“A Great Teacher” is what I want to be…

14 Friday May 2021

Posted by The Book Chamber in Actions, Authentic, Character, Culture, Education, Educational Leadership, Effective, Encouragement, Engagement, Heart, Inspiration, Leader, Leadership, Legacy, Memories, Passion, Purpose, Reality, Reflection, Servant, Sincerity, Teacher Appreciation, Teachers, Value

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Do you ever wonder if you make a connection with your students? What will they remember about you? With teaching being as much about classroom psychology as it is knowing your subject matter, how students remember us lasts forever in their minds. In a previous blog Memories so thick…, I mentioned the idea of how educators/leaders can create an atmosphere where students make memories, but today, I wanted to take a different look at the same idea.

One of many joys I have as an educator is being able to adjunct teach at the college level. One of my running statements is that I try to “positively corrupt” future educators on how the educational world actually is. It’s harder than you think, by the way. And then there are those current teachers who are working on an advanced degree in education… more than anything else, I try to convey to them the much-needed characteristic of being a servant-leader.

With saying all of that, I have to be minded of the educator I am as well. In my own mind, I think I know what type of educator I am. However, the students throughout my career are the ones who can testify as to what type of educator I actually was.

I love how movie snippets that can say exactly what you are wanting to say, and I have one for us. I highly encourage you to watch the Emperor’s Club with Kevin Kline, if you have never seen it. I believe it should be required of all educators. There is one scene near the end of the movie that sends a message for the type of educator I hope I am and the type of educator I want to be. The message sent is what I wish all teachers/leaders in education would strive to become and be. Not only for themselves but for their students as well. I believe this one clip to be so powerful; I show it at the end of each semester to the class of future educators in hopes they will understand the passion I have for teaching and educational leadership.

Please take 2 minutes and 4 seconds to watch what I am talking about… Maybe get a tissue ready?

Emperors Club – “A Great Teacher” Clip

Here it is in print…

“A great teacher has little external history to record. His life goes over into other lives. These men are pillars in the intimate structure of our schools. They are more essential than its stones or beams, and they will continue to be a kindling force and a revealing power in our lives.”

This is about as good as it gets for me. This is the type of teacher I hope I am. This is the type of teacher I want to be. I have been very fortunate to have some teachers and mentors like this and they have had an ever lasting influence in one way or another on my life. This is the type of teacher education needs, now more than ever. As we begin to wrap of this school year, make an effort to be this type of teacher.

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

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

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Expiration Dates and Fresh Leadership…

23 Friday Oct 2020

Posted by The Book Chamber in Decisions, Effective, Expiration dates, Leader, Leadership, Listening, Servant

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The other night I was getting a glass of milk before I went to bed and finished the container; there was not much left. I went to get another container out of the other fridge, and as I bent over to get it, there it was… the expiration date, staring me in the face. Somehow the lettering seemed much larger and more significant than it had in the past. I said to myself, “October 23, wow… I can literally live my days marked out on time based on milk carton expiration dates.”

Others in my household will look at the expiration date, on any item, on the day of and immediately say, “I’m throwing this out. It has expired.” I look at the date and say, “Let me see,” taste it and say, “It’s still good.” The way I look at it is expiration dates just mean hurry up.

Smart shoppers check expiration dates at the grocery store. Why would you not? We really do want fresh items. You know what? We really want everything fresh, even leadership. However, it is too bad that leadership does not have a stamp on it, letting others know that the particular leadership style is about to be or already is… growing stale, stale, about to expire or even has.

So, how do we know if leadership is expired or growing stale? To answer that question, we must look at the leader themselves and the trend they promote. Strong leadership with a growth mindset that does not keep repeatedly doing the same old thing over and over is what people want. Remember, the worst words in leadership are, “We have always done it this way.” Now, that does not mean we change ideas and concepts that are working and for the good of others, but…

Leadership that has worked in the past often does not work now. Leadership that works now does not mean it will work in the future.

Fresh leadership finds a way of keeping good ideas previously used on the cutting edge, changing and tweaking it here and there as needed. While at the same time, leaders who involve others in “talks” and actually listen will find support to continually move forward with new ideas and help foster current and future success. And please, acknowledge good ideas from others and give them credit. It will do wonders for your credibility.

As we all live our lives, we “clock” it by some time factor. And then I began to think more (this is where many of my problems occur)… How much time after the expiration date is the milk still good. Well, that answer depends on how much you like soured milk. I guess at some point, it will become undrinkable, but who knows. And just like milk, leadership will eventually sour as well. Don’t let your leadership expire…

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

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

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Things Leaders Should Not Say…

25 Friday Sep 2020

Posted by The Book Chamber in Actions, Authentic, Culture, Education, Intentions, Leader, Leadership, Mandates, Purpose, Relationships, Servant, Teachers, Value

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Remember growing up and hearing… “Do as I say, not as I do?” If it was not heard in your house, then you probably heard it somewhere else. Maybe there is a need for it while you are young and learn to be more mature with age, but when did you really take notice of the fact that “Do as I say, not as I do” phrase quit carrying value?

Better yet, let me drop this phrase on you… “Because I said so…” Heard that lately? The same questions from above can be asked here as well. How about this one… “You signed up for this…” or “Well, this is the way we are going to do it, and if you don’t like it…” One more, “We have always done it this way…”

Let’s look at it from an organizational perspective with leadership…

What is going on if you are hearing that from leadership in your work environment? Questions that quickly come to mind… What does it say about the culture of your work environment, and what is it saying about them, as a leader, directly?

As for culture, I believe that it is set by the group as a whole but is determined and sometimes developed by the expectations of leadership. To start, let me say that I believe culture is learned behavior until an agent of change comes in, or there is a paradigm shift. Too often, we forget that our culture is what we make it, not always what is mandated. However, if leadership is not abiding in and with the same parameters of their own expectations, then a disconnect is easily seen. Once it is seen, that disconnect creates breaks that has a hard time healing.

As for why a leader would have to say the above statements, well… Often leaders will say they operate on a different set of “rules.” Really? Different roles, yes, but rules? Nothing brings resentment to the boiling point quicker than a leader asking someone to do something they are not willing to do themselves, or stating they do not have to follow certain rules because they are in a position of leadership.

Last thought… What we say as leaders matter, how we actively live what we speak out matters even more—any saying that limits the originality or the why of your culture shows a mindset that is unwilling to grow, resentment will build, and relationships will suffer.

If a leader is having to say comments like these mentioned above or any others that come to your mind, then odds are they are very close to losing the culture, the respect, and, most of all, their leadership. They might still be in “charge,” but it is truly by title only. It might be due to their insecurities, knowing they really do not understand how to be a leader.

It would be interesting to hear from readers as to what you think leaders should not say… I bet we could get a pretty good running thread…

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

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

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Reaching a Student’s Heart…

14 Friday Feb 2020

Posted by The Book Chamber in Actions, Encouragement, Heart, Leader, Leadership, Purpose, Relationships, Servant, Teachers

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Never to miss an opportunity to write about the seasonal theme… Happy Valentines.

Does the door of your classroom describe happiness? Or does it create doom and gloom? Just like the entryway into your classroom, the same can be said for the entryway into your students; their heart, and you are the doorkeeper.

We do not always know what students bring when they walk into our classrooms, but we do know that we have them for an allotted amount of time each week. We must know their name, listen to their stories, and answer their questions. In return, odds are, they will do the same.

Reaching a student’s heart is not an easy task. As educators, we are more psychologists than we are anything else. The world we live in is moody, fickle, and most often stubborn. If we are the same, then why would we expect our students to be any different? I realize our job is to teach our subject, but more than that, we are to encourage students; build them up. They are already being torn down in other areas… We need to try to summon the best out of them. We might not reach them all, but the effort, on our part, should not be denied. I find it amazing what a little bit of affirmation does for a student.

As a leader, teacher, whatever your role is… Do you distribute happiness for a student’s heart? Or are students left forgotten in the back of the class? Are you willing to reach out? When you do, respect takes on a whole new dimension. Respect is just being mindful of others. A simple hello and acknowledging a student shows intention on your part; why would you not?

Reaching a student’s heart… small endeavors by you could mean something huge for a student. I would dare say that most young people want a sense of belonging. Help them find that with you. Nothing more than a kind word is the purest of all gestures. Odds are they will not recall a whole lot of the subject matter you teach, but they just might remember how you made their heart feel.

Each of us has this opportunity every day. Make good on it… and tell your students Happy Valentines today.

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others

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