“How Did You Do, We Do?”

How did you do last week?

Did you complain? Use negative "speak"? 

Did you share the graduation data with at least nine people?

Knowing that breaking habits is not easy.  It is hard!  We slip easily into old patterns of behavior, speech, and of course thinking.  So, don't be too hard on yourself if you did in fact complain about your work, use negative language about the work, and fail to share the graduation data.

Yet, I want to remind us as well as encourage us to stay the course.

Therefore, here is a new fact to share.  In 2007-2008, we had zero (0) laptops assigned to students for their personal use in day-to-day learning.  This year we assigned over 1330 laptops to students.  We plan to expand that number each year until we have all secondary students beginning in 7th grade in either laptops or other mobile devices.  We will add mobile devices into our elementary schools this November.

Number of Laptops for student use in 2008, zero (0); 

The number of laptops for student use in 2012, 1300 

Please join me in sharing this exciting expansion of digital tools for our learners.

In a like manner, we had to intentionally increase capacity of our instructional staff in the use of these devices to leverage instructional integration of technology as well as learning. 

We have learned having the devices has not and will not instantly result in improved teaching and learning.  The investment in our staff has and will continue to be critical in authentic and effective implementation of devices and digital tools.

This brings to mind the need to share how our human capital development (HCD) initiative is designed to create capacity in both foundational skills universal to all staff in digital integration and personalizing learning for staff to meet their individual needs, individual learning preferences, and individual interests.

The plan with one of our strategic partners, Discovery Education, is (this year) to work with our staff in a very personal, individual way to increase competency, confidence, and capacity with both Discovery tools as well as other digital tools to authentically integrate and implement into daily instructional planning and practice.

What should amount to eight to nine sessions, our teachers will continue to expand their instructional repertoire based on their application of tools, evidence of instructional and learning improvement, and teacher perception of utility and effect.

Additionally, our Learning Development Center (LDC) schools (AHS, AMS, MES, and WES) will receive additional support through their LDC coordinator in interactive whiteboard systems, iPad, laptop, digital tools integration, and more.

All schools will be supported in Total Instructional Alignment work as we continue to increase our efforts with Thinkgate, new standards, and probably the most critical area – unit and lesson plan development, resource alignment, and effective assessment management.

Our Human Capital Development initiative will, however, only be as successful as we choose it to be.  That is, we are providing access, opportunity, and personal, professional incentives to learn and grow. 

The choice to learn, grow and apply new skills, knowledge, and experiences is controlled completely by you – each individual.  Imagine what our organization would look like, sound like and feel like if each of us chose to learn, to grow?

The choice to learn and grow is akin to choosing to share our success.  More often or not, we don’t share success just as we are reluctant to step outside what we know or what we can do. 

Risk, fear, failure, rejection, conflict, or accusations of self-serving, arrogant, egotistical, or worse are just a few of the feelings, emotions, or states of mind we experience when we contemplate a “different” or “new” act or behavior.

I heard many years ago from a former superintendent, “it is a feeling – get over it!”  And so it is with sharing, learning and growing, we must suspend our “feelings” and act.

We must learn!

We must grow!

We must share!

Therefore, I ask again that you share with at least nine people nine different ways the success fact of the week.  And …

Stop complaining and shift to positive speak.