My Beliefs in Education

As long as I've been in education, I've been collecting quotes and phrases that shaped the way I felt about education and life.  When I first became the principal of Leeds Elementary School, I shared this "list" of beliefs with the faculty.  It was my way of saying, "If you want to know about me, this is it."  I challenged them then and you now to begin putting your beliefs down on paper.  I hope this list will be both entertaining and thought-provoking. 

Thanks,

Mike McKee

 1.    There is no substitute for supervision.

2.    Be smarter than what/who you’re working with.

3.    Be where you’re supposed to be when you’re supposed to be there.

4.    Solve more problems than you cause.

5.    Plan and anticipate.

6.    Seek first to understand then to be understood.

7.    Hold yourself to the same standards as you do your students.

8.    Bring solutions to the table, not complaints.

9.    Fix problems that begin with your negligence.

10.  Policy: read it, learn it, live it.

11.  You have to like kids.

12.  Students are at school to get an education and get along.

13.  Teach from bell to bell.

14.  Make it relevant.

15.  Make deposits.

16.  Be genuine.

17.  There are more Indians than chiefs; lead by influence, not by authority.

18.  Have high expectations AND the steps in place to achieve them.

19.  Be reflective.

20.  If you’re throwing dirt, you’re losing ground.

21.  Find the humor.

22.  Speak to every child everyday.

23.  Their learning is more important than your teaching.

24.  Learning is voluntary.

25.  Realize that kids are going to mess up.

26.  Take responsibility for your students’ education.

27.  We often have to choose between what is easy and what is right.

28.  Never expect someone to do something you’re not willing to do.

29.  The sins of the few should not be paid for by the many.

30.  The purpose of discipline is not to punish but to influence a change in behavior.

31.  You are constantly being watched by your students.

32.  Your behavior is the model for your students’ behavior.

33.  No two people learn the same.

34.  Sometimes you have to walk around in someone else’s shoes.

35.  The easiest decisions to make are the ones that aren’t yours.

36.  “Good enough” is usually neither good nor enough.