Today, Are You Moving Ahead or Falling Behind?

Champions are made over time. Before the trappings of success are enjoyed, you have to do the work, break the sweat and make the sacrifice. The Champion and the Champion to Be start out by simply outworking everyone else.

With that in mind, I want to share some pictures I took today. Here are over 40 elementary teachers working together to create short-term common assessments that they will use in the upcoming school year. On the surface, not so unusual, until you realize that they are from multiple campuses and they are volunteering their time. No one is on contract and no one is getting paid. And they are coming back tomorrow.

If you aren’t working to get better today, these LYS teachers are either catching up with you or passing you by.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Valuable Lesson

I recently closed a post with the statement, “the LYS Nation takes care of its own,” and it triggered a memory.

In my rookie principal year, one of my staff members suffered a tragedy. Her house caught fire and her family lost almost everything. As expected, we started to organize a clothing and furniture drive. I called my supervisor, Celestine Harris, and told her that I wanted to tell everyone in the school district.

She said “No,” which rocked me.

After a moment of silence (CH is a master at the art of saying nothing), she said. “Ms. Jones is one of us. We take care of our own. We do not hand that responsibility to someone else.”

On the surface level (which at the time was all that I understood), I immediately got it. We are different and we are a team. Anybody can talk that when times are easy, but the test is living up to it when times are tough.

As I’ve gotten older I have learned that the hidden context is even more important. If we take care of our own, we have to commit to action and accountability. No matter what life throws at us we are never victims of fate waiting for an outside agency to rescue or abandon us. Instead, as long as we have resources, we are still in the game and so are our team mates.

We take care of our own.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Writes... (School Dysfunction - Part 3)

In response to the post, “School Dysfunction," a reader writes:

"SC, I’ve been thinking about your comment, "…that soon LYS schools will be the norm rather than the exception."

I believe this is true. However, after a recent candidate interview with E. Don Brown, we discussed how districts need LYS superintendents and then the public school landscape would really begin to change.

Do you agree it needs to be a top-down transformation before we can really gain ground?"

SC Response
Yes and no. Let me clarify my take on the current school improvement (change) environment.

1. Without a strong and communicated moral purpose for public school change, most schools are simply shuffling the deck chairs while the ship sinks.

2. A wide spread, spontaneous bottom up transformation is a fantasy. If we were all going to join hands, sing Kum-ba-ya, and transform our schools, it would have happened all ready.

3. However, meaningful change can and does happen at the campus level. Sometimes that change is infectious and transforms an entire district. Sometimes it peters out. What campus driven change requires are connectors and salesmen if it is to spread (See: The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell).

4. At the district level, top-down transformation generally has a better chance of sticking than bottom-up transformation. Two factors that heavily influence this are the power of coercion and the power of the herd. The power of coercion simply recognizes that if one has the power to hire and fire, and is not afraid to use it, one can force change. The power of the herd recognizes that most people are willing to go along to get along. If the leader mandates a new norm (and can survive during the short run) in the long run the norm will generally transform. What top-down transformation needs to survive is the support of the mavens (Again, see: The Tipping Point).

Here is how I put this all together.

This is the golden age of education. The instructional tools, practices, knowledge and coaching that we now have ready access to is unprecedented. That changes everything. Now the marginal and average educator can perform at the level where previously only the expert educator occupied. Think golf technology, I can regularly bust 270+ yard drives because better equipment now compensates for my multiple skill level deficits.

Moral, focused and motivated leadership can speed up the implementation and regular use of these improved resources. Leadership at an individual level can create some movement. Leadership at multiple levels can create “A Movement.”

The Lead Your School network of focused and motivated teachers, campus leaders, district leaders, experts and other interested parties are building a critical of mass mavens, connectors and salesmen (have you read the Tipping Point yet) armed with proof points that gives them influence beyond their relatively small numbers. The question is whether or not that influence will drive sweeping changes in the effectiveness of schools or will it fade in the face of complacency and vested interests.

I don’t know the answer, but for the past seven years I have lived on the road working with educators all across the country. I have done this because I believe that the business of school is our country’s most important business. And to do nothing, is to leave that business to hope, luck, and chance.

So LYS Nation, what do you think?

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Writes... (A Conversation with One of the Smart Guys - Part 1)

In response to the post, “A Conversation with One of the Smart Guys,” a reader writes:

“I want to work for Brett Jimmerson!”

SC Response
It is interesting that you sent in this comment, because recently I have observed the following phenomena, and it is picking up speed and intensity.

1. LYS’ers want to work with and/or for other LYS’ers.

2. Adamant non-LYS’ers do not want to work for LYS’ers. But, in general, their course of action is to either quickly leave or try to hunker down and wait out the storm.

3. LYS’ers are miserable when they work for adamant non-LYS’ers. However, in general, their course of action is to soldier on, keeping the focus on their class, team, or campus. All the while, scanning the horizon in search of an organization that better fits their tempo and beliefs.

As to your comment, I will remind everyone of this. First, LYS’er or not, no boss/leader is perfect. You, as the employee, have to decide if your leader’s strength set outweighs his or her weakness set. That is a personal decision.

Second, if you want to work for Jimmerson, or any other LYS district for that matter, send LYS a copy of your resume. Brown and Brezina head up the LYS Executive Search Team. They are constantly evaluating and placing up and coming school leaders (AP’s, Principals, Assistant Superintendents and Superintendents). As one Superintendent recently said, “Get me as many Brezina and Brown disciples you can find.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...