Beyond thankful

I am one lucky person.  I had the amazing opportunity to attend the NAESP conference in Spokane as well as the NPC conference in Boston this summer.  It was two weeks of amazing connections on both sides of the United States, sharing stories and tears and laughs and every emotion in between.  I was able to reconnect with colleagues I've known for years and connect for the first time with educators I've known through Twitter and Voxer or who attended a session I was leading or attending.  It was completely amazing!

I have been asked by a few people to compare the two conferences and pick my favorite one.  That is truly impossible.  Before I reflect, I need to thank a few people.  Thanks to Merton Schools for allowing me the opportunity to travel to national conferences.  They are always supportive of extending my learning.  Thanks to my wife Jenifer and my daughter Lauren who encourage me to attend and present at conferences.  I hope they were able to see the passion that I have to be a better principal every day.  Now on to my reflection.

There were great things about each of the conferences, and I'll mention those separately, but these are the things that are common.

1.  The people are amazing.  I was able to connect in person with so many amazing educators.  I don't want to leave anyone out, but the four colleagues I presented with stand out to me.  I had the honor and privilege to present #PrincipalsInAction- Get Out of Your Office and Connect with Others- Redefining the Role with Mark French and Ryan Sheehy in Spokane and Connected in the Middle with Don Gately and Joe Mazza in Boston.

2.  The learning was, and still is, non-stop.  I continue to check in to the #NAESP19 and #NPC19 hashtags on Twitter for new nuggets.  The reflections that people are sharing make me reflect.  The quotes from the speakers and sessions that people are tweeting and retweeting make me think.  The links to sessions that people are sharing keeps the learning going.  It would be great to keep the hashtags alive for the entire year but that might not be practical.

3.  The motivation to be better is strong.  I have used the phrase "constant gentle pressure" for a long time.  These two conferences made me feel that every day.  Whether I was in a session, enjoying connecting at a gathering, or having face to face conversations, I left being motivated to be better.  Someone is always doing something awesome.  I want to be awesome, too.  I just need to find a way to take what I have learned and tweak it to make it work for Merton.  I go to school in Merton and we call that "Mertonizing".

4.  What is normal for you just might be innovative for someone else.  This comment stands on its own.  Never sell your ideas short.  Jessica Gomez questioned whether she was innovative at the Center for Innovative Leadership session I attended.  What she realized was that her normal was innovative for others.  The same is true for all of us.  Here is a link to the podcast that Hamish Brewer and Andy Jacks created with Jessica Gomez to learn more.

5.  The connections continue to grow.  Mark, Ryan, and I organized a picture of #principalsinaction friends at the big red wagon in Spokane, and the conversations continued at a gathering afterwards.  Don, Joe, and I put a padlet in our presentation to help facilitate connections.  I was able to follow some new colleagues on Twitter and they were able to follow me.  I had the chance to speak with so many of my eduheroes who were so willing to spend some time with me.  But honestly the best part of connecting was when Joe Sanfelippo and Jimmy Casas stopped by to speak with my wife Jenifer and my daughter Lauren at a gathering we attended.  Lauren wants to be a teacher and I know that Joe and Jimmy made an impression on her that she won't forget.  Thank you, Joe and Jimmy!  I made a first time connection with D'Wayne from Illinois at that same gathering.  We spoke about our journey to become educators, both of which started off by pursuing careers in engineering.  One little spark with kids was all it took for both of us to realize that education was our true calling and passion.  Thank you for your time, D'Wayne!

Some of our #principalsinaction group in Spokane

Middle school Tweeps Sanee Bell, Jessica Cabeen, and Beth Houf in Boston

So what's the difference between NAESP and NPC?  NAESP was in Spokane and NPC was in Boston.  NAESP had mostly elementary school principals and NPC had mostly middle and high school principals.  That's it- location and level of school where principals serve.  What I found was that the more I became involved in a session or a conversation, the more I learned.  If you are willing to become involved and connected, you are bound to come away with learning like you'll never experience anywhere else.

Sharing "good things Merton"

The last two weeks I have been fortunate to share the "good things Merton" with principals from all over the country.  It started with a trip to Spokane, WA on July 10th and will end when I return from Boston, MA on July 20th.  I shared the incredible things I see in our school.  The lessons, the relationships, the discussions, the high fives, the hugs, and all of the things that make Merton such a great place to learn.  But it doesn't stop there.  It continues when we're at school and we share the things that are happening with others, either on social media or, more importantly, face to face with the people we encounter in while we're out and about.  As my good friend Joe Sanfelippo says, "You better share your story because if you don't, others will tell your story and it might not be the story you want them to tell.

Calendar
It's still summer time!
Don't forget to let me know if you are meeting as a team before Summer Academy.  If you are meeting before the first day of Summer Academy, I'd love to join you if it fits into my schedule.  If it doesn't, that's just fine.  If you are meeting on the first day of Summer Academy, I'd love to join you.  Summer Academy starts for everyone on August 20th.  If you don't meet as a team before Summer Academy, I'll see you on August 19th.
Check out the email that Mary sent on July 9th about the Intermediate Calendar that's now on Google!  She also made this Screencastify as a tutorial for adding events.  Thanks, Mary!

Tweets, quotes, and blogs
I'd love your thoughts on the graphic below.  I got this from Heidy LaFleur of Common Sense Leadership.

They always say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.

Andy Warhol, artist, director and producer

(Shared on Voxer by Kelley Begley-McCall after the NAESP conference in Spokane.  Can we make our students, and can I make all of you, feel that way every day?)

"I'm glad you're here." (from George Couros)

You can never solve a problem without talking to people with whom you disagree.

Olympia Snowe, politician

The right kind of connected (my most recent post)

Talk is cheap. Words are plentiful. Deeds are precious.

Ross Perot, business magnate, philanthropist, politician

11 Reasons Why Teaching Middle School is the Best Job Ever (from We Are Teachers)

Don't try to rush things: for the cup to run over, it must first be filled.

Antonio Machado, poet

These Kids, Our Kids (from Pernille Ripp)

Anything you read can influence your work, so I try to read good stuff.

S.E. Hinton, writer

(I feel like this more than I care to admit!)

You have to believe in the long term plan you have but you need the short term goals to motivate and inspire you.

Roger Federer, professional tennis player

The Importance of Gratitude (from George Couros)

What's important is that you make the leap. Jump high and hard with intention and heart.

Cheryl Strayed, writer

The obscure we see eventually. The completely obvious, it seems, takes longer.

Edward R. Murrow, journalist

Remember there's no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.

Scott Adams, cartoonist

#mertonint on Twitter

#MertonProud on Twitter

Merton Intermediate School Facebook page

mertonint on Instagram

It's hard to believe that it's been two weeks since I last reached out to you.  Summer School is going well.  I've had the chance to present in Spokane and Boston about the great things that we do as a school.  As I listened to others speak about their schools, I realized just how lucky I am to work with such incredible people who do their best every day for our kids.  Thank you for making Merton the great place that it is.  I'll be back in touch again in two weeks, but feel free to stop if you're in the neighborhood.
Jay
Take care of the kids.  Take care of each other.  Take care of yourself.- John Gunnell

The right kind of connected

Yesterday I received the wake up call that I should have gotten a long time ago.  A staff member reminded me of the importance of the right kind of connected.  You see, some would say that I'm a connected educator.  My Twitter account (@posickj) would be an indicator but, thanks to the staff member, I realized that yesterday I was not the right kind of connected.  The staff member came in to meet with me and the meeting did not go at all the way that it should have gone.  My phone was out and my attention and connection was not on the staff member.  Not long afterwards, I received a Voxer message from the staff member.  It was polite and pointed at the same time.  The staff member let me know that I appeared disconnected and more worried about my phone than I was about our conversation.  I sent the staff member a return Voxer message and made some lame excuse about being in the middle of a conversation on Twitter.  Twitter can wait.  The staff member shouldn't have to wait or feel like I'm not connected to our conversation.  I let the staff member know that if this ever happens again, I need to be told to put my phone away.  I know that she will hold me accountable, and I hope that all staff members, and my family and friends, who read this blog will hold me accountable, too.

(I'm sure this is how the staff member felt, and I know that my wife, on more than one occasion has felt this way, too.  It's not meant to be funny.  It's meant to be a reminder for me to put my phone away and connect with those I am with face to face.)

As my day continued, I went to see the movie "Yesterday" with my wife, my daughter, and my mom and dad.  It was a great movie, and I won't give any spoilers.  The premise of the story for me was that you should provide a greater focus on those around you that really know you and what they think of you than having a focus on those who kind of know you and what they think of you.  I'm not sure if that sentence makes sense, but to make a long sentence shorter, focus on those you are with in person instead of those who are on your social media accounts or are trying to make money off of you.  The main character in "Yesterday", Jack, finds this out almost too late.  Because of my conversation with my staff member, I kept my phone on silent and in my pocket during the entire movie.  I sat next to my wife and shared her Butterfinger bites.  To be honest, I think I ate all of them.  My wife knows that I like Butterfingers so I'm quite confident that is why she bought them.  I spent time with my mom and dad talking about my upcoming trip and saw the excitement and pride in their eyes as they listened to me talk about my trip.  And when I prepared for Summer School this morning, I did what I always do- I kissed my 19 year old daughter on her forehead before I left.

After that Voxer message from my staff member, my focus changed to the right kind of connected.  When we meet in person, if my phone is out, tell me to put it away.  After we've had a chat, I'll be happy to take out my phone for a selfie.  Connecting in person is the right kind of connected.

July celebrations

July 4th is a day of celebration for the birth of our country.  It's also a celebration of family and friends, and the fireworks are pretty cool, too.  Think back on the school year.  It's been about a month since school let out for the summer.  With July being a month of celebrations, please think about a celebration you have from last school year.  If you would like, please share them with me.  I'd like to celebrate along with you!

Tweets, quotes, and blogs

Starting from Where the Learner Thrives (from George Couros)

Hard work is often the easy work you did not do at the proper time.

Bernard Meltzer radio host and city planner

Build Relationships with Students in 3 Seconds (from Chuck Rinkes in NASSP Principal's Update)

This is the real secret of life: to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play.

Alan Watts, philosopher

35 Things You Never Thought You'd Say Until You Became a Teacher (from WeAreTeachers- Nothing wrong with a little humor.)

What Parents Wish We Would Ask their Child (from Pernille Ripp)

Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, but only saps today of its strength.

A.J. Cronin, novelist and physician

Perfectly Imperfect (from Beth Houf, co-author of Lead Like a Pirate)

Whatever you've accomplished, there's always more to experience.

Alicia Witt, actress and musician

Time is Short (from George Couros)

#mertonint on Twitter

#MertonProud on Twitter

Merton Intermediate School Facebook page

mertonint on Instagram

Want a 15% off coupon for Target
Here's a link with information.  The deal is good from July 13-20!

Goal setting sheet
I know that most of you like to find ways to have students set goals, and you might even set goals yourself.  Just kidding.  I know you set goals, too.  This is another way of helping our students, and helping ourselves, set goals for the week, month, or year.  Click on the image below and you should be able to download it.  If not, just email me and I'll send it to you in an email.

One final thought...

After reading George Couros' latest blog, "With the Support of Others", I needed to share it with you.  If you read nothing else from the tweets, quotes, and blogs section, please read this.  George includes one of my favorite videos of all time.  Never forget to get up, and remember someone is always there to support you.

I'll be back in touch in two weeks.

Be the spark!

Jay

Take care of the kids.  Take care of each other.  Take care of yourself.- John Gunnell