University of Nebraska High School

Demonstrating Leadership Through Family

I recently read a New York Times opinion piece titled Rethinking College Admissions, which discussed a report that suggested college admission requirements need to be more than exam scores, grades and AP course completions. It asks—what is really important in our youth?

Throughout many years of teaching and counseling I have been honored to work with hard working, intelligent students who would have benefited from attending college but did not due to family responsibilities.

Some students worked part-time through high school and therefore could not participate in extra-curricular activities. The students were expected to help out with their own expenses of getting to school, clothing, school related expenses, etc. as a means to help the family.
Some students were caregivers to younger siblings, while their parent (s) worked a second job.
Some students were caregivers to a sibling, parent, or grandparent with a health or disability concerns.

The above situations often tugged at a student’s educational opportunities: extra-curricular activities, study time, camps and academic workshops, field trips that required more than school time, non-paid high school level internships, volunteer time, or the opportunity to take the most challenging AP courses/exams and dual credit offerings.

I am so proud of students who have consistently demonstrate family leadership, and I feel in my heart that their families were blessed with their efforts. These students have strong values to do what is best for their family, and they take on responsibilities that require maturity, organization skills and self-discipline.

If this is your story, I have an important message for you.

Know that colleges are very interested in these leadership qualities.
Know that you will bring great value to a college campus.
Know that there is a college anxious to have you as a student.
Know that it is never too late to pursue post-secondary training.
Believe in yourself as you are a valuable leader!

Comparison- A Good or Bad Thing?

Something that is done a lot in our society is comparison.

People compare themselves with others in many aspects of life. Some of the common areas of comparison are appearance, athletics, education, occupations, possessions, finances, etc. We can feel good or bad about ourselves depending to who or what we are being compared.

Former U.S. President, Teddy Roosevelt, once said, “Comparison is a thief of joy.”

Personally, I have mixed feelings about comparisons. My competitive side sometimes likes to see where I rank to others, but I also realize many comparisons are not fair.

For example, having worked in education for almost 40 years, I have witnessed schools being compared by test scores and designated good or bad based solely on these scores. Obviously, the student clientele at all schools is not the same. To say a school is better because their test scores are higher than another school, may have just a lot to do with who is at the school, rather than what or how the students are being taught.

Using an athletic illustration, imagine two athletes, one with a talent level of ten and the other with a talent level of five. The first athlete is performing at a six and the second athlete is performing at a four. Although a six is higher than a four, the first athlete is using only 60% of his/her ability and the second athlete is performing at 80% of ability—so who is the better athlete?

Thus, perhaps a better way to use comparison is in the area of self-analysis. Are you getting better in whatever areas you are striving to improve?

A good first step is to identify a baseline, a starting point.
The next step is to work to get better and you need to check periodically if you are showing growth.

I particularly like this quote from the famous UCLA basketball coach, John Wooden:

“Success is the peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.”

Things to consider: Would you describe yourself as a success? How about reducing the amount of time you spend comparing yourself to others, but taking a good look at the person in the mirror?

Leadership Lessons from Sandhill Cranes

Every year, I have the most amazing journeys between mid-February and early April. I travel I-80 weekly and witness the wild migrating cranes, flocking to Nebraska. An estimated 90% of the world’s Sandhill cranes visit the Midwest along the Nebraska Platte River. They arrive during the heart of the winter months and huddle like a team to stay warm.

In mid-February, the skies are seasoned with gliding cranes, necks outstretched as they visualize the next habitual destination. Every year I watch them glide with alignment, flying in a V or J formation, using extended legs and wings for a gentle landing in the fields. Cranes rest, beef up, and gain energy while visiting Nebraska.

In the fields, cranes communicate with a chorus of many purposeful cries; moans, hissing, snoring and goose-like honks. They leap, run, and dance as they probe for food in the fields and river beds: rodents, snakes, snails, frogs, fish, insects, berries and plants. Twenty-nine days along the Platte adds about a pound of fat to help with the remaining migrations and initiate nesting.

In early April, the cranes leap up like small jets taking off in a cornfield runway. They continue their journey to find warmer weather. The crane leaders and the followers team together whether they are in the fields or skies.

While they are beautiful, I think they also demonstrate important lessons for leaders.

Flock as leaders and followers.
Be instinctive and visionary for basic and futuristic needs
Communicate with purpose
Be habitually goal oriented
Choose resiliency and know how to survive the toughest of time
Foster an environment for future generations flourish

There is always something we can learn from observing nature and its interesting inhabitants.

Take the time to slow down and discover what is out in the world beyond your screen—you may be surprised by the things you can learn.

“Luck of the Irish” To You!

St. Patrick’s Day is an annual celebration on March 17. What began as a commemoration of the patron saint of Ireland has become a fun-filled celebration of all things Irish.

Not Irish? It does not matter!

At celebrations throughout the world, you will be informed that everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day! You will see green clothing, green hair and green shamrocks. The city of Chicago even dyes the river green. You will hear St. Patrick’s Day expressions such as “Erin Go Bragh,” “Kiss the Blarney Stone” and my personal favorite “Luck of the Irish to You!”

“Luck of the Irish!” I love this expression because for years I misunderstood it. I believed it meant something like extreme good fortune. But an Irish-American friend explained that it really encompasses the sense of luck that you make yourself through your own positive outlook and determination. I liked that meaning so much better!

While I enjoy the idea of luck—wishes on a falling star, crossing my fingers—I believe in being positive and being prepared. Whether facing an exam, hoping for an opportunity or approaching a challenge in your life, it’s fun to make a wish, but you are more likely to find the luck you need when you put forth effort and have a positive attitude.

So when I wish you the “Luck of the Irish,” I really wish you the happiness and good fortune that comes from knowing that you have prepared yourself for the good things you want to come your way.

Educators: Essential Questions

It has been estimated that teachers ask between 300 and 400 questions per day and that as many as 120 might be posed in a single hour! I remember my cooperating teacher asking me to audio-tape—remember those?—five minutes of one of my lessons. When I then listened to it, I counted 20 questions in a minute—it was awful and painful to listen to myself. I violated all types of rules such as “wait time” and a lack of variety of bloom’s taxonomy level questions. It was an important lesson.

Asking good questions is a craft that many of us have to practice. Wiggins and Wilbur (2013) wrote that essential questions rarely arise in a first draft and that writing and rewriting helps craft them. “Essential questions” stir inquiries, discussion and reflections to help students find meaning in their learning and achieve deeper thought and higher quality work. Criteria for making essential questions includes:

Stimulate ongoing thinking and inquiry.
Arguable, with multiple plausible answers.
Raise further questions.
Spark discussion and debate.
Demand evidence and reasoning because varying answers exist.
Point to big ideas and pressing issues.
Fruitfully recur throughout the unit or year.
Answers proposed are tentative and may change in light of new experiences and deepening understanding.

As we teach students in the online format, we consider the value of creating and presenting some questions within our feedback to inspire deeper thinking.

I also encourage you to keep practicing your question-making,
whether it is in the classroom, online or with your friends and family.

References
Wiggins, G., & Wilbur, D. How to Make Your Questions Essential. ASCD Educational Leadership. September 2015. 73:1.