In our efforts to "fix" education, we've taken a course of action that extirpates the creative spirit and confidence from our youth while drilling them on frivolous things, like memorizing the definition of extirpate for the SAT verbal exam.  Over and over, in classroom after classroom, on assignment after assignment, we condition kids to look for the right answer, instead of encouraging them to come up with multiple creative approaches.  When they ask, "When will I ever use this?" we respond, "Trust me.  This will come in handy down the road."  Except it won't, and instead of a vehicle for developing the skills and resources needed to accomplish their dreams.  The worst part is, we set these creativity-killing priorities in a world that is screaming.  "We need creative problem-solvers!"  But our education system has deaf ears.

“Good morning, Mr. Hoggatt!  How are you today?" Karsin Shephard greets his fourth grade teacher using hand shaking skills teacher [Mr.] Hoggatt taught at the beginning of the school year and continues to reinforce.  For fourth graders at Cecil Floyd elementary, not just Hoggatt’s class anymore, shaking hands is now routine.
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Karsin said, “It’s actually really good cause it gets a conversation going.  You start it by, you look confident. You don’t bend your shoulders down  like this...(He demonstrates slouching)[.]  And you look the person in the eye. You have it web to web. Your hands are web to web and you ask them a question."

Classmate Allie Krumsick added, "You don’t need a floppy fish, limp noodle or too tight. And Mr. Hoggatt will tell us that when he greets us in the morning." ​

For Hoggatt, it’s also about teaching, yes sir, no mam [sic], please[,] and thank you. Greeting is the first of four core behaviors being taught in the district. They are, greet one another, follow instructions, get along, and participate.

Hoggatt said, "This does affect that (participate) too[,] because they are more apt to participate with people they are more comfortable with and they're mutually respectful of.  Those things, getting along with others[,] are things affected by these respectful approaches."

Good manners are on display when guests arrive in the room.  Students greet people at the door and stand to shake hands and talk about what they’re doing in class. They are getting comfortable conversing with adults.

Hoggatt said, "Calling somebody by name, looking them in the eye  with confidence, transforms behavior, which then again  affects their academics."

Dr. Norm Ridder, interim superintendent said, "Learning is very rooted in the ability to listen and then also the ability, the eye contact."

Students have noticed a change in the classroom atmosphere. Krumsick said, “Like last year our class was really noisy and talkative, but this year we're kind of all focused and learning the same thing  and we'll encourage each other.”

Fellow fourth grader, Caden Bright said,  "We have less arguments here than we used to.” We asked why he thought that is. Caden explained,“[']Cause we show each other respect and, as I said, once when you show respect other people would show you respect."

Hoggatt says enforcing common courtesies and being consistent changes children which he has heard from his student’s parents.

Sandi Krumsick, Allie’s mom said, “We were taking groceries into the house one day and she  was just very eager, eager to help and with a great attitude. She’s very aware of how she’s perceived and easily embarrassed and I think having these skills in her back pocket has helped her feel more confident, self-assured."

Classmate Karsin said he's used greetings at home, "You get to know how their day has been going and you get to know how you can improve how their [sic] feeling. And if you improve how you’re feeling, it improves them and you are happy because they don’t get onto [sic] you as much.”

From two leading experts in education and entrepreneurship, an urgent call for the radical re-imagining of American education so that we better equip students for the realities of the twenty-first century economy.

Today more than ever, we prize academic achievement, pressuring our children to get into the “right” colleges, have the highest GPAs, and pursue advanced degrees. But while students may graduate with credentials, by and large they lack the competencies needed to be thoughtful, engaged citizens and to get good jobs in our rapidly evolving economy. Our school system was engineered a century ago to produce a work force for a world that no longer exists. Alarmingly, our methods of schooling crush the creativity and initiative young people need to thrive in the twenty-first century.

In Most Likely to Succeed, bestselling author and education expert Tony Wagner and venture capitalist Ted Dintersmith call for a complete overhaul of the function and focus of American schools, sharing insights and stories from the front lines, including profiles of successful students, teachers, parents, and business leaders.

Most Likely to Succeed presents a new vision of American education, one that puts wonder, creativity, and initiative at the very heart of the learning process and prepares students for today’s economy. This book offers parents and educators a crucial guide to getting the best for their children and a roadmap for policymakers and opinion leaders.

Creativity cannot be taught, but it can be killed. (Yong Zhao, Presidential Chair, University of Oregon).