Work Hard. Be Nice.
By Rachel Deason, Houston City Hall Fellow '10
On December 2nd, the Houston City Hall Fellows were incredibly fortunate to meet with Mike Feinberg, the Co-Founder of the KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) Foundation as part of our learning about local public education. For those of you who are unfamiliar with KIPP, let me give you a brief background. KIPP started in 1994 with a single Academy in Houston, Texas. Today, KIPP is a network of 82 high-performing public schools around the nation serving 21,000 children. Like Teach For America, they are committed to bridging the educational gap that exists in our country. KIPP schools meet for longer hours, and for more months out of the year than typical public schools. Teachers, parents, and students must sign a “Commitment to Excellence” that details expectations for each involved party. These are just a few examples of the many qualities that have made KIPP such a successful endeavor.
Mike was an excellent speaker, and the enthusiasm and passion with which he runs his organization is quite evident. His program has clearly impacted thousands of students across the country, and the statistics of the “KIPPsters” that have come through his schools are impressive to say the least. The stories he shared with us were inspirational, and I’m sure there were hundreds more that we simply did not have time to hear. He served as a wonderful example of someone who has achieved great professional success while at the same time contributing to the community around him.
However, there was one thing Mike said that stood out to me as a recent college graduate still learning to navigate her way through the working world. I have a feeling that this simple statement will serve as a road-marker for me down whichever career path I end up following.
“Work hard. Be nice.” This is one of the tenets of the KIPP Foundation, but it is applicable to any private, public, or non-profit organization and its employees. Too often we are taught that the two must be mutually exclusive; that you can not possibly achieve great success by going around being “nice” to people. I disagree, and so does Mike Feinberg. And while my opinion may not matter, his certainly should, as he has reached the pinnacle of what anyone with aspirations of pioneering social change could hope to achieve. The daily grind would be much improved if we could all keep this simple concept at the forefront of our minds.
I’ll end with a personal anecdote from my placement within the Houston Parks and Recreation Department — Monday morning I was walking into our new office building when I happened to see an older colleague coming down the sidewalk behind me. I wasn’t in a hurry, so without thinking much of it, I stood and held the door open for him. As he walked through, he smiled and said: “A young lady held the door open for me?! This is going to be a great week.” If I can improve someone’s week without saying a word, I can only imagine the results of everyone making a conscious effort to live by Mike’s words of wisdom.
On December 2nd, the Houston City Hall Fellows were incredibly fortunate to meet with Mike Feinberg, the Co-Founder of the KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) Foundation as part of our learning about local public education. For those of you who are unfamiliar with KIPP, let me give you a brief background. KIPP started in 1994 with a single Academy in Houston, Texas. Today, KIPP is a network of 82 high-performing public schools around the nation serving 21,000 children. Like Teach For America, they are committed to bridging the educational gap that exists in our country. KIPP schools meet for longer hours, and for more months out of the year than typical public schools. Teachers, parents, and students must sign a “Commitment to Excellence” that details expectations for each involved party. These are just a few examples of the many qualities that have made KIPP such a successful endeavor.
Mike was an excellent speaker, and the enthusiasm and passion with which he runs his organization is quite evident. His program has clearly impacted thousands of students across the country, and the statistics of the “KIPPsters” that have come through his schools are impressive to say the least. The stories he shared with us were inspirational, and I’m sure there were hundreds more that we simply did not have time to hear. He served as a wonderful example of someone who has achieved great professional success while at the same time contributing to the community around him.
However, there was one thing Mike said that stood out to me as a recent college graduate still learning to navigate her way through the working world. I have a feeling that this simple statement will serve as a road-marker for me down whichever career path I end up following.
“Work hard. Be nice.” This is one of the tenets of the KIPP Foundation, but it is applicable to any private, public, or non-profit organization and its employees. Too often we are taught that the two must be mutually exclusive; that you can not possibly achieve great success by going around being “nice” to people. I disagree, and so does Mike Feinberg. And while my opinion may not matter, his certainly should, as he has reached the pinnacle of what anyone with aspirations of pioneering social change could hope to achieve. The daily grind would be much improved if we could all keep this simple concept at the forefront of our minds.
I’ll end with a personal anecdote from my placement within the Houston Parks and Recreation Department — Monday morning I was walking into our new office building when I happened to see an older colleague coming down the sidewalk behind me. I wasn’t in a hurry, so without thinking much of it, I stood and held the door open for him. As he walked through, he smiled and said: “A young lady held the door open for me?! This is going to be a great week.” If I can improve someone’s week without saying a word, I can only imagine the results of everyone making a conscious effort to live by Mike’s words of wisdom.
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