10 things EVERY Student Remembers about their Champion Educators: Educational Leadership Series

 

 

I have several school districts bringing me in to motivate their staff to Kick Off the upcoming school year between my East Coast & West Coast Tours. When I am hired to motivate a school district or school's staff, I always think back to my favorite educators.

 

PS: Thank you for your service this year. Thank you for EVERYTHING you did this year. I know this time of year many students come and tell you, but THANK YOU for being a CHAMPION.

 

 

 

 

1. Coach got to know (Listened) me like nobody else ever did. Coach is the only educator that ever came to my home to check on me. Coach was constantly having 1 on 1 conversations with me about my life and where it was going. 

 

2. Coach kept up with me. Coach guz is the only educator that called me while I was in college and still calls me regularly to this day. 

 

3. Coach taught me that education does not end when I graduate. He gave me a book (Bible) and told me I needed to read it everyday the rest of my life. I know to this day that I need to constantly keep putting things in my mind to make me better. 

 

4. Coach introduced me to positive people. Coach knew that I did not have my parents in my life and knew that I needed to have people in my life that could teach me the gaps I had in my life. 

 

5. Mr. Cortez believed in me more than anyone else in my life. I remember taking college visits and he was hyping me up to the admissions people from each university. The way he described me was even better than the way I would have tried to pitch myself. I remember the feeling I got each time he showed me how much he believed in me. 

 

6. Mr. Cortez took me (gave me destinations) to physically visit colleges across Texas. On each campus I was thinking of what my life my be like while on campus. I was thinking about what my life would be like after graduating from that place. It reminded me of my grandfather's journey across the country working to provide for me family and how I might travel to go after an opportunity. 

 

7. Mr. Cortez gave me extra time. I can remember taking the SAT II Subject Test and how Mr. Cortez came in on a Saturday when I was the only one taking an exam. Another counselor told me I was wasting my time applying to Ivy League schools that required an SAT II. Mr. Cortez gave his weekend just for me. I will always remember that. 

 

8. Mr. Everett paid attention to me. I was a bit of a slacker in his class because the homework had very little value to the grade and I did not particularly enjoy English. Even though I am sure I was not his favorite student I could see that he was constantly aware of my personality, my goals, my progress, and my future goals. 

 

9. Mr. Everett kept me accountable. I rarely fell behind in any class, but I did fall behind a few times in some classes and did not even know I was behind. Mr. Everett would let me know I was falling behind and made me do real effort in order to make up my grades. I understand that sometimes you can make it simple for a student, but he knew I could handle the hard effort he demanded. 

 

10. I knew all of them. A big part of why all three of them got to know me was because they shared their lives with me. I felt comfortable with them getting to know me because I got to know them. Students share with me many of their struggles because they hear my personal story when I speak to the school. A big mistake for many educators is that they never share some of their struggles when they were students and how they overcame them.