the Innovator's Mindset

The statement, "If you are a superintendent, principal, coach, teacher, or serve any other role inside of a school, let people know you are about the kids; you are setting the tone for you school" by George Couros, is very powerful to me.  Let us break this quote down. The first thing that stands out to me is that we are about the kids. As a teacher we are there to teach our students and to do everything possible to help them succeed in life. To me it is like, why else would we be a teacher if we are not there for our students? Show the students that you care and that you, the teacher, are there for them no matter what they may be going through. The teacher can be there for any of the  students' problems that they may be going through at any given time, and when students realize that, that is powerful. 
The second thing that really stood out to me in the quote above is that we, the teachers, coaches, and administration, are setting the tone for the school. One might think that just one person cannot start something or does not make that big of a difference but as George Couros states on page 75 of The Innovator's Mindset, "We also have to remember that the whole is made up of individuals." It can just take one person to start something. So, do not think that just because you are small in numbers that you can't contribute. 
One question that Couros asks us is, "How do you encourage others to take risks?" I think we can encourage others to take risks by reminding them that if they do not try, they may never know. If a student really wants to try out for a sports team but are scared they will not make it, we must remind them that unless they take the risk of trying out, they will never know if they could have made it or not. Couros says it best when he says, "Our job, sometimes, is simply to be the spark, help build confidence, and then get out of the way." (Couros, 2015, p.78) It is extremely important to encourage our students to take risks and set high goals for themselves all the time, otherwise we are not doing our job, as the teacher, correctly.