Teaching In a New Perspective: Do Hard Things

This past summer, I was asked once again to mentor first-year teachers in the Beaver Dam School District. It would have been easy to say “no,” but I found myself thinking back to my early years in the workplace—both in business and in education—when I often wished there were someone available to answer questions, challenge my thinking, and raise the bar for my own performance. So instead of taking the easy way out, I said “yes,” and was soon assigned four middle-school teachers. BDUSD’s mentoring model has real merit, offering meaningful opportunities for professional growth. More districts should consider adopting similar approaches, as the ripple effects could be significant across the field of education.

Being a mentor requires patience, thoughtful insight, and honest feedback. My role isn’t to grab the steering wheel but to observe their driving and suggest ways to improve. For first-year teachers, that kind of scrutiny—on top of everything else thrown their way—can be daunting. Administrators, students, parents, and colleagues all add layers of pressure. Although these new teachers chose the profession to make a difference, they quickly find themselves navigating challenges that test their logic, their sanity, and sometimes even their health. It’s no surprise that roughly 10% of new teachers leave after their first year, and about 44% exit within the first five.

Once a month we meet online to celebrate wins from the past 30 days, identify obstacles, and develop action steps for the month ahead. Some new teachers thrive, others struggle to stay afloat, and a few risk slipping into mediocrity simply out of exhaustion.

By chance, I recently came across the book "Do Hard Things" by Alex and Brett Harris—a remarkable read written by millennials who argue that society has lowered expectations for today’s learners. They outline “Five Kinds of Hard,” describing each as a “God-given opportunity powered by God-given principles that work for everybody”:

Things Outside Your Comfort Zone: Stepping into unfamiliar territory even when it feels uncomfortable.

Things Beyond What Is Required: Going above and beyond what is expected in school, work, or relationships.

Things Too Big to Accomplish Alone: Tackling ambitious projects that require collaboration and leadership.

Things That Don’t Pay Off Immediately: Investing in long-term goals like education, skill development, and personal growth.

Things That Challenge the Crowd: Standing up for your beliefs, even when it’s unpopular.

Each of these “hard things” applies directly to first-year teaching, but perhaps the most important is the first: stepping outside your comfort zone. That initial move into the unknown is unsettling, yet essential if we hope to attempt any of the others. If we expect our students to stretch themselves and rise to new challenges, shouldn’t we be willing to do the same? Why remain seated on the sidelines when we want our students—and our fellow adults—to excel in life?

Fear is the fence that keeps us confined. We sit…and sit…and sit, letting opportunities pass us by. If we wait for fear or the possibility of failure to disappear, we’ll never leave our comfort zones. If we want our students to grow and learn throughout their lives, we must help them confront fear—not by eliminating it, but by understanding that something far worse exists: remaining so comfortable that we never try at all.

Out of Retirement for 8-Weeks

Occasionally, I feel the urge to come out of retirement and revisit my time as a Social Studies teacher. That feeling led me to an eight-week long-term substitute position at Wautoma High School, where I quickly noticed some concerning trends in education.

I taught Civics, Modern American History, and Global Studies—subjects I was already familiar with from my time in Beaver Dam. The transition should have been smooth, but I soon realized the pre-planned lessons lacked student interaction. Navigating between Google Drive, Google Classroom, and Infinite Campus felt cumbersome, and I had to familiarize myself with the district’s Target-Based Grading scale of 1-2-3.

The typical assignments followed a predictable pattern: students were given two or three online readings, then asked to answer questions directly in a document using an app called Kami. Because assignments were categorized as either formative or summative, I quickly discovered that students were disregarding formative work altogether, saying, “It doesn’t count toward our grade.” Due dates were largely ignored, and I documented that less than 15% of students were submitting their work.

Frustrated, I explained that formative assignments are designed to build foundational knowledge, preparing them for summative assessments. However, the message didn’t resonate. Realizing I needed a new approach, I reclassified all assignments as summative. Suddenly, I had their attention. From that day on, over 90% of students completed their work on time.

Another concern was reading comprehension. I encountered students reading far below expected levels. If young people don’t understand the benefits of reading, they won’t explore new information, ideas, or concepts that challenge their thinking. Drawing from my experience in business, I emphasized the essential components of literacy: reading, writing, speaking, and comprehension. Many students fail to realize how vital literacy skills are—whether applying to college, writing a scholarship essay, preparing for a job interview, following technical instructions, submitting reports, or even requesting a promotion. More than once, I left school wondering if we, as educators, had neglected the importance of literacy and the impact it could have on society.

One of my first instructional changes was working through assigned readings as a class. I projected passages onto the board, breaking them down by paragraph and sentence structure for better understanding. Once students grasped the content, we focused on crafting well-written responses. I was alarmed at how many struggled with basic capitalization, punctuation, and sentence structure. But with practice, they started to improve, and I could see progress.

Another issue I couldn’t ignore was the pervasive use of phones. Despite a clear school policy requiring students to leave their devices in lockers, it was widely disregarded. I repeatedly had to enforce the rule, instructing students to keep their phones out of sight. Earbuds were another problem—many believed they could multitask by listening to music while absorbing classroom instruction, a myth that research strongly debunks.

The demands of the job extended far beyond the school day. I spent countless evenings and weekends preparing lessons, grading, and providing student feedback—all without additional compensation. It was, in every sense, a full-time commitment. While the district certainly got a great deal, the students benefited even more.

Respect was never an issue in my classroom. On the first day, I introduced myself by sharing my professional journey. “Don’t think of me as old—think of me as seasoned and experienced,” I told them. When they heard about my successes, failures, and lessons learned, I had their full attention. I knew I was making a difference.

Throughout those eight weeks, students showed their appreciation in ways that touched me deeply. One day, I received a small bouquet of flowers; another day, an 8-inch chocolate cake. Some shared cookies and cupcakes, while a student with a renewed sense of purpose started showing up on time, prepared for class. A group of English Language Learner (ELL) students gifted me an Amazon card, fresh sushi, and a handwritten note thanking me for raising awareness about second-language learners.

When my final day arrived, I felt both relief and sadness. I had built meaningful connections with the students, and I knew I had impacted them in a positive way. The experience brought back fond memories of my 10-year career at BDHS, a school that will always hold a special place in my heart.

Retirement certainly has its perks, but stepping back into the classroom reminded me of the joy that comes from teaching.

Back in the Classroom Again

Returning to the classroom on a full time basis was not on my list of priorities this winter, but a request to do so came forward around Thanksgiving when I was asked to act as a long-term sub in the local elementary school. During the months of January and February the Special Ed teacher in the school’s Intervention Room would be on maternity leave, so I decided to accept the invitation to step into that role. Reflecting on my time as a new college student at UW-Madison in the fall of 1971, it was originally my intent to earn credentials as a 6th grade teacher. As that early journey in college fell short of that goal, my focus changed and took me into the world of business for the next 40 years. Spending two months in this role has provided a new perspective and sparked thought of what might have happened if I had continued in my original quest.

Nonetheless, I feel blessed to be working alongside two special teacher’s aides as we interact daily with sixteen different children from ages 5-11 with needs in the area of math, reading, writing, phonemic awareness, and social skills. During those years teaching high school students, my colleagues and I would often question why learning skills lagged in some individuals. I now sense it begins in those early grades when some fall behind others in specific areas of learning, much of it related to reading and an inability to sound out letters and words.

In this specific setting I find there are renewed efforts to focus on phonics, something which was put on the back-burner of decision-makers in education many years ago. Whether working with a K5 student or someone in 5th grade, I see tremendous benefits in teaching letter sounds, then blending and segmenting syllables in daily interactions. Surprisingly, some teachers have come to me, asking for help with finding available resources which they can then use in their classroom.

The Unversity of Florida Literacy Institute (a/k/a/ UFLI) has an commendable toolbox of teaching resources available for both parents and educators alike. Their efforts over the past 25+ years are commendable, attempting to improve literacy outcomes for struggling students by addressing two key areas which should not be ignored: reader development and teacher development.

Although I still have two weeks remaining in this role, it’s been an enjoyable experience in every way and I’ll miss the kids once I’m back in ‘retirement mode’ once again. The learning never ceases regardless of how old we are….

 It was fifty years ago this week when I made the life-changing decision to drop out of college and move to Wild Rose. Although it was intended to simply be a one year break from the routine of sitting in a boring classroom, it altered my life in so many ways. The change of course led me into the world of business for the next 36 years, providing me with a wealth of experience I would draw from once the dream of teaching was ultimately fulfilled. 

At twenty years of age, I was strong-willed and self-centered on doing what I wanted to do and no one was going to change my mind. I went from wanting to live in a city the size of New York or Chicago to loving the simple lifestyle of country living which was readily available around Wild Rose. I often ponder how life might look today had I chosen to stay in college, likely graduating with my teaching degree in the spring of 1975, then heading off to New York City to teach middle school somewhere.

Without Wild Rose, the Little Fox experience with Disco would never happen, including the transition of the Red Fox from supper club to 'Disco extraordinaire'. In all likelihood the Silver Lakers would never take to the softball field, leaving all those young guys to play with other teams in the area. Events like the Fox Cup and Memorial Day Tournament may never have taken place, must less been imagined. Our log home in the woods which sits on the edge of Natures Pond would never be built. A Saturday night encounter with Linda, my future wife, would never take place, hence Jacob would never be born. Likewise our experience with Vicente, a young exchange student from Cabo, Mexico, wouldn't have the opportunity come to fruition, a loss in cultural understanding for all.

Without Wild Rose, I would never experience a 31+ year career at Mid-State Supply, learning so many facets of creative selling, management and leadership, and associated skill-sets of writing, listening, and speaking. I would never rediscover my thirst for history, whether it was ancient, colonial, or modern-day. The ability to connect the topic of economics with real-world happenings would never occur in my classroom. And the relationships I built with students, staff, administration and community would be but a pipedream.

At this point in my life, I know my date of expiration could result in a recall at anytime, any day. I might have 24 hours to live...or another 30 years of new revelations. I’ve never been one to second-guess my decisions, so all I can do is ponder ‘what could have happened’ had I not become restless in where I was headed in life. When my life encountered a crossroad fifty years ago, I made a turn for which I will never ever regret.

A New Chapter in Life

As a recently retired educator, I wasn’t planning to sit on my hands and watch the world go by. Interacting with young people was still important to me, and choosing to sub three days/week in our local school has allowed me to engage in a new way. Transitioning from a high school with almost 1200 students to one with 140+ students is much like a step back in time. Smaller class sizes, 3 minute passing times versus six from the larger school, and lack of hallway congestion offers a unique perspective of small-town America.

My first assignments have been working with students identified with emotional or behavior disorders (a/k/a EBD).  In past years with my traditional classroom, I was usually provided with one or two of these individuals, but suddenly I found myself in a room with eleven EBD students along with three other professionals. Unfortunately, from my experience, EBD students tend to have had a lot of negative experiences in school, consequently they tend to lack much desire or motivation to try to succeed. Since all of these students are graded on a pass-fail basis, teaching involves the KISS method and finding ways for these individuals to stay positive. Some of my responsibilities involve accompanying 1-2 students into traditional classrooms throughout the day as well as sitting down one-to-one to work on phonics, 

So far my experience has been rewarding in every way and it’s a joy to still be part of a learning environment!

My Last Day of School

NOTE: Originally compiled on June 1, 2022, but forgot to post on this blog

I recall how special I felt back in August 2012 when I walked into my first classroom at BDHS, pictured below on left side. It was a moment of celebration to arrive in a setting I had longed to find myself for 40+ years. That room held so many special memories of interactions with students from diverse backgrounds. Five years later I moved into my second classroom, pictured below on the right, this one in a totally renovated BDHS. It was my 'dream setting' if one ever existed: brighter room, multi-levels of seating, more wall space, additional storage, and new whiteboard. I never could have asked for a better setting!

       

Within my surroundings I shared insight to freshmen on cultures within the Eastern Hemisphere using geography, history and current events. I introduced National History Day and watched students explore historical events they chose to examine in detail. Some of them took their projects and participated in regional, state and national competitions. I was asked to assemble and teach our school's first AP Economics course, providing students with the opportunity to earn college credits in both Micro and Macroeconomics. On numerous occasions I had students earn Double-5's on their AP Exams. I put my best effort forward in making the subject of Economics an interesting subject for BDHS students, bringing real world insight from my 30+ years in private business.

This same classroom was the setting for Prom Planning every spring over the course of 8 years. Key Club became our school's #1 service group, and I watched students rise to the occasion to attain positions of leadership at the district and division level, in addition to becoming state leaders in the Thirst Project movement. As Class Advisor to the Class of 2017, 2020, and 2024, it was my pleasure to serve as their go-between with school administrators. 

I will forever cherish the memories and friendships made over these past ten years. For the record let it be known that I did not run away from the classroom nor from teaching itself. At 69 years of age, I felt it was time to move on to that next stage of my life. It is truly one of the hardest decisions I ever needed to make, but it was a glorious journey second only to marriage and the birth of our son. I am forever grateful for the opportunity that was provided to me!

The Start of Year Ten

Tomorrow marks the beginning of a new school year, one which has raised the bar of expectations to new levels. After being negatively impacted by covid over the past eighteen months, school administrators are determined to get their students back to a regular routine of hands-on classroom learning. Teachers are fully aware that a considerable segment of our student population is lacking skill-sets associated with English, Math, Science, and other subject areas- not without mentioning the social-emotional scars, often hidden and unseen. Regardless, there is a feeling of optimism and hope throughout the hallways of school and I am excited to be begin another new chapter of teaching.

My room is also the home for another student-teacher this fall. Bryden is a non-traditional student from UW-Oshkosh who spent almost ten years in business and marketing before realizing his true desire to teach. Standing 6'7", I feel like I'm in the presence of my son, Jacob, who stands in similar height. I look forward to him sharing new experiences with my students.  Ironically, for the first time in my career, I am not teaching any freshman classes this fall. Instead my assigned responsibilities are with grades 11-12 and the subject of Economics...a timely topic when our economy is being pushed and pulled in ways not known in recent history.