Connected Principals (Quick Thoughts)

Sheridan Blau on the National Writing Project, writing on page 98 of James Gray’s _Teachers at the Center_:

Having experienced what it means to learn in a community of learners, teachers are inclined to count such learning as more authoritative and authentic than any other and to think of such learning as the proper aim of instruction. They therefore become determine to turn their own classrooms into learning communities that will function like a writing project, where respect for the intelligence of every learner is the starting place for all activity, and where all learners are expected and required to take responsibility for their own learning as well as for assisting others to learn — a community where learning entails the production of knowledge as well as it’s reception, and where knowledge is always seen as provisional and subject to challenge and refinement.

Brilliant!

Teachers are thinking. Kids are thinking. Kids’ passions are being explored. Their enthusiasm is infectious, which I appreciate. The tech is only a small part of that. If there was no tech use, I’d still be proud of my teachers for simply taking the time to think *differently* about what learning opportunities we bring to children each day.

I have no idea how their students are going to fare on the standardized tests we just completed last week. Honestly, those scores aren’t nearly as important to me as the professional growth I’ve seen from my teachers and the enthusiasm for learning I’ve seen from my students.

I love this comment by Lyn Hilt on Will Richardson's post about 'Valuing Change'. Let's not forget that with standardized testing requirements and/or budget cuts and/or habits of doing things in 'old' ways, it takes good leadership to help create an environment where teachers and students become daring learners.

Mentorship is often touted as one of the primary means of furthering your career. But traditional one-on-one mentoring relationships may be a thing of the past. In today's quickly changing world, you need a personal board of directors — a group of people you consult regularly to get advice and feedback. There's no need to hold monthly board meetings; just be sure to keep in touch and reach out when you need their individual counsel.

Choose diverse people who can each uniquely contribute to your thinking.

Be sure to invite people who know more than you about something, are better than you are at something, or offer a different point of view.