My "Fat" Letter and How It Relates to Our Schools

I received a “fat” letter from my health insurance company.  They probably do not call it a “fat” letter, but that is how came across to me.

Basically, the letter said that I weighed too much and if I didn’t start to lose weight I would slip from the preferred, cheaper health insurance pool into the basic, more expensive health insurance pool. Not only did they say I was getting fat, they were going to charge me for the privilege. 

I understand why they sent me the letter.  On my last visit to the doctor I weighed 238 pounds.  While I had convinced myself that I was not overweight, I was probably on the road that would get me there.

But I have a surprise for my doctor. 

Since January 5^th I have lost 49 pounds.  I now weigh 189 pounds.

I am not sick.  I have no health issues.  I just made the decision that I needed to do something about my weight.  I made the decision even before I received my “fat” letter.

This was not a decision that I made lightly.  I love ice cream.  I love Mt. Dew.  I love Butterfinger candy bars.  But I also love my wife and I wanted to be around a long time with her.  So I knew I needed to change.

I started being more serious about my walks with Kaya, our dog.  I stopped sitting down in the evening and eating everything I could find.  I quit getting a 99-cent Mt. Dew and a bag of Nutter Butter cookies everyday after lunch.  I quit keeping M & Ms in my candy jar at work.  I drink more water.  I don’t eat everything on my plate at lunch.

I feel better.  I sleep better.  I feel good about what I have been able to do. 

Schools don’t receive “fat” letters.  We do, however, receive indicators that let us know how we are doing.  Instead of a scale that shows our weight, school indicators come in the form of standardized test scores, school improvement goals, and school performance indicators.

The state of Michigan has a school report card.  This report card is based on school performance on the MEAP or MME, indicators of school performance, and whether or not a school made Adequate Yearly Progress.  I am happy to report that all of our schools received an A or a B last year and every one of our schools made adequate yearly progress.

We can also evaluate ourselves by setting and reviewing school improvement goals.  Quite honestly, I don’t think we have done a good job of reflecting on where we are and identifying where we need to be.  One of my goals is to help our district get better at setting, monitoring, and evaluating school improvement goals. 

Schools also can evaluate their performance based on other criteria.  How many students participate in extracurricular or co-curricular activities?  What is the average daily attendance of students and staff?  Are people happy when they come to work?  Are people willing to work together?

We can measure some of these areas and in others we are trying to find ways to measure our performance.  On many of these criteria though our district excels and we can be rightfully proud of who and what we are.

I know that we are not perfect.  I know that there are areas that we can improve.  But the people in our district do a lot of the right things and make a difference for our students everyday.  But, instead of getting comfortable and saying that we are good right where we are, I want us to be a district that takes stock and tries to improve.

This summer I will return to my doctor for another check-up.  My hope is that I will not receive another “fat” letter in the future.  While I am not in perfect health, I am closer now than I was a few months ago.

This summer, our district will receive report card grades on each of our schools.  My hope is that these grades will help us identify what we continue to do well and where we can continue to make improvements.   Our district health is improving and I hope that together we can continue to work toward getting us in the best shape possible.

An Amazing Teacher - One of Many

This morning I had an incredible experience. Let me describe it for you.

Minutes before the start of the contest the players huddled around their coach. He looked each of them in the eye and tried to encourage them.

"You have prepared for this day," he said. "For the last 180 days you have worked for this moment. Now is your time to dominate. Bring it in. On three, DOMINATE!"

The players huddled closer together, raised their arms, and joined their hands. "DOMINATE!"

It sounds like a typical pre-game meeting between a coach and players. But this was not a coach and his team. This was an AP Calculus teacher and his students. It Brett McCartney talking to his students right before they took their AP Calculus test. After he encouraged them he left the room, leaving his students in the hands of the AP test proctors. It was an amazing sight!

Here was a teacher who was invested in his students. He understood that his role was to prepare them to be successful. He understood that his job was to make them ready.

I sat in his class this year and watched as he expressed his disappointment with his students about their performance on a quiz that he was returning to them. I saw him ask questions, probe for understanding, and build on knowledge that he knew they had. He understood his job and he was trying to do it as well as he could.

Today was the day that the students had the opportunity to demonstrate that they had learned their lessons. They screamed "Dominate" and then returned to their assigned seats, number 2 pencils in hand, ready for their test.

Mr. McCartney invests in his students. He assumes a personal responsibility for their success. He prepares, he teaches, he reflects, and he tries to get better every day. He knows what the expectations are and he builds up his students so they can clear the hurdle.

He doesn't lower his standard when students struggle. He looks for ways to reach and teach them so that they will be successful.

He understands that students also have a responsibility. He knows that students must invest time and energy into learning. He realizes that ultimately learning falls on the students but he does everything he can to maximize their success.

The wonderful thing for me is that their are many teachers in our district who do the same thing every day. I have seen teachers at every level - elementary, middle school, and high school - demonstrate the same professional demeanor as Mr. McCartney. It was exciting to see this teacher so passionate about his craft this morning.

The lucky thing for me is that I get to see this kind of passion on display in our district every day.