Lexington Principal Spreads Humor in the World of Education

 

November 13, 2019

Back Row (L-R): Jill Paulsen (fifth grade teacher), Lesa MacLeod (fifth grade), Julie Terry (junior high and high school English), Shandel Fouts (fourth grade), Gerry Brooks (presenter), Janelle Deanon (sixth grade), Danelle Gibson (Kindergarten), and Tammy Edwards (first grade). Front Row (L-R): Kelsey Harry (librarian) and Emily Scofield (third grade).

Nine teachers from the Chinook School District travelled to Boise, Idaho, earlier this month to attend professional development with Gerry Brooks on November 2. The program was a stop on Brooks' Celebrate Educators Tour.

In October, Shandel Fouts, fourth grade teacher at Meadowlark Elementary School, saw an invitation on Facebook: "Hey, Boise, we are coming to you! November 2 at Borah High School." Since Fouts had heard about Brooks, a humorous and inspirational speaker, and even watched several of his videos, she thought: "Why not? Idaho is not that far away, and we don't have school on Friday, November first."

Because of his humorous videos that focus on actual educational experiences, Brooks has quite a following on social media. On YouTube, Brooks is known for his hilarious portrayals of what it's like to work in public schools. Although he speaks in a peculiar, mocking dialect, Brooks also has very serious advice on how to survive in education.

So, Fouts reached out to her colleagues for takers willing to travel. Once she had a number, she waited at the computer when ticket sales opened on October 3, since she had been told that the event would sell out and that tickets were limited. The event sold out in half an hour, but with Fouts on patrol, the group purchased Meet and Greet passes. These tickets gave them front row seating at the main event and enabled them to have one-on-one consultation time as a group with Brooks after the show. Brooks was so impressed that nine educators had flown from Chinook, Montana, to participate in his presentation that he bought them all t-shirts printed with his trademark term, "Suriously."

Suriously, a combination of sure and serious, emphasizes the certainty of some action or behavior. Because the word can take the place of serious, a person can use it the same way, suriously. Sometimes it is used when claiming something is true, but it clearly is not. You can't be surious about that?

Brooks, who is a principal at an elementary school in Lexington, Kentucky, is a passionate public speaker. His educational experience includes six years in the classroom, two years as an intervention specialist, and twelve years as an administrator.

Brooks has spoken to educational groups across the nation. In Boise, his focus was on encouraging the teachers gathered to improve their instruction through school climate and culture strategies.

"Help it; don't hurt it!" Brooks insisted. To build a culture of camaraderie and support, he encouraged the teachers to seek out mentors: "There is always something that someone does better than you. Seek that person out, whether it's someone who knows exactly how to keep their class quiet in the halls or someone whose student writing samples are exemplary."

If all teachers in a given school were to subscribe to this practice, then we would have what Brooks calls, "A school of mentors."

He also encouraged the audience to look for small ways that they individually can contribute to the culture of the school and to making each student feel that all-important sense of belonging. According to Brooks, research proves that a positive school climate alone will increase test scores.

"It's the little things that matter," Lesa MacLeod, fifth grade teacher at Meadowlark Elementary School, said. "He told us that if we're feeling stressed, it's our own fault, and then he shared ideas for how to let go of the things over which we have no control or that will never change. He also talked about how teachers need to praise each other."

Brooks shared several ideas for decreasing the stress of school, starting by emphasizing the need for camaraderie for all positions in education.

"We learned that we need to include everyone," Emily Scofield said, "even the school nurse or speech therapist who isn't at school every day."

"Brooks really emphasized that we're all on the same team and that it's mandatory that we're on board, and if you're not participating, you need to examine why not," Jill Paulsen added.

Several of the teachers talked with enthusiasm about other topics Brooks covered: Responding with a positive comment or changing the subject, rather than participating in negative talk; coming to terms with the fact that you will not be able to change someone else's personality; seeking to understand differences and responding with some tolerance for diversity.

Fouts also described how the administration can get involved: "Brooks talked about collecting a list of everyone's favorite non-alcoholic drink and favorite candy. When he noticed that a teacher had experienced a particularly rough day, he would gift them with M&Ms if that was their favorite. Granted, a few M&Ms aren't going to fix a bad day, but gestures like that matter because they communicate that someone cares and supports you."

All of the Chinook teachers who attended the Celebrate Teachers event agreed that they were "super impressed" with Brooks and his message.

"After watching his videos and hearing that accent, which makes him sound uneducated, I was doubtful at first, wondering if he was just going to be funny or whether this would be beneficial," the school district's librarian, Kelsey Harry said. "Turns out, he was a little of both. In real life he doesn't have that accent he uses on YouTube."

Julie Terry, the only high school teacher to attend the Boise trip, said "My biggest takeaway was how important climate and culture are to a healthy school. Happy, supported, collaborating teachers are the key to great schools. He [Brooks] had so much practical advice. It was a great trip."

Julie Terry, the only high school teacher to attend the Boise trip, said "My biggest takeaway was how important climate and culture are to a healthy school. Happy, supported, collaborating teachers are the key to great schools. He [Brooks] had so much practical advice. It was a great trip."

 
 

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