Thrivapy: Live, Learn, Have Fun

L ast year, I wrote a number of posts near the end of the year heralding the usual thoughts.  Those included some predicted ins and outs , my favorite posts from 2010 , and a list of blogging and social networking goals for 2011 . As for those posts, some ins are more common, some of my favorite posts have been read by more people, and I simply destroyed my blogging and social networking goals.  That leads me to this year and how to wrap up a great 2011 while looking ahead to 2012. I have decided to change my approach, somewhat, and pass on making any predictions.  Mostly because I have little control over their becoming true , but also because after doing so last year, I had little time or interest in tracking how well my predictions were going.  This year - no predictions. Also, I am not going to set any blogging or social networking goals.  Last year, I was interested in increasing the numbers of posts and followers.  This year, those numbers are not as important to me as wha

Image found at http://blog.mmiworks.net/2007/05/lgm-gimp-project-overview.html    L ast July, I published a post in which I defined the various components of what I called the "Open House Culture" in schools.  Since writing that post, the Open House Culture concept has become the subject of one of my eBook projects as well as an upcoming faculty presentation.  As such, I have been reflecting on the concept of an Open House Culture and refining/expanding some of my initial thoughts. In that post, I suggested a brief definition for all five components.  One of those five is "Friendly," which was described as: If you genuinely like being an educator, let everyone know from the first impression (if you do not, find another line of work).  Smile.  Produce more “happy endorphins.”  Dress professionally and/or appropriately.  Greet everyone with an implied invitation to engage rather than to “get this over with.” While I am happy with my initial idea of Friendly,

Pete Turner—The Image Bank/Getty Images   A vision statement speaks to the preferred future.  If all things were operating at their highest level, the vision describes what is happening. A mirage is a false vision.  It is the idea of something "good enough to help us survive." Visions gain value through inspiration . Mirages get more valuable through desperation . Visionary leaders motivate others to contribute to and share in the dividends of the preferred future. Mirage spotters motivate others to save themselves by working towards a false sense of achievement. What type of educational leaders do you want to be? What type of leader do you want your students to become?

H ere is an offer I hope you will consider this holiday season. One of the most rewarding experiences of my undergraduate time at Rhodes College was being involved in the philanthropic efforts to support St. Jude's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee . One of the most rewarding aspects of my professional life has been the publishing of my two eBooks, Paying Attention: Thoughts on Communication in Schools and Foundations: Examining Vision, Beliefs, Mission, and Philosophy  for Kindle. Therefore, I thought I would offer the following deal. Between now and the end of January, for every copy of  Paying Attention: Thoughts on Communication in Schools  or  Foundations: Examining Vision, Beliefs, Mission, and Philosophy  bought, I will donate $1 US of my royalties (which are not much more than $1) to  St. Jude's Research Hospital . Paying Attention: Thoughts on Communication in Schools  is priced at only $0.99 US and  Foundations: Examining Vision, Beliefs, Mission, a

"Permission" by Hugh MacLeod found at Hugh MacLeod's gapingvoid H ave you   ever wanted to shake things up in your classroom?  Try a new way to communicate with students?  Introduce or deliver a lesson?  Assess student learning and growth? Have you tried any of those ideas? No? Why not?  And don't say it is because you don't have permission, because you do. Permission is granted by those who matter most - your students. Yes, they want you to try new things.  They need you to show them that it is 'ok' to be creative, innovative, willing to risk failure for outcomes worth realizing, like changing the world. Modelling fear is a sure way to graduate drones.  We have enough drones.  We need more leaders, thinkers, producers, and problem solvers. Would you be more willing to take a chance if you had a safety net?  Guess what, there are no guarantees.  Your idea may flop.  You may need to try over and over again until you get it just right - the

Y ou can probably reflect on your career in education and list the administrators and leaders you felt were most effective and least effective.  While there are many reasons why, I suspect much of your opinion rests in how these leaders handled adversity and failure. There are those that ignored it and moved on as if nothing happened.  Not effective, no learning, likely to repeat the same mistake again...and soon. There are those that accepted what happened, but used it as a learning experience.  Likely effective because in their sincere quest to make improvements, they demonstrated a willingness to serve their mission and model collaboration and growth. The third group is the one I worried most about.  These are the ones that claimed they wanted to know why things aren't working, but are not as interested in truly learning as much as trying to save their egos and positions.  As operations begin to take an undesirable turn, they quickly "round up the usual suspects&quo

W hen you "like" something, you typically enjoy it, but can take or or leave it.  When it is missing, the "liked" item is can often be easily replaced with a new "like." Loving something is different. Love is an investment.  You pay a price for it, but the benefits are worth the price - and then some.  We miss what we love.  They are not easily replaced.  When they are gone, there is a void. I'm glad there is no "love" option on Facebook.  I "like" it just fine. Now comes the holiday break for schools.  As with summer break, I hear many people express how much they can't wait for the break.  I hope it is because they need a much deserved re-charge, not because they want to get away from the work. Maybe I am unusual in my thinking, but I love being in school.  Not the same way I love my family, but when I am out for an extended time, I feel it.  Sure, I like to get away and re-charge my batteries as much as the next p

S chool leaders are often called upon to help mend and re-establish positive relationships.  These relationships can be student:student. student:teacher, teacher:teacher, teacher:parent, etc. What is difficult is knowing exactly what needs to be done in order to set the relationship back on the right track.  More often than not, something happened to damage the relationship and someone needs to be "made whole again." One key to successfully navigating these situations is to listen carefully at what each party is saying in order to determine exactly who needs to be made whole and how. Here is an example: A High School teacher suspects cheating on a test and follows the school procedure for looking into the matter (uses discretion with the student, contacts the Dean and Division Head, awaits the administrative decision before taking any further action). The student is cleared of any wrong doing. The teacher is informed of the decision and accepts it. The Dean of S

René Magritte, Coming and Going  by  Duane Michals , 1965 O f course, most of us want to arrive at just the right time and leave at the most optimal moment.  Unfortunately, it is rare that such perfect timing occur. School leaders face a similar issue.  Is it too late to initiate ideas others have been using?  How would it look to "arrive" at that particular educational "party" at this point?  Should you wait for the next "invitation?" On the flip side, your school is already immersed in an initiative.  Are there signs that that "party" is slowing down?  Should you move on while things are still going fairly well or risk being the awkward "last person in the room?" The party scenario highlights a real issue with many school leaders.  Mostly, it is about change.  When to talk about it, when to do it, is the timing right, did we make a mistake before, is this new idea the best one, ... the list goes on. Here are a few suggesti

Image found at http://publishingguru.blogspot.com/2010/08/open-doors-along-journey-of-writing.html I f actions speak louder than words and we are judged more by what we do than what we say, then what does it mean when nothing gets done?  If there is no progress, movement, or any obvious attempt to do so, is there any leadership? For example: You are in a group of people who were invited to attend a party.  When you arrive, you and the others are shown into a large waiting room.  There are no instructions, but in the room are three doors.  Each door leads to another room (unknown to the group is that all three doors lead to the party).  You can hear the party going on, but are unsure which door leads to it. What should you do?  Well, you have choices. Do nothing and wait for someone from the party to arrive and tell you what to do. Do nothing and wait for someone in the room with you to try the door(s). Discuss what to do with others in the room. Get up and open a door.

W hy? The question is usually asked in relation to one of two contexts. "Why did we succeed?" or "Why did we fail?" Answers to both questions should include reasons.  Reasons provide information that can be used in the future to either succeed again or avoid failure.  Reasons are shared.  Reasons provide lessons.  Reasons make us better. Only one of the two questions ever gets excuses - "Why did we fail?" Excuses try to cover up reasons.  Excuses are selfish.  Excuses attempt to share (or deflect) blame.  The only thin learned form excuses is to avoid teaming up with the excuse maker. Failure is not the enemy.  Allowing excuses to satisfy failure is. Ask "Why?" five times.  Get five reasons.  Clarify your mission, define your core values, develop your mantra. Ask "Why?" five times.  Get five excuses.  Update your resume.

A s a school leader, one of your roles (by the way, it is not specifically listed in your job description) is to be a scale. Didn't you know that? Well, it is true.  You are a scale.  You need to measure things.  Specifically, you need to weigh projects to determine how heavy they are. Why? Because you are also the person who is likely responsible for assigning those projects to someone (or some team) to deliver results. Here's the challenge.  Is your "scale" calibrated?  How accurate is it?  A scale that doesn't measure accurately isn't very helpful. Let us assume your scale is accurately measuring the weight of your school projects.  Now what? "Light Lifting"  "Light" projects are those that should not present a problem to just about anyone on your team.  Successful completion does not require any major use of energy or necessitate any specialized skill set.  For example, let's say you need someone to

S chool leadership and administration implies an acceptance of responsibility.  Most, if not all, of you probably agree with that.  The challenge is normally not the responsibility, but the frustration that creeps in when you are disappointed over the lack of progress in addressing those responsibilities.  Making matters worse is that in many situations, your leadership/administrative responsibilities are very closely tied to the work of others. How do you know if frustration is creeping in?  Simple test:  Do you find yourself saying or thinking questions that begin with: "How many times do I (we) need to...?" If you are thinking or saying questions like this, you are probably feeling the frustration, and your progress towards fulfilling your responsibilities is likely   being delayed by someone else not having their part done on time or at an acceptable level. This frustration is no secret.  As a matter of fact, it is a big reason why many educators stay away

Today, I turn 40. Despite some ego bruising for never making any "Top 40 Under 40" lists, I think I have navigated these past 40 years fairly well.  I think it is natural to look back and reflect on life when you come up on a cultural milestone like turning 40, but I would rather take this opportunity to express what I feel as I turn "20 again." I feel... fortunate to have been raised by loving parents and among wonderful siblings. lucky that both of my parents are still around to talk to. blessed to have a beautiful and supportive family of my own. honored to have made so many good friends. excited to enter this phase of life - both personally and professionally. overwhelmed by the positive response to my writing and blogging. energized by the prospect of developing my ideas and seeking opportunities to contribute to the professional learning of other educators. tremendous satisfaction for the efforts of all the students I have taught over the ye

E arlier this year, I read Dan Ariely's Predictably Irrational .  I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it to anyone looking for a good read about behavioral economics. In preparing for a school presentation, I came across this video of Dan talking briefly about many of the topics in the book. Enjoy.