Reflections

On August 27, 2014, my district hosted Eric Sheninger for the first of two Superintendent's Conference Days before our official opening for students. This day had been months in the making. Our regional BOCES helped facilitate the arrangements. I knew back in March 2014 that I really wanted Eric to come to Corinth. I wasn't sure how I would accomplish that in our rural district with limited funding. In consulting with BOCES, we were able to host Eric in our district for a full morning (2 different sessions, 2 different needs). There was also an afternoon session opened to area administrators. The afternoon session's registration fees helped to offset our district's costs for bringing Eric in the morning. We had Eric all morning as long as we promised to share in the afternoon. After many tweets and emails, nearly 20 area administrators  had registered and would be visiting our district to work with Eric in the afternoon. We were honored to have many area administrato...

Earlier this week, Jennifer Hogan  posted a listing of motivational video clips for school leaders and teachers. I am always collecting good clip s for future use. Music and video clips sometimes say what I am feeling, in part, but can't put into words. One of the best clips was by Maya Angelou . (click Maya's name or see clip below...does not show on mobile version) I've watched it at least 10 times over the week. One of the parts that most resonates with me at this time is the following: Pick up the battle, take it up... This is your life. This is your world... You make your own choices... Try it. See. So pick it up. Pick up the battle and make it a better world. Just where you are. Yes, and it can be better. And it must be better. But it is up to us. The clip doesn't make me think of all the little things I'll likely be consumed with once school starts. It makes me think of the most important things...things that are not things at all, ...

A few weeks ago, Scott Capro tweeted something about the twitterverse needing an early morning chat. Moments later, he connected with Ashley Hurley and "The Breakfast Club", #BFC530 , was born. I've been helping out where I can as the chat has built up momentum.  Yes, we chat at 5:30 IN THE MORNING , every weekday morning. But, the more I participate and connect with so many amazing people in this chat, the more I am compelled to keep on participating. Isn't that the most amazing thing about other educators you meet on twitter? What do they say about surrounding yourself with like minded people? I've enjoyed talking with both of the moderators, Scott and Ashley, via voxer.   Scott is the heart behind this work. He is all heart, no ego. Working with both of them has been a privilege and has given me a real a dmiration for what this chat is trying to accomplish.  It's about a positive mindset. It's about giving many a voice. It's...

Team, Many of you have been asking about state test scores and when we will know those results. We know those scores will be released soon with public release being determined by NYSED.  Looking back on state test days of administration, I remember how much our kids poured into the assessments. I remember how much perseverance they showed. I remember how each of you worked deliberately to set a can do, do your best attitude. I also remember your faces and that look of defeat at the end of some of those days. You worried about how our students would fare. You were careful not to talk about that but I could see it in your eyes. But those days are just pieces of an entire year of instruction. I know that you worked incredibly hard last year to improve and maximize instruction.  Do we still have areas where we need to improve? Yes. (Doesn't everyone?) Still, haven't we already made improvements that may not show in that kind of data yet? You bet we have! Our plan...

[This is collaborative post by Jon Harper and Lisa Meade . We are both members of the neat blogging project #compelledtribe launched by Craig Vroom and Jennifer Hogan . As part of our commitment to blog more and support other bloggers, we decided to co-write this piece. We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we did writing it.] Have you ever found yourself so busy that when you finally stop to rest all you can hear is your own breathing? We all have! On the other hand, have you ever slowed down enough so that you can hear the heartbeat? And I don't mean your own. Recently we both found that if we stopped what we were doing. Just for a short while. In one case, a day. In another, just an hour. We were not only able to learn what we could not have at work. We were able to hear and feel the heartbeats of our children and we realized that through them we have become better. Better educators? Maybe. Better people? Definitely! Playing Hooky in New York I ...

Today's #satchat was full of 100 ideas today. To some, that can be scary. Too much too soon can overwhelm some people. To others, it can be invigorating. So much at once yields so many opportunities! I am excited for the start of the year for so many reasons. One of them includes the distribution of chrome books to all teachers and TAs in my building. We started small last year giving chrome books to team leaders, tech committee members and department chairpersons. There were some stand alone student computers due to be replaced in our classrooms and my Superintendent was open to allowing me NOT to replace those (that were due) and instead purchasing chrome books. It wasn't what was happening district wide but I appreciated him letting me go off the path for this. For our school, it seems like a logical choice. We have slowly begun using Google Drive and will open up student email accounts this Fall. We are moving to using more #GAFE apps within the next two years and I want...

This will be a quick post likely full of errors and incomplete sentences. But, I feel a pressing need to get these thoughts to paper while: a) I have time  and b) I can still remember the pieces I want to connect I was given a great opportunity to work with Dr. Shawn Hunziker today. We've conducted some online book studies around Mindset by Carol Dweck. This past winter, we were invited to give a keynote to CSE Chairpersons ( BIG TIME for us) and that led to today's session with CNYSEA's Summer Institute .  On my way to the session, I was rehearsing notes (as I always do, see previous post ). At a stop sign near the venue where the conference was held, I pulled up in back of a car and noticed the neatest license plate: NEVRQT* I think that's how it was spelled. I tried to grab a picture but realized how creepy that would look and did not reshoot the blurry image I captured. When I arrived at the conference, I immediately told my partner, Sh...