#ROAR4KIDS

Posted on January 4, 2020

It’s Time to #ROAR4KIDS

Saying it plainly, “It’s Time to #ROAR4KIDS.”

The idea of focusing our energies on one prevailing idea, concept or thought has been with us for some time in recent blog years, and yet, I felt that I had, at this moment, an opportunity to not just identify one big idea to carry me through another year, but an entire decade!

I reflected on some of my previous #oneword commitments, #Resilience, #Transformation, #Perseverance, and realized that these pronouncements seemed to focus on me, not the people I seek to serve. While not a bad thing, I thought, maybe if I tweak my perspective just a bit, I could make my #oneword more meaningful to my work as an educator, superintendent, author, speaker, perspective challenger, advocate for our students.

As you know I had also been contemplating a bit of a personal push into the author arena, onto the speaking stage in a broader light to shine, and thought to myself, “Hey, wouldn’t it be great to have one concept that really got at the essence of what I am trying to accomplish.” Well, as it sometimes happens, my unconscious found an answer that had been escaping my awake cogitations about this. Yep, it came to me in a dream.

Born from an early winter’s dream “#ROAR4KIDS” entered my frontal lobe and has become this decade’s focus for me.

#ROAR4KIDS “Results through Opportunity and Access Via Resilience for Kids.”

Results:

Are we making a difference that matters? Are we seeing positive outcomes occur due to the decisions we make? Are answers we provide leading to improvement in the actual grow of our children? Are investments we push forward providing a return on that investment that is meaningful? Are the strategies we employ effective, being evaluated with objectivity, and demonstrating with confidence that they are the correct strategies? Is the instruction we are supporting, implementing, developing the most meaningful and relevant instruction that is actually targeted on improving specific issues, or at least in readying our children for new questions and skill sets that matter? Are the communities we are building asking the right questions that are focused on empowering our students become the leaders we need, or do we continue to focus on issues that are preparing students for a world that has passed them by? Are we developing leaders who are nuanced in focusing on the correct result for students and who are empowered to take the risks with passion to support these children to aspire to greater heights that we can imagine for them? Are we supporting real and authentic relationships for our children, and helping them recognize that they are all humans, who bleed, who care, who think, who love, who feel, who have goals, individuality, can accept, support each other, and build a society where their differences, much like the outside of a Number 2 pencil should not distinguish the amazing work that can be done by their internal lead.

Results are the outcomes of our work, and yet, in a number of cases, we miss-lead ourselves by thinking that we have worked hard, finished implementing something new, and that we have put the effort in, so we must be good people. Though far too often than not, we have not moved the needed, we have not improved the system, we have not found the results that our children desperately need.

I choose to challenge my thinking about results. I will strive to look deeper to see what actually changed based on my decisions, actions, goals, investments, answers, and commitments. I also plan to challenge the status quo thinking of our systems that frequently want to believe we have made good choices, but then don’t invest in the time to understand the actual consequences of our actions. Results do matter, yet, if we are too busy patting ourselves on the back for our efforts, without understanding our true impact, we are missing out on a lot of great feedback that could actually help us reach the goals we have set for those we are seeking to support.

Through Opportunities and Access:

Each of our students must be provided with the opportunities they deserve. It is a simple statement, yet far too often we continue to look at our educational institutions and their exists inequities, disparities, unbalanced opportunities that skew the lives of our children. While many would argue that of course things should be fair, and that equal opportunity should be apparent, and that no matter where you grow up you too have the same opportunities as everyone else in the community, this is not an accurate perspective of the realities for many of our children. The variance in their birth places, their homes, their family’s economic opportunities, educational opportunities, career opportunities all influence the academic realities that limit opportunities to students. We must work to ensure that our students are provided with opportunities to find more and more opportunities to discount the already imbalanced pursuits they face.

I believe that we must be the people to open doors, let widows fly open, break down walls, dig tunnels, provide supports to climb up and over hills, and dismantle any false obstacles that our society might create for these children. We must speak up on their behalf, use our voice to help them find theirs, and educate, educate, educate all of their family members so that we build a rolling tide of opportunity that becomes the new normal for all of our students who have not found their opportunity in the way things have always been.

To be clear, it’s not just having an opportunity that matters. It is in arriving at and having access to the end results that is meaningful. Students of all walks of life, and of all means, must be provided with the experiences, instruction, knowledge, technologies, thinking, and questioning that are meaningful, relevant, and create a new paradigm for our students to become. While our systems have allowed for more students of color, diversity, low-income, etc. to succeed than ever before we are not fulfilling the promise of every child, no matter what their history, to succeed. Our work is far from over!

Via Resilience:

I believe that resilience, much like good character of the heart, mind, and soul, can be assisted to develop through supportive, thoughtful, engaging, purposeful processes that impact one’s life. Further, I believe that through initiating and acting upon exceptional teaching practices and leadership development practices we, as a society, can have more of a positive impact to ready every heart, mind and soul we encounter for the adversities that will come their ways. While we cannot temper all adversities in such a manner that leaves no scars, we can work towards supporting the development and growth of resilience in each child, in our colleagues, our staff members, our families, and our broader society.

#ROAR4KIDS

“Results through Opportunities and Access via Resilience for Kids!”

Several simple words that are going to provide me with the frame for this decade. I hope you give yourself an opportunity to not just see this next year before you, and to make a bigger commitment to those in your world. You deserve it, they deserve it, and those that you aim to serve, surely deserve it.

Dr. Rob Martinez is the proud Superintendent of the Mt. Diablo Unified School District. He is well known as “Resiliency Guy.” He is currently authoring a new book with the Dave Burgess Consulting Group, speaks around the nation on topics of resilience development and leadership, and is available to help you on your journey through a number of avenues. Follow him on @Twitter @Facebook @Instagram as “Resiliency Guy.”