Superintendent’s Point of View

Dear CFBISD Staff,

November is here, and fall is in the air!  Expectations are high as we enter into a time of year filled with events, performances, and celebrations with family and friends. Sometimes the busy-ness of the season can be overwhelming and take a toll on us physically, emotionally and mentally.  When pulled and stretched during busy times is also when we can shine the most and BE THE EXCEPTION.

As you know, to BE THE EXCEPTION can mean many things.  It can mean sharing a smile, an encouraging word, providing a meal or offering financial support to a friend in crisis.  As educators, we encounter children from various backgrounds, and some of our students come to school with challenges that may seem overwhelming. During my campus visits, I’ve observed many of you being the exception by reaching out to meet the needs of our students.  Thank you for the commitment to not only educate our children, but for the care you have given the whole child.

“A good teacher cares about a child’s education. A great teacher cares about the whole child.” ~~The Teacher Next Door

Soon CFBISD will launch a new initiative to help educate the whole child.  The Giving House is a program that will help meet the basic needs of our students by providing physical items that can help students succeed.  The following items will be collected and stocked:

·          Socks and Underwear

·          Hygiene Items (deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, wipes)

·          Fleece or Knit Jackets (zip up jackets or hoodies)

·          Uniforms: polo style shirts: red, navy, white pants, navy or khaki

Through The Giving House, CFBISD will demonstrate how we can BE THE EXCEPTION for all students by meeting basic human needs.  The community is already rallying behind this initiative and in the days ahead, I will share more details on how we can all become involved in this initiative.

I encourage you to stay the course during this busy time of year. Take time to relax, reflect and enjoy family and friends during this season of Thanksgiving. Remember to BE THE EXCEPTION because our students deserve THE BEST.

Warmest Regards,
Dr. John E. Chapman, III

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Springtime in public school can be overwhelming due to a myriad of reasons. Banquets, performances, competitions, as well as state assessment all work to culminate a year’s worth of work in and out of the classroom. With each event, the expectation of one’s best is priority. As public school educators, we begin with students in August and teach them as best we can until the last day of school. Throughout the middle months is the most important part of all. That’s where BEING THE EXCEPTION counts most.

I heard a story once that I have never forgotten. The story is about Lissel, Henry and Ms. Dantrel. Ms. Dantrel was a third-grade math teacher. Henry, a boy in the classroom, was very hyperactive and rarely stayed in his seat. Henry also had a habit of interrupting the teacher every time there was a question that he knew the answer. Ms. Dantrel was typically a very patient teacher, and since the other students had grown up with Henry, they took his behaviors in stride. As time passed, third grade math concepts became harder and word problems became longer. Henry also became a little more hyperactive because math frustrated him. In late January, Ms. Dantrel seemed to be getting a little more frustrated herself because Henry’s hyperactivity appeared to be really trying her patience more than normal. One Thursday afternoon, the teacher had had just about all of the movement she could take. She knew she and the class needed a break. So all of a sudden, she had an idea to stop the lesson and move the classroom around in a totally different way than she had ever done before. Henry landed in the back of the room with his desk right near Lissel. Lissel was a very quiet little girl but she appeared to have a really good grasp on math concepts. The next day the class was working in pairs and Henry and Lissel were partnered together since their desks were close. As Ms. Dantrel finished with her second small group, she didn’t remember having heard Henry in about the last 20 minutes. As she looked around, she noticed him on the floor counting 10 pushups then sitting and working beside Lissel. This went on quietly for 10 minutes. She didn’t dare interrupt them to ask questions because they were working so well together. So she waited until the end of math when they were switching classes and stopped Lissel. Ms. Dantrel was so excited because she did not have to get on to Henry at all during the time he and Lissel were partnered together working. So she simply asked Lissel how she and Henry did in group. Lissel, in her quiet voice, said that since Henry loved to move so much that every time they worked a problem, afterward, he had to quietly do 10 push-ups. If he wasn’t quiet, then she wouldn’t watch. Lissel explained to me that Henry told her that his brain worked better when his muscles were moving. So Lissel told him that while they were sitting working the problem that he could be the one to write so his muscles would be moving then after they got the problem done he could do push-ups. Ms. Dantrel was so moved by this inspiration that she really paid more attention to how students helped one another and started researching movement in math class. She came up with many different strategies to let Henry, along with some of her other more active students, learn in a variety of kinesthetic ways. Behaviors went down and math scores went up. Moral of the story…when help comes to you from an unexpected source…take it, expand on it, and BE THE EXCEPTION!

As the bamboo seed seems stagnated under the ground, with constant food and water, it is getting ready to grow into something extraordinary. However, it takes time. Five years to be exact. Our students are much the same. For some, they flourish early. For others, they may be absorbing, absorbing, absorbing, then one day, they bloom! Don’t become frustrated and write them off, listen to what they are saying. Time put into caring enough to teach a student is never time wasted. BE THE EXCEPTION.

For the next two months, although the urge may hit you to complain about something, BE THE EXCEPTION. When you feel exhausted going from event to event, rather than lamenting about it, BE THE EXCEPTION. When you feel like you have taught the lesson every which way but sideways, BE THE EXCEPTION, teach it sideways.

 

 

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By Dr. John E. Chapman III

Passive resistance. Two words that have changed history. Merriam-Webster defines passive resistance as resistance especially to a government or an occupying power characterized mainly by noncooperation. The goal of passive resistance is to achieve social change through nonviolent means. Some famous nonviolent resistance advocates include Mahatma Gandhi, Henry David Thoreau, Leo Tolstoy, Nelson Mandela and one of the most influential in American history, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

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By Dr. John E. Chapman III

Educating students is not an easy task. Educating students is a lot like trying to grow a bamboo tree. Chinese Bamboo grows very quickly and grows to over 80 feet tall within a 6-week period. It is absolutely amazing to watch, but that doesn’t sound too much like educating students…well, for the rest of the story…

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By Dr. John E Chapman III

Texas Governor, Greg Abbott, has proclaimed the month of October as “Principals Month” in Texas. As you know, school leadership is vital to the success of all students. Governor Abbott reminds us that our principals are entrusted with our most valuable resource – our next generation of leaders. The announcement coincides

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