Questions to ponder for 2014: Can we resolve to be just a little bit better?

Incremental changes sustained over time can lead to monumental improvements. - The Kaizen Way

The problem with most goal-setting isn't that the ideas aren't ambitious enough, it's that we fail to acknowledge the steps towards improvement we've already taken. While sweeping and radical changes may capture the imagination, they tend to falter in the execution. And we lose our desire to stay the course when changes diverge too radically from our daily habits.

This year, let's resolve to sustain progress in a positive direction. Ask yourself the following and answer in the affirmative and I know you'll summon the courage to commit. These reflect some of what I'm committing myself to, and I hope I can enlist you likewise.

1. Personal: can I resolve to show more gratitude towards my colleagues by making sure that I make it a point to say "thank you" meaningfully once more daily?

2. Professional: can I resolve to communicate positively in a way that shows my awareness I am always an ambassador for my school, my district, and my profession?

3. Healthful: can I resolve to make one small positive change in my fitness regimen or nutrition routines that is something I'm confident I can do daily?

4. Analytical: can I find a way to use a new data set that illustrates something significant about student performance in a way I can convey vividly to others?

5. Adaptive: can I model for others how to respond to life's inevitable changes by embracing the unexpected where my first response is "Yes I can!" instead of "What now?"

Happy 2014! May all your best wishes for the new year find fulfillment through your efforts.

From http://visual.ly/top-10-new-years-resolutions?utm_campaign=website&utm_source=sendgrid.com&utm_medium=email

Comments

Norris Intermediate Open House dedication speech

Norris Intermediate Open House dedication speech August 4, 2013 Good afternoon, and thank you for joining us for this wonderful celebration of the opening of Norris Intermediate School. This is 65,000 square feet and another 12 acres of awesomeness joining one of the most beautiful developed campuses in the state to support great k-12 education for our students. I'm Dr. John Skretta, Superintendent of the Norris School District and it is my pleasure to welcome you here today for our ribbon-cutting and campus-wide open house. Norris Board members & district partners from DLR and Hausmann join principal Dr. Bob Brandt in cutting the ribbon opening Norris Intermediate School While many of you parents here today were probably hoping we'd actually start classes immediately and you could drop your kids off now and leave them with us, you'll have to wait about 10 days yet. The first actual student day is not until August 14, and you'll notice in walking...

My Marathon Training Nutrition Commitment

I had a two-bag-a-week habit...Bazooka Joe himself had to stage an intervention for me. I have been training for the Lincoln marathon, which goes off a week from now. A month ago, I decided I would get aggressive with my nutrition because I figure an old runner like me (43) needs every possible advantage if I want to crawl across the finish line in under four hours much less 3 1/2. So I set out to eliminate empty cards and refined sugars from my diet about five weeks ago. I thought that this would be a good means of enhancing my nutrition while also improving my chances of turning in a good performance on race day. I said goodbye to the chips and candy, and mourned the loss of my fries and popcorn... There definitely is a connection between intake and output. How you eat, how you sleep, and whether you're drinking enough water- all those things contribute to outcomes on race day, not just miles and pace. ...

Tech Integration Tips from Coachella Valley USD

Coachella Valley USD is presenting on their mobile learning initiative at the National School Boards Association convention (March, 2015). They have spearheaded one of the largest iPad rollouts in our nation at the PK-12 level with over 20,000 students receiving iPads. Key recommendations from the CVUSD team that I heard: Devices don't matter if you don't have the right attitude. Mindset is essential and enthusiasm is vital. There has to be a paradigm shift in schools from "IT" to Ed Tech. T3s are Teachers Training Teachers. Coachella is leveraging the power of peer modeling and teacher expertise to help tech integration become a reality. The tech team must be decentralized. If you want your tech personnel to really impact teaching, they have to be out in buildings, reaching out to teachers. Fixing technology (keeping network up and on and repairing devices) alone will never fulfill technology's promise. Transformational use requires committed tech inte...

Skretta's Scintillating Salutations

Search This Blog