When All You Can Do After 10 Years Is Blog...

(Photo from Amanda Brim)

There are costs to living the #Nolana21 lifestyle in McAllen (see my FB page if you don't understand the hashtag). Most of that cost centers around my children, especially my eldest. She will graduate in June, and I've missed a lot of lasts: the last Halloween, the last influenza episode, perhaps the last tennis match she plays. I've missed soccer games and choir concerts with the other two, but I maintain hope there will be more to come.
But there is another cost that cuts like a scalpel tonight.
I received a text from my wife, DeAnn. This is all it said:

Hope your day went well!!
I'm finally getting my ten yr bowl from pisd!

I texted back: When?

Then I saw my Facebook feed...tonight, my beloved will be recognized for teaching, remediating, intervening, administrating, and leading at the Pflugerville Independent School District--for ten years. A local artist makes bowls honoring the occasion, and DeAnn Henley has earned one for the first time. She spent decades being schlepped around by an ambitious husband, moving every three years or so. This marked a sea change...or at least a respite.

She wasn't hired, at first. She was insistent that she would work at the same school her daughter and son attended. Those principals didn't seem interested. She volunteered as a parent during the first week of school. Suddenly, these same principals found themselves with too many kindergarteners in September. They saw how she handled masses of children adroitly. My son's kindergarten teacher was impressed and pushed for her hire. She began her PISD career with the kids the other teachers decided to "assign" to her. You can imagine how...eventful...that was. Note that whenever a principal left one elementary school to take over another, they made it a point to bring Mrs. Henley with them.

In the decade that transpired, DeAnn Henley became a leader. It's always been natural for her, but she has never been one to stand in front of others demanding attention. Instead, she drives meaningful change from within. She took a union local from 16 members to over 500 members, making the Pflugerville Educators Association a powerful force in the district and the Texas State Teachers Association. Her work has led to documentaries at the National Education Association: check the 59 second mark on this one:

DeAnn's work in challenging schools would become fodder for a movie--if she worked at a charter school. This is the person that brought Response to Intervention to the district before it was cool--before AIR even hosted the website.

She makes out-of-control kids focus, struggling students learn, troubled parents calm, struggling teachers better, and more "official" leaders look good.

Tonight, for ten years of helping others achieve their status in life, she will receive a token of appreciation. Luckily, she really likes these bowls! She has a collection, in fact.

She didn't even tell her husband. Probably because she knew I'd show up from 350 miles away. Perhaps she never thought the recognition was worth mentioning.

That's the kind of educator--and person--she is:  understated...and incredibly effective.

Congratulations, DeAnn!

Why Are You Living THERE???

Here's a question I ask myself on a regular basis.  Not because I doubt my decision; rather, because I find myself answering this question to other people on a regular basis.

Let me give you a few examples:

• My boss told me that he specifically doesn't bring people to campus before they agree to work at South Texas College. That's because he has lost people once they arrive and look around.
• My wife (who doesn't bother to read this blog) is hesitating to move "her" family here.
• At an American Outlaws meeting, I told people I moved here from the Austin area. One young woman looked at me and said, "You realize that for most people, it's the other way around."
• One friend, in particular, cannot stop slamming the Rio Grande Valley as a place to live.

I haven't been forthcoming in my reasons, and I spend a LOT of web space "enjoying" my time at #Nolana21. Thus, the questioning is understood down here. Keep in mind that my current living situation is based on the fact that I have a mortgage to pay already, and any SECOND household is as expensive as a college student's expenses to a family. Glad we don't have to deal with that threat...

Moving to the real reason. Let me tell you a little bit about this place:

I live in the Galilee of the 21st century. In this one, singular county, I experience the First World, the Third World, and the convergence of the two worlds. While Mexico's middle class is growing, America's middle class is shrinking. Middle class is relative, but it becomes obvious that things are melding.

Mexico is changing. Oil, gas, cellular phones, electricity, and economic policy are becoming more and more open. [NOTE: Investment Opportunity!] While the United States cannot get 56 bills through Congress, Mexico is fighting HUGE battles in a fight for modernization. They see our mistakes, and they are making adjustments. A new highway offers a true alternative to the Panama Canal for shipping...and all those shipments will arrive at or near Hidalgo County. Starr County is just a bonus for another post.

Two cultures are merging, whether it's wanted in West Virginia or not. The one thing that both cultures need is a group of future leaders--who speak English AND Spanish--to move this relationship forward. The "university" of this area is morphing, navel-gazing, and self-important. Ask anyone north of San Antonio what a degree from UTPA is worth, and you'll realize how open the game is right now.

I walk to endless meetings in semi-tropical temperatures surrounded by palm trees. These meetings decide the future of South Texas College.  They do more than that, though. They determine the future of this Valley, and by doing that, they determine the future of America...and the entire planet.

People in Pennsylvania and Oregon and South Carolina depend on what happens right here. If we get it right, the lives of people in those states (in 30 years) will be better. They won't realize it, but it's the task at hand.

This is the front line of the War for America's Future. I feel like a bird colonel.

"...the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse."

What would you give for that? 

• Would you deal with cockroaches? 
• Would you learn Spanish, as best you could? 
• Would you put everything on the line? 
• Would you face your fears of "crime" and "cartels?"
• Would you volunteer to become an outsider in a new world?
• Would you face constant loneliness for at least a year...maybe forever?
• Would you [try to] suck your family into a world they don't understand?

My answer is "Yes."

y tu?

This Glorious Team, Part One: Preparation

(Crappy picture from Forbes...you'd think they could do better.)

I am a Seattle Seahawks fan.

I used to be a passive fan. My in-laws live there, and it's really the only team I could see myself following closely with any value. There was a problem with that though.

You see, I'm from South Dakota. I've lived in eight states, and I just made a major move from the Austin area to the Rio Grande Valley (should count as #9). Wherever I live, I'm pretty much the only Seahawks fan anybody knows.

That means when the Seahawks play the Cowboys, I'm the enemy. When the Seahawks played the Vikings or Broncos or Rams or...

Wherever I went, I was the only one.

So I decided a few years back to OWN that. Sometimes, that was ironic in nature. This has not been a historically amazing team. Steelers fans? Wow--brave. Cowboys fans? Flat-out annoying "homers" and funny to watch now. I constantly posted how awesome Payton Manning was last night--because I had really gotten sick and tired of hearing it from every yap in my environment.

You get the picture: by default I had to become a more vocal fan. Fortunately, that has become a fun position to hold.

This year was my turn. Last night culminated a fantastic season. It was wonderful watching the Seahawks win so many games, but it was more compelling to watch the individual stories. I'm going to start with Russell Wilson--not because he's the best player or because it's always about the quarterback. Oh my, that was NOT the case last night. No, this is about preparation...and patience, even in the second year of your career.

The first story to mention happened after Russell's first home loss as a Seahawks QB--almost two years into his career.  It was an important game for two reasons: (1) a win would secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs; and (2) the Arizona Cardinals were a very good and improving team from the same division.  You could make a case that the Cardinals could have won last night. In that important game, the offense sputtered under Wilson, and the loss led to a very important final game that could have been much less stressful.

The next morning, Coach Pete Carroll couldn't sleep.  He got up, got dressed, and headed to the team's facility to look at game footage to find answers. When he arrived, Russell Wilson was already watching film. The team was 11-3, but two key leaders were uncomfortable with how things were going. Both saw the first step as a mental one. The approach seemed to work, with the Seahawks making short work of the St. Louis Rams in the final regular season game--one which was not broadcast anywhere I could find it.

The story led to a popular Twitter hashtag: #NoTime2Sleep.

THAT story overshadowed another one.

Last year, Russell Wilson and the Seahawks made the playoffs and beat a trendy RGIII's football team from Washington, DC. They lost a close playoff game in Atlanta, due to some mistakes, injuries, a good opponent, and bad luck. Wilson attended the Super Bowl, anyway. He came early--as he would have if he were playing--to watch the teams as they prepared on game day. The idea was to experience the process and familiarize himself with the routines and insights of the unique event. He was preparing to become a champion--mentally.

Championships seem to take one game or one series to complete. That is not the case. Preparing to win that final game takes years of focus. The same is true in most aspects of life. We hear of people living "paycheck to paycheck." I am constantly told at my new position, "We can't do that. [They/he/she/the auditors] wouldn't allow something like that." Basing your approach on an end that you have internalized--well, that changes your daily approach.

It was nice watching Russell Wilson hold that trophy. It was more special to me because I got to "watch" him prepare and work so diligently. He was constantly doing that, even from an early age. He didn't just "win the Super Bowl." Nobody does that on their own. Instead, he consistently worked to put himself into position to become the champion he is today. He won by doing those things when nobody was looking (as much as that is possible). We all have those opportunities; few of us take them. Russell Wilson did, though.

To quote another champion, "Go and do likewise."

And the Changes Keep Coming

I once prepared this for a blog that never got posted:

For a student to graduate from high school, s/he must now complete four courses in each of the four core content areas. They are also expected to complete two years of a foreign language (the same one! No exploring!). If they want the "Distinguished" program, it becomes three years of foreign language (the same one!), as well as other distinguished classes like health and speech.
That would be Algebra, Geometry, Algebra II, and "the other one."
Also Biology, Chemistry, Physics…and "the other one."
You get the picture. We have a core curriculum designed for three courses over four years. We just require a fourth year.

On Friday, I received this tweet:

In reality, we're still not sure what this year's Texas 8th graders need to do:

Texas testing is on the decline. Sort of. I'm not sure how Pearson would allow such a change (outside of bad press for bad tests), but for some reason, we have cut the number of standardized tests in high school. It was ridiculous and awful. Now it's just troublesome.

That doesn't change the fact that high schools--at least in this state--have become "mini community colleges." That is, everything is geared toward career advancement, beginning at age 14. Sure, there's a cannon--I wonder if it's even the right one. I'm not sure whether the over-arching demands on high school students are merited.

You see, I live here. I've battled over how much change I should or should not have received. I've seen people consistently make stupid mistakes with apostrophe's (sic). Every day, I battle my daughter's spelling deficiencies in a school that doesn't care about spelling. Handwriting is seen as a near-waste of time. Thus, I consistently see "handwritten" notes from high school students that look as though they were written by a 3rd grader.

How fast can you print?

It's a far cry from the massive requirements slammed onto our public schools by a much more conservative and removed SBOE a few years ago.  Then, the focus was on political dogma inside the textbooks. Why study too much about slavery when students should memorize the Carolina Constitution? The Gettysburg Address is compared and contrasted with the Confederacy's Inaugural Address by Jefferson Davis. [Note: I liked that one--it made Lincoln look appropriately awesome by comparison.]

Algebra II is now optional.  "Business interests" were concerned, and that is, indeed the driving force. One way or another, kids can't write or spell. The wrong questions have been asked, and children are seen (still) as commodities and not special, precious humans in the process of development.

It also fails to consider that Texas teachers are constantly having to change what they teach. New books must be written (and purchased). Teachers need to be re-re-re-re trained.

All at the whim of people who just don't seem to care.

Whether this latest spate of moves will make things better or worse has yet to be determined.  I just wish it would start from a basic question:

What do we want our high school graduates to know, do, and be like?