Last week Mrs. Garcia and I went to the middle school students and spoke with them about our expectations.
This was one of the best days of the year for me. I loved it! I met with the boys and they were sharp- they were funny- they were able to share some powerful insights.
So I will share my presentation with you here- here is the web resource that accompanied it...
AUTHORITY AT QUEST.
I spent some time thinking about how to approach this important group of students. I did not want to come across like an authoritarian- I wanted to come across as compassionate. I wanted them to see the rules in the context from which they came- from people who valued them more than anything else on campus. So with that respect in my heart I began to speak. Here is a sample of what I shared:
Authority at Quest begins with the Board of Education. This group has the most power in our district because they write policy. Policy is like our law. They also hired John Barry who represents the next level of authority. He hired Mrs. Garcia. She and her team hired the teachers and all of these people were hired because someone saw in them principles of integrity, excellence, and responsibility. All of them have earned their places in this school system. In our system we also have a powerful parental portion. They influence our principal and teachers but even more- they get to vote for school board members. Even though these are important people- the most valuable part of this system is the group of people they surround and support... you (the student). You are the center of everything. You are who we are investing in when we hire professionals to come educate you. These professionals represent hours and years of study. They had to pass state exams and interview committees. We trust them with your education. They are passionate about their work- and they want you to succeed.
Just in case you do not like some of the topics I will address today I want you to know that you have a voice. Here is how you can be heard here at Quest…
1. Use your Guiding principles of courage and respect. They go along way towards helping people hear you.
2. Use existing pathways. You have a student council. You have suggestion boxes around campus. You have parents on school committees like the accountability committee.
3. Have solutions. No one like unproductive whining. Bring solutions to the problems you have.
We then read a few missions from companies like Hershey’s and Microsoft. Every place has a purpose. APS has a mission and vision- Quest does too. We read them. We talked about the part of our philosophy that says we will create signature experiences. That Quest exists to inspire. If anyone is in this school and does not feel inspired- we have a problem and professionals like Mr. Sargent will work as much as they can to get you excited about learning.
Our job here is to not only inspire but to prepare you. I told them to forget the context of a middle school room with an Assistant Principal and a group of kids. Instead, picture an interview room with a panel. Picture themselves entering the room prepared for the interview to get their dream job. They answer all the questions and get up to leave and the door closes behind them… and the discussion begins. Why should we hire him? Did you notice how this resume has excellence written all over it? Did you notice how he answered questions with integrity and courage? Did you notice how his references discussed how responsible he was? All these guiding principles can leave an impression on people. When you leave to go to 9th grade we hope they are like a tattoo on your heart. We hope that you will have compassion and integrity.
Besides preparation we want to make sure you are safe. Mrs. Garcia says there are three things students should remember… Be nice, do good, and be SAFE.
I terms of safety we discussed playground procedures like- use equipment exactly how it was designed. Do not run where you could fall and cut yourself up and tuck your nametags in when climbing.
We talked about how weapons are never to show up at school- but if one accidently does you will be safest when you let an adult now right away.
We talked about how there are people in the community who have the rotten guiding principles of greed and selfishness. These people look to get kids hooked on illegal drug use so please get someone to help if you are ever feeling pressure. If you are already hooked on it- please let us help you.
We talked about how to handle bullying and conflict with three steps:
1. Use the words STOP IT. I DO Not LIKE THAT- then walk a way
2. Give a warning. IF YOU DON”T STOP I WILL GET HELP.
3. GET HELP… saying. I can tell you need help in order to stop and I will get that for you.
Then we talked about focus. We want our focus to be on learning here. So Public Displays of affection must be limited to greeting norms established in our community. Handshakes and hugs are usually 3 seconds long. Any more than that and you are holding or cuddling. I told them that these acts in themselves are not wrong or evil- it is just a time and place thing. School is not the time nor place for it- I said that if their families were OK with it they could hug all day at home under the parent’s supervision.
We talked about dress code. We do not want any sagging pants. (ask them about the humorous way we talked about it).
We talked about electronic devices and how they should remain at home. Phones can be here but turned off during the day.
Whew- these guys then had great questions and helped us come up with solution possibilities for the hallway behavior and volume.
Mrs. Garcia and I had a class to meet with every period that day and we loved interacting with the kids- it made me want to be a teacher in a classroom again.
