Top LYS Tweets From the Week of February 21, 2016

If you are not following @LYSNation on Twitter, then you missed the Top 10 LYS Tweets from the week of February 21, 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. To the principal who has the school take benchmarks for 4 days straight to get good data, here's some data for you. You're now four days behind. (By @LYSNation)

2. Leadership is a service. Service comes with sacrifice. No sacrifice, no service, no leader. (By @JohnSchu76)

3. Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence. (By @CoachKWisdom)

4. The secret to success is doing the stuff other people won't do, and doing it for a really long time. - John Jantsch (By @JReynaldHebert)

5. "Assessments are only as good as the actions that arise from them." (By @norskireader)

6. Kids can't write what they have never read. READ. Then, read more. And, for good measure, read a little more. (By @KyleneBeers)

7. "Readers get good at reading when they read a lot!” says Lucy Calkins. (By @EvanPayneGCISD)

8. People of mediocre ability sometimes achieve outstanding success because they don't know when to quit. - George Allen (By @CoachMotto)

9. Legacies aren’t born; they’re built. (By @UHouston)

10. Just got the notice that, The Fundamental 5 (Cain & Laird), has officially passed 82,000 copies sold! Thank you, LYS Nation!! (By @LYSNation)

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: Texas Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations); Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association Conference (Multiple Presentations); LYS / TASSP Advanced Leadership Academy (Keynote) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

March For A Cure

Get out your comfortable shoes, because The March For A Cure PowerWalks Challenge begins tomorrow!!

Help Lead Your School help you to kick Cancer’s ass!

Here’s how The March For A Cure PowerWalks Challenge works:

1. For every PowerWalks classroom observation that is conducted during the month of March, LYS will donate 5¢ to the American Cancer Society.

2. For every campus that makes the PowerWalks Cancer Fightin’ Hero List for March, LYS will donate an additional $10.00 to the American Cancer Society.

3. For the top PowerWalks Cancer Fightin’ Hero Elementary School, Middle School, Alternative School, and High School in March, LYS will donate $50.00 to the American Cancer Society, in the name of the school.

4. For the overall top PowerWalks Cancer Fightin’ Hero School in March, LYS will donate $100.00 to the American Cancer Society, in the name of the school.

Plus, as I shared last week, every PowerWalks observer who conducts 200 or more classroom observations between February 22, 2016 and March 31, 2016 will get a March For A Cure t-shirt.

So what are you waiting for?

Visit Classrooms – BEAT CANCER!

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: Texas Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations); Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association Conference (Multiple Presentations); LYS / TASSP Advanced Leadership Academy (Keynote) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

The Official Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan and Note Taking Developers

The use of The Fundamental 5 (Cain & Laird) has spread like wildfire in schools across the country.  Thousands of teachers have been trained by the Lead Your School coaching staff and tens of thousands of teachers have read the book and then worked independently to improve their craft. It is truly humbling to consider.

With all these teachers working on implementing The Fundamental 5, there have been some that have shared the tools they have created in this pursuit.  Some of these shared tools have been incredible, and some of them... Well, they’re trying.  With lesson plans in particular, I have seen a lot of “Fundamental 5” lesson plans that are onerous, convoluted, counter productive, and just plain bad.

Since these lesson plans were built because of teacher need, we decided to cut out the middle man and any dubious profit motive and provide The Official Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Developer to any and all school districts, schools, and teachers, for free.

Also, we at LYS, recognize that Critical Writing is the most powerful of all instructional strategies. We train instructional leaders to facilitate a campus culture of literacy and train teachers (all teachers) to embed critical writing activities in their lessons. In support of this, we have built The Official Fundamental 5 Note Taking Developer for use by any and all school districts, schools, and teachers. Once again, for free.

All we ask is that you remember us if your ever need any assistance and drop us a line and let us know how the tools work for you.

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

Readers Write... Lesson Frames in the Performance Classroom - Part 1

In response to the 2/12/2016 post, “A Principal Asks... Lesson Frames in the Performance Classroom,” readers share:

SC,

As a former elementary music teacher, I love this answer! And my husband, a high school band director, lives this answer!

Well said!!

And...

SC,

You know something is a work of genius when you see it and immediately think, “Why didn’t I think of that?”

So simple, so common sense, so powerful. That noise you hear in the background is the sound of me clapping.

Thanks!

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

Get Serious During Crunch Time

This is the time of year where we start counting down the days until the state accountability tests. The stakes are high (duh), there’s still too much content to teach (double duh), and there’s not near enough time (aarrgh).  And this is if every teacher shows up AND every teacher runs the plan.  The odds of both of these things occurring are well... Zero. 

Why is this the case? First every teacher does not show up every day. And every day the teacher is not in the classroom the plan is compromised.  No matter how good the substitute actually is. Sorry. Just being real.

So what is your best, and honestly, only solution? It’s very easy to understand and easy to implement. If you are honest and have a backbone. Meaning only LYSers actually do this in the field.

For the accountability courses (example, in Texas, 8^th grade mathematics) if a teacher is absent, combine the absent teacher’s class with the class of another teacher who teaches the same course.  Then have the substitute teacher support the receiving teacher in managing the larger class for that day.

Now all the students continue to receive on-pace instruction that adheres to the campuses instructional plan and intent.  Instead of one class falling behind as a substitute teacher essentially provides a day of baby-sitting service. Zero offense to substitute teachers.  Again, just a recognition of the actual job expectation.

If you attempt to do this on your campus, and you should, be honest with your teachers.  Recognize that this does place a level of hardship on the shoulders of the receiving teacher.  But also point out that it provides your students with the absolute best chance of successfully meeting the requirements of the accountability test. And the chance for greater student success always trumps adult discomfort.

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)

Top LYS Tweets From the Week of February 14, 2016

If you are not following @LYSNation on Twitter, then you missed the Top 10 LYS Tweets from the week of February 14, 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. If improving the quality of delivered instruction were easy, then everyone would be doing it. Improving instructional practice is hard, disciplined work. (By @LYSNation)

2. The more I observe instruction, the more evident it becomes that at scale, student critical writing is purely a function of leadership. (By @LYSNation)

3. Access to books provides four times the effect size in reading as phonics instruction. – Guthrie (By @Stephharvey49)

4. I'm not the smartest fellow in the world, but I can sure pick smart colleagues. - Franklin D. Roosevelt (By @Leadershipfreak)

5. If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door. (By @CoachKWisdom)

6. Adversity is another way to measure the greatness of individuals. I never had a crisis that didn't make me stronger. – Lou Holtz (By @CoachMotto)

7. (For just the Tulsa, Ok area) Increasing our graduation rate to 90%, means an increase of: A. $34 million in annual earnings; and B. $43 million in annual gross regional product. (By @deborahgist)

8. Copying and dictation are not note taking. They are just ways to turn students into slow speed Xerox machines. (By @LYSNation)

9. "We must pay public employees a fair wage, give them benefits, and when they retire, take care of them because they took care of us." (By @TMFtx)

10. A 5th grader thinks that it is "cool" that I wrote a book. So I have that working for me. (By @LYSNation)

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