Day 4 (21 Days of Gratitude)

Day 4
I am grateful for the opportunity to grow professionally each day.  There have been a number of opportunities that have been provided to me whether it is attending conferences at the local, state, or national levels, reading books, following an individual or hashtag on Twitter, or having a conversation with one of my colleagues.  I love to learn and have been blessed with the ability to purchase a number of books that pique my interest, attend conferences to help me grow, and connect with a large number of people within my professional learning network (PLN).  I would like to think that I have learned more about education and leadership within the past four years than I have in the previous 9 combined.  I attribute this to my PLN and the unbelievable wisdom, resources, and philosophies that they have shared through a variety of tools.  There has never been an easier time to learn with the tools that we have at our disposal.  It makes me smile knowing that I have the opportunity to learn and grow every single day.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Best...

Image
Over the past couple of weeks I've been talking with a number of teachers, administrators, parents, and other members of the school community about what the best educators do differently than everyone else.  I know that there have been a number of books written on this topic including What Great Teachers do Differently by @ToddWhitaker.  This book has informed many of the thoughts within this post however; I will explain the six things that I feel the best educators do better than everyone else. The best educators invest more time into their work.   The best educators are not clock or contract watchers; they realize that their responsibility of educating students never stops, regardless of the time commitment.  The best educators are passionate about their students, the subject they teach, and most importantly in the connections that they make with their kids. The best have high expectations for students but even higher expectations for themselves. The best educators will not
Read more

Why Do I Lead?

Throughout the past year I have become interested in social media and using various tools to make connections with educators across the country and world.  Twitter has been a "game changing" professional development tool for me, as I have been able to consume, create, and share a number of resources with unbelievable people within my Professional Learning Network.  About eighteen months ago I heard a lot of buzz about Twitter as an educational tool, but refused to believe the hype because all I could think of when this was mentioned was Ashton Kutcher, Shaq, one million followers, and what these people had for dinner the night before.  Only when I gave Twitter a chance along with some educational chats (most notably #iaedchat) did I find the true power and the ability to connect with so many great minds.  Twitter has given me the ability to connect with my educational hero, Todd Whitaker: @toddwhitaker, and learn from some of the best in the business such as Jimmy Casas: @cas
Read more

Nike, Amazon, and Two Incredible Elementary Schools

Image
I'm an avid Nike shopper, and have literally invested thousands of dollars in shoes, clothing, and accessories over the years.  Nike has created a brand that I feel is top quality, visually attractive, and trend-setting.  When I see the swoosh on apparel, billboards, and TV commercials, I know what to expect.  Amazon is another company that gets it done consistently; I am impressed each time that I order from them.  Amazon has developed a name for themselves by focusing on unbelievable, user-friendly tools and customer service that is second to none.  What's stopping schools from creating similar brands?     Over the past six months I have spent a great deal of time listening to experts, reading blogs, participating in Twitter chats, and having face to face conversations about creating a brand for our schools.  After listening to @NMHS_Principal , @Joe_Mazza , @TonySinanis , @Joesanfelippofc and @casas_jimmy , I came to realize what an incredible opportunity we have
Read more