“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
President Franklin D.
Roosevelt
By Tommie Saylor
Kennedy High School Principal
Fear is the most debilitating and motivating
factor in our lives.
We follow the rules, obey the speed
limit, arrive to work on time and do what we are told because we fear the consequences associated with defiance. From an early age we learn to fear the
paddle while respecting the wielder; learn that
there is safety in order and compliance; and that following the rules is by far
more profitable than breaking the rules.
All of this stokes the fires of fear
with our own intrinsic desires to be accepted, valued and cared for.
This fear follows us as we grow
older. Much like a ravenous beast, it feeds our insecurities and anxieties,
robbing us of our individualistic traits and creativity. Armed with this
knowledge, adults use fear to keep teenagers in check, controlled and within
the boundaries of social conventions. Essentially, fear governs our lives
from birth to adulthood, protecting us, guiding us and keeping us safe. Then as
adults we are asked to set fear aside and adventure outside of our
oh-so-familiar comfort zones.
Those who are able to make this
transition, able to step away from the warm embrace of their fears, often
find success. Those who are not able to make this transition find success
to be rather elusive.
Simply, successful people – leaders
and winners – live with the constant bitter taste of fear. It becomes a
motivating factor to push forward, work harder and constantly strive for every
higher levels of success. Others retreat from fear, content to live their lives
in a much more modest fashion.
We as educators have chosen the
former over the latter. As such we must constantly fight against our primal
urge of fear avoidance and do what must be done.
A good example of this is parental
contacts.
Let’s face the truth: Calling a student’s parent is not easy. No one
wants to make a call to a stranger and tell them that their child has done
something wrong or is doing poorly in school. Many of us have yet to make the realization
that parents can be our biggest ally or worst enemy when it comes to the
education of their children.
Parents understand that a good
education is key to a good life, and therefore become emotionally involved in
their child’s education, knowing that their child’s future is at stake.
So it is understandable that making
that phone call home is often not easy, and can be intimidating.
But, being the people that we are, if
we truly believe in doing what is best for kids, I implore you to make the call.
If a student is misbehaving in your classroom, make the call. If a student’s
grades are beginning to slip, make the call. If a student is displaying some unusual
or strange behavior, make the call.
What you as teachers will discover is
that parents will highly appreciate the “heads-up.”
You want to make your job easier? Fight
against your natural fears and win your student’s parents over by making them a
full partner in the educational process through the simple act of keeping them informed.
Remember, every day when their student comes home from school, parents have the
opportunity to hear a teenage-slanted view of what is taking place in class. Why
not add your voice to this chorus?
Remember, their future is in our
hands. Making Kennedy the school of choice. Excellence by design.
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