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.