The waitress placed four plates on the table: pancakes and bacon; an egg fried over-easy with buttery toast; a sausage, cheese, and hash brown omelette; and a side of corn beef hash for the table to sample.  I was eating breakfast at Sullivan’s, a local restaurant that I worked at through high school and college. Every year at our school carnival raffle, I donate “Breakfast at Sullivan’s with Mr. Bailey.” It is supposed to be a big prize for the students, but honestly it is one of my favorite days of the year and not just because Sullivan’s has the best breakfast in town.  I always leave the breakfast table with new insight about the students we serve and how they view school. Today was no exception as I met with two fifth grade students. We spent the early part of breakfast talking about our favorite books, family members, and sports we play. Right around the time the food arrived, the conversation shifted to what the girls liked and didn’t like about school, especially related to classroom organization and the learning environment established by different teachers.  The students were clear. They loved every teacher during their time at Hemmeter but loved each for different reasons. I sipped my coffee, fascinated by the things they were saying and secretly taking notes in my head. We do parent, staff, and student surveys every year, but they always seem somewhat artificial. This conversation at Sullivan’s was truly some of the best feedback I have received about the school. If you want to know what works for your students, take the time to sit down and ask them.  Have a conversation and let them share what is working and what is not working.

Here is what I learned:

Furniture

The furniture in the room matters to kids.  Both shared how they were initially disappointed when they found out they were going to be in a third grade classroom that was using tables instead of desks.  This may seem odd, but they both viewed having your own desk as a right of passage into the upper elementary. They wanted space for the books they were reading and the writing they were creating.  “Desks allow you to keep stuff that is personal to you at school.”

They also loved having different options for seating.  “It is so cool how Mrs. Howald lets you bring your own chair to school.”  A quick glance at Mrs. Howald’s room shows many students agree with this assessment.  Mrs. Howald has used a BYOS (Bring your own seat) approach to classroom design for the past two years.  The students get to take ownership over their seating. The classroom is filled with different seating options: exercise balls, wiggle stools, and all different types of chairs.  My favorite is a chair completely decorated in fancy faux fur. Standing desks, pillows on the floor, and camping chairs were also popular with the students. Most of all, the students loved having the option of what was comfortable to them.

Seating Charts

Both students preferred when teachers let them pick their own seats in class.  Not exactly a shocking revelation. However, the students recognized why teachers use seating charts, they just thought it was more powerful when students came to the realization on their own.  “In Mrs. Ode’s class, it was awesome because we got to pick our own seats. The class was also the best behaved for her.” They shared that the kids knew she was trusting them. She trusted them to choose their own spot.  She trusted them to choose the group they would be working with during the day. She trusted her students. And they responded. They shared that she used the app Flippity and when the student’s name was selected, they picked their desk.  The NFL draft version of seating charts. The students knew they would be moved if they didn’t follow classroom expectations. Guess what? Mrs. Ode didn’t have to move anyone the entire year. The students understood she was giving them ownership and they respected that.

Classroom Libraries

The classroom library was another topic where the students had strong opinions.  “You can’t just fill your class library with books and put them on a shelf.” The best class libraries are organized.  These students preferred books sorted by genre. They wanted them displayed in a variety of ways.

“Ms. Lewis has a cool classroom library.  She has a big shelf of books in the back with all the series and favorites.  She has another shelf in the corner with all the new books she has bought this year.”  A bulletin board hangs above the bookshelf where all of the students have laminated name tags where they use whiteboard markers to indicate the books they are currently reading.  She uses her window ledge to highlight books the students book talk. “In the front of the room, Ms. Lewis has a small bookshelf with all the March Book Madness books and another with our #classroombookaday books.  It’s so easy to find what you are looking for.”

They wanted the popular titles and appreciated teachers that asked them what books they wanted to read.  They shared that one of their favorite activities was going through the Scholastic Book Orders and picking books for the teacher to use their bonus points on to add to the classroom library.  “And get rid of the old books that no one reads. They are just taking up space.”

Independent Reading

This was definitely the topic they were most passionate about during breakfast.  “I hate when a teacher says, ‘You can finish that assignment during independent reading time.’  I don’t want to finish something during independent reading time. I want to read during independent reading time.”  Different teachers have different expectations during independent reading. “It can be hard to get lost in your book if people are moving around or doing their classroom jobs during independent reading time.”  They didn’t want to hear any excuses for missing independent reading time either. “It’s the best time of the day. I hate any day we miss it.” We strive to provide students at least 20 minutes (preferably 30 minutes) of independent reading time EVERY day.  However, half days, assemblies, school safety drills, and more can throw a wrench in that. The students made it clear though – this should be the LAST thing cut.

Classroom Environment

The students talked highly about all of their teachers.  They LOVED Every. Single. One. But for different reasons.  They loved Mrs. Ode’s because she did “Pop Shots” with the class.  “Mrs. Ode loves basketball. She even has a hoop in her room. When you do something to impress her, you can take a shot and win a prize.”   We talked about how it was cool when teachers share about their family and the things they love. In second grade, the teachers love Disney so they do a special unit on Mickey Mouse.  Mrs. Weber is a Harry Potter fanatic so she sorts her students into Houses with the sorting hat and has the students build wands. It didn’t matter what the teacher was passionate about, they just loved their teacher sharing that passion with the class.  

As the check arrived, we wrapped up our conversation.  They thanked me for breakfast and I thanked them for everything they shared about the school.  I asked if I could share what they told me with the teachers and in a blog post. Thankfully, they said yes.

If we want to know what our students think about our classroom or school, we need to ask them.  This 45 minute breakfast session was one of the best forms of feedback I have ever received. The students were thoughtful and honest.  The ideas suggested in this blog post were those that were best for these particular students. They may not be the best ideas for your students.  If you want to know what your students think about the classroom environment, the classroom library, or independent reading time, you will have to take the time to ask them.

October is National Principals Month.  I can proudly say that I am a principal and absolutely love my job.   

I love that I get to have breakfast every morning with a couple of students to talk about how their year is going.

I love that I get to work with the most AMAZING teachers in the world.

I love that students leave me their artwork to decorate my office walls.

I love that I can change a teacher’s whole day just by bringing them a cup of Starbucks coffee or a Bayne’s cider donut.

I love that I can sneak into a classroom unnoticed and spend 20 minutes reading silently with a class of 5th graders.

I love that I get to see my kids every single day in school.

I love that I can justify buying as many books as I want from our local bookstore because I know I am going to give them all away to students that will love them as much as I do.

I love that I have a network of principals that push me to be better each day.

I love that I can spend my lunch throwing 16 touchdown passes in one game of recess football.

I love that I have the power to discontinue Accelerated Reader and instead use the money to support classroom libraries.

I love that I get more compliments when I wear my Elephant and Piggie shirt than a suit and tie.

I love that I get to call my teachers parents and tell them how amazing their son/daughter is at teaching.

I love that I get to push teachers outside their comfort zone by nudging them to present with me at national conferences or write blog posts read by educators all over the world.

I love that I can turn around a crying student’s day by asking them to help draw a book raffle ticket.

I love that I can call a parent at the end of the day to tell them something amazing their child did at school.  I even love the part when they cry because it’s the first time anyone has ever called home with something positive to say about their child.

I love that students slip me little bucket filler notes in the hallway.

I love that we don’t have staff cliques and everyone connected to the school genuinely cares about each other.

I love that my first principal still comes back to visit and see if he can do anything to help.

I love that I can be sitting at my desk and I can hear my secretary tell a telemarketer, “I am sorry, Mr. Bailey is out of the building right now.”

I love that students come down to my office to read me their stories they write during writer’s workshop.

I love the screams I hear up and down the hallways when the March Book Madness winners are announced each week during the tournament.

I love that I can watch teachers try new things, even if they fail spectacularly.  

I love that students aren’t scared to go to the principal’s office.  Instead they rush in with smiling faces to borrow a book from my principal’s bookshelf.

I love that I get to be an elementary school principal.

Happy Principals Month to my fellow principals!

Earlier last school year, a parent shared a grant opportunity with me from Delta Dental to add filtered water bottling drinking fountains to our school.  I loved this idea. My school is located 36 miles from Flint, Michigan so we are well aware of the importance of having access to clean drinking water. The students had also been very interested in this topic.  I knew my fifth grade teachers had talked about the Flint water crisis quite a bit in their classrooms so I thought this could be a great opportunity to engage students in an authentic learning opportunity. I knew this grant writing opportunity would align well with the informational writing standards the students were studying during writing workshop.

The teachers were on board and excited to have the students participate in this learning opportunity.  They started by looking at the questions on the grant application. These would be guiding questions for the research.  The students decided that they were going to divide up the questions using Google Docs to help focus their research. It was inspiring to see the groups work on different parts of the project.  They were passionate about the topic and applying everything they were learning during writing workshop to make a difference in the real world. One group was researching the benefits of drinking water compared to pop and sugary juices.  Another group was learning about the negative effects that contaminated water has on health and development. They were drafting responses and editing and revising them together. They learned about how to find quality sources, cite research, use clear, concise word choice, and the importance of considering their audience.  I saw the students engaged in informational writing in ways I hadn’t seen been before. They were excited and had a clear sense of purpose.

After several more rewrites, we were finally ready to submit our application.  We clicked send and waited. The students asked several times over the next couple of weeks if I had heard anything from Delta Dental about the grant.  I explained that it takes time to read all of the applications and it would probably be awhile before we heard anything. Right around the time students stopped asking about the grant, I received an email from Delta Dental.  I was so excited to open the email. The students worked hard on the grant and completed each question on their own for the grant. I was confident Delta Dental would be impressed that the entire grant was completed by the students in the school.  I knew this was exactly the kind of authentic learning opportunity that would separate our grant from the rest. I was so excited to share the email with the students. I opened the email and had to read it twice. Delta Dental thanked us for applying but they regretted to inform us that we did not receive the grant.  

Suddenly, I realized I needed to prepare for a completely different conversation with the students.  While completing the project, I had never considered not getting the grant. I had spent a lot of time thinking about how awesome it was going to be to tell the students about the grant we received.  I had envisioned the pride the students would have looking at the new filtered drinking fountain. I shared the news with the students and they were disappointed, but not nearly how I had expected. The next question I heard from a student was, “So what’s our new idea?”  I hadn’t considered that thought before approaching the class. In my mind, the rejection letter from Delta Dental was the end of the journey. However, they didn’t see it that way at all. They viewed it as just another roadblock in the journey of getting a new drinking fountain.  I admitted to them that I didn’t have a plan for a next step. It took two students exactly two days to come up with a next step.

Owen and Nathan, two fifth grade students from Nicol Howald’s class, emailed me and said they wanted to meet to discuss the next idea for getting the drinking fountain installed at Hemmeter.  I was impressed with their perseverance and commitment to making this idea a reality. They told me they were working on a presentation during their genius hour time and wanted to share it with me.  The boys were organized and professional during the meeting and convinced me to allow them to organize a class pop can collection fundraiser to buy the new drinking fountain. They were going to create the flyers, make the posters, collect the cans, and handle all the returns (including washing them out).  The one part of the meeting with Owen and Nathan that really swelled my heart with pride was when they mentioned that this was their last year at Hemmeter and they really wanted the drinking fountain to be something they could do for future students. That was when I realized we had to make this happen. It wasn’t just about getting a new drinking fountain, this was about students understanding in a very real way what it means to give back to your school.  I approved the project and wished them good luck.

The boys worked hard and collected over 1500 pop cans.  A significant chunk of money that when combined with some additional building funds I had available was enough to purchase the new drinking fountain!  I am working to get a plaque made for the drinking fountain to recognize the hard work and determination the boys displayed seeing this project through.  Amazing things happen when we engage students with authentic work. The application and learning goes well beyond academics. It’s about building pride in school and community and having a generous, kind heart.

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”  – Helen Keller

Two years ago I started a recess baseball club at Hemmeter Elementary School.  It was a way for me to share my passion for baseball with the students while also building relationships.  When kids see their principal in a t-shirt, shorts, and Detroit Tigers baseball cap, it allows them to see you through a different lens.  I first wrote about recess baseball club in the following blog post:

https://classroomcommunities.com/2017/09/09/building-relationships-in-unexpected-ways-the-story-of-recess-baseball-club/

I noticed that sometime around the beginning of April, the kids were buzzing on the playground about baseball.  Not a day would go by that someone didn’t ask, “Are we doing recess baseball club again this year?” I set the dates for each day in May and decided to see if I could find some community support to help with recess baseball this year.  A friend suggested contacting a new Collegiate Summer Baseball team that had just formed in Saginaw, the Saginaw Sugar Beets. I was hoping that we could get them to come out for one recess baseball game to play with the students. I knew the students would think it was awesome to play with some real college baseball players.  The community has amazing potential to provide wonderful experiences to students, all you have to do is just reach out and ask.

I met with a representative from the Sugar Beets the following week.  We talked about the team coming to Saginaw and how they really wanted to put roots in the community.  They wanted to be more than just a local baseball team; they wanted to help grow a love for baseball with kids in the community as well.  I told him about our recess baseball club and asked if the players would be willing to visit for a day to play with the students. He loved the idea, but asked if we would be interested in having the Sugar Beets more involved.  Of course I was!

After a 45 minute brainstorming session, ideas for a way to form an awesome partnership between the Sugar Beets and Hemmeter Elementary were created.  The Sugar Beets agreed to send players to every single recess baseball club game in May. The students were so excited for the first day, and the Sugar Beet players didn’t disappoint.  I was immediately impressed with how well the players connected with the students. They took time to talk to each student. They would talk about video games, school work, and (of course) baseball.  They were always positive and genuinely interested in each student and the students loved talking to them. The following two interactions impressed me the most and really show the great community and school partnership that was formed during this experience.  

A kindergarten student was swinging at pitch after pitch, but the result was miss after miss.  The kindergarten student told him, “I never hit the ball. I haven’t hit it once in my tee ball games yet.” The Sugar Beet pitcher came over to the player and asked him his name and where he played tee ball.  He showed him how he was chopping at the ball and explained in kid-friendly language why chopping made it hard to hit the ball. He corrected his stance and had him take some level practice swings. He asked the student when his next tee ball game was before going back to pitching.  Sure enough, after a couple more misses, the student started hitting the ball fairly consistently. Two days later, I heard the player call the student over, by name, and ask him how his tee ball game went the night before and if he got a hit. He did. The Sugar Beets players see over 200 students during their time at recess baseball club.  The fact that he remembered the student’s name and the day of his next tee ball game shows how invested the players were in the students.

During the same week, I watched another Sugar Beet player working one on one with a student on pitching.  The student told him he was going to be pitching for the first time ever in his Little League game. The player took the time to show him some tricks of the trade to help his first experience be a successful one.  After the practice, the Sugar Beet player that was working with him asked me where South Little League was located because if he got done with a meeting early, he wanted to go watch the student pitch. This Sugar Beet player was going to watch a student pitch in his Little League game.  That is the powerful bond that can be formed when you build community and school relationships. Can you imagine that students excitement when a Sugar Beet player showed up to his Little League game?

The Sugar Beet players had such a great time at recess ball club that they offered to do some after school camps for the students. The camps provided fun, high-quality instruction on the basics in softball and baseball.  At the end of camp, I was blown away when the Sugar Beets said they had a surprise for the students. They provided every student that participated in the camp with a Sugar Beets t-shirt, bubblegum, and two tickets to the first Sugar Beets game.  Furthermore, they gave the students a code so they could get $4 tickets to all Sugar Beets games during the season. All of this was done as a complete surprise. The organization said the players had enjoyed their time so much that they wanted to do something nice for the kids and were so excited to see the kids they had gotten to know over the past month at the games cheering them on.  

Recess baseball club continues to be an experience the kids look forward to each year.  I am so glad that I reached out to the Saginaw Sugar Beets to form a community partnership this year.  It has been a great relationship for all of us. This wonderful experience already has me thinking about more relationship building we can do next year in the community.  These partnerships provide experiences that we will never forget.

Earlier this week, I received an email that I have been waiting four months to receive.  This long awaited email was from Fitbit and it was my 30 pound weight loss badge. Fitbit awards users various types of badges for accomplishing different things: number of steps in a day, total steps since joining, flights of stairs climbed, and total weight loss.  I’m very proud of this accomplishment. I have stuck with my New Year’s resolution for four months. During that time, I have logged at least 10,000 steps every single day. I have more energy, my blood pressure has greatly improved, and I even started playing hockey in a men’s league.  My health is better thanks to a change in diet and exercise. My Fitbit plays a big part in keeping me motivated with both. My Fitbit has also helped to make me a better principal.

I didn’t notice it right away.  In fact, when I first bought my Fitbit, I thought it would be a pretty useless tool for me.  My daily routine was pretty set, and I was certain I had about 10,000 steps every day. To prove this, I decided to make no lifestyle changes when I first bought the Fitbit.  I was just going to follow my normal week and check the results. As an elementary principal, I am pretty active during the day and assumed I easily would amass 10,000 steps without even thinking about it.  Wrong! I was shocked to see that during my test week my steps per day ranged from 3,238 (Did someone carry me to work? I am pretty sure it’s more steps than that to walk to and from the building.) to 14,730 (Recess soccer with the fifth graders is so much fun).  My average for the week was 8,340 steps.

When I reflected back on the week, I noticed 2 days were really low (3,238 steps and 5,098 steps).  Furthermore, I had 2 days that were pretty high (13,294 steps and 14,730 steps). I thought about my attitude during the week, my stress level on those days, and how much energy I had for family time at the end of the day.  It is probably not surprising that there was a direct correlation between number of steps I took in a day and how I felt at the end of the day. More steps = more energy, less stress, and a better attitude. My Fitbit became a tool for school culture.  I am the leader of the school, and I can’t be the best me if I have low energy, high stress, and a bad attitude.

I quickly realized that I didn’t feel better just because I was taking more steps during the day.  I felt better because the activities that required me to take steps were also the activities that are essential for being a good principal.  Coincidentally, these are also the activities that make being a principal an awesome job. Examples include activities like frequently visiting classrooms in the building, talking to kids and engaging in recess games with them, and walking around before and after school talking to parents and teachers.  I also realized that the activities that didn’t require me to take steps are also the activities that are necessary but also the boring part about being principal. They are activities like answering emails, filling out never ending reports, and reading memos…long, long memos. All of those things are essential parts of my job that I am required to complete.  However, it is way too easy to get stuck in my office doing those things and neglect the importance of being out in the building.

One feature on my Fitbit that I love is the hourly reminder to get at least 250 steps.  There is no excuse for me, as a principal, to go a full hour without ever talking to a student during the school day.  Reports have to be completed and emails have to be answered, but students are the most important part of my job. That alert on my Fitbit reminds me of that very thing.  Principals have more and more responsibilities every year. Recent surveys show that principals are more stressed than ever and have more demands on their time than ever before.  It is easy to get stuck in my office all day long. My Fitbit helps to remind me how important it is to not let that happen.

Last week was the perfect example of how powerful this simple tool has been for me as a principal.  I was bogged down with state testing paperwork and school improvement surveys. I needed to send letters to incoming families, write a 504 plan, and hadn’t even started writing an evaluation report that was due to the Superintendent.  No way was I getting out of my office but that pesky buzz reminded me that I had been sitting for 50 minutes without taking a single step. Although I almost ignored it, I also can’t deal with a missing red dot on my Fitbit app, so I stood up and headed out of my office.  Get the 250 steps and get back to work on the reports.
Amazing things happen at Hemmeter every day and I can’t ignore them even if I have a mound of reports due.  Outside the office, I started talking to students and visiting classrooms and chatting about books and posting pictures to our Facebook page.  An hour (and 3,300 steps later) I felt recharged. I helped a teacher fix their Promethean Board, watched students present to parents about what they learned during a coding unit, learned from students how to use MicroBits, witnessed the largest Keva block tower I have ever seen, and did an impromptu book talk on Ghost Boys to a student browsing my principal’s bookshelf.  I’m glad I didn’t ignore that Fitbit alert. I would have missed an awful lot sitting in my office.

I had the privilege of presenting at the annual Michigan Reading Association (MRA) conference last week with two amazing colleagues: Kelly Hendrick and Nicol Howald. MRA is always a fantastic conference, but this year I was even more excited because one of my favorite authors, Jason Reynolds, was presenting.  I had my copy of Ghost, When I was the Greatest,  All American Boys, and A Long Way Down packed in my suitcase.  When I arrived at the event, I picked up the program and scanned for sessions that Jason was leading.  I was both surprised and disappointed to see that Jason’s only event was guest speaker at the luncheon on day two.  I was even more disappointed when I discovered that luncheon was sold out. I brushed off the disappointment and was ready to make the best of the rest of the conference.  The first day ended up being great. Our group decided to meet up in the hotel restaurant that night to share our learning and reflect on the conference. As we were getting up to leave, a gentleman walked past me.  It took me a second to react, “Nicol, that’s him! That’s Jason Reynolds leaving the restaurant.”

Like two crazy groupies, we took off speed-walking after him through the hotel.  We were still about 50 feet away when he got to the elevator. I was ready to give up. I had resigned that I just wasn’t destined to meet Jason at this conference.  Luckily, Nicol was not willing to accept that fate. She took off sprinting and reached her arm in the elevator just as it was about to close. “You’re Jason Reynolds, right?” she asked.  I am sure he was a bit shocked, but he didn’t immediately sound the alarm on the elevator which was a good sign. Instead he graciously stepped out of the elevator and shook our hands. We spent the next couple of minutes talking about how much we loved his books (No, he would not tell us what happens after A Long Way Down).  We assured him we don’t usually run people down in the hotel lobby, but told him this was probably going to be our only chance to tell him how much we loved his books.  We explained our confusion about him not having any sessions other than the lunch engagement and how we didn’t sign up for it in time. He ended by telling us to just come to the luncheon.  There is always standing room in the back.

Although they didn’t have food for us, the MRA organizers were gracious enough to let us attend after telling them our Jason Reynolds’ elevator story.  Jason’s speech was as humorous and inspiring as I imagined. One part really stuck with me though. He was telling a story about his mother, a teacher. She taught him to always make decisions based on love.  He shared that she modeled this in her classroom by asking students a simple question when they were misbehaving or  not engaged. She would simply ask the student, “What’s the matter, child?” Mrs. Reynolds knows what all of us know deep down: a misbehaving child is often facing another underlying problem.   Sometimes the most compassionate, most effective, and most obvious thing we can do as educators is simply ask, “What’s the matter, child?”

MRA is always an amazing weekend of learning.  Weekend conferences are great because they don’t require you to be gone from school, but they can also be difficult because you don’t get much downtime before you are right back at it the next week.  The travel and lack of sleep can make for a rough first day back, especially when you start the day by putting out a couple of fires from the previous week. So when a teacher called down to the office for a second time about a student that was being disrespectful, I had run out of patience.  I went down to the classroom and asked the student to come out into the hall. We talked privately and I told him to grab his stuff and we would continue this conversation in the office. I fully intended to suspend this student, send him home and let his parents deal with his attitude for the day.  I had my mind made up as I walked down the hallway. He slouched down in the chair in my office, arms crossed, eyes defiant. I stared at him for a couple of seconds choosing my next words carefully. Although frustration and tiredness were on the tip of my tongue, Jason Reynolds’ mom was whispering in my ear as I asked the boy, “What’s the matter, son?”

We spent the next two hours talking in my office.  Without giving too many personal details, he shared why he was so angry.  He had every right to be. It’s easy to forget the hardships our students are facing each day.  Just like the students in Mrs. Reynolds’ class, he was misbehaving for a reason. He was trying to get attention, any attention he could.  As the conversation continued, I could see the defiance melt away from his eyes. Instead of suspending, I decided to mentor. We now meet every day.  We talk about what is going on in his life, how to better deal with stress and anger, and I try to support his passions. I recognized right away that he loved to draw based on the Dogman comics he had created in his notebook.  I told him it was the best Dogman drawing I had seen. We spent a lot of time talking about the behavior expectations of the school. Being respectful to the teacher was non-negotiable. We brainstormed some ways to better deal with his anger.  He sat down with the teacher and apologized. He explained what he was going to do to better handle the situation in the future. He accepted responsibility for his actions and was back in class.

I could have easily suspended the student.  It may have even led to a change in behavior for a couple of days.  I don’t want to change behavior for a couple of days. I want to change behavior long term.  I want to build a relationship with the student so they want to change their behavior. I believe when we put the child first that we can change the entire trajectory of their life.  I really felt like I had gotten through to the student. I knew I could mentor him and make a difference. I wasn’t naive enough to think that change would be easy or immediate. I knew we would hit bumps in the road.  However, I didn’t expect to see the student and teacher in my office again just two hours later.

“Mr. Bailey, Kevin* has something he wants to tell you.”

“I made this for you,” he said and handed me a brand new Dogman picture he had drawn.

“This is the picture drawn by the amazing artist and Hemmeter student that now sits framed in my office.”

*Not the actual name of the student to protect his privacy.

As an elementary principal, I consider it a call to action when one of my best teachers walks into the lounge and says, “I just need to get through this week.  I will give myself an attitude adjustment over the weekend, but I just need to get through Friday.”  Late January can be an incredibly tough time for a teacher in Michigan.  It’s dark as you drive to school and it’s dark when you drive home.  It’s often too cold for the kids to go outside during the day. (Our district has a policy that the windchill must be at least 10 degrees Fahrenheit to go outside.  I personally hate this policy, by the way, but that is another blog post).  It is the heart of NWEA testing season and Spring Break is still months away.  Even with a great school culture and positive teachers, late January can be rough.  

This amazing teacher I mentioned wasn’t complaining.  She was simply acknowledging her feelings and sharing with supportive colleagues.  Although she wasn’t looking for anyone to solve her problem, I knew I wanted to do something for her.  She is an absolute rock star teacher.  She always has a positive attitude.  She serves on many committees, leads professional development in the district, constantly reads professional books, listens to education podcast while she works out, and is never afraid to try a new idea.  If you could genetically create the perfect teacher, she would be your outcome.  So I knew if she was feeling stuck in a rut, it’s likely others were feeling the same way.

I started thinking about how I could help with her self-proclaimed “attitude adjustment.”  I spent quite a bit of time brainstorming ideas to lessen the stress just a little bit for her.  I thought about a note with some encouraging words or maybe a sweet treat, but neither idea seemed like it would really relieve that overworked stress. I started to think about one of the best gifts I have ever received.  It was from my superintendent last year.  He said, “I can’t give you a big bonus, but I can give you the gift of time as a thank you.”  He told the building principals in the district to take some time off and do something we enjoy. (By the way, I chose to spend my afternoon reading at my favorite local bookstore while sipping my favorite drink of choice…coffee).  This ‘gift of time’ was exactly what she needed.  I knew she was an avid reader and would appreciate nothing more than some quiet time to read, to recharge, to refill, and to refresh.  

Each staff member at Hemmeter Elementary completes a “Favorite Things” survey at the beginning of the year.  Once completed, we share the results in a Google Doc.  The survey includes things like favorite hot beverage, favorite magazine, favorite snack, favorite candy bar, and many more.  It’s a great resource if you want to give someone a token of appreciation or surprise them with a treat.  I checked the teachers’ favorite list and picked up a copy of the latest issue of People magazine, a XL pack of peanut M&Ms, a bottle of water, Cool Ranch Doritos, a frosted donut, and a Tim Hortons hot chocolate.  I put it all in a gift bag and headed down to her room.

I left the bag in the hallway and entered her room.  I asked if I could talk to her class for a couple of minutes.  She called her class to attention and alerted them that I wanted to talk to them.  “Can you please leave your work right on your desk, push in your chair, and quietly head across the hall to the computer lab.”  Everyone looked slightly confused, but they followed my instructions.  The teacher was at the end of the line, but I cut her off before she could exit.  I handed her the gift bag and told her the one rule: no work allowed.  I then told her I’d be back to deliver her class in 45 minutes.  

I took the kids over to the computer lab and I did something I love to do with the students: I played coding games with them. The students showed me the Scratch games they have been creating and we challenged each other to solve the different programs.  It was a blast!  About halfway through the allotted time, I received this picture from the teacher:

Based on her tears when I left the room with her students, I know the teacher was very touched by the gesture.  This was about much more than giving a teacher some relaxation time.  It was about more than saying thank you with some of her favorite things.  It was about telling this teacher: “You are special, you are valued, you are appreciated, and when you need a pick me up, I have your back.”

I could sense the rest of the staff could use a little pick me up as well.  I went back to the “Favorite Things” Google Doc. and looked at the favorite hot beverage, favorite candy bar, and favorite donut list.  After a quick stop at Starbucks, Kroger, and Tim Hortons I had everyone’s favorite drink, candy, and donut.  I loaded them on a cart and went to visit each person including the kitchen crew, recess aides, and custodian, in the building.  It was a small gesture, but an unexpected one.  I think that is one of the things that made this meaningful.  It was a seemingly random act of kindness.  It was out of the blue on a random Friday in January.  No one was expecting it, but everyone needed it.  

In the end, the kicker is that I think I ended up getting recharged, refilled, and refreshed the most.  It feels good to do something nice for someone else.  It especially feels good to do something nice for the most amazing group of people I know: teachers.  Please share your random acts of kindness with me on Twitter @jcbailey3

This is my view from work today.

It’s incredible, awe-inspiring, and beautiful.  Hartley Outdoor Education Center sits on 300 acres of hardwood forest.  It includes a pond, wetlands, historic coal mine, several original log cabins, and the Fowler one-room school house.  It is an educational staple in the Great Lakes Bay area in Michigan.  The three day, two night trip our fourth graders take every year is one of the most memorable experiences of their lives.  I don’t remember much about my own time in elementary school, but 28 years later I still remember every detail about Hartley.  I am fortunate that I am able to return every year with our fourth graders.  Hartley is so much more than just a nature center. It is an experience. It is an opportunity to truly get to know the students in your building in a way only an overnight trip can provide.  Hartley is the trip that turns your class into your family.

It starts with teamwork and collaboration.  The Confidence Course is one of four sessions that the students complete during their time at Hartley.  The students have to work together to complete a maze while blindfolded, build a log cabin with timbers, cross a moat on a rope swing, and find a way over a ten foot wall.  Regardless of how athletic or smart you are, these tasks cannot be completed without teamwork.  It never fails.  The students always struggle at first.  They struggle to listen to each other.  They struggle to take turns.  They struggle to get past the first obstacle.  Just when they seem to be at their breaking point, they come together.  The listen to each other.  They divide the tasks and share responsibilities.  They complete obstacle after obstacle TOGETHER.  You can almost see them becoming more kind and more empathetic right before your eyes.  Although the tasks are hard, they make success even that much sweeter.

One of my favorite things to do at Hartley is watch the students during free time after the confidence course.  They are not in their “normal” friend groups.  Everyone is talking to everyone.  Everyone is playing with everyone.  The relationship between the students has changed.  They are not classmates anymore.  They are family.  They forget about who is a rock star in math and who is the best soccer player.  It doesn’t matter who has the coolest clothes or the biggest house.  These people are your friends because they helped you across the moat, they encouraged you to swing when you were too scared to let your tiptoes leave the plank, and they believed in you and supported you.  These new qualities are so much more important than any of the previous status symbols.

Another session at Hartley is the outdoor survival course.  This course is built around the book Hatchet by Gary Paulsen.  Hatchet is one of my personal all time favorite books.  I read it when I did my student teaching in 4th grade, and it was the book that turned me into an avid reader.  The students, just like Brian in the book, have to learn to survive in the outdoors.  They build a shelter, start a fire, and devise strategies for finding food.  

Students spend almost the entire three days at Hartley outdoors.  They learn to appreciate nature and embrace its beauty.  Hartley is more than just an outdoor experience for students.  It is the first step towards independence for most students.  

For many students, Hartley is the first experience away from home without family. It’s the first time they are responsible for cleaning tables, serving food, and scrubbing the bathroom floor.  They gain a new appreciation for keeping the floor clean as they are responsible for vacuuming.  Hartley challenges students to be brave.  It challenges them to be problem-solvers, collaborators, and good teammates.  It scaffolds them toward independence.

Hartley is an exhausting three day trip.  The fresh air tires you out and with 90 students in the dorms, you get very little sleep.  However, I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.  I am so thankful I am able to attend this educational experience every year with my students.  This year in particular is truly special for me.  As I look out the window one more time, I see my son’s group approaching.  They are back from their trip to the confidence course.  I get a little teary eyed typing this because I know his time in elementary school is rapidly coming to an end.  He is not the scared kindergartener that grabbed my hand walking to the door.  He’s the young man that helped his team navigate through a maze while blindfolded.   He’s having the time of his life. Thank you, Hartley Outdoor Education Center, for providing him and countless other students memories that will last a lifetime.