Instruction Matters 6.23.11

It was one of those stormy days early this spring when the Midwest was hunkering down during devastating tornadoes, and Salt Lake was watching storm warnings. Dark clouds and threatening winds thundered in. Leslie and her family had returned from initiating their new camp trailer and parked it along the street when a ruckus came charging down the road. A horse was dragging a trampoline! Someone thought it would be smart to hitch up their horse to their children’s trampoline. The horse thought differently. Leslie watched as neighbors somehow calmed the horse when it veered into their yard and got the mangled trampoline unhitched. Tragedy averted! Trailer unharmed! Horse survived! Trampoline unusable!

Sometimes we hitch up our hopes to a program or an idea that looks sturdy and strong. When the storms roll in, everything gets wild, and our hopes for success are drug through the dust and mud. I guess the lesson is: be careful what you are hitching up and what you are hitching up to. We cannot take a great new Common Core, for example, and hitch it to shoddy practice or weak knowledge of the subject. Make sure that we are competent and ready and stable before we add a new core. Let’s not let the Core drag us. We can do hard things! We do whatever it takes because our kids are worth it!

Competency Matters

It was one of those stormy days early this spring when the Midwest was hunkering down during devastating tornadoes, and Salt Lake was watching storm warnings. Dark clouds and threatening winds thundered in. Leslie and her family had returned from initiating their new camp trailer and parked it along the street when a ruckus came charging down the road. A horse was dragging a trampoline! Someone thought it would be smart to hitch up their horse to their children’s trampoline. The horse thought differently. Leslie watched as neighbors somehow calmed the horse when it veered into their yard and got the mangled trampoline unhitched. Tragedy averted! Trailer unharmed! Horse survived! Trampoline unusable!

Sometimes we hitch up our hopes to a program or an idea that looks sturdy and strong. When the storms roll in, everything gets wild, and our hopes for success are drug through the dust and mud. I guess the lesson is: be careful what you are hitching up and what you are hitching up to. We cannot take a great new Common Core, for example, and hitch it to shoddy practice or weak knowledge of the subject. Make sure that we are competent and ready and stable before we add a new core. Let’s not let the Core drag us. We can do hard things! We do whatever it takes because our kids are worth it!

Matters of Civility

Sometimes our course is set by the immediate needs of the children before us. When we see a child in pain, ridiculed, belittled, we reach out to do whatever is in our power to correct it. And so it was this last week at Copper Hills. A rather strange little girl, odd and different in so many ways, was the object of a cruel game perpetrated by her classmates. They were mocking her, name calling, poking, and pushing. Not only one or two students joined in, but whole classes sided against this singular child. Her teacher wondered what could be done. I called the District’s attorney and the head of student services. Bullying. What is to be done when it is 94 against one? The lawyer took it personally as the father of children on the autism spectrum. The teacher was heart-broken that her students could be involved in such unkindness. The girl and her mother, sadly, said it was okay—they were used to it. It was not okay! We had a meeting with all the students to appeal to their hearts and minds because it is not ever okay to stand by while one child hurts. It is our duty and our choice to make a difference to the one and to the 94.

Competency Matters

It was one of those stormy days early this spring when the Midwest was hunkering down during devastating tornadoes, and Salt Lake was watching storm warnings. Dark clouds and threatening winds thundered in. Leslie and her family had returned from initiating their new camp trailer and parked it along the street when a ruckus came charging down the road. A horse was dragging a trampoline! Someone thought it would be smart to hitch up their horse to their children’s trampoline. The horse thought differently. Leslie watched as neighbors somehow calmed the horse when it veered into their yard and got the mangled trampoline unhitched. Tragedy averted! Trailer unharmed! Horse survived! Trampoline unusable!

Sometimes we hitch up our hopes to a program or an idea that looks sturdy and strong. When the storms roll in, everything gets wild, and our hopes for success are drug through the dust and mud. I guess the lesson is: be careful what you are hitching up and what you are hitching up to. We cannot take a great new Common Core, for example, and hitch it to shoddy practice or weak knowledge of the subject. Make sure that we are competent and ready and stable before we add a new core. Let’s not let the Core drag us. We can do hard things! We do whatever it takes because our kids are worth it!

Breakfast Matters

Monday Memo 5.31.11



Dear Friends,



One morning last week my grandchildren arrived early. I take them to school with me every day, but on that morning I was still getting ready. My twelve-year-old granddaughter came to my bedroom door and asked if she could have some breakfast. I replied that she would have to find herself something since I was running a little late. Her uncharacteristic cheerful answer should have alerted me, “Caution! You should pay attention to this situation!” Entering the kitchen, I saw Cassie eating a bowl of CHOCOLATE CHIPS! Breakfast of champions? It just reminded me that kids need constant guidance and direction! ...Even when they are twelve!



Here we are at the end of our school year, still trying to prompt and teach our students. We want them to go on well-prepared to face the learning challenges of their next school year. And even though you and I might choose chocolate (have you tried chocolate Cheerios? Yum!) for breakfast, let’s keep teaching them that choices have consequences. I hope you touched on nutrition this year! Whatever it takes, our kids are worth it. We do hard things! Hurray for you! Have a great week.