Maintaining Motivation Deer Park Middle School Principal Says Having Fun Just As Important For Kids As Learning

Brent Seedall tells kids they are in school for three reasons.

“They’re there to learn. Academics are very important,” he explained. “They’re there to learn to get along with others and to have fun.”

And each, he said, is just as important as the others.

“If students aren’t having fun while they’re learning, they’ll get bored and unmotivated and schools will continue to have problems.”

As Deer Park Middle School’s new principal, Seedall will have plenty of opportunities to make sure students are learning and having fun.

Seedall takes over from Karen Reed, who recently accepted a principal position in Bellingham.

Seedall, 38, started his career in education teaching English at Minico High School in southern Idaho. At the same time, he worked toward a master’s degree in education administration at Eastern Washington University.

He next served as assistant principal at Sandpoint High School for two years and then as assistant principal at Cheney Middle School, where he’s been for the past five years.

As assistant principal, Seedall was mainly responsible for discipline and attendance. But after seven years, he said he felt ready for a change in job responsibility.

“I was ready for a challenge,” he said, adding that he’s also looking forward to working in a smaller district.

“(Here) people know you by your first name,” he said. “It’s more personable. I think it will help in my professional growth as an administrator.”

Seedal said he is “big on student motivation” and rewarding kids for positive behavior.

He started a student incentive program at Cheney Middle School. The “CMS card” (for “Commitment Means Success”) worked in conjunction with local businesses. Students who had a gradepoint average of 3.0, no unexcused absences or increased their g.p.a. from one quarter to the next were eligible to receive the card, with which they could get various discounts.

Seedall said he may work on implementing a similar program at Deer Park in the future. But for now, he’s just getting adjusted to Deer Park’s routine.

“I find myself comparing Deer Park to Cheney, but I know I can’t do that. It’s different,” he said. “I have to make that adjustment.”

He described himself as someone who does not favor change just for the sake of change.

“I plan to observe, listen and learn - to see what works and what doesn’t,” he said.

But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t started brainstorming.

“I might have ideas that will help Deer Park Middle School become an even better place to learn,” he said.