Inside the Mind of an Educator

People Relationships Accountability You Empowerment Rejuvenate People in your organization are your biggest agents of change. They can make or break your district and if you want to see the growth you must value, educate and empower your human capital. The people are important because they are the ones who will be carrying out the plans set forth by leaders and administration to better the school. It is people, not programs that make something happen in a district. We can throw money at different systems, technology and curriculum, but if the people who deliver it are not quality then your changes are doomed to fail. Relationships are vital to the success of a school. Relationships between parents, community, teachers, and educators, will help you to improve your culture, education and district.  Students must feel they are cared for and loved. The culture must be one of camaraderie and a focused shared vision. The team must have a relationship that allows for ho...

School supplies are taking over the stores!!!!!!!!!!!  This is good news for some and a dreaded realization summer is coming to an end for others. If you know me (or a teacher), you know this means I am fighting every urge in my body to go spend an entire paycheck or two on school supplies. After all, a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils, the smell of an empty notebook, and a pack of brand new sharpies are a few of my favorite things.  However, I am not alone, for the aisles are filling with eager teachers trying to find a steal and get a deal.   Most educators are already working on lessons (guilty) and/or setting up their classroom. If I have just outed any of my fellow nerds post your name, share this blog, and attach a picture of your organized or chaotic classroom as evidence. If you are anything like me, the summer is filled with summer school, lesson planning, curriculum and unit planning for the upcoming year and another degree conferred and finalized. It ha...

    In a few weeks I will have completed my Master's degree in Educational Leadership in a year.  This degree is from Dordt College, an amazing Christian college.   This is my second Master's degree, so I am not new to taking courses, but this has been the best education I feel I have ever received. It challenged me, pushed me and made me see things from a different perspective. I have one final paper to write about my thoughts on leadership. This took me a long time to process, but I believe I am ready to share what type of leader I aspire to become.  I have known since the first grade that I wanted to be an educator. I am one of the rare individuals who can share the  moment  in my life when that decision was made. ( Read Moment Blog for More Information ) However, I do not have a defining moment when I made the decision to get involved in school leadership. In fact, I never saw myself wanting to be in a leadership role outside of the classroom. I ...

There is an old Yiddish Proverb, which says "We Plan- God Laughs."  Proverbs 16:33 from the Bible puts it this way: " We may throw the dice,   but the  Lord  determines how they fall."  These proverbs have been the truth this week as I look to the future.   When Gavin and I moved back to Iowa we decided on settling in Ottumwa, with the intent that Gavin would finish his teaching degree and find a job locally. He was perfectly fine driving over three hours a day for a year while he completed his intern license. My plan was to stay at Cardinal and teach at least until our kids were out of school.  (Insert God's little chuckle and a head shake here.) Two years down the road, Gavin is still driving from Des Moines each day. He has been promoted in his role as Director of Medical Simulation and loves his specialized career field. He enjoys Des Moines University very much, and he is amazing at what he does. On the other hand, I am completing my second ...

The Iowa Department of Education has developed a plan to hold schools accountable for test scores by publishing how they rank against other schools in the state.  Schools in Iowa will now be placed on a scale of achievement, to help educate families about the ranking of their child's school. Another school in our area gathered the details from the Iowa DOE website and posted it to the local newspaper. Therefore, t he past few weeks Cardinal has faced some challenges based on those published achievement scores.    Many people in our surrounding community have been balking about the low scores our little district has received in the past. There are nasty responses posted on social media sites and negative comments being traded back and forth because of these test scores.  Some have even criticized our district for the positive press we have received. They feel we should not be highlighted in the local media as an amazing, and innovative district because our scores are...

The season of giving is here! Tomorrow families around the world will celebrate the greatest gift ever given, Jesus Christ. The way we celebrate may be different, but the feelings of love and reverence are felt globally. This is also the time of year when traditions are very important and seem to reign over the way we do everything.  Some traditions are a melding of two families blended into one or are created because of an accidental occurrence, fluke or a "one time thing" that stuck. Others are just great stories that have become a loved piece of a family's history.   In our household we have a variety of traditions, which have crept their way into our lives. Some have been created or born because of our military lifestyle, necessity or our own beliefs, and some come from our own childhoods traditions.   Tradition list: 1. Christmas tree goes up on Thanksgiving while watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. The second year we were married I wanted to s...

Mark your calendars for American Education Week, scheduled for Nov. 17-21, 2014.  The weeklong celebration presents opportunities to celebrate public education and honor the teachers who make a difference in the lives of children in classrooms across America.  Fun fact: The first observance of American Education Week took place in Dec. 1921.     Flourishing In Education By: Alecia Gardner Who do you consider an educator? I have studied, researched, and my ideas have evolved throughout the years in trying to answer this question. I have even written a book on the subject of the difference in a teacher and an educator. However, one of the best definitions I have found came from Sr. Geralyn Schmidt, " An educator coaches individuals to become what is essential — to develop into human beings who are fully alive."  Education has been deemed a thankless career field, with consistently low pay. However, there is no greate...