PRINCIPAL’S CORNER:Getting beyond the noise

[This article appeared in the November Laguna Beach PTA newsletter.]

Every day we are all bombarded by noise. A friend once loosely defined “noise” as all of the things that keep us from hearing what is really important.

Think about it. How many times has a television impaired our ability to speak with our families, or a radio in a car kept us from talking to our kids about their day at school?

How many times have we allowed ourselves to get caught up in gossip, rumors, or back-biting? Am I the only one that feels guilty sometimes when I hear the song, “The Cat’s in the Cradle”?

We need to remember that when we allow ourselves to slip into negativity, our kids will learn that this behavior is acceptable. This is another example of what my friend would call noise. He always has a way of refocusing me on what is really important.

The other stuff is simply a distraction, unproductive, a waste of time...noise.

What would we do differently if we knew today was the last day we would see our kids? What would our school do differently if we knew it would be the last day we had our students?

I’m guessing that we would throw our arms around our kids and let them know how much they mean to us.

I think it’s time that we start making that effort right now. Danny Najera graduated from La Sierra High School in 2004. As the principal of a school of over 3,000 students, I found many reasons why I couldn’t be with kids as much as I wanted. It was a big job.

As a result, however, I was not able to form personal relationships with all of our students. We did a million great things at La Sierra, but Danny Najera is the one I won’t forget.

He was killed last week as a 20-year-old firefighter in a blaze started by an arsonist. His grandfather stopped by the school to let the staff know about his/our loss.

I know I shook his hand at graduation, but somehow I missed the opportunity to KNOW him. These are the things that happen that make us look in the mirror to reevaluate what we are doing. Danny’s death has cleared the noise from my head.

We have students with significant risk factors. Our situation at Laguna Beach High School is complicated because most of our students appear to be well-adjusted, articulate, and happy.

The reality is that many of our students are dealing with peer pressure, substance abuse, packed schedules, jobs, family issues and comparisons to their siblings or friends.

Our school is going to make a concerted effort to wrap our arms around each kid like there is no tomorrow. We are going to have a sense of urgency to make connections with our kids, provide real support, show them we care and go the extra mile.

I believe that our staff cares deeply about our students, but we can do a better collective job of showing it.

We are going to erase any doubt in the minds of our kids. We can’t be a GREAT school if we allow “noise” to distract us from our true purpose.

We are going to help our kids break through barriers. We are going to be there to pick them up when they get knocked down. We are going to set boundaries. We are going to have rules.

We are going to communicate effectively, efficiently, and from the heart. We are going to be kind, fair and consistent with kids.

They are going to know we care. We are going to have high expectations. We are going to teach our kids to honor themselves and others. We are going to be better tomorrow than we are today. We are going to be GREAT.

It’s not going to happen overnight, but you will all see obvious signs of progress. I am asking everyone who reads this message to help eliminate the noise so we can concentrate on the things that really matter.

Our kids need us.