Teachers - Deliberately Design Your Professional Presence Your Clothing and Professional Wardrobe Make no mistake, as a professional educator, your physical presence IS a package and you can decide what that package will be. In this article, we will focus on your clothing. It may seem superficial, and yet, it's one of the easiest areas of your 'package' to address. You don't want your clothing to get in the way of others' perception of your commitment, expertise, and overall ability. Here are some ideas to consider (especially if you are a new teacher or are moving into a new position): Whatever...

CHARTER SCHOOL Besides my book, my most recent adventure and passion is the development of our new Charter School–The Elite Scholars Academy.  The school has been a dream for me for two years, and it is now becoming a reality.  I am most excited about the amazing opportunities I will have to influence many generations of students at our school. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT As the principal of this new Charter school, I have been driven to develop relationships with the best education minds on the planet.  I am so very committed to surrounding myself with excellence, and then to provide the...

Hey Friends.   Here’s Meggin at it again.  She is awesome.  You will like this one if you have imagination and the willingness to dream…   Graysen     Dream.Then Make It Happen   I like to dream, but I like to make things happen.” –Heidi Klum   Dreaming is definitely the first part….but then you have to kick it into gear or the dream stays only that…a dream rather than a reality. This article will include 10 ideas for how to take your dreams and then make them happen.  You need to do them in order (before reading ahead.this is a place to test your self-discipline). ...

High Performing School Systems–Key Questions, Part I   How do school systems become high performing?  This is a very important question for me to answer as I grow as an educational leader.  Once again, I turned to the experts who have already completed the extensive research—McKenzie & Company. The McKenzie report reveal their findings in three specific categories.  These categories were supplied in the prior post regarding high performing schools.  1. Getting the right people to become teachers  2.  Developing effective Instructors  3.  Ensuring every student performs well....

High Performing Schools–Three Point Strategy for Success   I have recently focused a lot of my thinking on answering two primary questions.  First, what makes a high performing school system?  And, second, are the practices of high performing schools transferable to any school anywhere?    I recognize that a number of considerations go into analyzing these questions.  But, since I am a rather pragmatic individual, I stuck to the basics when I researched the topic.  After all, far smarter folks have already studied this issue, and in far more depth; wisely, I have used their findings to...

School Districts Downsizing – Ten Tips for Teachers   This week our district announced that it may cut up to 200 teaching positions.  Of course, many of the positions may be specific to teachers who have not been effective in the classroom or lack certification.  Despite this fact, 200 teaching positions are significant, but we are not the only district in the country faced with this challenge.  Almost every school system in the country is faced with some form of budget cuts.  It is a reality that Public Schools are facing financial challenges at this time.  This is sure indication that...

I invite anyone to comment or add to this discussion, because I honestly want to have dialogue about it.  This is a very close issue to my heart, as I am an educator and previous classroom teacher.   Here are a few comments I have heard from non-educators: “No wonder our kids are under performing academically, the teachers are off so much.” “Exactly, how many days do you guys get off anyway, it seems you spend more time on school breaks than in the classroom.” “Teachers have it made, 2 months off in the summer; give me that job any day.” I could go on and on with these statements,...

Teachers – 7 Strategies to Handle Criticism The field of education continues to evolve into a plethora of complex tasks and ever growing responsibilities.   As a result, we will all experience an increase in criticism.  Data is what everyone is looking at, and this creates an open door policy for our supervisors and higher ups to evaluate our practices and overall performance.  I realize that the process can seem intrusive, and can appear as micro-management (in some cases this is the case), however, there is a positive twist to handling this new era of accountability—Growth.  The bottom...

  Here is another question and response by Kioni.  I like it.  Good advice Kioni.  I am sure others have some of the same issues.  Visit Kioni at her website soon.  Kioni Carter Coaching the Urban Educator My Supervisor Hates Me! and Are These Kids Just Crazy? Kioni coaches two NYC school teachers on how to address a negative supervisor and how to build “therapy” into lesson planning. Get your Teacher Motivation Booster Kit here! Send your questions to kioni@trutransformationcoaching.com and check back next month to see if I answer it here or on our video blog at www.myclassroomrules.com....

Educators - Ask and Answer These Questions   Including “What is My Job?”   Many educators are questioning their career choice. This happens for a portion of teachers and principals every year, but the last few years have increased the percentage of those who are wondering, “What was I thinking?”   Whether you are asking yourself this question or not, ask and answer the questions that are included in this article. See if it makes a difference for you. Ask yourself:   1. When did I decide I wanted to be a teacher (principal, or whatever your current position is)? 2. What...