It's great to see them back performing with Brian Johnson, who wasn't able to tour with them for their last album due to hearing issues. AC/DC overcame the death of their rhythm guitarist, Malcolm Young. It's great to see them having so much fun performing again.

The book opens with a bold statement: Zappos Company Purpose, which is "To inspire the world by showing it's possible to simultaneously deliver happiness to customers, employees, community, vendors, and shareholders in a long-term, sustainable way."

Damn.

What is the purpose of your classroom? Your school? Your company? Your Team?

Can you even state it? Have you ever thought about it before?

One thing that makes Zappos incredible - and this is true for the greatest organizations we have - is that that have a higher purpose. AND they preach it to their staff so that everyone buys in.

Again, what is your higher purpose?

For Zappos, it's all about caring for their customers. Once you care for others, it changes everything. I would submit to you, in our world of teaching, those who care the most for their students are the happiest and enact the biggest change.

One of my favorite stories occurs early in the book. It comes from Terri McNally, head of customer service. She relates a conversation she had with a customer who called their customer loyalty division inquiring about why half of her order was late.

Terri did some investigating and found that it was all Zappos fault. Terri went out of her way to personally call the customer back and inform her that it was their fault that the order would be late.

The customer explained that the shoes were for several members of her family for a funeral service. Due to bad weather, the funeral was pushed back so the shoes arriving late wasn't a bit deal. Still, Terri took ownership of the mistake and refunded half of the order price. She also offered her condolences.

Now, who wouldn't love to deliver happiness like that? Who wouldn't want to work for a company that empowered you to do such things?

That is the power of wow.

Week #15 – December 14-18

Teaching Thought #63 - Seeking Failure

Failure, or the seeking of non-attainment, as Adam Kreek calls it in this iconic TEDx Talk, is a great way to spend a period with your class. Watch it with them and ask them why we stigmatize failure in America. Why do we so often view our competition as enemies instead of people from whom we can learn and grow? What is their plan for success? When do they ever get the change to take the ‘slow route’ so that they can ‘learn more’?

Teaching Thought #64 - Skills in an Unpredictable World

Looking for a change of pace? Looking for a great video to share with your class and then discuss? Or even looking to break up those dreadful “let’s-have-a-meeting-just-to-have-a-meeting” meeting?

Watch this incredible TED Talk and ask your students (or staff) what they think.

Teaching Thought #65 - Say “Yes” to the Hard Stuff, Part 1

I took this from the Focus 3 Podcast. This relates to all of us in a couple of different ways.

First, “Genetics shape you, circumstances influence you, but your decisions define you.” Now this about this great quote for a second. How does that relate to us and, more importantly, how does that relate to us as teachers and leaders?

When I grew up, I was trapped by a fixed mindset. Only I didn’t know what that was then. But I was limited by the fact that I thought talent was set. You had a specific limit. That was it. The idea of hard work and learning to grow and get better was totally alien to me. If I could go back, oh how much harder I would work and how much better I would be.

I should have known better though. I recall one of my first eight grade football practices. We were doing up downs. I was growing a bit tired, so I started to coast. This was just my default. I didn’t know anything different.

Then my position coach began yelling at me. Man, did that motivate me.

All these years later, I still think of that moment, for that is when I realized that I was capable of so much more . . . if I pushed myself.

That would be put to the test later at the end of my first quarter in college when finals hit. I buckled down and worked very hard. And as a result, my grades soared like never before. That was something that I’ve carried all the way through.

So ‘genetics” did, in fact, shape me, but it didn’t end there. the “circumstances” did influence me greatly when it came to working hard. However, the ‘decisions’ I made to lean in to the dip (to quote one of my favorites, Seth Godin) has defined my life, especially my career, which is why it is July 31 and I’m now just writing this teaching tip. I’ve decided to constantly learn and grow.

Now, the key takeaway here is how can we pass this on to our students? Here is how I try to do it:

1. Walk the walk. I talk all the time about my passion for my work and how much time I put in. Now, that may sound arrogant or that I’m looking for a compliment, but that’s not true. If people think that, I’m fine with that. The things I’ve accomplished in my career speak for themselves. The reason I talk about my passion for work and professional development and personal growth is that it is a decision. If I can decide to do it, why can’t my students? They are way more talented than I was at their age. The sky is the limit for them!

2. Illustrate my love for work. This is why I write “TGIM” above my lesson plans Monday mornings. Monday IS my favorite day of the week. That is why I have a bumper sticker that reads “I’d Rather Be Teaching.” That is why I talk about getting up at 4:10 in the morning and heading out to Sanford with Coach Mumm to get a work out in. Working hard is wonderful!

3. Illustrate it in videos and stories.

Teaching Thought #66 - Say “Yes” to the Hard Stuff, Part 2

I took this from the Focus 3 Podcast. This relates to all of us in a couple of different ways.

Second, What shapes you? Tim Kight spends the first part of this podcast talking to Mickey Marotti about how he arrived at his dream job - strength and conditioning coordinator at Ohio State University.

Marotti has a unique way of reflecting on the hard times he endured and seeing them for what they are - opportunities that he seized to grow. This reminds me of another podcast I listen to often and share with my students - Live Inspired by John O’Leary. O’Leary survived having most of his body burned in a horrific accident when he was a child. Often, the guests he interviews have come through other such traumas.

The bottom line is that those difficult times - those traumas - help make us who we are. It’s not Post Traumatic Stress - It’s Post Traumatic Growth. Think about that.

How does that shape the way we look at our past? How can we help our students see the hard times they are enduring now are helping shape them to be better people in the future?

I love the quote Kight uses: “Don’t prepare the road for your child. Prepare your child for the road.” Lawnmower parents, he is talking to you!

Teaching Thought #67 - Say “Yes” to the Hard Stuff, Part 3

I took this from the Focus 3 Podcast. This relates to all of us in a couple of different ways.

Third, one of Kight’s key principles which I just love is E + R = O (Events + Responses = Outcomes).

One way of thinking of this is the ‘O” is what you want. The “R” is the work you have to do to get it. And the “E” is the stuff you have to navigate along the way.

This makes perfect sense, but the key factor is the “R.” We all go through various events. Some are harsher and worse than others. We can’t control them. The only thing we can control is the “R” or the responses.

How you respond determines everything. How John O’Leary responded to his traumatic burns changed the course of his life. How Charlie Plumb responded to being in a Vietnam prison camp for six year changed him. How Mickey Marotti responded to growing up in a very blue collar Pittsburgh where it was dog-eat-dog changed and shaped him.

I decided a long time ago I would just stop with excuses as my basic level of response. I could give the standard excuse that I’m busy and life is hard. Everyone’s life is busy and hard. No more excuses.

How you respond is everything. I’m busy teaching the very best of our students in College Comp I and II. I’m busy teaching some of our students who really struggle with English. I’m busy kids who really dislike school or don’t do well in the traditional school setting during summer school. I’m busy teaching a three hour night class at UND whenever I have the opportunity. I’m busy putting together PD sessions whenever I get the chance. I’m busy coaching. I’m busy having an amazing family. I’m busy . . . You get the idea. We all are busy. And we only get 24 hours to handle that chaos. How you respond decides everything.

What a wonderful wake up call!

"How are you doing?" I asked.

"Well," Brigham said, "I am current on Christmas break and visiting my brother in Denver. I figured since this is the usual time students stop by and see you when they're home from break. Since that is impossible right now, I figured this was the next best thing."

How right he was. And I am sorry to say I did take former students dropping in to visit me over Christmas vacation (and even spring break) for granted. It shows they care and that an impact was made. It doesn't get much better than that in the world of education!

Some takeaways -

1. Communities are now looking for school districts to fund wifi and technology for their kids. The host, Jeff Utecht, even goes so far as to suggest that school districts strike this deal with parents: the school will provide the laptop/iPad if the parents provide the phone. What couldn't get accomplished if every kid had both of those things?

BTW - here is a really interesting idea one school district was trying to improve internet access. They had several busses that provided wifi for the kids on it. So they took the busses and parked them around town so families without internet access would park close to the bus and then have wifi. Very creative.

2. Get rid of the bells. Why still run school 8:30-3:30 with four to seven periods? We aren't preparing kids to work on an assembly line. What if we gave students the content (in the form of a full Google Classroom curriculum for the quarter or semester, offered formative assessment based on the skills/standards in the form of podcasts or tutorial videos) and then turned them loose to finish it on their own while then each students was assigned to a teacher to help guide them through the curriculum and help them when questions arose?

I found this very interesting. And very difficult. But I'm more intrigued than scared. This is how real learning works. Too often real learning doesn't occur in school. School occurs in school. Kenzie just illustrated great determination, grit, outside-the-box thinking, true inquiry, and self teaching on her quest to create her own Cartesian Diver for science class. I'm not sure that rich of an experience would have happened if she hadn't been doing distance learning and her teacher hadn't given her access to tutorial videos and freedom to explore on her own. I want more learning like that for my kids and less "sit and get" that passes for learning in school.

3. Internships! If a student is interested in learning about nursing, why not get them into a hospital or clinic to shadow a real nurse? Then hook them up with a part-time job in a nursing home? Why not let them earn actual income (which can help families in these difficult times) during the day and then make up their classes during the night with online sessions or at least asynchronous classes?

If we are so worried about what the general public thinks about what we as teachers are doing the day and what the kids are doing, why don't we have a huge open house (I'm talking a weeklong event) at the end of the school year where we show the community all the cool stuff our students have done over the year? We could have a Sanford booth where our students who interned or worked there can share with the public both what they did and all that they learned. There could be booths for every CAP project and internship we offer. Plus, we could bring in other businesses who are seeking to hire students right out of high school and train them.

How cool would that be?

The future of school is unclear as it's still taking shape. The one thing that isn't clear, though, is how the future of school can't be like the past.

I'm sorry. But it's just so awesome. Enjoy.

First rule, you can't get away with anything.

Example A) Ted Cruz, who does Tweet a lot of less than intelligent things, but Walter Isaacson responds to Cruz's question with some facts that both answer his question and undermine much of his politics. That's the kind of content I can't get enough of.

Example B) Matt Walsh, a supposed huge sports fan, thought it would be wise to tag a jab at Vandy kicker Sarah Fuller, who became the first female to play in a football game for a Power 5 school. It took the Twitter community about a nanosecond to rip his argument to shreds . . . all using logic. Again, this is the content I'm here for.

One teacher said, "It’s been really difficult," Moon, in her sixth year of teaching in Prospect Heights, Illinois, said of trying to teach her students through computer screens. "Sometimes I feel like I’m just talking to myself or teaching to a blank screen and it’s just slower because I have to wait for students to respond."

That spoke directly to me. Zoom is the least engaging way of presenting information. Now, I'm not the put-stickers-on-my-face kind of teacher. That's not why I'm sharing this though. I'm just looking for better ways to engage students via Zoom.

Because I'm at a D level right now of engagements. Luckily, my students are headed off to college where they will get a ton of experience in lack of engagement from many of their professors, but it's killing me.

And it's killing my students. Even when I know I have a couple students in class who love to debate and share their opinions, waiting for them to talk via Zoom is excruciating.

Right now, I'm just waiting for the vaccine and for the numbers to drop so I can go back to at least seeing kids in person every day.

If you have any effective ways of engaging your high school students via Zoom, please let me know. I'm drowning here.

I am married to the most amazing person in the world, Kristie. It was love at first sight. At least for me. And it still is.

We have four wonderful children, Casey, Koko, Kenzie, and Cash. And now we have been blessed with five grandchildren!

I also happen to have the greatest job in the world: teaching English to high school students.

I am in my 23rd year of teaching at Lincoln High School. I graduated from Lafayette High School in Red Lake Falls in 1992. I decided to enter the field of education because of two amazing teachers, Mr. Mueller, my fourth and sixth grade elementary school teacher and assistant baseball coach, and Mrs. Christianson, my 9th grade English teacher.

I attended Northland Community College, and had my life changed by the amazing Dr. Diane Drake. Then I transferred to Bemidji State University in 1995. There I had amazing professors who further inspired me to teach English (Dr. Helen Bonner, Dr. Mark Christensen, Susan Hauser, and Gerry Schnabel). I graduated with my BS in English Education in 1997.

I student taught with the wonderful Lisa Semanko and then began teaching full-time at LHS in 1998.

I took a year's leave of absence in 2001-02 to return to BSU for my MA in English. There I had the privilege to teach and work closely with my greatest mentor, Dr. Mark Christensen. I earned my MA in English in 2006 and was honored with "Thesis of the Year" for my creative non-fiction, braided, multi-genre memoir, "Meeting Myrtle: A Biography."

In 2013, thanks to my dear friend and mentor, Dr. Jodi Holen, I was offered an adjunct teaching position fall semester at the University of North Dakota. Tuesday nights I teach Intro to Education: Teaching and Learning 250 from 5-8. Those three hours fly by in about ten minutes.

Then in 2016 I was blessed to win a WEM award (thanks to a nomination from a former student (and now an elementary school teacher), Ciera Mooney).

In 2017 I became part of the #pineconepd podcast club along with Brian Loe, Jeff Mumm, Kelsey Johnson, Kelly Weets, Josh Watne, Tevia Strand, Megan Vigen, Mariah Hruby, Laura Brickson, Loren Leake, Katie Hahn, Melora Burgee, and new members all the time. This has been one of the best forms of PD I've ever been a part of. They make me a better teacher every time we meet. Please think about joining us in the summer at the Pine Cone Pub from 6:30 - until we've solved all the world's problems. For that evening anyway.

Thanks to the inspiration of Shane Zutz (our former principal) I devised this as a way to distribute my Teaching Thoughts and add more content to, hopefully, help out and inspire others.

Email: kurt.reynolds@myprowler.org
Website: http://teacherscribe.blogspot.com
Location: 101 South Knight Aver Thief River Falls MN 56701
Phone: 218-686-7395
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kurt.reynolds.5?ref=bookmarks
Twitter: @teacherscribe