Monday Moanin Thoughts #303 Get Some Rest Then Get To Work

Happy June 2018 Monday Moanin to everyone. For many of you this may be your first week without students or of summer vacation. After a long and challenging school year it is important to recharge and get some rest. Enjoy some quality family time and have your share of fun. After a few weeks of rest and relaxation, it is time to get to work. The following ideas hopefully will assist as you begin planning for the summer and upcoming 2018-19 school year. Give consideration to the following strategies. Read more

Monday Moanin Thoughts #302 Happy Fathers Day 2018

Welcome to  an early MMT and happy Fathers Day 2018. For many of you tomorrow may be the first Monday Moanin in a long time where you can hit the snooze on your iPhone alarm. Enjoy the experience! Today, I think about all of the men who have influenced me in my life and I am grateful for their help. Today I honor two of those men. Of course I think about my dad, Don Hickey with fond memories and appreciation. He passed away in 1991 and I think of him daily. His humor, work ethic, faith, caring attitude, and his love of family and his wife Rose, has rubbed off on all of his 6 sons.  As my brother Bill said at his funeral, Don Lives! Another father that is a wonderful model for me is my father-in-law, George. He has been my other Dad for 28 years. He also is a model for me and he exhibits all of the traits I admired in my Dad. Above all he is the definition of a giver.  At 84 he is an avid golfer, loving husband and father. He gives freely in caring for his wife as she deals with the challenges of Alzheimer’s. Not an easy task but he handles it with grace and a strong faith. I am so lucky to have these good men  model for me what it means to be a father and a husband. Thank you so much. Read more

Monday Moanin Thoughts #301 Final Week Of School? Try These Out.

Happy mid June 2018 Monday Moanin to all of you. For many of you this may be your last week of school for the 2017-18 year. These days for many students can be filled with lots of emotions, distractions, and for some, anxiety. One example for these behaviors  is that not every student is looking forward to the summer recess. Read more

Monday Moanin Thoughts #300 Ask For Feedback

Happy Monday Moanin to all of you. Hopefully you experienced a wonderful,  restful weekend. For many of you the 2017-18 school year has either ended or it will very soon. Usually this is not the time of year to ask for feedback because of the overall fatigue of stakeholders. However, you don’t have to use a complex survey to gather information that may help you grow and plan for 2018-19. One of my colleagues, Dr. Cathryn Skedel shared with me an instrument she used a few weeks ago with her staff. She sought feedback for her team as well as a few reflections from staff. It was very doable and not cumbersome for her staff. She also received critical information as she plans for next year. Listed below are some of the statements and questions she used.  Read more