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That’s right LYS Nation, our daily conversation is seven
years old today. It alternately feels like we just started this yesterday and
that we have been doing this forever. I have to admit when I started writing
seven years ago I had no expectations and no idea where this would take us. My
biggest fear was that I would have writer's block after the first two weeks.
Fortunately, the blog struck a cord with you (the reader and practitioner) and
the LYS Nation was born. Writer’s block has yet to be an issue because the LYS
Nation quickly stepped up and took over the topics of discussion. And as I
regularly remind you, it is much easier and rewarding to participate in a
dialogue than support a never-ending monologue.
I thought it would be fun to re-visit the first post I
wrote for the blog, and yes, exactly seven years later, I’m dashing this off
right before I hit the road to visit another school.
Thank you for another great year and who knows where
we’ll go in the upcoming year.
Getting Started: An Introduction (February 2009)
Here I am sitting in another airport terminal at 6:00 in
the morning. I wish I could say that this is unusual, but it’s not. I’m now a
school road warrior. For the past five (now 12) years I have lived on the road,
three, four and too often five nights a week. Going where schools and
principals have needs and problems that they need help with.
There are some perks. Because of the travel points I’m a
Hilton Diamond member and a Continental (now United) Elite member. This means
on a big jet and in a big city, I get upgraded. That happens a couple a times a
month, but most of the time I’m on a small plane going to a small town. I also
get a lot of free Southwest Airline tickets.
“Congratulations, you fly a lot. Do you want to fly some
more?”
I’m not complaining. I’m just making the case that I
have seen a lot, worked with a lot of principals and schools, and have fixed a
lot of problems. All of that to say, that what I’ve seen, what I’ve learned,
and what I do may be useful out there.
I have observed that school leaders for the most part
live on islands. Islands that have been built by isolation, misinformation,
wishful thinking and/or petty jealousies. Hopefully, I can help get some of you
off the island, or at least make the island more hospitable.
So here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to write about
school leadership and school operations. The focus will mostly be on
improvement and what works. But I’ll also write about the tools that I find
useful, books that I have read, conversations that I have had and respond to
your comments. Who knows where this will go? I just hope that every once in a
while, you’ll find something that is useful to you, your school and/or your
staff.
Time to board now, off to another city and another
school.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn...
- Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com! http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5
- Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool)
- Upcoming Presentations: National Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations)
- Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation and like Lead Your School on Facebook
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