The Last Day in the Big "D"

Me with Dr. Rick Melmer, Dean of Education, University SD, and his beautiful daughter

I came up to my hotel room to review my notes from today and reflect on my learning (what every good student should do, right?). Perhaps because it is what is what is "freshest" in my mind but I think today was the best day I have had at the conference. The speakers touched and spoke to our hearts today and their passion resonated the room. Our first speaker, Dr. Rick Melmer, Dean of Education, University of South Dakota, spoke from his heart. I knew after the first 2 sentences came out of his mouth that we were in for a treat. He recognized his daughter and son-in-law who were in the audience and how special was that they were there. You could hear the love and pride in his voice as he teared up. He spoke of the 3 C's: Commendation, Communicating, and Challenge. We learned how to identify policy makers and how communicate with them. However, he spoke to me when he spoke about three qualities of his favorite teacher, attitude, ambition, and amnesia. I really like the last one, amnesia. It is vital teachers are able to forget mistakes made by students, to not hold it against them the next day or remind them of it daily. He closed with this poem. Please read it and ask yourself, as I have, at the end of the day, are you a builder or a wrecker:

A Builder or a Wrecker?

I passed one day through a lonely town,
and saw some man tearing a building down.
With a "heave" and "ho" and a husky yell,
they swung a beam and a side wall fell.

I asked the foreman "Are these men skilled?
The type you'd hire if you had to build?"
"Oh no" he chuckled, "oh no indeed,
the common laborer's all I need.

Why I can destroy in a day or two,
what builders have taken weeks to do."
I thought to myself as I walked away,
which of these roles have I tried to play.

Am I a builder, who works with care,
making his tools a ruler and square.
Shaping my peers to a well made plan,
helping them be the best they can.

Or am I a wrecker who walks around,
content with the labor of tearing down.

This story courtesy of
http://www.homeholidaysfamilyandfun.com

Dr. Melmer was like a rock star to us educators today...everyone wanted to talk to him and just be around him. He has a magnetic personality and South Dakota is lucky to have him. I hear he is good friends with Dr. Andy Tompkins,Dean of Education, Pittsburg State University....maybe we can work on getting Dr. Melmer to Kansas someday!
Next we got to practice our media skills!! This was fun (to observe anyway) as Doug Dooher, Education Minnesota, and Joe Lowethal, Past President, National School Public Relations Association, traveled the room with a microphone and asked us the "hard questions!" (left: Joe Lowethal drilling Rebecca Snyder, PA TOY)

After lunch, we were challenged by Mary Beth Blegen, 1996 NTOY. Jon Quam, NTOY Director, referred to her as "a force to be reckoned with!" And let me tell you, he is right on the mark. I have never spoken with anyone who LISTENS to you, CHALLENGES your thinking, and at the same time AFFIRMS you like Mary Beth can. She gave us Ten Lessons. Lesson one: Laugh often, long and hard at yourself. To make sure we knew how to do that, she had us up and being silly....LOVED THAT! If we take ourselves too seriously, children suffer because we become the focus- not the children. Another lesson: QTIP (Quit Taking It Personally) goes with lesson one. If you are so busy being offended, the students suffer because why??? You're getting the hang of it now: because it becomes about US not the the STUDENTS. The last few lessons were about relationships, culture in the building, and being positive. It really does matter how we talk to and ABOUT each other. We have all taken an oath to Mary Beth not to whine for the rest of the year. Can you do the same?

Me with my super star, Mary Beth Blegen, 1996 NTOY

Tonight we have a formal dinner where the 4 National Finalists will be officially introduced. The keynote speaker will be Michael Geisen, 2008 NOTY. More of that to come! Until then, I leave you with this quote. It can be translated to any business or home just change the word school to business and students to company. How are you treating your colleagues?

The nature of relationships among the adults in a school has more to do with the success of the students in that building than any other factor.

Roland Barth