Monthly Archives: March 2023

It’s about the one who wields it…

31 Friday Mar 2023

Posted by in Actions, Andy Griffith, Attention, Attitude, Character, Classroom Leadership, Classroom Management, Inspiration, Intentions, Leader, Leadership, Servant, Unity, Useful, Value, Vision

≈ Leave a comment

I saw the below tweet on Twitter the other day…
“A stone in evil hands killed Abel. A stone in righteous hands killed Goliath. It’s not about the stone; it’s about the one who wields it.”

hand-black-and-white-finger-rock

As I read that, I thought, “Man, this is good stuff.” And, of course, it got me thinking…

I’m sure there are numerous analogies one can use instead of stone in the hands of either, but I thought immediately about the tongue, the pen, and, ultimately, leadership.

My mom had a Rudyard Kipling quote cross-stiched in our house growing up, “Keep your words short and sweet, for you do not know the ones one day you will eat.” (many have been attributed to that quote). Yes, there have been many a person who cannot wield the tongue. I think of the Andy Griffith episode where Andy tries to catch his words back after a conversation with Ellie. He fictitiously grabs them out of the air and pretends to eat them, saying how bad they taste. The tongue with the right mindset can create a beautiful oration of eloquence. Alternatively, it will speak with a forked tongue of divisiveness, manipulating meaning to justify one’s own means.

The pen… I am fascinated with people who can write well. The nuance of language can move emotions when sentences begin to flow. No wonder, English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1839, stated, “The pen is mightier than the sword,” a metonymic adage indicating that the written word is more effective than violence as a means of social or political change. However, we also see the pen as a means to direct harm toward others, especially when words are written by one hiding behind a keyboard. False accusations, slander, you get the idea.

And leadership… Yes, leadership in the hands of an evil person causes more damage than can be imagined. With a me, my, mine mindset, the complete culture of an organization can be wiped away. Leadership in the hands, and I will use the word righteous, person shows servant-based, others first, a we, us, ours mindset. Edifying the body of an organization where others feel welcomed, not threatened. Where the culture reciprocates the empowerment of ownership. We have all seen and/or been part of leadership in the right or wrong hands, and we have felt the result of such.

It’s about the one who wields it… Powerful, indeed.

Let’s go fight the good fight of leadership. Someone has to…

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2023 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on… Twitter @thebookchamber or follow the blog directly.

Want to share this leadership thought with others? Click on one of the social media sharing buttons below and help spread the good…

Keeping A Hold On Your Foundation…

24 Friday Mar 2023

Posted by in Actions, Circumstances, Decisions, Foundation, Leader, Leadership, Perseverance

≈ 3 Comments

Over spring break, Heather and I drove down to Natchez just to mess around and see a few landmarks that Greg Iles, a Natchez, MS, author, uses in his books. On the way back, we stopped by the Rocky Springs site on the Natchez Trace and walked a few trails. One trail we hiked was way in the back to the old deserted town of what was Rocky Springs.

IMG_4507

As we walked around, I saw this great looking tree. As I looked longer, I wondered how many years of eroding had occurred. I also looked at the roots of the tree. As you can see, they are still digging down into the soil. I looked up and down the tree and noticed how alive it was. Outside of something happening irregularly, I figure the tree will not die anytime soon.

So, I decided to take a picture. I thought it was just cool looking, and then I got to thinking as we hiked… The tree represents the leadership life that many live. How? I’m glad you asked.

How many leaders do you know that are still surviving after someone else tried to erode the foundation under them? Those leaders, who had strong roots, have stretched their roots into the soil beneath them and chosen to continue thriving. It seems that, as with eroding, those others just simply wear away at your foundation. Little by little, over time, their short-sightedness toward others’ leadership has weathered away many good people.

Actually, we see it in all aspects of society. There are so many “out there” who do everything they can to erode your foundation for what you stand for from beneath you. They will challenge your beliefs, your ethics, your values, your… And when it happens, those same roots must stay strong and continue to dig, sometimes way down, to find new soil, grab hold, and stand.

I have no idea how old that tree is, but I know it has stood the test of time thus far. It has taken everything thrown at it, even the erosion to take the foundation from under. Yet, it still stands. A favorite quote of mine is, “Make sure your feet are planted in the right place; you never know when you will have to stand firm.”

Ultimately, that’s what real leaders have to do, stand firm. Let your roots stay established and continue to grow. I’m not sure when I will return to the Rocky Springs site again, but if I do, I think I’ll stop to see how the old tree is doing…

Let’s go fight the good fight of leadership. Someone has to…

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2023 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on… Twitter @thebookchamber or follow the blog directly.

Sittin’ on the back porch swing…

10 Friday Mar 2023

Posted by in Spring Break

≈ Leave a comment

Well, spring break is here. YES! you say. One of the four weeks in the school year teachers all look forward to and long for…

So, here’s hoping you have a great spring break. Hope you enjoy the rewording of Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay, our Spring Break blog this week… There is one thing I hope you notice, especially if you know the words to Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay. If you remember, there are lines of saying, “wastin’ time.” Well, I’ve changed those to “liven’ time,” because I think that is what we should do, live.

IMG_9749

Sittin’ on the Back Porch Swing

Sittin’ on the back porch swing…
I’ll be swingin’ when the evenin’ comes
Watching the grass grow and playing fetch with the dogs
Then I watch ’em get tired and bask in the setting sun

I’m sittin’ on the back porch swing
Thinkin’ of how to spend the day
Walking barefoot in the backyard
Liven’ time

I left my classroom for a week
Headed for nowhere in general
‘Cause I’ve no agenda to speak
I don’t want nothin to come my way

So I’m just gon’ sittin’ on the back porch swing
Feelin’ the morning and afternoon breeze
I’m sittin’ on the back porch swing, liven’ time

A whole week of nothin’s gonna change
A week from this Monday, still remains the same
I’ve got nine more weeks
So I guess I’ll see it through

Sittin’ here restin’ my bones
I’ve got those around I love
Everyone else can leave me alone
Just to make this back porch swing my home

Now I’m just gon’ sit, on this back porch swing
Watchin’ golf and March Madness on the TV
Sittin’ on the back porch swing
Liven’ time

Let’s go fight the good fight of leadership. Someone has to…

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2023 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on… Twitter @thebookchamber or follow the blog directly.

Do you help your students “Seize the day?”

03 Friday Mar 2023

Posted by in Achieve, Actions, Classroom Leadership, Classroom Management, Conversations, Education, Educational Leadership, Encouragement, Expectations, Inspiration, Intentional, Intentions, Kindness, Leader, Leadership, Purpose, Relationships, Teachers

≈ Leave a comment

“Carpe diem… Seize the day.” For the younger readers out there, this was a classic movie, Dead Poet’s Society, 1989. For us older, distinguished veterans, we should remember it well.

31bf5b47a9b5040ddb7cb1ce50037804

There is this one scene that I like where the teacher, Mr. Keating, played by Robin Williams, takes his class out to the commons on the first day of class and has them look at the former students who came before them. While there, Mr. Keating tries to awaken their spirits, per se, into making the most of the time they have. In the clip, these words are spoken by Mr. Keating, “… seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary.”

Watch the clip here: Carpe diem… Seize the day – Dead Poet’s Society

While watching and listening to the clip, I thought about this… The other day I stopped by the bank on the way home, and the teller asked me how my day at school was. I said, “fine,” and she said, “I don’t know how ya’ll do it.” I figured she was talking about teaching… So I said, “Well, I can either focus on who they are or who they can be.” She just looked at me like I had two heads and changed the subject. I wondered if she wanted to continue the direction of the conversation, but I was not going to speak negatively about education. Sure, we have problems, but so does every other occupation. Anyway…

How does this all tie in? Well, how many times as educators do we “seize the day” to make the lives of our students extraordinary? It’s easy to focus on what walks through the classroom door, but do we ever consider what they can be when they walk out the door? Do we focus so much on the negative aspects of students that we forget that they might not become who they can be without our help? This goes for all aspects of education… Teachers and students, administrators and teachers, School leaders, etc.

While I believe Mr. Keating wanted his students to understand that, ultimately, it is up to the individual to “seize the day.” Knowing or unknowingly, at the same time, he was helping them understand that. That’s where we make the most of who our students can be. Giving them belief, giving them hope for their future, and modeling an example that says, be different for the right reason.

Oh, to help a student to feel extraordinary, to help them “seize the day.” Most might not do that on their own. Let’s help them “seize the day” by us doing the same. Our lives might just feel extraordinary if we do.

Let’s go fight the good fight of leadership. Someone has to…

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2023 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on… Twitter @thebookchamber or follow the blog directly.