Author Archives: The Book Chamber

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.

Guard Your Attention…

24 Friday Feb 2023

Posted by in Actions, Attention, Choice, Deciding, Decisions, Importance, Intentional, Leader, Leadership

≈ Leave a comment

Scrolling through my Twitter feed the other day, I noticed a post regarding “guard your attention.” The post stated that television screens are beginning to appear in elevators showing the latest news worldwide. It went on to say that it was mostly bad news being offered and that if we don’t guard our attention, we can become consumed by the negativity surrounding everything of such nature.

As I thought about that and what all went along with it, I wondered how much of what I do “gets” my attention. Like all those bad snacks I enjoy, especially late at night, what I put into my stomach is as unhealthy as what I put into my mind and, ultimately, my heart. When my mind and heart get distracted, it can threaten everything and everyone around me. The world and society are ready to tear us down.

img_4607

For me, guarding my attention is not giving in to wanting to shift focus. How do you do that? Well, it continues to be a work in progress. That’s why we guard. The first line of defense is just a matter of saying NO, not going there.

Our attention is a limited resource, per se, especially in leadership. We only have so much we can pay attention to. But we continue to give it away to trivial matters that bear no fruit for our lives. Often I think about guarding our attention like managing money. When I allocate my attention, what kind of return do I get? Is it something that will profit me or something that could cause financial hardships or ruin? I like having money in my pocket, so I must make certain my attention is on what can strengthen my account.

Do we even realize how much is out there; the voices, the visuals, the… it can wear you out, and it does. It’s like silly putty and the stretch man toy; pulled in all directions and gets bent out of shape. If we do not guard our attention, it will be a hostile takeover of our minds. Let’s do what we need to set the boundary and draw the line in the sand that guards our attention and tells everyone and everything, “You shall not pass” (think Gandalf in LOTR).

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.

Marginal Teachers… Not A Label You Want As An Educator!

17 Friday Feb 2023

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

What makes a marginal teacher? This question is loaded with beliefs and answers… I recently read that a marginal teacher is incompetent and lacks enthusiasm. Harsh descriptors of a person who has a degree to teach… ?

I also read this statement the other day, “These teachers can also have a lack of motivation and accountability for their actions.” My question is why are they labeled as such? Is this because they are disheartened, or have they become content? Both have lasting ramifications for students in their classroom and the school. 

For me, a marginal teacher knows what to do but lacks in getting it done. They just might be on the cusp of being a good teacher. However, they are just shy of doing a few things needed. What are these? It could be and probably is different for each, but there is something. However, not knowing what to do versus choosing not to do quickly separates a marginal teacher from others. One can be taught, the other… well?  

teacher-with-alarm-clock-at-blackboard

I guess we can get caught up with definitions of a marginal teacher. Now, much of that depends upon how much the marginal teacher wants to grow. That will tell the difference between them actually losing the label or not. 

The marginal teacher may be more reluctant to try and improve. This is where they take on the characteristic of being content: and in terms of Rain Man (watch the movie), average sucks. Average, content, marginal… they all begin to spell the same for education. 

Just like growing students, we must grow teachers. The best way to get rid of a marginal teacher is to develop them into a good teacher. It takes time and effort. It takes mentoring, conversations, building a trusting relationship, etc. But time is of the essence. Just like a wound, marginal teachers will fester, become contagious, and we all know band-aids will not fix the problem. 

This seems to be a trend in education. Teachers who are in the classroom, binding their time, and working for the weekend. Teacher shortage is a real thing. A question I always ponder is, is a warm body in the classroom better than a nobody in the classroom?

Deep down, I believe we can grow a marginal teacher into a good/great teacher. Maybe they just lost their why. Perhaps they didn’t have a why, to begin with. Regardless, those marginal teachers are in our school buildings. Just maybe, they need to be shown why… we are educating the future. 

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.