Monday Moanin Thoughts #243 Fight The Mid Winter Blues, Take Action

Happy final Monday Moanin of  February 2017.  This is the time of year that many of us call the Mid Winter blues. Whether it is the lack of student focus, lack of sunny days, the wintry mix, or  the long stretches without a break from the daily grind, this time of year is challenging. So, let’s attack the blah’s by being proactive. Your staff may need direction and definitely your support during this time of year. Here are three areas for you to consider beating the blues. Read more

Monday Moanin Thoughts #242 Is Your Climate Dipping, How Is Your Tension?

Good morning and happy Monday Moanin to all of you. Many authors agree that successful organizations and teams need a healthy tension to be productive. My definition of healthy tension is an organization rooted in a collaborative climate. Some examples include staff engaging in discussions about instruction, learning,  growth and possible changes in how individuals teach and students learn. The opposite is an organization that focuses on teacher/adult happiness that may not have enough tension or discipline to change and improve. Some describe this as a more congenial environment than collegial.   Read more

Monday Moanin Thoughts #241 Reflect On These To Guide Your Week

Welcome  to the  first Monday Moanin of February 2017.  In today’s MMT, I am excited to share five quotes/ideas that may guide you as you begin your week. Consider using them as a reminder or help provide you direction as you plan for a productive week. Here is hoping one of these will resonate with you:

Danny Steele writes; ” Teachers, instruction without rigor is weak. Instruction without relevance is lame. Instruction without relationships is futile.” Read more

Monday Moanin Thoughts #240 Enhance Your Practice By Keeping It Simple

Welcome to this frigid January 2017 Monday Moanin. Leadership can be a very complex issue. Mostly because it involves other people. Your organization has many employees that bring their concerns and their life challenges into the workplace everyday. Read more

Monday Moanin Thoughts #239 No Matter Your Rank, Dig In!

Happy January Monday Moanin to all of you. Wow, it feels like springtime in Michigan. This past week has been filled with many interesting events. On a national level a new President was inaugurated and Donald Trump began his term as the 45th President.  There is sure to be many new policies and executive orders enacted that will result in changes including education. Here in Michigan, Governor Snyder and the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) released school score cards, which provide a wide range of data. This includes a top to bottom ranking of nearly every school in the state. Thankfully, this will be the final year of these rankings and the state will comply with the with the federal law that  oversees K-12 schools for 2017-18. The accountability system will switch to grades of A-F and other data points. Read more

Monday Moanin Thoughts #238 Happy Birthday Dr. King

Happy Monday Moanin to all of you. Today we celebrate the American federal holiday marking his birthday  Let’s honor Dr. King’s memory as we begin our work this week. The following Dr. King quote can help us reflect on the work we are doing in our schools.

” The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character, that is the goal of education.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Read more

Monday Moanin Thoughts #237 My Top Tweets For 2016, Use Them To Guide Your Work

Happy second Monday Moanin of January 2017.  Over the course of 2016, I tweeted many opinions and quotes from many of the stars of leadership and education. Below are listed my top tweets for 2016. Each of them had over 2500 impressions on Twitter. Consider using one of them to guide your work this week. Read more

Monday Moanin Thoughts #236 Resolutions For 2017, How About A Word?

Welcome to the first Monday Moanin of 2017. Celebrating a new year is the perfect time to reflect and make resolutions.  Many people, including myself find resolutions near impossible to achieve and maintain. I agree with  author Jon Gordon who suggests picking one word to focus on throughout the year. As a result , I have been thinking and reflecting on what will my word be for 2017.  I am happy to share with you that my focus for 2017 will be the word practice. Of all the words to choose, why practice? The obvious answer is to practice something means that we will get better at it. My goal is to focus on practice and  improve my effectiveness working with principals, and other educators. By practicing with a purpose, I hope to keep growing and improving my skills in all areas professionally and personally. Read more

Monday Moanin Thoughts #235 Thank You Principals, You Are Appreciated

Happy Monday Moanin to everyone. Wow, we are almost finished and ready to start a long Holiday break. Below is an archived blog from 2013 on my appreciation for Principals.  I hope you enjoy it and have a great break.

 

As we approach another Holiday break I wanted to write about what a great job Principals do in leading their buildings and how much I appreciate their efforts. Listed below are the 1o things I appreciate about them. Read more

Monday Moanin #234 Give More During This Time Of Year

Happy snowy Monday Moanin and welcome to the Winter Wonderland of Michigan 2016.  For many a long break and a celebration that may be spiritual, family focused or both are a few weeks away.  This is the time of year that many schools are conducting can food drives and other initiatives to help others that are less fortunate. Read more