Mondays are Better Than Thursdays — Who Knew?

There was a time when I wished 2/7 of my life away — another 3/7 that was just so-so — and only 2/7 that I was really excited about.

  • Wishing Away 2/7: Sunday / Monday – Uggh. Alarm clocks & meetings again.
  • The so-so 3/7: Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday – Nothing awful, but also nothing fantastic either. The middle-of-the-road kinda days.
  • The Exciting 2/7 : Friday / Saturday – Living for the weekend

Year-end Reflections – Lessons from Yoda (Star Wars – v.2)

As this school year draws to a close I have begun to reflect on the year that has been — and its importance to my personal and professional growth. And because I love Star Wars — I have now connected some of this learning to the wise and articulate Yoda — master of the Jedi Knights.

Jedi Master Yoda

So, without further ado … here are some of my 2018-19 reflections as Superintendent. May the Force Be With You:

YOU WILL ONLY FIND WHAT YOU BRING IN

Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Yoda and Luke

Yoda told his young apprentice (Luke Skywalker) to not take his anger, fear and weapons into the dark cave as bringing these would only result in conflict. His words proved to be prophetic.

In life we bring both our negative and positive experiences to a current situation. I reminded myself this year to leave my negative reactions at the door and remain open to new ideas, thoughts and opinions. Fear and anger do not open doors, but close them.

What if Schools Didn’t Have Walls?

Sounds like a nice idea if we had great weather 365.

learning in nature.jpg
Not all great learning happens inside a classroom

I was actually asked this question during an interview a few years ago.  At first, I wasn’t sure where to go with it.  What did he mean ‘schools without walls’?  What’s holding up the roof?  What was he really asking me?