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Written By: Hans Appel November is a traditional time for sharing gratitude and thanks in our family. As we shift into the holiday season , Thanksgiving usually offers a time for reflection on the year with family and friends. But this year, I felt like an unwilling passenger heading down a construction zone detour with no onramp back to my preferred highway.  If I’m being real, I’ve battled back issues, moments of anxiety, and bouts of low grade depression. I’ve been emotionally impacted by George Floyd and countless other black and brown injustices and been angered by political indifference. I felt robbed of vacation plans, speaking engagements, and the opportunity to impact students’ lives on a daily basis. I was stripped away of my freedom, mobility, and what it means to be an educator. My year has managed to pass through each stage of the COVID grief cycle.  Yet, I’ve spent more time writing, thinking, and reflecting on this soul-searching year than probably any year of my life. Because of this unexpected effort toward mindfulness, I restructured 2020 in my own mind as the year of: GRATITUDE. Years from now, I’ll recall 2020 for the COVID global pandemic but I intentionally choose to REMEMBER the many opportunities to discover and develop my JOY.  After signing a 3 book deal, I managed to release, Award Winning Culture, last spring to inspire a school-wide framework to elevate educators' culture and climate. The feedback has been incredible as my idealistic vision seeps into communities around the globe. Jen recently submitted the sequel to this book; geared toward teachers in the classroom, and we’re thrilled to anticipate its release early spring.  Speaking of Jen, she created a picture book series about our dog, Maya + friends based on the big ideas from my book. I’m extremely proud of her effort to use her incredible talent, creativity, and passion to make the world better! By mixing heartfelt stories and partnering with award winning illustrator Herb Leonard, she’s infused social emotional and character education lessons for children of all ages to vicariously learn through a cast of fury friends. Award Winning Dog debuted in July; while, I’m Who was just released.  Forced social distancing meant frequent family dog walks which gave way to a crazy idea for us to start our own podcast: The Award Winning Culture Podcast. Having spent several years behind the scenes supporting our students with their Wildcat Nation podcast, it’s been fun to pull back the curtain and cannonball in, to share our regular conversations on all things school culture. As Jen and I debate, riff, and reveal our thoughts on education, we’ve had a blast putting this project together.  The Teach Better Team has become a large part of our world in 2020. From being hand selected for the Speakers Network, to joining the Podcast Network we’ve been fortunate to surround ourselves with high energy game-changing people who challenge us to become our best selves. The Teach Better Team imagines a world where: “every educator is connected, supported, and inspired to be BETTER every day; so that all learners can discover and develop their passions to positively impact our communities.”  Isn’t this the world we all desire? The Teach Better family has been committed to providing dynamic professional development, educational content, and hope throughout the world. We’re grateful to be a part of something bigger than ourselves! Beyond all of the momentum that our award winning culture work has been experiencing, Jen and I find ourselves in awe of our students, staff, and parents who have transformed their own skills, thinking, and actions to thrive in our new normal. It might be easy to look back at 2020 with wistful regret for the missed opportunities but I choose to see our educational pivot with hopeful optimism. Thanks to our global circumstances big ideas like equity, inclusion, and supporting the whole child--are now front and center. This year has been a much needed reminder to s l o w d o w n and take stock of what’s truly important: -Am I living out my why on a daily basis? -How will I demonstrate love to friends and family? -Forget the To-Do list---What’s on my To-BE list? -Which people in my life truly bring out the best in me? -How do I hope to be remembered? -Do I really want to eat that or am I just bored, hurried, or lonely? -What’s my legacy? -Who’s opinion do I really care about? -Am I the person my dog thinks I am? -What lesson am I supposed to learn in 2020? I’m grateful for the opportunity to create, connect, and re-calibrate myself. My bio now says, author, speaker, podcaster but my heart says: BETTER HUMAN BEING. What is your heart grateful for, this THANKS--GIVING? About The AuthorHans Appel is an educator, speaker, and writer deeply committed to inspiring the whole child. He’s the author of, Award Winning Culture: Building School-Wide Intentionality and Action Through Character, Excellence, and Community. Additionally, he’s the Director of Culture for the Teach Better Team, Co-host of the Award Winning Culture podcast, and the Co-Creator of Award Winning Culture. 
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Written By: Jennifer Appel
I LOVE picture books. They highlight the best parts of humanity while underscoring the most engaging aspects of great literature. Readers are able to understand an imaginative story through graphic pictures and a few powerful words--is there anything better?
When I was young, I grew up in a family full of educators; naturally, reading was a large part of our life. My mom and dad read stories to my brother and I at bedtime. Falling asleep to silly, spectacular and touching characters was a lovely part of my evening routine.
We regularly scheduled family reading time, in which we would sit around enjoying a good book by the fire. It was like a scene from a Norman Rockwell painting. I’m grateful to my parents for modeling this intentional activity.
I always dreamed of one day writing a book; however, because I grew up having dyslexia, I never thought it would happen. In fact, it took me years before I even thought I was a capable reader---let alone a potential author. I put so much doubt in my head, it became my internal self talk.
A while back my husband (Hans) was determined to start writing a book which inadvertently began inspiring me to rekindle my desire to create something special. I observed how determined he was to pour his heart and passion into his book, Award Winning Culture.
While he was writing this school-wide framework to help educators foster exceptional culture and climate, I remember him saying to me:
“It’s weird I’m writing a book...I always thought you would be the one to write a book.”
His words slowly began to seep into my soul. I started reflecting on all of the literature I enjoyed over the years. Over time, I even brainstormed a few ideas. Nothing serious but the seeds of creativity were receiving plenty of water and oxygen. All I needed was a little sunlight to illuminate the possibility of bringing a picture book to life.
Award Winning Dog was the proud recipient of the 2020 Mom's Choice Awards
“Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.”
-Anthony J DeAngelo
About a year later my internal narrative invited a ray of inspiration into my world. On a routine sunny dog walk, I finally had the courage to say out loud to myself and Hans:
“I want to write a book based on Maya’s life and I want to incorporate the themes: Character, Excellence, and Community, from your book.”
Saying the words out loud gave me permission to explore my dream in a tangible way. We brainstormed throughout the walk with a fully fleshed out premise of notes I spoke directly into my phone. Afterwards, we raced home and I frantically started typing it out. My dancing fingers on the keyboard could hardly keep up with my mind as I dove fully into this fantasy dog-based world of JOY. Approximately an hour later, I had my first rough draft and a beautifully sketched out web for 5 more picture books.
Why the Award Winning Dog series?
My mission is to share my love of reading with children all over the world. I want them to truly understand that they matter and how it feels to be recognized and celebrated for their unique gifts. The privilege of infusing character education and social emotional learnings into this canine universe is an awesome responsibility. Each colorful page offers a chance to touch the minds and hearts of our future young leaders.
"There are many ways to enlarge your child’s world. Love of books is the best of all."
-Jacqueline Kennedy 
We are all better because of the literature we’re exposed to and these stories change our lives in very profound ways. If the Award Winning Dog series can be, even a small part of a child’s life, I will be eternally proud of my contribution to this rewarding space.
It’s a full circle life moment to recognize that my own dog Maya, named after my favorite author, Dr. Maya Angelou, is now the featured furry thread through this heartfelt series. My Maya reminds children of all ages that they alone have the power of making others feel special.
Through the years I learned that I have the gift to support, connect, and inspire young children to discover and develop their JOY.
...and you too can bring JOY to others TODAY!
About the AuthorJennifer Appel is an educator, coach, speaker, and writer. She’s the Chief Heart Officer for the Teach Better Team, Co-host of the Award Winning Culture podcast, and the Co-Creator of Award Winning Culture. She’s the author of a line of picture books focusing on social emotional learning and character education which includes, “Award Winning Dog and I’m WHO.” Furthermore, Jennifer has been a contributor on two books: Teacher’s Deserve It and an upcoming project yet to be titled. 
Written By: Hans Appel It’s been a little over 5 weeks since our staff sat huddled and crammed into my wife’s classroom watching a live press conference unveil our governor’s plan to shut down our schools. I’ve watched the equity and empathy gaps widen while seeing families struggle to manage both instantaneous poverty coupled with demands of homeschooling. I’ve witnessed a mad rush to put out crazy amounts of educational resources promising to be the fix that we all need. In the time since, I’ve been peppered with questions from colleagues, PLN, and teammates on ideas to build school culture during this time of distance learning. Friends and family have sought my advice on navigating trauma, how to deal with elevated anxiety, and how to pass the time. Furthermore, companies have reached out to me to create relevant content to support educators best practice during this crisis. Afterall, I’ve helped lead our school into an Award Winning Culture. I’m the Director of Culture for the Teach Better Team. I’m launching several exciting school culture projects this year; and, in about a month I’ll release my first book: Award Winning Culture: Building Intentionality and Action Through Character, Excellence, and Community. So, I’m supposed to have all the answers, RIGHT?! I’m supposed to be an ‘expert’ in all things culture and climate But here’s the thing...this is my first global pandemic. I guess I’m not sure what I was expecting but it's definitely more isolating, frustrating, and confusing than I would have hoped. In truth, many people are struggling through real grief-like symptoms as we all navigate our way through to a new normal. Anytime I feel lost, I make a concentrated effort to revisit my WHY: I believe education, at its highest level, is about inspiring others to discover and develop their joy. When reflecting on joy I’ve found it helpful to review our house rules: Will You Do the Right Thing? (Character) Will You Do Your Very Best? (Excellence) What Will You Do For Others TODAY? (Community) Character: Doing the right thing means modeling social distancing while practicing self care. I’m physically distancing myself from others while increasing family time, walks, cooking at home, and actively searching out moments of gratitude. I’m literally behaving the culture I’m trying to lead. Excellence: Doing my best has fueled me to attack each day with the same intensity to inspire joy. Educating others now might feel foriegn to me but I’m learning that listening, empowering, and engaging people I serve is just as possible. In fact, the freedom of school beyond the four walls creates a learn on demand world for all of us. I’m taking this time to read some great books and blogs and listen to some new podcasts. I’ve also taken a few powerful PD courses. Community: I’m supporting others by reaching out, connecting, and re-establishing relationships. I can’t believe it took a global tragedy to entice my family to connect with relatives thousands of miles away. With the power of video conferencing we can connect with anyone...anytime. Whether it’s postcards, e-mail, phone call, social media, this is the time to seek people out. I even joined Voxer recently (happel664). I think school culture during social distancing has less to do with the big things. Instead, school culture is the intentional focus on asking and answering for myself and others those three critical questions each day. After 5 weeks of this new style of schooling, I’m MORE convinced than ever--school culture is the same as it always has been. Award Winning Culture inspires a mindset of positive intentionality and action through Character, Excellence, and Community within your sphere of influence. Need more inspiration to enhance your school culture efforts? Check out my picks for the top resources for working through COVID-19 this week: Best Blogs: Elisabeth Bostwick--Gratitude for Educators: Ideas on How We Can Uplift Others Kris Felicello--The Covid Crisis: Through the Eyes of a NY Educator George Couros--A Focus on Connection, Finding Positives, and Growth Rae Hughart--5 Elements We Learned & We Can Not Forget: Remote & Physical Classrooms Self-Care/Trauma Support Online PD: Fostering Resilient Learning--COVID-19 Survival Course for Educators The ZenTeacher--Self Care for Stressed out Teachers Reaching the Whole Child: Whole Child Summit by CharacterStrong Powerful Podcast Episodes: Brene Brown--Permission for Feel Brian Mendler--Serenity Now Most Supportive Teacher Facebook Group: Teach Better Team--Private Facebook Group Best New Books to Fuel Your Purpose: Define Your Why: Own Your Story So You Can Live and Learn on Purpose by Barbara Bray Live Your Excellence: Bring Your Best Self to School Everyday by Jimmy Casas Most High Impact Educational Resources for Teachers: Cult of a Pedagogy Teach Better Team Top Twitter Chat this Week: #TLAP with Don Epps--Monday April 20th 9p.m (EST) About the AuthorHans Appel has worked as a counselor in the Richland School District for the past 19 years and at Enterprise Middle School since it opened. He’s passionate about school culture, servant leadership, and kindness. In 2018, EMS was awarded the ASCD Whole Child Award for the State of Washington and the Global “Class Act Award” for creating a culture of excellence through kindness, service, and empathy. Additionally, the were selected as a finalist in the 2019 PBIS Film Festival and took top prize in the Community, Parents, and Staff category.  Written By: Hans Appel “We’re built to be relational.” -John Norlin Are you tuning in to all the 24/7 news cycles about the next great disaster? Cause I’m not! But it’s kinda hard to avoid. Everywhere I turn, I feel like there are verbal, visual, and digital reminders that the CORONAVIRUS IS TAKING OVER!!! Because we live in the pacific northwest, our state is starting to be impacted with things like school closures, increased safety protocols, and fear.  As readers of our Award Winning Culture brand will recognize, our school is well known for its commitment to morning greeting. This form of daily personal connection has centered around high 5’s and fist bumps for years. But recently, in response to the coronavirus, our district has enforced a change to its physical contact rule: NO hand shakes, NO fist bumps, and NO high 5’s. It’s a complete departure from the safe welcoming school that I'm on FIRE to create!  When I first heard about this reactionary rule, I was mad. Mad at our district leaders. Mad at our public safety officials. Heck...I was mad at CORONA herself. [I picture the Coronavirus as a cartoon character like Cruella de Vil from 101 Dalmatians. What can I say...I’m like a big kid!] But the truth is, everyone is just doing their best job to put a stop to a wide spread health concern. And being mad at someone wasn’t going to bring back high fives any quicker. The temporary rule change has led to elbow or chicken wing contact, foot tapping, and head nodding. But more so, it’s forced us to not simply fall back on physical contact. Students and staff have had to revisit how we’re connecting with people as they enter our building or classrooms. This meant an increased effort toward using names, handing out compliments, smiling, and making eye contact. It also meant pausing in the hallway to have a little longer conversation than we might normally choose to. And you know what, these are actually more important forms of connection than a well placed fist bump. Award Winning Culture values CONNECTION over contact. Coronavirus will probably come and go but I’ll remember this lesson for a while. Connection isn’t about physicality. Connection is about uncovering our HUMANNESS. “Connection is why we’re here; it is what gives purpose and meaning to our lives.” -Brene Brown Ironically, coronavirus has given me PERMISSION to relook at the ways I’m connecting with others. And in response to that, I re-read a bookmarked blog from Chicago Superintendent Dr. Bradford Hubbard with his reflections from last year’s Teach Better conference. Please check out his complete list of permissions on vulnerable ways we can connect here: “#TeachBetter19, a Reflection.” [And don’t forget to register for #TeachBetter20 to learn how to #MakeItMatter from incredible leaders like Brad]. How might YOU connect with someone TODAY?  About The AuthorHans Appel has worked as a counselor in the Richland School District for the past 19 years and at Enterprise Middle School since it opened. He’s passionate about school culture, servant leadership, and kindness. In 2018, EMS was awarded the ASCD Whole Child Award for the State of Washington and the Global “Class Act Award” for creating a culture of excellence through kindness, service, and empathy. Additionally, the were selected as a finalist in the 2019 PBIS Film Festival and took top prize in the Community, Parents, and Staff category.  Written by: Jennifer Appel I come from a family of bakers. My dad makes the best chocolate chip cookies you have ever tasted. My brother makes amazing pies at every holiday. And my mom can bake the best bread for every occasion. I grew up learning how to bake and it has become a part of who I am and I love to bake for others. Because of this love of baking, I bring cookies to about every occasion at work. When this happens I always get asked, "can I get a copy of the recipe for those cookies". And of course, I give them a copy. I have given out the recipe so much that I actually have it saved on my school computer.  After giving people the recipe I get this response a lot, my cookies didn't turn out like yours, I don't know what your secret is, but mine don't look or taste the same. For years, I thought, maybe people just aren't as experienced at baking as I am. Then after years of hearing the same thing, I put my teacher hat on and thought if my students are failing the test, I can't blame them, it is on me and my teaching. I didn't properly teach them how to make my cookies, I just handed them a "worksheet" with directions. I started to think about my recipe and realizing that I listed out the ingredients and have temperature, time, etc. but no details about what the dough should look and feel like before you bake it. To start with I use unsweetened butter, that needs to soften on the counter over night. Then I included details about chilling the dough for 1 hour and then you need to let it sit on the counter for about 10 minutes before you start rolling the dough. While you are warming the dough you need to preheat the oven and make sure it is warm at least 10 minutes before you start baking. The dough also has a silky feeling, if you don't put in enough flour, you must add some while you are kneading the dough, it is all about feel, even when you follow the recipe perfectly you sometimes have to add flour. After you have this silky texture you need to make sure that you roll the dough to the same thickness or you will have some doughy and some burned. You also have to make sure the cookie sheet is in the direct center of the oven, or they won't cook evenly. I have 6-8 minutes as the cook time, but I always undercook my cookies (you don't want any brown on your cookies), they are much softer and yummier. I also frost them and put them in the freezer, the frosting solidifies in the freezer and they are a perfect cookie that doesn't have gooey frosting! All of these factors went into my baking, that I never thought to tell people, why??? Because you should just know that????  Do we do the same thing with school culture? When students come to us we expect that they have been intentionally taught Character, Excellence, and Community. It is our job to show them exactly what that looks like! We need to preheat the oven by teaching them the house rules before they even enter your building. We need to make sure that our classrooms and hallways have the right feel, showing them through experiential training they are able get a better grasp on culture. How much instructional time do we need to intentionally infuse soft skills? This should be part of the "culture" of the school and happen EVERY DAY! Worksheets, role plays and fake scenarios are NOT the way to teach social emotional skills. School Culture can be a JOYFUL experience with KINDNESS, SERVICE, AND EMPATHY being the icing on top. Award winning culture intentionally teaches students character, excellence, and community.AuthorJennifer is a teacher and coach at Enterprise Middle School. She has been teaching for 21 years. Her passion for education comes from growing up in an education driven family (4th generation) and wanting to help and serve others. She is now driven to create an environment where all students are able to learn and become passionate about serving others.
In 2018, EMS was awarded the ASCD Whole Child Award for the State of Washington and the Global “Class Act Award” for creating a culture of excellence through kindness, service, and empathy. Additionally, the were selected as a finalist in the 2019 PBIS Film Festival and took top prize in the Community, Parents, and Staff category. Jennifer has written blogs and lesson design for CharacterStrong. She was selected for the Washington State Reading Cadre and spent 10 years teaching graduate and undergraduate classes at Heritage University. Additionally, she’s spoken at state and national conferences on PBIS, Student Voice, and School Culture. Jennifer is a part of the coveted Teach Better Speakers Network and presents at conferences, schools, and districts all over the country. Topics include: Creating an Award Winning Culture, Amplifying Student Voice, Student-Led Podcasting, and Infusing Servant Leadership through PBIS. In 2018, Jennifer helped launch a blog about School Culture and helped roll out a student-led leadership podcast called Award Winning Culture: Hosted by Wildcat Nation, which can be subscribed, listened or reviewed on iTunes Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, PodBean, and Libsyn. Jennifer can be contacted through email at awardwinningculture@gmail.com. You can follow her on twitter at @jennifermappel. Follow AWC on Twitter @awculture or @awcpodcasting on instagram @awardwinningculture. Follow Wildcat Nation on instagram @emsleadership. #WildcatNation #AwardWinningCulture Written By: Jennifer Appel Recently, I had this conversation with a colleague who didn’t know me very well: Colleague: “Do you have kids?” Me: “No, no human babies, just a beautiful dog.” Colleague: “I wish I was able to be that SELFISH, that must be nice.” Me: ……..nothing......  This is something that I have heard in various forms for the last 20 years of my life. I am a 42 year old woman that is married and obviously loves children because of my career choice. So why don’t I have children??? That is the question that is always on everyone’s minds. The people in my life that truly know my story, understand that I have a disease called Endometriosis (Endo). I have had Endo since I was 11 years old. Due to this illness, I have had 6 abdominal surgeries over the past 14 years including a hysterectomy when I was 29 years old. I am simply UNABLE to have children. For years, I knew that “my kids” were the 150 that I served everyday at Wildcat Nation. Ironically, when people first hear my life story they all of the sudden have EMPATHY and stop judging and claiming I’m selfish. But, why am I NOT shown empathy and kindness until my story is shared? Last week, something similar played out with a student at school. I was talking to an educator and they were very disrespectful to a student and basically embarrassed the student in front of the class. Nothing like a little public shaming to kill a student’s connection to learning. Later, when we were talking, I told them a little background on the student and the “trauma” that they had survived. The teacher quickly shot back with, “well I didn’t know their story, I would have treated them differently.” Again, why does it take hearing someone’s story to show kindness and empathy? Kristin Souers and Pete Hall in their groundbreaking book Fostering Resilient Learners, say, “In our schools, we need to be prepared to support students who have experienced trauma, even if we don’t know exactly who they are.” All students have experienced some form of trauma, challenge or life hurdle and we should treat ALL STUDENTS with kindness and empathy. Award Winning Culture leads with Kindness and Empathy regardless of knowing another person’s life story.  We should never cast judgement about someone’s life choices, actions, or needs based on what society has taught us is “normal.” In the same way, we should treat all students with Empathy and refuse to embarrass them in front of a group of their peers. By demonstrating empathy, we provide others the OPPORTUNITY to share their story. As a trained counselor, my husband was taught to first show empathy and understanding to a person and then they might be willing to open up and eventually tell you their story. Afterall, who would trust someone who was so quick to judge. Judgement is a powerful barrier to relationships. In the end, I chose not to share my personal story to the colleague that called me selfish. In fairness, they hadn’t presented a level of compassion to me and thus didn’t deserve the privilege of me opening up. As educators we forget this sometimes. We think that we deserve to hear student’s stories before we’ve actually built an authentic relationships. Have you EARNED the right to learn your students, staff, and community’s stories? Perhaps we all need to: **Build mutual trust with others **Assuming best intentions **Listening to understand **Choosing Connection over Compliance **Seeing behavior as a need **Leading with LOVE As I head into my last week before winter break and recognize that the holidays are filled with stress for many...I’ll lead with an empathic ear, an open mind, and a full heart. Even the colleague who hurt my feelings by calling me selfish deserves me leading with empathy. Maybe they were just having a bad day--like we all do sometimes. Here I go...EMPATHY FOR ALL! AuthorJennifer is a teacher and coach at Enterprise Middle School. She has been teaching for 21 years. Her passion for education comes from growing up in an education driven family (4th generation) and wanting to help and serve others. She is now driven to create an environment where all students are able to learn and become passionate about serving others. Written By: Hans Appel A couple weeks ago, I shared a powerful spoken word rap created, written, and performed by an award winning culture student named Taya titled: We Weren’t Made For This.” It was extraordinarily powerful, moving, and raw. It’s exactly the type of authentic, vulnerable student created content I believe makes the world a better place. Her powerful voice demonstrates a resilience that’s inspiring! Many viewers have been particularly influenced by her poetic vulnerable language used to describe bravely surviving sexual trauma. Indeed, in my opinion, sexual abuse is the most horrifyingly and violating act that can happen to a human being. As a counselor of 20 years, I’ve lost track of how many stories of abuse I’ve been weighted with. And believe me, experience does NOT make this part of the job--any easier. I’ve heard personal accounts of sex traficing, parents who prostitued their own child, and tales of gang rap. I’ve had students who violated other students and an unending supply of famila perpetrators. I’ve dealt with adults who fail to believe their own child’s terrifying narrative and testified about circumstances that would make even the most seasoned therapist lose faith in humanity. Still, one story has impacted me more than any other. It happened during my 2nd year on the job and has changed the way I view education and life… Let’s call her Tiffany. Tiffany came in periodically to visit and say hi. She was a small 6th grade girl filled with two parts anxiety and 1 part people pleaser. Although she spoke with a quiet soft voice, when she talked she usually had strong thoughts behind her verbiage. Tiffany was a bright student, who’s introverted personality assisted her transition into middle school as she dove head first into earning straight A’s. For a couple weeks, Tiffany had been complaining about her upcoming summer break. As was explained to me, her family would be heading back east to spend time with extended family for a couple weeks. Additionally, Tiffany would be staying on, an extra week to spend time with her grandparents alone, as Tiffany’s mom and dad flew back to Washington. While she was frustrated at having to give up nearly 3 weeks of her summer away from home, she was particularly focused on the week that she would be on her own with her grandparents.  After some time, one morning Tiffany finally revealed to me that she had been sexually abused by her grandfather on a previous family vacation and that she couldn’t bare the thought of spending an entire week, without mom/dad with her grandfather. Tiffany was a mix of shame, fear, guilt, depression, rage, and anxiety. And her nightmares and self hatred had reached a level that she finally had to speak up. Her bravery to share her painful truth led to a normal series of outreach: police, child protective services, sexual assault response center, and parents were all contacted to play their role in supporting this broken soul. While we waited for detectives to arrive at school, I sat with Tiffany, her mom, and dad. They hugged their daughter as she shared a few minor details. Dad was awesome. He said everything you’d want to hear if you’d just revealed your most intimate life’s shame ridden secret. Mom was quiet but her love for her daughter shown through as she squeezed her daughter tight and repeatedly told her: I love you...I’m so sorry… As our wait for first responders drug on, and Tiffany’s words continued to fill the air, the mood began to change rather dramatically. Her mom began to cry gently at first and then her tears began to pick up stem toward an impactful sob. As a young counselor, her tears didn’t register to me and seemed on par with any other heartbroken parent, who's suddenly found themselves learning that her own father had been hurting her baby girl. But Tiffany’s dad picked up on the energy change quickly and focused all of his attention on his wife telling her it was going to be ok, Tiffany would be safe, etc.  His words and attempt to console his wife didn’t work and she seemed more and more distraught as she wept. At this point, both Tiffany and dad stared directly at mom trying to comfort her. As you can imagine, the scene of this young child victim now consoling mom was a bit unusual. A piece of me wondered how her mom’s meltdown was impacting Tiffany. After several attempts by both Tiffany and her father to soothe mom’s outburst, mom slowly looked up across the room at me and began with two words: “Me Too………………...He...did...the same thing………to me, when I was her age.” Typing that last sentence, gives me chills and emotionally puts me smack dab in the middle of one of the most powerful lessons I’ve learned about vulnerability. Long before Brene Brown turned vulnerability into society’s newest leadership buzzword, I was given an up close look at bravery: first daughter then mother. Tiffany’s mom, who was in her mid 30’s had literally never told a single person about her own painful years of sexual abuse from her own father. In a mix of denial and blame for herself, she had unintentionally put dangerous blinders on to subjecting her own daughter to the same monster that she experienced as a child. Working with the family over the next few months and learning more about the intersecting circles of abuse, experienced trauma experts won’t be surprised to learn that mom and Tiffany were NOT grandpa’s only family victims. They were just the ones who were brave enough to speak first. [Tiffany and her family have since gone on to become successful community leaders that make the world a more positive place] I think about how long that abuse would have gone on if Tiffany wouldn’t have come forward? How many other lives would have been ruined? If someone would have shared the horror happening in that home, would Tiffany never have been in harm's way? Tiffany and mom's vulnerability that day began the healing process and ultimately prevented future pain for others. Whether we’re a parent, a teacher, or leader of some other sort... *Vulnerability is strength. *Vulnerability connects us to others. *Vulnerability inspires others to be brave. *Vulnerability encourages resilience. **Vulnerability empowers us to put people first. Award Winning Cultures create conditions that encourage vulnerable leadership At a recent educational conference I was blown away by the number of educators willing to demonstrate vulnerability. [Here’s a recap of my #TeachBetter reflections.] How can WE ALL lead with vulnerability? Being vulnerable isn’t just about sharing personal stories of disclosure. Sometimes educators model vulnerability in other ways. Following the recent Teach Better Conference, I’m currently reading 2 books at the same time. One of which was written by the conference creators [Chad Ostrowski, Tiffany Ott, Rae Hughart, and Jeff Gargas] simply called: “Teach Better” published by Dave Burgess Consulting. I’m loving the Teach Better Team’s book and highly recommend it to anyone with a growth mindset who’s interested in getting better at whatever educational path you're particularly passionate about. It’s a perfect blend of practical educational strategies that are rooted in heartfelt vulnerable stories. Here's a passage that’s stuck with me: “There is an important truth in education that is often overlooked: We do not teach content. We do not teach history of the American Revolution or the mechanics of bone and muscle. We do not teach grammar or how to add fractions. WE TEACH KIDS” While there are dozens of poignant quotes and powerful takeaways from the book, this quote stuck with me this week as I reflected upon the need to show bravery through vulnerability while putting kids first--NOT CONTENT. With all the district, state, and political pressure to focus on content exclusively, educators sometimes lose their way in focusing on what’s most important: The Whole Child. And thinking about all the brave young leaders (I.E Taya, Tiffany etc.) and educational risk takers like the Teach Better family that overcome difficult circumstances to find joy realigns me to examine how educators can model vulnerability while pushing back on educational norms. Maybe being vulnerable means… **Choosing MASTERY over quantity of content covered **Building in time for peer to peer CONNECTIONS **Valuing RELATIONSHIPS rather than performance **Sacrificing systems in favor of STUDENTS **Celebrating KINDNESS instead of achievement **SUPPORTING rather than criticizing educational risk taking **Opting for SELF CARE over stakeholders **Measuring JOY through passion projects **Amplifying STUDENT VOICE as a means to TEACHBETTER This week, I’m inspired by students like Tiffany, Taya, and countless others to challenge myself to push against the status quo, safety and comfort of simply doing...my...job--to become more present, authentic, and real. How might modeling vulnerable leadership empower our students to become their most authentic self while pursuing their life’s WHY? Do YOU ever wonder what the world might look like, if educators followed the brave vulnerable leadership of some of our most resilient students: ME TOO! About the AuthorHans Appel has worked as a counselor in the Richland School District for the past 19 years and at Enterprise Middle School since it opened. He’s passionate about school culture, servant leadership, and kindness. In 2018, EMS was awarded the ASCD Whole Child Award for the State of Washington and the Global “Class Act Award” for creating a culture of excellence through kindness, service, and empathy. Additionally, the were selected as a finalist in the 2019 PBIS Film Festival and took top prize in the Community, Parents, and Staff category. Written By: Hans Appel Where are you guys from? Eastern Washington, about 3 hours from Seattle. Oh, wow, welcome to Ohio...what brings you to Columbus? We’re actually on our way to Akron. Akron? What’s going on in Akron? Do you have family there? Well...yeah...sorta. We’re going to an educator conference. It must be a pretty special conference to travel that far. Yep, we’re going to meet some cool people. Awesome Mr. Appel, here are your keys, your all set to go. Your car’s on G-16. Have a great conference! Over the next 48 hour whirlwind, I immersed myself in the quest to get better. The inaugural Teach Better Conference, offered networking, breakouts, keynotes, and the usual educational opportunities. But from the start, this conference had a different vibe, energy, and electricity than others I’d attended. There was a fun, friendly, fast-paced excitement upon registration that left me eager to get this party started. But Tiffany Ott, Chad Ostrowski, Rae Hughart, and Jeff Gargas exceeded all my expectations...  Rae and Jeff slaying the crowd with whitty banter and authenticity. Great START!! While going through amazing events, moments, or opportunities I frequently search for a common thread to explain or make sense of my experience. A word, phrase, or hashtag can help me cement AWESOMENESS to my soul. Additionally, I have a deep passion for understanding successful people. And I was surrounded by countless edu-stars who are walking the walk everyday. After attending nearly 15 presentation sessions (Breakouts + Keynotes) and still being SHOCKED we were chosen to present alongside so many outstanding people who I admire and look up to in our profession, I needed a word to capture my #TeachBetter19 weekend.  Chad showing us the biggest secret of all to the GRID Method: Growth Mindset. Some people I spoke to highlighted words like connection, PLN, passion, etc...but none of them did justice to what I was seeing and feeling. Near the end of the weekend, a brief conversation with Josh Stamper [Be sure and check out his Aspire Leadership Development Podcast] helped me clarify a word that was present from the start of this EPIC conference and all the way through, to the very end: Vulnerability.  Dave sets the house on FIRE by helping us bring our strengths and passions to our work. It was as if Brene Brown herself was perhaps consulting on the vision for the weekend. I heard inspiring emotionally charged stories fueled with vulnerability. People shared raw stories of burnout, childhood trauma, failure, and mental health challenges. Every single presenter I watched--brought it 1000%  Kristen's presentation was an absolute standout! From Brad Hubbard’s #MakeItMatter to Kristen Nan’s “The Elephant in the Room” each speaker moved me to DO BETTER and BE BETTER for our students. Even people whose incredible sessions I didn’t make it to were clearly pushing the envelopes of risk taking in such inspiringly highwire without a net type of ways... As an aspiring inspirer, I found myself pondering several questions: **Is everyone at their school as vulnerable and brave as they are? **Why aren’t people at home leading with this type of vulnerability? **How might I influence my students and staff to take more risks? **What gives these edu-stars the freedom of mind to bare their HEARTS?  Kubiak teaching us how to bring mindfulness and regulation stations into our daily work. He and Janelle knocked it out of the park! If I’m being real, I found myself wishing I worked with these types of people everyday. Leaders like Jeff Kubiak [One Drop of Kindness] and Michael Earnshaw [Punk Rock Classrooms] make it easy to Teach Like a Pirate [Did anyone else think Dave Burgess was taller than they expected?]. Authors like Dan Tricarico and Adam Welcome encourage me to #RUNLAP toward Self-Care, so I can bring the fire! Parents like Janelle McLaughlin, who have the skills, language, and talent to partner with educational leaders in innovative ways entice me to fight harder for EVERY KID!  Michael showing us how to make it happen for kids by getting out of our space and connecting with others. In the end, I don’t control my students, co-workers, parents or ANYONE ELSE. I can however, model an award winning culture that’s rich with daring leadership. I think Tara Martin had it all right when she encouraged us to Cannonball In --to the deep end of the pool.  A read aloud by Tara infused with life changing metaphors was beyond SPECTACULAR! Award Winning Culture inspires and empowers students and staff to take educational risks layered in VULNERABILITY by being willing to step first. As I returned the keys, early Sunday morning, to the gentleman at Hertz, I realized I now had the KEYS to something extraordinary… Time to go #TeachBetter! Thank-you to all my old and new friends and family who made me better this weekend! Let’s DO THIS!!  About the AuthorHans Appel has worked as a counselor in the Richland School District for the past 19 years and at Enterprise Middle School since it opened. He’s passionate about school culture, servant leadership, and kindness. In 2018, EMS was awarded the ASCD Whole Child Award for the State of Washington and the Global “Class Act Award” for creating a culture of excellence through kindness, service, and empathy. Additionally, the were selected as a finalist in the 2019 PBIS Film Festival and took top prize in the Community, Parents, and Staff category. Written By: Hans Appel Last week, in our school’s staff meeting, someone was brave enough to share that some teachers are afraid of saying the wrong thing, when met with a student who’s struggling. I think many teachers feel this way… Which got me thinking about some recent conversations I’ve had with educators who are afraid to be innovative in their classrooms, afraid to contact parents, afraid to be vulnerable with students, or even afraid to challenge colleagues. I think FEAR really permeates our profession. But having spent most of my career talking with people who are struggling, I want you all to know, most people aren’t actually looking for others to solve their problems, give them inspiring advice or put together the most eloquent words. Most people who are struggling are looking for authentic CONNECTION. Students want us to demonstrate: I SEE YOU. I HEAR YOU. I LOVE YOU.  In the past couple weeks, I’ve witnessed educators at Wildcat Nation having meaningful connection through their words and actions all over the school: *One person took all the sting out of a difficult conversation with a simple heartfelt apology. *One person connected online through a temperature check to get a student help. *One person moved mountains to ensure a student’s home life was safe. *One person is reimagining their workspace to create a safe landing place for struggling kids. *One person gave up their prep period to check in on a student they DON’T EVEN HAVE IN CLASS. *One person removed their own ego to ensure a student’s needs were being met. *One person demonstrated empathy for a family by helping them access a district program by eliminating systemic barriers. Believe me people notice. RELATIONSHIPS MATTER!! I even had a colleague reach out to me and express concern that I wasn’t acting like myself. The truth is, that person didn’t have all the perfect words and in the right order but their effort and love meant the world to me. And, in the end, they were able to help me see something I wasn’t ready or able to see. Our connection is now stronger than ever! It really comes down to getting out of our own heads and leading with the HEART. I encourage you to side-step fear of saying or doing the wrong thing and just go all in on HUMAN CONNECTION…  Brene Brown says it best: “Connection is the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued; when they can give and receive without judgment; and when they derive sustenance and strength from the relationship.” For more information check out this 3 minute video from Brene Brown on Empathy: Also, check out Brene’s #DaringClassrooms web page for additional videos, posters, ideas, and inspiration on bringing vulnerable leadership and human connection to our schools. About the AuthorHans Appel has worked as a counselor in the Richland School District for the past 19 years and at Enterprise Middle School since it opened. He’s passionate about school culture, servant leadership, and kindness. In 2018, EMS was awarded the ASCD Whole Child Award for the State of Washington and the Global “Class Act Award” for creating a culture of excellence through kindness, service, and empathy. Additionally, the were selected as a finalist in the 2019 PBIS Film Festival and took top prize in the Community, Parents, and Staff category. Written By: Hans Appel “Strong Back. Soft Front. Wild Heart.” -Brene Brown Braving the Wilderness So, I recently threw out my back… For those that know me well, they know this isn’t an uncommon occurrence. Being 6 foot 4, with a history old basketball injuries, I’m frequently susceptible to herniating a disk in my lower lumbar region. In the past 12 years, it’s probably happened to me half a dozen times. When I talk about pain, I’m not talking muscle soreness. Typically, when I injure my back, my spine becomes misaligned and rests on the sciatic nerve that runs all the way down my right leg. Nerve pain is unlike anything else out there. It’s excruciating!  A couple weeks ago, I found myself face down on the floor, in this uncomfortable mix of pain, frustration, and anger. Experience has taught me that this ‘back tweak’ will take weeks to recover from through a mix of massage, chiropractor, and physical therapy exercises. My entire world is immediately turned upside down as I no longer function in the way I’m accustomed to. There will be missed days at work, different sleeping arrangements, and less time for the activities that light me up. Indeed, my beautiful dog, Maya, will stare longingly at me from the corner of the room wondering why I refuse to participate on our daily walks or fail to reach over to pet her soft black fur.  After hours of ice, heat, and therapy, my back is slowly making progress; but not without a host of new aches and pains. For anyone that’s severely injured their back, you know that the back impacts all areas of the body. Soon, my hip, legs, shoulder, and neck all seem to be impacted on various levels from the overcompensation that naturally happens when we’re rehabbing an injury. Friends and family pepper me with variations of, “what did the doctor say to prevent this?” My typical response: “they all say, I need to work on my core.” In essence, your core is your midsection that includes all your muscles in that area of the front, back and sides. It includes the traverse abdominis, erector spinae, obliques, and lower lats. Our core muscles help us perform a wide range of daily activities and help prevent other injuries throughout the body. Basically, your core facilitates the functioning of your entire body. As I’m slowing making my way out of this sciatica fog, and am finally able to sit up comfortably and begin writing again, this idea of working on the core got me thinking about our work in education.. What is our CORE in education? When I grew up, and even most of my educational career, the core content has included: Science, Math, ELA, and History. Educators, policymakers, and thought leaders have traditionally viewed these as the most important elements of a quality education. As a counselor over the last 19 years in education, we’ve moved mountains to ensure students core instruction was strong. This meant doubling up math classes or increasing reading interventions to the detriment of other learning opportunities. We knew that math, reading, and writing were crucial to learning. I have no doubt that these original 4 core subject areas are important, valuable, and essential to a student’s success in education. What if the core educational muscles that MOST impacted a student’s LIFE SUCCESS weren’t even the areas, many schools were actually working on? Many colleges, businesses, and educational researchers have started to shift towards an emphasis on a variety of new soft skills. They’ve identified the need for students to regulate emotion, work with others, and be flexible problem finders and solvers who are capable of applying their knowledge to an ever changing world. Perhaps, education’s new core is: CHARACTER. **Character reminds us to be KIND and EMPATHIC in all relationships. **Character allows us to stay COMMITTED learning challenging new material. **Character provides us with GRIT and PERSEVERANCE when facing life’s obstacles. **Character keeps us grounded to ideals like HARD WORK, RESPECT, and PATIENCE while solving complex problems. **Character ensures we remain HUMBLE and SELFLESS in team activities. **Character whispers to us to be HONEST, even when nobody’s watching. Award Winning Culture emphasizes CHARACTER as the student body’s new core. How are YOU teaching your students the new Core this year? At Wildcat Nation, we work on the Core every week using the CharacterStrong program. Students time in the Character gym shows up in athletics, academics, and...well...LIFE.  And thanks to the gift of a recent back injury, I’ve been strengthening, stretching, and rehabbing my own Character. As I pivot toward an emphasis on my core, will you join me? Afterall, a focus on character prepares students for all that life offers. “Our job as teachers is not to prepare kids for something; our job is to help kids learn to prepare themselves for anything.” -A.J Juliani About the AuthorHans Appel has worked as a counselor in the Richland School District for the past 19 years and at Enterprise Middle School since it opened. He’s passionate about school culture, servant leadership, and kindness. In 2018, EMS was awarded the ASCD Whole Child Award for the State of Washington and the Global “Class Act Award” for creating a culture of excellence through kindness, service, and empathy. Additionally, the were selected as a finalist in the 2019 PBIS Film Festival and took top prize in the Community, Parents, and Staff category. |
About AWCAward Winning Culture was created by Hans and Jennifer Appel with the sole purpose of creating an educational mindset of Positive INTENTIONALITY and ACTION; with a daily mantra to make our sphere of influence stronger through Character, Excellence, and Community. Part of AWC's mission is to highlight outstanding educators, companies, and resources that support an Award Winning Culture. Both Jennifer and Hans work at Enterprise Middle School aka Wildcat Nation. Wildcat Nation received the 2018 ASCD Whole Child Award in Washington, for its award winning culture and the 2018 Global "Class Act Award" for Kindness. Archives
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