"It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan."  

- Eleanor Roosevelt  

This month's Teaching Tip is by Burke Brown. Burke is a veteran teacher and the Technology Coordinator at Palmyra High School. He is also an adjunct instructor in technology and academic studies at Kaplan University in Lincoln.   

We looked at a lot of different character ed programs and are so grateful to have found 8 to Great for our students and staff at Palmyra. It's changing the way we relate to students.  

The other day I overheard an argument in the hallway that could have escalated into a fight. Instead the girl looked at her classmate and exclaimed, "What goes around comes around!" and walked away. Now that's a Power Pyramid success story! MK asked me to describe a few  ways we're implementing and interweaving 8 to Great into the school culture that are enhancing the program's success. Here are my thoughts:   

1. We have trained 10 of our teachers. Having a number of certified trainers has made a huge impact on the overall success of the program. Students are not only learning about 8 to Great for one hour a week in 8 to Great time, they're also doing gratitudes in music class and hearing about "95ing" from our Assistant Principal Mark Oltman at pep rallies. We celebrate each new trainer by purchasing an 8 to Great shirt for them to wear (only $6 extra to put the emblem on a polo) and the superintendent awards them their shirt at an assembly. We want to celebrate the teachers who are living and teaching this process. Our goal is to train every new teacher we hire within six months of their coming on board. .     

2. We meet as a trainers team for 30 minutes before school each week. Our Thursday morning Great8 meetings allow time for sharing gratitudes, celebrating successes, asking hard questions about challenges, and planning for the upcoming week. To keep all the trainers involved, we rotate our leadership position with each High-Way. I can't recommend this highly enough as a cornerstone to implementation.  

3. Each student has an 8 to Great handbook. This has made a huge difference for us, because students can refer back to it from time to time, share it with their parents, etc. Also, teachers can check out the quizzes at the end of each High-Way in the handbook to make sure they're on track.  

       We're really grateful for the support of our administration to invest in students this way. I believe that 8 to Great handbooks are as important to the success of our Character Ed program as iPads are to our 1-1 initiative. We are grateful that we get to give them both!  

4. The students start the school day seeing and hearing the language of 8 to Great. Every morning the student reading the announcements shares a quote for the day about the High-Way the school is practicing that month.  (MK offers a long list of great quotes in the curriculum.) We also reaffirm these quotes by hanging laminated quotes in two strategic locations in the school. Then we reinforce with things like a) The name of the wireless network in our district is GRATITUDE so students are logging-in to the Gratitude Network. b) Our art class is working on decorating our laptop carts with 8 to Great phrases. c) We keep a tab for 8 to Great on our web page and run 8 to Great quotes in the banner on the front page.    www.districtor1.org (Students making playdough Power Pyramids) 

5. We go back for refresher trainings and ask for what we want on a regular basis. We stay in regular touch with MK. I've been back to trainings three times. It's an outstanding opportunity for the trainers to earn professional growth points and get their edge back. We also initiated a conference call with MK during Great8 time, we invited her to give an assembly to our students, and recently requested that she Skype into our classes to answer questions. She said "Yes!"     

We are thrilled with the progress we are seeing in students when they have effective strategies for dealing with life challenges such as bullying. But we know we have to stay true to this process. 8 to Great isn't "a program," it's a way of life, and having strong implementation and follow-up support is vital to continuing to live the 8 High-Ways every day.  

I hope some of these ideas help your school teach the characteristics possessed by the happiest, healthiest and most successful individuals. Feel free to email me with your 8 to Great questions at brown.bur@districtOR1.net.   

- Burke Brown   

Note: Palmyra will be hosting a training in Nebraska Jan. 30-31 at the School Boards' Association building in Lincoln NE. See below for sign-up information.  

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8 to Great and Discipline:

           When a Student Acts Out,  

           Pull Them Back to 95ing!   

When a student acts up in my class, I pull out a card that has the following written on it:

1) Write three sentences about a time or times when you felt successful and happy.

2) Write three sentences about your dream or something that is very important to you.

Then, when they come back to me with the card filled out, I read it, thank them, and ask, "Were you running to or from?"

After they have answered, I ask, "What would you like to do now?"

They often apologize, and sometimes ask if we can talk later. Their attitude shifts. It's amazing. 

- Larry Schmidt   

Pierce HS Offers Wall to Wall Inspiration!

At  8 to Great we say, "Don't tell us you're using the process with your students, show us!" Pierce High School in Nebraska did just that this past year, as they found lettering that they could print on a Cricut machine.     They bought vinyl online from Vinyl Expressions since it was the cheapest to make the signs and stick them to the walls. Now everytime students walk down their beautiful hallways, they are reminded of the High-Ways. Thanks to principal Mark Brahmer and teachers Cheryl Timm and Crystal Bauermeister for the photos!   Send us YOUR ideas and inspirations so we can share them with others!

"My experience of the 8 to Great Institute training was life-changing and unforgettable. It went far beyond my expectations. I believe the whole world needs this training."  

 - James Smith

   UCLA Charter School

   Kansas City, MO 

There are still openings for these 8 to Great Institute Training weekends: