Category Archives: Education

The Lengthening of the Teacher Shortage… Is there an end?

20 Friday Jan 2023

Posted by in Appreciation, Education, Leader, Leadership, Motivation, Passion, Teacher Appreciation, Teacher Shortage, Teachers, Value

≈ 1 Comment

Scrolling through Twitter today, I saw a post from Mississippi Professional Educators that showed that for the 22-23 school year, Mississippi has 2,593 teaching vacancies statewide. 2,593? Yes, you read that correctly. Are you having the OMG moment? The breakdown: 822 elementary school teachers, 376 middle school teachers, 811 high school teachers, and 584 K-12 teachers. To throw some more numbers at you, there are 202 K-12 licensed educator vacancies, 82 administrator vacancies, and 2,111 K-12 support staff vacancies. The good news is that these numbers are down 443 from the 21-22 school year.

Screen Shot 2023-01-19 at 9.36.03 PM

Now, let’s not forget that the Mississippi Legislature provided an unprecedented salary raise to public school educators last year. While that may have enticed some to stay in education and some to go into teaching, with 2,593 vacancies, more is needed to solve the teacher shortage problem. Think on this also, according to the Economic Policy Institute, teachers make about 20% less than other professionals with similar education and experience.

In a great opinion piece, Mississippi Must Continue to Invest in Its Educator Pipeline, by Toren Ballard in the Magnolia Tribune, Mr. Ballard makes this statement, “The 2022 pay raise was a promising development for enabling upward mobility in K-12 education, but its impact was stymied by record inflation over the last year: if we account for inflation, the $4,500 increase to the starting salary only boosted pay in ‘real dollars’ by $1,346 from the year before.” Quick math equates to $112 a month.

So, is money still the answer to solving the teacher shortage? I don’t know. It would certainly help, but… the value we place on ourselves differs from what others will place. Another good read by Toren Ballard on the teacher shortage is Eyeing the Exit: Teacher Turnover and What We Can Do About It. That said, we must give those who are even remotely thinking about becoming an educator a reason to be one. However, if our future teachers are in our schools today, and they are, how do you think they look at the teaching profession when they see us and what we do? It’s a question worth asking and, more importantly, answering.

Helping someone discover a reason to want to do something creates an intrinsic value that becomes personalized. When that happens, good things happen. We must give teachers hope, for we are the only model future teachers see. At the same time, a value will always be or not be placed on us as educators by others.

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…

Odds, Probability, Alternative – Words in Education We Should Not Have To Gamble With!

13 Friday Jan 2023

Posted by in Actions, Advantage, Consistency, Culture, Deciding, Decisions, Education, Effective, Expectations, Leader, Leadership, Purpose, Students, Teachers, Value

≈ 1 Comment

“But odds are only created if a probability exists that there is an alternative.”

I ran across that sentance in Robert Dugoni’s book What She Found, which I am currently reading. Two ideas jumped out as I reread that sentence. First, as a math teacher, I was like, “Yep, that makes sense.” Second, I realized some things should never have to have odds or an alternative. Where’s that idea going? Well, I’m glad you asked. 

thumbnail-a-man-throws-dice-onto-a-craps-table-how-to-throw-craps-dice

As an educator, education should not have an alternative. What? We either offer an education or we do not. What are the odds that a student receives an equitable education? Well, this question should not have be asked either. We find ourselves moving into 2023 and the second semester of the school year, wondering how to continue to educate when, for the most part, in many school settings, we find that we cannot. You might say, “Well, where I live, we have a great school, and our children get a great education.” I can say the same for where I live.

But, as I look across the state, and you do not have to travel far, many schools need more resources and community support that are clearly defined in other places. One might say, “This is due to the community’s tax base.” Ok, I get that. But why should that matter when it comes to educating the future of our state? As you know, so many variables, and let’s also add excuses, exist on why children do not get a “proper” education. They range from the lack of leadership, teachers, parenting, counseling, facilities, curriculum, and the list goes on… However, receiving an equitable education should never be an issue. 

Until we can find a way to offer an equitable education, we will continue to deal with odds, probability, and alternatives when it comes to education. When we have to add those words to our educational system, the level of success will be determined by those same words. It should not be a gamble. 

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…

 

Intentionality of Leadership: Acknowledging Others…

04 Friday Nov 2022

Posted by in Actions, Education, Intentional, Leader, Leadership, Relationships, Servant

≈ Leave a comment

The intentionality of leadership… Where has it gone? Better yet, why is it important? I guess we can answer the first question with it’s here, but we are “oh, so busy, I don’t have time to be intentional.” An answer to the second question might answer the first… why is it important? Well, I have found that intentional leaders usually help create an environment of confidence, helping others to develop and succeed. Their purpose, if we want to say that, is to put others first with support. So, if intentional leadership is here but not practiced, it would seem that time is more focused on themselves than others. Yep, that will keep you, “oh, so busy.” 

I’ve written a few blogs in the past on intentional leadership, but the topic came back to mind the other day when a friend and I were talking. So, here’s a different spin on it… 

Tricia Manning of Be Intentional says, “When you lead with intention, you foster an environment that teaches your employees that their work matters. You help them feel the importance of their contribution, build their self-confidence, and connect their work to their own core values. But this doesn’t just happen.”

Hello speech bubble isolated on the yellow background.

Leaders who are out and about have a better pulse on the culture than those who stay behind a closed door of an office… But it’s more than that… Just because you are out and about, being seen is not enough. It’s speaking to and allowing others to speak to you as well. Ok, bad grammar time –  Ain’t nothing is worse than a leader who walks by and sees you but doesn’t speak. You don’t have to stop and carry on a monologue; just say hello. You don’t even have to ask how they are doing. Just acknowledge, but do it without the “head nod;” take the time to speak.

While this might seem simple and little, another “foundism” I have is that the simple, little things of leadership matter. This defines us more than what we do on a larger stage. When we only serve others when convenient, our intentionality becomes inward-centered. 

As I write this, I realize that we are as much defined by what we don’t do as we are by what we do. As leaders, we provide enormous influence without having to say it. If we ever, really want people to work “with you” instead of “for you,” our leadership intentionality needs to acknowledge others. We could really use this in our classrooms as teachers with our students in education, by the way… 

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…

H.O.P.E. – Help One Person Everyday

21 Friday Oct 2022

Posted by in Actions, Authentic, Education, Educational Leadership, Effective, Hope, Leader, Leadership, Teachers, Transformational, Value

≈ Leave a comment

This past Friday, at our weekly Civitan meeting, one of our guest speakers spoke and, while speaking, used the acrostic H.O.P.E. for Help One Person Everyday.

images-12

When he said that, my leadership radar immediately went off, and I knew I could somehow get that in a blog. So, here we go…

If we dig into the word “hope,” we find that it comes from the old English “hopian,” which means a positive expectation. To me, it sounds like “hope in,” which is what we do when we hope. We place our hope in someone, something that changes the way we want an outcome; for ourselves or others.

If everything is working nicely, hope is really not in the conversation. However, we use hope to navigate for a specific outcome when challenges appear. I believe hope goes along with transformational leadership. Many times in leadership, we want hope for ourselves. That’s not a bad thing, per se. We hope this happens or does not happens. But when we truly serve with transformational leadership, we also hope for others. We create an inspiration that transcends into many facets of authenticity.

In leadership, our role should be to help others, and we should do that every day. I see too many leaders using others instead of helping. I see too many leaders who put themselves first instead of others. I see… you get the idea. When we help one person everyday, we acknowledge and give value to a belief of greater good.

H.O.P.E. works in all areas of leadership. It also works in education. That is what school leaders and teachers should do. We have buildings and classrooms full of students. Many students who need help, not only in the curriculum of the subject but in finding value in themselves. As educational leaders, we can do that. So many students go all day without being acknowledged. So many students need positive correction to understand that they can have value. This is what educating the whole child is about, and it is one area I believe education is failing.

Hope is needed. H.O.P.E. is also needed. We all need hope, and we all need help. Transformational leadership works because when we help others, we help ourselves; how I wish more leaders understood this. When we help one person everyday, society gets better. Let’s be both hope and H.O.P.E. today. Go Help One Person Everyday.

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…