I begin with a heavy heart, after
hearing about the passing of Rita Pierson a few weeks ago. Her Ted Talk, “Everyone
Deserves a Champion,” had a
resounding impact on me and my philosophies.
Her speech made me think of the instances where I may have been
someone’s champion; and looking back, I am unsure if I fulfilled that
prophecy. The day I heard her speech, I
made a promise to myself and those around me: I will forever strive to be someone’s
champion!
This
leads me to a story from my childhood; a story that had a lasting impact on me;
a story that I believe has made me a better husband, father, teacher, and
leader. I would like to thank Dave
Burgess (@burgessdave) and his book, “Teach
Like A Pirate,” for reminding
me of the “Hooking Strategy.” At this
point I am sure many of you are thinking; what happened? What instance in someone’s life can have that
kind of impact?
Growing
up, my father and I spent a lot of time outdoors and continue to do so - we
hunt, fish, garden, and explore, whatever we can do in nature we try to
continue. When I was eight years old,
one of my father’s friends asked me if I wanted to go fishing with him and his
son the following day. My response was a
resounding, “Yes!” That night was restless,
as my excitement about the upcoming activities continued to grow. I was up early that morning rounding up all
my fishing gear; I was ready to go before the sun even rose. I sat in the house that morning anticipating
his arrival and the upcoming adventures.
As the hours passed I just kept looking out the window, waiting for his
car to pull in the drive-way. I remember,
I kept telling myself, “It will be any time now, he just got busy.” As the sun set, I was left waiting for that
car to arrive. He never came.
That
day had a lasting impact on me as a child.
I remember telling myself that if I ever make a statement/promise to
anyone, I would do my best to always follow through and if I could not I would
be sure to communicate why and reschedule to uphold my end of the bargain. I look back and I am not sure if I was ever
given a reason regarding why or where this person was, and why he left a child
filled with excitement, looking out the window. He could have been my champion that day. A phone call, a swing by, a note tucked in
the door; anything would have eased the pain.
As I entered the
teaching profession I took this experience and vowed to do my best to never
leave any of my students with this feeling.
As educators we often do not realize the impact we have on students and
the impact of our words. If we say
something to students, we have to ensure we follow through. If we say, “I will let you know later or I’ll
get back to you tomorrow,” and we fail to do so, we have lost! This choice can be devastating, not only to
the child but to you as an educator. I
have witnessed empty promises first hand; and the impact has produced zero
positives. We need to think of what we
say each day and ensure we are fulfilling our promises to our students.
As I enter my
first year in the administrative realm of education I pledge to my students,
staff, and colleagues: I will do my best to be your champion. I will work each day to get better and I will
always do what is in the best interest of you.
Do not get me wrong, I know there will be mistakes along the way, but in
each scenario I will use my experience to grow and improve. I encourage those reading this post to always
try to do your best and never leave anyone looking out the window.
