This document discusses the need for educators to "slide into first" by fully committing themselves to improving education. It encourages teachers to rekindle their passion, set high expectations, and view themselves as the greatest resource for improving schools. Teachers are challenged to become risk-takers and leaders who give their all each day for the benefit of students. The document argues that educators must go above and beyond to truly change lives and deliver a full-service education that is worth the investment.

2. slide into 1st:
AN EDUCATIONAL
CHALLENGE

3. • Brain Washing
• Get Rid of Stinking Thinking
• Reverse Psycho-sclerosis:
– hardening of the attitude
• Step On Some Toes - Stomp On Some
Feet
• Southern Diplomacy will be used

4. • To withstand the “pinata syndrome”
• Challenge
• Rejuvenate
• Reclaim a servant heart
• DISCLAIMER - You may get
your feelings hurt. Only the
strong should stay!

5. SCHOOL
IMPROVEMENT
• Immediately think of….
• Repairing the curriculum
– May need to change strategies
• Fixing the teachers
– May need redirecting
• Addressing the deficits of the
students
– Let’s address the accomplishments

6. SCHOOL
IMPROVEMENT
• Every person wants schools
to improve
• Like trying to change a flat
tire on a moving car
• Some schools are not
moving
• It is hard to steer a parked
car

7. SCHOOL
IMPROVEMENT
• Only good when it gets to a
teacher, who implements it
with the students in and out
of the classroom.
• Only good when it gets to a
teacher, who establishes
good relationships in and
out of the classroom.

8. SCHOOL
IMPROVEMENT
• The culture that permeates
your school is derived from the
relationships of the adults in
that building.
• The culture is established by
everything we do and don’t do.
• We are getting better or we are
getting worse.

9. SCHOOL
IMPROVEMENT
• Programs & Process are
important, but the most
important is People; they
cause the process to move
forward or backwards.
• Besides…if we fail, who
really gets left behind?

10. IF YOU ALWAYS DO
WHAT YOU HAVE
ALWAYS DONE,
YOU WILL ALWAYS
GET WHAT YOU
HAVE ALWAYS
GOTTEN.

11. Much worse than training people and losing
them is not training them and having to keep
them!
We say we don’t have resources!
We have the greatest resources any where!
We have human resources!
We have US!

12. • You are the same person
today that you will be in
5 years except for 3
things…
• The books you read
• The information you
choose to put into your
brain
• The people with whom
you associate

13. The Pep Talk – Kevin Elko
Training Camp - Jon Gordon
Have a Little Faith – Mitch Albom
ANDY ANDREWS
The Traveler’s Gift
Mastering the Seven Decisions
The Heart Mender

15. YOU CAN SIT IN
MCDONALD’S TILL
CLOSING TIME…
• YOU STILL WILL NOT
BECOME A
HAMBURGER

16. LIKEWISE……
• PEOPLE SIT IN
EDUCATION
CLASSES..
• DOES NOT MAKE
THEM AN
EDUCATOR

17. • “Men don’t follow titles. They follow
courage.”
– “Brave Heart”: William Wallace
• “Techniques don’t produce quality
products or pick up the garbage on
time; people do, people who care,
people who are treated as creative
contributing individuals.”
– Tom Peters

18. ‘takers & ‘tors
• ALL CAN BE RECOGNIZED
IN THE CLASSROOM,
LOUNGE, AND FACULTY
MEETING
• agitators - deactivators
• Undertakers
• spectators - commentators
• Caretakers
• participators - facilitators
• Risktakers

19. ‘takers & ‘tors
• Undertakers: deactivators and
agitators
• hearse driven
• content to see things die and will give
a detail explanation of how & why

20. ‘takers & ‘tors
• Undertakers: deactivators and
agitators
• will avoid giving life to a program
• identified by comments of “not in my job
description” & “that won’t work here”
• hyenas of Lion King, “ if it weren’t for the
lions, we would be running the place!”

21. ‘takers & ‘tors
• Undertakers: deactivators and
agitators
• secretive - waiting in the shadows
• smiling when something does not work
• some are consciously trying to destroy
anything that may work and is somebody
else’s idea

22. ‘takers & ‘tors
• Undertakers: deactivators and
agitators
• heard in the lounge saying, “ I don’t
like to gossip but, they said …...”
• ready to put you in the ground if you
get in the way

23. • Mediocre educators are
always at their best… so are
mediocre administrators.
• If you are average then you
are the best of the worst.

24. ‘takers & ‘tors
• Caretakers: procrastinators,
spectators, and commentators
• maintenance driven - maintain the
minimal standard
• heard to say, “...well I am not the
worse!” “I’ve tried that and ...”

25. ‘takers & ‘tors
• Caretakers: procrastinators,
spectators, and commentators
• work hand in hand with
undertakers ... “You put it in the grave
and we will make sure it stays there!”
• waiting to get students worthy of their
teaching abilities

26. ‘takers & ‘tors
• Caretakers: procrastinators,
spectators, and commentators
• identified by their call of “I don’t care
what this school needs I ........”
“ Mr. Bartee will just have to change
that because I have done it this way
since ....”

27. ‘takers & ‘tors
• Caretakers: procrastinators,
spectators, and commentators
• local nesting places: lounge or coffee pot
• maybe found at 3:00 telling students,
“Last one out turn off the lights and lock
the door!”

28. Undertakers: Caretakers:
• USUALLY MAKE UP
THE B.M.W. CLUB
– BLAME - MOAN - WHINE
• TALK ABOUT BEING
BURNED OUT - THEY WERE
NEVER LIT IN THE 1st
PLACE!
• I’LL QUIT IF I HAVE TO
WORK WITH SO & SO !
WHAT DO YOU MEAN QUIT,
YOU NEVER STARTED

29. ‘takers & ‘tors
• Risktakers: participators and
activators
• results driven ... want to win, but
trying is most important part
• plan the work and work the plan

30. ‘takers & ‘tors
• Risktakers: participators and
activators
• will go against the odds if good might
result
• identified by comments of “What
needs to be done?”

31. ‘takers & ‘tors
• Risktakers: participators and
activators
• never worry about the clock ...finish
the job ...”What’s next?”
• risk being used and laughed at, but
will uplift everyone by their actions

32. ‘takers & ‘tors
• Risktakers: participators and
activators
• have a “FIDO” & “WOWS” attitude
• like a thoroughbred, ready to run
• love their job ...will be early & stay
late

33. ‘takers & ‘tors
• Risktakers: participators and
activators
• recognized by their call of the
pronouns, “WE” and “OUR”
• step out on belief in others:
• will be heard to say, “What can I help
you with now?”
• will become leaders

36. Effective praise is:
• Authentic: recognizing for
something that is true
• Specific: acknowledged behavior
will continue
• Immediate: recognize in a timely
manner (snapshot)
• Clean: has no buts, no qualifiers
• Private: when in doubt praise in
private
– Could anyone have done it?
• Todd Whitaker

37. • One Word – Thanks
• Two Words - I Care
• Three Words – You are right
• Four words – What do you think
• Five words – I am proud of you

38. How Do We Change and
Change Our School?
• Make them part of the team
– Ex: farmer and one mule team
• You cultivate the ground – plant the seed –
fertilize and water – pull out weeds – harvest
the crop – students reap the fruits of the labor

39. How Do We Change and
Change Our School?
• Set high expectations...talk
positively as if they have or will
happen.
– ex: 5 good things & 5 bad things
• Find the good ... no matter how
small ..talk and praise the good
• Edify each other ..uplift & brag on
each other ..
– toot the horn ...
– husband & wife... when to tell
– worms have to wiggle

40. How Do We Change and
Change Our School?
• We change undertakers to
caretakers and caretakers to
risktakers and risktakers to
leaders
• Risk letting others know you care
• Risk trying something different
• Risk upholding good & right
• Risk letting go of the past
• Risk the fear/whatever holds you
back

41. What Keeps Us From
Being the Best
Educators We Can
Be?
•F - False
•E - Evidence
•A - Appearing
•R - Real
• If you knew you could not fail, what
would you do as a educator?

42. • Being an educator:
– starts as a whim in your mind takes
seed as an idea
– moves to the heart as a passion
• Risktaker – easy to be when you have
passion
– unfortunately moves to the mind again
in the form of rationalization and
slowly dies…
• Caretaker
• Undertaker – if it stays to long
– unless you move it back to the heart
and rekindle the passion
– It must be a passion!

43. • YOU ARE THE MAGIC:
– THE REAL DIFFERENCE
IS YOU
• LION KING - BE THE KING..
– BE THE EDUCATOR I
SEE INSIDE
• BE THE EDUCATOR YOU
THINK YOU ARE

44. • BE THE EDUCATOR YOU
KNOW YOU CAN BE
– NOBODY CAN KEEP
YOU FROM THIS,
UNLESS YOU ALLOW IT
TO HAPPEN
– THE EDUCATOR YOU
WANT FOR YOUR CHILD

45. Slide Into First… What
does it mean?
• You are hustling
You are hustling
• You are giving all that you have
• You are doing all you can for the good
of the team
• Sacrifice
• Intensity
• Sometime so intent, lose track of
where and what you are doing.
• You must get to first before you can
score!!!!!

46. • close play at first
• Steve Lyons, Chicago White Sox
• 5 TV appearances - no hitter
pitcher only one
• How many of us are sliding into
1st when it comes to..
• our teaching
• moving our school forward
• new ideas and techniques
• encouraging & edifying each
other

47. Why Slide Into 1st?
• Because we have a passion for
education
• We need to rejuvenate our
passion for education like we
once had
• Because the education we
deliver is the ticket for a better
future for our students
• To give kids an education that is
worth more than the money that
was allocated

48. Why Slide Into 1st?
• So our school will continue to
move to the fore-front as a
school on the move –
• While other schools say….
– “That other school gets all the best
students”
– While a faculty “whines” about its
slice of the pie, other unified &
supportive faculties are moving to
the the front as “showcase
schools”

49. Why Slide Into 1st?
• So that if your were arrested for
impersonating an educator,
there would be enough
evidence to convict you 3 times
over.
• So that when the day comes to
leave, your name is spoken with
honor ... so your students will
say,
• “Now she (he) was a real
teacher !”

50. Why Slide Into 1st?
• Teach with Intensity - get some
“teaching dirt” on your clothes
• Be in a “league of your own”
• Down To This:
– Bring them in from different
areas & cultures
– Build them up
– Send them out as examples
– We are judged & critiqued on
the product

51. Melvin Slaughter: A Great American
• Lewis Grizzard, The Last Bus To
Albuquerque
• Gulf Station - Last full service in
US
• Put in gas - attacked front
windshield - then the back window
• Best job since gas was 30 cents a
gallon
• “I just try to do the best job I can
do! That’s what they pay for!”
• Person took pride..even if it was
bug goo

52. The Choice Is Yours
• A Self Service Education or..
• Slide Into 1st With a Passion &
Give a Full Service Education
• Besides...
• “That’s what they pay me for!”
• The auctioneer...

53. You, As An Educator, Will
Change Lives… Be The
Master Educator

54. 4leadership@work//
Jim & Vev Arrington
334-315-4804
james.e.arrington@gmail.com