Mr. Loyd's Declaration of Independence

An early hand-written version of the Declaration.

This is the earliest sample of student signatures on the
Declaration, from the class of 1983-84.  Some years I gave
the list of signers to the first person who signed.

I never signed the Declaration of Independence.  But hundreds of my students did.  I’d better explain that I’m talking about our CLASS Declaration of Independence.  I honestly can’t pinpoint the year I implemented this icon of my classroom, but I believe it was by my third or fourth year of teaching, in the late 1970’s.  One thing I’m certain of: it was so successful as a motivational tool that led many students to challenge themselves that I continued to use it for the remaining three decades of my career.

If you are a former student of mine, chances are you know for a fact whether you signed the Declaration or not.  While it was not linked directly to grades in any way, signing was a momentous event for students in my class.  The goals were simply stated, but challenging.  Some students arrived in my class with the personal traits and attitudes to make their signing almost a foregone conclusion.  This fact in no way detracted from the event: rather, it was a credit to the student, his or her parents, and others who had been influential before they entered my classroom.  For other students, signing seemed an impossibility and was a yearlong struggle.  But countless times, those students achieved their goal, to the cheers of classmates who had learned to encourage them every step of the way.  How satisfying that was for me and the signer.  Many students and parents have vowed that this process was a life-changing turning point.  I am happy to add that for many students who never signed, their efforts propelled them to achieve these worthy goals at some point after they left my class.

For all its value, the Declaration was somewhat  subjective.  My goal was truly to help students “be all that they could be,” and whether they achieved those goals while under my tutelage or sometime later was not paramount.  But acquiring these traits at some point would make success more likely in the years ahead, whatever the task, venture, or enterprise.  And having kept up with countless students over these four decades, I’ve seen the Declaration to be a pretty remarkable rule of thumb for lifelong success.

The process went something like this.  At the beginning of the school year, I had an unsigned Declaration posted on the wall and made only a passing reference to it in opening class discussions.  Then, in a specially called class meeting, typically after two weeks of school, I explained the meaning and challenge of each tenet of the document.  The first, making wise decisions, was the foundation, and in a general way covered the other areas as well.  I gave the students vivid examples of behaviors and attitudes that would either meet or fall short of the criteria.  Sometimes I would use a fictitious “former student” named Joe Flunko to enact what NOT to do.  In fact, Joe Flunko served the same function in Math lessons and discussions about good work habits, smart testing strategies, and general rule following.  NOBODY wanted to emulate poor old Joe!

Students were instructed to carry home a paper copy of the Declaration of Independence to show their parents.  Including parents in the goal-setting was a crucial part of this team effort.  The paper explained that when a student felt that he or she had met every goal of the Declaration—on a consistent, day-to-day basis—they should compose a simple letter to me stating their readiness to sign.  Once I received this letter, two things could happen.  Sometimes, I agreed that the student was ready.  I would take the Declaration from the wall, lay it on my desk, and invite the new signer to come forward.  As they signed and dated it, their classmates expressed their shared exuberance.  The second thing that could happen was a private conference in which I explained to the student which items required more work or more consistency before they could sign.  Getting along well with classmates for two days, then getting into fusses, was not sufficient evidence of readiness. Working diligently one day and complaining about assignments the next day was cause for delay and self-examination.  But I’ve often thought that students who had to wait the longest appreciated the journey the most.  Some former students will be happy to know I have absolutely NO permanent record of who signed and who didn’t.  If you’ve become a responsible adult and good citizen, I’ll assume you signed the virtual Declaration of Independence for your own life, whether you signed mine or not.  Third grade was not the end of your journey toward independence, but an important milestone along the way.

Interestingly, now that these students have either reached or are well on their way to adulthood, I not only celebrate their independence, but hope they’ve recognized their dependence on others in their lives.  This includes, but is not limited to, the parents who nurtured them, the friends who supported them, the teachers who guided them, and the God who created them.  Perhaps you’ve heard “no man is an island,” and my purpose in stressing independence was in no way to make students think they didn’t need others.  Their independence would strengthen their relationships, give them confidence in their tasks, but in no way make them totally self-sufficient.  I continue to celebrate the happiness and success of my 1,000 students as I see their families growing and their lives blossoming, and their potential realized.

This photo and brief description of the Declaration is
from my 1981-82 Teacher of the Year album.  I had
started using this idea a few years earlier.

Here's the final version of the Declaration of Independence that I shared with students and parents.  A lot of it is applicable to all ages.  Why not check it out one more time, for old times sake?