Be your own champion!

          source

I think most educators are familiar with the TED talk by Rita Pierson. She boldly stated that every child deserves a champion. "Kids today" need adults to guide them, encourage them, and help them to become more than the child ever thought he or she could become. 

What I've come to realize through many years in education with many different experiences is that the ability to champion someone else starts with being our own champion. 

This is where the theory and the practice get muddled. In theory, we can say, "I can be my own champion." But in practice... it's a rollercoaster.

The knowing-doing gap is easily understood in a food / healthy eating analogy. We know the foods that are "good" for us (nutritious) and the ones that we should avoid based on our health and fitness goals. When we KNOW what we should eat and we choose to eat something that does not align with our goals, there's a gap there. A knowing-doing gap. (This gap can be found in most areas of our lives, sometimes wider, sometimes smaller... but this analogy seems to resonate with many, many people, whether they have a knowing-doing gap in this area or not.)

Have you noticed that when you get ready to be a champion and begin to work at being a champion, you are faced with cynics, dreamstealers, and complacency? 

Have you ever had someone to say to you, 

"Are you sure that you're the right person for that?"

Or what about... "I don't think that's going to work."

I once had a teacher say to me: "I never trust a female in an authority position." 

In the case of Rita Pierson's quote, "Every child deserves a champion..." 

Maybe you've heard people say, 

"It IS what it IS with THOSE kids."   or   "If he doesn't care, why should I care?"

This past year, 2020, has shown us all kinds of difficulties and challenges. It has caused us to pivot in ways we didn't know we could, and it forced us to create a new dialogue and perspective about education, how we lead, and what we value. 

As we approach the close of the calendar year, we begin to think about what the rest of the school year will look like and how we will be different in 2021. I challenge all of you to join me in this journey. Let's be our own champions so that we can champion others. We are going to face negative people and those who think it can't be done. Let's change the narrative. Let's not wait on someone else to do that; let's take the lead on having hope, doing the work, and forging ahead. 

Over the holidays, my husband and I broke out the Table Topics conversation starters while we waited on friends to arrive, and the question on the card read (and I paraphrase), "If you could be witness to any sporting event, what would it be?" 

The event I chose was when Roger Bannister broke the 4-minute mile record in 1956. Until Bannister did it, no one believed that the mile could be run in less than 4 minutes. 

What a legacy that has been left by Roger Bannister and Rita Pierson! It has me asking the question of myself, What legacy will you leave?

Teach like a champion. Walk like a champion. Talk like a champion. Lead like a champion. Work like a champion. Love like a champion.

Bring it on, 2021!  

Every kid needs a champion | Rita Pierson

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One Simple Habit to Improve Mood and Productivity

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Are you finding it hard to be positive these days? 

With COVID cases being reported and impending shutdowns on the horizon again, it can be difficult to sustain positive thoughts and actions. 

With Thanksgiving approaching and it being our season of intentional gratitude, today I'm sharing a simple habit I learned about from Jon Gordon. Jon is a continual light in the world, spreading messages of inspiration and encouragement. He is a terrific writer, too, and has written many excellent books.

I first wrote about this habit back in 2018, when I shared a 15-week series on characteristics of compelled educators. 

Jon Gordon wrote about this habit in his book, The Positive Dog. 

Click HERE or the image above to 

order your copy or to give as a gift

I find myself needing to be very intentional about guarding my thoughts and self-talk while the stress of the pandemic looms about and fills every crevice of daily living. An intentional action can produce powerful results, especially when the action is consistent and purposeful. 

Jon Gordon recommends taking a Daily Thank You Walk.

He says, "Take a simple 10-30 minute walk each day and say out loud what you are thankful for. This will set you up for a positive day."

I want to challenge all of you to take a Daily Thank You Walk for at least 10 minutes for 10 days straight! 

It doesn't have to be anywhere perfect, and the weather doesn't have to be perfect. It can be indoors or outdoors, it can be around your yard, it can be down the street and back, it can be in your building where you work... before work, during your lunch break, during work, or after work. No place is off limits!

You can be alone or with a friend. Maybe there's someone else who would take the challenge with you and you can each share out loud what your grateful for. You can hold each other accountable, so when the negative self-talk creeps in and tries to talk you out of your daily thank you walk, you will be armed and ready to defeat it!

We can't be grateful and stressed at the same time, and when we combine gratitude and physical movement, you flood your body and your brain with positive energy. Let's get moving!

Related Gratitude Posts

Change is one of our Greatest Teachers

A Thankful Heart at School

Gratitude Conversation Starters {Free Printable}

Do you want more of Jon's books, or do you know of someone that this would be the perfect gift for? See the incredible limited edition box set below!

-The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy
-Training Camp: What the Best Do Better Than Everyone Else
-The No Complaining Rule: Positive Ways to Deal with Negativity at Work
-The Shark and the Goldfish: Positive Ways to Thrive During Waves of Change
-Soup: A Recipe to Nourish Your Team and Culture
-The Seed: Finding Purpose and Happiness in Life and Work
-The Positive Dog: A Story About the Power of Positivity
-The Carpenter: A Story About the Greatest Success Strategies of All

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How a Facebook timeline can help you reach your goals

For the past few days, I've been holding individual meetings with our new teachers at our school. We've hired some phenomenal teachers this year, and while I've visited their classrooms and had a few conversations here and there with them, I still was left wanting and needing to know them better personally and professionally.

Due to COVID, our New Teacher Orientation over the summer was much different than in the past, and our physical meetings and get-togethers have been limited this school year. We've been having virtual "chats" and learning in the Google Classroom for New Teachers, but as you can guess, it's just not the same as getting to look in each other's eyes, read body language, and feel the energy from each other when you're learning together.

I emailed all of the new teachers to let them know that I wanted to meet with them and I shared a link to my appointment calendar (I just learned how to create apointment slots in my Google calendar to share with others. Very neat trick!)

Here's what I included in my email:

I would like to schedule short, individual meetings with all of you beginning this Friday. These are 15-minute meetings, and I'd like to talk about

     - What motivates YOU

     - How can I support you in what you're doing

     - What do we (HHS) need to do better 

     - What's 1 thing you're grateful for right now

It was a conversation with one of our new teachers that led to writing and sharing this blog post. When I asked him, "What drives your engine? What motivates you?" He said that he loves learning and always wants to keep getting better and growing. I followed up by asking him if he had always been that way, even from a young age. 

What he said next was very cool. 

He said that a few years ago he was looking through his Facebook timeline, and he noticed that he seemed to be in the same place in life, doing the "same old thing," and he realized that he needed to make some changes and be intentional about what he was learning and doing to ensure that he was continuing to grow and evolve. 

...he was looking through his Facebook timeline, and he noticed that he seemed to be in the same place in life, doing the "same old thing,"

I thought that what he shared was so inspiring! If you've been following this blog for a while, you know that I'm a planner and goal-setter, and the idea of using my social media timeline as a tool for goal setting really resonates with me. 

We're in the last quarter of 2020, and this is the time for us to be personally preparing for a new year of personal and professional growth. This weekend, I plan to review my timelines and take some notes on where I've been and where I would like to go. 

Here are the nitty-gritty questions that are a part of my goal-setting framework:

     -Where have I been?

     -Where am I now?

     -Where do I want to go?

     -What do I need to do to get there?

     -What do I need to learn to get there?

     -What speedbumps or roadblocks will I need to overcome?

     -Who will I need to help me get there?

     -Who can I help along the way?

Do you have a method to your goal-setting? I would love to hear from you in the comments below, or you can reach out to me on Twitter or Facebook.

Why it's Important to Look for the Gifts [ blog post + podcast link]

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Gratitude is more than a word. It's an action. And the research shows that it's beneficial for us to show it, express it, and live it. 

With 2020 nearing a close, there are many people who are looking forward to closing this chapter and opening a new one. I've expressed on many an occasion that I'm ready to drop-kick 2020 and bring in 2021! 

Throughout the year, we've experienced stories of loss, struggle, grief, and negativity. However, I would be remiss not to mention the gifts that have come about during the COVID crisis. 

Admittedly, there have been times during the COVID crisis that I've not been grateful. I've been angry, bored, selfish, and frustrated, and everything in between. I've done a lot of work during my teen and adult years on ignoring negative feelings that want to play over and over in my head. While I did experience those thoughts over these past months, I knew from the work I've done (and are still doing!) on myself that gratitude wins out. Every time.

Researchers have determined that gratitude does four things:

1. Gratitude disconnects us from toxic, negative emotions and the ruminating that often accompanies them. 

2. Expressing gratitude helps us even if we don’t explicitly share it with someone. 

3. The positive effects of gratitude writing compound like interest. You might not notice the benefit of a daily or weekly practice, but after several weeks and months, you will.

4. A gratitude practice trains the brain to be more in tune with experiencing gratitude — a positive plus a positive, equal more positives.

Source

In the podcast episode "Looking for the Gifts" (linked below), my friend Allyson Apsey and I share with listeners some of the benefits we discovered during the pandemic. 

Allyson and I had connected with each other multiple times over the summer and into the start of the new school year, but none of the times were right for either of us to continue and/or record the next episode. As we geared up to get back to our podcast series, we intentionally chose to share positivity and joy we discovered during the chaos.

ENJOY!

I would love to hear from you! What gifts did you discover during the COVID chaos? How do you practice gratitude? Leave me a comment below or connect with me on twitter. 

You can order Allyson's books by clicking on each picture below:

        

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COMPELLED Series: Week 12 - Gratitude

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