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Thank You for Saying "YES!"

Hearing the word “no” is okay.  In fact, sometimes it can be motivating to those with a great deal of perseverance; it can help prioritize for those with laundry lists of to-do items; it can lead to another open door.  But the reality is that it can also be deflating.  This year as I started out in a new position with more fears than there are waves in the ocean; I needed to hear yes more than I heard no.  And I am happy to report that I did indeed hear more yes’s than no’s so I want to share with you what the power of “YES!” can do. 

“YES!” has helped me build new professional relationships; I have learned from others, stretched myself, and taken on new challenges. “YES!” has established environments of trust, vulnerability, and honest opinions have been shared.  “YES!” has shown me the strengths of our staff on many, many different levels.   The most important level being that I am encouraged and excited for my own children to be a part of this system.

A Stanford study has participants work on difficult puzzles while the control group worked on their task together and could receive tips from team members.  The results for the group working as a team was quite different.  They

• Worked 48% longer
• Solved more problems correctly
• Had better recall for what they had seen
• Said that they felt less tired and depleted by the task
• Reported finding the puzzle more interesting.

Together motivates.  Successful people do what unsuccessful people won't do.  They say yes; they live outside their comfort zones.  So, imagine what "yes" has done for our students, our teachers, our community and for me when teachers said, “YES, let’s work together!”

To each and every one of you who opened your doors, partnered with me to solve a problem, and worked to get better this year I want to say “THANK YOU!”  Thank you from me and more importantly, thank you from your students.  Thank you for saying, “YES!”

Book Recommendations:

• The Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes
• Little Gold Book of Yes by Jeffery Gitomer
• Yes Yes Hell No: The Little Book for Making Big Decisions by Brian Whetten

Seiter, Courtney. "The 10 Words and Phrases That Motivate Us Most." Buffer Open. 22 Feb. 2016. Web. 09 May 2016. .

The Wheels on the Bus

“I have found that when you inspire others they inspire you right back.” via @NicholasFerroni

Instructional coaching is tough work.  It is valuable work.  It is work that inspires.  When I was hired to be an instructional coach at my new school, administration presented me with the challenge to grow relationships and build trust in my first year.  They said that once the trust was there, I would be able to do the real work that needs to be done which is to support and help teachers grow professionally.  Professional growth will lead to gains in student achievement.  Thus, the stakes are high.

In the first quarter of my new job, I have found teachers within my district to be open to change.  They are driven to find solutions that are in the best interests of students.  Teachers within my district are blessed with the ability to really know their students. Teachers are active outside of the classroom and attend meetings outside of their contract day on a regular basis.  Teachers meet and strategize to implement interventions that will make a difference.  Teachers ask questions of their students and genuinely get to know them.  So, it was no surprise to me that they also embraced the idea of working with an instructional coach.

Building relationships is a never-ending job so I am continuing to purposely do that in a variety of ways.  However, this week I felt like I had succeeded in the short term.  Two different teachers ended our meeting by saying, “the wheels are turning!”  And isn’t that what instructional coaching is all about?  It’s about inspiring others to come up with new ideas of their own and working to implement those ideas so that we can meet the ever changing needs of our students.

Thank you, Boone Central teachers, for allowing me to take a ride on your bus when your bus gets moving!  Your inspiration is my inspiration and it is a true joy to be working with you.

Attention Getting Signals

As the school year dies down, I am thinking about what I want to make sure my students know right from the beginning to make March, April, & May go a little smoother. My reflection consists of thinking about how I can make the most of my time with my students so that learning goals can be met, students are able to grow, and positive relationships can be formed. Thus, I have set a goal to improve my communication of classroom processes and procedures in the First 20 Days as suggested by Fisher and Frey. Like so many other secondary teachers, I spend little time practicing processes and procedures with my students at the beginning of the term. I am anxious to jump right in to teaching content because I have so much to teach and so little time. The reality though is that effective classroom management is a balancing act. Students will learn better if those proceses are practiced in the beginning and consistent throughout the semester. Through my reflection I have discovered that one of the techniques missing from my classroom this year was an effective attention getting signal. Thus, my research began to find something that I thought might work for next year. Below are resources that I have found that may work for you too! 

Lots of ideas suggested here for a variety of age groups. . .

Getting their attention without saying a word


And my personal favorite. . .


Finally, here's a great article by Michael Linsin of Smart Classroom Management on how to effectively implement an attention getting signal.

Professional Image

Below you find a picture of my Entrepreneurship camp.  This picture is interactive and will take you to more resources on Entrepreneurship and information on where we were on our field trip.

Choose2Matter at VHS

What is Marketing?

When I found this picture it made me think of the definition of marketing.  What does it make you think of?  And how might it relate to marketing & what we plan to study this year?  Post a comment with your own caption to this photo.  Be sure your comment includes your name.

After posting your comment, read the article What is Marketing? by Michael Brenner.  I also think it is interesting to read the comments that were made to this article.  If time allows, read the comments as well. Be ready to discuss in class.