Every time I go down this road I know I better get ready for a challenge (Romans 5:3-5). I feel it before I see it, it's like the ache you feel in your bones and the weather is sunny and beautiful but in just a short time; a storm comes in from the west. Not just a simple one, one that guts me, the ones that are milestones in a persons' life, the ones you buy a little crystal bear with a blue heart that you keep forever in your site to remind you that "you lived".
Sometimes the hardest part as I get older is that they seem to be coming faster. I barely have time to get up and bam! another one. Sometimes they are just a flesh wound but other times they are deep and tearing.
I am a child of God
I will forever praise his name
If God is for me than who can stand against me
2 Corinthians 5:17
Revelation 3:16
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
about leadership
Today this has been on my mind.
Yesterday, I had HALL duty. It's a wonderful task for a teacher that could completely be eliminated if everyone would agree and then follow through on what they agree on but that's another blog post.
Anyway, so kids are coming down the hall AFTER the tardy bell and my job is to figure out where they are headed and get them OUT of the hall and I have several encounters that make my mind go into a dissection of leadership. I won't recount the individual incidents (yes, that's plural) but some of the students who were in the hall were student "leaders" and as I listened to why they were allowed in the hall after the bell, it just really triggered my thoughts about what qualities a leader must possess.
How can a person who wants to be or who is a LEADER in our school, a person who volunteers to go above and beyond for others and yet doesn't understand the essential characteristics of leadership?
When you are a leader, you are supposed to follow the rules MORE than ANY one else because you understand why the rules were made and if you don't- then you respect that they were made for the "good of the group" and comply with the standards, rules (whatever you want to call them) set by the organization. When you are a leader you accept the fact that you may not have all the information and don't feel the need to challenge authority because you have trust and confidence in others you are working with. When you are a leader you put "self" to the side, you forget about what you need, what you can get away with, and how you should be allowed to bend the rules. When you are a leader you don't discount as silly or ridiculous what other people are saying, you listen and you hear and you accept. You work to make a system work. It's not individual, it's collective.
If you are a leader that can't operate under these tenants then people will begin to talk about you, they will question your integrity and character, they will see you as a person who is "in it" for themselves and you will not be respected, honored, or followed. You will develop NO loyalty from anyone, except for other "leaders" with the same flawed values you possess. This mentality will damage ANY organization and contribute to a breakdown in trust, and trust is the lifeblood of any organization. So if you are a leader - suck it up and follow the rules, support the rules, help make the rules, advocate for the rules, be a REAL leader.
Yesterday, I had HALL duty. It's a wonderful task for a teacher that could completely be eliminated if everyone would agree and then follow through on what they agree on but that's another blog post.
Anyway, so kids are coming down the hall AFTER the tardy bell and my job is to figure out where they are headed and get them OUT of the hall and I have several encounters that make my mind go into a dissection of leadership. I won't recount the individual incidents (yes, that's plural) but some of the students who were in the hall were student "leaders" and as I listened to why they were allowed in the hall after the bell, it just really triggered my thoughts about what qualities a leader must possess.
How can a person who wants to be or who is a LEADER in our school, a person who volunteers to go above and beyond for others and yet doesn't understand the essential characteristics of leadership?
When you are a leader, you are supposed to follow the rules MORE than ANY one else because you understand why the rules were made and if you don't- then you respect that they were made for the "good of the group" and comply with the standards, rules (whatever you want to call them) set by the organization. When you are a leader you accept the fact that you may not have all the information and don't feel the need to challenge authority because you have trust and confidence in others you are working with. When you are a leader you put "self" to the side, you forget about what you need, what you can get away with, and how you should be allowed to bend the rules. When you are a leader you don't discount as silly or ridiculous what other people are saying, you listen and you hear and you accept. You work to make a system work. It's not individual, it's collective.
If you are a leader that can't operate under these tenants then people will begin to talk about you, they will question your integrity and character, they will see you as a person who is "in it" for themselves and you will not be respected, honored, or followed. You will develop NO loyalty from anyone, except for other "leaders" with the same flawed values you possess. This mentality will damage ANY organization and contribute to a breakdown in trust, and trust is the lifeblood of any organization. So if you are a leader - suck it up and follow the rules, support the rules, help make the rules, advocate for the rules, be a REAL leader.
Thursday, June 23, 2016
about my bible
I love my Bible.
I love the way it feels.
I love the way it smells.
I love what it says - I have never been disappointed when I open it.
I haven't always been this way.
I have always had a Bible.
I have many Bibles.
I am still working on reading the Bible all the way through.
I have read all over it.
I have a favorite verse.
I have a favorite chapter.
Each time I read it, it means something different, there's so much more to understand.
Read it to hear God.
Read it to be close to God.
Read it just because you should.
Read what you can, whenever you can, but read it.
I love the way it feels.
I love the way it smells.
I love what it says - I have never been disappointed when I open it.
I haven't always been this way.
I have always had a Bible.
I have many Bibles.
I am still working on reading the Bible all the way through.
I have read all over it.
I have a favorite verse.
I have a favorite chapter.
Each time I read it, it means something different, there's so much more to understand.
Read it to hear God.
Read it to be close to God.
Read it just because you should.
Read what you can, whenever you can, but read it.
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Real Life's "Who Dunnit ?"
At the end of the movie or book you say, " I never thought that would be the murderer. They really surprised me. I would have never guessed!"
That's what makes a great mystery isn't it? Full of drama and excitement, and we talk and talk and talk about it with our friends (and anyone else who will listen).
This type of "deceit" exists in our every day life also and the older I get the more I see it and sadly the more I lose trust. I lose trust not only in people but in my own ability to discern what is the reality. People and things you think you know and understand and then you find out that you really didn't at all.
While deceit gives a negative connotation, (by definition it is to deceive someone by "concealing or misrepresenting the truth") sometimes we justify our actions to protect someone or something. Just like in a book or movie we have to collect information, be observant, be logical. You will put pieces together all along the way and sometimes it is what it is and sometimes it is no where near what you thought. Because of this fact, I warn you - be cautious with your thoughts, actions and words.
Sometimes it makes me very sad; too much information, just like too little information can make you the initiator or the receiver of deception.
It's such a tricky game to play and one you really can't win. There are different positions in this game; a person who says too much, a person who says nothing, a person who believes everything. Who are you? and on which day?
So my solution - don't play. Be honest, tell only what you know for sure is the truth. If you don't know, don't tell it AND on the other hand - don't presume. Books and movies are not going to tell you "who dunnit" in the beginning, you have to wait, collect evidence, try to figure out what makes sense. Don't make snap judgments in life, the person you think is your worst enemy in the world may be doing something you have no clue about, but when you finally figure it out you will want to kick yourself for being so stupid.
So there are people saying to themselves right now, "What has happened to Holly that she is sounding off about this?"
STOP IT - you are presuming.... you do not have enough information. This is just some of the crazy things I've been thinkin' about.
Proverbs 21:23
That's what makes a great mystery isn't it? Full of drama and excitement, and we talk and talk and talk about it with our friends (and anyone else who will listen).
This type of "deceit" exists in our every day life also and the older I get the more I see it and sadly the more I lose trust. I lose trust not only in people but in my own ability to discern what is the reality. People and things you think you know and understand and then you find out that you really didn't at all.
While deceit gives a negative connotation, (by definition it is to deceive someone by "concealing or misrepresenting the truth") sometimes we justify our actions to protect someone or something. Just like in a book or movie we have to collect information, be observant, be logical. You will put pieces together all along the way and sometimes it is what it is and sometimes it is no where near what you thought. Because of this fact, I warn you - be cautious with your thoughts, actions and words.
Sometimes it makes me very sad; too much information, just like too little information can make you the initiator or the receiver of deception.
It's such a tricky game to play and one you really can't win. There are different positions in this game; a person who says too much, a person who says nothing, a person who believes everything. Who are you? and on which day?
So my solution - don't play. Be honest, tell only what you know for sure is the truth. If you don't know, don't tell it AND on the other hand - don't presume. Books and movies are not going to tell you "who dunnit" in the beginning, you have to wait, collect evidence, try to figure out what makes sense. Don't make snap judgments in life, the person you think is your worst enemy in the world may be doing something you have no clue about, but when you finally figure it out you will want to kick yourself for being so stupid.
So there are people saying to themselves right now, "What has happened to Holly that she is sounding off about this?"
STOP IT - you are presuming.... you do not have enough information. This is just some of the crazy things I've been thinkin' about.
Proverbs 21:23
Friday, May 17, 2013
Daddy Told Me These Things
Little things to big people are big things to little people. He reminded me often to listen and address the concerns and comments I heard from children seriously and compassionately as if they were coming from God's own lips.
He reminded me to listen. That it was the most important thing each and every individual needed every day. Like an intense hunger that exist in each human spirit - listen, just listen.
Pressure makes diamonds. He always thought I could do EVERYTHING! but at the same time reminded me what tomorrow was for - "to finish the things you don't get done today".
True wealth does not come on a bank statement, it comes in the eyes of the way your family looks at you.
Take care of the animal and it will take care of you. Dad was a dairy farmer and this was his way to say, "focus on the essential, foundational pieces of your job and everything else would work out fine".
People will try to make you feel less than you are, but only you can allow that.
Small children will cry and it is ok.
Little boys do NOT like to shop - don't torture them that way.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Why do we keep doing things wrong when we know better?
Ok, I am going to be painfully honest here... so if you wear your feelings on your sleeve, then you need to click to another site.
I had a conversation with my brother about flipping his classroom. He said it was working. I asked how he knew, he said, "The kids are doing better". So I began to quiz him. I am very intrigued by the flipped classroom. My son in college took college algebra last semester and made an A. It was another professor who was learning to flip their classroom. I was a happy parent.
Here is Steve's answer to my question, "how does it work?":
It takes time to record the lectures, I lost my voice and boy was that difficult, the lectures only last about 10-15 minutes because you really don't want to spend that much time sitting in front of the computer recording it, I cover just the main points, there is a way I can view who has logged in and how many minutes they were on, there is a short 5 question quiz at the end, they can take it as many times as they want, so even if they don't listen they have to look it up to find the answers and they get the information that way, when we are together in class we start on activities or projects where they are doing things and I am just there to help. I am not giving but one test, a semester final. I don't need them to memorize information, let them use their phone and look it up, as long as they know where to access good information that's what's most important, that's the real world. The kids are coming to class and not missing.
Here is my interpretation:
Lecture - Hey teachers/professors, our stories are boring they don't want to listen to us talk, and when we get in front of them we tend to go on too long anyway. I think we like to hear ourselves talk.
Quizzes - Oh yea! assessment used for LEARNING!!! what a brilliant idea, not as a "gotta ya". There are "do-overs" in the real world.
Activities/Projects - Students learn by DOING!!!! You don't have to explain it all beforehand, just be there to guide. It really does work.
Phones/Collaboration- Let them use it, no one works alone and no one works without help. The key is to show them how to find the "good" info from the "bad" and to know the difference.
Kids are coming to class - Hey guys it's called authentic engagement a.k.a. they like what they are doing, they are getting constant feedback if they are right or wrong.
I looked at my little brother and said, "You are a progressive, transformational educator! I am impressed."
"One more question, what made you change?"
He replied, "$$$, it takes extra time to make the switch" (but you know what, the kids are spending more time on the subject too! sneaky - i like it)
So my challenge to schools- find a way to bring your teachers over, even if it is a small stipend. The benefits will far outweigh the expense. Let's do this right - educate our kids!
I had a conversation with my brother about flipping his classroom. He said it was working. I asked how he knew, he said, "The kids are doing better". So I began to quiz him. I am very intrigued by the flipped classroom. My son in college took college algebra last semester and made an A. It was another professor who was learning to flip their classroom. I was a happy parent.
Here is Steve's answer to my question, "how does it work?":
It takes time to record the lectures, I lost my voice and boy was that difficult, the lectures only last about 10-15 minutes because you really don't want to spend that much time sitting in front of the computer recording it, I cover just the main points, there is a way I can view who has logged in and how many minutes they were on, there is a short 5 question quiz at the end, they can take it as many times as they want, so even if they don't listen they have to look it up to find the answers and they get the information that way, when we are together in class we start on activities or projects where they are doing things and I am just there to help. I am not giving but one test, a semester final. I don't need them to memorize information, let them use their phone and look it up, as long as they know where to access good information that's what's most important, that's the real world. The kids are coming to class and not missing.
Here is my interpretation:
Lecture - Hey teachers/professors, our stories are boring they don't want to listen to us talk, and when we get in front of them we tend to go on too long anyway. I think we like to hear ourselves talk.
Quizzes - Oh yea! assessment used for LEARNING!!! what a brilliant idea, not as a "gotta ya". There are "do-overs" in the real world.
Activities/Projects - Students learn by DOING!!!! You don't have to explain it all beforehand, just be there to guide. It really does work.
Phones/Collaboration- Let them use it, no one works alone and no one works without help. The key is to show them how to find the "good" info from the "bad" and to know the difference.
Kids are coming to class - Hey guys it's called authentic engagement a.k.a. they like what they are doing, they are getting constant feedback if they are right or wrong.
I looked at my little brother and said, "You are a progressive, transformational educator! I am impressed."
"One more question, what made you change?"
He replied, "$$$, it takes extra time to make the switch" (but you know what, the kids are spending more time on the subject too! sneaky - i like it)
So my challenge to schools- find a way to bring your teachers over, even if it is a small stipend. The benefits will far outweigh the expense. Let's do this right - educate our kids!
Sunday, January 6, 2013
To Resolve or Revolt???
My 10 year old daughter has been discussing with me New Years' "Revolutions" for 2013 over the past couple of weeks. One of them is to take better care of her pets. I whole-heartedly support that idea.The first few times I didn't correct her terminology because I was really more interested in "what" she had to say than "how" she was saying it. But yesterday the opportunity came when I felt like it was time to talk about her choice of words. Here's how the conversation went:
"The word is resolution not revolution. R-e-s-o-l-u-t-i-o-n, not r-e-v-o-l-u-t-i-o-n."
"Well, what does resolution mean?"
"Too resolve to do something, not to revolt against something. Like, you are determined, you pledge, you are dedicated."
She was quiet, for just a couple of seconds and then quickly replied, "I think we will get a lot more accomplished if we revolt, I am sticking with my New Year Revolutions."
I got to thinking about all the implications of what she said; if we revolt against the behaviors that cause us to spend too much money, eat too much food, not care about others then maybe we would actually succeed with our dreams for the New Year.
Come on people, join the revolution this year!
"The word is resolution not revolution. R-e-s-o-l-u-t-i-o-n, not r-e-v-o-l-u-t-i-o-n."
"Well, what does resolution mean?"
"Too resolve to do something, not to revolt against something. Like, you are determined, you pledge, you are dedicated."
She was quiet, for just a couple of seconds and then quickly replied, "I think we will get a lot more accomplished if we revolt, I am sticking with my New Year Revolutions."
I got to thinking about all the implications of what she said; if we revolt against the behaviors that cause us to spend too much money, eat too much food, not care about others then maybe we would actually succeed with our dreams for the New Year.
Come on people, join the revolution this year!
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