Change the Song!

March 23, 2021

Lessons from an Empty Gas Tank

 

My youngest son recently moved to Altoona, Pennsylvania to be the assistant groundskeeper for the Altoona Curve, the AA affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. I am proud of him. As he gets ready to graduate from the University of Louisville with a degree in sport administration, I am thrilled for him that he was able to find a job in his chosen field. And, I am thrilled for me that he won’t be living in my basement.

 

Last weekend I went to visit him and to drop off a few things that he needed after his move. Altoona is an interesting town. It feels like it is in the middle of nowhere, but it has some cool railroad history and lots of great places to eat (try Tom and Joe’s for breakfast, and Jack and George’s for fantastic sports bar fare). What is also noticeable about Altoona is the number of Sheetz gas stations they have…almost one on every corner, it seems.

 

I rolled into town with an almost empty tank, so I flipped on the dashboard alert that showed exactly how many miles I had left until I was out of gas: 23 miles. Perfect. That gave me more than enough gas to pick up Matt, drive to lunch, hit the Goodwill store to find an end table for him, and run by the stadium for a brief tour.

 

After we did that--it was 15 miles to empty now--we decided we would take a trip over to Punxsutawney to see Phil, the world-famous weather-prognosticating groundhog, and check out the sights at Gobbler’s Knob, where Phil makes his annual appearance.

 

Punxsutawney is 55 miles from Altoona, so clearly, I was going to need to fuel up. As we traveled through town, we passed a handful of Sheetz stations as the miles-to-empty meter on my Honda CR-V ticked down…12, then 11, then 10…

 

I knew I needed gas, but I was hoping to find the perfect Sheetz: that is, one that was on the street I was driving, and on the right-hand side of the road. I try to avoid turning left whenever I can, and for a while it seemed like the only gas stations I passed were on the left. But there were so many gas stations, I knew one would be coming along soon.

 

I was wrong. Before long we were on the outskirts of town and entering an area that looked a little more rural. The miles-to-empty meter kept dwindling.

 

Nine miles to empty.

 

Eight.

 

Sure, we are now on a country road, I thought, but there has to be another gas station coming soon. Right?

 

Seven.

 

Six.

 

And now we were having a discussion whether it would just be better for us to turn around. But it had been several miles since we last passed a gas station. Surely it was more likely that we would come upon a gas station sooner if we kept moving forward than if we turned around. Right?

 

Five miles to empty.

 

Four.

 

Three.

 

My heart rate jumped. Matt, looking on his phone for the closest gas station, lost his cell signal. At this point we were too far in, and as we drove by acres and acres of forest—public hunting land—I thought I heard a banjo in the distance.

 

Two. One. Zero.

 

That’s it. Our best chance now was to hope that the fumes would get us to a gas station before we stalled out. My mind was racing, grateful that it seemed like the road was going perpetually downhill, and angered that I had let me AAA membership expire a year ago.

 

As we cruised down a hill into a town, we saw the unmistakable sight of gas pumps. We were going to make it! As we got to the bottom of the hill and turned into the parking lot, we were struck by how abandoned the place looked. It looked abandoned, of course, because it was abandoned. Curses!

 

And we kept rolling on. We kept rolling on, in fact, for about 15 more miles. We never stopped worrying, though neither one of us voiced it, and we just kept moving forward, with the dashboard of the car screaming, as it had for the last 20 miles, that we needed fuel, NOW.

 

Finally, there it came. Like an oasis in the desert, a gas station came into view. It was open, and it was glorious. Matt and I looked at each other, and I said, “Was there any ever doubt?” And he said, “You probably should have stopped at that Sheetz when you refused to turn left.”

 

We pulled in, gassed up, and were on our way to Punxsutawney. Turns out, it took 13.6 gallons to fill my tank. Why does that matter? Because Honda CR-Vs have 14-gallon tanks. I still had half a gallon of gas, and could have gone for another 15 miles or so.

 

We saw Phil, we walked on the stage at Gobbler’s Knob, we partook in a little bit of Americana. And we had plenty of gas to make it back to Matt’s apartment.

 

That afternoon was an adventure almost like a haunted house: the terror was in the anticipation. We never did run out of gas, but we thought we were going to for a long time, and we were in the middle of nowhere, with no clear assistance if we did stall out. In the end we were fine, but the thought of what could have been made me sweat.

 

Having time to reflect on the event, a couple ideas came clear to me. First, sometimes we pass up really good in the quest for perfect. I passed a handful of gas stations because they were not on the right side of the road. How often in life do we miss out on a good opportunity because we are hoping for something better? Sometimes the thing to do is take what is there for the taking, and be grateful for what we have.

 

Second, sometimes we don’t realize how much we have left in us. When my dashboard told me that I had zero miles to empty, I thought for sure we were going to be stranded on the road. But instead, we kept going another 15 miles, and could have gone 15 more. Sometimes in life we feel like we have given all we can give, that there is nothing more in us. Here’s the truth: your mind will give out before your body. You can do amazing things, even more than you believe, if you just keep moving forward.

 

I guess the third thought I had was this, which is a little more pragmatic: fill your tank when you get a chance. And go potty when you can. And get a snack. Abandoned in the middle of nowhere is no fun for anybody.

 

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Dance Floor Is a Best New Teaching eBooks

 

I'm happy to announce that my book, "If the Dance Floor is Empty, Change the Song: A Superintendent’s Spin on Making Schools Rock," made it to BookAuthority's Best New Teaching eBooks

 

BookAuthority collects and ranks the best books in the world, and it is a great honor to get this kind of recognition. Thank you for all your support!

 

The book is available for purchase on Amazon.

 

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. 

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

 

It took me exactly one day to read this book from cover to cover. I sat on my patio for two hours without stopping. I've not done that in years, last time was a very well written fiction series, not a book on leadership. This book is sensational, and Dr. Clark's witty writing style combines with stories, wisdom, and anecdotes that are as relatable as they are applicable. If you have any sort of interaction with students in a school setting, the application of Dr. Clark's writings in this book will literally change the world for your students. It doesn't matter if you're the custodian, the bus driver, the reading tutor...if you work with students, pick this book up, then get to work living out its advice.

 

Fred Rogers, of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, had a knack for breaking the hard things in life down to a simple level and expressing those things to children in a non-intimidating way. Likewise, Dr. Joe Clark in this book has a knack for breaking down the hardest parts of leadership in education into simple terms, and he delivers his message in such a way that it feels like nothing more than friendly advice from a neighbor. This book will forever be in my recommendations to fellow school employees and educators. Thank you for the excellent read, Dr Clark!

     -Zach Bruce, verified Amazon purchaser

 

Great book! My best read of 2020. Easy to read and relate to. Highly recommend for those new to school administration and looking for practical wisdom. Dr. Clark’s humor and honesty combine to encourage you to “change the song.”

     -Katie, verified Amazon purchaser

 

Dr. Clark’s book is full of practical, humorous, and wise advice for school leaders. The honesty with which he writes is inspiring and reminds us how important it is to always put kids first.

      -Michelle Kravetz, verified Amazon purchaser

 

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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