Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Kelly E. Middleton is a school administrator from Northern Kentucky with over thirty years of experience in public education. He regularly speaks, trains and consults with educators across the country. Middleton is the author of four other books on customer service in public schools and a book on ADHD. You can find his books at www.kellymiddleton.com

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Simply the Best

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Contents

Introduction.................................................................1Keep an Open Mind............................................................2Seeking to Understand........................................................6Chapter 1: Why Relationships?................................................11Customer Service and Schools.................................................14What Do Our Customers Value?.................................................20Why Should I Care About Customer Service?....................................22Consider the Possibilities...................................................28Relationships: A Pillar for School Improvement...............................29Reflection...................................................................32Chapter 2: Relationships Around a Moral Imperative...........................33Relationships Around A Moral Imperative Research Voice.......................34Students Speak: What Our Customers Say.......................................40The Lesson for Educators.....................................................72Trip Down Memory Lane Reflection.............................................75Professional Reflection......................................................76Chapter 3: Relationships Around Curriculum...................................77Relationships Around Curriculum Research Voice...............................78Students Speak: What Our Customers Say.......................................85The Lesson for Educators.....................................................92Trip Down Memory Lane Reflection.............................................95Professional Reflection......................................................96Chapter 4: Relationships Around Instruction..................................97Relationships Around Instruction Research Voice..............................98Students Speak: What Our Customers Say.......................................103The Lesson for Educators.....................................................116Trip Down Memory Lane Reflection.............................................118Professional Reflection......................................................119Chapter 5: Relationships Around Assessment...................................121Relationships Around Assessment Research Voice...............................122Students Speak: What Our Customers Say.......................................129The Lesson for Educators.....................................................138Trip Down Memory Lane Reflection.............................................142Professional Reflection......................................................143Chapter 6: Relationships Around Recovery.....................................145Relationships Around Recovery Research Voice.................................146Students Speak: What Our Customers Say.......................................152The Lesson for Educators.....................................................158Trip Down Memory Lane Reflection.............................................162Professional Reflection......................................................163Chapter 7: Relationships - From Black and White to Color.....................165Listening to the Student Voice...............................................166The Potential Relationships Offer............................................169Relationships at Your School.................................................171From Black and White Snapshots to Color......................................173Chapter 8: Making It Happen - Ideas to Think About...........................175Making It Happen Introduction................................................176Eighty Ideas for Teachers and Schools........................................177Self-Assessment Tools........................................................189Student Voice Self Assessment................................................191Research Voice Self Assessment...............................................194References...................................................................197P.S. - A Final Note..........................................................204

Chapter One

For every one of us that succeeds, it's because there's somebody there to show you the way out. The light doesn't necessarily have to be in your family; for me it was teachers and school. -Oprah Winfrey

Public schools - just hearing the phrase evokes visual images which could be accompanied by a host of emotionally charged words. Would most people convey a positive or negative reaction? First of all, consider the word public and how it is used. There are public restrooms, public housing, public healthcare, public transportation, and public pools. Generally, each of these endeavors is associated with the need to fill an existing void for needs and services. While many would assert it is better than not having anything at all, the general impression associated with anything run by the government or a bureaucracy is generally one of low expectations and the mindset that it's probably not very good because it offers a "one size fits all" approach to the issue. Everything is standardized and conceptualized around providing a common experience to a situation.

What about public schools? How would most people rate them? The answer would vary depending on an individual's experience in the world of school. School is one of those universal occurrences which may be defined more in terms of its diversity, rather than its commonality. Everyone's story may begin with, "Once upon a time." Unfortunately, every person's story does not end with, "... And they lived happily ever after." While one would never advocate that every person's story be the same, the opportunity for happy endings should be an expectation. The sad reality is some stories never get written.

What influences these stories of students in schools throughout the country? Success in schools can be attributed to a number of factors. Reviewing professional literature, one would discover enough ideas to wallpaper a room with practices associated with successful schools. Just think about it. Within seconds, educators can brainstorm twenty to thirty ideas including concepts such as leadership, aligned curricula, higher order thinking skills, relevance, rigor, differentiation, questioning, classroom management, deconstructing standards, technology, interventions, high expectations, assessment (formative, summative, common, diagnostic), data analysis, feedback, school culture, not to mention all the research based instructional strategies. It's a travesty schools often feel compelled to try to learn multiple concepts with the unrealistic expectation of immediate implementation. This implementation is expected to be accomplished with limited professional development, with little or no time provided for collaborative planning, with fidelity to the critical attributes of the concepts, and with consistency among all classrooms.

What is the result? Schools become obsessed with trying to find the "silver bullet" to help all students achieve. The goal is to "fix" the kids. Students are only seen from a content or academic perspective. Teachers end up trying to learn and juggle a...