Every now and then, an absolutely great idea comes along. When it does, and it’s brought to the marketplace, and the market (that is, the audience it is released to) will ultimately decide if it is a great idea, or if it’s not. If it’s a great idea, like the iPhone, it will be embraced,…

Let’s take a little trip back in time, about 19 years, to 2005.  At that time, I attended a conference of the International Center for Leadership in Education (http://www.leadered.com) held in Nashville, TN.  Willard R. Daggett, Ed.D., is Founder and Chairman of the organization, which advocates for a framework of Rigor and Relevance in the…

Have you heard it recently said that the teachers at your school make up the “Learning Team?”  Or, that the “Administration Team” will be having a meeting on Friday morning? Or, perhaps, if you’re a teacher, you’ve been placed on a “team” with some of your colleagues to focus on important items in your school,…

Perhaps you can recall the Joni Mitchell song where she looked at clouds, life, and love from both sides, and after experiencing both sides of the issue, comes to the conclusion that she really doesn’t know clouds, life and love at all. That’s because the premise of the song is flawed; there are not two…

This article could apply to any field of employment today, not just education.  The “Other duties as assigned” clause at the end of most job descriptions has been used to expand employees horizons, drive employees to the point of burnout, and provide cause for termination. Many schools today have a stated goal of creating life-long…

  If you’ve been looking for a new and more effective task management app for your mobile phone or tablet, you may have noticed a trend in what’s being offered in the App Store or Play Marketplace.  Many of these apps are geared to “team” productivity, designed not just for use by one person, but…

Recently, I saw a meme on a social media platform that was quite disturbing.  It wasn’t political in nature, but it spoke to a subject in education that isn’t discussed, and that’s “trending.” It didn’t speak to what the trend is, but took a look back, and addressed the progress or retrogression that’s happened over…

In the early 1980’s, I became a teacher. I had been hired by a local Catholic parish as a cantor, but was seeking full-time employment in my field. When I was introduced to the parish staff, the principal asked me what I did for a living, and, when I told her that I was between…

To be clear, this doesn’t mean there should be prayer in public schools (although there used to be, and there’s nothing that stops private prayers from happening…especially before tests). Actually, if the local community wants prayer to be present “in” the public school, it should be allowed…but that’s another topic for another article. Regardless of…

One of my earliest childhood memories was snuggling up to my mom on the couch on Sunday mornings.  She would read the comics to me.  It didn’t matter that I may not have understood the humor the cartoonist was presenting, because mom would explain what was going on in the pictures.  I still remember bringing…