What I Wish for You

December is the last month of the year.  In teacher world, we often think it's June.  Unfortunately, the holidays have a funny way of making things unusually hectic and causing people (myself included) to always keep looking ahead for "What's next?"

In terms of leadership this week, I've been seeing clues everywhere telling me to slow down, to stop looking ahead of the curve and instead, take time to enjoy the moment.  So in a time that prompts anxiety to get everything done, here are lessons that called out to me.

1) This is a photo I often stare at in the Guidance Office of my school:  "Between stimulus and response, there is a space.  In that space is our power to choose our response."  - Victor Frankel

Amazing. 

I often think about how many unexpected incidents that arise in our daily schedules as educators and I notice how hard it must be for administrators to be given a role of being held accountable to situations that are beyond their control.  My big take away from this quote is simply believing that the one constant is how we can always control the way we respond to each situation.

2) In closing out this year, I saw a quote from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl that embodies the spirit of being open-minded... and to "watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places."  

Take time to slow down, look around, and actively search for the secrets hidden in the most unlikely places.  Recently, I have felt that these treasures are not all that "hidden" and have always been right there in plain sight.

My stake in the ground: "Those who don't believe in magic will never find it."  This applies to everything in leadership.  Open your eyes, your ears, and your mind.  Opportunity is right there for you.  Once you see it, muster up the courage to seize it. You will never regret trying. 

3) Lastly, the most important lesson I learned this week is "Greatness is not what you have, but what you give."  Servant Leadership at its best is not thinking twice to give your time and effort to others.  This year, I am extremely grateful for those who gave me their time thus making me stronger and kinder.  For that, I am eternally grateful.  

 So as we close out the last month of the year, my wish for you is to have more opportunities.  More opportunities to enjoy the moment.  More opportunities to find those hidden treasures and most of all, more opportunities to experience the joy of giving during this holiday season.  

Have a wonderful Holiday Season and here's to a New Year of even more possibilities.

The Necessary Balance~ Consensus vs. Capacity Building

My colleague and I were discussing the difference and importance of capacity building versus consensus building; both of which are wholly important to leadership.

Upon reflection, I am struck at how each plays such an important part in establishing and maintaining a balance in the culture of any organization.

Jimmy Casa's words come to mind:

Consensus

What I took away from this tweet is that in establishing the mission, the vision, the values, and goals of the school/ district, the process must engage all stakeholders (consensus building).

In order to sustain this vision, however, there must be fidelity to allocating resources and strategies that will enable the group to move forward towards that mission (capacity building).

As a Teacher Leader, I find that making decisions that support the mission and the vision often yields results that stand the test of time.  This process of sifting is what will sustain the work and propel the team to perform at a much higher level.

For me, the following questions I find to be useful to keep in mind are: What attitudes, behaviors, and commitments will we need to promote, protect, and defend if we are going to fulfill our mission?  

1. To what do we allocate our resources? 

2. What behaviors are we modeling and willing to confront? 

3. What do we monitor and celebrate?

These questions are what focuses my PLC work.  Richard Dufour mentions quite often in many of his books at how easy it is to get sidetracked or take shortcuts. For my reflections this weekend, I hope to become a stronger leader by keeping this balance in mind.

A Culture Built With Synergy

I was reflecting this weekend and had to blog about two powerful statements that really resonated with me this week.

David Guerin (@DavidGeurin) tweeted this statement:

D. Guerin Tweet

I have had the privilege of working in one of the very best districts in New Jersey.  It is no accident that I am such a strong leader because of the many leaders (admin. and other teacher leaders alike) who paved the way for me, guided me, and supported me.  For that, I am eternally grateful.

To delve deeper, what I think so many (people) miss is that they don't need an official invitation to lead.  There is so much work to be done.  Taking initiative, being willing plus having the outlet to enact change is what proves to be the main ingredients to build a capacity of leaders.

This statement also reminds me of the many posts that Jimmy Casas (@casas_jimmy) tweets about Teacher Leadership and "carrying the banner."  To me, his statements ring true that all teachers are capable of make a change and thus, everyone should be leading.

This profession is a give and take.  A relationship is built, strengthened, and sustained because of how much each party gives and how little they take for granted.

The other tweet that resonated with me, I credit to my Instructional Supervisor, Greg Jablonski (@gjablonski24 ) who wrote:

G. Jablonski Tweet

I found this quiet powerful because everyone who contributes, small or big, allows the entire team to move forward.  What energizes me is the thought of collaborating to benefit the students, whom we are ultimately here to serve.

Through my reflections this weekend, one word that jumps out at me is synergy.   Synergy is defined as "the interaction of two or more agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate parts."  What a wonderful word to have in any school culture. 

Thank you, David, Jimmy, and Greg for all your insights. 

Leaders are Readers

My PLN friend David Guerin (@davidguerin) once tweeted to me that "Leaders are Readers."  The phrase has stuck with me ever since.  Just this past summer, I set a goal for myself to read 5,500 pages because, after years of being sidetracked having children and life in general, I desperately needed to get back into the groove of becoming an avid reader once again.

As I read book after book, I found myself learning more about myself.  Some of the many important "stakes in the ground" are these:

1.  Reading strengthens you as a professional.  It is undeniable that many of us get stuck in the day-to-day managerial tasks that push us away from reading.  It is, however, our moral imperative to read as much as possible and to be constant learners.  Our children deserve this.

2.  Reading exponentially increases your empathy.  I read countless numbers of fiction among the stack of PD books to mix it up.  I found strength in strong characters that morally stood up against evil but on another hand found myself angry at how often atrocities repeat itself throughout history.

This empathy made me approach people and situations with softer mannerisms.  Reading taught me kindness and to first seek to understand people without judging them.  Everyone is carrying a weight on their own shoulder.

3. Reading gave me many hidden lessons in leadership.  After reading so many books, I found that what I might find to be trivial, could mean the whole world to someone else.  As a leader, it is important to validate every person's concern.  What to you might seem like a small problem, could mean a bigger issue for someone else.

4. Reading made me appreciate what I have. Many protagonists in novels that I read dealt with so much trauma, had so little and dealt with it all with grace.  This made me reflect on the importance of striking a balance in all aspects of my life and made me be more grateful for every opportunity offered to me. 

5. Reading grows your creativity as a problem-solver.  I take comfort in reading and consider it as my superpower.  Every book I read was a gem that helped shape my way of thinking and has helped me developed and grow my creativity.  I am hoping to instill this in my students.  This year, I am including books to have them read for pleasure and am having them blog as a reflective tool.  It is my sincere wish that they too secretly find the world of reading to be immensely fulfilling.

To end this post, I am continuing the challenge to myself to read more and grow as a leader.  The two books that I want to read is Rethinking Homework (2nd Ed.) by Cathy Vatterott.  I find the debate about homework fascinating and hope to learn more about it.  Many stressors arise from homework and I feel it necessary to learn more about the issue as an entry point to examining the bigger picture of assessment and curriculum.

Second is a bit of a heavier "textbook" read, called The Principal's Guide to Special Education (3rd Ed) by Bateman.  This book I chose in particular after I attended a conference where students spoke openly about how frustrated they were in not being able to understand their accommodations.  To me, we have to do better.

In conclusion, please tweet me book suggestions to add to my ever growing lists of books to read.  I absolutely love recommendations.  Below are a few books that I have ordered and hope to dive into in the near future.  Happy Reading!

Commitment in this Netflix Generation

My mother who recently discovered Facebook has been sending me quite a steady stream of videos.  Videos related to cooking but mainly videos of graduation speeches.   It's no surprise that this past June, I found my inbox with an abundance of the inspiring speeches.  I still find myself catching up on watching them.

One commencement video that stood out to me was about a man who addressed a group of soon to be college graduates and spoke to the importance of "being doers" in a society that will overfill their cup with options.   He continued to use the analogy of the "Netflix Generation."

This generation he remarked is constantly bombarded with so many options in front of them, that scrolling through them, it renders them incapable of selecting a movie after having spent thirty or more unfulfilled minutes surveying their options.  "Might as well go to bed," was the bold statement he made.   

Image from: https://bit.ly/2MnAiCE 

His message is clear.  What his hope for this generation is that "we" (collectively) do not fear to make a commitment.  Not only to commit to our family, relatives or spouses but to each other (as humans, as colleagues, as friends).

Somehow, this generation unintentionally limited itself by having too much in front of them.  The danger of this lies in finding ourselves more disengaged and numb to seeking out unforgettable experiences.  Scroll, scroll and scroll some more.

The remedy he proposed was simple:  Make a commitment, invest time and energy in where you find  passion, and don't be afraid to "push the button."  Learn by doing.  The world offers an abundance of opportunities.  Experiences, however, are rewarded only to those who are willing to take that leap.

My motto for this school year will follow his lead.  I will "learn by doing" and take the leap to experience new opportunities, even if it makes me uncomfortable; Actually, especially if it makes me uncomfortable. 

As for my goals this year, I resolve to stop doing for others what they can do for themselves.    This year, I hope to gain more valuable experiences in the company of others who are not afraid to commit.  I hope that in developing into a stronger Teacher Leader, that I gain more relationships and find a tribe of people equally committed to helping me grow.  

So, thanks, Mom! That video was great.

Building Capacity of Teacher Leaders

The definition of Teacher Leadership is multifaceted.  The point of this blog is to encourage fellow educators to continue their work in extending themselves to be leaders inside and outside of their classroom.

Teacher Leaders have an influence on students, other teacher leaders, and administrators.  Work must be done to develop and sustain them.

 There is no answer to build capacity that is wholesale.  You must be patient in your work to understand that persistence will get you to where you want to be; consistency will allow you to sustain the work or mindset that you hope to impart.

The approach that I have learned to build a capacity of Teacher Leaders is one teacher at a time.

I think a lot about this, especially when I see how easy it is to take shortcuts.  If you truly want to sustain the mindset overtime and exponentially build capacity, expecting everyone to "immediately subscribe" to your vision is not a goal to have in mind.

Instead, look to grow the tree and not focus on how many leaves are on your limbs.  Yes, growing a tree takes time.  Often, many give up or lose focus because of the lack of instantaneous acceptance of the mission.

Success, failure, and relationships are often words that are most readily used in Educational Leadership.  But I argue, that patience, consistency, and discipline are often key components that will allow you to build a strong foundation to build a capacity of Teacher Leaders. 

From The Man Who Planted Trees 

From Brainy Quotes

What have we accomplished this year that helped others grow?

This month, the #CompelledTribe theme is about ways to renew, recharge, or rejuvenate relationships with students and/or staff during the last quarter of the school year. 

This theme took me a long time to think through because it made me reflect on my own professional growth this year and it made me sad to think that the scholastic year is coming to a close.   It's bittersweet to think that in just two months I am going to have to take a break.  

Yes, breaks are great.  Summer is awesome.  However, in my thirteenth year of teaching, I know that having an "amazing year" does not come too often.  

This year is one that I pushed myself to grow professionally and personally.  I credit my accomplishments to having joined Twitter and made connections with amazing groups of leaders, educators, and authors who fueled my passion for reading and learning.  

I understand that the year-end does not necessarily mean I have to stop learning and growing but I am going to frame it as a time to allow me to reflect and celebrate my accomplishments and gear up for the work that needs to be done for next year. 

I do acknowledge that maybe not everyone is having a great year and there are people who are looking forward to summer break as a way to disconnect and recharge.  That's ok.  There is nothing wrong with wanting that at the end of the year.  

What I do hope that happens, however, is that we deliberately ask ourselves-- What have we accomplished this year that allowed others around us to grow?  What has brought us joy this year and what have we done that can be celebrated?  

Even those students and teachers who struggle academically, personally, and professionally would benefit from thinking introspectively about their own growth.  

In "Start. Right. Now" a book by Whitaker, Casas, and Zoul, they write about the influence you have to make those around you feel inspired.  In addition to thinking about your own growth, I challenge you to think about how you contributed to the growth of others by the attitude you chose to have.  Everyone has the capacity to lead and I hope that as a result of your reflection, you push yourself to make more positive and deliberate changes to the people and environment around you. 

The act of celebrating is something that should be done to put a closure to the end of the year.  I look forward to having conversations with students and colleagues to celebrate their positive accomplishments, large or small.  Although I am not looking to end the year yet, I have to say that this year goes down in my book as one of my favorites.  I hope that it is the same for you as well.  Keep being great and have a wonderful end of the year. 

Learning How to Rest and Not to Quit

I'm writing this post to think through a hardship I encountered leading a PLC.

Many books on Instructional and Educational Leadership that I have read give really great advice on how to be a great leader, but very few actually give you guidance on when to stop a project because you feel like it's causing more harm than good.

I am by no means a quitter.  I absolutely understand that grit and resilience are factors that allow a group of people to make a change.  Especially in the hardest of times when you feel like it's going nowhere. 

But thinking this through, where do you draw the line between grit and just plain too stubborn to stop?

It's no secret every leader has faced self-doubt.  I wonder though, is self-doubt your subconscious telling you that you are headed in the wrong direction? I don't have the answer to that.

I guess it is normal to feel the urge to quit.  Leading has always been messy.  Hopefully, clarity will present itself after a break away from it.  Disconnecting might just be the answer that I need.

The quote below does resonate with me... although I have to admit I don't think my leadership capabilities are there yet.

Teacher Leadership: What We Give, Is What We Get

Return On Investment (ROI)

"Everyone is a Leader.  So Then Why Doesn't Everyone Lead?" was a blog post by Jimmy Casas (@casas_jimmy) on March 11, 2018.

First, I echo Mr. Casas' sentiments completely.  I firmly and strongly believe in the concept of Teacher Leadership and their ability to influence Administrators, their colleagues, and other respective Teacher Leaders (in addition to their students).

No doubt about it, Teacher Leaders are the linchpins that influence culture and contribute to the health and well-being of any school.   "So why then doesn't everyone lead?"

What I have come to conclude is that it has everything to do with the relationship and investment the district is willing to put into training their teachers for this role.

The concept of a "return on investment" hit home for me when I realized just what the role of a Teacher Leader potentially 'returns.'

Teacher Leadership: It's a commitment.  A mindset.  An Art of Teaching, Coaching, and Leading.  A dedication not only to Instructional Leadership but to Servant Leadership as well.  The list goes on.

The above that I mention are just some of the "returns on the investment"  a district would benefit, or gain by investing in its teachers.

If sustaining Teacher Leadership is indeed a mutual "invest and return" principle that I just mentioned, what is the district or school leader willing to invest in their teachers to become leaders?

What resources and time are they willing to commit to foster this relationship?  What promotions are they willing to give their Teacher Leaders?  How do they, collectively, foster them so this mindset generates a staying power to create more Teacher Leaders?

Yes, all teachers are leaders.  Yes, everybody should be leading.  However, the relationship and investment that I mentioned previously have to be there on both sides.

It's a marriage.  Plain and simple.  Both parties cannot commit 50/50.  Instead, both need to invest in each other 100%.  That's how a healthy relationship can persevere and sustain a strength-based approach to leading and learning that is symbiotic.

The commitment to be a leader is demanding.  This role leaves any teacher open to criticism as doers and overachievers by their peers because they have no official administrative title.

Below is a quote that answers how to promote Teacher Leadership in any school.

If you are interested in reading further about Teacher Leadership:  Is Your District Striving or Sustaining, read my previous post here.

Teacher Leadership and the Ideal Classroom

Learner-Centered Innovation: Week 2, Season 4 #IMMOOC

Image via DevOps

Dr. Katie Martin expresses that, "teacher leaders can serve as linchpins that move systems and structures to a culture of learning and make a significant impact for those they serve."

The way that I try to create and improve my innovation ecosystem is to lead and participate in a bridging committee between the Middle School and High School World Languages Department.  Yes, it is rewarding, but it might just be the most frustrating educational experience I have ever participated in.

Vertical and horizontal alignment buzzwords aside, it's been a rocky road from the beginning.  I was so ill-prepared on how to lead it, this year we had no other alternative than to hit the reset button. Mission Impossible commences.

Slowly though, we are moving together and paving a path of least resistance.

One reason I am so obsessed with this PLCs is that I strongly believe in the concept of Teacher Leadership and Collective Teacher Efficacy as being the most effective denominator of student achievement.

For me, this is a non-negotiable and PLCs are exactly the strength-based teacher driven change that Dr. Martin mentioned in her book.  This is my way of trying to improve my ecosystem.  Despite major setbacks we experienced as a team, I will not give up.  Our work is too important.


The question was posed of what does our ideal classroom look like?

There are so many factors and @RichViolanti's post nailed it when he writes these tenants:

What's Your Message, By Richard Violanti 

In addition to his list, I would look for a teacher whose passion clearly shines.  The classroom is nothing but a vessel if there is no one passionate about what they are learning and creating.

Below is also a picture of George Couros' 8 Things to Look for in Today's Classroom:

______________________

Teacher Burnout and Finding a Balance

The struggle between teacher burnout and finding a balance is an absolute constant in this profession.

With the unrealistic demands made on teachers and leaders alike, (oversized classes, grading, paperwork, and duties, etc.) the need to find ways to cope with how to spend our time and energy needs to be brought to the forefront when we examine school culture.

Teacher-student relationships are jeopardized when teacher burnout is apparent.  Our mood affects the culture of our classrooms and school, so this balance is imperative to find.  Most important, we must examine the real issue and not just apply bandage solutions. If, for example, grading burns you out, then a close examination of pedagogy is what needs to be addressed. 

While each situation is different for each person, the fight against burnout can be curbed through a diligent prioritizing of keeping students at the core of our practice.  One who finds this balance is compelled to work beyond proposed limits.

Dr. Amy Fast's (@fastcrayon) book "It's the Mission, Not the Mandates," echoes this statement when she advocates knowing your "why" so that your work becomes meaningful and purposeful; Consequently, those who know their "why" are those who do not regard their role as a vocation, but an avocation and have heightened resilience to burnout.

The truth behind this post, however, is that the chase for this balance is the same as the pursuit of happiness.  You have to work at it constantly and consistently to procure and sustain it.

Below are two great comments that contribute to the discussion of balance:

1) Teacher Kareem Farah (@kareenfarah) tweeted, "Teacher burnout can be a consequence of exhaustion but also a result of stagnation.  It is critical that districts develop teacher leadership that keeps great teachers in the classroom but allows them to elevate and scale their expertise."

Yes, the notion of teacher leadership hits home for me.  On any given staff, there are always the race boats, the sailboats, and the anchors.  Giving others too little to do is just as harmful as giving others too much to do.

2) "Give teachers their planning time.  We NEED that uninterrupted time every day.  There's so much pressure for technology-rich lessons, parent/ community contact, and relationship building, but there's no time to do it all in one day." (Kaitlyn Yvonne, @MrsEdMath)

These two tweets summarize the dichotomy within a culture that can be found in every school.  As teachers and leaders, we are those who care for others.  Therefore, we must be cognizant that we take care of ourselves first and foremost before we are able to effectively take care of others.


Personal Resiliency and The Basics of Self-Care

A question was posed in an #Edutopiachat on how you would approach a teacher who is burnt out. My answer is "approach with empathy and an open ear, some coffee and a nonjudgmental attitude," but what I neglected to add was patience.

It is my hope that we retain the great teachers in this field.  There is so much to do and we need teachers to fight the good fight.  Don't give up.

Below is a list to help you achieve this balance: 

Eat
Sleep
Drink water
Move
Connect
Pause
Acknowledge
Reflect
(Repeat)

2 hours ago

The Greater Purpose of Schools

#InnovatorsMindset Blog Challenge Week 1

What do you see as the purpose of education?  Why might innovation be crucial in education? "Change is an opportunity to do something amazing."  How are you embracing change to spur innovation in your own context? 

Picture From George Couros 

It can be said that morality encompasses fairness, altruism, and empathy.  These are what is considered crucial to our notion of humanity and what sets us apart from beasts.

The purpose of education is to empower students to be contributors to society and to give students the drive to care for others besides themselves.

Activating a student's internal drive is one purpose that I hope to embrace this year.  Creating ways to get students passionate about a worthy cause is something that sparks students' intrinsic motivation to learn, to grow, and to ultimately be a leader.

Innovation is crucial to education because if we settle and continue to teach in the traditional academic mindset, it will absolutely crush curiosity.

Therefore, as educators, we must sieze every opportunity to innovate ourselves.  If not, then we are not only fundamentally failing our students but our society as well.

I hope to push myself this year to model the behavior of being the continuous learner.  We are tasked with making our students academically proficient-- but we must prioritize students understanding that they must leave school with a greater purpose, their "why," and to share their legacy with the world.

"You can't make anyone change"... But what you can do is create those conditions for them to "unleash their talents" and passion.

Innovator's Mindset, by George Couros #IMMOOC, Season 4

Twitter Bootcamp! Grow your Professional Learning Network

This is an amazing opportunity to grow your PLN.  Every Educational Leader, Instructional Coach, and Teacher benefit from Twitter because it is such an amazing tool to use for professional growth. 

It also puts you in contact with experts in the teaching field from all over the world, offering fresh ideas for everything from student engagement to differentiated instruction to conflict resolution.  

Take advantage of Jennifer Hogan's Twitter Bootcamp starting up soon.  She is a must follow on Twitter (@Jennifer_Hogan)    

I can't tell you how much this Bootcamp means to me.  I first started Twitter in September of this year with barely anyone in my PLN.  After this boot camp, Jennifer helped me expand my PLN.  

Here are the numbers after I took from her Bootcamp:

Your Tweets earned 238.1K impressions over this 28 day period

Amazing right!! Numbers speak for themselves.  What I loved the most, however, was all the relationships that I gained through this experience.   

I'm proud to be joining and getting to know this new cohort starting soon.  So, dive right in!!! You have all to gain and nothing to lose.  

The next 21 Day Twitter Bootcamp starts March 5th!! Click here for the {{link}}.



Image from @sylviaduckworth

PLCs: It's okay to hit the "reset" button

My district is in year 3 of PLCs.  I love the concept of a PLC.  Maybe even borderline obsessed with a hint of crazy about it.

Since our district is at its nascent stage of the process, I used Learning By Doing: A Handbook for Professional Learning Communities at Work (DuFour, DuFour, Easker, Many, 2010) to help guide me.

Here are the main takeaways from this book that helped me understand more about PLCs:

1.  The PLC is not a program, it is a mindset.  It's an on-going and continuous process that has a profound impact on the culture of the school.  You know your PLC is in trouble when teachers think its a mandate, not a mindset.  Everyone needs to be all hands on deck.

2. Understand the Professional, Learning, and Community in PLC.

"Professional"-  implies that the work of professionals is rooted in best practice.
"Learning"- the highest levels of learning for all students is significantly impacted by the quality of adult learning.  Teachers have a moral imperative to keep learning.
"Community"- that collaborative teams are a must for ensuring the highest levels of learning.

3. Interdependence is a keyword.  Teachers cannot work in isolation or independently, nor should teachers be depending on other teachers to do all the work.  In order for everyone to take ownership of the process, promote the concept of teacher leaders working interdependently and collaboratively.

3.  The team is not a PLC. The PLC is the school community and the team is the engine that drives that improvement.  Whose driving?  Teacher Leaders!  This concept is huge for me.

Teacher Leaders are instrumental in facilitating meetings, not Administrators. As a balance, having an Instructional Coach to help guide you is imperative.  I benefited from the guidance of having many planning and feedback sessions from both my phenomenal Instructional Coaches to make sure the PLC was on track.

4. Begin with the "Why?" to establish the mission.  A lot of times teachers confuse this with the "how?"

The team needs to start with a shared fundamental purpose for the PLC and then only after that can they collectively establish the vision (the What?) and the values (the How?) to meet the goal.

They are known as the four pillars:

5. Norms are necessary as well as a protocol when conflict arises.  Luckily, we have not had any Fight Club scenes and hopefully, it never gets to that point.

6. Ground your work on four questions to drive collective inquiry and action research:  Learning By Doing (DuFour, DuFour, Easker, Many, 2010) has them listed as:

• What is it that we want our students to know and be able to do?
• How will we know if each student has learned it?
• How will we respond when some students do not learn it?
• How will we extend the learning for students who have demonstrated proficiency? 

The above should be the go-to questions for teachers.  The PLC leaves teachers inherently vulnerable when sharing their work, so it helps to keep the focus on student learning and not the mentality of "why weren't students taught this last year."  Keep the entire process as positive as possible.

There are so many things that are inextricably linked that its hard to give a silver bullet answer to what makes a PLC work.  The process is messy and you have to give yourself permission to hit the reset button.

Also, I firmly believe in giving teachers a manual that helps guide them through the process.  I have spent hours learning about this process and in keeping a commonality of understanding for the entire district, a book or handouts is a must.

________________
Learning By Doing: A Handbook for Professional Learning Communities at Work (DuFour, DuFour, Easker, Many, 2010) is a wonderful resource to have a guide you.   Another resource I used was Every School, Every Team, Every Classroom by Robert Eaker & Janel Keating, which is also a title from Solution Tree.

           

My Message to My Younger Self: Know your "Why?"

Dr. Amy Fast tweeted this on January 21, 2018.  I loved it so much that I went back on her twitter feed just to search for this quote and after what felt like going through a thousand tweets, I found it. Yup, I know. I'm crazy.

But I have to tell you.  This question has been and probably will be permanently stuck in my mind.

A couple of months ago, our Instructional Supervisors led a faculty meeting that asked us the same question.  I was intrigued.  Besides my first initial hiring interview 13 years ago, I can promise you that no one has ever asked that of me since.

But if you are like me-- borderline obsessed with Twitter-- you would have absolutely seen similar quotes that not only demands you know your "why?" but also urges you to inspire the heck out of your students to know theirs.

Let's go back to the question then.  "What's your why?... Why are we here?"

As I sat in the auditorium after school, drained, and exhausted, we were asked those two questions.  I remember rummaging through my brain for what I thought was the correct answer to my Supervisors' questions.  My only response at the moment,  "Oh, God, please don't call on me."  Lame, right?

Such a simple question really.

Yesterday, I picked up Empower: What Happens When Students Own Their Learning by John Spencer and A.J. Juliani.  In their initial chapters, they remind us that throughout a student's 12-13 years of school, they would have received 14 THOUSAND hours of instruction.  That's 840,000 minutes no matter how you slice it.

It's quite shocking really. I am in my 13th year of teaching.  This message clearly hit home for me.   I have taught as long as an entire course of one child's educational tenure.

I have spent 14 thousand hours educating children.  But oh, what a privilege it has been.  After all of these years, I am even more passionate about my profession.

"Choose a profession that you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life."  I love being a teacher and it is my hope we continue to elevate it as a noble vocation.

My "why?" has somewhat changed during these past thirteen years but I always come back to this.

My "why?" is to empower all my students to find what they are passionate about and to not only stop there, but to make sure they feed it, nurture it, and then share it with the world.

My message to my younger self is this:

"Empowering students means giving kids the knowledge and skills to pursue their passions, interests, and future."  - Bill Ferriter via Empower.

I'm a firm believer in this.  If we are cognizant that a student spends 400 minutes per day in our schools, how are we empowering them to take ownership of what they find interesting?

I am sure my "why" is different from yours.  But, this is the most important lesson that I learned:

We all know "the what" of our profession, but know your "why" so that your "what" has more impact because you are working towards a purpose.

My younger self would respond:  "Thank you.  Be kind to yourself.  Continue to dedicate yourself to the kids you teach. There is plenty of work to be done."

-Simon Sinek

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Dr. Amy Fast (@fastcrayon) is a must follow on Twitter.  She's inspiring and I love her message. Her book is called It's the Mission, Not the Mandates: Defining the Purpose of Public Education. 

Empower: What Happens When Students Own Their Learning by John Spencer and A.J. Juliani is a must read.  Such a fun and inspiring book.  Truly a "pick me up" kind of book.  Highly recommend.