A Reader's Comment and a Contest

A reader's comment:

“Sean, I wanted to let you know we are using the Fundamental 5 at our campus this year. Our curriculum coaches and Instructional Specialist were so impressed with your presentation at the conference that they got the ball rolling before we even got back to school, including the Fundamental 5 in the long range planning they did with our grade level teams this summer. Attached is the poster used in each classroom.

The issues you cover in the blog always make me think. Thanks for your dedication to kids and teachers.”

SC Response
Thank you for the kind comments. I’m going to address your points in reverse order.

First, I love my job for any number of reasons, but one of the big ones is that I get to pay forward the incredible gift that my teachers and principals gave to me. I wasn’t the easiest student to deal with, easily spending as much time in the office as I did in class (I’m lucky there were no DAEP’s then). But each year at least one teacher found a way to ignore my considerable faults and keep me somewhat on track. By the time I got to high school, if it was not for one of my coaches and my principal, I would have dropped out numerous times. Schools and teachers change futures. We see proof of this everyday. I am driven to ensure that this occurs less by luck and more by design.

Second, the issues that I cover in the blog are the issues of the LYS Nation. I ceded control of the topics a couple of months ago. Now, I write about what we are discussing in the field and follow up to comments. Which is what I envisioned. I recognized that I was having conversations that no one else was having, solely due to the fact that I was mobile, a luxury not afforded to those on a campus. So the blog is the tool for expanding the conversation. As the conversation expands, not only does it get more interesting, but learning curves are accelerated, especially mine.

Third, I’m glad that you and your staff are as excited as we are about the Fundamental 5. When theory, data and practice align to maximize effort and performance, it makes going to work fun.

Fourth, the poster is awesome! There is another campus that also has made posters which leads me to believe that there may be other ones out there. So here is the contest, send me a copy of your Fundamental 5 poster by September 18th, 2009. The winning school will have their poster displayed on the blog and have pizzas delivered for the staff. So for rest of the LYS Nation, get to work, two schools have already entered their submissions.

Contest Rules:
1. E-mail an electronic version of your Fundamental Five poster to the blog (if you don't have a poster yet, make one).
2. Deadline for entries, September 18, 2009.
3. Submissions become the property of Lead Your School.
4. Prize – Pizza lunch for staff
5. Winner announced by September 25, 2009

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...