The Unlikely Writer-Why I Blog and Why You Should Too

by | Sep 24, 2014 | Andy's Deep Thoughts

There’s little in my background as a student that would ever suggest I’d enjoy writing and one day write an almost daily blog.  As a child I hated writing and would avoid it at all costs.  Like many boys, I had poor handwriting and despite a wild imagination would avoid illustrative language and instead just provide what was required…and sometimes less…Ok a lot of times less.  So what changed? That’s a good question and something I’m still trying to figure out.  It might have been all the papers I’ve written for college and beyond, and an increased level of comfortability that comes with practice.  Or more likely it’s that I can be kind of vain and like to the approval of others, and blogging has provided an avenue for this.  Either way and for whatever reason, it’s been worth it because I’ve found as I write that my ideas and passions are jumped started and refined by the process.  To put in another way, think about it like this…Do you know of any great authors, rappers, songwriters, etc who simply sit and think, and then one day create a masterpiece?  No, of course not, it takes practice.  Writing provides this opportunity and transforms the way a person thinks.  Or by comparison, in the last few years I’ve finished a masters, started a doctorate, traveled the world, changed jobs, had a kid, and none of it compares to how much  I’ve learned about myself from taking time regularly write. So how does this relate to you?  You should be writing.  In fact you should be blogging, especially if you want...

Do You Have What It Takes?

by | Sep 22, 2014 | Andy's Deep Thoughts

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it takes to be a principal and even more so about what it takes to be a high performing leader (dare I say a level 5 leader).  So naturally, I drift to the thought, “do I have what it takes?”  One of my favorite, I mean absolutely favorite quotes is from Michael Fullan when he says “collaborative cultures rarely select newcomers only on the basis of their personal track records.  Rather, they hire largely for the person’s ability to work with and lead others.”  Fullan goes onto quote another author by adding “We want people who know they can get better; they want to learn from the best.  We look for people who light up when they are around other talented people.”   As a young leader it’s easy to see why I might gravitate to this quote.  I don’t have decades of experience.  I haven’t passed The Tipping Point of 10,000 hours of administrative work…wait, wrong analogy…I haven’t blinked…um, that doesn’t sound right…anyway, insert Malcolm Gladwell reference here.  What I do have is enough sense to know that I’m a better leader when I rely on the wisdom and collaboration of my team to make decisions, rather than always shooting from the hip.  Is that what it takes?  The ability to say “less of me and more of us?”   What do you think?  Yes you!  The principal, or leader reading this post, I want to hear your thought on what it takes?  Or is that wrong question?  Don’t be shy.  Start typing...

A Lid to Learning

by | Sep 21, 2014 | Andy's Deep Thoughts

Earlier this week I had a chance to connect with a head of school I really respect in Shanghai.  We’re preparing for an upcoming presentation together at the EARCOS conference in Malaysia.  I asked him a few questions about his leadership philosophy and one thing that stood out to me was the statement that “a leader must constantly be learning and developing, otherwise they’ll stifle the learning of the others in the institution…or in other words, they’ll put a lid on learning” (paraphrase).  What do you think, is this true?  Does a learned leader become a greater catalyst for learning?  Or is it also true that a narrow minded leader can help spark a race for more knowledge?  What do you...

Do You Like Kids?

by | Sep 20, 2014 | Andy's Deep Thoughts

Have you ever wanted to ask this question of a teacher you’ve had, or maybe a teacher you work with?  It’s a very simple question, and should be obvious for anyone who works in education, but it seems in almost every school there is that person who you’re not quite sure whether they understand the simple principle that in order to work in a school you must like kids.  In my career I’ve seen a number of adults for whom you’d be forgiven for thinking they tolerate the children, but are more passionate about their content area.  Which, of course, is a funny concept, because how can you be passionate about middle school language arts, social studies, etc and dislike the most important component…the students.  It’s like being passionate about paintbrushes, but not painting, or passionate about the flute, but dislike hearing flute music. Yesterday, I had a chance to join a group of students for a class day trip to the beach (it’s a rough life, I know).  You learn a lot about teachers at a beach day.  Are they more concerned about their make up and hair, or what they look like in a swimsuit, more than they care about playing with their students?  I’m happy to say everyone was in the water, playing in the waves, goofing around, and showing the kids they can leave their books behind and let loose.  As a teacher and administrator, seeing everybody have fun is so good for the heart.  In fact in the future this might be a good recruitment test for prospective teachers, do they like kids enough...

Happy New Year

by | Sep 1, 2014 | Andy's Deep Thoughts

I’ve never been the kind of person to make new year’s resolution on January 1st.  I guess I’ve always figured “if I can’t do it today, what will make the first day of the year any different.”  It’s just recently that I realized I’ve been making resolutions all my life, they just start on September 1st…otherwise known as the beginning of the school year.  So now that it’s 9/1/2014 what are you resolving to do this...