TOMMIE SAYLOR: Don't let fear prevent you from doing the right thing

“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.

MCDOWELL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: And now, The Bulldog News Crew ...

Coming to you live, from McDowell Elementary School ... The Bulldog News Crew!

Every school day opens at McDowell with a group of student broadcasters, under the direction of Ms. Sutphren, delivering very needed information to the staff and student body. An announcement tells the classroom to turn on their televisions, the music begins. And so does the excitement.

Recently, the broadcast offered a guest dancer, showing off his moves to the theme song from "Ghostbusters." Following came the news of the day, the weather report, a funny riddle, the Pledge of Allegiance and health tips from McDowell's very own health assistant.

The Bulldog News Crew starts each day off on the right foot!

MCDOWELL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: Class learns all about food

Mrs. Doll's McDowell Elementary School kindergarten class is thankful for good food.

The class has been studying food groups, focusing on everyday good, sometimes foods, plants and what they should eat to be strong minds and bodies. Colorful pictures hang outside the classroom to celebrate all the good fruits that the children like to eat.

MCDOWELL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: Staff proud of former student who helped save life

Staff at McDowell Elementary School were proud to see a former pupil, Charles Gaylor, help save the life of another boy during an recent accident with a downed power line in a Detroit neighborhood.

The boy was injured when he came in contact with the downed line after a storm, according to DTE Energy sources. Charles, his brother Ken and a friend saw the boy, 14, and managed  to get the power line off of him by using a piece of wood.

To see the video coverage of the event, which occurred on Lyndon Street near a school building, click here.

RANDALL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: Kindergarteners learn about computers, cameras (UPDATED WITH PHOTOS)

Kindergarten children had a great time learning how to use Randall Elementary School's laptop computers recently.

Students in Mrs Milley's and Mrs. McCleary's classes welcomed Mr. Kaunelis into their classrooms to be introduced into the world of computers. They typed words into a word processing program and took pictures with the district's new digital cameras.

It was as great day to be a kindergartener!

HOLLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: Jump with Jill program coming to school November 26

The rock & roll nutrition show “Jump with Jill” is coming to Holland Elementary School on November 26.

Holland is one of three Detroit area schools that won the show in a statewide contest, thanks to the generosity of Michigan’s own dairy farmers and milk processors and the folks at the United Dairy Industry of Michigan (UDIM) as part of their “Fuel Up to Play 60 program.”

The statewide tour of Michigan elementary schools runs from October 28 to December 20 and will include 55 schools.

“Jump with Jill” is a live rock and roll nutrition show. Created by registered dietitian and musician Jill Jayne, the show uses singable messages to make healthy habits memorable including eating vegetables ("Superpower Vegetables!"), enjoying fruit ("Nature's Candy") and exercising regularly ("The Beat of Our Body!").

The show has been performed live over 1,000 times for more than a quarter of a million kids all over the United States and Europe and has been featured in national media outlets including Nickelodeon, Sprout PBS, NPR, and The Washington Post.

Armed with catchy songs, upbeat dance moves, and a hip wardrobe, the performance uses the same tools normally used to sell junk food and keep kids sedentary to get kids engaged, moving, and learning about healthy habits.

“We reached over 18,000 students on our spring tour,” said Hailey McDonell, a Detroit-native who stars as “Jill” in the Michigan cast.

“Our goal for our Michigan dairy farmer partnership this year was to make the show accessible for schools that want to make health a part of their educational agenda.”

The cast, which also stars Holland-native Devon Watson as “DJ,” travels in a bright orange van with a giant picture of Jill’s face and a blinged-out milk jug (who prefers to go by his rapper name, Calcium).

Thanks to the United Dairy Industry of Michigan, winning schools not only get a rockin’ performance but also receive “Jump with Jill” educational materials including CDs of the show’s music, posters and nutrition education gifts.

“Dairy is one of easiest and richest ways that kids can get the Calcium they need for strong bones,” said Deanne Kelleher, MS, RD of the United Dairy Industry of Michigan. “We continue to offer ‘Jump with Jill’ to Michigan schools because the show uses behaviorally-focused music to make choosing a drink like milk over soda the coolest thing in the world. Have you seen her perform ‘The Bone Rap’? I mean seriously.”

WEST MIDDLE SCHOOL: Music program joins, benefits from Adopt-A-Classroom program

David Martin, music instructor at West Middle School, continues to find creative ways to channel funding into his classes.

Martin recently joined the Website "AdoptAClassroom.org." 

The organization connects donors with teachers to be classroom champions. Founder James Rosenberg created the program when he was mentoring a physically and mentally challenged student and became astounded by the lack of resources in the classroom. With the assistance of a colleague, Rosenberg started the Adopt-A-Classroom program. By 1998, he left his full-time job as an attorney to head the campaign.

Donors select participating classrooms and make donors to them through Adopt-A-Classroom. One-hundred percent of the donations go to the classes -- there is no administration fee. The program publishes an accountability report and offers transparency, connect donors with teachers throughout the year by correspondence and establish long-term relationships between donors and teachers.

In joining the campaign, Martin posted several things that he'd like to see donated to the music department at West, including additional risers for the chorus to accommodate the 150 students in the program, iPads for learning and composing, and photography and video equipment for the music and media centers.

Recently, Martin received a $100 check from JCPenny. The money was used to purchase a number of certificate frames from Office Max for the many choral festival performance awards the chorus had collected throughout the years. 

To see Martin's Adopt-A-Classroom page, click here.