Dr. Mike Hayes Head of School at Worthington Christian Schools joins us to share how those foundational principles from Sidney, Ohio, infused his life's work, emphasizing 'team' over 'me' and the transformative power of sports and mentorship. The power of faith and hymns like "Great is Thy Faithfulness" resonates through our heartfelt discussion with Dr. Hayes as we navigate his spiritual journey and the calling that led him to Christian education.
Tales of how faith has anchored his dedication to nurturing young minds serve as a reminder of the vital role educators play, especially in our current landscape faced with unprecedented challenges. Dr. Hayes personal commitment shines as we unveil the simple yet impactful ways of affirming students' value—be it attending their extracurricular events or offering a listening ear.
As we wrap up, Dr. Hayes paints a vivid picture of how Worthington Christian Schools molds servant leaders embodying the mind of Christ. The episode closes with an invitation to reflect on the legacy we're crafting daily. It's an inspiring call to action—whether you're a parent, teacher, or leader—to be a 'baller' in every facet of your life, ensuring your imprint withstands the test of time. Join us as we celebrate the journey of legacy building with the insights and stories that make us who we are.
Dr. Mike Hayes Head of School at Worthington Christian Schools joins us to share how those foundational principles from Sidney, Ohio, infused his life's work, emphasizing 'team' over 'me' and the transformative power of sports and mentorship. The power of faith and hymns like "Great is Thy Faithfulness" resonates through our heartfelt discussion with Dr. Hayes as we navigate his spiritual journey and the calling that led him to Christian education.
Tales of how faith has anchored his dedication to nurturing young minds serve as a reminder of the vital role educators play, especially in our current landscape faced with unprecedented challenges. Dr. Hayes personal commitment shines as we unveil the simple yet impactful ways of affirming students' value—be it attending their extracurricular events or offering a listening ear.
As we wrap up, Dr. Hayes paints a vivid picture of how Worthington Christian Schools molds servant leaders embodying the mind of Christ. The episode closes with an invitation to reflect on the legacy we're crafting daily. It's an inspiring call to action—whether you're a parent, teacher, or leader—to be a 'baller' in every facet of your life, ensuring your imprint withstands the test of time. Join us as we celebrate the journey of legacy building with the insights and stories that make us who we are.
So for me maybe it's captured best in that biblical concept of abiding is hey, let's do this together and guess what, when times get tough, I'm not gonna leave you. Yet.
Speaker 2:Welcome to Be a Baller where we discuss how to build a lifelong legacy. I'm your host, coach Tim Brown, today. I'm excited to have a studio with me, longtime educator and current head of school at Worthing Christian Schools, dot K's. As we talk about building a legacy in education Today on the show, dr Hayes will share decades of building a lifelong legacy through education and making students successful. We're just so excited to have him one here to talk about how he changes the trajectory of students life. Dr Hayes, welcome to the show.
Speaker 1:Coach Brown thanks so much for having me. I really appreciate the opportunity and love the last year and a half or so here at WC.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I had to tell the guys that we have the big ball scene. These students got to be on the best behavior today, they got to make you look good.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they're doing great, they always do.
Speaker 2:I know you grew up in Sydney, ohio. You know the word is that your favorite instrument was the guitar.
Speaker 1:Yes, it was. I don't play it well but I like it. But you know, I think the musical talent in our family jumped the generation. My son's a professional musician in Nashville and his primary instrument is guitar, so maybe that interest got passed along to him. But he is loads better than I am. I think it's safe to say.
Speaker 2:The word is one of your favorite bands growing up with Journey.
Speaker 1:You bet, don't stop believing ever. You know, it's still a classic for a lot of reasons. Steve Perry's vocals are just transcendent. See, I love their music.
Speaker 2:You know, grant. Can you talk to the audience about growing up in a small town, some of the benefits of growing up in a small town?
Speaker 1:Sure, I think it was one of those experiences to where you know, you got to know a lot of people and a lot of people cared about you, you cared about them. I think a lot of small town values in terms of hey, we're in this together, being able to experience things as a tight knit community, being able to celebrate successes and maybe mourn some losses along the way as a community, but it was great. Being able to grow up where Little League softball coaches would come pick you up for practice if you didn't have a ride. So, being known and also knowing people, it was such a huge plus. Obviously, you can experience that in a big metropolitan area like Columbus, but I think it's a little easier to do, maybe, and in a small town or in a small environment, say, like WC.
Speaker 2:You know you were a good athlete growing up. You enjoyed sports. Where did that love of sports come from?
Speaker 1:I think it was just learning really young how powerful it could be when I was growing up. You know, particularly with the last name of Hayes growing up in Ohio I didn't have much of a choice. So it was like predestined for me to love the Buckeyes, so Woody got a resty soul but also just playing in the neighborhood playing baseball, softball and stuff and just getting outside and really deepening relationships with my brother and my friends. Hey, there.
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Speaker 2:I understand that you might hold this against you. You're a Cowboys fan. Well, well to the Browns and the Bengals.
Speaker 1:Actually I used to be a Cowboys fan because I love Zeke Elliott, I love how he ran. He ran with just the reckless abandon, as they say. But you know they got rid of him, so you know I.
Speaker 3:Back around.
Speaker 2:Exactly Back around to the Browns.
Speaker 1:Exactly. I love the Bengals and now the Cowboys. Because they got rid of Zeke, I'm not a Cowboys fan anymore.
Speaker 2:You know, as we talk about sports and I work for the fellow Super Christian athletes and can you talk about some of the life lessons that you learned from sports and impact maybe some coaches had on your life?
Speaker 1:Oh sure, there was actually one coach in particular who was my offensive line coach at Sydney High School.
Speaker 1:His name was Dan Allen and the way that he mentored me, the way he coached me on and off the field, left a lasting legacy, and I think in that experience I learned that the team's got to be bigger than me and particularly as an offensive lineman, you know you never get the headlines. The only time people notice you is if you mess up. So he was always there, supportive, one of those guys to be together. But his coaching led me to perhaps the biggest life lesson I learned in athletics, and actually it's in a shirt that I used to wear under my pads every day. It's one of those little cut off shirts way back in the day, but on the front, in this massive font, was the word team and underneath it, in this tiny font, was the word me, and I have that in a frame at home and it's just a lesson that the team has to be important more important than me and that, I think, is a kingdom principle, but I also think it's a really important leadership principle.
Speaker 2:That's good, you know. Can you talk a little bit about your faith journey and possibly get into your call to minister Sure?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I got to know the Lord at the age of seven. It was actually one of those more interesting moments. It was a Sunday night at my church and they were showing one of those scary end time films. So I'm like, okay, my mom was playing the piano and she looked back at me, she kind of motioned to me and kind of kind of wooed me up to the piano bench and right there sitting next to her as she played the piano, I gave my heart to the Lord and you know I can't say that it's always been a linear progression in terms of my faith development.
Speaker 1:I think we all kind of spiral up and maybe spiral backwards sometimes, but the Lord's always been faithful, you know, despite my lack of focus on my relationship with Him. But my call to ministry I felt a call specifically to ministry when I was a teenager, actually when I was a sophomore in high school, and I felt the Lord call me generally to ministry. But I never felt that it was a specific call for just pulpit ministry. But I definitely felt a call in terms of a sense of vocation, that God had called me to kingdom service in some way. So down through the years I've been able to do some pulpit ministry, but my primary calling has always been in education, and more specifically in Christian education.
Speaker 2:Yes, you know, knowing that your mother was a piano player and all that. You have a couple of hours really. You have a couple of favorite songs. Yeah, that kind of encourage you. Can you talk about those songs and what they mean to you?
Speaker 1:Yeah, sure, if I had to say my A number one favorite song of all time is the old hymn Great is Thy Faithfulness. And it even goes back to what we just talked about, that despite my lack of faithfulness to God, he's always been faithful. I love this idea that his mercies every morning I'm gonna see they're brand new and that's obviously ripped from the Old Testament, and then the goodness of God is kind of this generation's version of Great is Thy Faithfulness. I love that song that it's really about God staying faithful. So, regardless of which century the song was written in, it's this deep, abiding sense of God's faithfulness, despite our lack of it.
Speaker 2:You know you're an Ohio guy. How did you choose to attend college in Cleveland, tennessee or Lee College at that time? What led to that decision?
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's actually interesting. I grew up in a denomination called the Church of God. The Church of God's flagship institution At that time was Lee College and now it's Lee University, and I think I came out of the womb destined to go there because it's just the way I was raised. But it was kind of interesting too. My biological parents divorced when I was about four or five and I never realized that my biological father had attended there for a few weeks before he got sick and had to go home. So kind of a small world, and I definitely didn't understand that at the time. But now maybe it has some meaning as I look backward. But it was one of those things that I was intimately aware of the school because of my upbringing, particularly in a specific church tradition.
Speaker 2:What was it about that campus when you went down as you go visit prior to attending? What was it about? What was it about?
Speaker 1:I sure did. It felt like I could experience the Lord in that environment and I also felt that, frankly, it boiled down to me feeling like I mattered. And that's always been at the core of what I, since my calling is in ministry is this idea that I want students to know they matter First off. I think they get a sense that they matter to God because we actually can care for them and let them know that they matter to us, and I think that gives them a real sense of hands-on mattering and maybe an expression, just a tiny little taste of how much they matter to God. So yeah, Leigh College at the time was I can really experience a sense of Christ-like community here and again, the sense that I mattered there. And then, of course, the rest is history.
Speaker 2:You know that helping students know that they matter has been kind of a mission for you. Sure has. Why is that so? It sounds like you felt that at Leigh's. Why is that so important, especially this generation of young?
Speaker 1:people. I think, particularly because of so many struggles that young people today are facing. They're facing a lot of different difficulties.
Speaker 1:You know, more recently over the past four years or so, this idea of what many people have called this triple pandemic, and that's obviously COVID, and then we've been dealing with a lot of social and civil unrest and trying to work through really serious issues as a society, as a culture, as a church, and then also what many people have referred to as a mental health pandemic, and I think all of those things mixed together, particularly in the past four years or so, I think students have unfortunately felt in a lot of ways it's like they don't matter. So I think, particularly in the past four years, I felt an intense calling hey, how can I, as an educational professional, let them know they matter to me? But how can we, as leaders, create educational systems in which these students know they matter? So how can we make sure that our staff, our student leaders, are actually communicating to the students in really tangible ways that they do matter to us? That's good.
Speaker 2:Can you be in the head of school here where the question? Can you give us an example in those tangible ways that you have in front of your staff to make sure that students know that they matter?
Speaker 1:Well, I think it's just showing up.
Speaker 1:I think it's showing up in the mess and not leaving in the mess, and it's not just kind of giving lip service to wanting to do life with people. But for me, some of the most important things I do are showing up to ball games, showing up to arts performances. So just this past week my wife and I will have had the opportunity to show up at a few ball games, really looking forward to the musical performance on Friday night, the Little Mermaid. So just being able to show up on students turf and let them know hey, listen, my time is such a small investment to try to communicate to you, hey, that you matter and I think more broadly to not just personally. But are we creating systems, are we creating processes that will help staff know that they can actually have a real, powerful touch on that student's life? So from a leadership perspective, it's not just about me doing it, but I do need to model the way, but it's also creating systems where we can help our staff to touch these students so they can flourish. No, that's good.
Speaker 2:So to the rest, they see you without the shirt and tie on.
Speaker 3:And they say, hey, doc, that's right.
Speaker 2:And then they have pride that that's my head of school, that's my guy. You know now that makes all the difference in the kid's life?
Speaker 1:Yes, it does, and I think the idea that effective leaders again they model the way, and I think you don't want to ask people to do something you're not willing to do yourself, so just showing up on their turf, on their time, in ways that interest them, that's the first rule.
Speaker 2:Can you talk about your experience of 27 years on staff at the College of Nile University? What was so special about that that kept you there? What kept you there for 27 years?
Speaker 1:It's always about the relationships and, within those relationships, being able to express that sense of calling. Give you a quick story just this weekend that we had a couple that still lives in Cleveland, tennessee, where the university is. They both were students of mine and actually one of them I hired as a staff member. Then a young woman from Florida came and visited with us, with that couple, and then a young woman from Texas came and visited us. All of them Are former students of ours and they came to just reconnect. To me that's emblematic of why those 27 years at Lee were important. Again, it's about forming the relationships but also sustaining the relationships. But I think this past weekend was a good microcosm of what those 27 years meant.
Speaker 2:Sounds like you're big on not just Creating relationships but maintaining yes, establishing those relationships. As an educator, can you speak to other Educators about how important that is one and how to do it?
Speaker 1:Oh sure, you know, I think there's, there's a, there's a. There's a biblical word that comes to mind and it's the sense of of abiding. So it's hate. Let's, let's get in the same boat together. When the waters get treacherous, let's not step out of the boat, let's, let's stay in the boat together and let's weather the storms and and actually get on the other side of this and maybe see how God wants you to grow as a result of what you've been through. So for me, maybe it's captured best in that biblical concept of abiding is hey, let's do this together and guess what, when times get tough, I'm not gonna leave you. It's kind of like the seals. You know, we're not gonna leave, we're not gonna leave anybody behind, and I've got your six, you know, I've got your back, and I think that that, to me, is it's just a powerful way of capturing it. I think, maybe, maybe in a biblical but also a Navy kind of way.
Speaker 2:That's great, you know. As we turn to Ohio, you came to Worthing Christian schools. What was about this, this system or this opportunity? I'm sure you had other opportunities along the way. What was about this opportunity?
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was a mission match. So the core of the WC mission is to develop the mind of Christ and students, and that's what I'm all about. You know, obviously that's that's ripped out of Philippians chapter 2 that we want to see students develop the mind of Christ and interestingly, as you work through that passage in Philippians 2, it talks about Christ's leadership and he clearly is the ultimate expression of servant leadership, the idea that he didn't use his power in a way that was Self-aggrandizing, but he used it as an expression of service in the kingdom. So I think for me it's it's that mission match, the idea that can we cultivate the mind of Christ, particularly in this generation that so desperately needs Christ and needs representations of Christ's mind.
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Speaker 2:Can you tell the audience why you believe in the value and benefits of Christian school?
Speaker 1:education. Oh sure, I think it's about the entire student. Yeah, I think it's not just about educating ahead, but it's about clearly giving giving educational content cognitively or, as people historically have called it, academically. But to me, at a place like WC, we get to educate the whole student and that's what discipleship is all about. It's about Cultivating that, again, deep abiding faith and that deep abiding followership of Christ together. So, again it's, it's about resonance with the mission, it's about a sense of community and again you mentioned it earlier in the podcast this idea of changing trajectories. So the idea that, wow, we can talk about changing the life trajectories for a kindergartner All the way to a 12th grader. So, having worked on the collegiate level for 27 years, frankly, one of the things that I would observe consistently is if people were trying to change trajectory at that time, they still can by the power of the spirit Hands down, amen, but it might actually be more fruitful to help them make those trajectory changes a little earlier on.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I work a lot with young boys and young men, and Truett Caffety wrote a book Chick-fil-A founder. It's better to build boys than men, men, and we spent a lot of time mending men. Like you said, if we would drop down and build those boys up, you know, pouring them at that younger age. So, speaking of that, since you've been here, what have you seen as the difference? You know, you say you were catching them when they were coming to college, 18, 19 years old. Now you're seeing them in kindergarten, first, second, third grade. What do you see? The difference that can be made in that, the impact?
Speaker 1:I think it all comes back to that sense of developing the mind of Christ and our students and actually being in an environment where that can happen. So you know, a third grader say at a public elementary school they don't have the opportunities we have to actually worship together in chapel but also serve together. Not just do it as perfunctory service, because it's what the teacher said, but actually as an expression of our faith and our mission. So I think that whole person discipleship, beginning early, makes a world of difference.
Speaker 2:Dr Hayes, you have accomplished a lot of things in your educational careers. What not? This is a legacy podcast. So what is the legacy of Dr Hayes?
Speaker 1:You know I've taught leadership for about 30 years now and two of my favorite authors are guys by the name of Jim Cousis and Barry Posner. They actually have written extensively, extensively. Their primary book is called the Leadership Challenge and they talk about the five practices of exemplary leadership. They also talk about this idea of how to build legacy and I love how they put it and I've taught this to students for ages is the legacy you leave is the life you lead. The legacy you leave is the life you lead. Like I said one more time, yeah, the legacy you leave is the life you lead. So, unfortunately and I used to do this with college students all the time I'm the very first assignment in their undergraduate leadership class with me was I want you to write a reflection paper on your legacy and base it off of that quote.
Speaker 1:Guess what? Most of them they never given a thought about legacy. I'm like, hey, hey, listen, you started leaving your legacy yesterday and I think that's one of those things that we just don't like to talk about. But guess what? Kindergarten student, eighth grader, 12th grader, man, you're already leaving a legacy, because the legacy we leave is the life we lead. So if we would take a look at. Guess what Kind of the trail that we're leaving behind us is actually legacy. Now the question then becomes is it a good or bad legacy? So I think, for me, we have to be honest with ourselves. Guess what. We're leaving a trail, regardless of how we feel about it and what we think about it, and whether we have legacy in mind. We're leaving a legacy. So I encourage everybody in terms of legacy, think about how you live your daily life and the message that you consistently send, because you can write a legacy statement or whatever, but at the end of the day, people are going to watch what you do, not what you say.
Speaker 2:That's good, that's good. It's good, you know. As we wrap up, I want to give you an opportunity to give a word of encouragement to students and parents attending Christian schools. But sometimes we look at I know our son came with the word in Christian our kids at Sunshine Christian Academy, and sometimes I think our students may have felt like they were missing something. You know, because they're just, you know, just Christian school, that you see the other schools having all this fun quote unquote. You know I think they might be missing something. So can you give a word of encouragement to both parents?
Speaker 1:and students. Oh, you bet. And again let me say, coach, it's been a pleasure today and thank you. And let me congratulate you on 50 podcasts before answers.
Speaker 1:So students thinking they miss something. I think my response to them is you haven't missed anything. In fact, you've experienced everything. And again, what I mean is that you get to experience this Christian community and you get to pursue Christ. You get to follow Christ in terms of the greatest commandment, to love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, mind, soul and strength, and to love your neighbors yourself. Most students who attend schools that aren't Christ centered, they don't have that experience. So here you have everything. You're not missing anything.
Speaker 2:Speak that same word to parents. Talk to parents about maybe considering it or their students are in it. I had a Christian school. What encouragement did you give them?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think parents are always weighing is it worth my investment? Yes, and I think at the end of the day, you have to ask yourself is it worth it, of course. So for me, of course, I say it's worth it. That's what I've given my life to is Christian education. I think it matters. I think it matters in ways that you will not see in this lifetime.
Speaker 1:I think you're gonna see how much it matters in eternity, and not just for your kid, but for kids beyond your kids. Think about how you're cultivating a sense of calling in your son's or daughter's life and then think about how that sense of calling can be used by God to literally transform the world. So for me, it's not just about your kid, it's about the kingdom of God. Again, big team, little me again. So how are we investing in the team? No, of course, along the way, we want your kid to grow and flourish. They'll matter to us. I promise that. But how are we actually investing in ways that will never see the return on investment on this earth, but indeed in eternity? Amen?
Speaker 2:that's a great word. That's a great way to end this investment in eternity. Well, this brings us into this episode. Thanks to our special guest, dr Hayes, head of schools at Worthing Christian Schools, for building a legacy in ministry through education, and I'm glad that you answered that call. I mean God? It sounds like God was pretty clear on what the call was. Yes, you have done it well. Thank you for raising the lives of students and reminding them that they matter Good. Thank you all for joining us during this enlightening and informed discussion on building a legacy in education. Hope this episode was beneficial to you. As always. Thanks for listening to Be A Baller Podcast. Thank, dr Hayes.
Speaker 1:Thank you, Coach Brown, and again congratulations on your long-term success. Thank you, thank you, sir.
Speaker 4:If you enjoyed our show, please share this podcast with family and friends. Be A Baller Podcast is available on all major podcast stations. Be sure to come back next week as we continue to discuss on how to build a lifelong legacy. Until then, don't forget to Be A Baller. This podcast was created by Coach Tim Brown and produced and edited by the video production class of Worthington Christian High School.