WEBVTT NOTE This file was generated by Descript 00:00:01.290 --> 00:00:05.580 Jethro Jones: Welcome to transformative principle episode 240 today. 00:00:05.580 --> 00:00:10.500 I'm just going to talk a little bit about my first few days of school. 00:00:10.590 --> 00:00:13.470 Actually, I've only had two days of school, so I'm just going to talk about 00:00:13.470 --> 00:00:17.280 those and then tell you what we're going to talk about on our third day of school. 00:00:17.820 --> 00:00:18.180 So 00:00:18.210 --> 00:00:24.540 Jethro Jones: if you go back and you remember episode 229 and 230 of this 00:00:24.540 --> 00:00:27.020 podcast, transformative principle, you. 00:00:28.080 --> 00:00:35.730 Remember Amy MacDonald talking about flight clubs and how is she builds webs of 00:00:35.730 --> 00:00:38.940 support and connectedness with students. 00:00:39.300 --> 00:00:40.890 And it is really cool. 00:00:41.460 --> 00:00:43.530 Anyway, go back and listen to those if you have not 00:00:43.530 --> 00:00:43.830 yet, 00:00:43.860 --> 00:00:45.060 Jethro Jones: because it's really neat. 00:00:45.090 --> 00:00:49.020 And we had her and her team come up here to Fairbanks and 00:00:49.020 --> 00:00:50.100 do that with our students. 00:00:50.100 --> 00:00:52.650 And let me tell you, it was amazing. 00:00:53.699 --> 00:00:57.360 I enjoyed it so much because we got an opportunity to talk with the kids 00:00:57.360 --> 00:01:00.449 about what they thought was important. 00:01:00.750 --> 00:01:03.360 We spent the whole first day of building connections, teaching 00:01:03.360 --> 00:01:04.709 them about webs of support. 00:01:05.250 --> 00:01:07.229 And it was really, really great. 00:01:07.740 --> 00:01:12.479 Our second day, we spent all focused on expectations, beating building 00:01:12.780 --> 00:01:18.420 team spirit, school, spirit, and making sure kids knew what we 00:01:18.420 --> 00:01:20.310 expected of them about school. 00:01:21.765 --> 00:01:27.885 Um, our new assistant principal of Carla Marquand is fantastic and, uh, 00:01:28.185 --> 00:01:34.515 brought a pep rally type energy to our school, which, um, I have learned 00:01:34.515 --> 00:01:36.405 is definitely an area where I'm weak. 00:01:36.465 --> 00:01:39.615 I definitely, I used to think that I was good at that stuff, 00:01:39.615 --> 00:01:41.625 but now I realize that I'm not. 00:01:41.655 --> 00:01:46.575 So it was really good to have her there and be able to bring that in as well. 00:01:47.145 --> 00:01:49.405 So, um, Really great. 00:01:49.435 --> 00:01:53.605 First couple of days, and the rest of this podcast, I'm going to share 00:01:53.605 --> 00:02:00.895 with you a, uh, a video that I made for the students to, um, talk about 00:02:01.345 --> 00:02:06.055 synergy, which is a new thing that we're doing this year, which is like our 00:02:06.055 --> 00:02:09.745 personalized learning journey on steroids. 00:02:09.745 --> 00:02:12.085 So I'm really excited about it. 00:02:12.085 --> 00:02:13.285 I think that it's going to be great. 00:02:13.285 --> 00:02:14.245 And I think our kids are just. 00:02:15.075 --> 00:02:15.615 Love it. 00:02:15.645 --> 00:02:20.715 So, um, some of them are going to hate it, but that's just, that's how it goes. 00:02:20.715 --> 00:02:21.045 Right. 00:02:21.405 --> 00:02:26.265 So we're doing it to give kids opportunities, to do cool things, to 00:02:26.715 --> 00:02:32.835 not have the restraints of being in a content area, classroom over them. 00:02:32.865 --> 00:02:35.055 So I'm really looking forward to it. 00:02:35.055 --> 00:02:37.245 I think it's going to be fantastic and they're going to love it. 00:02:37.245 --> 00:02:40.605 So, um, I'd love to hear your feedback and thoughts. 00:02:41.355 --> 00:02:45.975 Um, you can reach out to me on Twitter at jets or Jones, or you can, uh, send me an 00:02:45.975 --> 00:02:53.385 email jethro@paperlessprinciple.com or you can always give me a call 8 0 1 7 Jethro. 00:02:53.575 --> 00:02:54.405 Love to chat with you. 00:02:54.405 --> 00:02:56.655 If you have thoughts or ideas of how we can do this. 00:02:58.035 --> 00:03:00.255 Or if you're listening and you want to do something with our synergy 00:03:00.255 --> 00:03:02.204 group, that would be awesome too. 00:03:02.204 --> 00:03:06.285 Even if you're far away, we'd love to have your voice in the conversation. 00:03:06.315 --> 00:03:07.305 Thanks so much. 00:03:07.575 --> 00:03:10.035 And here's my little recording for the students. 00:03:13.695 --> 00:03:19.215 Well, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to day three at town on middle school. 00:03:19.605 --> 00:03:22.155 I know it's already late in the day, but I am just. 00:03:23.130 --> 00:03:25.080 Excited for what we're going to talk about. 00:03:25.440 --> 00:03:29.400 But first I want to recap where we've been, first of all, on the first day 00:03:29.400 --> 00:03:33.630 of school, we talked about connections and building webs of support. 00:03:34.080 --> 00:03:39.210 This is so important for you as young adults to start learning who 00:03:39.210 --> 00:03:43.380 you can rely on and how to build those webs of support to help you 00:03:43.380 --> 00:03:45.690 become the person that you can be. 00:03:47.299 --> 00:03:51.380 There's a man named Jim Rohn, who has a quote that says you are the average of the 00:03:51.380 --> 00:03:53.329 five people you spend the most time on. 00:03:54.405 --> 00:03:58.185 Now that is really important, especially in middle school, because I want 00:03:58.185 --> 00:04:01.095 you to spend your time with people who are doing amazing things and 00:04:01.095 --> 00:04:03.315 helping you be the best that you can. 00:04:04.005 --> 00:04:06.855 On day two, we talked about expectations. 00:04:07.095 --> 00:04:10.635 We did a lot of team building and we did a ton for our school spirit. 00:04:11.085 --> 00:04:12.915 That was an awesome day. 00:04:13.185 --> 00:04:17.295 I loved every minute with you guys, and I am super excited for what we're 00:04:17.295 --> 00:04:20.655 going to do together this year, today. 00:04:20.655 --> 00:04:23.085 So far, we've been talking about technology. 00:04:23.970 --> 00:04:25.410 And you know what? 00:04:25.410 --> 00:04:29.640 You still have not started meeting with your regular classroom teachers yet. 00:04:30.180 --> 00:04:32.730 You've been meeting with teachers who have been here supporting you, and you're 00:04:32.730 --> 00:04:36.630 likely going to have them as a teacher, but nobody's been to first period yet. 00:04:37.890 --> 00:04:39.240 Why do you think we're doing that? 00:04:39.960 --> 00:04:44.400 We're going to talk about synergy here in just a minute, but first, why are 00:04:44.460 --> 00:04:48.780 we starting school so different from how you've always started before? 00:04:49.664 --> 00:04:54.195 Go ahead, talk together and come up with some ideas of why you think that is. 00:04:56.945 --> 00:04:57.275 Okay. 00:04:57.275 --> 00:04:58.354 Come on back together. 00:05:01.265 --> 00:05:01.955 I'll tell you why. 00:05:01.955 --> 00:05:04.054 I think we did it so differently. 00:05:05.015 --> 00:05:09.275 We do school differently because we are trying really hard to help 00:05:09.275 --> 00:05:14.075 you know, that you are geniuses and you can change the world. 00:05:15.395 --> 00:05:17.765 And in order to do that, you need a different kind of. 00:05:19.409 --> 00:05:22.380 In order to do that, you need someone to give you permission 00:05:22.409 --> 00:05:25.890 to do things differently from the very beginning of school. 00:05:26.099 --> 00:05:27.960 And that's exactly what we're trying to do. 00:05:29.070 --> 00:05:31.979 So let's talk about synergy. 00:05:32.430 --> 00:05:34.080 What is synergy? 00:05:35.099 --> 00:05:39.270 Synergy is your chance to change the world with support from your school? 00:05:40.349 --> 00:05:44.820 Another way to phrase it is that as student driven projects, that 00:05:44.820 --> 00:05:46.799 help you learn without limitations. 00:05:49.080 --> 00:05:51.330 So everyday you come to school and you do a bunch of stuff. 00:05:51.330 --> 00:05:56.340 You can learn in a silo, language arts here, math here, science over 00:05:56.340 --> 00:06:00.870 here, what we want synergy to be as an opportunity for you to learn a whole 00:06:00.870 --> 00:06:05.370 bunch of different things that may have nothing to do with each other, but 00:06:05.400 --> 00:06:09.570 not be in a silo because you're going to learn them together as a group. 00:06:11.750 --> 00:06:15.530 Now here's, what's amazing is you have a chance to change the world. 00:06:15.740 --> 00:06:19.969 Let's talk about somebody who did just that just a few short months 00:06:19.969 --> 00:06:25.669 ago, five students from Downey high school in Downey, California, 00:06:26.330 --> 00:06:29.510 decided that they were going to be called the Downing space innovators. 00:06:30.229 --> 00:06:32.539 They participated in an event called the Conrad channel. 00:06:33.405 --> 00:06:39.284 Or their goal was to change the world with something relating 00:06:39.284 --> 00:06:42.224 to space and space travel. 00:06:43.215 --> 00:06:46.965 So what they did is they said, you know, when astronauts go up 00:06:46.965 --> 00:06:51.075 into space, their muscles get weak because there's no gravity. 00:06:51.585 --> 00:06:55.815 So they designed a suit that the astronaut will wear that has bungee cords on it. 00:06:55.815 --> 00:06:56.445 That can be adjusted. 00:06:57.795 --> 00:07:02.325 And those bungee cords make it so that the astronaut, every time they 00:07:02.325 --> 00:07:07.275 move their bodies, they have an opportunity to have tension on their 00:07:07.275 --> 00:07:12.075 muscles, which makes it so that they, their muscles don't atrophy as much. 00:07:12.855 --> 00:07:13.935 How crazy is that? 00:07:14.505 --> 00:07:16.635 Five teenagers came up with that. 00:07:17.145 --> 00:07:18.075 Where was NASA? 00:07:18.735 --> 00:07:19.755 Where was space X? 00:07:20.625 --> 00:07:22.335 They came up with that themselves. 00:07:22.575 --> 00:07:24.905 They created the product, they made it. 00:07:26.010 --> 00:07:27.630 I think that's amazing, but you know what? 00:07:27.630 --> 00:07:29.280 Maybe you don't care about space. 00:07:30.270 --> 00:07:31.020 That's okay. 00:07:31.410 --> 00:07:32.790 Maybe you care about widows. 00:07:33.480 --> 00:07:39.870 Maybe you care about old women who can't get out and shovel their driveway and 00:07:39.870 --> 00:07:43.890 you want to change their world and you want to start a group that goes around 00:07:43.890 --> 00:07:45.720 and shovel snow for those old ladies. 00:07:47.820 --> 00:07:52.289 Every Tuesday and Thursday, when you're at school and you take your friends 00:07:52.349 --> 00:07:55.320 and you go out and you shovel their driveways and you make sure that all 00:07:55.320 --> 00:07:59.700 of them have a clear path for them to get in and out of their home. 00:08:00.539 --> 00:08:01.860 Maybe that's what you care about. 00:08:02.340 --> 00:08:04.229 Maybe you care about something totally different. 00:08:04.770 --> 00:08:07.500 What you're going to have an opportunity to do is you're going 00:08:07.500 --> 00:08:10.530 to have an opportunity to do that thing that changes the world that 00:08:10.530 --> 00:08:12.120 makes our community, our world. 00:08:13.425 --> 00:08:16.995 You're going to spend two hours, twice a week doing that here at our school. 00:08:18.255 --> 00:08:22.545 Now I know a lot of your parents and a lot of teachers are going to be wondering 00:08:22.995 --> 00:08:25.095 what is happening during this time? 00:08:25.305 --> 00:08:26.865 What are kids actually learning? 00:08:27.135 --> 00:08:28.485 How are they meeting the standards? 00:08:28.485 --> 00:08:29.175 How are they learning? 00:08:29.175 --> 00:08:29.895 What the state says? 00:08:29.895 --> 00:08:32.625 We need to learn all that stuff is important. 00:08:32.955 --> 00:08:34.995 And we definitely want to continue learning that. 00:08:35.880 --> 00:08:39.990 But we also know that you learn differently when you're focused 00:08:40.200 --> 00:08:42.750 on doing something to improve the world for someone else. 00:08:43.710 --> 00:08:45.810 And so you're going to learn all those things. 00:08:46.080 --> 00:08:49.200 As you're learning about different ways of doing things, 00:08:49.200 --> 00:08:50.520 you're going to be researching. 00:08:50.970 --> 00:08:52.740 You're going to be writing down your ideas. 00:08:52.740 --> 00:08:53.910 You're going to be brainstorming. 00:08:53.910 --> 00:08:57.030 You're going to be trying to persuade others. 00:08:57.030 --> 00:08:58.110 Why your idea matters. 00:08:59.655 --> 00:09:01.095 And this is what's important. 00:09:01.545 --> 00:09:03.375 You can learn a lot through that process. 00:09:04.305 --> 00:09:07.005 Some of you are going to do really amazing things and it's going to 00:09:07.005 --> 00:09:11.775 be awesome and others, well, you're going to try something really amazing, 00:09:12.105 --> 00:09:13.485 and it's just not going to work. 00:09:14.355 --> 00:09:17.415 I do want to share a success story with you from our very own school 00:09:17.415 --> 00:09:20.955 last year, because it was amazing. 00:09:21.435 --> 00:09:23.985 So we had a bunch of girls get together and say they wanted to 00:09:23.985 --> 00:09:25.575 create a town and our step team. 00:09:26.670 --> 00:09:27.810 It was their idea. 00:09:28.080 --> 00:09:30.870 They got our former assistant principal doctor or to work with 00:09:30.870 --> 00:09:35.730 them and they went on to be on the news to be presenters at our board 00:09:35.730 --> 00:09:42.720 meeting, to present at our perform at, uh, pep rallies and, uh, assemblies 00:09:42.810 --> 00:09:45.390 and sporting events at halftime. 00:09:45.870 --> 00:09:51.140 They did all kinds of great things because they had this idea that they wanted. 00:09:51.840 --> 00:09:54.420 To make people feel excited about something. 00:09:55.020 --> 00:09:55.980 They did an amazing job. 00:09:56.010 --> 00:09:56.880 Are they perfect? 00:09:56.940 --> 00:09:58.080 No, they weren't. 00:09:58.650 --> 00:10:02.940 They had a lot of struggles, but you know what they did, they worked hard to 00:10:02.940 --> 00:10:07.110 be their very best and to do something, to make a lasting impact on our school. 00:10:07.680 --> 00:10:08.820 And they certainly did that. 00:10:09.300 --> 00:10:10.470 They changed their own lives. 00:10:11.354 --> 00:10:13.305 And made themselves better in the process. 00:10:14.114 --> 00:10:17.594 They learned way more through that opportunity than we could have ever gotten 00:10:17.594 --> 00:10:19.755 them to learn through our textbooks. 00:10:20.474 --> 00:10:24.555 And so textbook learning has a place, but it's not everything. 00:10:24.704 --> 00:10:28.364 And so we want to expand your horizons and help you learn new and 00:10:28.364 --> 00:10:31.994 different things that you're just not going to get from a textbook. 00:10:32.564 --> 00:10:36.525 So by August 30th, you have three things that you need to do. 00:10:37.035 --> 00:10:40.440 Number one, You can decide what it is that you're going to do. 00:10:41.040 --> 00:10:44.970 Number two, you need to decide who you're doing that work with. 00:10:45.960 --> 00:10:51.540 Number three, you need to identify the adult that is sponsoring you and get their 00:10:51.540 --> 00:10:54.570 permission and their support in your idea. 00:10:56.100 --> 00:11:01.260 You've only got a few days, so between now and then you need to be talking about this 00:11:01.260 --> 00:11:05.390 as much as you can coming up with an idea of what are you going to do to change the. 00:11:06.630 --> 00:11:09.930 Your teachers have a list that we brainstormed together to give 00:11:09.930 --> 00:11:11.760 you an idea, a starting point. 00:11:12.030 --> 00:11:13.560 We don't want this to be the end point. 00:11:13.890 --> 00:11:17.910 We want this to be the beginning of your ideas of how you 00:11:18.300 --> 00:11:19.530 can make the world better. 00:11:20.310 --> 00:11:21.480 It's just the beginning. 00:11:21.540 --> 00:11:25.920 It's not the be-all and end-all, and we want you to work hard to 00:11:25.920 --> 00:11:27.270 come up with something amazing. 00:11:28.500 --> 00:11:31.710 We're giving you this opportunity because we trust you and we 00:11:31.710 --> 00:11:34.080 respect that you can do it. 00:11:34.470 --> 00:11:35.310 That's the honest truth. 00:11:36.314 --> 00:11:38.505 Your ready to make an impact on the world. 00:11:38.865 --> 00:11:41.055 That's why you're here at Tana this year. 00:11:41.564 --> 00:11:44.204 And this year we are going to soar together. 00:11:45.555 --> 00:11:49.425 So in summary, you have three things to do, figure out what you're going to do to 00:11:49.425 --> 00:11:55.035 change the world who you're going to do it with and identify an adult sponsor at our 00:11:55.035 --> 00:11:57.225 school to help you through that process. 00:11:58.665 --> 00:12:02.175 It's not going to be easy, but it is going to be awesome. 00:12:02.295 --> 00:12:04.125 And I'm so excited to see what you create.