Keep Learning!

What do you do on a regular basis to keep pushing yourself to do better? Do you read? Attend Conferences? Back in school? As educators we ask our students to learn on a daily basis and grow their minds—what do you do to model it and grow yourself?

I started my EdD program this year and in the first couple of quarters have already been pushed harder than ever before in my educational career. I have learned a lot already and see by the end I will truly have learned a lot about educational leadership, educational technology, and myself as a leader. I regularly attend conferences, and recently spent a Saturday morning with 400 other educators at the MDUSD STEM Symposium held @valleyviewjags There was great learning and a keynote by CUE interim Executive Director @jcorippo By lunch, I hopped on a plane to Chicago with my buddy @awelcome to attend #ICE18 and present on Monday a session for admin.

I push myself to stay current, learn from others, and keep learning any chance I can. I never want to fall in a rut and plateau. Two ways I daily learn are via @twitter and @voxer. Being connected and learning daily from educators around the country is powerful and can be done in a short amount of time. In the end, I have chosen ways to be a life-long learner and push myself. Take a moment, look in that reflective mirror: do you push yourself to learn? Do you share what you learn with others?

As a role model to students, find a way, and articulate to others how you are learning and pushing yourself to be relevant, current, and learn regularly. There are numerous ways to do learn and it does not have to eat up time and take you away from the necessary balance needed in life. Here are some simple suggestions that don’t require going to back to school:

1)    Read, read, read. It can be just a few minutes a day. Tell your kids and colleagues what you are reading!

2)    Twitter—one of the most powerful PDs that in a just a few minutes you can gain new learning. If you haven’t done a Twitter chat, choose a short one and try it out. #BeTheOne is a quick 15 minute chat on Wednesdays at 5:45 pm PST. #kidsdeserveit is on Wednesday at 6:00 pm PST and 30 minutes.

3)    Voxer—there are a plethora of Voxer groups focused on certain topics. It is great to hear other educators from around the country weighing in and dropping in resources into a chat.

4)    Attend an Edcamp or mini-conference—you don’t have to stay all day—often I now only go for a few hours in the morning, especially when on a weekend and head back to family the rest of the day.

5)    Read blogs and listen to podcasts—there are amazing short blog posts on almost any topic and short podcasts that you can listen to when driving. Blog yourself and share with others and it will be reciprocated.

Whatever you choose, what is important, is be a continuous learner and share what you are learning. Make the few minutes a day just like exercise and family time. Commit and make it happen!

Posisolution Vibes Wanted

We all have lots we can complain about, and if you scroll your phone daily, there is a lot more negativity in the form of stories and news. In education, we face budget cuts, job changes, "tough" kids, "bad" teachers, and often a thankless job which involves long hours. These are the moments we have to decide: will complaining, wallowing, and having the wrong perspective, help or hinder us? Bobby McFerrin said it best: "In every life, we have some trouble,
but when you worry, you make it double.
Don't worry, be happy." 

Too often I hear people complaining about their circumstances and their first world problems. Rather than focusing on solutions, they just keep the negative train rolling down the tracks. They pull others into their negativity and complain more than they try to solve things. Yes, we all need someone to vent to and share frustrations with; however, it should not be universally, and it should not be a constant. I have committed to being a solution finder, and a positivity cheerleader. Here are 10 tips I have come up with for creating posisolution (yes, I made up that word) vibes:

1) Let go of things that sap your time and energy.

2) Surround yourself with positive people. Mood is contagious.

3) Look for sources of humor in everyday life.

4) Remind yourself that you always have choices.

5) Look for positive messages in media, entertainment and discussion.

6) Enjoy positive, upbeat music and inspirational quotes.

7) Look for solutions rather than problems.

8) When you're in a negative situation, challenge yourself to identify the silver lining.

9) Give lots of hugs, high fives, and smiles--this becomes contagious.

10) Be present in the moment rather than focusing so much on the past or future.

We all can afford to seek daily positive vibes and be solution based in our approaches. As educators, our students look to us daily and they watch and pick up on what we are laying down. Our staff our intuitive and sense the vibes we are putting out. Make a choice today to be a posisolution oriented person and get on the train that is rolling with the great vibes down the track.