Tag: Hope
When Others Count You Out
In my current research of over 40 school districts in Texas, an amazing outlier has surfaced. Here are the stats for this outlier district: 98.1% Attendance Rate 33% of Students Master State Test vs. 20% in the State 86% of Students Pass State Test vs. 75% in the State Okay, so it’s a high…
The Mirror
The Mirror – Is it a place where secrets are exposed? Or is it a place where hope is renewed?
Career Moves
Life is beautiful, and it’s too short to feel stuck. If your career is not where you want it to be…
Fear of Failure
It’s not a fear of failure that holds us back. It’s a fear of criticism. People mocking our failures. Our deep need for community drives this fear, which is a fear of:Not being accepted.Not being respected.Not being valued.Find every reason for this type of fear to subside. Then your work will become your art. It’s not a…
Empathy From an AP to Students
By the time you read this, she may no longer be an assistant principal, because this level of empathy belongs behind the principal’s desk, and she’s destined to get there soon! What did she do? Here’s a quote from assistant principal Alexa Musarelli Kehres, “50 notecards went out today to let my ‘repeat offenders’ know…
The River That Shapes
The power of a river can chisel the toughest granite and smooth the most jagged limestone. The river is what shapes the Grand Canyon. Over time, it grinds. It’s relentless and never rests. School cultures are shaped in the same way. But what makes the river? Here’s a piece of it. Forgiveness. Forgiveness is the…
Recovery and Failure
Recovery is a dangerous concept. It can destroy a career, hinder risk-taking, and paralyze you with fear. The dictionary says recovery is: Return to a normal state. Process of regaining control of something that was lost. The thing is, learning is not about recovery. When we fail, it’s usually because our previous normal state was flawed. It’s…
RTF Better than RTI
Response to Failure is more important than Response to Intervention. That’s what grit is about. That’s what builds successful businesses. That’s what creates innovation. That’s what holds families together. That’s what learning is made of. That’s the stuff of life. It might just also be the stuff that makes an impact on learning. Response to…
The Shutdown Value of Criticism
I spoke recently to a few friends about their coaches from when they played sports (softball, basketball, and football). Unanimously they stated that they ran faster, jumped higher, worked out longer and tried harder every time they received praise from their coach.
Find Your Vision and Dream Again
What do you do when dreams are shattered?Have you ever experienced your dreams crumbling around you? Whether because you let them go or because they are taken from you.It’s like reality is shifting faster than the momentary sands in the surf. There’s a wave of uncertainty that pulls deeply at your soul.I wish this feeling on…