Choose Your “Gratitude”

It’s fall.  The leaves are turning in Vegas, slightly, as we tend to follow the rest of the world with the transition to the end of Autumn and into Winter.  But like any time in late November, regardless of where you live, it is a time for reflection and the realization that there are many items for which we should be grateful for at this time.

First, we in education that work within schools and districts, have a career that matters.  We are going to get paid and know when and where that next paycheck is coming from.  This blessing is something that many do not have, and allows us the abilty to be as great as we can be.  Not having to worry about if we are getting paid is something that many of us probably take for granted unless we stop and think about it.

Second, we should be grateful for many things that we do not even give a second glance.  You have the ability to read these words and decipher the meaning.  Some cannot.  You have the ability to read this on a phone or computer.  Many are missing access to his message because they are not able to afford or even find a computer. 

Third, we GET to come back to our positions after the break, and if we are doing it correctly, students will be excited to come back and see us as well.  Many do not have this type of motivating factor in their lives.  Perhaps they are headed back to the assembly line, or perhaps they have no place to head back to after the break.

In the end, we can choose to rise and whine, or rise and shine, regardless of what “shine” entails and what actions that comes with.  We get to “choose our gratitude” and determine that all of us, in some capacity, have something to be thankful for during this season.  It could be your health, or the access to healthcare that will help you heal.  It could be all of the time on Earth that you have had, with great times surely sprinkled in there, as you wind down your time on the planet.  Perhaps you are simply grateful for water and air.  That would be the most basic items that we could shine a lot on personally.

Personally, I am blessed beyond anything I could imagine.  My daughters are healthy, which is always number one, followed by the fact that my wife and myself, as well as my friends and family, all seem to be healthy as well.  I am grateful for my career, which has blossomed into way more than I ever imagined and hopefully will continue to make an impact nationwide in some way over the next twelve months. I have colleagues across the nation, and some right next door in our hallway, that can never be repaid for all they have brought to my life.  I am thankful for the time I had with my dad before he passed, as many don’t get 42 years or even one day, and the lessons he taught me have served me very well. The list for me could go on and on.

Boiling it down to the basic core of the concept, we all can “choose our gratitude” with the right attitude.  It simply means stopping, looking inward in some capacity, and thinking about the one or multiple items that you couldn’t imagine not having in your life, or that you can’t possibly regret the experiences that you lived through.  In the end, it is all about perspective, and this one is more pertinent and relevant than ever.  You are blessed and I wish you a late November full of items that bring you internal and eternal gratefulness as we navigate the time we have at this point in time.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Robert Hinchliffe's avatar by Robert Hinchliffe

Stop Eating Our Own

Look anywhere online and you will see negative posts about our profession, about staff members, parents, colleagues, and even kids. In our world these days, negativity sells or gets “likes” in social media currency.

Many years ago, I went the rounds with someone online who did not like a perspective that I put forth into the world. While their point of view was valid in their mind—and, as one who can look at the other side, valid in many areas as well—that being said, my side was also just as correct, because, as we know, in the end, it is all about perspective.

Two items can be true at the same time. The sky is blue but can be gray if clouds are present. Lately, the thermostat set to 75 is cold to me but hot to my wife, only to have us then reverse sides ten minutes later. The way we look at items is based upon our experiences and personal feelings, and we tend to hold on to those opinions tightly—and even tighter when someone challenges our way of thinking. But one area that all educators should be able to see one similar viewpoint on is with respect to our profession. Yet, we don’t promote this job as something that others should want to do, which is sad.

In my book I Wish They Knew, I clearly point out that educators do not agree on much, which is not helpful. Thus, I have been working on a next book as a way to hopefully make an impact in our profession. The title is Stop Eating Our Own: Whose Side Are You On?

Going back to the opening paragraph, the majority of posts are “eating our own” in the sense that we are not bringing glory to our jobs or our profession. Oftentimes, the statements on social media hinder the recruitment process of future educators due to the poster giving a dreary perspective on their job. Why do we do this? Why do teachers and administrators constantly want the world to know the worst parts of the gig? Further, are they correct and the worst parts are quite prevalent, or do they stink at what they do and blame everyone around them through social media as a way to recruit resentment and agreement from others all in one setting? If I had a bad day because of a student’s parents, that couldn’t possibly be the parents’ fault… right, fellow educators? Who’s with me? This kind of persona and short-sightedness is contributing to the current downward spiral of education.

In the end, we need to do better. We need to get off of the “dead horse” of publicly shaming what we do or those that do it better. We need to prop up educators crushing their job and learn from them, not push them down like they are on the other side of a teeter-totter. If we, generally speaking, continue to tell everyone how bad it is in our jobs and schools, what do we expect from those on the outside looking in? Why point out the bad and not hope to sway viewers’ eyes toward the good?

There is plenty of negativity in the world, and I am guessing that the vast majority of it comes from insecurity or jealousy. If someone can do the job better, or a school is more fun and popular, or a teacher is “insta-famous” and does fun activities, the feelings of inadequacy inevitably fill the minds of many of our colleagues out there. That is a mindset—and one we need to get away from. We have to be the biggest cheerleaders for our profession, or else we are going to go down like the Titanic. In the end, we must all work to “stop eating our own,” but that all begins with the first question one must answer: Whose side are you on?

Robert Hinchliffe's avatar by Robert Hinchliffe

Make the First Day Fun

I recently posted on TikTok a video of the outside of Tyrone Thompson the morning of the first day for students. Although many people “liked” the post, one person was quick to provide a negative comment. He essentially said I was wasting valuable time and resources in order to make school fun.

As I always say, in the end it is all about perspective. But I can’t help but wonder what has caused this individual to have this viewpoint. Why is it so engrained in his soul that he felt the need to write and let out his anger toward me simply for attempting to energize the students and staff who graced the hallway of our school?

As administrators—or even as all educators—shouldn’t we want kids to be excited about coming back to school? Would it not benefit everyone to create an environment that gives students a sense of joy and hope on the first day of school as they slumber in after a long break? Shouldn’t we want them rushing into the building with excitement instead of trepidation?

As I reflect, I wouldn’t change what I did based upon his opinion. But knowing me, I will work to take it up a notch next year. The loudest boos always come from the cheap seats, as they say, and this is no different. We shouldn’t let one energy vampire take away from the great moments that we work to create for our students and the community.

In the book I co-authored with Angelica Brown, Start on the Sidewalk details engagement strategies that can be used to get students and parents involved in your school. It begins by telling the story of two students: one who wakes up and has to go to a school that is drab and uninviting, while the other wakes up excited because he attends a campus that makes the day fun and engaging. The video from the opening morning posted on TikTok literally shows that we do indeed practice what we preach, and we “start on the sidewalk” at our school.

Every student and staff member should be excited the first day and want to enter your building. Every teacher should want each student excited to enter their classroom for the first time. If they are not, you have to look at yourself and ask why not. Ask yourself if you would want your own child to enter your building or classroom. If the answer is no, that says a lot about you as the leader of those areas.

My guess is that we would not want our children to enter the building of the person who was quick to hate me on TikTok. We need to ensure that we make our campus a place students want to be.

So, dear reader—are you starting on the sidewalk? If not there, that is okay, but just start somewhere!

Robert Hinchliffe's avatar by Robert Hinchliffe