Category Archives: Decisions

Knowing Joy Beats Someone Telling Me I Should Be Miserable…

02 Friday Dec 2022

Posted by in Actions, Attitude, Christmas, Deciding, Decisions, Emotion, Encouragement, Inspiration, Intentions, Jesus, Joy, Kindness, Leader, Leadership, Misery, Thankful

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Ok… I am always excited when I learn something new, and boy, did I? The other day listening to talk radio on the way to school, I heard a segment on the reporting of the US Misery Index. I was like, what? Are you serious? There is an index out there that is supposedly going to tell me if I am miserable or not? Maybe not me specifically, but our nation as a whole.

So, I got to school and looked it up. Guess what? It’s real. Here’s the website: http://www.miseryindex.us

In short, here is the description… “The misery index was initiated by economist Arthur Okun, an adviser to President Lyndon Johnson in the 1960’s. It is simply the unemployment rate added to the inflation rate. It is assumed that both a higher rate of unemployment and a worsening of inflation both create economic and social costs for a country. A combination of rising inflation and more people out of work implies a deterioration in economic performance and a rise in the misery index.”

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Yes, inflation is high. I’m not going to get into the unemployment rate and all of the other political stuff. However, inflation does not discriminate. I don’t like the price of milk and eggs right now, but I’m not going to make myself miserable over it. I like money in my pocket just as much as the next person. What I don’t need is an index gauging my thoughts for it. But… ultimately, I decide if I am miserable or not.

So, where’s the leadership in this? It all depends on you, I guess. My joy depends on these things – family, close friendships (that circle grows smaller as I get older), enjoyment of my work, and when it does not rain on Saturdays (so I can play golf), and foremost, my relationship with Christ.

As we are now in the Christmas season, if we listen to everything out there, we almost have no choice but to make ourselves miserable. Some small part of me believes that is what society wants; for us to be miserable, so we will depend on someone or something else. I am not going to sign up for that. You shouldn’t either.

Regardless of what the US Misery Index says, at any time of the year, I’m going to choose joy. Now, I have bad days; I’m sure we all do. However, the joy we should feel at Christmas, we should feel all year. Especially knowing the reason for Christmas, for that brings “Joy to the World” within itself.

And as for leadership… I get to choose that also. I get to decide what type of leader I want to be. I definitely do not need an index for that, either. As we begin the month of December and the Christmas season, focus on the joy that we have. If you have a chance, which we all do, spread some of it around.  It sure beats being miserable because somebody said, “Misery loves company.”

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…

©2022 J Clay Norton

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

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Looking in the peripheral? You’ll lose your center focus…

14 Friday Oct 2022

Posted by in Actions, Decisions, Importance, Know Your Why, Leader, Leadership, Passive-Agressive, Purpose, Useful

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This past weekend, Breana and I installed a Ring security device on her apartment. Nothing major, just another level of security. As a dad, that’s important… 40854404

The Ring security device… it’s pretty cool how it works. If Ring asks, I’ll do commercials for them. The security measure I am most impressed with is its panoramic range. It can cover a good bit. I stood in the same spot and could not see what the device could see. I’m like, “How can that work?”

Anyway… as usual, it got me thinking.

Let’s change out the word panoramic to peripheral. How much of our leadership vision is so focused on stuff on the side that we do not see what is going on right in front of us? How many leaders do you know whose vision is so focused on the nuances of the side that they miss what is right in front of them that they do not see or maybe do not want to see?

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I would dare say that most leaders I know focused on the side stuff are micro-managers. Focused so much on the trivial, they believe impactful results can happen here. Small things on the side can help a leader create mini successes. They get caught there because it’s an area where they can flex their leadership the most; be seen and heard. Let’s say passive-aggressive also. However, if most of their effort is placed on the peripheral, what action is being taken on matters that mean the most at the core?

Eventually, our peripheral vision will max out. We have all followed the pen to the side of our head at the eye doctor. But that still does not excuse us for not knowing what is happening. Great leaders know how to move in and out of the peripherals. Be a leader that understands the things on the side while knowing the important things are in front of us. If a matter on the peripheral becomes important enough, it will move to the center area.

I equate peripheral vision to a side for a meal. I don’t go to a restaurant to order a side dish only; it’s just what I want to eat while I’m focused on what I want to order to begin with.

I’m glad the Ring security device has great peripheral/panoramic vision. It catches every movement within its range, helping solve a security issue. It would be nice if leadership could be the same way. I guess that’s why they say many cannot see the trees because of the forest.

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…

©2022 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…

What’s in a name? Homework, Classwork, Practice…

16 Friday Sep 2022

Posted by in Classroom Leadership, Decisions, Education, Effective, Grading, Leader, Leadership, Students, Teachers

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Today’s blog is going to be all over the place…

Homework, classwork, practice… Why do we categorize the work we ask students to do the way we do when it is actually not an assessment? Why do we not call “work” learning activities if teaching creates learning opportunities? Is it a location term? Work at home equals homework? Work in the classroom equals classwork? What is the purpose of what we call it?

Here’s a thought… should “work” be graded if we call it practice? Is practice actually practice if it is graded and required? Practice offers room for mistakes, but going home and doing homework on a lesson just taught and then graded? What good does that do? Are we doing it for the lessons or for accountability and responsibility? Or are we assigning work for students to “get better?” Herein lies the questions that keep some of us up at night.

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What is more important, the learning or the grade of an activity? Are we looking at the quality of growth and exposure or a grade only? Now is a good time to throw the idea of completion grade into the conversation… Does completion of work acknowledge the student knows the correct answers? The war of educational terminology, I can’t take it anymore…

So, is there an answer? Kinda sort of like, not really. While I am not a fan of homework, I understand the need for practice. However, I believe that practice should be held in the classroom while the teacher is with students for guidance (especially if you teach on a block, 90-minute schedule). Long lessons wear students out and the teachers. I believe in teaching in “chunks with checks.” Introduce a topic, talk about it, check for understanding, and give a guided independent check for students. Then teach the next topic of the lesson. When done, provide practice problems for them to work on in class.

In education, we get so caught up in a student’s grade that we seem to forget about the student. Student success is about growing the student, not the student’s grade. A student’s success is better achieved in the classroom environment where learning takes place.

But what about the grading? The accountability, the responsibility of it all? Now the conversation has exponentially exploded. I offer multiple attempts for students on their practice (usually three to five, depending on the topic). Yes, it’s graded, but only their highest attempted score is kept. I feel multiple attempts create growth for a student while at the same time offering accountability and responsibility. If students want a better score on the lesson, they redo it (our school uses the Canvas platform, which makes this easy). After a few times of not getting the score they want, or if they need help, they can ask for it. Also, I feel practice should not take more than 20 to 25 minutes. I’m sure you remember middle school math and homework of 50 long division problems, graded for accuracy while showing all your work. How did that help any of us? Yes, it was practice, but…

Well, I’m sure you have read enough of my rant today. The bottom line for me is to do right by students. We do not know what goes on with our students after they leave the school building, but I do know the best way for them to learn is while in the school building.

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

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2022 J Clay Norton

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

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The price of gas is high, but so are the snacks…

13 Friday May 2022

Posted by in Actions, Choice, Consistency, Decisions, Focus, Leader, Leadership, Purpose, Teachers

≈ 2 Comments

price_gauge_arm_leg_bothThe other day I stopped by a tote’sem (that’s what we called them growing up… gas station/convenience store) to get a snack. While waiting in line at the counter getting my Dr. Pepper and spicy peanuts, someone in front of me was complaining about gas prices. I agree; I also complain about gas prices, but what I noticed was that they were buying four sodas, four candy bars, and two bags of chips… their total was $21.76. Do you want to guess how much gas they bought? $5 worth. The guy told the clerk, “Can’t afford to buy much gas; it’s just too expensive.” I’m not sure what type of vehicle they were driving, but I thought they would need to buy gas again in about 30 miles or so. Now, I have no idea what the guy’s story is/was, but several thoughts ran through my mind. Should the guy have spent more on gas and less on snacks? He could have gone through a drive-through and possibly eaten for less. What was more important to him, and what was he focused on? Like I said, I’m not sure what the story is/was.

Never to miss an opportunity for a connection to educational leadership, I thought about how one’s actions tell a story; they always do. When it comes to being an educator, what do our actions say about us? When others watch us, what do they think our story as an educator is? Do they know, or do they make assumptions? Our students, do they see consistency in us as we teach and interact? Where do they see us placing our value; the snacks or the gas?

As I look back on this past year, I would hope that my students see consistency in me as an educator. I would hope that they know the value I place on education and the future it can afford them. I hope they know that I value them as a person more than a student. When our focus is on the “right thing,” and the student knows this, it seems to transcend over into other areas of their lives. Obviously, we can see some students who do not focus on the “right thing” and maybe a few teachers as well. But, nonetheless, our focus says much about who we are.

Given the option of spending money on snacks or gas seems rather trivial. I know what I would choose. My choice doesn’t make me more or less of a person, but I believe it shows many things. Let’s hope what others see is true for us and why we are in education to begin with.

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

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2022 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…