Zeroes are bad!

12/10/2021

The title might be confusing if you don't understand the reference.  I know what it means and I'm not sure I can do it justice with my explanation but I certainly am going to try.  My life lessons learned as I looked out from the Janitor's closet applied to a school setting but it applies to all professions and all walks of life.  In fact, it applies to us as people, as humanity, as neighbors of this round rock floating in space.  I learned many truths as a janitor but one of the most powerful truths was this...life is not a zero sum game (-1 + 1 = 0 and zeroes are bad).

I loved working in a school setting.  I loved watching kids.  I watched them play and work, laugh and cry, grow and learn.  Granted, my perspective as a janitor was different than the perspective of a teacher but, nevertheless, the actions and interactions I saw from students are no less diminished.  I saw what I saw and what I saw was this... most younger kids are better at relationships than adults.  I know, right away, you are going to dismiss this as an uninformed and sentimental opinion, but hear me out.  I believe, when it comes to social relationships, most children have  a default setting of good.  Yes, some bully, some lie, some cheat, and some are just down right mean, but if you focus on the whole and not the individual you will find that most children know what it means to be a friend. With that in mind, I want to expand and define the title of this blog.  And, although my lens, for the purpose of this blog, is focused through a school setting it happens every day to many people.

Kids are able to rejoice for other kids who succeed. If you aren't following my line of thought let me explain.  One of the big downfalls of the social skill makeup of an adult is that we find it hard to rejoice for and recognize the achievements of our peers.  Especially, when those peers  hold the same position or title as we do.  And because of that inability to celebrate other's achievements, our work life becomes a zero sum game.  If someone else is succeeding, I have to be failing.  Therefore, the only way for me to succeed is for someone else to be failing.  Both can't exist at once and, therefore, the zero sum exists. 

I see this in all areas of employment.  I have seen it in classified and certified positions.  I have seen it in school administration and, yes, I have seen it in teachers.  I'm not singling out teachers because I think they are the biggest offenders.  I'm making my point through the lens of teachers because I think this type of "zero sum" mentality is one of the most damaging behaviors when it comes to staff cohesiveness. The belief that if this teacher is succeeding then that teacher has to be failing is corrosive to the fabric of effective collaboration and staff support, both which are vital.  In short, a teacher can't get better by making another teacher worse.  That is a zero sum mentality and it just doesn't work. It doesn't work in schools and it, certainly, doesn't work in life.

I referred to the equation -1 +1 =0 earlier.  When it comes to effective staff interactions zeroes are killers.  The reason for that is for zeroes to exist a positive has to be balanced by an equal negative. But, what if school staff members could change the equation?  What if staffs throughout all school districts could strive to change the sum from zero to positive?  What if  one person celebrated another's  achievements just as much as they celebrated their own achievements? Now 1+1=2 and 2 is much better than zero.

So, celebrate each other's achievements, whether you are a teacher or a janitor, a manager or an employee, part time or fulltime.  Remember, someone else doesn't have to be negative for you to be positive.  Most kids know this so we, as adults, should learn it.

 I would love to see a school banner that read:


-1 +1 = 0
We are not a zero sum school!




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