HOUSECON - Ron Clark Academy

 WE. ARE. BACK! Our Bethke Elementary educators went to the Ron Clark Academy again this summer. Another group of educators came to experience HOUSECON and the magic was ever so present!

As I sit and reflect this morning, here are some experiences I want to make sure I remember:

1. Get Your Six
Meaning find at least 6 people in your school who can help with the buy in for new ideas to flourish. Well, we have more than 6 now; Bethke Elementary has twenty-two educators who have been to this Ron Clark experience. We began rolling this house system out with our teachers first during the Fall 2022 and this was followed by bringing our 1,300 students onboard in Spring 2023. This summer we learned how to kick it up several notches with MANY ways to bring the houses more alive. Get ready Bethke Elementary our trained educators are on fire to bring these ideas to life and team with each and every staff member on our campus in the process!

2. Importance of School-Wide Meetings
Explain the WHY to our kids in a collaborative and FUN way. Students need training, but they also need to have ideas experienced! How do we get kids to rise to our levels with expectations with academics and behavior? We hold them to a higher standard and have our educators modeling that daily with their actions/communication. Building a community with our educators is HUGE in this process. It starts with the mindsets of those on our campus and moves to our students, as well as their families. Our summer training highlighted ways to bring educators, students, and families into our school to make the magic happen – infusing houses into classroom lessons, 5^th graders as student house leaders, bringing newly registered students into houses, embracing talent in each house, House Olympics, contests with community members as judges, increasing belonging, parents with student buttons, tracking points, consistency with points, fundraising, and oh so much more. So many small details that make such a difference!

3. Building Relationships
Everyone needs to belong. That was showcased repeatedly during the training. Yes, there is research that shows the benefits of this, but the experience of this was oh so present. From the moment you walk into the Ron Clark Academy, you feel the embrace. Houses have the power to unite people in ways to make greatness happen for others not only in your school, but also outside your walls in the community. When alumni students who have graduated high school and college make it a point to come back and volunteer in the school AND mentor current fourth-eighth grade students…well, that is the highest level of giving back to others! Not only have the students found a HOME, but their families have also found a home. We had the pleasure of learning with parents who were leading sessions about how to increase levels of parent commitment, too. How cool to hear information about this from parents’ perspective! So many details were shared during our experiences for staff, student, and family bonding.

We are ready to celebrate who we are and just who we are becoming at Bethke Elementary! 

Learning from 2020

2020 gave us time to reflect on what’s truly important and create a vision of what we want to become and do. So what have I learned in 2020?

1. Hard work never stops. Gosh, how I’ve loved watching my son’s journey as he leans into his goal of becoming an engineer. He pivoted when his summer intern position was COVID canceled; he took a couple of classes instead so he “could use time wisely”. In the fall when others stayed home to go virtual, he remained at the University of Michigan to do blended learning and continue with labs. Along came September's job fair, Austin engaged and recently accepted an engineer position with an international company! He will be working in Chicago the week after he graduates in May 2021. At a time when others are finding it hard to locate work, this young man has secured his place in his dream job; to say we are proud would be an understatement. Hard work and hard decisions continue to pay off.

2. Different isn’t necessarily bad. There isn’t a life that hasn’t been asked to go somewhat virtual in 2020. Each educator has endured learning how to quickly pivot to teaching on a virtual platform. With this came different ways of thinking and many failures/opportunities along the way as we looked for how to make this work better for our learners. Educators have been pushed like never before to adapt and change learning environments. Much of what we’ve learned along the way has actually changed our thinking about the importance of student voice, collaboration, and ownership. Many educators have learned that technology is a powerful resource, but we must use it differently than we have in the past. Cheers to the many collaborative spaces that have emerged from teachers trying new resources! You bet it has been hard, but oh the moments of joy when different worked well for students.

3. Cheerleaders in life are important. We all need people who make us feel like we can do it and this year definitely had us leaning into those people. I hope you have at least one person (if not many) who fill that role for you. For me, my spouse is a voice who always helps remind me of my purpose and helps me brainstorm ways to move forward. He is such a great source of encouragement and positivity when I am struggling. Ricky is constantly my rock in this world that is full of challenges, obstacles, and plenty of reasons to be discouraged. He reminds me daily that we get more in life when we do for others and listen closely to what may help someone along his/her journey. If you haven’t asked someone lately, “How can I help you?” I challenge you to start there and see where it takes you.

4. Gratitude and hope make a difference. These just might be the greatest “gifts” we can offer others. We acknowledge fear and grief, but we must seek hope and gratitude. We cherish our family and friends. We build connections rather than fall into the trap of isolation. We show ourselves the same compassion we’re showing others. We remind ourselves that even though some of the losses will stay with us, this situation is finite – it will end and we will recover to move forward. Our conversations need to turn to one of opportunity – action we can take and positive impact we can have. We remember what we are thankful for and hope to see value in all the little details around us daily. Let’s make sure the good stands out; let’s become noticers of the good in our lives!

May 2021 be a year where being grateful resides at the forefront of my heart, thoughts, words, and actions. I want to live with abundant hope. I want to work hard and do for others along the way.