You Time

So if you are anywhere other than Chicago (where they are finally getting back) then your school year is in full swing, and if you are anything like me then you are once again trying to master the great balancing act  that is school administration.  After all, there are new students to meet, returning students to re-connect with, staff members to see, and the parents...oh my oh my the parents!  You can't really blame them, as we are responsible for the care of the most important things they have (no, not their smart phones...although they are pretty cool)!

Within this three ring circus  routine of a day, it is all too easy to forget about   one of the most  important things in our lives...US!  We are not even through a month of  school, and I would be willing to bet anyone reading this blog post has skipped lunch, pulled an "all nighter" (or close to it), or found themselves in the office several hours after everyone else has left school.  Some of you may even be guilty of all of the above! 

I understand it is our nature as school leaders, and that things need to be done, and done quickly and correctly, but at what cost?  Remember all of the goals you set for yourself at the end of the school year?  How many of them focused on you and your well being?  How many days a week are you exercising?  Are you eating right?  Are you getting enough sleep?  I don't mean to sound like your mother, but she has a point!  If you do not take care of yourself, then your body WILL break down, and then you are no good to anyone.  In the article, "Taking Your Oxygen" (http://connectedprincipals.com/archives/6274), Patrick Larkin expresses how important it is for " those who are responsible for the well-being of children to take care of themselves first."

There are so many people, both at home and at school, who count on you, but in order to do your best, you must be at your best.  This link, http://www.thefreedomexperiment.com/2011/10/28/55-gentle-ways-to-take-care-of-yourself-when-youre-busy-busy-busy/  provides some helpful and healthful advice on how to take care of you, so you can continue to take care of everyone and everything else!  Have a happy and healthy school year, and remember to have your "You Time" to stay at your very best!

Inspire a Generation

It is hard to believe that summer is winding down already!  It seems like only yesterday I was walking off of our soccer field after celebrating the class of 2012 graduation, and although it was hot and I was tired, there was some extra "pep" in my step, as I was ready to swap my tie and dress suit for a bathing suit and head down the shore for the summer!

The Sun, however, about to set on another summer vacation.  So, how are you planning on beginning the new year?  Hopefully it is not going to be more of the same!  This is an exciting time in education and no better time to look to make a change in your practice.  For those of you heading back to the Principal/A.P. office, here is a great link to provide a few thoughts on how to do things differently this year:  http://connectedprincipals.com/archives/6047.

If you are heading back to the classroom, here are two quick reads (I know you don't have much time to spare) that reminds us of the new "Three R's" in education: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/glen-lineberry/school-starts-over_b_1716445.html and how to become "connected" educators: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/new-teachers-becoming-connected-educators-lisa-dabbs.

Wait, parents...don't start "belting out" lyrics to "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" so fast!  There is one for you to read as well!  After all, we are all partners in maximizing your cherub's education, especially in today's high-tech, connected world: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/5-ways-to-teach-kids-to-use-technology-safely/2012/07/30/gJQAbEClLX_blog.html.

Regardless of your role in back-to-school time (and maybe you have multiple responsibilities...I know I do), it is important to know that this is our time, and theirs for a fresh start.  My wife and I are HUGE fans of the Olympics, and I just loved London's mantra of "Inspire a Generation".  As we prepare to lead our students through the doors of yet another opening day, please try to keep that message in mind.  Put down the syllbi...don't pass out the textbooks yet...remember you are not just teaching content, you are teaching kids.  Connect with them.  Empower them.  Inspire them.  They are capable of great things...so much more than simply learning reading, writing and arithmetic.   http://www.whatkidscando.org/featurestories/2012/07_youth_converts_culture/

I hope you, your staff and your students have a terrific school year filled with innovation and inspration!

Tee it up for Learning

Last week I had the pleasure of playing Jericho National (http://www.jerichonational.com/Golf.aspx), an absolutely beautiful golf course in New Hope, Pennsylvania, with my father-in-law and his friend. Leave it to my over analytical, always reflective mind to relate learning to golf!

As we approached the 5th Tee, a 179 yard par three, I thought to myself, "where in the hell are the easy 125 yarders? None of that here, as this place is not for the faint-of-heart "hacker". Once the initial shock wore off, I noticed that all three of us were approaching the tee box with different clubs and strategies. I was taking the traditional approach in using an iron off of the tee. My father-in-law was using fairway wood, which is loftier and easier to contol...the safe play. Dad's friend was using a hybrid iron (used to replace the more difficult to hit long irons) to try to get the best of both worlds...distance and control.

If only we did more of this in the classroom. The three of us knew what kind of ball strikers we were, so we played to our strengths in order to maximize our chances of success. Not a bad philosophy for education, huh? If we know how our kids learn...better yet, if we can teach them to be more metacognitively aware themselves (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metacognition), then maybe they can approach learning like the three of us approached the 5th tee...a bit intimidated at first, but then confident about "taking a swing" because we knew what club to use!

The perfect ending to this post would be to say that we all parred the hole, but those of you who have seen me putt would never believe it! Either way, I had a great day at Jericho where both the golfer and "edu-nerd" in me went home satisfied. Our students and staff deserve the same feeling, so let's work to help them learn which club works best for them!

Because We Have ALWAYS Done It That Way!

Once upon a time, physicians would utilize a technique called bloodletting (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloodletting) to help cure patients with various diseases.  Over time, this practice was proven to be more harmful than helpful, and thus it was abandoned.  Physicians stopped practicing bloodletting, even though it was what they had always done, because they realized it was not working. 

Why do we have such a difficult time with this thought process in education?  The "Powers-To-Be" want to put harsher sanctions on school districts (not helping), give more and more assessments to students (which takes away instructional time) and make teachers and administrators more accountable (not always a bad thing) to motivate us.  In response, school leaders break the budget on more technology, instructional and content consultants and illustrious keynote speakers, combined with one-and-done/"drive-by" professional development (this to shall pass) to inspire faculty to use best practice initiatives.  All this to ensure no child is left behind.  Is it working yet?  Let's stop bloodletting!

Maybe, with the rapid changes of a more and more tech-savvy society, along with what research says about the way children think and learn today (http://www.21stcenturyschools.com/What_is_21st_Century_Education.htm)
maybe, just maybe we need to go deeper...to the root of the issue.  Maybe, we need a systemic change!  It is sad to think that with all of the many innovations that have improved our lives over the last 100 years: Antibiotics,  Personal Computers, Speedo Swimwear (okay, maybe not that last one for all of us!), the basic structure and format of education has remained unchanged.   Baskin-Robbins has 31 flavors of ice cream, yet the public school system is still pushing, for the most part, only vanilla.  Some people are just not vanilla (50 Shades of Grey reference...for the ladies)!  It is time we start really looking into incorporating some other "flavors" into the public education mainstream. 
The "pockets of progress" that some school are experiencing (http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools) need to be celebrated and emulated if we really hope to make real, lasting, positive change to education.  We all do not have to think "outside the box" to start making a difference in our schools, but thinking along the "edge of the box" (Seth Godin on creativity, http://lateralaction.com/articles/seth-godin) is a good start for some of those still holding onto the syringe (reference to bloodletting).  It is beyond time to stop doing the same-old same-old simply because it is what we have always done!

Get "Connected"!

So as the dust settles from Edcamp Leadership and the reflection begins, I think of all the meaningful conversations that took place yesterday (not to mention the fact that we may have contributed to a hour long Twitter crash...but that's another story).  Anyway, if you couldn't make it to the "unconference", here is the link to their website for some of the after-thoughts: http://www.edcampleadership.org/


If you want to skip over all of the Academy Award-like love, such as the "thank you to all of our sponsors..." and get right to the heart of the matter, you may want to check out the google site mid-way down the page that lists all of the session topics and the contact information of the presenters/fascilitators.  I recommend "Flipping The Faculty Meeting" @Damian613 (on Twitter), especially if you are looking to take your faculty/department/administration meeting and turn things "upside down".

Speaking of admin meetings...while sharing some thoughts with my principal, who happened to be on the Edcamp Organizing Team, I was give the pleasure (and challenge) of leading a discussion on why it is important for school leaders to "be connected"...I am assuming she meant technology and not any "Godfather" stuff!  I am obviously excited to do it because I love to share my ideas (although my brother will say it is because I like to hear myself speak), but I do not consider myself an expert by any stretch of the imagination!  What the hell am I going to say that will be poignant and meaningful?!?  After the initial panic subsided, I decided to gather some information from a few known experts on the subject.  Please see below:

Michael King, Principal, Dodge City (KS) Middle School http://digitalsandbox.weebly.com/

Patrick Larkin, Principal, Burlington (MA) High School www.patrickmlarkin.com

Eric Sheninger, Principal, New Milford (NJ) High School http://www.ericsheninger.com/

I follow all three of these guys on Twitter and frequent their websites.  Let me tell you, they have done some amazing things and have equally amazing resources to share.  Please, do yourself, and your school a favor and check-out what they are doing and saying.  I will certainly reference them in my upcoming discussion with my administrative team.  Also, I will share there two powerful blog post (in addition to my own...not so powerful, but hopeful post) which really helped motivate me to branch out as a digital learner.  See below:

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/21st-century-PLNs-school-leaders-george-couros

http://21stcenturylearning.typepad.com/blog/2008/06/letter-to-my-co.html

I will close with the words of Dean Shareski, another educator I follow on Twitter, who really sums up why social media in education is not only a good thing, but absolutely necessary if we hope to reach and teach our 21st Century learners.  By the way, the 21st Century in already more than ten years old...it's time to "get connected"!

"By opening up your own learning to the world, you will be surprised not only how your knowledge elevates, but how your passion for teaching and learning will benefit as well."  - Dean Shareski

How do you like your PD served?

So today I attended a professional development workshop on de-escalation strategies in school.  It was delivered by my colleague, Jack Marcellus of the CCTS, Pennsauken Campus.  He did a nice job fascilitating a discussion on crisis prevention.  The twenty-or-so attendees shared personal experiences and brainstormed on what strategies worked for them.  All-in-all, it was a good and worthwhile workshop and I am glad I attended.  I have to be honest, though.  Jack began the PD standing in front of the room speaking, Power Point a-blazing, and I thought to myself, "OH NO!  NOT ANOTHER ONE OF THESE!"  To my relief, it was just his way, albeit very traditional, of "setting the table" for the day's discussion.  It goes to show you that inspite of all the critics of traditional education models, when used skillfully, they can be very effective.

Tomorrow, I am heading up the NJ Turnpike to the NJPSA headquarters for the Edcamp Leadership "Un-conference".  Nothing could be much more un-traditional then the Edcamp PD delivery method, where the schedule is...TBD, the presenters are...TBD and the "Law of Two Feet" always applies (read below).  Sound crazy?  Here is an excerpt from their website, www.edcampleadership.org/:

    "Edcamp Leadership is a free unconference for school leaders devoted to K-12 education issues and ideas. Its goal is to assemble forward-thinking school administrators, board of education members, classroom teacher leaders, parents/community members – anyone interested in K-12 education – for a day of conversation, reflection and inspiration...If at any time you find yourself in any situation where you are neither learning nor contributing: Give greetings, use your Two Feet and go do something useful. Responsibility resides with you."

I don't know exactly know what to expect, but I know and work/have worked with several of the Edcamp-ers, so I also know it will be great! I also know that it will not be, "your grandfather's professional development workshop" and for some, that may be scary.  For me it is an exciting change of pace and a possible sneak-peak into the future of teaching and learning.  If you cannot make the trip upto exit 8-A, you should follow some of the discussions that are bound to make you think differently.  If you are apart of the "Twitterverse",  follow along at #EdcampLeadership.  If not, check out the website (above).  Baskin-Robbins has 31 flavors of ice cream...why not have more than one flavor of professional development? 

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step". 

-Lao tzu    (http://www.quotationspage.com/author.php?author=Lao-tzu)

A famous quote from a famous Chinese philosopher that sums up the beginning of my blogging career.  I know, many of you established bloggers who are (hopefully) reading this may be thinking, "awefully late to the party, Shappell".  Yes, it is true, and although I am a firm believer in being early to most things I suppose I am taking the "better late then never" approach to blogging. 

I never really thought of myslef as a writer.  After all, I never thought I had very much to say of any importance, but after reading far to many twitter postings to count from the likes of Patrick Larkin (@partickmlarkin) and Eric Sheninger (@NMHS_Principal), I realized that true educational leaders must be a part of the "bloggasphere", "Twitterverse" and other social networking environments.  By the way, if you are reading this and you are not following the two aforementioned school leaders...what the hell are you waiting for?  Great stuff!

I hope you read, I hope you comment (like or dislike...agree or disagree), I hope you share, and I hope you take this journey with me as part of my professinal learning network.  Follow me on Twitter: @robshappell, e-mail me at robshappell@gmail.com, or just check in from time to time on Adminsanity.  A thousand miles is one hell of a journey.  Why not walk together?

mailto:robshappell@gmail.com
Twitter:@robshappell