Leadership EEG

Leadership EEG & Letting Go…

Hope you had a refreshing weekend and are energized for a great week.  I know for many of my Texas band friends, this is a LONG week of balancing Staff Development and HOT rehearsals.  Hang in there - you GOT this! 🙂

In the classroom, we’re talking about our ‘Band EEG’ this week.  As I share more, keep in mind that I’m not an excellent speeler ;).  (It was the 4th grade before Mrs. Shutts loved me enough to tell me you do not spell enough “enuff” - wish I was making this up!)  I digress…EEG is about engagement and leveling up rehearsal effectiveness. 

It stands for:

• Engaged - not just physically present but engaged intellectually and emotionally, too

• Efficient - (this is a place for significant gains) - look for and delete all wasted time & energy - our biggest issue RN is immediate chatter at end of reps ☹️

• Goyful (pronounced Joyful) 😉 - band is fun / being in a really great band is even more fun!  This doesn’t mean being silly - it means finding joy in the process and joy in working together (ensemble) to create something bigger than ourselves.

While my speeling always makes the smrt kids role their eyes, there’s a madness to the method…I promise.  A medical EEG reveals whether the brain is truly active, not simply present. In the same way, rehearsal EEG challenges us to move beyond showing up and instead contribute with intentional engagement, efficient habits, and joy in the shared pursuit of excellence.

As a leader, I’m focusing on letting go.  This time of year, I’m often confronted with kids who have a tremendous amount of untapped potential but, in their fear, anxiety, stress, etc., walk away from the ensemble.  Their ‘loss of passion’ or a need to ‘focus on academics’ is often extremely disheartening for me.  One of my strengths/flaws is an inability to let go of kids and their potential.  

I’ve had to learn that no matter how surprising or disappointing it is to me, it is their choice.  I have to let them live their lives and refocus my energy back on teaching and coaching the kids that want to be in my classroom.  I owe them my best and know that when challenged effectively, they’ll give me theirs.  I cannot allow my ego to fixate on the ‘ones that got away’ to handicap my ability to help those staring back at me.

If you got this far, thanks!  Send me a text, and I’ll send you a pic of the socks I’m wearing to Staff Development this week; they just might cheer you up. ;P