Thrivapy: Live, Learn, Have Fun

M y experiences with professional learning opportunities have taught me a few things. The more personal the experience, the better. Recyclable experiences (those that can be used multiple times) present deeper opportunities. Expensive does NOT equal value. The easier it is to share the "lesson", the better chance of the experience being transformative. This is why I have really come to appreciate reading short eBooks and reflecting on their content.  Generally, these eBooks can be read in one sitting, prompt you to reflect on the message, and make it simple to return to the source multiple times as needed.  Oh by the way, they are also inexpensive and easy to recommend and share. As recently announced, my new eBook,  Foundations: Examining Vision, Beliefs, Mission, and Philosophy , is now available for Kindle on Amazon.com. Every effective leader makes decisions and takes action based upon a set of foundations. In  Foundations: Examining Vision, Beliefs, Missi

I n a recent post, School Leadership In Layers: From Buy In To Results ,  I introduce vision, beliefs, mission, and philosophy as the four foundations upon which leadership is built. These four foundations are the subject of my soon to be published ebook, Foundations: Examining Vision, Beliefs, Mission, and Philosophy . Foundations is a short book (about 40 pages).  It is short for a few reasons. First, the topics in Foundations can be quite personal and should develop accordingly.  I am not trying to give you answers, only prompt your thinking about your vision, beliefs, mission, and philosophy of education and leadership.  The brevity of the material presented is intended to provide you enough information to entice you to reflect on your own. Second, I wanted to provide a resource that you can read in one setting and re-read as needed. Third, feedback from my other writing has shown that many readers appreciate shorter pieces that are to the point and easy to

S chool administrators say plenty (and hopefully DO plenty - see "walk the talk").  Some administrators like to talk because they seem to like to hear themselves - all the time.  Some, like me, enjoy talking as much as the next person, but tend to choose our words more carefully.  Thus, we may not speak as frequently, but are just as effective. Either way, there are certain messages that should be communicated daily. Whether you like to improvise or stick to the script, here are a few things that school administrators should say daily. Good morning. What are you learning (teaching) today? How is your day (week, semester, year, etc.) going? How can I help? How is (insert project, plan, new initiative, etc.) working? What do you want to do? What does that look like at this school (share your vision)? Is there a more effective and/or more efficient way to accomplish our mission? What have you done today to be a better student (teacher, administrator, etc.)? Wh

F or many teachers, writing student comments for report cards or mid-term reports can be one of the most time consuming and stressful parts of the evaluation process. Here are a few tips that will help you write good useful comments. Use ACTIVE language.  For example: Avoid statements like, "Billy had been doing his work daily..." Instead, try "Billy did his homework daily..." Focus on GROWTH.  The grade is (or should be) obvious on the report.  Therefore, writing a comment that solely speaks of the grade is, in many cases, redundant.  Instead, focus on what the grade implies: effort and growth. If you need to deliver difficult news, try to lead the comment with something positive and end with my 4th tip. Include what YOU WILL DO to help the student over the course of the next school term.  Often comments focus on what the student must do, but do not tell how the teacher is going to support those efforts. Bonus tip related to #3: If you know a stude

I am in the process of finishing my new ebook, Foundations , when I came across an old handout from graduate school which served as a guide for students to write a statement of educational philosophy.  One of the items asks students to decide what they believed the "essence of education" is. The choices ranged from: choice knowledge skills growth reason intuition It is unclear, but I believe the handout was taken from a piece written by Patricia Jerson (1972) titled "What Is Your EP: A Test Which Identifies Your Educational Philosophy" Since 1972, the world has changed a little (insert chuckle here).  Therefore, I ask if there needs to be any additions to those choices above.  I'm not sure any of them need to be removed, but what could possibly need to be added into the mix?  Here are a few ideas. creativity collaboration innovation virtue Now, let's ask the question (sorry for the pop quiz!): What is the essence of educatio

I spent yesterday at the VAIS (Virginia Association of Independent Schools) Annual Conference which kicked of the day with a keynote speech from Dr. Jane McGonigal, author of Reality Is Broken: How Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change The World .  Many of my friends and connections rave about Dr. McGonigal's work, so I went into the event wanting to hear something that challenged my thinking and inspired me to a new outlook for education. Full disclosure: I haven't read her book and only know what I hear from friends and from the address yesterday. In all honestly, I was not terribly moved by anything I heard.  It may not be fair, but from the start, I was less than enchanted with the presentation.  For starters, she wasn't even at the event!  Her address was Skyped in from California (I believe).  I don't have anything against video conferencing, but the experience did not have the best first impression. Second, I kept wondering, "What significant

Sunday Rendezvous: Week of November 7 - November 13, 2011 My Posts Line In The Sand Or Concrete? (11/11/2011) Looking For Followers? Start With One (11/10/2011) School Leadership In Layers: From Buy In to Results (11/9/2011) Who We Are and What We Do (11/7/2011) Other Items 5 Ways To Be Known As A Groundbreaking Thinker Nominations for TED2012: The Classroom  How Introverts Can Succeed in Business and Leadership Mega-list of how-to guides for Google+ brand pages Quick Look: Schools Create Their Own Apps! 7 Things to Know About Google+ Pages for Brands

A s a school leader, you will experience a situation in which someone refuses to buy in and contribute to a project.  This decision to "draw the line" may not matter and your project continues anyway.  On the other hand, the person refusing to move may actually halt progress. In these situations, it is best to determine whether the line was "drawn in sand or concrete." Lines in the sand are easily erased.  They can be covered up and usually disappear by morning.  People who draw the line in sand also tend to underestimate how far the "tide" of colleagues' opinions will reach.  Because of this, their line gets erased without their needing to be the one who did it. Lines drawn in concrete are another matter. If still "wet" the line can be removed or smoothed over, but not as easily as in sand.  Quick action is needed here because once the concrete dries, the line is staying.  There is only one way to remove a line that has set in co

Image found at sivers.org Y ou have an idea for your school and you are trying to build a following for it. Consider this approach. Start with employing your idea to make a positive impact on one person. Even if you believe your idea has potential to make significant changes on the school as a whole, starting with one person helps build momentum, encourages referrals, and gives you field support for your idea. Similar to building your social network, if you begin with one person and deliver good content, ideas, or support, the followers will appear. Great ideas that can potentially make large scale changes are sometimes find themselves in perpetual planning due to the overwhelming pressure to live up to its potential right away.   One person with a great idea needs to organize others to share and support that idea in order to make large scale impacts, but one person with a great idea can make a positive impact on one other person.

A ll leaders, including educational leaders, work to get others to follow their lead.  They work to get others to buy in. After reading a post by Lisa Petrilli about getting others to follow your lead and participating in the Twitter  #leadershipchat concerning the same topic, I offer the following observations for educational leaders. Foundations of Leadership Any decision to take on a leadership role requires you to develop the foundations from which your leadership is built.  Solid foundations are more likely to support more followers.  Poor foundations may encourage your followers will leave before your "house" comes crashing down (or they get caught in the crash).  I suggest four equally important and interconnected foundations for effective leadership.  These are: Vision Beliefs Mission Philosophy These foundations support your decisions and actions.  Your decisions and actions as a leader are the outward examples of your foundations.  The foundations are

Image found at: http://electricminded.blogspot.com/2010/07/missing-piece.html W e like to think that we define people by who they are, but we often define who they are by what they do. This is even more the case when the "doing" takes place in a public setting.  If you look at a group of students in class, at assembly, or during lunch, what do you see? She's a cheerleader. He's a football player. She's an actor. He's a musician. etc... Unfortunately, some people have equally important qualities that  they work hard to keep private. She also volunteers at the local food bank on weekends. He tutors his neighbor's son in math. She keeps up with her chores around the house. He is also writing a book in his spare time. etc... As a school leader or administrator, how do you define your teachers?  What do you see?  Not just during your formal observations, but in all areas? Are there any qualities that you know of that are less public and

Sunday Rendezvous: October 31 - November 6, 2011 My Posts Independent Schools and Job Satisfaction Considering School Administration? Advice and Suggestions Vision Killers Other Items Nonprofit Employers Don't Meet Workers' Needs for Job Satisfaction, Survey Finds Nonprofit Employees Are More Satisfied Than Other Workers With Their Jobs Why Teach in an Independent School How to Crush an Employee's Enthusiasm 9 Things Successful People Do Differently BYOD - Personal Electronic Devices at School

I am close to the end of writing my next Kindle book.  The working title is, Foundations: Examining Vision, Beliefs, Mission, and Philosophy .  In it, I define a few "vision killers" that leaders need to look out for when developing their vision. Here is an excerpt form the book in which I describe vision killers.  Be aware of them as you reflect on your own vision of schools. Traditions that impede progress Traditions are fertile ground to harness symbolic leadership, but can also act to slow progress.  When misinterpreted, traditions act as a convenient excuse to stop forward progress.  Be alert to when tradition is used to stop progress as opposed to celebrate success.   Fear of scorn Success breeds success, but it also brings out the worst in some people, especially those who are envious of your success.  It is unfortunate, but strong visions can illicit strong responses from those who feel threatened by your vision.   Stereotypes If your vision is being

I f you are among the many educators considering a move into administration, here are a few things for you to consider. The idea that you are still "one of the teachers" will change.  That's not to say you cannot maintain relationships, but eventually you will notice a change in how you are perceived. You now have to make tough decisions, which can make you feel quite alone and anxious at times.  This happens to even the most collaborative and transparent leader.  You can delegate authority, but not responsibility. You will never see it all.  The saying, "I've seen it all" will not apply. Your personal metric for success may need to change.  As an administrator, you will be more removed from the classroom.  Measuring your success purely in terms of student success only speaks to part of your work.  Find the areas you have a direct line of impact and define your success there also.  What do you need to see from teachers that speaks to your leadership e