Just Do Right by Maya Angelou - Motivation Monday #22 {June 2, 2014}

Every Monday I post quotes and/or videos to inspire and motivate you through your week. Get ready for a great week!

(If you follow my blog, you've seen this picture before in this blog post.)

Maya Angelou is a fire starter. After being invited by Jonathan Kegler to guest moderate last night's popular No-Box-Thinking chat (#nbtchat) on Twitter (Read the archive HERE), I immediately thought of Maya Angelou for today's Motivation Monday post. 

Her quiet words are profound, and speak directly to one's heart. 

"Live what you teach." Have an AMAZING week!

Thank You for the Ultimate Sacrifice - Motivation Monday #21 {May 26, 2014}

Every Monday I post quotes and/or videos to inspire and motivate you through your week. Get ready for a great week!

While today kicks off summer for many, let's be mindful the reason for Memorial Day - a time to pause and remember the many soldiers who have a paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country. 

Have a blessed day!

Getting Off the Road to Failure is a Choice - Motivation Monday #20 {May 19, 2014}

Every Monday I post quotes and/or videos to inspire and motivate you through your week. Get ready for a great week!

Chael Sonnen is an accomplished UFC fighter and coach. In the video at the end of this post, one of the athletes he coaches, Uriah Hall, gets advice on how to deal with negative thoughts. 

As educators, we can sometimes question our actions and decisions. How can we keep negative thoughts from defeating us? First, take a few minutes to watch the video below. As you go through the week, recall Chael's words of advice. In the comments below, share ways that you defeat negative talk and self-doubt.

Remember why we do what we do. Those reasons are stronger than any negative words or self-doubt!

Simple Words to Inspire Great Leadership

Today I spent a good part of my day meeting with teachers. I was reviewing with each of them their final evaluation of the year, and we discussed areas of strength as well as areas of growth.

Their evaluations are based on formal and informal observations, as well as their Professional Learning Plan and other professional conversations and interactions. 

Getting in classrooms is hard. There is always some administrative responsibility or interruption that can take time away from visiting classrooms. 

This school year, I have been determined to MAKE time (not FIND time) to get in classrooms, talk with teachers about their craft, talk with students about their learning, and share with the world what our teachers and students are doing in their classrooms. 

Also, this school year I've been using the principles in 12: The Elements of Great Managing to guide me in my interactions with others, specifically in the area of teacher engagement.

Today one of the teachers, after our discussion of his evaluation, said these words to me:

"Thank you. I really feel like you know what is going on in our classrooms because you are there so much. I really want to hear your input because I know that you have seen what's going on. You encourage us and are positive, but you also push us to keep getting better. I really appreciate you."

His simple statements made me want to be an even better leader. For our teachers. For our students. For each other.