Posts from — May 2007

I’m a regular reader of The Ririan Project blog and came across a very interesting post on lessons learned from Steve Jobs. As I read over the 10 quotes shared in the posting, there are some great nuggets in there:

• Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.
• I would trade all of my technology for an afternoon with Socrates.
• We’re here to put a dent in the universe. Otherwise, why else even be here?

Good stuff. However there was one quote that really spoke to me. It’s
one that I think I may blow up and post on a wall within eyesight so it
can serve as a daily inspiration in my work, in my schooling, and in my
family life:

Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.

I have to believe that most of us who are engaged in this virtual community of educational blogging - be it teachers, principals, or superintendents - do
share a commitment to excellence. But unfortunately, it’s not an
expectation or a commitment shared universally by everyone in our
organizations.

I don’t have the solution that will motivate the
32-year-retired-on-the-job veteran teacher, but as leaders in schools, districts, and classrooms, what we
do every day - what others see us spending our time doing - will set the
benchmark for those around us. It’s far too easy to slip back into
maintaining the status quo and be comfortable with that. "Hey - my
school is above average on all state tests," is not something I’m
comfortable staking my reputation on. "Well, that’s great," I’d say.
"But what’s it going to take to be excellent?"

Working in a district on academic watch has been quite a
lemons-into-lemonade experience. It has forced everyone from district
leadership to classroom teachers to re-examine what we’re doing, why
we’re doing it, and how it aligns with what we’re supposed
to be doing. It is only by modeling high standards and living a
commitment to bringing the best teachers, resources, and instruction to
our kids that we will move off of "watch" status.

I’m confident that
we’ve been taking positive steps and I expect we’ll be "off watch"
this year or next, but that can’t be good enough. I don’t want our
teachers to be satisfied working in a school where the goal is to be
"off of academic watch." I want to work in a school where the goal is
nothing short of excellence from our kids, our staff, and ourselves. And the buck stops with us - the school leaders. And by "school leaders" I don’t just mean those of us with official titles on our office doors - I mean those teacher leaders who always believe that they could be doing just a little bit better, or the librarian (er - media specialist) who believes she could eek out just a few more dollars for an additional computer or two, or the custodian who works just a little harder to make the building a warm, inviting place for kids to come…

If our commitment to and expectation of excellence is visible, those around us will rise to the occasion. If we accept "status quo," those around us will also be willing to accept less than the best.

I’m always on the lookout for tools that will help me be more productive at work. My system is pretty well configured using Levenger’s outstanding line of Circa folios and notebooks.
When people ask why I prefer the Circa system to a traditional 3-ring or 7-ring planner, I tell them that my primary reason is the interoperability of the pages between the different sizes. Anything from an index card to the Junior pages can be inserted into a letter-sized notebook.

When it comes to keeping meeting notes or to-do lists, however, I’ve always felt that my current system could use a little freshening up. I’ve been eyeing the Action Pads over at Behance recently, and even downloaded their letter-sized PDF to try a few out. Turns out, the letter-sized Action Pad is a great tool for meetings giving you just the right amount of space for meeting prep, quick notes, action steps,  and a "backburner" to store things that may not need immediate action but which might merit consideration down the road.

The Behance site is also replete with simple, down-to-earth productivity tips that flesh out a ruthlessly simple, 3-step process they call the Action Method:

1. Capture Action Steps, Relentlessly.
2. Tend to your Backburner.
3. File reference items, Sparingly.

This refreshingly simple approach is a welcome respite for those who may feel overwhelmed by the Franklin-Covey or GTD methodologies.

So I sent an email to Behance suggesting that they consider selling loose-leaf Action Pads without pre-punched holes so that people like me can Circa punch them or 7-hole punch them to fit within our existing systems. Imagine my surprise when I received a thoughtful reply from a gentleman named Scott (must be a good guy!) indicating that they were already on top of it and even in talks with Levenger exploring opportunities for collaboration.

If you’re feeling that end-of-the-school-year crunch and looking to revamp whatever productivity system you’ve got in place for next school year, Behance’s Action Pads are a tool worth considering.

Me: Scotty - what are you doing?

My not-quite-3-year-old-son: [Looking up from the pile of his sister's diapers that he's strewn about the floor of her bedroom] Nothing.

I thought I had another few years before, "Nothing," became a response to a question where clearly the answer was, "Something."