Finding the Focus...

Today I arrived in Indianapolis for the ISTE Leadership Forum 2012 Conference. After registering, I ran into my former Superintendent, David Britten, before heading to the keynote opening. It was great to see a familiar, friendly face.

The opening keynote speaker was Chris Lehman. Chris is the Principal of the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia, PA, and he provided words of motivation and focus for the next two days. With sharing being a big component of the modern school, I thought I'd do just that with you... here are my notes:

Learning, Leading, and the Modern School --

* Change the way you talk:

"I teach math" vs. "I teach children math"

"Care for" means more then "Care about"

* Building systems and structures around what we believe:

Complexity is good; Seek out answers; Prepare children for the world, not the test

* Technology:

Technology should NEVER isolate us

Technology should allow us to optimize the time we spend together

* Talk and Learn:

Enable collaboration; Ideas are made better when shared

Unlock passion; School is real life

We need citizens more than workers ~ empower citizenship

* Dare our kids to do things that matter!

Build real stuff; School has to matter; Share things that matter

Never silence a students/childs voice

* Visioning ~ Developing the Ideas:

What do we believe? Does it mean anything? How can leaders publicly live their ideas?

* Sustaining:

A vision without a plan is a hallucination

* Core Values...

Inquiry; Research; Collaboration; Presentation; Reflection

* Servant Leadership!!

Top down support of bottom up ideas

* Leading:

How do we get everyone on the bus? Consensus vs. Majority

Start with what we do well - How does it happen? Why does it happen?

* Building Community:

People do care about your school

Share

BE ONE SCHOOL; DO NOT HAVE TWO SETS OF VALUES!

* Leverage the tools toward a human goal

 

How does your team stack up?

It can be difficult to create a strong, unified team, especially when each member brings a different set of skills and abilities to the group.  This diverse pool of talent may have many differences, yet they have been brought together to achieve a common purpose or goal.

But just because a group of people are assembled together, does not mean that they will work effectively as a team. Teamwork only happens when the needs of the group become more important than the needs of the individual. Each person must put aside their individual needs and understand that their contribution is more valuable to meeting the group objective.

Here are 5 tips to help your team stack up strong:

• Respect your colleagues
• Be responsible
• Communicate effectively
• Conflict is inevitable
• Give credit where credit is due

How does your team stack up?

It can be difficult to create a strong, unified team, especially when each member brings a different set of skills and abilities to the group.  This diverse pool of talent may have many differences, yet they have been brought together to achieve a common purpose or goal.

But just because a group of people are assembled together, does not mean that they will work effectively as a team. Teamwork only happens when the needs of the group become more important than the needs of the individual. Each person must put aside their individual needs and understand that their contribution is more valuable to meeting the group objective.

Here are 5 tips to help your team stack up strong:

• Respect your colleagues
• Be responsible
• Communicate effectively
• Conflict is inevitable
• Give credit where credit is due

 

Buzz Lightyear on District Technology Readiness

Yesterday morning, I bolted up out of bed in the middle of an unfinished dream. I hate when that happens, and for some reason I couldn't shake this one. Last week was a stressful work week and it was affecting my sleep over the weekend as well. I found myself quickly running to the kitchen to get a 3x5 card to jot notes down before the dream faded away. The alarm went off at the very moment Buzz Lightyear was pointing his finger in the air and proclaiming that he and the other toys were on their way... "to the Common Core and beyond!"

I love Buzz Lightyear, not only for his eternal optimism, but for his ability to lead and communicate a vision to a group of frantic, apprehensive, and down-hearted comrades.

Continued work is being done to get ready for implementing the Common Core Standards, but we have to look farther out than the 2014 timeline to see what Buzz what trying to communicate to his friends, and to me, in the dream.

Are you prepared for what's 'beyond'?

Decisions, Decisions...

"Somewhere deep down we know that in the final analysis, we do decide things and that even our decisions to let someone else decide are really our decisions, however pusillanimous."

— Harvey G. Cox

Alternative Therapy

So who defines what 'alternative therapy' is? You've heard of music therapy, right? Why not barn dance therapy? Ok, so that might be a stretch, but tonight, that's exactly how I defined it. Nothing like a little two-step and some waltz to relieve the stress of a new job. After my ballroom dance lesson, the studio held a barn dance party where cowboy boots and hats could be seen moving all across the dancefloor. What a great way to stay out of the heat, get some exercise, and take a break from the chaos of life.

Boy, do I feel better!!

 

Just trying to stay afloat...

With a couple of weeks under my belt at the new job, I can honestly say that I'm sooooo excited for this opportunity and all the challenges that comes with it. The physical and mental reality of it all is just slightly less excited. At one point today, I'll admit that my head went below the surface for an hour or so. So in true female fashion, I grabbed a few kleenex and got my pouting out of the way. Then I promptly put together a priority to-do list for just one day... tomorrow.

Here's hoping that my raft holds air for another day!