Steve Pophal

Retired superintendent, Past-President of the NASSP and the AWSA, and proud dad and husband. Views are my own.

[Steve Pophal @spophal]

@CraigAthletics What a blessing it is for Coach Suter to continue working with the team! Thank you Coach!

[CALL TO ACTIVISM @CalltoActivism]

I absolutely love this story........ It made me cry.

"An 87 Year Old College Student Named Rose
The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t already know.

I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned round to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me
with a smile that lit up her entire being.

She said, “Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I’m eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?”

I laughed and enthusiastically responded, “Of course you may!” and she gave me a giant squeeze.
“Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?” I asked.

She jokingly replied, “I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids…”

“No seriously,” I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.

“I always dreamed of having a college education and now I’m getting one!” she told me.
After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake.

We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months, we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this “time machine”
as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.

Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.

At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I’ll never forget what she taught us.

She was introduced and stepped up to the podium.
As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor. Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, “I’m sorry I’m so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I’ll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know.”

As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, “We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop
playing. There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success.

1) You have to laugh and find humor every day.

2) You’ve got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die.

We have so many people walking around who are dead and don’t even know it!

3) There is a huge difference between growing
older and growing up.

If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don’t do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old.

If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight.

Anybody can grow older.

That doesn’t take any talent or ability.

The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change.

4) Have no regrets.

The elderly usually don’t have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those
with regrets.”

She concluded her speech by courageously singing “The Rose.

She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives.
At the year’s end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation Rose died
peacefully in her sleep.

Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it’s
never too late to be all you can possibly be.

When you finish reading this, please send this peaceful word of advice to your friends and family, they’ll really enjoy it!

These words have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE.

REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS
OPTIONAL.

We make a Living by what we get,

We make a Life by what we give."

[Steve Pophal @spophal]

@StrehlowTim @DCEathletics Coach Peterson left everything and everyone he met better than he found them. Congratulations coach!

[1440 @1440_Daily]

News. Without motives. Join 1440 for FREE today. The #1 daily newsletter for unbiased reporting with 2 million+ readers.

[Dan Wuori @DanWuori]

The moment she finds her family in the crowd. Never underestimate the power of showing up for those you love.

[TeacherGoals @teachergoals]

So important. 🧡

[Steve Pophal @spophal]

Learning is positively impacted when the art and science of teaching come alive for students.

[Brian Aspinall @mraspinall]

I once expected students to sit quietly for a 40 min lesson. I got frustrated when they got fidgety. This lead to me yelling.

Then I found myself fidgety after only 20 minutes on a PD Day. Everything changed. I changed from “delivering curriculum” to “discovering curriculum.”

[Steve Pophal @spophal]

Show me a classroom where children are thriving and I’ll show you a great teacher!

[Alberto M. Carvalho @LAUSDSup]

We have a teacher crisis in our country, and if we do not significantly improve conditions for teachers … we're not going to be able to recruit, incentivize or retain the teachers we have—or teachers that we need. https://t.co/oWum54dI8u

[Steve Pophal @spophal]

Be sure to read, talk, and play everyday with young children!

[Imagination Library @dollyslibrary]

Today a reader, tomorrow a leader. Reading aloud will help your child learn sounds, words and early literacy skills. Inspire your child to fall in love with reading. Register for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library here: https://t.co/2YAEWDBgXx (📸: Tracee T)

[𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐝 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐧 @DrBradJohnson]

Students need recess, unstructured play, physical education, all the Arts, and their extracurricular activities! That's how we make their social/emotional health a priority.

[TeacherGoals @teachergoals]

Important! 🙌

[Steve Pophal @spophal]

Stop for a moment and let Mother Nature soothe your soul.

[Vala Afshar @ValaAfshar]

Sir Nicholas Winton rescued 669 children from the holocaust.

Some of the survivors surprised him 50 years later.

[Steve Pophal @spophal]

@DCEathletics Congratulations on your retirement Jim! You left everything and everyone around you better than you found them.

[GazetteXtra @gazettextra]

Retiring Janesville School District superintendent Steve Pophal has worked as a public school educator for almost four decades – but has been teaching far longer than that. https://t.co/SbznUoqv69

[Brad Weinstein @WeinsteinEdu]

This is why we must teach and normalize emotions! 🙌
📷 @Pathwy2Success

[Daniel Pink @DanielPink]

Compounding interest.

Einstein called it the most powerful force in the universe.

And it’s the source of many regrets. Small decisions and indecisions can accumulate to huge consequences.

Do the work today.

#ThePowerOfRegret #DanielPink

[𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐬 🎸🏴‍☠️🧩🤖🚀 @Principal_H]

It matters every day!!!!!
#education #SpecialEducation #CTEMonth #sped #Autism #satchat #leadlap

[SDJ - Janesville, WI @SDJanesville]

Click here for details about the School District of Janesville's plans to hire a part-time tutor to help children and youth in House of Mercy and YWCA Domestic Violence shelters.

#JanesvillePromise #SchoolDistrictofJanesville #tutor #studentsfirst

[Drywater Productions @DrywaterPro]

Only a few days left of The Holiday Light Show at Rotary Gardens! Here's a glimpse of what you'll experience!
@RotaryGardensWI @JanesvilleCVB1
#HolidayLightShow #RotaryGardens
https://t.co/0h4bu3SVBe