Thank You Derek Jeter

Thank You Derek Jeter

As I sat eating my “Dome Dog,” I heard over the PA system.  “Now batting for the New York Yankees, the short stop Derek Jeter."  I looked over at my brother and said Derek who?  I was just a freshman in high school at the time.  We then proceeded to have a conversation about how to pronounce his last name.  Of course I was wrong.  We had little idea that we were getting our first glimpse at whom would become one of the greatest baseball players of all time, and arguably one of the greatest role-models for our youth.

It wasn’t our first trip to the Hubert Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis.  In fact my family had made it a tradition to catch the Yankee series each year.  We are all Yankee fans.  It’s a prerequisite in our family; before you make your grand entrance you are branded a Yankee fan.  My middle child was not only branded a Yankee fan before his entrance…he was equipped with his name, Jeter James Jordan, before he blessed us with his first appearance.

Derek Jeter’s legacy and where he falls amongst baseballs greatest will forever be debated.  I have my own opinions, but I’m not writing this blog to gloat about his athletic ability.  I’m writing this blog to emphasize the importance of role models to the young children of this world.  While baseball experts around the globe debate his place in baseball history, I think I speak for an overwhelming majority when I say Derek Jeter as a person is not up for debate.

Derek played the game with passion.  He played baseball the right way.  He was a leader whom led by example.  He kept his professional life separate from his personal life.  He was not a cheater and you will not see an asterisk next to his name when you flip through the record books.   He is living proof that hard work, perseverance, and strong work ethic can lead to conquered dreams.  His actions have been mimicked by millions of young children around the world.  A pickup baseball game has many youngsters pretending to be Derek Jeter... they all want to wear #2.

Derek Jeter is not the only person our young children look up to.   Athletes are role models – no doubt, but each and everyone one of us is a role model for someone.  At any given moment somebody is watching you.  They want to be like you.  Is your attitude contagious?  Is your attitude worth catching?  As an educator and parent, I have the opportunity to influence children everyday.  I think of it as the greatest job in the world.  Yes, sometimes life does get the best of me and I fail to lead in an appropriate manner.  We as people are not perfect, but we must remember that we are leaders.  We are role models, and the people around us will repeat our actions.  I’ve got a lot to learn as an educator and parent, but I’d be doing society and my children a disservice if I didn’t strive to be the best that I can be.  Perfect may not be attainable but we must set our sights on it.

If you can’t find a role model, be one.  Whether you are a parent, business leader, educator, professional athlete, or someone with a beating heart – you have an obligation to improve the society in which we live.  We adults have a tremendous amount of power.  We can change the world for the better.  We can be the hope for kids all around the world.  I don’t know about you, but this excites me.  I’m up for the task.  Are you?

As I look back on the days my family and I traveled to Minnesota I’m greeted by hundreds of memories.  Whether it was sitting on George Steinbrenner’s lap when I was 6 years old or hearing Derek Jeter called to the plate for the first time, these moments with my family have had a profound impact on my life.  Just as my dad and grandpa told me stories of the Yankee greats, I’m honored to be able to share the story of Derek Jeter to my children.  My kids may or may not be blessed to be a Yankee great in the future, but I guarantee you they will quickly learn how good he was as a player, and more importantly how great he was as a person. 

I would like to thank all of those that were great role models for me in my life.  Of course Derek Jeter and other professional athletes were on my list, but my parents, grandparents, relatives, educators, and many more also accompanied them.  Thank you for the positive impact you all had on my life.  I strive each and every day to reciprocate that to my children and youngsters of this world.    

Four to Focus: 21st Century Education Musts

Four to Focus: 21^st Century Education Musts

Education, as we know it, continues to change at a rapid pace.  Arguments for or against the Common Core continue to flood the media scene.  I was baffled this past weekend as I visited my family in Bismarck about all of the propaganda related to the Common Core State Standards.  I’ve had a few days to process all of it, and it has lead me to believe that we as a society have completely lost our focus.  The following “Four to Focus” for 21^st Century Schools is something we need to consider:

1.      Unstandardized, Standardized Tests:  Children learn in a multitude of different capacities.  A classroom of 20 could very likely portray 20 different learning styles.  Some students may be linguistic.  Others might be mathematical.  The point is, not all children learn the same.  If the research continues to show “student-centered” classrooms are the most efficient way to educate children, then why do we continue to have “fill in the bubble” or choose “A,B,C,D” tests to measure achievement?  Why not asses students via their own individual learning styles?

If schools throughout the nation continue to miss AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) maybe we should change how we test.  What if children could show mastery of content/standards within their own unique learning styles?  What if we gave the students the choice?  Relevant learning will yield prevalent results.  Let’s give choices to our students when it comes to achievement tests. Mastery can be measured in many ways and we cannot limit our students.  Square pegs don’t always fit into round holes.

2.     Teach Critical Competencies:  I’ve quoted this statistic before from the Department of Labor, but it’s worth another look, “65% of today’s grade school kids will end up at jobs that haven’t been invented yet.”  What does college and career ready curriculum look like?  We must allow our students to be creative.  We must allow them to work together, to communicate, and to think critically.  Today’s lessons cannot be sit and get.  We must challenge our students by asking driving questions and by guiding them through the problem solving process.  Name a job either now or invent one for the future and then tell me that students will not need to be creative, communicative, critical thinkers and collaborators.  These competencies will be needed in every field.  As we teach critical content, we must not forget these critical competencies.  Project-based curriculum in a student-centered environment must be our focus.

3.      Stop Racing:  Why do we need to “Race to the Top?”  Whatever happened to a world of interdependency?  You do what you do best, and I will do what I do best, and we will benefit from each other.  I completely understand the benefits of competition, but all too often we compare ourselves to other nations of the world.  The more we focus on others, the less we focus on ourselves.  What are our needs?  What is best for our students?  These are the questions we need to ask.  If somebody is doing it better than us, let’s learn from them.  If another nation puts somebody on Mars…let’s not try to one up them and put someone on Pluto. I’m not so sure that would be a hot idea anyways.  The point being.  Let’s learn from each other.  A little competition is healthy, but let’s be the first to congratulate someone on a success, and let’s be the first to share what we find.  Racing isn’t the answer, after all, slow and steady has won a race or two.

4.      Act:  If we fail to act, we become a part of the problem.  If the majority of society feels the above to be true, then we have no choice but to act.  Our words in blogs may mean one thing, but if we don’t put words into actions we become complacent.  What is best for our kids?  We must change our focus.  We need to do what is right.  I’m in the field of education because I have a passion for helping people.  I feel that through educating young minds, I can have an impact on this world.  What is your passion?  Will you act on it?  We owe it to our students to fight for what is right.

 

Travis Jordan

Superintendent

Griggs County Central School District #18

Cooperstown, ND 58425

@Supt_Jordan

 

 

 

I Challenge You.

I’m not sure about you, but my Facebook page has been flooded with individuals completing the “Ice-Bucket Challenge” to raise awareness/funds for ALS.  The support for this cause has been unbelievable and it truly shows the nature of the human spirit.  I’m proud to say that I too took this challenge (twice) and became drenched in ice-water.  Kudos to the individual(s) that came up with the great idea.

With that concept in mind I’d like to introduce a new challenge.  I know that there will be many new challenges that feed off of the previously mentioned, but this challenge is free and requires not a single cent to be transferred from your pockets.  It is actually quite simple.  I challenge you to have a conversation with somebody new each and every day for the next two weeks.   That’s it.  That is the challenge.

I presented this challenge to the students, parents, and educators of Griggs County Central during our first teacher in-service and our Back to School event.  I actually challenged them to do it for the entire school year.  A simple conversation with somebody that you don’t normally associate with each day is all this takes.  It can be two sentences back and forth and its over.  It can be simply greeting somebody in the hallway or on the street.  Give a smile and a simple hello.

Each and every one of us has a story.  Each of us wants and needs to feel like we belong.  Every student that walks through our doors has a battle or two or three or more that they are currently fighting.  I challenge you to lend a helping hand.  We all need to feel appreciated, and we all have an obligation to make our society a better place to live.

When you turn on the news you constantly hear the negative things happening in our world.  Whether it be crime, nasty politics, war, etc; we hear it every single day.  Our world is a much better place than what is portrayed in the media.  The Ice-Bucket Challenge is evidence of that.

One of the topics that seem to pop up in the media is the idea that our schools are failing.  Schools are not meeting Adequate Yearly Progress as defined by No Child Left Behind.  It is true; most schools are not meeting this benchmark.  Does one test truly measure a school’s effectiveness?  Has common sense become uncommon?  If you answered “no” to the first and “yes” to the second I think you are on the right track.

Here is how to ensure your school is succeeding.  Have a conversation with somebody new each day.  Make students/teachers feel appreciated.  Show an interest in them and they will show you what success is all about.  Teach real-world competencies such as creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication.  Give them these four tools, and show them that they matter and they will begin to solve some of the problems that we have yet to find the answers.

I recently saw a quote that stated about sixty-five percent of our elementary students today will work at jobs that have not yet been invented when they graduate.  This is a staggering statistic.  The main job of a school district is to ensure students are college and career ready when they walk out your doors for the last time.  This can be a daunting task given the previously mentioned statistic.  Here is the answer.  Have a conversation with somebody new each and every day.  This will show them that they matter.  This will give them motivation to achieve.  Teach students real-world competencies that they will need in every single job when they graduate.  Allow children to be creative.  Ask driving questions (even if those questions yet to have a real answer). Allow students to work together as a team.  This allows them to learn cooperation, and better yet it yields face-to-face interaction (something that seems to be fading us in our society).  Finally allow them to communicate their work to the world.

It’s a simple challenge that requires you to pay nothing but receive the unlimited.  Start the conversation and show people that they matter.  I challenge students, parents, educators, business leaders, community members, and everyone else that has a beating heart.  For the next two weeks have a conversation with somebody new each and every day.   If you’re really brave do it for the rest of the year and maybe the rest of your life.

Disclaimer:  When I blog I simply write my thoughts as they come out of my head.  My blogs are not written to be precise with zero grammatical errors.  When I write for professional purposes I will have it critiqued, but not my blogs.  Sorry if I used the wrong there, or their, or they’re.  I’m notorious for that.  Also a comma here, there, everywhere, or nowhere could have been added or omitted.  My blogs are my thoughts and only that.  Enjoy : ).

Travis Jordan
Superintendent
Griggs County Central
Twitter: @Supt_Jordan

Resolution Day

Resolution Day

Disclaimer:  When I blog at home, I do not have a critiquer (is that a word?).  My grammar could and occasionally will be sub-par. When I blog I write how it appears in my head, not how it should appear in a journal :). 

It’s January 1^st, and yes, I’ve made my New Years Resolutions.  I saw recently that 90% of New Years Resolutions are broken within the first month.   Unfortunately, I’m one that continues to contribute to that data.

Not this year though…right? Can you feel my energy?  I even made more than one, and that probably had something to do with the fact that I’d already broken the first two.  But this third one I tell you is going to go the distance.  If your not at the edge of your seat reading this yet please get there, because I’m about to tell you all about my untouchable, unbreakable, longest lasting resolution yet.

I have fallen in love with Twitter. It is my greatest resource.  Anyways, if you have not heard of Jon Gordon look him up.  He is a motivator, innovator, and all the rest.  His message is inspiring, and he has created the “One Word” movement.  He has also written a number of captivating books.

We all know times get hard.  We get into a slump.  We feel down, cheated, alone etc.  Lets face it, we all have bad days.  What we don’t realize is that the world is full of bad days, and we are not alone at all.  Everybody has a story, and in everybody’s story are good chapters.  We can all think of something good that we have in our lives.  Why is it so easy though to see the bad? 

It is because we allow ourselves to.   On the bright side, we can control this.

I challenge each and every one of you to find one word that can resonate good in your lives.  Find a word that can take you from the dark to the light.  One word that can turn a frown into a smile, and turn a worry into an opportunity.  Find a word that gives you purpose and jump all over it. If you haven’t already give @JonGordon11 a follow.   You will get inspired.

I suppose you are wondering what my third resolution is.  It is my one word; “blessed.”  My resolution is to always feel blessed.  Why wouldn’t I?  I have three wonderful kids, an awesome wife, and a wonderful family.  I obviously have many other blessings but if I tell you those now, I will not have anything to blog about in the future. 

As we head into a new year, I wish peace and prosperity to each and every one of you.  The world can be cloudy at times, but it is also full of numerous blessings.  Be “blessed” and have a great year.

Blessed, not Stressed

Blessed, not Stressed

As I sat and pondered on what to write about for my next article, the Nightly News was on NBC.  While watching, I noticed that just about everything that was reported on was negative in some way, shape, or form: plane crash in Russia, destruction from a storm in the Philippines, tornadoes in Illinois, etcetera.   The negative continued on and suddenly it hit me.  I have no reason whatsoever to feel stressed.  I soon realized how good I have it, and started to think about all the things that have blessed me in my life.  I couldn’t stop.

Why is it that we tend to be more stressed than blessed?  Why is it that our stressors tend to outweigh our blessors (pretty sure that is not a word, but it works).   Why is it easier to see the negative things that surround us rather than the positive things that stare us in the face?  We can change this.

This time of year is all about family and thanksgiving.  After we feast on our turkeys (or other foods) next Thursday, we will begin to focus our attention on Christmas.  Christmas is a joyous time of year because we get to spend more time with our families doing the things that we love to do. 

This holiday season, count your blessings and be thankful for all of the good in your life.  If you sit down and think about it, you can probably come up with a million and one reasons to feel blessed.   I challenge you to feel blessed and not stressed!

What does this have to do with school?  Why is a superintendent telling you this?  Well, you know the old saying… “If momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.”  The same applies for students.   Stress in the home can directly lead to stress at school.   Talk with your children each and every day about the positives in their lives.  One thing that I’ve started to do is ask my kids the same question every night before they go to bed:  “what was your favorite part of the day?”   Now they go to bed thinking about something positive. 

In any event – I will end with a short poem written by yours truly:

Are you feeling crabby?

Things in your life a little shabby?

Are you walking with a frown?

Well, it’s time to turn it upside down.

                               

Now put on your smile

Even if it’s for a two-minute trial.

You will feel better

And your life will feel like it’s coming back together.

If you are still feeling stressed after reading this article, think of the this:  you could be a turkey!

Proud Superintendent

Proud Superintendent

What makes a school great?  This is obviously an overloaded question, which would most likely yield and overloaded answer.  I will keep it simple.

The answer….it depends on who you’re asking.  If you ask the legislator’s that passed the No Child Left Behind legislation the answer is high test scores.  If your students do well on the State test; then you are a great school.   We have to focus on the parts that make up the whole in order to achieve such greatness.   

Have you ever made Rice Crispy Bars but forgot the Marshmallow’s?  How about Spaghetti and forgot the sauce?  Do you know where I’m going with this?

Certainly the ingredients to a great school include more than just test scores, and I can tell you at GCC we are whipping up a great batch of school each and everyday.  I’m proud to be the Superintendent of such a great school.  We often focus on the negative in this world and we tend to overlook the positives.  This is wrong.  We should take pride in our positives, and learn from our negatives. 

I recently read a great article about how Golf applies to our lives.  What does a golfer remember after a round of golf?  The simple answer is – the great shot he/she hit on that one hole.  Of course a golfer hits a number of bad shots, but the one thing he/she remembers is the great one, and it’s the great shot that keeps them going back out for more golf.  Why can’t we apply this to our lives today?   The answer is……..drum roll please………..I said drum roll please…………… we can, and we need to start today.  

So lets begin.

The pride that the communities of Cooperstown and Hannaford have in their school goes unmatched by any other.  I’m willing to take bets on it.  If you have ever wondered why students don’t cheer, or even don’t attend school events anymore – wonder no more.  Please come to a GCC event.   Sportsmanship and Pride are two things that our patrons and students take with them to all of our events.    The support that our communities have for our kids, and the support that our kids have for each other is a site to see. 

The Cooperstown gymnasium is maybe the only place where you could play “If your happy and you know it” at a sporting event and the entire crowd takes part (including teenagers :).  Yep, they put their right foot in and then they take their right foot out, and you better watch out because they shake it all about.   They do the hokey pokey and they cheer and support one another. 

What makes a great school?  It is more than test scores.  It is a pride in doing what we do.  We live, we learn, we play.  We lift each other up.  We lend a helping hand, and we take pride in everything we do.  This is what makes a great school.   As for tests scores making a great school…I think of it like this.  Making progress in our scores should be a major goal for our student’s and teachers.  Supporting each other in everything we do is a major activity of reaching that goal.  If we can motivate, inspire, and support each and every day – we cannot do wrong, and we will continue to see progress.

Thank you to the communities of Cooperstown and Hannaford for supporting our students in all that they do.  I look forward to doing the Hokey Pokey with you real soon.

What is Next?

What is next?  I ask myself this question everyday simply because I learn something new everyday.  It seems like education continues to evolve and change at a rapid pace. I fear that in this evolution we tend to forget the real reason we are here.

We hear we must do this and we must do that.  Federal funding has decreased, and the pressures to get students to proficiency has increased. More and more, students are coming into our districts and less funds are available to get them the education that they deserve.  We spend more time as educators learning new technologies and implementing new mandates, that I fear we are doing our students a disservice.  I completely agree that we need to “keep up with the Jones” so to speak, but I also believe that we need to filter down on the "new" stuff and concentrate on the "what is important."   All too often it seems that once we get a handle on something new it becomes the old and the process repeats itself.

Currently, our students take one test which determines if they are proficient or not in English and Math.   Imagine if we carried this same idea to other aspects in life.  I'm sure Michael Jordan has missed a free throw a time or two.  Does this make him non-proficient in basketball?  He could jump, he could defend, and he was quick.  We could apply this or a similar analogy to a student who does not perform well on the English portion of this test.  The student is extremely creative and innovative.  The student has people skills that go unmatched by their peers, but we labeled them partially proficient or novice.  The point is that one test cannot be a significant measure of academic success and school proficiency. We have got to change the way schools and our students are judged by this.

In any event, we cannot forget about educating our children. Technology is interesting and can be very tempting, but we need to make informed decisions about what is important.  We need to focus on the student...the individual student.  The more time teachers spend with their students, the better they will understand how they learn.  If we can turn our classrooms into student-centered classrooms and facilitate learning to the individual child, we will see our proficiency rates rise.  The more time we spend with our students and the less time we spend learning something that will eventually be replaced by the time we learn it, the better off we (and our students) will be.

As we look forward, I just simply ask that we continue to keep the students in the forefront of our minds.  A decision that does not positively affect our students is not a good decision.

Travis Jordan

Superintendent

Griggs County Central School