Selling Out for Students

     It's not very often that I go full on "goof" mode for my students. I keep things pretty light in my classroom and it allows me to have a certain rapport with students. However, I'm not one of the Instagram teachers who turn my room into a desert island or dress up like a pirate to drive a point home. I wish I had the stage presence, confidence, or organization to make things like that happen in my classroom, but there's an intrinsic fear of performance failure and a lack of being able to organize my thoughts to let this happen. Maybe one day...

     Every once in a while though, I am able to bust out of that shell and sell myself out for my students "performance" wise. Something that makes them laugh or engage or participate in something greater than themselves. I had that opportunity a couple of weeks ago when one of my best teacher friends was organizing a fundraiser for sick children with the club he supervises. His club was raising money by selling "votes" to a lip sync battle. The teachers who received the most "votes" would face off in a lip sync battle in front of the student body. Turns out that I was one of three "lucky ones" who got the opportunity to show off my fake chops in front of the whole school. One of the other participants was another of my best teacher friends, so we decided to make it a duet.  

     This may have been one of the bigger decisions of my career thus far...what song do we sing? Before he found out we were doing this together, my friend was practicing his best Tom Petty performance; bought a wig and everything. Tom Petty is kind of a one man show though, so we had to readjust our thought process. 

     Our theater department was getting ready to do their performance of Grease, so we decided to pay homage to the students hard work. We would sing "You're the One that I Want", Danny and Sandy's showstopping final number. Perfect.

     But who would be Danny and who be Sandy? 

     I have shorter hair...that facilitates the use of a wig better...

     Watch out Olivia Newton-John, I'm coming for your job.

     Some gracious students went to Goodwill and bought a shirt, jacket, tights, and high heels for my performance. The high heels had to be cut and taped to fit my feet. The shirt was cut into a halter top for my 'sculpted' shoulders. 

     The tights were...tight.

     Longer story made a bit shorter, I think we killed it. The students opted for the English teacher who did a stirring rendition of "Ice, Ice, Baby". But the moral of the story is that we all sold out for the kids. We did something that humanized us. What a novel concept in today's age of hiding behind keyboards and presenting ourselves in a different light (like blogging...).

     Instead, we decided to show off our goofy selves and become vulnerable in the eyes of our students. What if more careers decided to show their humanity? I know it's not possible or acceptable in some fields, but what if we spent more time letting people know that we are all cut from the same cloth? I'm thinking things might go just a bit smoother. I know it makes my job go smoother; I'm also blessed to be doing a job I absolutely love.

     I wouldn't just do this for anyone. But I would do it a million times over for my students if it meant they got to see us in a different, more human light. I teach because I care about my students knowing they have someone in their life that wants to see them happy. If I have to throw on a halter top and heels to prove that, then so be it. I love my people.

     I wouldn't put Gorilla tape on my bare chest to hold up a top for just anyone.

What It's Like Drinking a Gallon of Water a Day

     If you Google "benefits to drinking a gallon of water a day", your eyes will be filled with various blogs, health sites, and publications explaining all of the benefits to drinking so much in a day. You're fighting off dehydration, flushing out a ton of toxins, and hopefully giving your body what it needs. But what's it like actually doing it?

     I've not drank a gallon of water every day, because that seems excessive and sometimes I'm just tired of water, but I try to get as close as possible. My students this year have enjoyed making fun of me for being one of "those guys" for bringing a gallon of water to class and drinking right out of the jug. I will say, however, that I normally feel better on my "gallon on" days than on my "gallon off" days. I do feel more hydrated; I'm not as achy or sore when I've had plenty of water. I don't feel slow or sluggish when working out because I've flushed a ton of sodium out of my body. It actually feels pretty good if you can stomach drinking that much water in a day.

     On the days that I drink a gallon of water and exercise, I feel like I am getting more accomplished; like my body is more in tune with what we're trying to accomplish. I feel confident that I am making a smart choice in beverages instead of drinking something with a ton of salt or sugar (don't worry, I eat enough junk to make up for what I miss). I feel like I'm actually on the right track for a change when I drink a gallon of water.

     But there's a dark side...

     People who it may not be good to drink that much water in a short period of time?

• Truck/Bus Drivers
• Astronauts
• Pilots
• Teachers
• Surgeons performing intricate surgeries
• Rodeo performers
• Long-winded Opera Singers

     Now why wouldn't these people want to always drink a gallon of water a day? Because you will make a beeline for the restroom about every 15-30 minutes, and this is coming from a guy who can go all day without using the restroom (imagine what would happen if you have a tiny bladder). I take a certain amount of pride in my bladder's fortitude on long car rides or interesting movies, but I will not shy away from the fact that I have had to grab neighboring teachers so I could waddle to the bathroom in the middle of class. It's not a proud moment, but it happens. I've had to pause Grey's Anatomy multiple times in an episode, just so I can run to the back of the house. Any one who knows me knows that I don't like to pause Grey's. 

     Drinking a gallon of water a day will upset your routines in almost any way imaginable. It's a terrifying game of aqua-roulette. 

     Keep in mind, please, that you need to make sure that you are getting vitamins and nutrients from other places. Keep your diet on track, because in rare cases, you can over-hydrate and deprive you body of what it needs to keep going.

     I like water. I hate muscle cramps (which water helps prevent). I like being kinda-sorta healthy. 

Hopefully you enjoyed reading this.

Still Need to Run More, Stupid

     Run more, stupid. 

     This has become one of my mental notes that I try to remember when I go to the gym. Some days, the running isn't fun for me. Some days my legs hurt, or they won't loosen up, or I would just rather do something else. I keep telling myself that I set a goal for myself to complete 500 miles in the course of 2019 and I want to accomplish it. 

     Run more, stupid. 

     Yesterday I was on the treadmill and I started to realize a couple of things. First, my leg hurts. For some reason, my left thigh area is just sore. It feels like my leg needs to pop, but it just won't. I've tried stretching it out and running it out and I finally gave in and took ibuprofen. We'll see what happens next. Second, I realized that my pace on a treadmill is normally slower than my pace on the road. For some reason, I feel winded when I run road pace on a treadmill. I don't know if I get inside my own head; I'm focused on people around me and how boring it is to run in a stationary position for more than 5 minutes.

     So how do I get over these humps, these aches, pains, and doldrums? I just keep telling myself to run more, stupid. This is probably the first time that I have maintained a New Year's Resolution into the month of March. I'm behind on my goal for the year, but with the weather getting ready to break for spring, I feel that I can log some really good OTR miles. 

     If I'm going to find balance in my life, part of what I'll have to do is keep up with my goals. Thanks to my changing views on fitness, I'm not worried so much about my weight as I am about my mileage. I would rather accomplish my mileage goal than my weight goal because those miles are what I'm most hungry for. 

     Don't stop fighting for your accomplishments even when it gets hard. Work through the pains, the boredom, and the scheduling conflicts. If you fall behind on your goal, don't give up. Failure is a growth opportunity, not a death sentence. Growth can be slow and painful, but it is growth and that should be the ultimate goal. Follow up with yourself, hold yourself accountable, team up with someone, do what it takes to be successful. Focus on your health and not a number. Focus on your mentality instead of your material success. Make it a point to grow as an individual, everyday. 

"Don't Wish It Were Easier; Wish You Were Better"

     This weekend has been incredible. It was my son's second birthday and we got to spend an incredible amount of time together as a family. We went out to pick up last minute party items on Friday, had his party on Saturday, went to church and went to get pizza (his favorite) on Sunday, and then my wife and I were able to take Monday off as a day to spend with him. It was an incredible chance to recharge the batteries and evaluate how I have prioritized my family this year.

     There was, however, an itch in the back of my brain all weekend that I couldn't quite scratch. Now that I feel comfortable in my role as a husband and father, I have found that my role as a teacher has been lacking my full attention. Granted, how can you give 100% in different areas; something has to take second place, right? Some changing conditions at work have reminded me just how true that is. That's where the quote by Jim Rohn, which serves as the title of this post, comes in. I've spent the last several weeks at work wishing that it were easier, instead of wishing that I were better. Of course, I wished that I were better, but I'm not sure I was fully committing myself to that goal. So what does this mean for me, right now, as a teacher that is almost three quarters of the way through the school year?

     With only 9 school weeks remaining, what do I want to accomplish? In the next 9 weeks, how will I be better in the face of changing circumstances? That's the itch I've been trying to scratch all weekend! I even went so far as to reach out to a former student and ask, strictly speaking, what my teaching is like, on a scale of 1-10.

     I hope that this student responded honestly, which is what I need in this moment. She gave me a 7/10, and I get the feeling that she was being generous. She said that maybe I need to focus my instruction and my time in class more. She's been a student aide for me before along with being my student, so she has seen all aspects of my teaching in full (or not so full) swing. The key word in all of this is FOCUS. I need to focus more! Looking at some of my previous posts on this blog, I couldn't agree with that evaluation more! I've written about being off balance, about working on my self care and balancing that against the needs of my students. The key to all of this is focus.

     So how will I focus in order to be a more effective teacher? Well, for starters, I teach the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People to my senior students, and when I teach it, I carry them out well. When we're done, however, I find myself backsliding on my commitment. I need to revisit these Habits, make them my own again, and apply them to all areas of my life. For too long now, I have been resting on my laurels and not reaching my full potential in the classroom. I need to make sure that I am putting first things first and making goals that are important and attainable. It's time to recommit to all aspects of my profession in unison with the other roles I fill.

     I'm hoping that I can will this week into a positive existence. I want to be a better teacher of content and a better mentor to students. I will always put the student first, and that may mean that I have to swallow some of my pride to be the best that I can be. I want to be better, regardless of the circumstance. I never want to fill the role of victim; I chose a profession that was hard not so I could become a martyr, but so that I could become a difference maker. I haven't been living up to that expectation, and it's time to change.

Best,