Category Archives: Momentum

The 4th Nine Weeks Stretch…

26 Friday Mar 2021

Posted by in COVID-19, Deciding, Encouragement, Intentions, Leader, Leadership, Momentum, Motivation, Purpose, Teachers, Useful, Value

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Well, here we are. We have made it—the 4th nine weeks. Just like the 7th Inning stretch in baseball, the end is in sight. For 27 weeks, educators have taught like they never have before. In our teaching, we have dug deeper, gone further, taught harder, and almost exhausted every bit of teaching methodology we know. And, one more thing… most educators have now perfected what I call “Eduzoomcation.“

With all of that being said, we are still not done. As I have spoken with other teachers, many are trying to fit lessons in on top of regular lessons just to get their students where they need to be to progress to what they need to know. The idea of incremental development of lessons has never been more important, but the time factor has many teachers pressing.

More importantly, what we cannot do is compare our teaching and pacing of our subjects to years past. If you do, it will devalue what you have done and accomplished this year. It may not seem as much, but considering everything, it is much. Many teachers have turned into accepting minor roles of psychologists while they teach, asking themselves what they can do to reach one more student and trying to figure out the best way forward. As I told someone the other day, teaching this year during the COVID pandemic is worthy of a resume bullet.

This time last year, we found out that we would not be coming back to school for the 4th nine weeks. Now here we are at that same point one year later. The good news… we still have an opportunity as educators to make good on what we do. It does not matter if students are still on Zoom or in the classroom. What matters is that we stay committed to the values of what education should do… to help better society by educating students for the future.

The 4th nine weeks stretch… Go ahead and stretch… but know, like baseball, there are a few more innings to play, and they matter. If you get complacent, odds are your students will also. And please do not get into what I call the “hook-slide.” While we are rounding third-base, per se, beat the throw at home plate. Don’t try to “hook-slide” in; you might just get tagged out.

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

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2021 J Clay Norton

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The CANNOTs of Leadership

06 Friday Apr 2018

Posted by in Actions, Attitude, Authentic, Balance, Choice, Clarity, Culture, Decisions, Humility, Ideals, Inspiration, Integrity, Leader, Leadership, Momentum, Opportunity, Passion, Perseverance, Power, Purpose, Servant, Team, Trust, Understanding, Unity

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“Leadership is an aspect of power, but it is also a separate and vital process in itself.” – James MacGregor Burns

Society has done a terrific job and an injustice of conditioning the minds of many leaders to be shallow and superficial. It distorts our thinking and our ability to make decisions. In some sense, it becomes a drug that is killing the future of what great, quality leadership should be.

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Photo Credit: gettingsmart.com

Unless there is a radical change in our thought process of the way we view leadership, to be for others and not ourselves, leadership will simply fade away.

Here are a few thoughts that we CANNOT allow ourselves to do…

  • We cannot simply flow with the societal trends of leadership.
  • We cannot elevate our leadership and at the same time not hold to the foundational truths of leadership.
  • We cannot promote our leadership by not living out what we say our leadership is.
  • We cannot fall victim not acknowledging that leadership requires humility.
  • We cannot fail to realize that leadership requires enthusiasm.
  • We cannot abandon our desire to want right leadership.

Today’s leadership models promote so much focus on self that we lose sight of serving others. It is self-absorbing. To make matters worse, we buy into it. We accept it as the norm. We allow it to become part of our inner being… ME FIRST!

Our defense against leadership, that is worldly and weakens right influence, relies on distrusting our ego to the point that we must separate the error it causes in our thinking.

Remember… THINK LEADERSHIP!

©2018 J Clay Norton

Follow me on Twitter at TheBookChamber

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Does Your LeaderSHIP Sail?

18 Thursday May 2017

Posted by in Leader, Leadership, Momentum

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“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find your why.” – Mark Twain

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For a boat/ship to sail, it must have a few necessary items: sail(s), mast(s), crew, oars, etc. The two things that it cannot go without are a rudder and a driver. Obviously, what you do not want to do is to just “float’. Now, there are those who float their way through life but most of us like a destination. Having a destination usually means taking the lead or being lead. Either way, a leader is involved.

Have you ever taken the time to self-diagnose your leadership? How would you say your leadership style is built? Most of the time our style comes through trial and error, being thrown in the fire, or depending upon whom we have worked for or under. I believe to be a leader you have to want to make decisions. Some decisions are easy; some are hard. We have to convince others to follow and have mutual trust. Most of all, we lead by setting an example and serving.

Here is a great example of this week’s thought your you. It is a video clip from the move U-571. Great dialogue between Bill Paxton and Matthew McConaughey about a Captain’s decision and his ability to make the difficult decisions needed to be a captain.

Remember…  THINK LEADERSHIP

© 2017  J Clay Norton

Follow me on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/thebookchamber

Subscribe via email to my blog at the top of the page

Victorious Leader

22 Saturday Apr 2017

Posted by in Leader, Momentum, Team

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  • “Great moments, are born from great opportunity.” – Coach Herb Brooks, USA Men’s Hockey Team Coach that defeated the Russian Hockey team in the 1980 Winter Olympics.  

    As leaders we must put ourselves in situations where opportunity is.  We cannot be seen standing passive.
    Great locker room material with Victorious Leader.
    Also, if you get a two minute break watch the following youtube clip.  This is really good stuff.
    Victorious Leader
    I do not choose to be a common man.
    It is my right to be uncommon…if I can.
    I seek opportunity – not security.
    I do not wish to be a kept citizen, humbled and dulled by having the state look after me.
    I want to take the calculated risk:  to dream and to build, to fail and to succeed.
    I refuse to barter incentive for a dollar.
    I prefer the challenges of life to the guaranteed existence:  the thrill of fulfillment to the state calm of Utopia.
    I will not trade freedom for beneficence, not my dignity for a handout.
    I will never cover before any master or bend to any threat.
    It is my heritage to stand tall, proud and unafraid; to think and act for myself, enjoy the benefits of my creations, to face the world boldly and say:
    “This is what I have done.”