October 25 , 2019 /

TEN IMPORTANT LESSONS FOR EDUCATORS

Reflecting on a long and continuing career as a professional educator, here are 10 lessons I consider among those that are important.  Understanding this part of the definition of “important” may help: “likely to have a profound effect on success, survival, or well-being.” This doesn’t mean there aren’t more lessons.  These are some of mine,

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May 20 , 2019 /

A HARD LOOK AT SCHOOL CULTURE

Starting in 1964 and stopping full time involvement in 2011, I worked with three types of schools that “educate” most of the K-12 children in the United States – public, private and charter which is a public school of choice.  Approximately 1,770,000 students are home schooled.    As we approach the end of another academic

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February 11 , 2019 /

THE SPIRIT OF LEADERSHIP: TEN CHARACTERISTICS

The “spirit” of outstanding leaders can be seen, heard and felt in at least the following ten ways.  These behaviors of excellent  leadership are confirmed through experienced, successful leaders who have earned the respect of their colleagues and their peers.  You may know some people who exhibit these qualities on a regular, sustained basis. 1

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January 11 , 2019 /

SCHOOLING AND EDUCATION

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” ― Dr. Seuss “I never let schooling interfere with my education.”  Attributed to Mark Twain In the past few weeks, as I have continued my work and enjoyed a number of conversations with school

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August 19 , 2018 /

A BETTER MOUSETRAP

The phrase “build a better mousetrap” turned into a metaphor about the power of innovation and is frequently taken literally, with more than 4,400 patents issued by the US Patent and Trademark Office for new mousetraps, with thousands more unsuccessful applicants, making them the “most frequently invented device in U.S. history.” Five “better mousetrap” books

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August 5 , 2018 /

GOING BACK

BACK TO SCHOOL Why do we say that you are going “back” to school? We know generally that it means returning, often to something familiar, going “back” somewhere and that is certainly one of the meanings when using the word “back” as an adverb. However, it also implies a past condition or situation. However, if

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