Have you ever taken time to connect the dots of your life? Have you ever sat back and thought about all of the steps that have gotten you to where you are right now in this very moment? In everyone’s life there are people we meet, things we do, and choices we make that seem to open new doors, opportunities and experiences for us. But, have you ever really taken the time to think about how each small step in the journey through life has gotten you to where you are today?
Over the past few weeks, I have been reflecting on the steps in my own journey and, let me tell you, it’s been quite a humbling experience. It’s awe inspiring to think back and realize how each seemingly small step in my life was really much greater and much more important than I realized in the moment. This reflection has led me to choose my ONE WORD for 2017. That word is JOURNEY. This year I want to be more aware of my own journey and the journey of others. I want to be careful about my steps along the path of my journey. I want to wisely choose responses to events that happen. I want to enjoy the journey and each small step along it. I want to make sure that my actions and responses create positive events for others as they also travel along the path of their own journey. I want to be a positive force, an energy giver and an inspiration. But, in order to accomplish this, I need to remember that every step matters. If I mess up or misstep, it’s okay to take a step back and try again. The journey is not about the destination. Instead, the journey is about the small steps that make it up. It’s exhilarating to think that we are embarking on a new year, which is a brand new part of our journey. It’s exciting to think that in a year from now we can look back at the steps we took and connect all the dots. My wish is that we can take risks, learn new things, overcome challenges and be better tomorrow than we were today. Enjoy the JOURNEY and may 2017 be an amazing ride. Here is your staff update for January 13.
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No Destination
I do a lot of reflecting on and writing about being on a journey. My journey has had ups and downs. It’s had victories and defeats; successes and failures; and everything in between. I am on a journey to be ELITE. My staff is on a journey to be ELITE; but there is no destination. Instead, as Tim Kight explains, “We must be better today than we were yesterday and better tomorrow than we were today.” These words have power. These are words to live by. Every step matters As I continue to reflect on my journey and help my staff do the same; it’s important that we are aware of our current location on the journey. We must recognize and understand our strengths and weakness with clarity and then look ahead to what’s next. In order to get to the next level we must continue on our journey, but we must do so one step at a time. Every step along the way matters. Each step is a chance to be “better today” and then “better tomorrow”. As we focus on each step along the path of our journey we can carefully and thoughtfully move forward. We don’t need to know what is ten, twenty, or thirty steps ahead on the path. But instead, we must focus on our current step and our next step. Then, slowly, step by step we will become better. We will continue to move closer to ELITE. If we misstep, and we will, we will take another step. In fact, these missteps mean we have gotten to the EDGE of our current capability and pushing through is what makes us ELITE. If we’re not making mistakes we’re not at the EDGE. If we’re not at the EDGE, we’re not ELITE. Leading the Journey As I continue to reflect on my leadership, I need my staff to help me. I need to know the answer to this question: What do you need from me, for you to perform at your best? Teachers-please follow this link to answer this single question. Here is your staff update for December 16th. I read the following post a few days ago. The post is entitled, "Overcoming Obstacles". I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since. So, today with John Riley's permission, I'm sharing it with you. Overcoming Obstacles Listen, I'm 285lbs and have no business attempting to run any race. I'm so big that when I sign up for a race I'm labeled as a Clydesdale. Thus my #TeamsClydesdale anytime I post a picture of me attempting to look like I enjoy running. This past fall I embarked on 3 races. An obstacle course race, a half-marathon, and a 5k Reindeer Dash. I shouldn’t even think about running races with obstacles. Obstacles that take you over ravines, 20 ft walls, giant slip-n-slide, 40ft towers, 100 ft cliff, monkey bars, rope climbs, and absolute insane terrain. That is the joy of Mud Guts and Glory. A 10K beast and one of the best obstacle course races in the Midwest. One that have ran 5 times now. A few years back I stumbled upon this race and found out that it helps support at risk youth. What better way to give back and help others than putting yourself through so much pain. Sounds like fun? Right! While I have ran this race before this is the first time I've written about it. Why now? Because I've been reflecting on all the experiences and realized I need to share them. This is a total team effort. Each year I send out a mass email to family, friends, and colleagues. It’s more of a Bat Signal for someone to be cray-cray enough with me so I won’t kill myself. You see it’s better to get hurt when you have someone to share the pain with. The usual suspects jumped on board and they are about as crazy as I am. We hit the starting line around 10AM and at the sound of the gun we were off. The race was set a little different this time as we ran the course in reverse compared to previous attempts. Noticed I said attempts. Many start the race but a few of us fall victim to injury...exhaustion...cramping...and fear of heights. If you do not complete an obstacle you get to do some penalty burpees. Yes...we pay for this torture. If you decide you are not in any shape to do the penalty burpees you lose your wristband which then forfeits your Gatorade beverage when you cross the finish line. It is by far the best tasting Gatorade EVER! This was the first time I had ever completed all the obstacles….well except for the high rope climb. Simply because 285 and gravity are not friends when it comes to a muddy covered rope. One of my best friends blew out his ankle as we passed through a ravine. He had to be escorted off the course via a 4x4 Gator. That kind of sucks the wind out of you when one of your teammates go down. After all, who is going to help a Clydesdale get over the 12 ft walls. As we progressed through the course we were feeling pitiful about ourselves and linked up with some other runners that had smiles on their faces. Clearly there was something wrong with these people. Who enjoys that torture enough to smile? They were great to run with as they kept it light hearted and told us stories that helped us forget about the pain. One part of the race is called the gauntlet. It’s a relatively flat stretch that has the biggest structured obstacles back to back. It can be brutal! Now pay attention because this is where the magic happens in this race. This is where the life lesson comes into play. This is where a Servant's Heart was ultimately displayed and one of the greatest acts of leadership I have ever witnessed. As we traversed over the 40ft tower and climbed our way through 4 bacterial infested mud pits we hit the dreaded Monkey Business. A picture is included for your viewing pleasure or click here for a quick video. We had about two miles to go until the finish and I was feeling every bit of it. This obstacle had knocked me off three previous races and I had to settle for penalty burpees. Muddy and tired we climbed the first side and noticed a bit of a hiccup at the top where some kids were waiting to cross. As we waited we struck up a quick convo and found out they were from Lord’s Gym in Cincy, which is a non-profit organization that reaches out to at risk youth in the area. These are the kids this race supports and it was the first time we got to enjoy the course with them. One of their peers was stuck halfway up the other side. The young man was clearly struggling with how to overcome this obstacle. He was in tears, his grip was weak, and he was completely exhausted. He had two options….figure it out or fall in the pit taking the penalty burpees. He simply kept saying “I can’t….I can’t...do it. Help!” His peers were somewhat laughing at him and others understood his pain as they were on the ground failing to complete the obstacle. About that time a young man that we had connected with (I still can’t recall his name) decided to jump into action. He climbed over and positioned himself beside the teenager. I could hear him coaching this kid up to gather the strength to finish. After about five minutes of hanging upside down the kid was able to maneuver to the next rung...and then the next one…. until he had completed the obstacle. Meanwhile, as I waited for his lane to clear up I noticed the kid had no shoes on. I thought that maybe he had kicked them off. That was not the case. When I reached the other side of the obstacle I gave him a big High Five and his new coach was kneeling down beside him. When I asked about his shoes he simply said… “I took them off in the van because I didn’t want to get my only pair dirty.” Say what!!! That’s right. He had been running the course with no shoes on. I’m not even sure how that is possible. This was not easy terrain. With shoes on it kills your feet. Then it happened. A simple conversation that lead to me writing this post. What size shoe do you wear? I think a 10. Here take my shoes so you can finish the race. His new coach/mentor, that helped him get through the obstacle, was literally taking the shoes off his feet and offering them to the kid. A kid he did not know. A kid that if passed on the street would probably be completely overlooked. This simple act defines what I believe to be the greatest act of leadership. To simply serve others before yourself. Put the needs of others first and push them to accomplish things they believe they can not. When you are willing to forgo your own comforts so that others may succeed….that is Leadership! For the next two miles we ran as a pack. A man with no shoes continued to encourage a kid he did not know to finish the race. Numerous time the kid would say….I need to quit and each time the man would inspire to keep going. Statements like….”The pain you're experiencing now are nothing compared to the JOY of finishing...KEEP GOING! Your struggles in this race will make you a better person when hard times come in the future….When you think you can’t in the future you will remember this moment and realize you can!” We still had numerous obstacles to complete and several times we found ourselves helping this kid over walls and obstacles he never would have completed without shoes, without support, and without people believing in him. As Victor Rios implies, the greatest teacher (coach) believes in their kids so much that they trick them into believing in themselves! It’s not about the goal….it’s about who you become in the process! Obstacles are blessings in disguise. It’s how we navigate them in our daily lives that truly defines who we are. We can’t go around them. We can’t take the easy way out. The best way to tackle them is to overcome them head on. Don't treat them as a roadblock to your path but as part of the path. Find your pack and run your race! So, who in your life needs your shoes? How can you step up to be the one that places the needs of others first? Such a simple yet profound way to live life! Time to get to work! #HappyToHelp #TeamClydesdale John Here is your staff update for December 9.
“Just when I thought we’d arrived, I realized that we’d just begun”
My staff and I have been working together for the past year to redesign elementary education. This task is by no means easy and is, in fact, quite overwhelming. Each day we are trusted to provide the best education possible to each one of our 508 students. This responsibility can make it difficult to want to take a risk out of fear of failing these children about whom we care so deeply. But, my staff does not back down from a challenge even though we may feel a little uncomfortable or unsure along the way. We are on a journey to redesign, rethink and restructure education as we know it. As part of our journey we created an educational experience for our students called J.W. YOUniversity. This experience occurs for an hour once a week for 6 weeks. We surveyed our students to determine their interests and created courses for them that aligned to four pathways: Global and Community Partnerships; The Arts; STEM; and Health and Wellness. Then teachers created a short commercial for their course. Students watched the commercials and selected their top three courses. We placed each student in a course of their choice that they would experience for a 6-week session. The result was more amazing than we ever could have expected. Each week during our YOUniversity time students in grades K-5 are working in mixed grade level groups learning about things they are interested in. Engagement is high. Student misbehavior is nonexistent. The classrooms are noisy with productivity. And, when we dismiss students back to their classrooms, they don’t walk in silent single file lines. Instead, they are simply told to head back to their homerooms… this is when the magic happens. Students happily meet up with their friends and there is a buzz of excitement as they share what they learned and find out what their friends learned. Thursday, as our students were heading back to class one of them said, “I am going to blog about this!” And, in that moment, I felt like we’d arrived. I felt like we had achieved the authenticity we’d be looking for. But, that thought was fleeting. My excitement turned to thoughts of “what’s next” and “why are these experiences limited to an hour once a week”. Just when I thought we’d arrived, I realized that we’d just begun. J.W. YOUniversity isn’t the end. It’s the beginning. As my staff, students and I continue on our journey we must ask ourselves tough questions: Where do we go from here? How do we make school a place where kids come to work on things they’re passionate about and deeply interested in? How do we do this and still ensure that we’re providing them with the rich literacy and math experiences that they need to continue to grow and meet grade level expectations? When we provide these enriching opportunities are we “giving up” academics or are we “redesigning” academics? What’s next for us? We are on the edge and we need to continue to leap. Here is your staff update for December 2. JW YOUniversity from JW Reason Elem on Vimeo.
I’m competitive by nature. I’ve always been that way. When I was a kid, I wanted to be first. I wanted to get my way. I wanted to be the leader. As I grew older, I quickly learned that telling others what to do and getting my way wasn’t always the best way to be a leader. Through trial and error, I learned to value teamwork, listen to the perspectives of others and step back and observe. When I began my career in education I soon learned that being competitive with others wasn’t going to get me very far. The only way that I could get better was to push myself and focus on my own behavior. Still, I wanted to be the best. I wanted this for myself, but more importantly for my students.
This summer, after reading Urban Meyer’s book, Above the Line, I learned about the leadership principle of 10-80-10. Donna Mahoney writes of this principle in a 2016 blog post for Sprint Business: According to the 10-80-10 principle of human behavior, the nucleus of a group—its best or elite performers—represent 10 percent of the team. Outside this nucleus are the 80 percent—the teammates who consistently perform good work–and the bottom 10 percent, which is composed of slackers and other malcontents. At Ohio State, Meyer tried to motivate as many players as possible to move from the middle group into the top one. By the end of the 2014 season, Meyer estimates that 30 percent of his squad were among this nucleus group. In the following video, Sunjay Nath further explains the 10-80-10 principle.
I want to be among the elite “10 percenters”. I want my behavior to be such that I inspire others to be better.
It’s important that we all take a step back and evaluate our behavior. Imagine where our schools could be if we shifted the behaviors of more and more educators into that of the elite 10. As we reflect on our behavior we need to ask ourselves these questions and answer them honestly: Where do I want to be? Who do I want to be? Am I okay with average? When faced with a challenge, how do I behave? How does my behavior impact the performance of those around me? Am I part of the 10, the 80 or the 10? What behaviors cause me to be part of this group? Who is part of the elite 10? How do they behave? How must I change my behavior to become part of this group? And finally, remember, “If you can raise the level of effort and performance of those around you, you are a leader.” Urban Meyer. Here is your staff update for November 18th. What an historic week this was. The most volatile race for the Presidency of all time came to an end. Many of us were surprised and even outraged with the outcome. However, as educators we have an obligation to teach children, the next generation of American voters, about our country without imparting our own views on them. It’s important that we share unbiased facts, no matter how difficult this is to do. We have a direct hand in educating the future of America and we cannot take this lightly.
On Wednesday as I was driving to school I was overcome with sadness and fear for the children who I was going to see in a few short hours. The children in my school are representative of the true meaning of the American melting pot. Of our 515 children, 130 of them speak English as a second language. Our students and their families come from all over the world including Mexico, Palestine, Iraq, and Turkey to name a few. Their families came to America in search of a better life. On that drive to school I was planning the words I wanted to say to them so they would continue to believe that America truly is a place where they are safe and respected. What I could not plan for though, were the questions and concerns they would share with my staff and I soon after they walked through the doors of our school on Wednesday morning. By 9:30, my guidance counselor and I were making the rounds to classrooms to give children time to share their thoughts and fears about the election results. Nothing could have prepared me for what I heard from our students. Here are some of the thoughts and fears that our 2nd graders shared: “Maybe if I don’t speak Spanish anymore, he won’t know that I’m Mexican.” “I’m worried about the wall. If they build it, I won’t be able to see my family.” “My dad is from Palestine. I’m afraid he’s going to have to go back.” As my teachers, guidance counselor and I listened to the genuine concerns of our students it was difficult to find the right words. This was our message to them: You are safe. There are lots good people in this country who will protect you and your family. One person cannot make all of the rules in America. The people work together to make the rules. Continue to spread kindness. We are so lucky to come to a school where every day we learn with people from all over the world. We don’t ever want you to hide who you really are. Instead we all need to celebrate one another. Now more than ever we need to use our influence as educators to spread kindness, to promote tolerance and to celebrate differences. We can make a difference in the lives of children, and now, more than ever a difference needs to be made. Here is your staff update for November 11. On Tuesday, I had the pleasure of speaking to new administrators in my school district. As I walked into the room for my presentation, Jeremy Scally, a colleague of mine, was just finishing up. He was talking about how much he’d learned during his first year of being an administrator. His final words of wisdom to the group were these, “Don’t be part of the silent majority.”
His words stopped me in my tracks. I quickly pulled out my phone and typed those words into my notes. Then, over the next few days, I started noticing times in my life when I am part of the silent majority. So, I started making an effort to recognize individuals who positively impact my life. I began taking just a moment to look people in the eye and simply say, “Thank you so much for all you do.” It’s so much more common for us to hear from people when they are unsatisfied with us than it is for us to hear from them when they’re happy. But, there are so many more people who are quite happy with all we do for them and their children, they just don’t tell us; they are part of the silent majority. Let’s all make an effort to break the silence. Let others around you know how much you appreciate them. Don’t be part of the silent majority. I’m so thankful and happy with many of the experiences that my own children are having this school year. I am planning on making an effort to reach out to two very important people in the lives of my children so they know just how important they are. First is my daughters’ bus driver, Joe. He is one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. Each day, he picks them up for school with a huge smile on his face. On the way, he plays letter games and sings songs with them. They love him so much. And I’m also going to reach out to my sons’ math teacher, Mr. Shipley. He cares so deeply about his students. He takes the time to send emails to parents giving us a heads up when a concept they covered in class was difficult for the kids. He lets us know what his plans are to provide support in the coming days. He wants kids to succeed. Break the silence. Who makes a positive impact in your life? Take some time to let them know. Here is your staff update for November 4th. What stops you from doing the things you want to do? [Hint: The answer is in the question.] Do you have the answer yet? I hope you will by the end of this blog... To answer this question truthfully depends on relationships, starting with the relationship you have with yourself. If you have an honest relationship with yourself, you look for a mirror and not a window when there’s a problem. Lao Tzu, the venerable Taoist philosopher, is credited with having said, “Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom.” We spend all day with ourselves, yet we often neglect to spend the time to reflect on what is working and what isn’t. We go through the motions. We are on “autopilot” as Tim Kight explains in R Factor. The relationship you have with yourself will help shape the relationships you have with others. When you are honest with yourself and willing to change attitudes and behaviors that are negative or unproductive, you begin to see your colleagues’ feedback as valuable and helpful. In Hilliard City Schools, we have a passion for growth. This value is anchored by three behaviors, one of which is being coachable. Our culture blueprint states, “Sometimes others see things we can’t. Other people often have insight we can benefit from; we are open to receiving ideas, thoughts, & feedback. We never assume. No matter how much we think we know, we always work hard to improve our understanding of the situation. We want our students to be coachable, but for that to happen we must be coachable.” As educators, we have a tremendous obligation to our students, families and community. We cannot meet this obligation without improving ourselves every day. We cannot improve until we can be honest with ourselves about what is working and what isn’t. Because we can’t always determine what’s working and what isn’t on our own, we must ask for help. We must be coachable. So, I ask you again… What stops you from doing the things you want to do? Here is your staff update for October 28th. staffupdate_october202016revised2.pdfstaffupdate_october202016revised.pdfLearning is messy. Wander into my classroom and get lost in a sea of crayons, pencils, scissors, and glue sticks. Books from the classroom library pile up in baskets on the tables as students hoard their favorites and refuse to put them away. Lost staples lay on the floor forgotten as students staple, rip apart, and restaple their latest stories. Remnants of eraser shavings, glue, and water colors stain the tables. Paper scraps, math manipulatives, and pencils litter the floor. These are the tools of learning.
Learning is loud. A buzz circulates my room as students read books aloud to themselves and others, sing along to song books, roll dice, and enthusiastically join in on read aloud melodies coming from iPads. Support teachers roll in and out like waves, gathering up students who need help and depositing them back again. These are the sounds of learning. Learning is risky. Every day I push my students to the edge, only to move the mark the next day so the goal remains just out of reach. Students think, raise their hands, share their ideas, revise their ideas, and learn from their mistakes. I ask them to do things they don’t know how to do, and to try their best, and to never give up. The frustration can sometimes well up on their faces, only to transform into wonder and excitement when things finally click. This is the work of learning. Learning is the reason for it all. Learning is the reason we must embrace risk, embrace loud, and embrace the MESS! Here is your staff update for October 20th. “Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today.” –Ted Huff
We’re on a journey as educators. Our journey is a marathon not a sprint. It can be a long, often times tedious and exhausting, but also rewarding and inspiring journey. It will take us up and down hills, through extreme heat and cold, over long stretches of flat land and everything in between. Marathon runners know that there are some miles that they have to force themselves to complete; those miles when their legs feel like jello and they don’t think they can take one more step. It’s in this part of the journey that marathon runners must control their thoughts and allow their minds to take over to power their bodies to keep moving forward. Our journey as educators isn’t very different from the journey that marathon runners take. We, too, must work through the hard parts, be in control of our thoughts, and continue to press forward when times are tough. What separates ELITE educators from the rest is that the ELITE will learn from yesterday but move forward to create an even better today. Ted Huff’s words have been playing through my mind for the past few weeks. He says, “Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today.” As we continue to put one foot in front of the other on our journey let us remember that our next step can be better than our last one. We have the power to press on and make each new moment we have with our students the best it can be for them. It’s easy to dwell on yesterday’s missteps or to second-guess our choices, but instead may we learn from yesterday and win each moment we have today. Here is your staff update for October 14th. |
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