“Bee” The Educator and Leader…

15 Friday Oct 2021

Posted by The Book Chamber in Actions, Attention, Connections, Decisions, Education, Educational Leadership, Effective, Leader, Leadership, Presence, Relationships, Teachers, Value

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One question I am frequently asked is where do I get my ideas for writing my blogs every week. Well, it usually depends on the week. Most of the time, I see, hear, or read something related to education or leadership in general, and as I have said before… it gets me to start thinking. As I begin to think on the matter, my mind starts processing… is “whatever” a good or bad representation of education or leadership? And then, I start writing.

So… recently, I was reading John MacArthur’s book Why Believe the Bible and in one of the chapters, there was this graphic illustration by H. P. Barker (1896-1952), who was once a missionary who served in the West Indies….

As I looked out into the garden one day, I saw three things. First, I saw a butterfly. The butterfly was beautiful, and it would alight on a flower and then it would flutter to another flower and then to another, and only for a second or two it would sit and it would move on. It would touch as many lovely blossoms as it could, but derived absolutely no benefit from it.

Then I watched a little longer out my window and there came a botanist. And the botanist had a big notebook under his arm and a great big magnifying glass. The botanist would lean over a certain flower and he would look for a long time and then he would write notes in his notebook. He was there for hours writing notes, closed them, stuck them under his arm, tucked his magnifying glass in his pocket and walked away.

The third thing I noticed was a bee, just a little bee. But the bee would light on a flower and it would sink down deep into the flower and it would extract all the nectar and pollen that it could carry. It went in empty every time and came out full.

As I read that, I thought this is exactly what we see education and leadership should not and should be. The approach of each one, the butterfly, the botanist, and the bee exemplifies both educators and leaders. As we think on each one…

The butterfly educator or leader… They just fly around. Always being seen but never bringing or taking anything. Flapping their wings, wanting others to admire their colors.

The botanist educator or leader… They analyze everything. Always writing what they see, but never offering feedback, just keeping notes; using them only when needed (for their own benefit, of course).

The bee educator or leader… They invest. They get down in the flower. They work. Not to say educators and leaders are empty, but the bee draws from the flower, pollination takes place, and everything and everyone is for the better.

As we continue to lead, we know each type of educator or leader stated above. More importantly, though, is the question of… which one are you? If we are not the bee, then we are not helping others. Is that not what we are suppose to do first? When we invest, spend time, and form bonds, education and leadership are for the better. Be a bee.

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

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

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Having a “wha-ha” moment… Abner Doubleday, Baseball, and The Civil War

27 Friday Aug 2021

Posted by The Book Chamber in Connections, Education, Engagement, Teachers, Useful

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Do you ever have that moment when you run across “knowledge” and have the “wha-ha” moment? Well, I did the other day. First, let me say that I love trivia… useless and useful. Random facts of this and that, knowledge of who, what, when, why, and where… yep, that’s me; sign me up for the daily email. I tell my classes that one of my goals in life is to be a Renaissance Man – master of nothing but knowledgeable of everything. Learn something new today that I did not know yesterday – success.

Anyway… here is where I’m going. You history people are going to love this…

Right now, I am listening to the audiobook Gettysburg by Stephen W. Sears. As the Battle of Gettysburg unfolds, Abner Doubleday shows up… Yes, that Abner Doubleday, the inventor of baseball (some say that is a myth, but nonetheless). My first thoughts were, “What’s he doing there?” “What was the union army doing playing baseball?” “Did they want to get a team together?” Yes, I know that Abner Doubleday of baseball.

Here is the Abner Doubleday I did not know… He was a Major General in the Union army. He fired the first shot in defense of Fort Sumter. Doubleday had a pivotal role in the early fighting of Gettysburg. Interestingly, he was relieved of his duty by Major General George Meade. Also, he obtained a charter/patent on the cable car after retirement while he lived in San Francisco.

Ok… I had the “wha-ha” moment. Go figure. As usual, it “got me to thinking…”

How many times as educators do our students have the “wha-ha” moment in our classrooms? How many times do we help them find a connection to something that will bridge misunderstanding or just add to something they do not know? How many times do we take for granted they already know something? How many times do we find ways for those connections to happen? What are we doing to help expand our lessons for “take-a-ways” they can remember?

Call me an idealist educator (and I strive to be one)… but I still believe that students are impressionable. Those “wha-ha” moments don’t have to be huge or drawn out. They don’t even have to be tested. However, I’m willing to bet when students go out of your room, they might possibly talk about it. Odds are, they might even tell someone else what they “learned.” Do yourself and your students a favor; find “wha-ha” moments.

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

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on…

Twitter @thebookchamber

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Embracing… “They’re back…”

20 Friday Aug 2021

Posted by The Book Chamber in Change, COVID-19, Education, Embrace, Engagement, Leader, Leadership, Patience, Teachers, Technology

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“They’re back…” The classic line from the movie Poltergeist II: The Other Side.

Well, guess what? Students are back, and some are back for the very first time in a year and a half. Yes, a whole year and a half of being in person in a school setting. Think of it this way, some students are just now setting foot back in a school building for the first time academically, changing classes, eating in the lunchroom, riding a bus, and whatever else. I imagine there are some school districts where entire campuses have been missed. Some students might be relieved that they have not even had to serve detention in a long time. Nonetheless…

Now, I’m a fan of in-person school. Agree or disagree, it doesn’t really matter. What matters is now, most schools are back to in-person teaching and learning. I imagine some students are wide-eyed walking up and down halls; some teachers are wide-eyed at having a “full” class again. Yes, “they’re back…”

So, as educators, how do we swim with instead of against the current of change as we have it now? I have a few ideas…

Embrace the digital learning that was…
Many students “learned” last year through some platform of digital technology. For over a year, that is all it has been for some. Why not keep and incorporate that same idea with technology in your teaching this year. We might be all “in-person,” but that does not mean you cannot keep some of the technology in place. As an educator, do not put limits on a student’s learning.

Embrace engagement…
Do you realize that some students have not actually spoken to a teacher in over a year? No engagement or acknowledgment whatsoever. I think that is sad, but now that we are back “live,” find ways for conversation to occur. Speak to your students as they come into the room. Acknowledge them by name during the class. You be the “ice-breaker; let your opening or closing statements be non-subject related (that’s a novel idea). I always try to drop a “dad joke” somewhere in the class.

Embrace patience…
By nature, I’m a no-nonsense teacher. Now, I do provide “edutainment” but in a serious manner. However, some students are not where they need to be in their progression of classes, but regardless, they are in your class now. They are behind because they simply did not receive the instruction they needed. Who’s to blame? Well, that depends on if you are the student or the teacher. Anyway… set your students up for success. You might have to explain something one more time, you might have to work a few more examples, you might… have to just be patient.

Education is ever-changing and ever-changed it has. When we embrace the positives of education (do not embrace the negatives), we become better educators, and hopefully, students will be better as well. Yes, “They’re back…” yet we should not be afraid of them. Remember, we might be the only chance some of them have to succeed.

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

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on…

Twitter @thebookchamber

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That’s All Folks…

21 Friday May 2021

Posted by The Book Chamber in Education, Educational Leadership, Leader, Leadership, Teacher Appreciation, Teachers

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Well, here we are, the end of the school year. Don’t we love it when we can say that? So… this week will be my last blog for this school year. But, for today’s blog, I wanted to do something a little different. While there is always something to write about regarding education, leadership, ramblings, rants, and musings, I thought I might look at what you thought, as readers, were the five most-read blogs of the past school year.

While each of these five blogs is totally different in their themes, the one constant is always leadership. Leadership, or the lack of it, is always easy to see in others but much more challenging when we look at ourselves. I can remember my mom saying growing up, “Others see you better than you see yourself.”

As a blogger, it is fun to see what people will read. Every week I wonder, is it more about the title or the picture that makes a person want to read? As with most things in life, it comes down to what can get an audience’s attention.

Nonetheless… Here are the five most read blogs from this past school year. Just click on the link to read again or read for the first time (there was a tie with 3 and 4).

As we close for the year, I would like to say thank you to the educators who helped “make this school year happen.” Teachers are the backbones of the schools. It is because of teachers, that this school year has been a success. There will be many who say this year was not a success, but I would disagree. Quality teachers are going to do what they do best… teach. Thank you for staying the course. Maybe, many years from now, the future will look back and be amazed that we “taught through the COVID pandemic” and survived.

Personally, I would like to thank the readers of The Book Chamber Blog. Your comments and feedback are always a welcome and it allows me to consider new topics each week. We will pick up next school year… whatever that will look like. Hopefully it will look like what normal is supposed to look like. In case you are wondering what the most read blog is since I have been writing… Here it is… “Ride The Fence” Leadership

As for the summer… this might be the summer we all need! Make sure you take time for your family. Enjoy the moments and the memories. And… if all else fails, read a book.

Now, I have to decide what book I have in my “to read” stack I want to read first…

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

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on…

Twitter @thebookchamber

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

The Book Chamber

~ J Clay Norton, Ed.D.

Category Archives: Education

“Bee” The Educator and Leader…

Having a “wha-ha” moment… Abner Doubleday, Baseball, and The Civil War

Embracing… “They’re back…”

That’s All Folks…

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