Category: Vision for the Future

But First: Support

And sometimes support looks like making copies of the reading for people and subbing in classrooms. I believe so deeply in this work that I am willing to do whatever it takes to remove barriers. I subbed in a classroom last week, and I think I'm a better leader because of it. The further we are from the classroom and the day-to-day of our schools, the less clear we become about the support that is really needed. This is also why teacher and student voices are critical in the continuous improvement process. To my administrator friends, put on your sneakers, get out of your office, roll up your sleeves, and help out.

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Let’s Be Fireflies

This work is hard. This work is important. This work is made better when we leverage the strengths of teammates and work together to design learning experiences.

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Get Your Pink Back

Perhaps our schools need a little less hustle in certain areas, so we can give a little more heart. Perhaps school would feel more alive with learning if we felt a little more alive in our work. Perhaps we could see more of the beauty in others if we didn't sacrifice the beauty within ourselves. So, during this time of summer savor, maybe next school year is less about what you can do better and more about how to enjoy more. Maybe.

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Uncovering Good

As we move into what I hope is a relaxing and less intensely scheduled summer for many of us, ask yourself what went right. Ask yourself who helped make it so. And let's nurture the people and conditions that give us hope for tomorrow.

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Educators, I see you.

What we look for, we find. It's easy to overcomplicate things in education, but some of the most important moves we make...as I mention in my upcoming book...are quite simple and impactful. The key is quieting the noise, so we can stay close to what matters most. How we feel in the work impact how others feel in the work and all of this impacts how the work actually goes.

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Kids These Days

One of the best things we can do for students is to spend time being truly present with them. Enjoy them, connect with them, encourage them, grow their skills, and celebrate them. Nourish their unique gifts and talents and help them believe deeply in themselves and their ability to make a positive difference. Our students are our hope. But they need hope themselves. Hope that tomorrow can be better than today and that they will have the skills necessary to make tomorrow better than today.

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Writing Grows Our Humanity

My hope for all of us is that we are brave enough to ask big questions of ourselves and the world. As Adam Grant says, "We laugh at people who still use Windows 95, yet we still cling to the opinions we formed in 1995." Writing is a great strategy for growing our thinking and humanity.

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To The Ones Who Show Up

I know one thing for sure - it's how we show up for ourselves and each other that really matters in the end. What a beautiful opportunity we have to impact the world through small moments with others. Let's treat others and these moments like they are special. Because they are.

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Asset-Based Experiences

Finally, we spend a lot of time starting with deficits in schools. We shoot ideas down because we can think of reasons why something won't work. We focus on learning deficits in classrooms and on state assessments. We talk a lot about what we aren't seeing. Our kids need to know how to read and think critically. I'm not arguing that. However, no one is inspired by a relentless focus on their deficits. I learned from my good friend, Dr. Tim Kubik, it can be more powerful to focus instead on what assets we do indeed have. The strengths and skills and special talents that students and teachers bring into schools every day are endless. If we were to spend more energy amplifying the good instead of diagnosing the not so good, I think the energy in our schools would change.

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