Happy St.Patricks Day!  This is a great Monday Moanin in March 2014.  As the son of a very proud Irishman, this is a day of celebration. It is time to put an end to winter and enjoy the hope of spring. It is  time to give the Lenten sacrifices a rest for at least one day. It is a day to enjoy family and friends with food, spirits and fellowship. Go out and get your green on , everyone is Irish today.  Teachers and educators use this great day of celebration to  tell your story. Read more

This Monday Moanin Thoughts # 100 is coming to you from beautiful Arizona. For the past few days I have escaped the Polar Vortex of Michigan to enjoy some warmth and golf. The warmth is far better than my golf game.  That said,  I  want to share with you four of  my favorite quotes that I hope resonate with you and help to guide your  efforts this week.  Try posting them where  you can refer to them, they are: Read more

I wish all of you a happy April Monday Moanin. Noted University of Pennsylvania psychologist , author  and researcher Martin Seligman defines a courageous person” as someone who doesn’t  shrink from threat, challenge, difficulty , or pain.” For many educators and leaders it is a challenge to act with courage given the scrutiny  and  negative attention on public education. It is common for some leaders to become less confident and act with caution. The goal is to fight through the caution and lead others with courage. However, do all courageous decisions have to be high profile or monumental like a non-renewal or a  staff discipline issue?  My answer is no. Everyday decisions need to be made that do not  need the school district’s legal council to be consulted. Read more

Welcome to the Monday Moanin following the  2014 Super Bowl. I am writing this before the parties and the game begins. So hopefully your team  will win and you are ready to begin the week in a positive way. Over the past month I have spent much of my time meeting with administrators and teachers. One common topic that is discussed is good instruction. As a result of these conversations I have many takeaways and reflections.  This week I want to share two areas for your consideration. Neither area will be new to you. I believe by  giving some attention to them, your practice will be enhanced .  Here they are:

First,  reach out and form partnerships with colleagues. Make time to talk about best practice and share ideas. Consider meeting a few times a month to talk and share positive examples of strategies that are working for you and your learners.It is a given that everyone is busy and the challenges are time consuming. The bottom line is that one of  your greatest resources may be in the next classroom or office. Share and collaborate with each other, you can’t afford not too.

Second, commit to trying a new strategy or technology that scares you. The strategy does not have to consume you. It need not take so much time that you get discouraged. Jennifer Nichols writes: “whether you are using old technology in new ways or traditional ways, challenge yourself to do something scary- nothing terrifying, but rather an app or method of student access to content or digital communities that forces you to learn new things.”  Come on you can do it!

Enjoy this first Monday in February and keep finding the good stuff!

 

As you begin your week, keep the above quote in mind as you reflect on your practice. Consider focusing on one of the above questions and either enhancing your practice or  begin addressing it by taking action.

 

Have a great week and keep finding the good stuff.

Welcome to another January 2014 Monday Moanin. Today we celebrate the American federal holiday marking the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. It is also the Martin Luther King Day of Service  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.”

The above quote raises some questions for us to reflect on.  A few of them are listed below.

Do we have high expectations for all  of our learners?

Is critical thinking reinforced in our classrooms? Is it taught?

Is character education a focus in our schools?

Is there a culture  of acceptance  in our schools?

Are we serving others in our school community?