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.

School finance: A confusing conundrum

The Lansing State Journal has an interesting article on April 23rd. It highlights the difficult position that the Waverly and East Lansing School Districts find themselves in. These school districts are part of a group of 40 school districts in the state that are called "20j" districts. These districts have been able to able to have additional revenue, revenue that was not available to all districts in the state. Last year that revenue was cut.

I objected to the way that revenue was cut. The school year had already started, those districts had created a budget anticipating the availability of that revenue, and those districts had not been given any reason to doubt that the "20j" revenue was in peril. Then two months after the school year started those districts learned that the "20j" revenue for the current school year was going to be cut. That was an unconscionable decision by the Governor to do that without providing those districts with enough planning time to do it right.

However, it highlights the disparity in funding between districts in Michigan. In the Lansing State journal article it states that legislation is being introduced that would bring "20j" districts per-pupil funding to the top of the state's funding range, which is currently $8,324 per student.

While that is commendable why would that legislation pass when our district - the Grand Ledge Public Schools - receives a per pupil allocation of $7,261? Why would legislation be introduced that would continue inequity?

I understand that the "20j" districts are being hit harder than other districts. But in our district we are closing schools, laying off teachers, and trying to find ways to continue to provide a quality education with less money. If legislation is introduced to bring some district up to the top of the state's funding range I want my district to be a part of that. If our per pupil allocation were raised to $8,324, our district would have an additional 5.5 million dollars a year.

School funding in Michigan has a structural problem. They system is broken. Instead of creating stop-gap, individual district fixes the whole system needs to be re-examined. Now is the time to do that.

Kindergarten round up helps us focus

This week we have been using Central Office for kindergarten round-up. It is an exciting time. Parents register their children for kindergarten and I get to think of the possibilities for the next generation of students. If I calculated this right these new 2010-2011 kindergarten students are the Grand Ledge High School Comet class of 2023.

What changes will they see in their school career?

The iPad is the newest invention, but what will come as they speed through school?

We are living in tough times. The economy is rebounding but things are still very difficult. Yet these kindergarten students bring hope for the future. As I see the parents and their children I am reminded that even in difficult times we have a responsibility to make sure that we can provide the quality that these students need to excel in their world.

Mixed Emotions

Today was a day full of emotions. This morning I was able to wish our high school gymnastics team good luck as they headed off to Rockford to compete in the state finals. The team is the two time defending state champion. They were happy and full of life. Their parents and others beamed with pride. Their coach was smiling.

An hour later I was in my office saying good bye to one of our Central Office administrators. Our district restructuring plan called for us to lay off two Central Office administrators. Today was the day. It was hard to say good bye.

Such is life right now in school districts across Michigan. The events of school go on, yet there are painful and necessary discussions and decisions going on about the future of every district. Grand Ledge is doing its part. We are making painful choices to balance our budget. Yet we are also working hard to make sure that our students have opportunities.

It was a day of mixed emotions. There will be many more just like this one in the days ahead.

Ten Year Olds and Dreams

There was an article in the Seattle Times on Wednesday, February 24th, that talked about the United States Nordic Combined Olympic team. The United States had never won an Olympic medal in a Nordic Combined event. Until this year.

This year, the United States won one individual medal and one team medal. The article talked about the effort of the US team and their excitement at winning this medal. It spoke of how long these athletes had been working to get to this point and their satisfaction and joy on reaching their goal.

What struck me most about the article however, was the last sentence. It read, "And only a fool would bet against a 10-year-old with a dream."

This captures our goal in Grand Ledge. I want our school district to do two things. One, I want us to help 10-year-olds learn to dream. I want us to help every student in our district learn to dream, to hope, to have a vision for what they passionately care about. Then I want us - the teachers, administrators, and staff who work here - to be able to give them the skills, the passion, and the heart they need to succeed.

The vision for our district is to be among the best schools in the nation. One way to do that is to make sure we help students dream about the future and then prepare them to achieve those dreams.

Adapting to our environment allows us to grow

Wired Magazine has an interesting article on California redwoods. The giant redwoods have developed the ability to absorb as much as 40% of their water directly from the fog that is a constant in the part of California that they grow in. Without this ability to absorb water from the fog these trees could never grow so tall. If they relied on their roots only, they would be much smaller trees. The water from the roots could never get up to the heights that these trees grow.

To me this is a great example of how we can use the resources around us to do great things. These trees grow to great heights because they use their resources.

Our district has to continue learning how to use its resources to grow to great heights. It is possible in the difficult environment that we find ourselves to continue to adapt and grow. That is our challenge and my goal.