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 […]
Metamorphosis Teaching Learning Communities
Metamorphosis Teaching Learning Communities Can We Talk? Lucy West & Yitzchak Francus Changing the day-to-day culture of schools from one in which adults work solo in silos has been a focus of the many leaders and researchers who understand that professional learning is the key to student learning, and that […]
Gray Matters
By Bill Sommers Skip Olsen In the song by the Mama and Papas, there is line, “All the leaves are brown…” In working, leading, teaching, etc it seems like all the decisions are gray. It is easy to live in a world or work in an organization and in […]
Emotional Anorexia
Emotional Anorexia By William Sommers “Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast” Peter Drucker I ask you a question, “What are we waiting for?” Working in schools for over 40 years I keep hearing professionals (teachers and administrators) whining about not feeling appreciated. Yes, in many schools I have been a […]
Supervising Principals by Saphier & Durkin
Supervising Principals: How Central Office Administrators Can Improve Teaching and Learning in the Classroom — The Missing Link for Scaling Up School Improvement Jon Saphier & Pia Durkin Many change agents agree that putting a good principal in every school is the key to improving classroom instruction. Findings by the […]
Testing Destiny
As Pete Seeger sang years ago, “when will we ever learn?” Yes, that dates me and gives me over 40 years of perspective in education. So, my question is, knowing the results of the testing every child, when will we learn that this is not working? We all know Einstein’s […]
The five myths of NYC education reform
The five myths of NYC education reform by Winifred Radigan While education reform has been on the front burner of political platforms and public opinion pages, sadly, true reform continues to give way to quick fixes and bureaucratic structural changes that fail to have a positive and lasting impact on […]
Feedback that Supports Learning for Everyone
by Giselle O. Martin-Kniep Feedback affect us and helps us learn. While some of the feedback we receive stems from within us through our engagement with a task or with information, much of the feedback we receive and give stems from our interactions with others. Since most feedback is relational, […]