Perfect attendance awards: love ‘em or shove em?!
I asked this question to a Facebook group of principals and teachers and over 160 comments later, it’s easy to see why there’s two sides when it comes to celebrating perfect attendance.

On the one side, there’s a lot of attention on attendance in schools today.  And rightly so.  There’s plenty of research linking a child’s success in school with being present at school.  I know this sounds, but it’s difficult for a child to learn at school when a child isn’t at school.  If attendance is a key factor for learning, it makes sense to reward attendance.  You repeat behaviors that get rewarded.  Logic says if attendance is rewarded, students are more likely to attend.

Our culture loves perfect attendance because of what attendance represents: consistency.  Reliability.  Dependability.  These are of course important traits to your success and a student’s success and even as adults you and I gush over the coworker who “never misses a day of work”.    And there’s truth here: much of success is showing up even when you don’t feel like it.  Going to school when you don’t feel like it.  Going to work when you don’t feel like it.  Working out when you don’t feel like it.  Studying when you don’t feel like it.  The success of your life is a product of your habits and successful habits come from the things you do even when you don’t feel like it. 

But the other side of this debate wonders about the many attendance factors outside of a student’s control.  What if a child’s parent or guardian doesn’t care about attendance?  School staff who don’t like perfect attendance awards use this argument when they say these awards are more for parents then students.  Is it really up to a 1st grader whether they get to school?  And what if a child is sick?  Should a parent send their sick kid to school, expose the rest of the class, teachers, and staff all for the sake of a year-end perfect attendance award?  As one admin said with a tish of sarcasm: I don’t know, at the elementary level, I just really love it when kids get drugged with Tylenol to suppress the 100-degree fever just so they don’t lose their perfect attendance record.    

My wife and I have two middle schoolers and two high schoolers.  In all their years of schooling, only one had a year with perfect attendance . . . and the school forgot to recognize him at the end of the year awards ceremony! 

​So, what say you?  Do you love perfect attendance awards or shove em?!  Or somewhere in the middle?  Let us know in the comments.
 

I recently saw 81% of Americans would like to write a book!  Even if the stat is high, it means you’ve likely thought about your book. 

Writing a book is awesome.  And it sucks.  And it’s great.  And it takes the soul out of you.  And it’s fun.  And it’s hard.  Whether you’ve thought about writing a book or are beginning the process, here’s 9 things I wish I would have known before writing mine:

1. Your writing stinks- I know, quite the tip to start with.  But it’s true-.  You likely don’t write for a living, and even if you do , the first writing for your book will suck.  The renown author Anne Lamott abbreviates her first drafts S******* First Drafts.  If you’re unsure of the abbreviation, picture a poop emoji.  This writing started as an SFD.  To get better at writing, you need to write every day.  There’s no hack.
2. You’re not ready to write a book- The good thing is there’s no perfect time to write one.  Some times may be better than others, but if you wait for the right time, you’ll never write it. 
3. You’ll want to edit as you write- the author Jon Acuff talks about this a lot.  When you write, you’ll want to fix spelling and grammar.  You’ll delete what you’ve written and rewrite it.  Don’t do this.  When you write, write.  Errors and all.  Go back later to edit, but don’t try to write and edit at the same time.
4. You’ll hear voices inside your head- Those voices will say things like “who do you think you are?”.  They will question you.  Doubt you.  Challenge you.  Scare you.  And make you want to quit.  You’ll want to believe them.  You’ll even agree with them.  There’s lots out there about overcoming this, but for now plan on it happening and keep writing to shush the voices.
5. You’ll face many decisions between your gut and what people like- One example was with my book’s cover.  My designer did 3 mocks and I really liked the color of one of them as did my wife and a designer friend.  But I put the cover to a vote and the popular vote went with a different cover.  I still wish I would’ve went with my gut, but now you know!
6. You won’t want to promote your book-  But you will. Author and entrepreneur Grant Cardon says if you’re not willing to promote yourself, why should anyone else?  This is especially true with your book.  If you want people to read your book, you will need to put time into promotion.
7. Your book isn’t a destination- I’ve worked harder after releasing my book then actually writing the book.  I thought the book was a destination but it’s an adventure.  Part of a process.
8. You won’t make money with your book- Well, maybe you will, but I didn’t.  But profit wasn’t the point.  There will be costs for your book and you will want to charge something to cover those costs, but if you’re looking to a book as a sweet side hustle, you’re better off doing literally anything else.
9. Your book won’t be perfect- you’ll find typos even after several rounds of edits.  You’ll wish you said something differently or added something or deleted something.  Your perfectionist side will use this to stall your progress and convince you you’re not ready, but you are.  Progress beats perfection every time.

Your book is worth it- it’s worth the time.  It’s worth the expense.  It’s worth the energy.  It’s worth the untold battles you’ll have in your mind about writing or quitting, hiding or publishing.  Your book is worth it because you are worth it and your story is worth it.

What would your book be about?  Let us know in the comments.  

Give me some advice on how churches and businesses can help my school?

This message came from a teacher.  Some of you have amazing partnerships with a church, business or a parent-teacher group.  And some of you don’t.  Every school needs a partner.  Every classroom, every teacher, every person working at a school needs a partner.  Someone or some group who cares enough to provide support, time and resources. 

Part of our work here is working on every school having partner.  Maybe you have a similar question as this teacher.  If you’re a teacher, school counselor, or principal wondering how to get this started, start here:

• Research- First, is there a nearby church or a business you can approach for partnership?  Does your principal attend church somewhere or does a teacher have a connection with a local business?  If you’re a school principal or teacher looking for a partner, start there.  Start with who is closest to your school or who you already have a connection with.
• Identify- what’s an opportunity you have right now for the church or business to partner with?  Maybe your school needs a meal for conferences.  Maybe your classroom needs some Kleenex.  Maybe you have some students who need a mentor.  Pick one area to approach the potential partner with and build from there,
• Ask- finally, ask.  Email to the church with your request or ask for a meeting.  Call the business, explain your opportunity and ask the business to help.  There’s no guarantee your ask gets answered, but many churches and businesses want to help schools.  When you ask them, you take the mystery out of it and give them a winning opportunity.

One resource to help you is 50 ways full of ideas on how a church or business can come alongside and partner with a school.  Sometimes all it takes is for a school to send this to a church or business and say something like “we could really use help with #6 on this list- can you help?”.  Or “we’re looking for someone to partner with our school- which of these do you think you could help with?”.  If you’d like this resource, let me know in the comments and I’ll send one to ya.  ​

Good morning!

I'll give you a warning: the email below is a bit of a rant!

What did you want to be when you grew up?

Perhaps you wanted to be a doctor.  A nurse.  An artist.  A singer.  A dancer.  An athlete.

Maybe you’re doing exactly what you wanted to be when you were little.  Maybe you’re like many of us and still wondering what you want to be when you grow up.

One recent night one of my children came into the bedroom a little after 10 PM.  I’ll admit this knack teens have for opening up and sharing important stuff after 10 has taken me some getting used to.  Why do these aha moments always happen at night?!  Anyway, our child shared about wanting to be a teacher.  My wife, a teacher, was thrilled.  She got excited, asked good questions, and dreamt some with our child;  she was ‘all in’ on this rare moment with a teen.

Me?  I was already my after 10:00 pm crabby self.  I pretended to sleep all the while trying to stuff down a really surprising thought: no, child, don’t do that.

It shocked me too.  There’s not many who respect the teaching profession more than me:

• I am married to an educator, the son of an educator, and a brother to educators
• My website and Facebook page are dedicated to helping teachers and providing resources for them. 
• I contacted my legislators just yesterday to remind them to keep their promises to my state’s educators and children

I share all this to say I have some unique insight of an informed outsider who knows more than most what teachers go through each day.  It used to be teachers taught.  They taught eager minds concepts, strategies and knowledge.  They awakened curiosities and mentored learners to being able to excitedly answer the “what do you want to do when you group up questions”.  I had incredible, dedicated teachers at each of my educational stops and am forever grateful for their work.

But the teaching profession has changed- and in many ways- not for the better. The job of a teacher is so much more complex and demanding then the days when I walked “uphills both ways”:

• Teachers have incredible pressure to make sure students hit content standards and thus feel constant pressure to “teach to the exam”
• Policy makers often outside of education appear to mean well when pushing for merit-based rewards for successful teaching but fail to account for the unique challenges each learner and classroom presents. 
• Entire cottage industries have been born in the last several years for teachers and schools focused on topics like social emotional learning and trauma informed teaching.

And, pray tell, what is often the reward for this increasing demanding profession? 

• Deficient pay- Stagnant wages or salaries that actually go backwards as they don’t keep up with inflation.  Terse negotiations with school boards and state lawmakers that often accomplish little and portray teachers in a negative and unbecoming light.
• Deficient resourcing- the average teacher spends $450 out of pocket on basic school supplies for her classroom.  To make up this shortage, movements like donorschoose.org and #clearthelists have become popular crowd funding for teachers only to become impermissible in some districts as boards and officials seek to shield their schools and districts from being perceived as lacking or underfunded.
• Deficient expectations- taxpayers and constituents who think the teaching gig is like it was when they were in school.  Parents who increasingly blame schools and teachers for what happening to, in the words of one teacher, “their little johnny” without taking responsibility. 

So knowing the little I know, when my child expressed wanting to be a teacher, I sighed.  I contemplated saying what I was really thinking.  And instead I wrote these words.
 
I will be incredibly proud should any of my children choose to join the proud legacy of people who are teachers. I will be incredibly proud should this child choose to impact children’s lives as so many in my family have and so many of my friends. 

I just wish we greater respected the teaching profession for what it can do, not disrespected for what it can’t.  Until then, you and I have work to do to see that every school- every teacher- has a partner in teaching children on their path to becoming whoever they want to be when they grow up.

For those who teach, for those who work in schools, and for those who partner with 'em, thank you for all you do.

B

​Give me some advice on how churches and businesses can help my school?

This message came from a teacher.  Some of you have amazing partnerships with a church, business or a parent-teacher group.  And some of you don’t.  Every school needs a partner.  Every classroom, every teacher, every person working at a school needs a partner.  Someone or some group who cares enough to provide support, time and resources. 

Part of our work here is working on every school having partner.  Maybe you have a similar question as this teacher.  If you’re a teacher, school counselor, or principal wondering how to get this started, start here:

• Research- First, is there a nearby church or a business you can approach for partnership?  Does your principal attend church somewhere or does a teacher have a connection with a local business?  If you’re a school principal or teacher looking for a partner, start there.  Start with who is closest to your school or who you already have a connection with.
• Identify- what’s an opportunity you have right now for the church or business to partner with?  Maybe your school needs a meal for conferences.  Maybe your classroom needs some Kleenex.  Maybe you have some students who need a mentor.  Pick one area to approach the potential partner with and build from there,
• Ask- finally, ask.  Email to the church with your request or ask for a meeting.  Call the business, explain your opportunity and ask the business to help.  There’s no guarantee your ask gets answered, but many churches and businesses want to help schools.  When you ask them, you take the mystery out of it and give them a winning opportunity.

One resource to help you is 50 ways full of ideas on how a church or business can come alongside and partner with a school.  Sometimes all it takes is for a school to send this to a church or business and say something like “we could really use help with #6 on this list- can you help?”.  Or “we’re looking for someone to partner with our school- which of these do you think you could help with?”.  If you’d like this resource, let me know in the comments and I’ll send one to ya.  

I am a bit obsessed with other people’s morning routines!  Seriously.  I’ve read and bought books like what the most successful people get done before breakfast and the miracle morning and chances are if there’s a book coming out about how to do mornings better, I am buying it!

Maybe, just maybe you’re obsessed with morning like me.  Or, maybe you’re a night owl and all this talk about morning routines really bothers you but you also know there’s something to patterns and routines regardless of when they happen.    

I want to take you quickly through my morning routine.  Not to give you more stuff to do.  Not to make you feel guilty for hitting the snooze button.  But to show you some things that have worked for me in the morning and maybe one or more of them will work for you.  There’s 4 things- well 5, if you count coffee- I do just about every morning:

1. Time in the word- 1 and 1a are almost simultaneous.  I read some passages from the Bible while making coffee.  I follow a read through the bible in a year plan and it’s become almost automatic.  If you follow Jesus, time in the word is a great way to start the day.  If you’re not, read something inspirational, uplifting, or challenging to get you going and get your mind started right.
2. Planning- if I’ve done things right, I’ve planned my day the night before- see, I’m not against night owls- in terms of what I need to do, what I am doing when, meetings, projects I am working on, etc.  My morning planning time is writing down answers to the same prompts each day including from a planner called the High Performance Planner.  The planner includes prompts like One thing I can get excited about today is and If one word could describe the kind of person I want to be today, then that word is . . .  and why I chose it. . . 
   
3. Journaling- I have a Microsoft word journal on my laptop simply called Bs journal.  Laugh now as most of it is BS!    The goal here is to write. I’ll write about the previous day, I’ll write about anxieties or stresses I am feeling.  I’ll be honest as possible with who I am, what I am thinking, and how I am feeling.  I write most  every day and the goal is to get at least 500 words in.  I don’t worry about spelling, grammar, or even if it flows or makes sense. I am trying to simply get stuff onto paper and let the writing transcribe how I am doing.
4. Creating- mornings are my best time for doing anything creative- writing this happened in the morning- editing it probably happened later.  Anything you see on the blog or on the Facebook page likely took place in the morning regardless of when it got scheduled.  The later in the day it gets, the less interesting and creative I am.  Heck, let’s be honest, the crabbier I get, so it’s important to me that creative work happen in the morning.

My routine usually takes an hour. Sometimes longer.  Sometimes less.  It’s important for me that this routine happens before I open my phone. Before I check email.  Facebook.  Twitter.  Any of those things that aren’t bad but that rob me of the freedom a morning provides. 

That’s it!  Share something from your routine that’s worked well for youin the comments and make your next morning your best morning.
 

The world is a better place when this month- January- goes better for each of us and when we make intentional choices for January to go better for ourselves.  This week is the first full week of the new year.  If you’re like me, your resolutions, your one words, your desires for change in your life are already being tested.  When you combine changes you want to make with January blehness, it’s no wonder our changes and resolutions and one words won’t make it to the end of the month. 

Here's 5 ways you can make January go well for you as a person, no matter the goal or the resolution you’ve chosen or the person you’re working at becoming in this new year:

1. Plan a trip- now maybe you can’t go somewhere warm during bleh days.  But you might take a vacation this summer and or you might plan a staycation.  Tons of research says it’s not necessarily the trip that get us excited, but the planning.  The looking forward to something.  So take time in January to plan a trip or a staycation and give your brain the reward of looking forward to something.
2. Exercise- some of us yes have health goals and resolutions, and this connected to that, but it’s also more than that.  Get moving and raise your heartbeat every day.  Go for a walk.  Hit the gym.  Get on the floor to play with the kids or the dog.  Do something to get the blood pumping and notice and get yourself a better mood outlook.
3. Declutter- Probably my personal fave here.  We’ve been on a declutter kick in my home.  My wife’s been redoing rooms and getting rid of stuff and when you get rid of stuff- not rearranging stuff but actually getting rid of it- not only do you free up physical space, but you free up space in your mind.  Your mood lifts.  Your anxiety lessens.  You can make January better simply by getting rid of some stuff.
4. Read- crack a book John!  January is a good month to get lost in a good book whether that’s some fiction you want to read or some nonfiction to help you with one of your goals.  January is a good time to read and when we read, we move toward becoming the people we want to become.
5. Volunteer- finally, volunteer.  Do something for someone else.  The holiday are over and our culture goes from having all kinds of volunteer opportunities last month to having what seems like none this month.  Course that isn’t the case- always opportunities to volunteer and with every school needing a partner, there’s many ways to volunteer with a school, but when you volunteer, you live out gratitude.  Your practice generosity.  And when you practice generosity, your mood lifts, your spirit changes, and you’re closer to making January a bit better and you becoming the kind of person you want to become.

Which of these 5 hits home the most? 
Which of these 5 could you do this week yet without making a major change or adjustment to your schedule? 
What would you add to this list?  Let us know in the comments and let’s help each other make January less blah!
 

Hey! 
It’s your first Tuesday of the new year.  You got through the first Monday of the new year and working your way through the new year’s first full week.  And while you’re working the first full week of 2020, our teachers, students, and administrators will tell you January is a challenging month.  You see in August and September, there’s back to school energy.  Parents, churches, businesses and non-profits are all over helping schools.  And we just came through the holidays where most of us have a giving spirit and are looking to spread goodwill. 

But January?  Who gets excited for January?  Who gets excited about giving and helping and partnering and serving now?  Every school needs a partner and those partners are needed more during months like January.  Here's 5 ways to help a school beat the January blahs:

1. Cold & flu supplies- the Kleenex, sanitizer, and wipes you donated back in September are likely gone.  Check with your school to see what’s needed.  If you’re a teacher or principal, contact your partner church or business and let them know what you need.  Beating January’s blahs starts with fighting cold and flu season. 
2. Advocate for schools- January is a good month to write your legislators and representatives about how important teachers are and your desire to see them fairly compensated.  You could attend a school board meeting.  You could post something on Facebook advocating for schools.
3. Title 1 & Parent Nights- this time of year includes Title 1 math nights, literacy nights, and other evening events geared for parents to come to school.  Admins and teachers are always looking for ways to boost attendance at these events.  If you’re a principal or teacher and you have an idea on how to increase attendance, ask your partner church or business.  If you partner with a school, offer to help with a meal or provide door prizes to increase attendance and make for a fun event.
4. Food drive- January is a good month for food drives.  Many businesses and churches also do food drives, so how about partnering together with a food drive?  Kids bring items to school.  Businesses and churches also collect items and the impact is doubled through doing the food drive together.  
5. Appreciation- any month is a good month for appreciation(!), but January is a time for some unique appreciation.  Give each teacher or staff a code for a free Redbox movie.  One school parented to give teachers a take and bake pizza on Friday as they went home for the weekend.  Our community (you!) is giving a pizza party to a 5th grade classroom this Thursday from last month’s 12 Days of Christmas. 

Which of these 5 ideas is doable for you?  Which of these 5 do you need most in your school this month?  What else would you add to these 5 ideas to help make January go better?  Let us know in the comments and let’s help January be a great month for schools.