Visionary Mindset
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast: A dear friend and former colleague taught me this concept years ago, and I’m constantly reminding myself of it during this time of year. The problem is that slow is not my favorite speed.
I live cranked up to 11 and have a reputation for being wound tight enough to make coffee nervous. 😂 BUT, our organization craves long-term high achievement, and
The (Band)Man in the Mirror
This summer, I’ve been asking the kids their favorite song from middle school. (Mine was Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice, but that is a completely different therapy session). Last week, a kid shared that theirs was Man in the Mirror by MJ. His response raised his stock price significantly (if I have to keep pretending that anything by Tyler the Creator is music…).
You see, April 27, 1988 changed my life forever. My mom took me out of daycare early (I was only 9…quit laughing; that’s not a joke 😂) to see the Bad Tour at Reunion Arena. MJ was the biggest act in the world, and that night is still etched in my memory as if it happened yesterday. While I was more impressed with Smooth Criminal and Beat It, I can still feel the energy of Man in the Mirror as his second encore.
As we head back into the classroom full-time, Man in the Mirror reminds me
I’ve lost that learning feeling…
Dance class was both invigorating and embarrassing, and in a way, it felt REALLY GOOD. It felt great to remember what it is like to be new, (mildly) intelligent, trying hard, and still unsuccessful; to want to be better at something than I was capable of being in that moment.
still (im)perfect after 250 years
I’m a patriot at the core and annually love every minute of the flyovers, drone shows, firework displays, etc., but this year has been truly special.
Despite being in NYC on America’s 249th birthday (or DC on the 243rd), the 250th somehow feels bigger and better. The part that feels best to me is the recognition that, while not without its faults, struggles, or ongoing challenges, I still consider myself extremely fortunate to live in the greatest nation in the world.
As a teacher, the fact that I can be so proud of something that remains so deeply flawed after 250 years gives me hope.
love letters explained
Hello Friends,
Had a dear friend ask a couple of weeks ago how I write my ‘love letters to my future self’ (to try to only make mistakes once - if you want to see the whole thing, I’ll drop it below the signature).
I do two things to help cement those ideas to future me:
I write a real email to myself and schedule send it for about 49 weeks in the future. 😂
Ok…I know this is an inefficient way (see bullet 2), but I find it cathartic and amusing on both the writing and receiving ends. Sometimes I copy the staff so they can a) see how weird I really am, and b) help my future self not forget.
We keep a GSheet of all major and minor projects - I call it the Annual Timeline (spent quite a bit of time workshopping that one). While this is the real, long-term solution, #1 helps get my attention next year and ensure something happens.
remaining relevant
Hello Friends,
After working the last 26 of 31 days, most would struggle with the ‘why’ behind providing live music at graduation, but I love it. Full disclosure: My amazing colleagues handled Grad Band this year, so I could focus on announcing the first 395 graduates. (What can I say…I’m a glutton for punishment). Not only is graduation band an exciting opportunity to stand with our graduates one last time, it is a subtle way of remaining relevant. We must remain forever vigilant about remaining relevant to the broader community. While it is certainly ‘one more ask’ after a marathon of May, the truth is that most of our community has no idea what our day-to-day is like; they just know when we’re not there. In a world where sending an mp3 is the simple solution, we must guard against exchanging relevance for convenience.