Motivation Monday #4 - How Far Out of Your Comfort Zone {January 27, 2014}

How far out of your comfort zone are you willing to go for someone else?

In 2008, Roger set out on a quest to lose weight, get healthy and eventually run in the Boston Marathon. But not just for himself, for his niece who was born with Cystic Fibrosis. His goal was to raise awareness for Cystic Fibrosis, along with raising money for research into the treatment and cure of this heartbreaking disease. This video highlights his incredible journey at age 47, from obesity to accomplished marathon runner. 

You can visit Roger's website here:  http://www.runningformyexistence.com/home.html

Students need teachers every day who are willing to go outside their comfort zones. How far out of YOUR comfort zone are you willing to go for someone else?

Recap: TEDxThursday 3 (January 23, 2014)

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that we are hosting TEDxThursdays during the month of January as part of our Professional Development opportunities. Each Thursday, I gather with teachers during their planning periods to unwind, learn, reflect, and discuss (and have chocolate!)

The conversations are different in every group, and I let the discussion flow as we all learn from the insights of the participants. 

It's been very exciting to see teachers opening up to new ideas and having "a-ha" moments. Usually, these TEDxThursdays  stick with them, and after a few days someone will stop me in the hallway or shoot me an email to continue sharing their reflections on the video. 

Click here to read the recap from Week 1.

Click here to read the recap from Week 2.

Week 3

Video 1

1. How can we foster curiosity in our students?

2. Three rules that Ramsey uses in his lesson planning:

1) Curiosity comes first

2) Embrace the mess

3) Practice reflection

What rules do you use when planning your own lessons?

3) Any other reflections?

Video 2

 

1.) Do you agree that “everyone needs a coach?”

2.) Phase II of our state’s accountability plan includes effective teachers and leaders. What do you think about using Bill Gates’ plan for accountability?

3) Any other reflections?

Leading from the Heart with Lolly Daskal

Last week, we kicked off our weekly state twitter chat, #ALedchat, with a special guest moderator.

Lolly Daskal is a consultant, coach, speaker and author, and The Huffington Post has called her One of the Most Inspiring Women in the World. We were so blessed to have her on #ALedchat to kick off the new year. Her questions and comments caused us all to pause, reflect on, and share our thoughts on heart-based leadership. (The archive is at the end of this post.)

If you are looking for inspiration or uplifting thoughts about leadership, follow Lolly on Twitter. Her weekly chat #leadfromwithin joins leaders from all walks of life. You can read her blog at https://www.lollydaskal.com/.

Lolly's book, Thoughts Spoken From the Heart: Over 500 thoughts that bring meaning to your life, was published in November 2013.

(The link below is an affiliate link. If you purchase from the link, I make a small income to support this blog.) 

You can purchase her book on Amazon HERE.

Thank you, Lolly, for helping us to become better educators and leaders! 

Motivation Monday #3 - Life's Most Persistent and Urgent Question {January 20, 2014}

Click HERE for 15 of Martin Luther King Jr.'s Most Inspiring Motivational Quotes.