I recently took a group of new LYS administrators to visit another LYS campus. The campus is led by Dr. John Jenkins, one of the top five urban school principals that no one has ever heard of. His campus, in the middle of barrio could easily be mistaken for some sort of prep school. The building shines like a jewel, the landscaping is well maintained, there is no graffiti, the staff looks sharp, and the students are focused and engaged in the instruction. Right now, Jenkins and his staff run the LYS model as well as anyone. One of the visiting school leaders asked Dr. J why his campus runs so smoothly, in spite of the adverse setting in which it operates. Jenkins replied, “It’s simple. I focus on the two things I’m in charge of, the attitude of my students and their academic success. I don’t worry about all the other stuff.” That is a bulletin board quality quote. The world throws a bunch of stuff at us that we can’t control. Don’t worry about that stuff. Instead focus on the things that you can control, the things that you will make a little bit better each day. As you get better at the things you can control, the things that you can’t control often begin to solve themselves. That is the context behind the LYS tagline. Think. Work. Achieve.Your turn…Follow Sean Cain on Twitter@LYSNationHear the LYS Presentation at the Nation Conference on EducationHear the LYS Presentation at the TASB Winter Legal ConferenceVisit the LYS Booth at the NASSP ConferenceHear the LYS Presentation at the Texas Middle School Association Conference
A Reader Writes… (What Are You In Charge Of – Part 2)
In response to the 2/7/2011 post, “What are You in Charge of,” a LYS Principal writes: I saw Dr. Jenkins…