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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.
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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.
By: Taya
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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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