Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Senior Master Sergeant Bunny Gant (1922 - 2016)

My grandfather, a member of the Greatest Generation, a veteran of two wars, retired Air Force and a top executive in two large companies shared this with me early in my development as a leader. He said, “Son, they don’t have to like you, they just have to work for you.”

This piece of advice has always kept me focused on what is truly important in leadership, that the mission of the organization trumps your need for feeling good.

I learned a lot from my grandfather. When I start to think that I’m overwhelmed, I just remember me a plaque he kept on the wall. In formal and fancy script it read, “When you are up to your ass in alligators it is difficult to remember that your primary objective is to drain the swamp.”

If what we do everyday isn’t primarily focused on improving the quality of instruction and increasing student performance, then we too are being distracted by the alligators.

My grandfather gave me a gift. It was a safety net. He and I knew that if things ever got over my head, he would bail me out. No questions asked.  I am most proud of the gift I believe I gave him back. I never had to use the safety net.


Work Hard. Be Responsible.

Monday, November 28, 2016

Top LYS Tweets From the Week of November 20, 2016

If you are not following @LYSNation on Twitter, then you missed the Top 10 LYS Tweets from the week of November 20, 2016 when they were first posted.  And if you are on Twitter, you might want to check out the Tweeters who made this week’s list.

1. Reading gives a sense of a life beyond which I have... of a future I can aspire. (By @jbriannorton)

2. "The only unforgivable sin as an educator is to not be coachable!" (By @tra_hall)

3. Prevention is the best form of intervention. (By HBAppel)

4. Quick Writes are one of my favorite strategies. Putting pencil to paper is the purest forms of assessment. (By @vhsaldana)

5. "You can't always control your situation, but you can always control your attitude." (By @jackson_moffatt)

6. Without Coaching and Feedback there is no real sustainable change! (By @tra_hall)

7. If you have an intervention problem, you have a Tier 1 problem! All students need access to essential grade level standards! (By @theceebru)

8. Texas needs support for public schools, not privatization schemes. -The Fort Worth Star-Telegram (By @TXKidsCantWait)

9. Happy is the man, when being tested, who holds his ground. (By @clwilkens)

10. May we make God’s merciful love ever more evident in our world through dialogue, mutual acceptance and fraternal cooperation. (By @Pontifex)

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 
  • Upcoming Conference Presentations: TASSP Aspiring Principal Workshop (Multiple Presentations), Learning for a Change Spring Summit (Keynote and Multiple Presentations) 
  • Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
  • Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook