So...What Are You Doing Next Year and Other Horrible Questions for Seniors...

It's a rite of spring at every high school. Sometime around April, our wonderfully mature seniors, who we depend on for leadership and example, become afflicted with that most incurable of school borne diseases - senioritis.



For some of our seniors, senioritis kicked in sometime in early September, but for most, symptoms first start appearing around the time of spring break. For a senior in high school, the whirlwind of activities that are part of closing this chapter of their lives can become overwhelming. They itch alternatively with an overwhelming desire to be done with school and move on, and with a nagging, sometimes subconscious, desire to remain a kid and reconnect emotionally with their grade school memories. This contradiction of emotions leads to a kind of teenage menopause evidenced by a confliction of malaise and euphoria that often leads to erratic and inexplicable choices and behaviors.



As a teacher, I loved teaching seniors. We just have to be willing to embrace their temporary insanity as they near the end of their school careers. While sometimes frustrating, the changes that occur as our almost graduates realize the cocoon of high school is falling away can lead to some glorious "wing spreading". One of the most difficult things for a high school senior to grasp is the realization that everything that happens after high school ultimately becomes their choice. This responsibility that they have all yearned for, sometimes becomes overwhelming when it arrives.



Each year I speak with our senior classes, and one of the things I tell them is that they will get tired of answering the questions, "So...what are you doing next year?", or "Do you know what you want to study?, "What will you major in?"...... An important thing for our seniors to understand is that it's o.k. not to know at age 17 or 18 what they are going to do for the rest of their lives. One of the best things about college, and learning in general, is exploring and deciding what it is that is really of interest.

I tell our students, and my own children, that whatever it is that they love and are truly passionate about pursuing, they can find a way to make a living in that field. For example, I use the story told us by a member of the Detroit Tigers organization who spoke with our marketing classes a few years ago. He recounted his dream of being a professional baseball player, and the difficulty for him when he realized that his abilities didn't match his aspirations in that regard. Instead of settling for something he was less passionate about, he went to work for the Tigers as a bat boy, and literally worked his way through almost every job in the organization before becoming the vice president of marketing. Baseball was his passion, and he found a way to spend his life involved in the sport.

We can help our seniors deal with their "senioritis" affliction by letting them know that the entire world is available to them. Now more than ever, the world is a "flat" place where technology allows for global connectivity. We often point out to student that many of the jobs that they may pursue ten years from now have not yet even been invented.

Over the years I've found that one of the best ways to calm senioritis sypmtoms is by addressing the issue of what lies ahead in a way that reassures our young people that we don't expect them to have all the answers yet. If that doesn't work, try locking them in the house until June...

Superstars

Well known education writer and speaker Todd Whitaker calls the best teachers in each building "Superstars". The superstar teacher is the teacher that goes above and beyond in commitment and preparation, but beyond that has "it". The "it" for teachers is a special gift for connecting with others and more than conveying knowledge, inspiring others to pursue it.

We're fortunate at North High School to have a lot of superstars. There are some truly special people in this building, and I have the privilege of seeing them work every day. While I know what they do, it's especially gratifying when others do. North High School is proud to acknowledge the recognition of two of our true superstars: social studies department chair Ms. Terri Steimer, and science department co-chair, Mrs. Ardis Herrold.

Ms. Steimer has been recognized by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) as the Michigan Outstanding U.S. History Teacher of the Year. Ms. Steimer is a respected and beloved member of the North High School staff. She teaches students at both ends of the educational spectrum as a teacher of Advanced Placement U.S. History, and as a teacher of one of our collaborative U.S. History courses, a class co-taught with another teacher that includes mainstreamed special education students. Ms Steimer has "it" with students of all levels.

Mrs. Ardis Herrold was named the Michigan Science Teachers Association State Science Teacher of the Year for this school year. Mrs. Herrold is co-chairperson of the North science department, is active as an officer in the National Earth Science Teachers Association, and runs one of the few school planetariums in existence. She is an exceptional teacher whose preparation and commitment is unparalleled.

I don't know how many schools can lay claim to two teachers in their building who have been recognized as state teachers of the year, but I'm willing to bet that the number is very small. What makes North High School particularly special is that while Ms. Steimer and Mrs. Herrold are deserving and surely superstars, they are also representing a staff full of superstars, many of whom are equally deserving of external recognition for what they do in the classroom.

There is no greater responsibility for a school administrator than the hiring process. Finding superstars is the goal each time we have an opening, and fortunately we have staff members who provide a daily example of excellence. The teachers in a school district have a remarkable responsibility. We're fortunate in Grosse Pointe to have a lot of superstars, and they are invaluable. Teachers like Terri Steimer and Ardis Herrold set a high standard and a great example for all of our staff to follow. Even if they don't wear a giant block "S" around the building, our students and their fellow teachers can attest to their superstardom.

The Super Bowl and Urgency

The grandest stage in all of sports - the Super Bowl...what an event. This year's game was among the most entertaining I can remember. The anticipatory build-up, the pageantry, the performances, and the game itself actually exceeded expectations. The competitive nature of the game was incredible. It was played with amazing urgency on both sides. I started thinking this morning about how educators can create that sense of urgency in the classroom. In today's times of economic depression, has there ever been more urgency attached to the education of our youth? It is critical that schools cultivate a sense of urgency for parents, students and staff.

One of the words I hear often when a student is struggling, or sometimes in the greater context of a generation is "apathy". Without consulting my handy dictionary of antonyms, I think I could argue that apathy is almost the opposite of urgency. Given that jobs are scarce, education is critical, and the cost of higher education is astronomical, why isn't there a greater sense of urgency attached to education at the grass roots level?

The government has tried to manufacture urgency for schools through the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act, which sets incremental goals for student achievement. Schools can be penalized in the court of public opinion, or even more relevantly to them on a daily basis, can be sanctioned in operational and financial ways for not meeting NCLB goals. Still, that sense of urgency, while creating some movement among educators, hasn't seemed to find its way to students and parents at all levels.

I've often said that if Grosse Pointe North's varsity physics team were to take on Grosse Pointe South's varsity physics team on a Friday night in front of a sold out crowd, there would be a greater sense of urgency on the part of students and teachers. Public performance brings with it the opportunity for glorious accolades, as well as the potential agony and ignominy of defeat. Because athletic events occur on a public stage, the assessment of performance is obvious and public. That's why we get people clamoring at board meetings or through petition campaigns for the occasional removal of a coach, yet that rarely happens in the case of a mediocre teacher.

In Washington D.C., the new superintendent has offered to pay money to students for good grades. She is also creating merit pay programs for staff. If you produce results, either as student or teacher, you get paid for them. I'm not sure if that will work, but I know it creates a sense of urgency. Sometimes parents tell me of the consequences that they've devised if their children don't make improvements in school. That creates short term urgency, but I'm not convinced that in the long run it has an impact. Long term motivation is more effective when based on what benefits a person as opposed to what negative consequences might be imposed for failure.

What are the solutions? I offer these ideas as ways to create urgency for students and parents:

• Rewards for achievement - We have built more rewards into North's school programs than ever before. We have re-instituted honor roll, have added a luncheon for our 4.0 students, have instituted the Be the Change wristband program for students with positive behaviors, have a "Be the Change" class reward program that this semester is taking a high achieving class to a Detroit Red Wings game this week, and are working to recognize consistently the achievements of our students. Rewards work! Parents - create incentive programs for your children. Students - reward yourself for high achievement.
• Competition - Put students and teachers in situations where they compete with others. They will rise to the occasion. Some shy away from competition - but the world is a competitive place. Learning how to compete successfully is a skill. Our students compete in a wide variety of academic and athletic competitions. This is healthy urgency.
• Motivate with the Positive - Years ago I attended a clinic on positive motivation during which the presenter discussed phrasing in the positive. He cited a basketball study that tracked free throws. There were three stations set up in a gym. At one station, the clinician advised shooters "Don't miss" prior to every shot, at another station shooters were told nothing, and at the final station, shooters were told "Make this shot" in a positive tone. After hundreds of shots were taken, the station with a positive message had almost double the success of the station where shooters were told "don't miss". The subconscious mind only hears "miss"...putting things in a positive way creates pleasant urgency. "You better not miss any assignments" can be phrased "It's important that you do all of your work. I expect you to do all assignments and hand them in". "Don't fail that test tomorrow" can be phrased "I know you'll be prepared for that test tomorrow. Work hard and get an 'A' I can't wait to congratulate you on it".
• Short Term Goals - Sometimes it's hard for anyone, let alone adolescents, to focus on long term goals like college. A great strategy is to meet with your son or daughter on a Sunday, or as a teacher on Monday morning, and plan a couple of short term goals for the week. "Just for this week, let's get every assignment done and turned in on time". Offer a reward for completion of the short term goal. Once the short term goals are being accomplished regularly, long term goals can become part of the plan.

Never in our country's recent history has preparing our young people with the tools to problem solve been more important than it is now. Educators, parents and students have to all work with a sense of commitment befitting the importance of what we do inside our school walls. Whether playing in the game, creating commercials for it, or singing in the halftime show, no one wins on the grandest stage without preparing urgently.