Kurt Gerwitz

Telling is not training.

Today, I met with Phil Pusateri from De La Salle Middle School at St. Matthews. I remember how much I love those kids, that staff and Phil. The white knight in me stirs within me. (http://www.cmi-lmi.com/kingdomality.html)

I respect the culture of Starbucks and am pleased to make comparisons between Starbuck’s Partner Development Plan, BIST’s BIST Plan for Success, and education’s Standard’s Based Education (SBE). What do we expect the learner to be able to do? How will we measure this?

In transitioning from De La Salle (DLS) to Starbucks, I face a new, secular existence. I used to pray to St. John Baptist de La Salle. I read how he instructed his teachers and students. Now Charles Schultz pours his heart into it. Faithful folk used to line up to see me to get a cross of ashes onto the forheads. Now, secular folk line up to see me mark their cups at Starbucks.

- a 1st draft poem by Kurt, inspired by Dominic Boyland, January 2005

When I’m bored, I raise my hand.
When I don’t want to work, I raise my hand.
When I want to disrupt, destroy, have all the power and control for a moment, I raise my hand.
When I’m curious, I raise my hand.
When I want to learn, I raise my hand.
Thank God I can raise my hand.

BIST stands for Behavior Intervention Support Team.
BIST.org is their website. Marty Hewett is their charisma.

I worked two years at De La Salle Middle School at St. Matthew’s in north St. Louis, MO, as a BIST interventionist. My title was as flexible as my job description, but I always preferred Behavior Coach. I am now contacting BIST to see if there are opportunities to create.

I am reading through my extensive notes on all that happened in my head during my two years at De La Salle. I’m not as interesting as I thought it would be. Hans had told me that there is a period of time that must pass before reading one’s own journaling is intriguing. I guess I haven’t changed enough or forgotten enough. Maybe I should read my journal from the Novitiate, or from grade school…. or my past blogs

I did come across this quote, which inspired the blog:

A coach is someone who tells you what you don’t want to hear, makes you do what you don’t want to do, so you can become what you want to be.

Dad called me “Coach” after he visited me at Holy Cross School in New Orleans. All these high schoolers were calling me Coach and respecting my commands. His face showed pride in me, which I’ll never forget.