TOMMIE SAYLOR: It's time to get with the program

By Tommie Saylor
Kennedy High School Principal

“A team without vision is not a team”

Now that we have just entered the new Trimester, let’s look upon this as an opportunity.  An opportunity to “hit the reset” button and fix all those little things that annoyed us in the first Trimester. 

Remember, you have total control of your environment, of your classroom, and if you did not like how things went in the first Trimester, or if this procedure or that procedure just did not work out, this is your opportunity to make a change.  Be brave enough, bold enough to tell your students that you are changing how we conduct business that you are not willing to continue to do something that has proven itself to be non-effective, that you are not willing to continue to make the same mistake over and over again.  Students can and will respect this approach, and in turn, gain a deeper respect for you for being brave enough to make a change. Your classroom is your world. Make it a good one.

In the spirit of having an opportunity for a new beginning, let’s review our Mission, Vision, and the process of achieving our vision through the application of our mission:

Mission Statement:  John F. Kennedy High School is a community committed to improving the lives and education of its students.

To implement, apply, or carry out our mission, we employ the three R’s, Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships.

Rigor means more than just being hard on students, for being hard on students without heart is easy. Rigor is about academic integrity. It is about not accepting anything less than a student’s absolute best.  If the student turns in subpar work, give it back to the student and tell them to do it again, that it was not their best effort and that you are not going to accept anything but their absolute best. Rigor is about having clear classroom expectations, clear grading expectations (rubrics), and upholding standards while pushing your students to achieve the standards. 

Rigor is about being content tough and academically fair. Like the student, don’t like the student, “good” student or “bad” student, if they “get” it then grade it accordingly. Remember, it’s about learning not about how compliant the student is when it comes to procedures, guidelines and rules. Rigor is about honestly preparing the students for the next level, and this may come with tears, frustration, and anguish.  But giving them a “free ride” in high school only to see them fail in college is more of a sin than hurting their feelings in the loving and supportive environment of high school.

Relevance is about, as the students would say, “keeping it real.” It is making connections between what is taught in class and the real world.  How many times have we heard the question, “when will I ever use this in life” as the student groans about learning a new concept?  Well, have an answer for the student, be prepared for this question and turn this question into a learning opportunity for the entire class.  When I was teaching (science) and I was confronted with this question, I would respond by asking the students what is the point of the football team hitting the blocking sled during practice? During the game there is no blocking sled on the field, so hitting the blocking sled during practice is a waste of time. 

Inevitably a student would answer that hitting the blocking sled better prepares the football team for the game.  With this, I would respond “EXACTLY!”  Science “exercises” your brain, helps you to think logically, critically which will help to prepare you for the “game” of life.  You may never use this information again, but you will use the processes and logical thinking strategies your entire life. 

Relevance is also about preparing students for the ACT/MME tests, and letting them know that what you are doing in class is preparing them for these important State mandated examinations that will have a significant influence on their lives.  Relevance is about sparking an interest, opening a student’s eyes, it is about showing the students “the beauty they possess inside”, it is about inspiring students to their fullest potential.

Relationships means stepping into the student’s world, it is about seeing through the parent’s eyes, it is about being human.  Like it or not, we are emotional creatures and our emotions are a big part of who we are. Knowing this, it is foolish to believe that learning does not have an emotional factor, because it does. Face it, by human nature you work harder for someone you know, you like, than for someone you do not know, or for someone you dislike. Given this, cultivating good positive relationships between you and your students, by showing an interest in your students, or just simply letting them know that you care is not only educational productive, it is also professionally rewarding and personally satisfying. Simply, “students don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”

As the three R’s are implemented, we monitor our progress through the Professional Learning Communities (PLC) process.  Through the PLC process we ask ourselves what is working, what is not working, how can we make the educational process better for our students?  By meeting a couple of times each month after school, free from the constraints of time and the distractions often associated with students, and by meeting collaboratively in our individual areas of expertise to evaluate our programs, make changes, and adjust to better serve the needs of our students, we strengthen our efforts and renew our resolve through self-regulation and oversight.  Without the PLC process, we would have no oversight of the application of the three R’s, and therefore would not be able to accomplish our mission as expressed in our Mission Statement.  Simply, the PLC process is the filter through which we pass our efforts to better hone and direct our labors to achieve the mission in which we have previously dedicated ourselves.

Through the implementation of the three R’s, and the oversight of the PLC process, we are able to realize our vision as presented in our Vision Statement.

Vision Statement:  The community of John F. Kennedy High School, through innovative techniques, applied technology, effective instruction, and lasting relationships, will prepare students for a successful and diverse future.

Our “road map” and/or journey is now been laid before us. We start with the Mission, travel along the trails of the three R’s guided by the PLC compass and arrive at our Vision. This is a never-ending journey that renews itself at the beginning of each new Trimester.

What starts here, changes the world. Making Kennedy the school of choice. Excellence by design.