It can be pretty lonely on that island...

You know when someone is new, everything seems to be perfect.

The 'honeymoon' period they call it... everyone loves the new person and the new person can do no wrong.

The new person is viewed as refreshing and thought-provoking even when someone else within the organization has been saying the same thing all along. The same words coming from a different mouth just have a different effect on people.

The new person doesn't intentionally or maliciously encroach upon anyone's turf, but in the end it becomes a passive takeover that leaves many scrambling and wondering about who does what and who's responsible for which duties.

New blood within a system can be healthy and vital to long-term sustainability, but then again, there are times when the body rejects that new blood as it just doesn't match up.

Then perhaps, after time has passed and the dust has settled, the new person is no longer new.

The new person has (as previously mentioned) unintentionally stepped on the toes of others and has crossed lines that can't be uncrossed.

By the simple fact of doing one's job, the once lines drawn in the sand have been kicked over and reassembled until they are almost unrecognizable.

The new person is no longer considered new.

This individual is now considered an expendable asset that bounces around from task to task with very little direction and guidance.

So, now this individual, who once could do no wrong, feels alone on an island that drifts deeper and deeper into the sea.

As the island continues its path into the unknown, the individual's short existence seems to fade and the individual quickly becomes a distant memory. 

How and when this shift actually happened really is a mystery as the transition from new to 'used goods' can happen in the blink of an eye.

The lonely island provides lots of time to reflect and think about what exactly has happened. This thinking can either continue to push the island further away, or the thinking can help change the direction of the current and shift the course entirely.

Being on the island isn't easy and it can be pretty lonely.

For all those island misfits, I salute you...

Accountability: Do we mean the same thing?

So, the word accountability is thrown around a lot in education, but the more I hear the word, the more I think we are really saying different things...

For example, teacher A wants to teach students accountability by holding firm to strict deadlines. Teacher A also does not allow redos and retakes because he/she thinks this is preparing kids for the harshness and reality of the real-world since redos and retakes aren't allowed. Teacher A believes firmly in designing assessments and activities that are hard (not necessarily rigorous) and thinks there should be some students who get high grades and other students who get low grades. Teacher A makes accountability a teacher vs. student enterprise and expects that students will naturally want to learn anything and everything just because he/she said so.

This is what teacher A believes is accountability...

Teacher B, on the other hand, wants to teach students accountability by holding them accountable to their own learning. Teacher B allows redos and retakes because he/she thinks learning is a process and sometimes there are ups and downs in this process. Teacher B acknowledges that redos and retakes are allowed in the real-world, and that for students, their everyday life is their 'real-world.' Teacher B also believes in designing and engineering highly challenging and rigorous learning experiences with appropriate levels of support. Teacher B holds his/her kids accountable by not allowing them to do anything but their best work and by not accepting anything less than their best. Teacher B put kids in charge of their progress and empowers them to own their learning.

This is what teacher B believes is accountability...


So, which teacher are you?

How do you choose to see the glass?

Life is full of ups and downs.

Life is full of making choices.

Life is about attitude and perspective.

We all must choose to see the glass half full or see the glass half empty.


For you teachers...

Perhaps you have a larger class size than usual... though more challenging, it's an opportunity to positively impact a larger group of students.

Perhaps you didn't get the resources and materials you were hoping for... it's an opportunity to think outside the box and get creative with how you present information and the learning opportunities you create for your students.

Perhaps you got a group of students who are rumored to be 'challenging...' it's an opportunity to give someone a second chance and an opportunity to grant a fresh clean slate.

Perhaps your administration has been less than supportive in the past... it's an opportunity to invite them to see what you are doing more often and an opportunity to make them a part of what you are doing to positively impact and engage students.


For you administrators...

Perhaps you lost one of your veteran teacher leaders to retirement... it's an opportunity to build capacity with your existing staff to allow for new teacher leadership to emerge.

Perhaps you are being micro-managed by those in the ivory tower and you feel you have no autonomy... it's an opportunity to protect and further build trust with your teaching staff; additionally, it's an opportunity to invite those higher-ups to check out the awesome stuff happening in your building.

Perhaps you are limited on time to work with staff on student learning due to all the fires and day-to-day operations of the building... it's an opportunity to take a hard look at your priorities and figure out what can be held off until after school hours to maximize in school time.

Perhaps you have a group of toxic staff members who are plaguing the entire staff... it's an opportunity to reinforce and praise those who are not just good educators but are also good members of the team; it's an opportunity to lift up and empower those who want to do great things for students in your school.


For you parents...

Perhaps your child is in 'that' teacher's classroom this year... it's an opportunity for your son/daughter to experience one of life's challenges; life isn't always fair, so the sooner they learn this important lesson the better.

Perhaps your child is starting to hang around with 'that' group of students... it's an opportunity for you to teach your child about the different cliches and groups that exist in life; it's also an opportunity to speak with your child about what they want out of life and how they plan to work toward achieving it.


It's your choice how you see the glass...

What makes you so special?

Too often we hear that we are just normal people doing normal things. Too often we hear that our impact is limited and indirect at best. Too often we hear that the little things we do won’t ever add up to make a difference.

Too often we don’t give ourselves the credit we deserve…

So, what makes you so special?

You know people that other people do not.

You’ve met and made connections with people who have a particular skill-set and expertise.

You’ve experienced things in life that most haven’t.

The things you’ve experienced are unique to you and the impact they’ve had on you are specific to you.

You’ve played an integral role in shaping the lives of those around you.

The lives of those with whom you spend time are forever and will always be influenced by you.

You have an intrinsic motivation that only you know and only you understand.

You see beauty when beauty’s not easily visible by others.

Your words reach far beyond just those who hear them.

Your actions send a continuous ripple across the globe.

You’ve made people smile & you’ve made people frown.

The world wouldn’t be the same without you.

So, the next time you hear someone say or you think to yourself, ‘what makes you so special,’ think of this list and be confident in your role and know that it is you that makes you special.

Embrace the shake

I recently had the opportunity to hear Phil Hansen speak at #iste2014. For the record, he is a phenomenal speaker and is an inspirational breath of fresh air to us all.

Phil goes on to tell a compelling story about his journey in art. As Phil got more and more engrossed in his creations, he soon developed an uncontrollable 'shake' in his hand that limited his ability to do his most used and most comfortable form of art, pointillism. Phil tried to compensate for this 'shake' by tightening his grip. Though with good intentions, the continual tightening only made the shake worse. In time, Phil removed himself from art completely.

After being away from art for a few years, Phil visited a neurologist who informed him that his 'shake' was permanent nerve damage. Phil was devastated with the news. The doctor then followed that statement up with a simple but yet profound comment.

'Why don't you just embrace the shake?'

It was from this point on that Phil went on a renewed art journey using all types of art that wouldn't be limited or impacted by his shake.

Overtime, Phil created some magnificent and beautiful works of art. Though these pieces of art weren't in the form he was most passionate about, he was nonetheless able to create something of immense beauty.

Phil believes that 'embracing a limitation, could actually drive creativity.' He also stated that 'we need to first be limited, in order to become limitless.'

Sometimes we try so hard 2 think outside the box we fail to see the solution that rests in the middle of the box. #ISTE2014 @Philinthecircle
— Dr. Justin Tarte (@justintarte) June 30, 2014

So, what does this mean for educators?

We are rich with limitations and roadblocks in education. We are overwhelmed with variables that are inescapable and beyond our control. We are surrounded with failure and inundated with excuses.

We all have a choice... just as Phil had a choice.

The question is simple... how are we going to respond to our limitations?

Are we going to look at our limitations and our uncontrollable variables as a source for creativity or we will allow them to hold us down?

As we look toward a renewed and refreshed school year, how will we respond when it doesn't go the way we want or expect it to?

Will we embrace the educational 'shake,' or will we allow the educational 'shake' to hold us down?

The choice is yours...

Watch Phil's TEDtalk and get your dose of inspiration and motivation to embrace your very own shake...

I'm sorry if my tweet offended you...

140 characters...

Any hashtag you could ever imagine...

The entire world is your audience... a billion registered users and growing...

Twitter is the perfect medium to get your message out and get your viewpoint in front of the masses.

With this awesome power and responsibility come great downside and great potential for misinterpretation and miscommunication.

The truth is though, not all tweets are seen. In fact, most tweets are never seen and are simply lost in the 'twitterverse' due to the overwhelming number of tweets that are flying around.

For a tweet to be seen there must be something about the tweet that catches the eyes of other tweeps.

There must be something about the tweet that stands out and rises above the saturated mist of other tweets.

Sometimes the tweet is in response to something that just happened... sometimes the tweet is to evoke emotion and stir up passion.

When either of these occurrences happen, the entire message doesn't come across in a single tweet. Even in a group of tweets. The background information is missing and the level of prior knowledge is non-existent.

This is when the misinterpretation and miscommunication happen...

Not on purpose and not with malicious intent or desire to offend. It is unfortunately just a byproduct of this powerful and far-reaching tool.

For what it's worth, I'm sorry if my tweet offended you.

Whose responsibility is your happiness?

So, we all live in a world with good days and bad days. Sometimes we even have bad weeks, bad months, and I've even heard of people having a bad year.

Obviously when someone is having a bad day, their level of happiness tends to be on the low side.

These days of low happiness are natural and perhaps even therapeutic from time-to-time.

http://goo.gl/e1Fcn0

It's when there are periods of prolonged unhappiness that it becomes troublesome and frankly worrisome for all those who interact with this individual.

So, when you yourself are having a prolonged period of unhappiness, who do you turn to?

Do you turn to others and blame them for your unhappiness?

Do you take your unhappiness out on your friendly four-legged friend and blame those cute and sweet innocent eyes?

Do you blame your unhappiness on 'the man' and curse him for holding you down?

Do you point your finger in every direction but your own...

Or...

Do you take responsibility for your own happiness and make your outlook toward life something you are in control of?

Do you taken ownership of how you feel and how you let other things affect you?

Do you refuse to let anyone or anything be the determining factor of your level of happiness?

Remember, it's your happiness, so why should anyone else be in charge of it...?

Don't miss your opportunity...

If you work in education and most likely any other profession, you are faced with new challenges on a daily basis. The beauty of these new challenges is that we are continually forced to push ourselves through the decision making process.

http://goo.gl/P3j6Uj

The decision making process helps us to define and to develop who we are. The inability to make decisions that result in action are really challenges that we've missed to capitalize on.

Sometimes these challenges we are faced with seem insurmountable...

Sometimes they seem like they aren't our job or aren't our responsibility...

Sometimes we feel like the whole world may be working against us...

One approach and mindset that was coined by someone much smarter than I changed the way I look at these professional and life challenges.

Don't look at the challenge as something that someone did to you...

Don't look at the challenge as something that you 'have' to do... 

Instead, look at the challenge as something you 'get' to do... 

Remember, opportunity comes in all shapes and sizes, and in my experience opportunity never comes all neatly wrapped with a pretty bow on top.

Life doesn't present us with challenges we aren't able to overcome. It's time to start living...

6 ways you are making a big difference...

I recently had a conversation with a colleague and something he said really struck a chord with me. Sometimes our hard work and actions don't always yield the results we intend or want. Sometimes the results are barely visible and sometimes the results don't appear until we least expect them to. Nevertheless, we are making a difference in spite of what we may think, and below are some of the big ways we are making a big difference.

~ You know that parent that struggles to understand why you made the decision that you made, now understands and sees the bigger picture and full story behind the decision...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ifindkarma/

~ You know that student you are so desperately trying to connect with, all of a sudden and unexpectedly says 'good morning' to you with a smile on their face upon entering the class one day...

~ You know that teacher who is struggling with a group of challenging students, now is trying new strategies and different approaches in the classroom that are yielding quite positive results...

~ You know that initiative that just won't seem to gain any traction and seems to be heading nowhere, now is gaining momentum and people who you wouldn't think are all of a sudden championing the effort...

~ You know that colleague that just doesn't appear to have that spark and burning desire anymore, now is empowered and leading positive change among the ranks of others within the building...

~ You know that longstanding hurdle and roadblock that has been a thorn in everyone's side, now is being seen from a different perspective and a different set of lenses which has allowed the negative to be limited and minimized...

It's because of all of these reasons above (and more) that we do what we do as educators. 

How fortunate we all are to have this opportunity bestowed upon us.

What do you see?

So often our eyes and mind play tricks on us... they distort and manipulate what we see, or at least, what we think we see. It's all about our perspective, and what we ultimately end up seeing can be easily influenced by our attitude and our willingness to see either the positive, or the negative...

If you have hall duty or bus duty in the morning do you see it as an opportunity to greet each and every student with a smile to ensure their day at school starts off right, or do you see it as just another short straw that you have drawn...?

If you know a colleague who is struggling do you see it as a chance to help him/her with their struggles because we work as a team, or do you turn your back on them and ignore their struggles while being thankful it's not your problem...?

If you have a conversation with a colleague and you disagree, do you see it as an opportunity to learn about another perspective or do you concentrate all your energy on proving that your perspective is correct...?

If you make a mistake do you see your failure as a chance to learn and grow or do you see your failure as a defining characteristic that will always follow and haunt you...?

If you experience success in your classroom with a particular activity do you see it as your professional responsibility to share it with your colleagues or do you see the activity as something you must protect and hide from others...?

If you get stuck doing something that isn't your job, do you see it as an opportunity to learn about another role in education or do you see it as a burden that shouldn't fall on your shoulders...?

If you are selected to do lunch supervision do you see it as an opportunity to build and strengthen student relationships or do you see it as wasted time that comes with the job...?

If you have a student who is unmotivated in your class do you see it as a chance to help the student find the root cause of the issue or do you see the student as another lazy and unmotivated kid...? 

If you are assigning work to be completed outside of school, do you see the other time commitments and constraints your students may have or do you see homework as more important than family and/or interests and hobbies...?

If you discover that a student is passionate about something that is not related to your content, do you see it as an opportunity to connect and relate your content to his/her passion or do you see his/her passion as something that is getting in the way of his/her learning...? 

Does what you really see match up with what you 

really want to see? Does what you really see match up with what's best for our students?

Every day before you go to work think about what set of lenses you are wearing, and remember that from time to time it's not necessarily a bad idea to throw out your old lenses for a set of new ones...

The power of you...

On any given day, educators experience the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.  How an educator reacts and responds to these highs and lows can often dictate the overall mood of the day.  In my short 8 years as an educator, I have learned several things as it pertains to remaining positive, as well as keeping things in perspective when it comes to my professional and personal life.  Educators have an extremely difficult and mentally draining job, but yet at the same time, educators also have one of the most rewarding jobs.  The most difficult and rewarding jobs require a certain kind of mental strength and stamina...the strength and stamina to look in the mirror, and take control of the power...

Something most educators fail to realize is that they have the power and the control to dictate how well, or not well a day goes.  Sure, of course, we all have days that are better than others, but we are ultimately in control of whether we have good or bad days.  We have all done it, and we are all guilty of letting somebody or something take control of our day.  When we allow others to control the outcome of our life, we are relinquishing control of our very existence.

I have made this mistake many times before.  It is my new goal to take the power back, and regain control of my life.  The best thing about taking control of one's life, is the fact that when you take control of your life, you give somebody else the opportunity to take control of their life.  Empower others by empowering yourself...perhaps the most underrated and underutilized method to professional and personal growth.

Reflect on your existence, and evaluate how you approach both your professional and personal life.  Do you believe in yourself?  Does your happiness and positivity rely on the actions of others?  Do you feel proud of your accomplishments and doings?  Can you walk with your head held high?  Do you feel in control of your life?

Take this opportunity to look in the mirror and realize the potential and power of you.  Do not fear the power you possess.  This power gives you the ability to control your life and the outcomes of your experiences.  Be positive and give yourself the benefit of the doubt.  Work hard, prepare, encourage, and motivate yourself to take responsibility of controlling your life.

Oh, and if you are looking for people with whom to surround yourself...seek out those who believe in themselves, and in due time you will see they not only believe in themselves, they believe in you too.  When one believer believes in another, the ripple effect is inevitable...Are you ready to make the first wave...?

A powerful lesson in leadership...

One day, three blind men happened to meet each other and gossiped a long time about many things. Suddenly one of them recalled, “I heard that an elephant is a strange animal. Too bad we’re blind and can’t see it.”

“Ah, yes, truly too bad we don’t have the good fortune to see the strange ani­mal,” another one sighed.

The third one, quite annoyed, joined in and said, “See? Forget it! Just to feel it would be great.”

“Well, that’s true. If only there were some way of touching the elephant, we’d be able to know,” they all agreed.

It so happened that a merchant with a herd of elephants was passing, and overheard their conversation. “You fellows, do you really want to feel an elephant? Then follow me; I will show you,” he said.

The three men were surprised and happy. Taking one another’s hand, they quickly formed a line and followed while the merchant led the way. Each one began to contemplate how he would feel the animal, and tried to figure how he would form an image.

After reaching their destination, the merchant asked them to sit on the ground to wait. In a few minutes he led the first blind man to feel the elephant. With outstretched hand, he touched first the left foreleg and then the right. After that he felt the two legs from the top to the bottom, and with a beaming face, turned to say, “So, the strange animal is just like that.” Then he slowly returned to the group. Thereupon the second blind man was led to the rear of the elephant. He touched the tail which wagged a few times, and he exclaimed with satisfac­tion, “Ha! Truly a strange animal! Truly odd! I know now. I know.” He hur­riedly stepped aside.

The third blind man’s turn came, and he touched the elephant’s trunk which moved back and forth turning and twisting and he thought, “That’s it! I’ve learned.”

The three blind men thanked the merchant and went their way. Each one was secretly excited over the experience and had a lot to say, yet all walked rap­idly without saying a word.

“Let’s sit down and have a discussion about this strange animal,” the second blind man said, breaking the silence.

“A very good idea. Very good.” the other two agreed for they also had this in mind. Without waiting for anyone to be properly seated, the second one blurted out, “This strange animal is like our straw fans swinging back and forth to give us a breeze. However, it’s not so big or well made. The main portion is rather wispy.”

“No, no!” the first blind man shouted in disagreement. “This strange animal resembles two big trees without any branches.”

“You’re both wrong.” the third man replied. “This strange animal is similar to a snake; it’s long and round, and very strong.”

How they argued! Each one insisted that he alone was correct. Of course, there was no conclusion for not one had thoroughly examined the whole elephant. How can anyone describe the whole until he has learned the total of the parts...?

To persevere among differences...

I really enjoy watching movies. In particular, I really enjoy watching movies that inspire and motivate me, and it's an added bonus when the movie has a great soundtrack to go along with an inspirational story.

"The Last Samurai" is one of my favorite movies. Even with an open mind I struggle to see Tom Cruise in the role of a samurai, but nevertheless the movie still resonates with many of the same issues we struggle with in 2012. Additionally, I find that the movie illustrates several great qualities that all leaders should possess.

An overarching theme in the movie is the ability or inability to see someone else's perspective; more precisely, accepting or not accepting the differences of others. As educators we are inundated with different and new ideas, different and unique philosophies, and personal beliefs that make differences quite common in the educational setting.

What we struggle with most is finding a common ground to prevent these differences from holding us back. Will your pride and personal beliefs prevent you from seeing things from a different perspective? Will your pride and personal beliefs hold you back from making real progress toward helping move your school forward?

Another main theme in this movie is the perseverance and fortitude to act on your personal beliefs. When you are surrounded with opposing and conflicting viewpoints, will you succumb to the resistance or will you stand strong and continue your journey?

In education there will never be a 100% consensus, and if there is then there is probably something really wrong. When you follow your heart and follow your passion to do what you know is right and true, will you have the strength to push on and continue fighting for what you know to be right, or will you yield? Will you give the other perspective a chance or will you extinguish its flame before it fully ignites?

Hopefully the contrast in themes is evident. While these two themes are quite common in our day-to-day interactions, they are rather difficult to manage in both our professional and personal lives.

As educators, we must stay true to our beliefs and individual philosophies. We must persevere against all resistance to do what we believe is the best for our students. We must have an unyielding commitment to doing whatever it takes in light of any roadblocks and setbacks. We must have the strength to stand when others choose to sit; we must have the courage to speak when others choose to remain silent...

As educators, we must also hear and consider the beliefs and individual philosophies of others. We must take note of resistance and reflect on if what we are doing is truly best for our students. We must have an unyielding commitment to searching and finding the best ways of doing things. We must have the strength to simply watch and learn when others choose to lead the way; we must have the courage to listen while others choose to speak... 

Perhaps finding a happy balance between the two is the key... perhaps these two conflicting themes can not coexist... perhaps one theme is more important than the other... perhaps we will never know...

What do you see...?

If you do bus duty in the morning do you see it as an opportunity to greet each and every student with a smile to ensure their day at school starts off right, or do you see it as just another short straw that you have drawn...?

If you know a colleague who is struggling do you see it as a chance to help him/her with their struggles because we work as a team, or do you turn your back on them and ignore their struggles while being thankful it's not your problem...?

http://goo.gl/Lojxv

If you have a conversation with a colleague and you disagree, do you see it as an opportunity to learn about another perspective or do you concentrate all your energy on proving that your perspective is correct...?

If you make a mistake do you see your failure as a chance to learn and grow or do you see your failure as a defining characteristic that will always follow and haunt you...?

If you experience success in your classroom with a particular activity do you see it as your professional responsibility to share it with your colleagues or do you see the activity as something you must protect and hide from others...?

If you get stuck doing something that isn't your job, do you see it as an opportunity to learn about another role in education or do you see it as a burden that shouldn't fall on your shoulders...?

If you are selected to do lunch supervision do you see it as an opportunity to build and strengthen student relationships or do you see it as wasted time that comes with the job...?

If you have a student who is unmotivated in your class do you see it as a chance to help the student find the root cause of the issue or do you see the student as another lazy and unmotivated kid...? 

If you are assigning work to be completed outside of school, do you see the other time commitments and constraints your students may have or do you see homework as more important than family and/or interests and hobbies...?

If you discover that a student is passionate about something that is not related to your content, do you see it as an opportunity to connect and relate your content to his/her passion or do you see his/her passion as something that is getting in the way of his/her learning...?


Does what you really see match up with what you really want to see? Does what you really see match up with what's best for your students?

Every day before you go to work think about what set of lenses you are wearing, and remember that from time to time it's not necessarily a bad idea to throw out your old lenses for a set of new ones...