Value of People

 By: Kyle Dresback, Associate Superintendent for Student Support Services, St. Johns County Schools


Over the last twenty months, it has been hard on educators. Whether you are the bus driver, food service worker, teacher, principal, or district administrator, we have all gone through challenging times. However, one thing to remember is so have our students and families. Education is a very complex business. We do not make “widgets” or manufacture items. Most mission statements include creating students who will be positive contributing members of society. To that end, education requires that principals need to see the value of people.

When I was the principal at a high school, I would ask my faculty and staff to close their eyes and think about their favorite teacher. I would wait a minute then ask them to open their eyes. I then asked, “Tell me your favorite teacher’s best lesson plan, content of the lesson, differentiation for the class needs, etc.” No hands would go up and no comments were forthcoming. I then asked, “Tell me about how your favorite teacher made you feel.” All the hands went up. They would say that their favorite teacher would make them feel special, welcome, safe, that all future goals were possible, etc. My point to this that like Theodore Roosevelt said, “People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.” This all revolves around relationships[l1] .

Now more than ever, there must be a relationship between principal and teachers, staff, parents, and students. They need to see that you care about them. You as the leader need to model relationship building. For teachers and staff, it could be easy as a hand-written thank you note. It could be a cookout for the bus drivers. For parents it could be listening and validating their feelings then saying, “Let’s develop a plan to help your child.” It could be a thank you for volunteering in the concession stand at the football game. For students it could be, “I saw you in the play last night. You did awesome!” or it could be, “I noticed you look sad and down. Is everything ok?” With so much going on right now, it is easy for all of us to [l2] get so caught up in the day-to-day that we may forget to develop relationships or to show gratitude.

I had a coach in high school who during a practice one day said, “I love the way Kyle is working hard! If I had 10 more Kyle’s we could win some football games!” I would have ran through a wall for this coach after he said this. I never forgot it. Twenty years later, I was the Assistant Principal with my former coach. I asked him if he ever remembered saying that to me. He told me, “No. I don’t remember that.” I told him, “I do and it meant the world to me.” The power of a compliment can change the trajectory of a person’s day, month or year. Be the leader who shares the power of a compliment to your faculty, staff, parents and students. You may not remember what you said, but your school and students will be the better for it.

If the last twenty months has shown us anything, it is we need to see the value of people. People are our most valuable asset. We need to embrace them, honor them, and respect them. By investing and supporting each other, we can overcome this trying time for a better future.

Mr. Kyle Dresback is currently the Associate Superintendent for Student Support Services for St. Johns County School District. He is the former principal of Allen D. Nease High School and Switzerland Point Middle School. He is the husband of an outstanding middle school teacher and father to three daughters.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

111 Points to an “A”: A Student Achievement Success Story Emphasizing When Student Learning is Prioritized, Results Come

Image
111 Points to an “A”: A Student Achievement Success Story Emphasizing When Student Learning is Prioritized, Results Come by Heidi L. Keegan, M. Ed Principal Charlotte County Public Schools The ultimate goal of any educational leader is to ensure that their students achieve academic success. To do so, they must prioritize student learning through leadership actions that build and support a learning organization focused on student achievement. Below are the steps taken by an elementary school principal—and her team of educators—that led to increasing the school’s letter grade to just 10 points shy of an “A”, despite being 100% Title I and the challenges of a pandemic. Step 1: Make Sure EVERYONE Knows the Goal(s) I mean EVERYONE. Exceptional educational leaders will analyze trend data, look at growth and proficiency, and acknowledge strengths and gaps in achievement. They will dissect details for subgroups, study cohorts, and collaborate with teacher leaders to set goals. None of this wil...
Read more

HAVE, DO, BE: A Shared Visioning Activity for School Leaders

Image
HAVE, DO, BE: A Shared Visioning Activity for School Leaders Have you been hired as the new principal? Are you thinking making an adjustment to your school’s vision and mission? This cooperative process can assist you in ensuring that all stakeholders have the opportunity to share in what they want your school to acquire, to accomplish, and to be acknowledged for. Four years ago, I stepped into a building that had just undergone the Differentiated Accountability (DA) process with the State and had lost approximately half the Staff, due to related stressors. With the new school letter grade designation of a “B” from the previous year’s “D”, it was time for our school to rebrand itself! I gathered the Staff to meet in our media center during the preservice week, with a goal of learning about how the staff felt about the school. The dedicated employees that remained, after the mass exodus, had much to say about how they were tired of being “looked down upon”, as they worked hard...
Read more

My Name Is Jessica, But I Could Be Any Student

Image
  My Name Is Jessica, But I Could Be Any Student By Myles Cooley, Ph.D., ABPP My name is Jessica, but it could be Raul, Dashieka, or Jonathan. I’m ten years old and in the fifth grade. I think I’m more than shy. I won’t raise my hand in class. I’m worried the teacher will call on me, so I don’t look at her. I hate it when I have to walk to the front of the class to give a report. Everyone’s looking at me. I hate to think what they’re thinking about me. When I give the report, my hands and voice are shaking. It seems like forever until I can go back to my seat. Actually, other kids seem to think I’m pretty smart. But when we go to lunch, recess, or PE, I don’t know what to say to them. They’re all joking around, and I’m totally quiet. When I think of something I could say, I think it might be stupid, so I don’t say anything. I wish my teachers understood how nervous I am. I wish they understood that my behavior means I might have social anxiety disorder. If they understood me, maybe...
Read more