Thank You Shirley Hord
Since Shirley’s passing last month I have done a lot of reflecting on her influence on my professional life. Long before I ever met Shirley, in the 80s, I was using her work, and that of Gene Hall, as a principal and as a staff developer. I taught Concerns-Based Adoption […]
The Martyrdom of Andy Drake
This story is adapted from a 2nd helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul Andy Drake was a nice young man whose classmates liked but they harassed him. He took the kidding in stride and warmly said, “Thank You.” The fifth graders seem to use Andy as their relief from […]
The Sense of Wonder
The Sense of Wonder They say all things are wondrous to a child. I say the sense of wonder grows with age. The child accepts the faceless voice that speaks through telephones, takes moonwalk in his stride, nor doubts that man can fly in winged machines. He knows the sun […]
Questions
To stress the power of inquiry, we often tell the story of Isidor Rabi, winner of the Nobel Prize for physics. After winning this prize, Rabi told audiences, “I don’t think I am smarter than others, I just know how to ask good questions.” He credits his mother with this […]
Let’s Get Specific about Trust
The Learning Professional | www.learningforward.org December 2018 | Vol. 39 No. 6 Let’s get specific about how leaders can build trust WHAT I’VE LEARNED – Jon Saphier School leadership literature repeatedly identifies trust as essential for creating high-gain schools — schools where student gain scores are more than one year’s […]
GRRReat
We all want great learning, great schools, and great success in the future. For the past several years the narrow focus has been on test scores. Schools compete with other schools, states and provinces compete with other states and provinces, and PISA scores seem to be the only assessment measure […]
Failure IS an Option
We have been around a long time, both over 40 years in education, and worked in many parts of the country. One of us, mostly as a building principal, and the other as former teacher, counselor, and union business agent. We have heard lots of rhetoric about what needs to […]
No More Emotional Anorexia
Great teachers are emotionally intelligent and connect with their students and colleagues, they have the understanding that positive relationships are the bedrock of successful schools. This can be emotionally draining and if we do not replenish regularly then it can lead to what I call emotional anorexia. The emotionally anorexic […]
Metaphors that illuminate the work of leaders
University Business, June 2018 Twitter Facebook Share Why are metaphors useful? Language is central to our humanity, and the language we use defines how we see ourselves, others and the world. If we see arguments as war we respond very differently than if we see them as dance. Over the centuries, metaphors have […]
You Need a Slap in the Face
A couple of months ago, our Learning Omnivores group, spent time with Stan Slap, the author of Bury My Heart at Conference Room B. After reading this book and his second book, Under the Hood, we felt there were messages for educators in Stan’s work. And, we were correct. Stan […]