A mother is everything she wants to be and everything she must be. #QuoteADay #Day131 #HappyMothersDay #edchat #ThanksMom
Happy Mother's Day to all! While I can't speak from experience of being a mom, I can speak from experience of being a parent.
Being a parent, in any capacity, can be a challenge. It is probably the thing in life we love most while at the same time being the thing in life that challenges us most. We wake up each morning smiling at the sight of our children, and go to be each evening wondering if we've taught them well that day.
I know that growing up I had my moments (I wasn't always the best son I probably could have been). Yet, my mom did the best she could, and a generation later, I know that my wife does everything she can to be the best possible mother to our children.
Being a mother puts her in a position where she does everything she wants to for our children, and everything she must do. it is something I thank her for regularly, but something I should thank her for daily. Truly.
There is much that leaders can learn from a mother. Firstly, and most importantly, that everyone deserves love and respect. Without a mother's love, it can be very difficult to become the type of people we hope to become. Secondly, that we need to develop the patience to deal with situations that frustrate us and stress us. Goodness knows we all need more patience.
To my mom, thank you for all that you have done for me. To my wife, thank you for all that you have done for our children (and me).
Enjoy your day.
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Saturday, May 10, 2014
Quote-A-Day: Day 130
Your place of work should be your second home. If it isn't, you need to make it that way. #QuoteADay #Day130 #edchat #edu #GoHome
Since we spend so much time at our places of employment, we need to find ways to make those places like an extension of our homes. We know that the homes we make are little pieces of each of us, and at home, we tend to be (usually) the most relaxed, and the most capable of being who we really are.
It is important that our home away from home be our place of work, as we want to be comfortable enough to be ourselves. Plus, when we spend anywhere from eight hours to twelve hours plus in any given day physically engaged with our profession, it makes sense that we would want to be as physically, emotionally, and mentally comfortable as possible.
This really means that our work space needs to show a little bit of us each day. This might be in the physical design of the space (paint colors, pictures and wall hangings, plants and plantings, music playing, little "toys" on a desk) the social use of the space (Are meetings regularly held there? Is it a place to gather to enjoy a cup of coffee? Is the door always open?), and/or the mental activities that take place there (there's a deep thinking chair, a circular table designed to allow for face-to-face communication and collaboration).
All of this goes into making a work space, and there really is no wrong answer to how it is done (as long as the space mirrors, and is an extension to, your home).
The point is, in order to think as deeply and as powerfully as we can, and in order to truly help in making decisions that matter, we need to be able to seamlessly (or as seamlessly as possible) transition from work to home. And why wouldn't we want to? We should always love all that we do.
Since we spend so much time at our places of employment, we need to find ways to make those places like an extension of our homes. We know that the homes we make are little pieces of each of us, and at home, we tend to be (usually) the most relaxed, and the most capable of being who we really are.
It is important that our home away from home be our place of work, as we want to be comfortable enough to be ourselves. Plus, when we spend anywhere from eight hours to twelve hours plus in any given day physically engaged with our profession, it makes sense that we would want to be as physically, emotionally, and mentally comfortable as possible.
This really means that our work space needs to show a little bit of us each day. This might be in the physical design of the space (paint colors, pictures and wall hangings, plants and plantings, music playing, little "toys" on a desk) the social use of the space (Are meetings regularly held there? Is it a place to gather to enjoy a cup of coffee? Is the door always open?), and/or the mental activities that take place there (there's a deep thinking chair, a circular table designed to allow for face-to-face communication and collaboration).
All of this goes into making a work space, and there really is no wrong answer to how it is done (as long as the space mirrors, and is an extension to, your home).
The point is, in order to think as deeply and as powerfully as we can, and in order to truly help in making decisions that matter, we need to be able to seamlessly (or as seamlessly as possible) transition from work to home. And why wouldn't we want to? We should always love all that we do.
Friday, May 9, 2014
Quote-A-Day: Day 129
Being current means having a deep
understanding of the world so that we may help others #change it.#QuoteADay #Day128 #edchat #edu #edreform
Currency (not to be confused with the type used to buy things) is an important characteristic for all school leaders to have (the money thing is certainly useful too :) ). Remaining current means that we can not only discuss happenings around the world, but that we deeply understand them to the point where we can use them to better our work as leaders and learners.
Staying current isn't easy, as it requires a tremendous investment, and often deep searching that we rarely have the time to do and too often lack the energy to complete. And yet, if we don't stay current, we stand little and less chance of being able to bring our community to the 21st century and beyond.
Currency in content and skills is important. In fact, in a world where finances were no object, school systems would benefit from the addition of a school currency officer, a professional whose sole role was to stay current on world happenings in the field of education, and disseminate and integrate that information with the people and areas that need to know.
In an even more perfect world, the school or district leadership team would have enough time to do all of this work themselves. Yet in a world increasingly consumed with mandates, this is becoming near impossible.
Of course, that doesn't provide an excuse. Regardless of how little time we have, we need to make sure we are up-to-date with the newest research and latest trends.
There are a number of ways to do this. One easy way is to use social media, such as Twitter, to follow the "big names" in education. As an avid Twitter user, I've been able to gain timely knowledge as it happens, and then share it with those who would find it useful. Professional organization memberships, such as to ASCD and NSTA, are great ways to read recent research and opinion from those who have spent their careers exploring various educational fields. Finally, leaders can make use of various news summary services, such as the Marshall Memo (which I can't get enough of). These tools boil down what's happening into bite-size pieces, and in the case of the Memo, are provided to subscribers once each week.
Regardless of how you stay current, the implications for doing so are tremendous. By knowing what is happening and sharing it with others, we can better direct the change we want, and need, to happen.
Currency (not to be confused with the type used to buy things) is an important characteristic for all school leaders to have (the money thing is certainly useful too :) ). Remaining current means that we can not only discuss happenings around the world, but that we deeply understand them to the point where we can use them to better our work as leaders and learners.
Staying current isn't easy, as it requires a tremendous investment, and often deep searching that we rarely have the time to do and too often lack the energy to complete. And yet, if we don't stay current, we stand little and less chance of being able to bring our community to the 21st century and beyond.
Currency in content and skills is important. In fact, in a world where finances were no object, school systems would benefit from the addition of a school currency officer, a professional whose sole role was to stay current on world happenings in the field of education, and disseminate and integrate that information with the people and areas that need to know.
In an even more perfect world, the school or district leadership team would have enough time to do all of this work themselves. Yet in a world increasingly consumed with mandates, this is becoming near impossible.
Of course, that doesn't provide an excuse. Regardless of how little time we have, we need to make sure we are up-to-date with the newest research and latest trends.
There are a number of ways to do this. One easy way is to use social media, such as Twitter, to follow the "big names" in education. As an avid Twitter user, I've been able to gain timely knowledge as it happens, and then share it with those who would find it useful. Professional organization memberships, such as to ASCD and NSTA, are great ways to read recent research and opinion from those who have spent their careers exploring various educational fields. Finally, leaders can make use of various news summary services, such as the Marshall Memo (which I can't get enough of). These tools boil down what's happening into bite-size pieces, and in the case of the Memo, are provided to subscribers once each week.
Regardless of how you stay current, the implications for doing so are tremendous. By knowing what is happening and sharing it with others, we can better direct the change we want, and need, to happen.
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Quote-A-Day: Day 128
Remember that a mess, by its own nature, will never clean itself up. #QuoteADay #Day128 #edchat #edu #RollUpYourSleeves
Parenting and leadership have a lot in common. One consistency is the regular creation of messes. Regardless of where they came from and how they got there, one thing about messes is that they don't clean themselves up.
Leave a milk spill on the floor of your kitchen when you go to work? When you return it is either still there, or still there in spirit, with the stench and stickiness to remind you.
Leave a staffing issue on the table in your school or district? It's still going to be a mess the next time you visit it.
Messes are only cleaned up when people consciously work on them. This means the investment of time, effort, energy, and critical thinking. These all require capacity from the people involved and the organization(s) these people are from.
We can stick our heads in the sand if we like; "magical thinking" sometimes makes us feel better for a split second.
Yet, the next time we put our foot in that dried milk, or start talking about staffing for next year, the mess is still there.
Since time and energy will be expended to address the mess regardless, it is better to work through situations as they arise, if for no other reason than cleaning up one mess at a time is easier than attempting to clean up three.
We all make messes throughout life. Therefore, regardless of whether the current mess we encounter was left by someone (or something) we know of, or that we don't, all messes we encounter are inherently "ours."
It's always better to take responsibility than not.
Parenting and leadership have a lot in common. One consistency is the regular creation of messes. Regardless of where they came from and how they got there, one thing about messes is that they don't clean themselves up.
Leave a milk spill on the floor of your kitchen when you go to work? When you return it is either still there, or still there in spirit, with the stench and stickiness to remind you.
Leave a staffing issue on the table in your school or district? It's still going to be a mess the next time you visit it.
Messes are only cleaned up when people consciously work on them. This means the investment of time, effort, energy, and critical thinking. These all require capacity from the people involved and the organization(s) these people are from.
We can stick our heads in the sand if we like; "magical thinking" sometimes makes us feel better for a split second.
Yet, the next time we put our foot in that dried milk, or start talking about staffing for next year, the mess is still there.
Since time and energy will be expended to address the mess regardless, it is better to work through situations as they arise, if for no other reason than cleaning up one mess at a time is easier than attempting to clean up three.
We all make messes throughout life. Therefore, regardless of whether the current mess we encounter was left by someone (or something) we know of, or that we don't, all messes we encounter are inherently "ours."
It's always better to take responsibility than not.
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Quote-A-Day: Day 127
Remember that appreciation days + weeks aren't single points in time. Appreciate the work of others, always. #QuoteADay #Day127 #edchat #edu
Who doesn't love an appreciation day (or week for that matter)?
Yet, too often we get caught up in the singular nature of the yearly event and not enough in the fact that we should appreciate people all the time, and more often than not, for no reason other than because they are people, just like we are.
Look at it this way: If you have kids, a spouse, a pet, you likely don't wait until a birthday, anniversary, etc. to let them know how much you care for them. The same should hold true for friends, colleagues, and our professional network.
The challenge with events that come around once a year, is if we aren't careful, we can get locked into the habit of lavishing praise only at those times. For those receiving the thanks (and often associated gifts), it is often well-taken, but sometimes hollow. The thought, "You're thanking me now, but what about throughout the rest of the year?" is more common than we might hope to admit.
What do we do about this? Here are two ideas:
First, showcase to your staff that annual events aren't the only times we celebrate. Create celebration times within your school and district community that are yours, and highlight the individuality of you and your stakeholders. Want to celebrate National Pancake Day? Do it, with a great pancake breakfast. Want to create a monthly toy/book/game swap? Do it. While we can overdo celebration, we can't overdo a caring community.
Second, be spontaneous. Thank people regularly and for things that might not seem "thank worthy." The point here is that everyone needs to be recognized for the work that they do. Keep in mind this is different from praising someone. Rather, you are acknowledging that people, regardless of their role, are doing the best they can, and that means something. Leaders (and learners) who thank others tend to encourage others to pay-it-forward.
So revel in annual appreciation events, but don't stop there. Acknowledge and appreciate those around you, always.
Who doesn't love an appreciation day (or week for that matter)?
Yet, too often we get caught up in the singular nature of the yearly event and not enough in the fact that we should appreciate people all the time, and more often than not, for no reason other than because they are people, just like we are.
Look at it this way: If you have kids, a spouse, a pet, you likely don't wait until a birthday, anniversary, etc. to let them know how much you care for them. The same should hold true for friends, colleagues, and our professional network.
The challenge with events that come around once a year, is if we aren't careful, we can get locked into the habit of lavishing praise only at those times. For those receiving the thanks (and often associated gifts), it is often well-taken, but sometimes hollow. The thought, "You're thanking me now, but what about throughout the rest of the year?" is more common than we might hope to admit.
What do we do about this? Here are two ideas:
First, showcase to your staff that annual events aren't the only times we celebrate. Create celebration times within your school and district community that are yours, and highlight the individuality of you and your stakeholders. Want to celebrate National Pancake Day? Do it, with a great pancake breakfast. Want to create a monthly toy/book/game swap? Do it. While we can overdo celebration, we can't overdo a caring community.
Second, be spontaneous. Thank people regularly and for things that might not seem "thank worthy." The point here is that everyone needs to be recognized for the work that they do. Keep in mind this is different from praising someone. Rather, you are acknowledging that people, regardless of their role, are doing the best they can, and that means something. Leaders (and learners) who thank others tend to encourage others to pay-it-forward.
So revel in annual appreciation events, but don't stop there. Acknowledge and appreciate those around you, always.
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Quote-A-Day: Day 126
When you stop #learning, you stop #living. #QuoteADay #Day126 #edchat #edu #learn #lead #live
Learning is a life-long endeavor. We can never stop (nor should we want to). If we do stop, then we are likely dead. It's that simple.
The thing about learning is we have to encourage it. It doesn't necessarily happen on its own (though it can happen without us even realizing it). We have to foster it, nurture it, almost like we do a son or daughter (or pet, for those without "children"). If we don't cultivate it, then the learning we engage in is only cursory. This is better than nothing, but not much.
If we want to lead a life that is truly rich in substance, we need to fill it with learning. This doesn't mean the learning has to be deep, academic, all the time, but it does mean the learning has to be deeply meaningful for each of us.
If you want to see where you stand in the world of the living, don't take your pulse. Simply ask yourself, "What have I learned recently?"
And remember, zombies don't learn. :)
Learning is a life-long endeavor. We can never stop (nor should we want to). If we do stop, then we are likely dead. It's that simple.
The thing about learning is we have to encourage it. It doesn't necessarily happen on its own (though it can happen without us even realizing it). We have to foster it, nurture it, almost like we do a son or daughter (or pet, for those without "children"). If we don't cultivate it, then the learning we engage in is only cursory. This is better than nothing, but not much.
If we want to lead a life that is truly rich in substance, we need to fill it with learning. This doesn't mean the learning has to be deep, academic, all the time, but it does mean the learning has to be deeply meaningful for each of us.
If you want to see where you stand in the world of the living, don't take your pulse. Simply ask yourself, "What have I learned recently?"
And remember, zombies don't learn. :)
Monday, May 5, 2014
Quote-A-Day: Day 125
You'll never earn what you don't try for. #QuoteADay #Day125 #edchat #edu #KeepTrying
When we talk about trying, we often equate it to the first step towards meeting a goal. And that's pretty true. It's unlikely that we'll get anywhere in life unless we're willing to really give it our all, and truly dig in. I've been reading quite a bit about grit and perseverance, and while they appear to be all the rage in education currently, I think they've been all the rage in life for a long time.
The fact is, if we don't really roll our sleeves up and get to work, we'll never really earn or accomplish anything. We'll never know what we can accomplish until we've done so.
I was reading an opinion piece by Alfie Kohn in yesterday's New York Times (found here) which speaks about whether there is inherently anything wrong with awarding those who don't "win." I'll leave it to you to draw your own conclusions. For me, I agree with much of what is in this piece, as I think the trial is much more important than the end result. If a player has given his/her all in a competition and still hasn't won, then why shouldn't that player be rewarded for truly doing his/her best?
The challenge, of course, is staying away from rewarding those who are coasting. I recently read a piece (I unfortunately can't remember by who) that mentioned that if life doesn't leave you mildly stressed at the end of every day, then something needs to change. This applies to all aspects of learning as well. If we don't feel as if we're physically and emotionally drained each evening (but not beyond a recharge), then we aren't trying hard enough.
We need to have a vision for success, but also one where the pathway there is all about giving it our all. As with anything else, you won't get anywhere if you never leave where you are.
I apologize for the caps. . . on my editing screen formatting is good. Sorry. :)
I apologize for the caps. . . on my editing screen formatting is good. Sorry. :)
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