beyond expectations this year in the many situations we find ourselves. Those pivoting to online learning again when we were so hoping to stay face to face and a special thanks of appreciation to those educators in Spec Ed classes who are now face to face in situations that might cause anxiety and stress, we want to thank you. Your work for all our students, under very difficult circumstances is not going unnoticed. Thank you.One characteristic of being human is for our desires to come easy and instantly. Many societal advancements and daily habits
reinforce the expectation for things to happen quickly, if not immediately (e.g., fast food, Amazon Prime, Google searches…).
Doing hard things often feels, well…hard. But this is where personal growth happens and the outcomes can be transformational. Our actions through challenge can be the catalyst for impact and change. Challenging ourselves to take on difficult tasks is where leaders come alive. Leaders have the courage and determination to do things that other may not want to do or may not have a vision for doing. Through a belief in one’s abilities we can, and do, move mountains to support the well-being, learning and safety needs of our students and school teams.
Drew Dudley also spoke to our system leaders recently and shared the following quote, “Leaders create moments that cause other people to feel as if they are better off for having interacted with you.” There is no doubt that the heavy lifting work of leadership leaves others and ourselves better off.
At the end of our educational leadership journey, will we cherish the moments of comfort, or the moments where we worked with determination, overcame obstacles and had a positive impact on the lives of those we served? To me the latter choice leaves me with hope and purpose knowing that I will have had impact.
Lisa Munro
Lots of Acceleration and Little Steering…yet – How do we Leverage Digital learning during and post Pandemic?
I have now been in my new role as a Superintendent of Education here in Grand Erie for just over two months. Many people have asked me about the transition, and I can truly say it has been wonderful.
have learned from each past interaction and individual, using these insights to have a positive impact on student achievement and well being. Having different experiences in my educational journey has confirmed for me, over and over again, that there are many facets of the education system to learn about, often in ways that I had not anticipated. And that is why learning together as a team is vital.
So, let’s start the conversation. In my experience working at the system level, I find that staff (whether Board staff, school staff or the various support staff) truly want to make decisions relevant to students, educators, schools and families. For example, the recent rolling out of the Parent Portal across the district provides a single digital access point for families and ensures the safety and privacy of student information. That decision was a team decision and it took many different personnel to make it happen. #workingtogether
I recently had the opportunity to listen to a student panel of four remarkable students. They shared some of their personal stories in the context of the complex and exciting work of equity. Each student described their path/struggles at school and a staff member who made a positive impact in their life. Their stories helped to frame the WHY behind our need to create safe and equitable spaces in our schools and reminded us of WHO is in front of the daily decisions we make as school and system administrators. The students’ honest and optimistic messages highlighted that the actions of educators, both large and small, have impact. In fact, the impact they had in the room that morning was almost palpable. I personally left the meeting feeling incredibly optimistic about work of equity and inclusion in my role.
I recently read 
September presents educators with an eager anticipation for new beginnings and a sense of hope for limitless possibilities that lie ahead; for students – a hope in attaining their loftiest learning goals; for educators – a desire to unleash students’ fullest potential and for administrators – to empower their school communities to engage in cycles of continuous improvement.
example, how challenging it would be going from a position of being a knowledgeable other to one who is almost exclusively the recipient of new knowledge. I do not struggle with not knowing everything. In fact, I have always prided myself on recognizing that I have much to learn, but the steep learning curve of a new role can have the potential to make one’s confidence wane. The uncertainties I am experiencing are bringing me out of my comfort zone but in ways that leave me inspired to challenge myself. It is my hope that the skill set and attitude that has brought me to this point in my learning journey will continue to help me be successful in my new role and to apply my own fresh lens to each situation to which I am presented. I remind myself to hold onto my long held belief that mindset is crucial to success in any role and that new challenges are meant to be embraced!
Consider two scenarios for investing money. In the first scenario the investor shares that, after a series of exchanges with your money, your investment will diminish. Conversely, in a second scenario the investor shares that, after a series of different exchanges with your money, your investment will multiply. If given a choice most people would choose the latter scenario. Consider now that certain interactions with people can have similar outcomes as the scenarios above. Some interactions help people flourish while other types of interactions may cause people to feel inadequate and incapable. My recent reading of an inspiring book called “The Multiplier Effect” explains the practices that multiply or diminish the potential of those you lead. I read this book with an initial focus on school leadership, but immediately drew many connections to parent and educator interactions with students.
their thinking. Or, we can show children how much we know by doing all of the thinking for them.
Think of a coach or group leader in your child’s life. Now imagine that, during each practice or performance, the only feedback the coach ever gave was, “Good job,” or “Not so good.” Would that help your child improve? Obviously not. A great coach provides timely feedback, during or immediately after a performance. A great coach shares information with the child about what he/she does well and can improve upon. The feedback to the child is clear, specific, timely and meaningful (e.g. “I liked the way you were in ready position. Next time, you need be out in front of the net for the pass.”). Great teaching and great coaching have a lot in common. Like great coaches, great teachers are committed to ensuring your child reaches their fullest potential. One way a teacher does this is by providing feedback daily, both formally and informally through conversations, questions, discussions, observations, student work, performances (and so much more).
to students so that they understand what they have done well and what they need to do next has a more powerful impact on going forward with learning than just knowing a mark or grade.