Be Daring.

(courtesy wallpaperia.com)

The opportunities are limitless. In your role and the position you have, you make a difference in the lives of children and adults each and every day. The number of interactions you have with others is countless. Every moment of every day you have the ability to influence the mind and spirit of a child or adult and guide them on their journey in learning. It is an amazing responsibility.  

Whether as a teacher of students or an administrator of teachers, be reminded of the potential you have. Recognize the opportunities throughout your day to be bold. Dare to make a difference.

We have a gift. We are a gift. 

We have the gift to bring an experience to another person that is yearning for direction and knowledge. They may not ask, yet we deliver. We have each been tasked to make an impact. Do so with fearlessness.  

My daily checklist includes:

• Take a risk.
• Lead, follow. Change your role.
• Listen when you would typically speak.
• Share where you would normally listen.
• Embrace change.
• Ask questions.
• Follow your passion.
• Teach like you would want to learn.
• Inspire others.
• Foster relationships.
• Love what you do and who you serve.

Be daring. 

Dare to push yourself and be extreme in your teaching and leading. Step outside of your comfort zone. Push yourself personally and professionally. You'll be better for it.

Learning through Listening

I enjoy writing. Even more so, I enjoy reading what others share whether they are blogs or books. It is a reminder of the great minds that I am surrounded by on a daily basis. It coincides with the craft of listening. Pausing to hear the words of others.

Each time I come to the computer I am hoping I will write the post of all posts. Conjuring up ideas that will flood my brain and hoping the topic will come naturally as I begin to write. It is this writing that assists me in being reflective of the work I do. The journey has been intense.

Wanting to be eloquent with my words of reflection, there are often moments I turn to my peers for ideas and a direction. It is the work of others that often inspires me and what I write.

Today I was flooded with many amazing shares by members of my PLN. From near and far, I was provided moments of learning one post at a time. Sharing my day with you through some of these amazing writers, thinkers and leaders would be a gift all in itself.  I hope you enjoy their posts as much as I did.

Today was a day of learning through listening. Listening to the words of others. Enjoy.

Bobby Dodd and his advice on How to Get the Most Out of Your Blog is full of great suggestions that can be applied immediately. He suggests stretching your blog, and I agree, to grow your audience and more importantly your brain.

This post is designed to give you ideas on how to maximize your blog.  There are different areas of your blog you can use to maximize communication and help others.   

Let's look at some of the ways you can stretch your blog: 
Choosing the Platform Its important to have the right blogging platform.  You need to choose the right platform that fits your needs. Whether you choose WordPress, Blogger, Tumblr, or Medium (and there are others), choose the one that will enable you to do what you need it to do.  When I first began blogging, I used a blogging application set up in website my school district used.  It was limited in what it could do and my wife suggested I switch over to Blogger because of the ease of use.

Jennifer Hogan writes about Four Ways to Conquer Fear. She reminds us that rear is real and is an emotion we each have to deal with. Great suggestions within the post that will have you embrace fear, not hide from it.

Take a No-Excuses Approach. This requires a high level of self-awareness and honesty with self. It takes being able to recognize excuses and disregard them. Excuses can disguise themselves as reasons, like “I don’t have time,” or “That’s how we’ve always done it,” or “I’m too busy.” 
Sometimes it’s helpful to have someone call you out on your excuses. Find someone who can do this for you, and say “Thank You” when they point out your excuses. Then throw the excuses out the window and get on with whatever it is you are afraid to try or do.

Dennis Shug shares is perspective on the following: Is Leadership Style Born...or Made? This is a question that is asked time and time again as we fill roles that are associated with leadership in our districts. You will explore the concept of learned leadership.

See people as they are, but also how they can be. The best classroom teachers and school leaders are perceptive. They have a heightened sense and ability to simultaneously identify strengths, assess and target needs, and draw out potential in individuals and in groups of people. If you’ve ever taught a student to read, you can relate to the elation associated with this feeling. If you’ve ever coached teachers on improving classroom management, lesson design, or how to engage students at a high level, you understand this.

Greg Armamentos is eloquent with the post - The Precious Familiar in which he forces the reader to look at those around us in our work and the voice that we each carry. Non-traditional in his writing, you will be inspired what you read.

We’re funny, you and I. Always chasing those special moments, and treasured people. Until we have them. Then it is on, to the next. We allow the precious, to become familiar. Losing their luster, at least in our eyes, and our hearts.

Monica Moss shares her post I'm scared you won't love me anymore which reminds us exactly whey we got into the world of education, relationships. With this post you will pledge to yourself to dedicate each moment of each day to the students you serve.

The hardest part of my job is and will always be when I have to give consequences to a student who has broken the rules. Don't get me wrong. I know it's necessary, but sometimes it's difficult when you know the background of the child. I have been working closely with a child whose home life isn't like mine. So sometimes it isn't easy to understand what he is going through. However I have tried to spend more time listening. 

Ben Gilipin and his diving into the world of mental illness in the world of education with the post, Change by Addition. It is powerful in every sense of the word. This post will instill the blessings we are provided each day with the students and staff we are surrounded by.

The child that we all feel fear for.  The child that for little to no reason explodes.  The child that withdraws and is noticeably depressed.  The child that shows ZERO remorse. The child that has an emotional impairment.
During my time as a classroom teacher and now, principal, my most challenging issues have easily been students with an emotional impairment.  I can vividly remember each and every case.  I can still remember the meetings that lasted month after month after month with hardly any action...until... the blowup!

As you read these posts and others, make sure to comment within theirs or on mine if time permits. Feedback is something we model. As always, yours would be appreciated.

A Collective Effort

(courtesy hdscreen.me)

We can't do these jobs alone. The days are long, the work is hard and the reality is that we need each other in order to reach our goals.

Teachers are the greatest example of what a collective effort can get you. Team meetings, department time, hallway conversations and passing moments of engagement are all a testament to the power of dialogue.

Educators, like no other group of people in all my years of work, do it better than anyone else. Embracing each others ideas, showing the utmost respect and care for each other and unconditionally supporting one another during the best and worst of times is evident day in and day out.

As we head into the Ohio Middle Level Association State Conference, I am energized knowing I am surrounding myself with some of the best the region has to offer. These educators are being the given the opportunity to gather at a location set a side for some intense professional development and then take this knowledge back to their respective districts. The cycle continues. The ideas will travel. The collective effort will be showcased at this event.

I encourage you to take the time this week to reflect on your role in the collective effort. Think about the conversations you are having and what you bring to the table. Ensure that you are part of the team and moving the organization forward. Be a problem solver, a solution seeker, a lesson planner, a passion finder and a student-centered educator. Be a leader, an advocate and a listener.

Be a part of the collective efforts of those you work with. We are better for it.  Here is a quick video that reminds us of who teachers truly are.

Who Do You Follow?

(courtesy snowbrains.com)

Almost one year ago I wrote one of my first posts. (Blogging, Why Bother?) That was the start of my journey of using writing as a reflection to my work. To this day, and over 100 posts later, I am still writing and better for it.

Now, many months later, there is a new question that I am asking myself: Who Do I Follow?

Twitter has become an amazingly powerful tool when searching for growth in the professional world. It has become a part of my routine, like blogging, in an attempt to gain insight into what others are doing in their respective environments. Twitter has opened doors, created new friendships, fostered old ones and connected me to new ideas. It has brought me a sense of direction.

So I ask: Who Do You Follow?

(icons.mysitmyway.com)

Many evenings I scroll through my twitter feed and often find myself lost in the intellect of others. It is extremely impressive. For me, reading posts is my attempt at striving to be a better leader myself. It is imperative that I discover who I am, how I lead and how I can be better at it. What people share is a part of this process.

So, again, I ask: Who Do You Follow?

I do know that those that I follow are comprised from all levels of education and from the business world. They are teachers, students, parents, community members, district level personnel and beyond. They each have their own perspective, their own beliefs and their own reasons for being involved with Twitter and sharing what they do.

My answer? The people I follow are people like you. I follow those that inspire me each day. I follow those that challenge me and encourage me. I follow people that are passionate in their teaching and their learning. I follow educators, and alike, that listen and share and provide feedback to my work. I follow those who bring a perspective that I may not have considered. I follow those that have a desire to grow, learn and lead in what they do.

Who Do You Follow? It will be a lesson all in itself.

The Human Spirit

(Courtesy mgaresearch.com)

I am rather fortunate where I work. Very fortunate, actually. I have an extremely supportive group of colleagues that I spend each day with. We feed off of each others wisdom. My colleagues have passion.  These people care as much about what they teach as who they teach. They put kids first. They do "what is best for kids" in all aspects of their day. They care for their students. They love to teach.

The same goes for the colleagues that support our work from the district level. They provide guidance, ideas and most importantly, they trust us. They have our backs. And not the surface stuff either. They are the type that get in the trenches, pull back their sleeves and get messy with us. They are engaged leaders of leaders. They understand us. 

This climate, this culture, did not become this way overnight. This environment was not created by one person. In fact, it was a series of events all intertwined together over the course of time that leads us to where we are today. 

I believe in the human spirit and I share that belief with those around me. I am both the teacher and the pupil. I learn as much as I teach. I evolve in who I am and how I serve others. This is what I believe:

Embrace others.

Respect perspectives.

Admire a teachers will. 

Honor a students opinion.

Dream.

Listen.

Pay attention to what is happening around you.

Act in a manner that makes you a part of the possibilities of the organization.

Lead. Laugh. Learn.

As you have the opportunity to teach, guide or support others, what is it that will take your organization to this higher state of possibility? What shift needs to occur for your school, business or institution to become one that is filled with trust, encouragement, engagement and hope? 

My advice? Allow yourself and those around you to dream and dream big. Encourage risk taking. Model. Embrace your vision. Have passion. Believe.

Lessons from the Lodge

It is amazing what you can learn while sitting in a ski lodge.

My son and his buddy wanted to hit the slopes so I decided to take them a quick 45 minutes up the road and enjoy the day at an Ohio ski hill. Yes, a hill, it's Ohio. Not much for elevation change in the Central part of the state. None-the-less, the boys were about to have a blast.

Today I decided to sit this one out. They were both boarding and I, well, wanted them to take on the day how they saw best fit. "Next time", I said.

While sitting just inside the snow covered runs, I found myself engrossed in small talk with those around me. Most of us were doing the same thing. We had each decided to allow our kids to take to the lifts and enjoy the day being on their own. We were fostering our children's passion to ski while also allowing them to dive into their independence. This became my lesson for the day.

Giving our children their independence is not easy. For so many years we spread our wings and shelter our young from the "real world" that sitting back and letting them face daily obstacles is challenging to say the least. I gazed out the window frequently hoping to catch a glimpse. It wasn't to be. They were up, and down, the slopes too quick for my eye to see.

As parents, we share similar sentiments when it comes to our hopes and goals for their success. We want them to conquer their fears, take on the challenges that lie in front of them and be strong in their will to improve. The hill became the metaphor to my desire to want them to succeed. To those I conversed with, we each strive for our children to reach the peak of their potential.

We are proud of our children's accomplishments and brag on them endlessly. We each take great pride in what our children can do. When given the opportunity we share with others all that they have done in school, with their interests and their passions. That gives us great satisfaction of our jobs as parents. For every moment of parental challenges, today was an opportunity to reflect on all we have done right.

As you enjoy your winter of spending time with your children or those you impact through your teaching, remember that every day you are making a difference in their lives. No moment is to simple and no conversation just words. Each breathe of each day is a lesson all by itself. So, whether in the classroom or on the slopes, encourage them take risks, overcome obstacles and move beyond the "bunny hill". Great things await them and we as adults can't wait to sit around and brag on them while sitting in the lodge.

Getting Organized. Avoid the Overload

Recently I was having a rather intense conversation with a few colleagues about the amount if information we are each asked to process on any given day. Before I go any farther, let me emphasize it was a very collaborative and positive part of our day.

Each day we have a list of tasks to complete. It doesn't matter who we are or what we do. If we get out of bed and head into an office, school building or job site, we have plenty to keep us busy. In order to complete the day worth of work, there is going to be a multitude of opportunities to offer direction, guidance or even an opinion on how exactly that work should be accomplished.

In today's world we all know that the information comes from a variety of sources. Email, the internet, texts, phone calls and the office door will each be a part of the daily routine. There will not be one minute of any day that there is not information coming toward you, at you and in front of you. We sit at computers, have phones on our hips and we are always a click away.

Therefore, we have to find a way to maintain that information and organize it so that we can ensure we are being most productive. It is essential, if we want to find success, to develop a system to make sure that the information coming in is sorted, filed and becomes a part of our success.

The suggestions are simple, following through on staying organized, not so much. Personally, I like the list method. Archaic at that, it works for me. And now, we can keep electronic lists through all sorts of apps like Evernote and Dropbox. However, don't feel like you need to abandon all the old methods, for some, a pen and post-it works like a charm. And that works too.

If you are the type of person that will most likely head to your smartphone to document thoughts, meetings and must-do's, here are some great suggestions (which many already use) from Appdevice.com to get you started:

https://itunes.apple.com/US/app/id412693531?mt=8

https://itunes.apple.com/US/app/id281796108?mt=8

https://itunes.apple.com/US/app/id364899302?mt=8

https://itunes.apple.com/US/app/id406750496?mt=8

https://itunes.apple.com/US/app/id534982023?mt=8

For the fifty minutes or so that we had time to converse, I most likely gained hundreds of minutes back in the days, weeks and months ahead with our brainstormed solutions. Taking the minutes on the front end to stay on top of work is essential to maintain a feeling of not being overwhelmed on the back end of the day. Getting organized with all of the information of any given day is essential.

Make sure to visit AppAdvice for a complete list of Apps for getting organized.