The Corner Has Been Turned!

My daughter and her new husband

Katie and Jason

Since my last post, I have entered the next decade of my life, moved one daughter back to Wisconsin, traveled to Hawaii where the other daughter got engaged, traveled to the Dominican Republic where she then got married...and I retired!

I am now a sixty year old retired mother in law! All new this year! Embrace change!

My daughter just texted me...I texted her back! I am the one who shared with both my daughters the benefits of Facebook! I also have my second ipad and share aps that I have found with others. My new favorite is Flipboard. Last year, I set up a wiki to share information about a book that I had read. The book was called Transforming School Culture. Follow the link to my wiki.

Now that I have time, watch out! More to come on this blog. Stay tuned

TEDxNYEd Talk

TEDxNYEd Talk

It's the Best of Times. It's the Worst of Times!

Charles Dickens had it right. I think it was Charles Dickens anyway! This past week was a full moon...a harvest moon! It was overcast all week so that moon was never really seen by me but it didn't matter! People let you know that the moon is full! My daughter calls and lets me know that her week was the same. The moon hangs over Ohio I guess as well.

The best of times are this: I am about to turn a corner in my life. This November, I will turn 60 years old which sounds horrid so I have to practice saying it and writing it. I am, however, healthy and have so many things to be thankful for. My 50's were amazing. I stretched myself past anywhere I ever thought I would be. My job has been a pure joy. My daughters both completed college, got great jobs and are successful in their own rights. Jim and I talk seriously about retirement and it's getting easier to fathom.

The worst of times are this: I have so many things that I can see. Things that I wish were! I feel time moving so fast and this sense of urgency. Not for me though! I see it for kids today! I feel as though my two daughters moved into the world at a time when there were choices. I feel as though there are fewer and fewer choices for kids now at a time when it appears on the surface that we are inundated with stuff! Kids have plenty of "stuff" but what they will not have perhaps is a career! What happens if our kids go into the world unable to do those 21st Century things that are written about so much? What if parents object to changing the way things used to be? What happens if they don't see this thing coming? What happens if they see it but don't believe it? How do we move forward in a world that is scared of change?

Don't Think You're So Good!

Words my mom said to me when I was a freshman in college! She had dreamed of many things in her life and settled for being married and raising kids...two things she thought of completely as tasks! Nether fulfilled her dreams! I think she gained satisfaction from squashing other people's dreams then.

I am reading a book called The Element by Sir Ken Robinson. He speaks of working to find your dreams, not letting anyone talk you out of doing what you love and how it's really never too late to realize that you may have unfulfilled dreams.

I'm thinking that my dream was to be an educator because I have spent my life doing it and I have enjoyed it. Most of the time! As I truly reflect on the years though, my mother's voice haunts me..."Don't think you're so good!" For as much I have worked hard at my jobs, I'm never convinced that I have done the job justice. I believe that there are many who could have done a better job of it. Whatever "it" is.

So has education been my element? Or do I spend so much time reading, learning, seeking knowledge because I am always fearful that I'm not good enough?

Sir Ken Robinson points out that many do not discover their element until they have reached a time in their lives when they can relax from the pressures of raising children and building a career. Perhaps I am ready to go in search of my element. Once and for all, I would like to shut out my mother's voice!

Cha-Cha-Cha-Changing!

Here we go again...changing seasons...changing school years...changing practices! The best and the worst part of spending my career in the field of education is that nothing ever stays the same! Unfortunately, for some, there is an attempt to keep what they can consistent while the students change every year. But for those who try this route, there is a growing disconnect with students with each passing year. Then, some will blame the students...Kids are so different today...They used to be more respectful!

I have been at this gig for over 30 years now and the one thing that I know for sure is kids are still kids! It is us who grow further away from them! So, it becomes necessary then for us to stay relevant to them!

I have loved my job because I have embraced this idea all along. Enjoy change! You might as well! It's going to happen anyway!

Fun Web 2.0 Tool

https://cacoo.com/diagrams/2a10a3QNW20mud5d

I found a web 2.o too that is called Cacoo. It is a simple way to develop diagrams so I used it to sketch out a plan for the upcoming task force that I have been assigned to facilitate this next year.

I'm checking now to see how it transfers to another location so here goes!

Administrator Retreat!

I always thought that the word "retreat" meant to leave reality for awhile. Escape into something else!

Well then, our Administrator Retreat is missnamed! We do not "retreat" from work at all but instead renew our focus all together, this year once again in Green Lake! The topic was Change ... how people deal with it ...how we acknowlege individual issues with it...how we, as leaders guide that journey!

Three days of sharing has now brought us all to a renewed "moral purpose"! We know that our journey in leadership is to maintain a focus on what's best for kids but sometimes we forget that in order to get what's best for kids we have to nurture the adults who work with them.

We have to see the adults as individuals who are dealing with the current changes in their own way. Some of them will embrace the change quickly while others grieve or battle. In some cases, we have spent too much time assisting those who battle change and we forget the one's who have quietly journeyed forward. It's time to recognize them, celebrate their successes, spend time in their presence. They need us right now as much if not more than those who struggle. And we have many, many teachers who are new to the profession. They need to know how they fit into to the greater scheme of things. They want to belong. We have to help them remain focused on the moral purpose; encourage their efforts, celebrate their successes. They will struggle from time to time and could easily become disallusioned and angry unless we stay close. And once again, we have to acknowledge those who are battling. It could be that they are struggling with letting go of a past that was, in fact, not bad but good; a past that had worked for other students, seemingly well. We need to remember that we all entered education with a desire to serve and this group of teachers, like all others, work with a belief that they are doing what is best for kids. We need to listen to their stories and help them say good bye to dated practices with a sense of appreciation and grace.

We also learned that we need to recognize that all of us process and make decisions based on brain patterns that may be different. For one, a decision to move forward may seem logical which makes rapid change seem simple. For others, the decision may seem monumental so there needs to be a process that allows for analysis and contemplation. They may need to watch others experience the change first so that they can judge the results in a calmer, more deliberate manner.

The greater danger, for us, in the world today, is to stay in a place because we think we are great; too good to need to change. If infact, life is about change then we need to practice changing little things to big things. We need to look critically at everything - view everything as potentially changable - because people/companies who fail often say they "didn't see it coming!" It could have been because they were basking in their sense of greatness!

So, this year, we did not "retreat" from work exactly but infact we did. We left behind the busyness of day to day so that we could focus once again on our purpose. We did indeed retreat! And we also came away with renewed convictions to work together to help our staff through today's trials. As a team, we can do great things! The first of which is to care about each other! The second will be to continue the journey of learning and growing day after day!