Tag Archives: Honor

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Proud to serve – Humbled to be honored for service!

“Let tradition be our guide, but not our jailer.”
– W. Somerset Maugham

As public school leaders my colleagues and I do all we can do to keep the focus on what is important, right, and most impactful: STUDENT FUTURES! We do the work for the honor of service and for the reward of helping impact communities and the future. It is humbling to be acknowledged and recognized by peers and professional associations, and it’s humbling to share the following video that honors a friend and NASSLOGOcolleague, A. Katrise Perera, as NASS (National Association of School Superintendents) 2015 Superintendent of the Year, as well as honoring me as one of three finalists for this high honor.

I dedicate this and any honors and acknowledgements for our work in DPS109 to our Board of Education,

ENGAGE, INSPIRE, EMPOWER

ENGAGE, INSPIRE, EMPOWER

Leadership Team, Teachers, Support Staff, Students, Parents, and community! It is rewarding to serve and it’s an honor to be acknowledged for the meaningful work of the DPS109 teams!

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Teacher Appreciation Week (May 4-8) – Thank you Local Heroes!

“Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.”
– Joshua J. Marine

When you work in a school district every day is Teacher Appreciation Day! Our students depend upon these brave, courageous, innovative, creative, and inspirational women and men all across the district who – every day – Engage, Inspire, Empower – and facilitate learning for our most precious community assets – our students! Annually during the first week in May we honor and celebrate and acknowledge National Teacher Appreciation Week/Day – in many locations the name is changed to Staff Appreciation Day/Week.

In all schools “it takes a village” and the bus drivers, cooks, driver’s education teachers, security guards, custodians, maintenance workers, secretaries, teacher aides, nurses, health aids, librarians, speech language pathologists, social workers, counselors, intervention specialists, other specialists, instructional coaches, crossing guards, school resource officers, physical therapists, occupational therapists, psychologists, administrators – pretty much – EVERYONE – in all of the schools deserves a Thank you – a pat on the back and acknowledgement for the great services they provide to our students each day!

Here is background information about this special week: (click the link for the source of the information below)

People in the United States started celebrating National Teacher Day in 1953 when Eleanor Roosevelt persuaded Congress to set aside a day to recognize educators. The origins of the idea for a day are unclear. They date to the early 1940s. But some references cite the advocacy of a Wisconsin teacher and other references credit the efforts of a teacher in Arkansas for first working to establish a teacher appreciation day. One of these teachers is thought to have written to Eleanor Roosevelt, urging her to take up the cause.

It didn’t become a national day until March 7, 1980, after the National Education Association (NEA) along with its Kansas and Indiana state affiliates and the Dodge City, Kan., local chapter lobbied Congress. People continued to celebrate the day in March until 1984, when the National Parent Teacher Association designated the first full week of May as Teacher Appreciation Week. The following year, the NEA voted to make the Tuesday of that week National Teacher Day.

In 2015, Teacher Appreciation Week is
May 4 through May 8. National Teacher Day falls on Tuesday, May 5.

The NEA describes National Teacher Day as “a day of honoring teachers and recognizing the lasting contributions they make to our lives.” Students and parents typically show their appreciation for teachers by writing thank-you cards and sharing small treats and gifts.

Since 1984, National PTA has designated the first week in May as a special time to honor the men and women who lend their passion and skills to educating our children.

Our teachers prepare students for their futures! All members of the DPS109 Community join together to say THANK YOU teachers, support staff, administrators, parent volunteers, – everyone – who supports and facilitates student learning! We teach like our future depends on it … because it does!

Thank you!

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A call to action! Highlights from AASA National Conference #NCE15

“Champions are made from something they have deep inside them. A desire, a dream, a vision.”
– Unknown

With so many Rock Stars in education present in one place it would have been hard not to have been charged up and called to action on behalf of our nation’s public schools! The AASA is the nation’s association for superintendents and annually it holds a conference – this was the 150th anniversary of this organization! Since the American Civil War era the nations school leaders have gathered in support of and for our nation’s future – its public school children and teachers. In this post I am sharing images as well as words and videos highlighting and celebrating that which I hold very dearly – support and advocacy for public education! We had the good fortune of hearing from many amazing thought leaders including Cal Ripken Jr. and Dan Heath and Lt. Col. (Ret.) Consuelo Kickbusch we participated in a national call to action on behalf of our public schools!

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The Executive Director of the AASA Dan Domenech, @AASADan, is an inspirational, motivating, and in a word outstanding!

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Horace Mann League of the USA – Honoring leaders in Education including Gene Carter, Pedro Noguera, Mark Edwards and others!

Honoring the messages and legacy of Horace Mann (often referred to as a founder of American public schools) the honorary association, to which I belong, The Horace Mann League of the USA also held its national luncheon honoring the work of a nation! Pedro Noguera, Gene Richards, Mark Edwards, and others were honored for championing our great work on behalf of ALL children! The usage of social media by superintendents was a highlighted focus this year as we leverage communication strategies to inform and celebrate. In our District we use #Engage109 on Twitter, Facebook, blogs, websites, digital multi media, and other forms to Engage, Inspire, and Empower our community.

From the conference as I learned “actionable” leadership tips/techniques I shared with the District leaders and I was personally called to action in support of developing and mentoring and coaching our local school leaders to support their great work. At the conference I learned about policy, legislation, communication skills, community engagement strategies and effective advocacy strategies. I was also fortunate to present with two colleagues about Twitter for Superintendents, please listen to a short audio interview.

The conference focus areas are quite similar to our District’s Big 5:

From the AASA: “…Appropriately themed “Celebrate Public Education in America,” our conference will address some of public education’s most critical issues, including:
• Common Core State Standards
• Superintendent/School Board Relationships
• Governance and District Management
• Leadership
• Curriculum and Instruction
• Digitizing Learning
• Healthy School Environments”

Our District’s Big 5 are:

Common Core State Standards
Teacher Evaluation
Technology
Organizational Culture
Superintendent’s Task Force for Middle Level Education

I could go on and on and on about the amazing energy and inspiration all around! I’m learning a ton from expert bloggers, see some NCE bloggers for great content:
One of the heroes in education I follow and collaborate with on Twitter and the Top Tweeter at the NCE is Chris Gaines from Missouri, he is featured on this video:


 

 

 

 

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Champion of Education the Hon. Richard Riley, former U.S. Secretary of Education!

 

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We were welcomed to the general sessions by outstanding talented public school students!

 

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Leadership is based upon relationships

If we live truly, we shall truly live.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

Connecting through relationships

Leaders are effective when people listen to them. Many writers and researchers have written a lot about leadership. Many studies identify scientifically what leadership is and what traits, behaviors, and responsibilities are “research-based” and proven to have “effects” and impacts on certain behaviors (like student achievement). What makes a leader effective is not answered or described in one post, one log, one blog, one answer. Unless the writer suggests that RELATIONSHIPS – two-way, respectful, nurturing, responsible, appropriate, mutually beneficial, and based upon common beliefs and vision – can help support an assertion that leaders are effective when they build relationships and when their leadership is built upon the foundation that people-centeredness is at least a hugely impactful starting point for effective leadership.

Research on leadership essentially indicates that the most important attributes of a leader involves relationships. Listening to others, involving others, building capacity in others based upon their interests and skills, all of this is essential for a leader to be successful. Building professional relationships is foundational for all leaders who hope to find success in education, management, organizations, any industry where people are involved. The best advice I could give to an aspiring leader is to LISTEN to people involved; build RELATIONSHIPS with those around you; show RESPECT to all, and value the honor, dignity, and worth of all individuals!!

Over the years I have taught leaders how to select people strong in relationship building skills. I have extensive national experiences in staff selection through my work as a senior executive consultant for a national human capital development company as well as many years as a practitioner “scientist” in the development and selection of talent. I have discovered through feedback surveys and observations that it is very rewarding when you can participate in the selection of excellent teachers with peers who are trained in the research based methods. It is very rewarding to recommend for hire hundreds teachers, administrators, and staff with whom you have worked for four years. It is very rewarding to participate in what works in education – to join with those who “do” in education. As a public educator I am biased … yet it is still rewarding and affirming to be part of systems that truly do work, are measurable, and make lasting impacts on student learning. This is an example of leadership that is meaningful.

On July 1, 2010, I joined a new school district, my third in 18 years; I spent 4 years in my first district, and 13 years in my second district. On July 1, 2010, I became the 4th superintendent at that school district since 1945 – the 4th superintendent in 65 years – an impressive and humbling fact. In the one school, PK-8 school district where I was honored and excited to work. In 2013 I became the superintendent of schools in DPS109 where, since 1840 and 1847 respectively, we have been proudly educating children! I am humbled by the responsibility and the possibility of leadership. I take great pride in coaching, guiding, leading and sustaining leadership and education with the amazing educators with whom I work each and every day.

To that end, my entry into the new school district was framed by listening, learning, meeting, understanding, examining, observing, reviewing, interacting, visiting, … one could even say … “leading”. Transition and change are challenging concepts for many … Leadership is not easy, leadership is rewarding, leadership is not making everyone happy, leadership is staying focused and building successful relationships. We build relationships in order to Engage, Inspire, Empower each child, each teacher, each staff member, each parent – everyone – each and every day!

As part of my personal philosophy of leadership, RELATIONSHIPS and relationship building are cornerstones of any successful leadership experience.