My Turn - Be More Dog!

I am ready. I am motivated. I am inspired. It's my time. Time to "Be More Dog"!

If you have seen a common thread with the reference to "Be More Dog" then you are reading the work of The Compelled Tribe. We are writers. More importantly, we are educators. And even more important than that, we are educators that are committed to reflecting about our work through sharing of our experiences and being transparent in our success AND our failures.

So, what does it mean to "Be More Dog"? Well, start with this quick video. Recently I was able to share with this video among other "stuff" along side of Jennifer Hogan, my Compelled Tribe colleague, as we were presenting to educators about the craft of blogging, reflecting and sharing while at the NASSP Ignite Conference back in February.

Now that you have watched the video and had a moment to soak it in, here is how I will "Be More Dog" in the months ahead:

• I will own my professional development as I continue to support my teachers in their work with their students. As I challenge myself to this growth I will encourage others to come along with me and show them them the amazing results that can be gained by committing to this learning.

• I will dive deeper into relationships with stakeholders and ensure that I am purposeful in my interactions. I will demonstrate how those relationships support the work that we do. These relationships will catapult us to great things. 

• I will not allow others to negatively impact my spirit. I will share my work as I proudly talk about my story and my schools story. I will wear my passion on my sleeve and I will demonstrate through my actions what our teachers and students bring to their school every day of every week.

• I will share my failures with my colleagues as I make them and not after I make them. If I stumble, I will pick myself up. I will learn and I will be better for it. If I ask others to do just that, I will do the same myself. I will model.

• I will live each day do the fullest with my teachers, my students, my community and my family. I will find balance in what I do. There are 24 hours in a day and 7 days in a week. I will be purposeful and I will be present. I owe that to those that I spend my life with.

To me, "Be More Dog" means to get out of routine. It means that we must explore the paths that we are on and determine if there are opportunities out there that we are missing. Eyes open. Hearts beating. Confidence coming through. Who we are is a great thing to be but imagine if we take the passion of this cat and explore the options of being more dog.