Great Schools Salt the Bridges

Last night Northeast Ohio was under a winter weather advisory. No snow was forecast, but rain was expected to turn to ice overnight, possibly leaving roads dangerous for the morning commute to school.

So, I did what most of my superintendent colleagues across the area did. I woke up at 4:30 a.m., slipped into some sweatpants and a t-shirt, and headed out to drive the streets of the school district. It turns out the advisory never materialized, and while it was gross outside, it wasn’t dangerous. School went on as usual.

Something caught my eye, though, on my drive around town. As I approached a bridge over the interstate below, I noticed the “Bridge Freezes Before Road Surface” sign I had seen thousands of times before. This time I noticed the fresh chunks of rock salt that must have been spread a few minutes prior by the road crew.

And it got me thinking.

Of course the road crew pays a ton of attention to bridges. That is where the most accidents happen on icy days, and so that is where a lot of salt is spread. The salt is there to make it safer and easier for us to cross the bridge.

Imagine if the road crew, instead of salting the bridge, wet down the road surfaces before and after the bridge, in order to make them icier. In this way, you know, people could get used to driving on icy streets before they got to the icy bridge.

That is ridiculous, right? If road crews purposely made roads icier to better prepare people to cross icy bridges, someone would lose their job immediately.

So let’s think about schools. We have bridges too. They come when students transition between buildings. The set up can be different in any district, but where I work, kids move to new buildings (cross the bridge, so to speak) from 4th to 5th grade, 6th to 7th grade, and 8th to 9th grade.

Three bridges.

You know what we do in our district? We salt the bridges. That is, we understand that the transitions may be difficult for students as they move between buildings, so we do all we can to make the transition smooth.

You know what bad school districts do? They water down the road way. They think that, if we prepare our kids for icy bridges by making the roadway icy too, kids will be better off. This often manifests itself in harsher, less humanistic policies. They sound like this:

“I don’t accept late work. I am preparing you for high school.”

“No, I will not lend you a pencil. If you forget your pencil in middle school, nobody will give you one.”

“No, I am not going to answer any questions. Figure it out yourself. Nobody will help you next year in 5th grade.”

When we think about kids transitioning to new buildings, we should do all we can to make the receiving grade more like the sending grade, instead of the opposite. In other words, salt the bridge. Making kids slip on purpose is cruel.

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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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