what up, though. Welcome back to I'm growing man, shaman john d in the building. Good evening, good people. The school year is coming to an end. We are like three weeks away. My daughter is graduating next week, or, yeah, next week. Her prom is this weekend and it's it's kind of like you know what's happening, but it is really happening.

Another year in the books is by far. My one is by far my most productive year ever. We ea scores thus far 98%. People have taken it and completed it. I had 69%, made their growth or exceeded it.

It made me feel good because I felt like I made them buy into a routine that if they invest in themselves, that you know the product will reward them for their effort. But it kind of didn't work like that and I looked at, you know, this platform we were using and some of the kids that were on there faithfully and I don't know if they just because I can't say that they just kind of died at the end and they weren't doing, they weren't as productive, but it doesn't reflect the amount of time spent on it. It kind of disturbs me because I really believe that the more time you put into anything, the better you become. And now I have to figure out a new spiel to be more correct. Maybe students need to be a lot more consistent throughout the year versus getting so many done in the beginning and taking a break and then trying to start back and then trying to start back. They need to just have a consistent routine. Just thinking about different ways that I can become a better teacher to yield an even better product. I do know that there are areas that I can improve for next year. God willing, I'll be back in administration this upcoming school year or in a different capacity.

I just realized that I am a lot older and my patience is shorter for students that are disrespectful. Now I don't go back off on them or nothing like that. I'm better than that, but I don't want to deal with it. I know they're kids, but sometimes you get so caught up in the moment and you forget that they're kids and you just get this energy and I'm like, because I don't curse Well, I don't curse at school at all, so I don't even slip up because I don't really practice it anyway, but to watch kids crash out. You know and I'm not going to lie like I've been able to reel some students back they crash out. I'll be like, hey, it's me, it's me, come on, it's me. And then they'll apologize. Right, but some of them don't, and I think the more time you invest in certain students, the more it hurts you.

I think that's where I was, or where I am trying to change a student's behavior and they give me an hour out the day is too difficult to expect them to mature right in front of your eyes. You know, as a teacher, your routine and how they respond to your routine is so important, and this was my first full year teaching math, a math subject area, since like 2010, 11 school year, and I know ways that I could become so much better, but I don't have. I don't have the patience to get verbally beat up by my students because they want to crash out. I'm not that mature yet and I know at some point I will become mature enough to be able to empathize like this kid is not mad at me, but I'm not there yet. So it still bothers me and it started to weigh on me a little bit because I was like my intentions were to really, if money, if this podcast decides to blow up, I may even consider staying in the math, math. But what I wanted to do was just really master the craft of teaching middle school students like teach them the process of completion and the more time you put into it, the better you become. And, like I said, I mean the scores speak for themselves. I had, I had a short, I had a small, let's say, I had one student that was on grade level and I brought up at least 20 to grade level or exceeded. So that made me feel really good because I think I know the formula. But the formula really is just working on the craft of becoming a better teacher and the more I like learn about how I've been operating this year, I know that I was not trying to master my craft before, like I wasn't. I was my mind was on the next job, like I was trying to move up. But now I'm like I feel like I understand how I could get students to believe that they're that important. So hopefully in my next position I can change some behaviors and convince students that they're that important. So hopefully in my next position I can change some behaviors and convince students that they're that important.

You know working with students and, looking back, I know the students in my past. I have like some good relationships with them via social media and they said I was really cool then I was great, but I am so much better than I was then. Then I was really immature. I go back and forth with a student like I was so petty and I and oh my gosh, uh, yeah, I was real petty, but that was because I wasn't. I wasn't mature enough for the position. I thought, because I'm putting in this work, in the work that I was doing. I was really doing work, but when I got off work I didn't think about work anymore. I wasn't working on my craft and I thought because the kids thought I was cool and they would do my work and we saw some improvement that that was good enough. And I guess that was taken away from me as a young educator because I left the classroom after my third year. I went into administration and then I didn't want to leave the classroom, but when I got the opportunity I did. I never mastered teaching. I think my administration background makes me a lot better when it comes to classroom management.

I think the number of conversations I've had with students at this age range, like I know some of them have tougher journeys than others, and it's all relative, you know so. But if I could convince them that it could be better by working on a routine constantly trying to improve, they will. I think they would break the ceiling for their family and wouldn't even know it, because and I'm just saying this If any kid is listening to me you will break the ceiling in your family if you didn't already know it, because and I'm just saying this if any kid is listening to me you will break the ceiling in your family if you didn't already know this. Like, the job is for the next generation to do more than the previous generation. So my students, parents, they're doing what they can to to give them a life that they think they're supposed to have. And my job is to give them a life that they think they're supposed to have. And my job is to give them all of the nuggets that I've acquired in my teaching experience, not just math.

That's the reason why I think a lot of students mess with me, because it's not just about math, it's about, like, what are you going to do tomorrow? What are you doing today for tomorrow to be okay? Like I want them to think. Like it ain't no light switch. You turn 18, you tomorrow to be okay, like I want them to think, like it ain't no light switch. You turn 18, you got to be doing something. And if you didn't take school seriously like I know people be talking about you know you can go to trade school and all of this, but you still got to be a student, like I know people say. You know I have to work with my hands and, but you know you still got to read and you still got to write. You got to be able to know what you're looking at.

There's a part of academia that people act like nobody needs to learn and I'll tell you this the people that decided to escape by that they're living a tough life. Tough life Because if you can't do the basics like well, you're going to work hard. You can't do the basics like well, you're going to work hard. And looking at my students, the way they think, I can tell that their parents work hard. And if I don't give them this information to try to change the trajectory of their future, it's almost like they'll be caught up in a cycle. So my job is to spoon feed new information, little pieces where they can digest and be like.

I can do that because I think the reason why I do so well honestly in middle school is because that was my toughest uh period, as like I just could not stay out of trouble. And it wasn't like trouble, like it was just I talked too much, I couldn't stay in my seat, and I know I've talked about this before. But I have a lot more patience for kids like that because I already know, like I wasn't the happiest kid at home, I wanted to go to school. I remember we got a snow day. Me and my sister cried because we were supposed to have a party on that day before Christmas break. Like I really enjoyed school and I did, I learned.

The bad thing about school for me was that I wasn't trying to be the best in there. I found a formula and I did really well and I convinced myself that I was smart enough to go to college. I did. And I convinced myself that I was smart enough to go to college. I did. And then when I went to college, I figured out a system there to graduate, because in my head I'm like all I need is to get a degree and then somebody hire me and I'll work hard for them.

But if you are not good in your craft like good enough it's very difficult for you to maneuver through this world and it is like you know just I just hope that one day that the information that I'm learning to articulate, where people can just be like that's what? Oh, I got it, because I'm telling you life, life can be really fun. The problem is depending on where you are on the spectrum of life. If you're not creating your own fun, legally, you're probably stressed out. The key to not go through that is that you should always work on something.

I'm going to be a keynote speaker soon and I'm excited about it and I want to make sure that I give them this information. Make sure that I give them this information like, look, I'm only going to talk between 12 and 15 minutes because I want to. I want to follow the procedure of how people pay attention. Like they say, adults can sit for like 24 to 26 minutes without a break and can swallow information. But I got middle school, I have middle school kids, so I decided to do it like between 12 and 15 minutes. But my but the intent this is my intent I want to give everybody something where they'd be like I'm glad I attended this ceremony because, I'm not gonna lie, I've I've been to a few keynotes and I don't think I've enjoyed any of them, because I just wasn't there. So, being that I wasn't there like I could, my attention span was gone. So I'm just trying to make sure I capture as many people's attention so that we can create this system of understanding how, how we can really enjoy life.

But the number one thing you have to do, you have to find something that you can work on every single day. But you have. It has to be something that, as you get older, you can get better in like not because your body's breaking down, you know, like like art, play a instrument, you know. You know like like art, play a instrument. You know, I know your, your, your fingers, you know, could break down but learn a language, work on communication, like these things that I'm naming. If you worked on them every single day, you're going to accumulate so many hours where you're going to separate yourself from people that don't get paid to do it and then people that get paid to do it and, depending on where you are in life, like I said, you can start at any time Like. I know that there are people that's elder than me don't think that they can. They can Because I realize how much better you can become in something. You just it's part of your routine in life and you just start working on it and then it's like man, like you get up to do that. You know, like I get up and go to work to make the money and impact kids well before I wake up, before many people get up in the morning. Yeah, the routine on just getting better. Because I'm telling you, as time goes on, I see people accumulating hours and watching TV shows, watching and listening to music. They're not working on anything for them.

I'm not saying you can't enjoy yourself. I'm not saying that at all. Enjoy yourself, do whatever that makes you happy, but you should be working on something so you can say that was my project. Like I, I, I became so old. And this is what I'm telling you. The sooner you find how long a process takes, the sooner you find the better the things you'll find that you like to do. Like, if you're going to work and do a job you don't like, why don't you become the best at it? Because if you're really good at that job, somebody's going to notice you and they don't like why are you here? You have potential. There's other ways to make money, but you know people don't understand that.

It takes it takes an effort that says you don't like being where you are. Most people just complain. It starts with you. You can say okay, tomorrow I'm going to speak to everybody that smiles at me. I'm going to smile the entire day and I'm going to enjoy my day. I know what I got to do. I'm going to try to figure out how I can become more efficient at it. You do that one day. You get that down in a few days in a row.

You've developed this routine and I'm telling you people not looking for you because you're not really that good. I was always told that when you're good you'll be found, and that stands true to today. I've been podcasting for over five years now five years and I can see that I'm so much better than I was when I first started. I can see my mindset. I was so scared in the beginning because I was afraid of putting my foot in my mouth. Now I understand that. I know what I believe in. I know what I stand for. I know that I can make a mistake, but I can say I apologize and change my mind, you know, and say you know, I thought it was this way and I can keep it moving. But if you just work on this routine and work on you, you will want to do it anyway.

And, like I said about the podcast, it's five years and I have made me and my wife, I guess collectively have made through all platforms no more than $200. And all the all the people that started when I started don't even do it anymore. And that's when I realized I'm not that good and these other people thought that they had the best conversations or the best interesting topics. You probably did, but if you can't complete a process, you're hoping to hit the lottery. Because I'm telling you, five years, and it's been collectively 200 bucks, like a dollar, 37 here, the most we ever made. No lie, it was like 97. That was one month and that was in the very beginning. In my head I was like, oh, this is gonna be cold. Like I said, that was the very beginning. Over five years I've made a collective of 200, but I enjoy it because you know what. This is the only thing that I can say that I this is mine, and I feel like I can do this for the rest of my life.

All I have to do is just keep working on my craft. I keep coming back to the platform, distribute information, maybe change some people's minds and say, hey, I can do something like that too, being a teacher, giving these students any and everything I can, so that they, way younger than me, like I. Just I just started rocking like this like 40, between 40 and 41. Like this like 40, between 40 and 41. I'm 47 and I've been full court press the last five and a half six years maybe yeah, maybe five and a half. Like I was like finding my routine.

I was trying to figure out what I could do to just become better. That's what it originally started from. How can I become better? Because I realized I I was so, I was lacking so many lacking in so many areas. And it hurt my heart because I could see these things. That people's like John, you did this and I'm like but I'm not as polished as the resume may look. So these last six years have shifted my mindset. I'm in a growth mindset.

I'm always trying to learn, no matter where I am. I'm trying to get the information so that I can figure out how I can use it to better, put not only me in a better situation, but my family my kids are watching, my wife is watching and me distributing this information at some point. I keep working. It's going to pay off and I hope, because I'm telling you, if you go back to the beginning of this, I was only doing three minute clips. I didn't know if I could talk that long. I did so many three minute clips but you can see I wasn't. I didn't even, I wasn't looking at the camera, I was just but.

But that was my journey and I remember somebody saying you know, you say you're going to do this, but when are you going to start? And if you don't start you can say whatever you want. But once you start and you develop the routine and you know people was like I didn't know where I would podcast that long. But you know why I really do it. I don't even have to get paid because I know the information that I have is better than the information that I had growing up.

If I had somebody giving me information that was digestible, that I could use and become better, I would have done it. I just didn't have that access. So I just to me it's. They always say what would you tell your 18 year old self or your 20 year old self, 25, 30? This is what I'm doing. I'm telling anybody and everybody who's willing to listen, depending on your age and what you're looking for, I can tell you what I would have done with the information I have now.

Like I would have gone about it this way and I think if we develop better relationships where we can converse more, we can get some good examples of how to do better in areas that we are blind to. Like you know, we're blind in so many areas because you just don't know. You only know what you know. But if you don't talk to anybody, you don't go outside your comfort zone. You're going to stay in this box and I know everybody's like I'm open-minded. If you're not intentional, you're not open-minded. Like you're just open-minded when it happens. But if you're open-minded like you just open-minded when it happens, but if you're open-minded and intentional, you go, look for ways to learn where you can become a better version of yourself, like moving through life.

At this point I recognize the more effort that you put into yourself, the better you feel, the more people enjoy your space and you don't mind helping, because you can see that, like you're necessary, like to me, I feel like I'm a really happy dude, like if you talk to anybody I work with, I'm always happy, and you know why? Because I really enjoy where I am and I feel like at some point when I become really, really good, students will understand Like I'm only trying to give you this information. And they were like I didn't know, like that's why I say, if you work on communication, you'll be able to say the right things for students to be able to receive and digest. But people feel like they're not, they're not listening. It's not that they're not listening, they don't understand. They only have so much of a vocabulary and just because you're speaking in English don't mean they know what those words are. That's why we should work on communication, so that the person that's listening to us will receive the message. And we can't assume they did, because you spoke really slow and you felt like you were enunciating everything. And you felt like you were enunciating everything. You should always say so what do you think I said, what do you think about that?

Just to make sure that that person and this is talking to parents talking to your kids. If you give them an order or a directive, have them say it out loud. They still may mess up, but if you get into a habit of having them say it out loud, it'll make them more accountable. They're oh, I said I can't, I'm not supposed to do this. A lot of times they do it in their head and they feel like they're not thinking. So that's what. That's my, my, my gift to you today. I want parents to paraphrase what they said so their kid can hear and understand, or ask them to paraphrase what they just heard. And I'm telling you, your relationship will change with your kids because you need to be the safe place so that your kids don't get advice from their friends because you know they don't know anything. Y'all make today better than yesterday. Don't worry about anything you can't control. G-a-t-a Get after that action or the action will get after you. Be great on purpose.