Change the Song!

December 13, 2020

Great Teachers Help Kids Find Their Santa Suits

 

Everybody loves to know a guy with a Santa suit.

 

How do I know? I know because I have a Santa suit. I bought it several years ago when I was involved in community theater, and people who know I have the suit frequently ask me either to borrow the suit or to play Santa for them at a party or family event. In fact, for the last ten years I have been playing Santa at my school district’s Winter Arts Festival. With COVID-19 cancelling the event this year, our PTA did a fabulous job creating a safe alternative…a drive-through Santa experience!

 

Everybody loves to know a DJ.

 

This I also know from experience. Having DJed for many, many years, I get repeated requests from friends or acquaintances to play at parties they are throwing or to put playlists together for them. I haven’t DJed regularly for more than nine years, yet annually I get at least two or three requests to help somebody out.

 

Everybody loves to know someone with a truck.

 

This I do not know from experience. I know it because I love knowing people with trucks. I don’t want to own a truck, but I am not afraid to ask a friend to borrow a truck if I have firewood to haul or furniture to move, which seems to be at least a few times a year.

 

While we might grumble a little bit about people looking to get something from us, the truth is we like it. It feels good to be needed, to have a gift that allows us to make others’ lives better.

 

As educators, our job is to help our students find their Santa suit.

 

Each of our students comes to us with a gift, a talent, a skill, that is often unknown to them. Helping them find the gift–helping them find a passion for doing something they are good at—is, to me, what education is all about. When kids find something they are good at and love doing, they are set on a path that practically guarantees success.

 

That is why we need to offer students a variety of course options and other experiences. And that is why we need to constantly support and encourage our students, to let them know they are capable of more than they believe, and that somewhere within them is something special, something they will be happy doing and others will be happy that they do.

 

Michelangelo said, “Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.”

 

Educators are sculptors. Every day we have the opportunity to help kids uncover the beautiful statue inside themselves. Our students have gifts that will change the world. Let us do everything we can to help our students discover their talents, talents that are far more valuable than a Santa suit.

 

Did you enjoy this column? If so, please share!

If the Dance Floor Is Empty, Change the Song

 

My first book, If the Dance Floor Is Empty, Change the Song is now available for purchase. What can a deejay teach us about the classroom? What does a superintendent do besides decide when to close school for snow? What makes someone a great teacher or a great principal? In this collection of essays, Dr. Joe Clark answers these questions by offering a model for compassionate, principled, and student-centered school leadership. In the process, If the Dance Floor Is Empty, Change the Song offers leaders a handbook for placing kindness, community, and diversity at the heart of successful education. Click here to find it on Amazon.

Look what people are saying about the book.....

 

The  raw vulnerability with impeccable humor  and a whole lot of honesty is exactly what Joe has served up for you! If you've ever made a mistake or think you will, then this is a must-read. The lens in which he spins (pun intended) this book is insightfully hilarious!

     -LaVonna Roth, Speaker, Author & Chief Illuminator of Ignite Your S.H.I.N.E.®

 

 

It's been said that we never know the struggles that someone is going through, so we should treat them kindly always. In If the Dance Floor Is Empty, Change the Song, Joe Clark embraces his own vulnerability to share how he reclaimed his story after a traumatic childhood, and shares how he used his life experiences, and his experiences as a DJ and camp director, to guide his work as a school leader. This book is an often humorous, sometimes melancholy look into what teaching and school leadership is all about. It's a tremendous read that I know you'll enjoy.

     -Thomas C. Murray, Author of Personal & Authentic: Designing Learning Experiences that Impact a Lifetime

 

 

If the Dance Floor Is Empty, Change the Song is a look into the world of leadership, education, and how to treat students. Dr. Clark writes to inspire teachers, principals and superintendents to reflect on the mission of being educators while being reminded to enjoy their work. This quick read will help you reflect and smile as Dr. Clark shares meaning and humor in everyday moments.

     -Todd Whittaker, one of the nation’s leading authorities on staff motivation, teacher leadership, and principal effectiveness. Todd has written over 50 books including the national bestseller, What Great Teachers Do Differently. 

 

 

A refreshing read for leaders or educators of all levels both! This is the type of read that can rejuvenate a veteran or give new teachers tools to keep their morale and inspiration at its peak. The lessons you learn from this book can carry over throughout the year, even when you don't know if you can. 

     -Amber Teamann, principal of Whitt Elementary in Wylie ISD in Wylie, Texas. Amber has  received numerous awards, including Regional Assistant Principal of the Year and a “Principal of the Year” engagement award. She recently was recognized as the Dallas Down Syndrome Educator of the Year for her work with inclusivity on her campus.


 

“If the Dance Floor is Empty, Change the Song” by Joe Clark, is a cleverly-written book that will not only make you think about how we approach our jobs as educators, but it will make you chuckle out loud. Filled with personal stories, practical examples, on-point illustrations, and golden nuggets of wisdom, this book will be hard for readers to put down.

     -Jimmy Casas, Educator, Author, Speaker, Leadership Coach


 

If the Dance Floor Is Empty, Change the Song is a book that will leave you smiling and laughing at times. It will also validate your thinking about education at times. More importantly, it will challenge you to re-think why we serve as educators and what is most important when discussing education and the purpose of schools. This book is filled with scores of reflections on teaching, learning, and leading that are applicable to educators in all roles, especially school leaders.

     -Jeffrey Zoul, Ed.D., Author, Speaker, Leadership Coach, and President of ConnectEDD

 

 

As a newly appointed principal, I found this book witty, insightful, and inspiring. The real life stories and anecdotes that Dr. Clark provide, are relatable to teachers, school managers, and, honestly, anyone in a position of leadership. If the Dance Floor Is Empty, Change the Song should be required reading for both new and seasoned school administrators alike. It should be part of every principal and teacher’s motivational toolkit. 

     -David Thomas, Principal, St. Gabriel’s Special School, Bishopstown, Cork, Ireland


 

Great, another leadership book! That was my first thought when I was asked to read If the Dance Floor is Empty, Change the Song. Once I read the first few pages I was hooked, I truly wanted to dance. Finally, a leadership book with great advice and a vast amount of humor. Yes, school is serious business. But if you don’t laugh and enjoy the experiences then why even be a school leader. Dr. Joe Clark has created an informative quick read that gives you relatable and useful information. I truly did laugh out loud at graphics, pie charts and stories. If you can’t relate to this book, then you truly have never danced to a good song or sat back and enjoyed the experience of being a school leader.  

     -Jack Berckemeyer, nationally-recognized presenter, author, and humorist. Former Assistant Executive Director for the National Middle School Association. 

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