To Be the Best

Estes wants to be regarded as one of the best schools in the country that moves children to be successful. Our new mission statement is-Developing and expanding growth mindset and lifelong success for every student through grit, innovation, and leadership. What does this mean for your child? Simply put this means when your child walks through the front door of Estes we are going to supply your child with the tools to become successful members of society. Here is what we need from you the parents- Make sure your child comes to school every day that he or she isn't sick. We also need for you to tell your child everything is possible with hard work and grit. Why do I ask you to do this? If your child isn't at school every day that he or she isn't sick, he or she will get behind in his or her school work. Also, when you tell your child that he or she can do anything with hard work and grit they start to hear it from both us and you. Positive messages and positive role models can change the mindset of our students.
In my job at Estes I get to talk to students all the time about what they want to do in the future. One of the saddest things that I hear from our students is that they don't know what they want to do when they grow up. Ladies and Gentlemen this has to change. Our children need to have dreams and want to work hard in life. You might say that it is too early for them to know what they want to do in life. That is true and they might change their mind twenty times a year, but they should start dreaming of their future. Why? They need to have those dreams about the future so that you and I can start to help them reach their dreams. We need to be able to help them see what they will have to do to reach their dreams. I had three dreams of what I wanted to be when I grew up and they were to play in the NBA, be a game show host and finally be a teacher. Luck had nothing to do with becoming a teacher. I had the support of my family and the work ethic to make my dream come true. My family and my teachers pushed me to work hard and see the value in an education. I worked at a grocery store, umpired baseball and took out loans to pay for my way to college.
I am trying to show your kids and my kids that anything is possible with hard work, grit and a growth mindset. I don't expect my own students to make all A's throughout their school years, but I do expect them to work hard and give all they have when they enter the door of the school. I do not let them make excuses about how hard the work is or that their teacher is mean to them. I know school work can be hard and I know their teacher isn't mean but their teacher is pushing them to do their best. My job is to be their father and not their friend. Yes, this sounds harsh but if I want my kids to succeed in life I have to make sure they know how to work hard and overcome the obstacles that are placed in front of them.
Now let me circle back around to the beginning of this post and bring this altogether. You and I cannot make this happen if your child is not at school. Trust me your child is in great hands here at Estes. I will put our teachers up against any school teachers in America and I will always pick the Estes teachers. Why? I will pick them because they know what it takes to get our children to be successful. I hope your students come to school all this week and enjoy the spirit days the student leadership team put together for them. I will end with what I tell the students every day- I Love You!