The Principal's Principles

The Era of One has Begun

In Linchpin, Seth Godin argues that in today’s economy, there has never been higher demand for artists; people that are creative and make goods that are one of a kind. Godin talks about increased demand for customized items and the need for producers to develop goods and services that are tailored to individuals. Corporate America is calling for indispensable workers (Godin’s term) who will reimagine industry.

Some may read what Godin has written and ponder the iPhone, or another of Apple’s tech gadgets that have become so ubiquitous. This example is exactly what Linchpin is all about. While many people own a common item, such as an iPhone, no two iPhones are the same. Each person who purchases the gadget selects different applications, decorates it with a different cover or case, and selects a unique ringtone. While the item might be the same, the individual makes choices and molds their iPhone into whatever they want it to be. In many ways, technology tools from Apple, while common in our society, are very existentialist. Assuming Godin is correct and that the economy of today and tomorrow is focused on the individual, what does that mean for education?

The call for existentialism in society is contrasted by the conformity of behaviorism alive in today’s schools. As organizations, we reward those who “do school” well. By rewarding compliance and offering correct factual answers, students who fit into traditional boxes are successful and praised. In ten week increments, schools give report card grades for students that assign value to a child’s ability to turn in assignments that are given, often restating factual information that was presented in class. By emphasizing factual information through questions that can be answered using a simple Google search, students do not get the opportunity to think about or try to solve a complex problem or challenge. Educators have explained and modeled what they deem to be appropriate behavior, and through honor roll recognitions, perfect attendance awards, and simple positive reinforcement in classrooms praise what they want to see. However, will the behaviorism of schools produce adults who can contribute to the economy, or create a generation that is too dependent upon “the right answer” from a supervisor?

In a manufacturing economy, bells to announce when to move from one class to another or school policy that demanded conformity was virtuous. Schools mass produced students who, as adults, mass produced items in an economy. Technology has changed all of that. Individualism is the new mass production. Are schools preparing students to meet this challenge?

Whatever it Takes

There I was, sitting down at my desk to take care of some much needed paperwork when our school secretary walked in and let me know that one of our 8^th graders was in a team meeting room upset. I took a walk to the other side of our school and found a young lady having a crisis moment.

She explained to me that her cell phone had gone missing. She remembered having it before lunch, but not after. When talking with friends, one said that she remembered it being in her hand when she went to throw her trash away after eating. After she said that, she uttered the words I was hoping to avoid: “Mr. Bernia, I think I threw my phone in the trash by accident.” She went on to explain that her parents are out of town and that she is participating in our Washington DC trip this weekend. If ever there was a time not to lose a new cell phone, it was today.

We put on our coats (it was snowing at the time), and both grabbed two pairs of rubber gloves before heading outside to our school dumpster. After our school custodian was kind enough to help me fish out the trash bags, our “dumpster dive” was on. Midway through my third bag of garbage, I stumbled upon a pink and white polka dot phone case, and recovered her lost item. After a careful scrub with several antibacterial wipes, her phone was returned, still in working order.

The constant thoughts of “this could not be more disgusting,” coupled with the bad smell and gross feeling of fishing through lunch garbage all went away after she thanked me and as I saw her walk away with a smile on her face and rejoin her friends, exclaiming “he found my phone.”

It was one of those whatever it takes moments that is a good reminder of how invested we have to be in our students every day. If strong relationships with students yield good results, we have to be ready and willing to step out of our comfort zone, even when the situation brings with it a bad odor.

Look at the entire picture

Like everyone else, I am horrified by the events that occurred in Connecticut yesterday. As a new parent, as well as an educator, I feel sorrow that innocent victims, in a place they should be physically and emotionally safe, were killed. It seems as though everyone is coming out with an opinion about guns and gun control, and the debate over the second amendment is being heard on the news, through social media, and in homes across the country. While it is always appropriate to talk about issues related to gun control, I think there is something else that this event should bring to the forefront of the national conversation.

As a nation, we need to have a serious talk about mental health. Both sides of the gun control issue will express that if more people had guns, or if no people were armed, this would not have happened. What neither side can dispute is that this act, like those in movie theaters, malls, universities, and other schools was conducted by someone who was clearly unstable. Was his access to a gun the problem, or a symptom of a bigger, systemic issue?

A national counseling program? Well, maybe. Mandated counseling and mental health for all, regardless of circumstance? Not quite.

Our national conversation should spend some time on stress. Perhaps the notion that working 14 hour days as “hardworking” or “industrious” is incorrect. Worrying about losing your home, wages that cause individuals to take on extra jobs, or the cultural urge to spend more money are contributing to stress. The new economy has caused companies to make needed reductions, often causing employees to take on more responsibility. Our 24 hour, instant culture magnifies mistakes and fosters criticism that is not constructive. Does our constant quest for profit foster a destructive culture?

Our national conversation should spend some time on access. Those who don’t have insurance often cannot get the mental health care they need in a timely fashion. While I don’t believe that everyone needs counseling help or medication, I do think those who need the help should be able to get it.

Our national conversation should spend some time on how we treat one another. Our politics and news networks have become polarized. No longer is compromise good, nor is real debate encouraged. While we should all hold infortmed views, we should not demonize those who disagree with us. We also need to talk about coping skills. How do we handle when someone disagrees with us, or something does not go our way?

Our national conversation needs to break the stigma of receiving help. Research for cancer and new treatments for heart health are regularly praised. There is no shame in getting a screener or taking a pill for high cholesterol. Our culture needs to embrace people getting the medical help they need, regardless.

In the coming days and weeks, we will hear a lot about gun control. People on both sides of the issue will point to recent tragedies in Oregon and Connecticut. I hope as we have these debates, that we look at the whole picture.