Category Archives: Value

I’ve got change in my pocket? More change than I realize…

28 Friday Jul 2023

Posted by in Actions, Change, Decisions, Education, Educational Leadership, Effective, Embrace, Encouragement, Leader, Leadership, Relationships, Servant, Teachers, Value

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The summer sun is still high in the sky, pouring down heat that makes thermometers sweat. Some of us have started the new school year with a new change that brings, well… change. Yet, regardless of the start time, many things remain the same.

For students, parents, and educators alike, this period marks a fresh beginning, a chance to set new goals, and an opportunity to make the most of the academic journey ahead, developing future success now.

The start of a new school year is set in motion by what was recently achieved or not the previous year, and that goes for everyone in the school business. What a teacher, administration, or students previously did or did not do carries an effect into the new year, but each has an opportunity to wipe clean the past year, per se, and start anew.

Every new year brings change; embracing the change is up to you. Your effective leaders are going to be the ones who can. Adapting is a key concept while remaining open-minded and having perspective is a mindset that fosters a positive attitude. Something that is much needed in schools today.

Change brings an opportunity to kindle a new curiosity for what will come our way. To see more clearly, to rediscover a passion for how things should be. That is what the new school year brings. All involved in education should have a new thirst for doing and being better than before. Improving our motivation for continued success, creating an even more sense of purpose and responsibility.

Leadership is not just about individual achievements; it’s also about fostering collaboration and teamwork. The more things that can be done for the good of all by serving sends the message that a oneness exists among faculty and staff. This alone helps others embrace change more than anything else.

Change can also bring about an opportunity to exhibit empathy and support. Mistakes might happen, but I have yet to meet an educator who was in education for the right reasons mess up on purpose. If leaders want everyone to feel valued and encouraged, they need to model kindness, show gratitude, and not lead with a “me” mentality.

The new school year has started and at different times for each of us. We have the capability to change more than we realize. If we can always be for others, then change can be the helping tool others might need. That is what education should be about.

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.

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It’s time (once again) to appreciate teachers…

05 Friday May 2023

Posted by in Actions, Appreciation, Culture, Education, Educational Leadership, Encouragement, Future, Leader, Leadership, Reflection, Teacher Appreciation, Teachers, Value

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Well, Teacher Appreciation Week is next week again, that one week where we, as educators, get appreciated and I wanted to get this out this week, so you can be appreciated today and next week…

The funny question might be, how often do we appreciate ourselves? You might ask, “Isn’t that selfish thinking?” I’m not sure, but it seems very hard for others to appreciate you if you do not appreciate yourself. Too often, that seems to be the case. But, nonetheless… as a teacher, we have to appreciate what we do.

So, what does it take for an educator to be appreciated? Numerous studies have been done regarding teacher appreciation, teacher morale, teacher recognition, etc. The literature is full of these topics, and we can’t really add to the literature anymore (sorry future dissertation writers).

Here’s my one-cent answer: Appreciation for teachers should have three major components. One, let teachers teach. Two, it should happen every day of the week instead of one week a year. Three, appreciation should become a habit instead of a forced or obligated “thank-you” so Hallmark can sell cards.

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Appreciation should be a cultural identity of the school, its district, and, most importantly, the community. It should be a reflection of the district’s light that shines so bright that teachers are on the waiting list to teach and they are wearing sunglasses because of it instead of wearing them to hide their faces to conceal that they work there.

Appreciation contains substance and value, not fluff. It’s more than “lip service” and a “box check.” It goes just like anything else in life for people. The more we can show that we appreciate teachers, the more teachers will feel appreciated (duh! moment). When that happens, the paradigm swings in favor of education, and education needs all the help it can get.

Come week after next, the teaching world will wait another year for teacher appreciation to take place. That’s unfortunate. Many communities, districts, and schools get it right, and I am glad I am part of one where all three does that. While at the same time, there are those… you get the idea. No one wants to work at a place where they are not appreciated, but many have to. That’s unfortunate also.

Thank you to all the teachers out there. Thank you for helping our future. As I have said before, “Education is that last one stronghold that we have to help straighten society on the path it should be going.” If we as educators do not, then who will? Find a way next week to appreciate a teacher, better yet, every day; they will appreciate it.

Final thought – Appreciation is in no way a concept that pushes people away from wanting to feel appreciated. Appreciation invites one to come, not drive away. And it all starts and ends with leadership.

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…

It’s about the one who wields it…

31 Friday Mar 2023

Posted by in Actions, Andy Griffith, Attention, Attitude, Character, Classroom Leadership, Classroom Management, Inspiration, Intentions, Leader, Leadership, Servant, Unity, Useful, Value, Vision

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I saw the below tweet on Twitter the other day…
“A stone in evil hands killed Abel. A stone in righteous hands killed Goliath. It’s not about the stone; it’s about the one who wields it.”

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As I read that, I thought, “Man, this is good stuff.” And, of course, it got me thinking…

I’m sure there are numerous analogies one can use instead of stone in the hands of either, but I thought immediately about the tongue, the pen, and, ultimately, leadership.

My mom had a Rudyard Kipling quote cross-stiched in our house growing up, “Keep your words short and sweet, for you do not know the ones one day you will eat.” (many have been attributed to that quote). Yes, there have been many a person who cannot wield the tongue. I think of the Andy Griffith episode where Andy tries to catch his words back after a conversation with Ellie. He fictitiously grabs them out of the air and pretends to eat them, saying how bad they taste. The tongue with the right mindset can create a beautiful oration of eloquence. Alternatively, it will speak with a forked tongue of divisiveness, manipulating meaning to justify one’s own means.

The pen… I am fascinated with people who can write well. The nuance of language can move emotions when sentences begin to flow. No wonder, English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1839, stated, “The pen is mightier than the sword,” a metonymic adage indicating that the written word is more effective than violence as a means of social or political change. However, we also see the pen as a means to direct harm toward others, especially when words are written by one hiding behind a keyboard. False accusations, slander, you get the idea.

And leadership… Yes, leadership in the hands of an evil person causes more damage than can be imagined. With a me, my, mine mindset, the complete culture of an organization can be wiped away. Leadership in the hands, and I will use the word righteous, person shows servant-based, others first, a we, us, ours mindset. Edifying the body of an organization where others feel welcomed, not threatened. Where the culture reciprocates the empowerment of ownership. We have all seen and/or been part of leadership in the right or wrong hands, and we have felt the result of such.

It’s about the one who wields it… Powerful, indeed.

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…

Are You, As A Teacher, An Advocate For Our Profession?

24 Tuesday Jan 2023

Posted by in Actions, Advocate, Appreciation, Attitude, Choice, Education, Educational Leadership, Effective, Emotion, Encouragement, Future, Leader, Leadership, Passion, Teacher Shortage, Teachers, Value

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Question for the week… With there being a teacher shortage, are you, as a teacher, an advocate for our profession?

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First, let me say that I enjoy being an educator. For those who know me, I hope you can say that my passion for education and educational leadership is very high. With that being said, I also know that there are times when teaching can wear you down. The list of items that go to this is endless, but that might be a topic for a future blog. Anyway…

I enjoy seeing teachers who are passionate about their jobs. But how many teachers do we see and hear who are not? That bothers me. For example, a future teacher recently told me that a high school teacher asked what she wanted to do. When she said she wanted to be a teacher, the actual teacher told her, “Good luck with that.” Why would they say that?

For the most part, society does not help advocate the teaching profession. Society will quickly tell us what is wrong with our profession and how we can do it better. I have always said that we are in trouble when we allow non-educators to make educational decisions. If we do not see ourselves as advocates for education, we leave the door open to the outside to determine our standing.

Teachers who are advocates see the end goal of education. They see growing students to become productive citizens in society. They look beyond students being “test scores” and provide an environment that is welcoming and conducive to learning. This is what passion for being an educator is about. It’s about telling success stories that are positive and uplifting. But, as we know, it’s only the negative stories that travel at a great speed…

Take this from one of my go-to “old heads” of education… “There is nothing ever printed or said about the positive aspects of teaching-with those in the profession being the most negative. The intrinsic values are rarely voiced. Being a teacher is the most valuable profession a young person can pursue, but most never hear many positive aspects that make it appealing!!! Just my humble opinion!!!”

I’ll go on and say this, if you are a teacher who cannot speak positively and advocate for our profession, please leave the profession and let those who want to be educators set ablaze the way that will light the way for many others. Yes, there are things wrong with education, just like any other business, but I get sick of hearing the statement, “You signed up for this.” That’s just bad leadership all the way around. These negative nay-sayers teachers are a disease to the profession and will create sores that fester and affect everyone around.

By nature, passionate people inspire. Why not do that for future educators? As I said in last week’s blog The Lengthening of the Teacher Shortage… Is there an end?, “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… We must give teachers hope, for we are the only model future teachers see.”

Educators today have a choice, do we promote our profession, or do we sever the connection and let society or even other teachers determine our value? Do we love teaching to the point where we believe all children should be afforded equal learning opportunities? Or will we be defined by negative comments made by some in our profession who see teaching as a lonely, lowly job?

Punt that, I’m choosing to be an advocate and a leader of the profession that I love.

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…