"Lethal Simplicity"

Anyone that knows me well knows that I'm a huge fan of Florida State University since I was born in Tallahassee and raised in Ocala. FSU has a new football coach this year named Willie Taggart. He is a breath of fresh air with new ideas. He loves to use the term, "lethal simplicity" when describing how he wants his football program to run.

Lethal Simplicity means not getting too fancy. It means embracing quality over quantity. Instead of having an offensive playbook with 342 plays, it might have a playbook with 120 plays that are ran really, really well.

I think those of us in PreK-12th education can embrace the concept of "lethal simplicity" as well. We often try to do to much. We get caught up in a new fad. We add and add and add to our plate without taking anything off. As we head into 2018-19 in August, I'm going to be working with YPS to embrace a little more lethal simplicity. We need to make sure we're focused on the simple things that need to be focused on. We've had success with our "Real World Boot Camp" and "Main Things" days in all buildings and we need to continue on with that focus.

Simplicity isn't a bad thing. Simple is good. I like to brag that we don't try to get too fancy here in York. The world has enough "fancy" already. We try to roll up our sleeves and work. Hard work isn't fancy. Hard work isn't always fun. But, hard work gets the job done in all walks of life.

Be ready to hear the term "simple" a lot from the York Dukes in the coming years. It's OK to simplify. It's OK to re-focus and fine tune efforts. Hard working teams and organizations that emphasize "simple" things often outshine their fancier, less focused competition. Simple is good!

Keys to Success for College Freshmen

Below is a list of several "keys to success" I've compiled from various sources that I like to share with recent high school graduates that are preparing to attend post-graduate institutions of all sizes and locations.

• Sit in the front four rows of all classes
• Never be late to classes – shoot for five minutes early
• Be respectful of all college professors even though some of them don't always seem to appreciate it
• Sunday afternoons are a great time to work ahead and catch up on assignments
• Time management is critical – stay on top of assignments, projects, etc.....Chaos and stress are caused when time isn’t used efficiently
• Have fun and enjoy meeting new people...you will encounter a lot of big "talkers" but surround yourself with a lot of big "doers" instead....talk is cheap....surround yourself with results-oriented people
• Be careful – not everyone can be trusted, watch out for people putting things in drinks, etc.
• There are lots of freshmen that can't handle being on their own for the first time...avoid them at all costs....too many freshmen won’t make it because they’re too immature, too wild, too insecure, too sheltered, etc.
• Make sure you get enough sleep and eat healthy
• Be on the lookout for “avoidable situations” as they are everywhere…..stay out of non-winnable situations
• There will be lots of roommate drama in your dorm – avoid it and make sure you and your roommate communicate openly and honestly about your living situation, how it’s going, what is bugging each of you, etc.
• Stay in touch with your family. They love you and support you and are very proud of you. Answer the phone when your parents call. Respond to texts. They might "bug" you from time to time but there will be a time you wish they were around to "bug" you.

Did You Know?

• Over 85% of our students perform at/above proficiency on state math assessments.

• Over 87% of our students perform at/above proficiency on state reading assessments.

• The Class of 2018 earned over $4.6 million in scholarship money with more than $350,000 of this coming from local donors.

• Over 950 dual credits were earned by YHS students during the 2017-18 school year.

• YPS has had an average annual spending increase of just 1.3% since 2008-09. We’ve had a 0% spending increase since 2014-15.

• We’re recognized as an exemplary school district across the state due to our diverse curriculum that offers more than 12 career academies, work certification programming, job internships, on-line offerings, and more.

• Nebraska K-12 schools receive 49% of their funding from local property taxes while the national average is 29%. YPS receives about 71% to 74% of our funding from local property taxes.

• Nebraska K-12 schools receive 33% of their funding from state sources while the national average is 47%. YPS receives only about 18% of our funding from state sources.

• The YPS Foundation continues to raise money for “Project Phil-Anthropy” in honor of the late Phil Towle to assist students in need. We have an annual fundraising goal of $7,500. Please contact the YPS District Office if you’re interested in making a donation.

• The average YPS teacher has over 18 years of teaching experience.

• Our YES and YMS after-school programs serve over 120 students on a regular basis.

• Students who take more advanced courses substantially increase their ACT scores. York students that took Biology, Chemistry, and Physics scored an average of 23.8 on the ACT Science test. York students that took Algebra, Geometry, and Trigonometry scored an average of 22.3 on the ACT Math test.

OPPORTUNITY is Always Knocking

Here's one of my favorite short stories....

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. He then hid himself and watched to see if anyone would move the boulder out of the way. Some of the king’s wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it.
Many people loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none of them did anything about getting the stone out of the way.

After a while, a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to push the stone out of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded.

After the peasant went back to pick up his vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King explaining that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway.

Moral of the story: Every obstacle we come across in life gives us an opportunity to improve our circumstances, and while the lazy complain, others are creating opportunities through their kind hearts, generosity, and willingness to get things done.

I love that educators are in the "opportunity business." It is our JOB to provide meaningful opportunities for all of our students each and every day. With that, we also encounter opportunities every day to make our team/organization better. If you ever want something done, ask a busy person to do it! Why? Because busy people are often servant-minded and willing and able to work for the good of the cause and not just for themselves.

We face obstacles every day. Winners remove them. Winners enjoy the challenge. Losers blame others for the obstacles present in the first place. Which kind of person are you?

I hope you choose not to complain about the obstacle but rather to rejoice about the opportunity. This is a wonderful time to be alive and involved in public education....remove obstacles for others and make your classrooms, school buildings, districts, and communities better. Removing obstacles creates a "sense of accomplishment." Bring it on. Let's make a difference!