Being a Void that is Felt

We talk often about the importance of “collaboration”,  but talking about the impact of an individual is often taboo.  Effective collaboration is made up of bringing unique talents of individuals to move a group ahead. It is not about all thinking the same thing, but the strengths of individuals coming together.  Collaboration is talked about all of the time, but we forget the importance of the strengths of individuals.

In a conversation I was having with an administrator, they talked about (and not in a condescending way), that many of the positions in education can be replaced.  For example, when a second grade teacher leaves, we will need someone to take their place.  That being said, I want to try be someone that when I leave a place, there is a void.  This doesn’t mean the next person can’t do my job, but they will bring their own unique talents and strengths to the table as well.

There are so many ways this can be done.  It does not always mean being the “best teacher”; it can be in how your bring a smile to the faces of people in your organization. It can be some of the conversations  that you have with students, that will be sorely missed.  True collaboration in organizations brings out and fosters our uniqueness, as well as our similarities.  These individual strengths make a stronger whole.

I have been thinking about what being “irreplaceable” means.  When you leave, be a void that is felt, not simply filled.

P.S. If you want to connect with some teachers who have truly made an impact on others, follow the thread on this tweet.

• March 8, 2016 Finding the Good Problems
• October 24, 2016 Our Students
• June 2, 2016 Embracing Meaningful Change at All Levels
• September 8, 2016 The #InnovatorsMindset MOOC Starting Soon! #IMMOOC
• March 22, 2015 Innovation has no age barrier.

Source: George Couros

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Being a Void that is Felt

We talk often about the importance of “collaboration”,  but talking about the impact of an individual is often taboo.  Effective collaboration is made up of bringing unique talents of individuals to move a group ahead. It is not about all thinking the same thing, but the strengths of individuals coming together.  Collaboration is talked about all of the time, but we forget the importance of the strengths of individuals.

In a conversation I was having with an administrator, they talked about (and not in a condescending way), that many of the positions in education can be replaced.  For example, when a second grade teacher leaves, we will need someone to take their place.  That being said, I want to try be someone that when I leave a place, there is a void.  This doesn’t mean the next person can’t do my job, but they will bring their own unique talents and strengths to the table as well.

There are so many ways this can be done.  It does not always mean being the “best teacher”; it can be in how your bring a smile to the faces of people in your organization. It can be some of the conversations  that you have with students, that will be sorely missed.  True collaboration in organizations brings out and fosters our uniqueness, as well as our similarities.  These individual strengths make a stronger whole.

I have been thinking about what being “irreplaceable” means.  When you leave, be a void that is felt, not simply filled.

P.S. If you want to connect with some teachers who have truly made an impact on others, follow the thread on this tweet.

• March 8, 2016 Finding the Good Problems
• October 24, 2016 Our Students
• June 2, 2016 Embracing Meaningful Change at All Levels
• September 8, 2016 The #InnovatorsMindset MOOC Starting Soon! #IMMOOC
• March 22, 2015 Innovation has no age barrier.

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Upcoming December Reads from the Bookalicious Babe

Where did the year go?  How is it already December?  What?!  

My December reading usually consists of fun reads that involve Christmas.  This reading tradition of mine really began in earnest when I was working retail during the holiday season.  Exhausted when I would get home, all I wanted to do was read something fun and escapist, and a little bit of romance was always welcome in the mix.  This Christmas season I've got two out of town weddings to attend, a couple of fun painting sessions, a family Christmas party,  and a chance to see the Nutcracker with friends.  A very busy December. I'm still needing those quiet reading moments to keep me in a festive mood and to recharge my batteries.  

I've got a few books that I didn't finish last month that I'll be reviewing this month.  And there may be a few surprises in the mix, too.  The last week of December, I'll be revealing my top ten favorite reads of 2016.  

Do you have a special book tradition for the holidays?  Please share it!


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Dear Defender of the Status Quo…

Dear Defender of the Status Quo,

The status quo does not need your help.

It is a powerful force on its own. It has inertia on its side. And fear. And control. 

You feel safer with what's familiar, but you're not. 

In the end, failure to change makes you antique, obsolescent, irrelevant, and eventually extinct.

You can see that the world is changing around you. Fast. Really fast. The evidence is everywhere. But what are you doing about it?

The status quo won't prepare students for the challenges they will face. 

Change is inevitable, and you are needed as a change-maker.

Is your teaching today much different from how you were taught? Are your lessons preparing students for yesterday or tomorrow? 

Desks are lined in straight rows. Students listen for instructions, complete assignments, take tests. How is the experience unique to the world today and not the world of 50 years ago?

You are more than a curriculum implementer. You are a positive change maker. You work with the most valuable resource in the world—children.

You matter.

A lot has been pushed on you I know. Your work has been devalued, disrespected, and run down.

Your work is more than a test score.

But it won't help to circle the wagons and just hang on to the old. 

It's tempting to become cynical. To resent the bureaucrats or pundits who want to change you from the outside. Who want to create a marketplace for a child's education.

Keep the focus on your students.

Keep an eye on tomorrow.

Don't let your school become a time capsule.

Be a champion for change. Don't wait for it to happen to you. Drive the change from your platform. You have a voice. 

You are a leader.

People want to know what you stand for, not just what you stand against. I want to know.

Share your story.

Inspire.

You can let the challenges cause you to clinch your fists and hang on to what you know, or you can reach for something new and be the one who creates a better tomorrow for public schools, and ultimately for kids.

Dream.

If technology isn't your strength, that's okay. But how are you growing? How are you becoming a stronger digital learner?


Grow.

You lead by example. Your example is your greatest opportunity for influence. Your students are watching.

Don't allow change to be something done to you. Be empowered.

Your work can't be replaced by a machine, but only if you connect and relate and stay relevant. You may be a kid's best chance. You can be a game-changer.

Spread hope.

Remember to always teach kids first, and then curriculum. Teach them how to think. How to work the problem. How to adapt to whatever they might face.

Create excitement around learning. Make it count for something besides a grade or a diploma or a test score.

The status quo is a taker. It takes your passion, your zest, your difference. It tries to make you like everyone else.

Stand out.

You are not an interchangeable part and neither are your students. Make your classroom more artwork and less assembly line.

And please, please don't be a defender of the status quo...

We've always done it this way just won't cut it anymore.

        

Comments

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• Technology Is An Every Day Thing
• If We Fail to Adapt, Our Students Lose
• 7 Strategies to Think Like An Innovator

 

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Gingerbread Icebox Cupcakes

Gingerbread Icebox Cupcakes could not be easier or more delicious! A simple No-Bake dessert topped with Salted Caramel Sugar and sprinkled with Cinnamon.

Icebox Cupcakes are so fun to make! Honestly, that’s not something I usually say when it comes to cupcakes. I normally do consent to make cupcakes for my kids’ birthdays, and I’ve even had a few cupcake successes. However, most of the time, cupcakes stress me out. I’m baking at high altitudes and it takes some real effort on my part to make cupcakes turn out just right.

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The post Gingerbread Icebox Cupcakes appeared first on My Baking Addiction.

        

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Going Past “Knowing”

Tony Sinanis, a friend that I consider a brother, is one of the most thoughtful educators and leaders I know.  He recently wrote this as a Facebook status:

Maybe in our schools our focus should be on helping educators & educational leaders develop a growth mindset instead of just focusing on the kids. #edchat

Although I agree with this statement to some degree, I think it is not going far enough.  This was my reply:

This is going to sound like a promotion, but obviously I am passionate about the topic. Why not an “innovator’s mindset“? Growth mindset says a lot to me about being open to new learning, but innovator’s mindset approach is meant to actually have people think about what they have created with their learning. Do we want kids to be good at math, or have the ability to do something with the math they have learned? Should teachers just be open to learning, or be able to create better experience because of the learning that has happened.

As Thomas Friedman said, “The world doesn’t care about what you know. The world only cares about what you can do with what you know, and doesn’t care how you learned it.” This quote is a reminder that the notion of the “growth mindset” is maybe not enough in the world today for our students and ourselves.

The notion of “engagement and empowerment” has been one that I have been very passionate about. Do we want teachers to take their learning and create something with it, or is a “growth mindset” enough. These ideas are not in opposition of one another, but the idea of the “innovator’s mindset” is meant to go a step further. Without a “growth mindset”, the “innovator’s mindset” would not exist.  But if we truly take Friedman’s quote to heart, we have to recognize that doing something with our learning, is a necessary step with both teachers and students, to ensure that they succeed in a world that asking much more than just “knowing”.

• September 21, 2016 Beyond Knowing
• March 24, 2015 3 Important Shifts in Education
• November 17, 2015 Leveraging the Network
• September 16, 2016 What’s the risk? #IMMOOC
• February 17, 2016 Starting From Scratch #InnovatorsMindset

Source: George Couros

from Connected Principals http://ift.tt/2fLOPM0

Going Past “Knowing”

Tony Sinanis, a friend that I consider a brother, is one of the most thoughtful educators and leaders I know.  He recently wrote this as a Facebook status:

Maybe in our schools our focus should be on helping educators & educational leaders develop a growth mindset instead of just focusing on the kids. #edchat

Although I agree with this statement to some degree, I think it is not going far enough.  This was my reply:

This is going to sound like a promotion, but obviously I am passionate about the topic. Why not an “innovator’s mindset“? Growth mindset says a lot to me about being open to new learning, but innovator’s mindset approach is meant to actually have people think about what they have created with their learning. Do we want kids to be good at math, or have the ability to do something with the math they have learned? Should teachers just be open to learning, or be able to create better experience because of the learning that has happened.

As Thomas Friedman said, “The world doesn’t care about what you know. The world only cares about what you can do with what you know, and doesn’t care how you learned it.” This quote is a reminder that the notion of the “growth mindset” is maybe not enough in the world today for our students and ourselves.

The notion of “engagement and empowerment” has been one that I have been very passionate about. Do we want teachers to take their learning and create something with it, or is a “growth mindset” enough. These ideas are not in opposition of one another, but the idea of the “innovator’s mindset” is meant to go a step further. Without a “growth mindset”, the “innovator’s mindset” would not exist.  But if we truly take Friedman’s quote to heart, we have to recognize that doing something with our learning, is a necessary step with both teachers and students, to ensure that they succeed in a world that asking much more than just “knowing”.

• September 21, 2016 Beyond Knowing
• March 24, 2015 3 Important Shifts in Education
• November 17, 2015 Leveraging the Network
• September 16, 2016 What’s the risk? #IMMOOC
• February 17, 2016 Starting From Scratch #InnovatorsMindset

from Connected Principals http://ift.tt/2gRDLsS