You deserve a break!

Sometimes, three days make a full week.  This was certainly a full week, and we still have some learning and planning to do today.  I'll have the chance to connect with many of you today and some of you are at conventions so I won't see you until next week but we'll all be learning and planning  something today.  I'm going to encourage you to try something this long weekend- take a day off from school stuff.  Spend the day taking a hike or hanging with family and friends or binge watching your new favorite show or reading a book.  Sometimes it's that day away from work that gets you all fired up for the week to come.

Great things I saw this week...
Students and staff participating in spirit days
Taco lunch by the 7/8 team
Holly sharing about the brain with 5th graders
The testing environments for our kids
Halloween themed activities in PE
7th grade boys helping to bring gym mats from the Primary to the Intermediate during the windiest of times (One almost even got airborne!)
8th graders in cooking, and I get to taste test!
5th grade interviews and all of the volunteers that came in to interview our kids

Name it.  Claim it.  Explain it.
Thanks to Becky for playing along last week.  Here's the one for this week.

Calendar
Please continue to review the Intermediate Special Events Calendar at our weekly grade level and specials meetings, too.

Thursday, October 24th
PD day- No students

Friday, October 25th
No School

Monday, October 28th
School board meeting

Friday, November 1st
End of 1st quarter

Monday, November 4th
7/8 Aspire testing

Tuesday, November 5th
Jay at CPI training all day
8th grade Manufacturing field trip

Wednesday, November 6th
Jay at CPI training
7/8 Aspire testing

Thursday, November 7th
Jay at CPI training
Arena style conferences

Friday, November 8th
Jay at CPI training
Veterans Day ceremony

Tweets, quotes, and blogs

The automatic things you do are basically those things that keep you from doing the better things you need to do.

Bill Murray, actor

Spend More Time Planting Seeds and Less Time Measuring Vines (from Jon Harper)

Well it's hard to be yourself, it's the hardest job there is.

Bill Murray, actor

A somebody was once a nobody who wanted to and did.

John Burroughs, naturalist, nature essayist

(shared in Dave Burgess' blog post)

#mertonint on Twitter

#MertonProud on Twitter

Merton Intermediate School Facebook page

mertonint on Instagram
EdCampWalkersPoint sessions
Family smore from 10.23.19

In thinking back on the three day week with kids, there is so much I am thankful for.  I'm thankful for kids being respectful and owning their behavior.  I'm thankful for the conversations we have about the kids, both concerns and celebrations.  I'm thankful for the chance to drop into your classes at any time to see you learning with our kids.  I'm thankful for the honest way you speak with me about things that may not be easy to talk about.  I'm thankful for so many of you sharing the great things going on in your classroom and in our school.  Thank you for all that you do for the kids, for each other, for our school, and for me.
#JustInspire
Jay
Take care of the kids.  Take care of each other.  Take care of yourself.- John Gunnell

Keep on learning

This week I had my first meeting at Leadership camp, formally known as "Living as a Leader".  There were interesting discussions, thought-provoking questions, and a chance to connect with leaders from a variety of businesses, and not one was education.  Just like when I attend conferences or learn on Twitter or Voxer, I was amazed at the similarities of being a leader regardless of the type of business.  We share one common denominator- we work with people and people are as varied as the types of jobs they do.  It really is fascinating.
Our facilitator is Cindy and she also happens to be my coach.  You've heard this before- everyone needs a coach- and I'm ready to do all that I can to learn from her about being a better leader.  I know I will be doing a lot of reflecting and I may need some of you to be guinea pigs for me as I try out new ideas and practices.  You will be able to help me learn what works for us as a school and what doesn't work for us as a school.  I guess you could say that you are going to help me continue to learn, so thank you in advance.  As educators it's important for all of us to keep on learning.

Great things I saw this week...
Building hot air balloons in 5th grade
Lauren joining in during football in PE
Great pride put into video book discussions
Listening in on conversations during book clubs
Kids really focused during Math work time, even for a guest teacher!
Putting plans together for our kids before conferences and during conferences
Kids thanking me for being in the crosswalk at student drop off and student pick up
The patience you have with our students, and more than just on the outside
Thinking of ways to meet SEL needs as a grade level
Seeing you eat together before conferences

Calendar
Please continue to review the Intermediate Special Events Calendar at our weekly grade level and specials meetings, too.

Saturday, October 19th
EdCampWalkersPoint 8:00-3:00

Monday, October 21st-Wednesday, October 23rd
Red Ribbon Week

Monday, October 21st
Team Up Against Drugs (wear your favorite team gear)
Taco Lunch
BLT meeting 4:15

Tuesday, October 22nd
Turn Off the Lights on Drugs (wear all black)

Wednesday, October 23rd
Put Drugs to Sleep (wear pajamas)

Thursday, October 24th
PD day- No students

Friday, October 25th
No School

Monday, October 28th
School board meeting

Name it.  Claim it.  Explain it.
Not sure that anyone claimed the "spooky" picture from last week.  Here's this week's!

Tweets, quotes, and blogs
The First Time We Ask (from Pernille Ripp)

You cannot force ideas. Successful ideas are the result of slow growth.

Alexander Graham Bell, inventor, scientist

(from Brent Coley)

Educator or Liberator? (from Matt Renwick)

Instant gratification takes too long.

Carrie Fisher, actress, writer

A Few Words From a Student Changed My Perspective (from Matt Johnson)

#mertonint on Twitter

#MertonProud on Twitter

Merton Intermediate School Facebook page

mertonint on Instagram
Family smore from 10.18.19

Staff PTO grants
Don't forget about staff PTO grants.  This link will take you directly to the form.  I'm not sure of the deadline, but getting a grant request in sooner rather than later is a great idea!

Keep on learning
You may have noticed that this part of our nuts and bolts has the same title as the blog.  The reason for this is that while on the Twitters on Wednesday night participating in the #BeTheOne chat, I came across a free learning opportunity that doesn't even require you to leave your home or your pajamas.  It's called the Teacher Success Summit and you can find the link here.  Just go to the link and register.  It's that simple.  There are many great speakers who will share ideas with you that you can then share with us.  I'm registered and look forward to participating.  Maybe I'll "see" you there while I keep on learning.

Thanks so much for all of your efforts this week with scheduled conferences on conference night as well as the unscheduled conferences and phone calls that you have had leading up to last night.  The families appreciate the emails, but the phone calls and face to face conversations are where it's at!
#JustInspire
Jay
Take care of the kids.  Take care of each other.  Take care of yourself.- John Gunnell

Prioritizing time

This week was not a normal week for me.  Maybe the same was true for you.  I had a meeting in Madison, guest taught, and slept on the roof on Tuesday.  I had an all day SEL meeting and a family vaping forum on Wednesday.  I had grade level meetings, an A-team meeting, and a strategic planning meeting on Thursday.  And who knows what today will bring.  The schedule I had this week was because of decisions I made and meetings that were scheduled.  When I wasn't in meetings or guest teaching, I visited classrooms.  But I'm behind on my feedback to you, and that's okay.  I can't go back and change my decisions.  I chose how I was going to use my time.  Today is a new day and I will have meetings and responsibilities, but I also have the opportunity to choose how I use the time that is unplanned.  My plan, as it is with any school day, is to get into classrooms, connect with you and the kids, and provide feedback to at least three of you.  This means there is a good chance I won't respond to emails as quickly as I'd like, but the priority is you and the kids in your classrooms.  Emails will be there when I sit down to eat lunch or after you and the kids have left for the weekend.  I ask you to think a bit about how you prioritize your time.  This weekend I encourage you to prioritize the time with those who are in front of you or alongside you.  The school work will be there when you get back to school on Monday.

Calendar
Please continue to review the Intermediate Special Events Calendar at our weekly grade level and specials meetings, too.

Tuesday, October 15th
Living as a Leader coaching session 8:00 (Jay)
Twitter tutorial 4:15 (Library)

Wednesday, October 16th
Twitter tutorial 8:00 (Learning Lounge)
Culver's Night

Thursday, October 17th
Requested family conferences

Friday, October 18th
PTO Fall Fest

Saturday, October 19th
EdCampWalkersPoint 8:00-3:00

Monday, October 21st-Wednesday, October 23rd
Red Ribbon Week

Monday, October 21st
BLT meeting 4:15

Thursday, October 24th
PD day- No students

Friday, October 25th
No School

Monday, October 28th
School board meeting

Name it.  Claim it.  Explain it.
Thanks to Michael for playing along last week.

Tweets, quotes, and blogs

Looking Inward to Move Onward (from George Couros)

Failure is a part of success. There is no such thing as a bed of roses all your life. But failure will never stand in the way of success if you learn from it.

Hank Aaron, professional baseball player, right fielder

Graphics for Trauma-Informed Schools (from Allyson Apsey)

I Am Reminded (from Pernille Ripp)

from tenor.com

The Pursuit of Excellence in the Creation Process (from George Couros)

#mertonint on Twitter

#MertonProud on Twitter

Merton Intermediate School Facebook page

mertonint on Instagram
Student assembly from 10.9.19
Family smore from 10.11.19

I appreciate the work of our BLT and our wellness committee for their work on school spirit.  Merton Mondays, encouraging sharing what's going on in our school, and teams "competing" in the water bottle challenge help to bring us all together.  It's come to my attention that some of you would like a refresher in the use of Twitter.  If you didn't notice, I added an opportunity for some Twitter assistance next Tuesday afternoon and next Wednesday morning.  All are welcome!
#JustInspire
Jay
Take care of the kids.  Take care of each other.  Take care of yourself.- John Gunnell

Stop, collaborate and listen!

This week we were supposed to speak about evidence in all of our grade level meetings.  Sometimes the plans just don't work out and you need to readjust.  You do this an uncountable number of times every day and we'll just need to take a look at our evidence next week.  Student discussions should always come first, and that's what happened in our meetings today.  So why the reference to the Vanilla Ice song?  We just needed to stop what we had planned, adjust (not part of the song, I know), collaborate, and listen to one another.  The evidence will be there next week, but the student issues may need to take center stage again.  If not, we will definitely spend our grade level time on evidence.  With that said, it would be very helpful for you to take a look at your MAP data prior to the meeting next week.  Share it with the rest of your team so that they have a chance to be prepared as well.  I look forward to our evidence discussions next week.

Great things I saw this week...
the support for each other, for our kids, and for the Sauld family.
solar robots and Lego robotics.
an 8th grader (ask Leah) escorting the 4Kers in during the massive downpour on Tuesday.
participating in Heidi's Math class, because the kids asked me to.
only one indoor recess, and it went pretty well.
the kids putting forth incredible effort in classes.
lots of sweaty kids after PE. (This is the "saw" section, not the "smelled" section.)
BLT meeting with great ideas for encouraging positive culture and school spirit.
hands on activities in lots of classes.
more of you posting things from your classrooms on Twitter!

Name it. Claim it. Explain it.
Thanks to Becky for playing along last week.

Calendar
Please continue to review the Intermediate Special Events Calendar at our weekly grade level and specials meetings, too.

Friday, October 4th
PTO Obstacle Course (5th and 6th grade during specials, 7th and 8th grade 12:00-12:45)

Tuesday, October 8th
Flu shot
8th grade Career field trip
AWSA Middle and High School advisory committee meeting in Madison 9:30 (Jay)
Special Education file review 1:00

Wednesday, October 9th
WIN Wednesday- vaping assembly (Please sit with your homeroom)
All day SEL meeting
Vaping forum 7PM

Thursday, October 10th
Picture retake day
A-team meeting 1:15

Friday, October 11th
PTO meeting 2:30

Tuesday, October 15th
Living as a Leader coaching session 8:00 (Jay)

Wednesday, October 16th
Culver's Night

Thursday, October 17th
Requested family conferences (Make sure to have your list to Barb by October 7th)

Friday, October 18th
PTO Fall Fest

Saturday, October 19th
EdCampWalkersPoint 8:00-3:00

Monday, October 21st-Wednesday, October 23rd
Red Ribbon Week

Thursday, October 24th
PD day- No students

Friday, October 25th
No School

Monday, October 28th
School board meeting

Tweets, quotes, and blogs

The fun for me in collaboration is, one, working with other people just makes you smarter, that's proven.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, composer, lyricist, singer, actor, playwright, producer

We All Deserved to be HANDLEd with Care (from Allyson Apsey)

You are perfectly cast in your life. I can't imagine anyone but you in the role. Go play.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, composer, lyricist, singer, actor, playwright, producer

Illustrated 6-Word Memoirs (from Pernille Ripp)

It's Never Too Late to Start Something New (from George Couros)

#mertonint on Twitter

#MertonProud on Twitter

Merton Intermediate School Facebook page

mertonint on Instagram
Family smore from 10.4.19

I continue to enjoy coming into your classrooms and providing written feedback.  What is even more enjoyable is when we have a conversation, in person or via email, about some of the things that I see.  It is also good for me to disconnect for those 10 minutes so that I can focus on what I'm observing.  I hope that this is carrying over to our face to face conversations, and by that I mean I am technology free and focused on you.  I am also working on being more empathic and the book I'm reading for Mustang University, Dare to Lead by Brene Brown, is really making me reflect.  I even wrote a blog post about working on being more empathic.  If you're interested, the link is here.

Have an amazing Friday, relax this weekend, and come back ready for another awesome week!
#JustInspire
Jay
Take care of the kids.  Take care of each other.  Take care of yourself.- John Gunnell

Learning to be empathic

I'm fortunate to get to go to school with some amazing educators.  I'm even more fortunate to be able to have the chance to read "Dare to Lead" by Brene Brown with some of them to start the school year.  We started with a face to face meeting to share our thoughts about the introduction which we read before we met.  I was interested to hear what others had to say about why they had chosen to read the book and what they hoped to get out of our learning.  We have been reading a section a week and either reflecting on quotes that resonate with us or using the Read Along Workbook for writing down our ideas.  As we read section 4, "Shame and Empathy", I realized that sharing our thoughts with one another might be a bit personal so, because our teachers are professional, I wanted them to be honest with themselves without having to share with everyone else.  I, on the other hand, thought that it was important to share my thoughts with the group, and with those of you who have gotten this far, so here they are.

I think that I chose to publish my thoughts because of two incidents that impacted me over the last two weeks.  One is the death of a former student and the other is the death of my 7th grade PE teacher.  To protect their privacy, and the privacy of their families, I am not including their names.

I am a father and I could never imagine having to deal with the death of my daughter.  Being there for our staff during this difficult time was not easy.  I kept saying things like "I can't even imagine" and "I wonder how the family can handle this".  Neither of these shows any signs of empathy.  As the week progressed, I didn't speak much of the situation, but I did think about it quite often.  On the day of the funeral, I remember arriving at the church.  I was amazed, but not surprised, by the number of staff and students in attendance.  There were hugs and tears and looks of disbelief and sorrow.  But we were there for each other, and we were there for the family.  One of us suggested that we give the family a "Merton hug" so we did.  It was as meaningful and important for us as it was for the family.  None of us has gone through what the family is going through but we were there to share our concern for them, our condolences, and a reminder that we are there for them whenever they need us.  Is this showing empathy or sympathy?  I'm not sure but I know that we are all there for the family.

My 7th grade PE teacher is the reason I have the friends I have today.  I moved to Wisconsin from Kentucky in the middle of my 7th grade school year in 1977.  My PE teacher noticed me on the first day of class and asked me if I played basketball.  I said, "yes sir" and he pointed at a group of boys in the corner of the gym.  "Those are the guys you need to get to know," he said.  Many of them are still my friends 42 years later.  In the visitation line, I told his wife, his two sons, and his daughter the same thing.  "I have friends because of your husband/father."  I apologized for not telling him myself.  I also told them all that I tell the story of my PE teacher to the students at our first assembly of the year, and I've been doing that for 13 years.  I then went on to tell the family that I know that this is a difficult time, shared my condolences, and moved along letting them know that they could call on me for anything they needed.  I am lucky that my father is still alive so I don't really know what the family is going through.  Is this showing empathy or sympathy?  Again, I'm not sure but I know that I shared a memory of how important he was, and is, to me.

I know this.  I still need to work more on being empathic than sympathetic.  I don't have the same experiences as everyone that I come in contact with, but I can be there for them by listening, being there for them, and validating that what they are going through is not so good, but I'm there for them.  I know that I can't fix everything, but I can give my undivided attention and concern to them for as long as they need me.