/emotional growth.  I try to answer parents as specifically as possible whenever I am asked what they can do to better help their child, but the request is often so student-specific that it's hard to not sound prescriptive. My answer usually focuses on the following: Read.  Read to and with your child and expect your child to read every day. Learn those math facts.  Make counting fun.  Counting silverware, pots, and pans is a great activity when children are young, but old-fashioned flash cards are still a hit. Monitor screen time.  There's a time and place for televsions and computers, but being aware of how much time kids are using el...

As part of Father's Day weekend, our daughters and I went to a classic car show.  We thoroughly enjoyed over 500 cars from the '30s through the mid-'70s.  I'm not sure I have a favorite era, but I am always awed by the intentional design of automobiles from the past.  Take a look: Clearly none of these designs would be hot sellers today, but in their day these cars were on the cutting edge.   The engineering in these cars used the latest technology and the most forward-thinking possible. People occassionally ask what teachers do during the summer.  It's a funny question to me because some of our students think we never leave the building!  In fairness, our teachers need to sharpen their saws.  We are fortunate to be able to recharge ourselves, but I am always reminded how much "work" happens over the summer. Even on the first week of official summer break for teachers, no less than 15 of our staff were ...

"Thank you." Two simple words, but just one phrase... One cannot end a successful school year without saying, "Thank you!" to so many people.  At the risk of leaving anyone out of my list, I'm going to try. Thank you to a remarkable staff.  As I wrote in my previous blog entry, you are superheroes.  Plus, we laugh! Thank you to all of those folks who work behind the scenes in our district.  From the custodian who opens the doors each morning to the person who changes oil on the buses...from the tech helper to the college kids who mow our lawns...from the maintenance crew to food service to our bus drivers, secretaries, and paras... we would not be us without you ! Thank you to our PTO.  Our PTO is unbelieveable.  From fund raising to fun raising, they are the "glue" that holds us together. Thank you to our parents.  I recently received a generous gift certificate as well as a personalized brick paver at our local, public library....

It's an exciting week at our house.  Not only are our two, middle school-aged daughters anticipating the end of the school year, I told them we would go to the premiere of the new Superman movie on Friday.  I must confess, I like superheroes. Yes, I have a box at the back of a closet filled with comic books from my middle school years that I just know (note the sarcasm) will be worth millions someday.  Some of my fondest memories from those years are going to the movies with one of my bachelor uncles.  Indiana Jones (not a "real" superhero, I suppose, but close enough), Superman, Batman...we saw them all in the late '70s and early '80s.  College, marriage, and young children have slowed my ability to get to the movies, but I'm glad to report our daughters (note...not my wife) enjoy a good (even a bad) superhero movie.  The newest Batman trilogy was insightful.  Spiderman was cool, and the Ironman and Avengers movies are still hits at our house on DVD...

Three books.  Just three... Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls Roots by Alex Haley Killer Angels by Michael Shaara Just three books have ever grabbed my heart, become a part of me, and made me cry once I finshed reading them.  I am a relatively voracious reader, and I can count many, many books that have been special or even favorites.  Only these three books, however, are on my short, "made me cry" list.  Maybe you know the stories?  Where the Red Fern Grows is a tale about a boy and two dogs.  Their journey--together--is heartwarming, but it's the ending that tugs at your heart.  Did the dogs change because of the boy, or was the boy changed because of the dogs?  What changes me? Roots.   So much has been written and shared about Kunta Kinte, a captured African slave, and the genrations that followed him.  The concept that we are all connected--past and future--inspired me to search for my own family's roots....

"David, are you sure you don't need my help?  I won't be gone long, and I can help you when I get back." "No, I'll be fine.  It's not that big of a brush pile." "But, you never know what can happen.  Why don't you wait and burn it when I get back?" "I have the permit.  It just rained yesterday.  The hose is set.  I have an extra bucket of water, and I have a couple of shovels.  I'm sure everything will be OK." "Are you sure?" "Yes.  It'll be fine." (You probably know where this is going.) My wife, daughters, and I live in a relatively rural area where we collect quite a bit of brush each year.  We also have space to have small burn piles as long as we have an annual fire permit as issued by our township. I have a tendency to want to handle things by myself, be efficient, and just get things done.  I suppose this makes me more of a stereotypical "guy" than not, but I've...

I was 15 and with my father.  We were sitting on grass amongst a large group of people.  The crowd was getting ready to watch a parade.  Dad stood up.  I didn't know why he stood up, but I followed his lead.  A man behind us rudely yelled that we should sit down so everyone else could see the parade. My father turned around and calmly stated, "That's the American flag coming towards us.  I'm teaching my son to stand and respect all that flag stands for.  I was in Viet Nam the day my son was born, and I don't take any of those rights, responsibilities, or liberties for granted.  Perhaps you should do the same."  The entire crowd stood. As we prepare for Memorial Day, a day our country stops to honor our fallen soldiers, I know the greatest lesson I ever learned about respect and our country did not come from school.  My greatest lesson came from that moment. To be fair, Dad has faults.  I have faults.  Our country ha...

Our 4th grade students share "Words of Wisdom" every morning over the announcements.  Each piece is usually three to four paragraphs long, and they include themes ranging from responsibility to kindness, from empathy to gratefulness.  It's a nice way for the entire school to hear a common message and to start our day with a little inspiration. Last week one message caught my interest.  I won't recount the entire piece, but the quote at the end was, "Shoot for the moon.  If you don't make it, you'll be heading for the stars." I really like this image.  Set high goals.  Have high expectations.  Reach farther than you think you can reach. Our district, under the direction of our superintendent, has adopted four goals: The Novi Community School District will ensure that each student will make no less than one year’s growth in one year’s time. The Novi Community School District will ensure that all students achieve at a high level. (There ...

It's lawn-mowing season. My family and I have lived in our house for 17 summers which means I have spent quite a bit of time "mastering" how to mow our lawn.  We have a pretty large lawn, and I've developed an efficient routine for where to go, when to turn, and how to make patterns that I like to think make our lot look like a Major League baseball field.   Almost as soon as we moved in, I "proclaimed" to my wife that she should not worry about mowing the lawn.  (In actuality, she let's me mow the lawn so I won't mess with her flowers.) Now back to those Major League baseball fields...  I think they're awesome.  Have you ever taken time to watch a baseball game on television and seen the patterns?  The parallel lines, swirls, and even logos make for professional ballfield artistry.  Unfortunately and even under the best of circumstances our lawn...my lawn...is absolutely not a professionally landscaped work of art, but Major Leage art...

Teacher Appreciation Week in our district starts on Monday.  I am grateful to work in a supportive community where students, parents, and families do so much to appreciate our entire staff.  Of special note, each PTO is remarkable.  Staff luncheons and special, small gifts are so nice.  Our PTO arranges for kids to write notes to each staff member.  Those notes mean more than anything.  I recently shared on morning announcements the best appreciation any student can ever offer is to smile, work hard, ask good questions, and be a great leader.  That's why we do what we do. While I am preparing ways to personally "appreciate" my staff, I'm also making Mother's Day plans.  I am fortunate beyond belief to be able to purchase cards for my wife, my mother and mother in-law, and both of my grandmothers.  I wish I lived closer than seven hours away from my mother and grandmothers, but I make sure to call them and see them as much as possible....