SCHOOLS OUT FOR SUMMER

I'm sure Alice Cooper's song is about the most popular one on the airwaves nowadays, I know when I was a principal I would sing it over the intercom the last day of classes. Even though school is out and everyone needs a break including but not limited to students, parents, and teachers. We hope to make our people Life Long Learners and that learning can occur when school is not in session.

Students: Even though school is not in session your brain does not take a break and there are valuable things to learn that don't come from textbooks. You can learn important talent and skills from a job, working with others, or even a vacation when you are seeing anything for the first time. We don't want your learning to stop just because we aren't in school.

Parents: When you see an opportunity for a "learning moment" don't pass it up. Our students will listen to you more intently than they will any of us, as well they should, so take advantage whenever you can. Point out new things and open your children up to new experiences and opportunities whenever you can.

Teachers: After a much needed mental break, begin to ask yourself what you can do to better serve student learning. How can do the best we can to reach every student and adjust to their learning styles. How can we break the one size fits all brand of instruction to better facilitate the information we are trying to get across to our students. What new resources can we use to better accomplish student learning.

Have a great summer and we look forward to seeing you next fall.

Social Media

Social media tools and platforms gives us a chance to have conversations with anyone around the world. Facebook, myspace, twitter, google buzz, and various others have made significant changes on how we communicate. If you think these are a fad please consider the following:

If facebook were a country it would now #3 in the world behind only China and India.

Over half the world's population is under 30 years old.

96% of Millennials have joined a social network.

Facebook tops Google for weekly traffic in the US.

1 out of 8 couples in the US met via social media.

80% of companies us social media for recruitment.

Ashton Kutcher and Brittany Spears have more Twitter followers than the entire populations of Sweden, Istael, Switzerlan, Ireland, Norway, and Panama combined-4.8 million each.

50% of mobile internet traffic in the UK is for Facebook.

78% of Wikipedia content is in languages other than English.

Still think its a fad and going to go away? I rather doubt it.

The Importance of Trust

Trust is everything.

Nothing can be done without it.

It can take years to build, but one moment to lose it.

Here are only some of the essentials that I believe in building trust:

1. Extend trust-If you want people to trust you, you must show that you trust them first.

2. Be open and honest-There are many times where tough conversations are needed to be had with the group or individuals. Trust that the people you work with can take the bad news and deal with it, and would much rather KNOW than wonder.

3. Admit mistakes-If you screw up, say it. Do not try to hide it. Not only will you build trust amongst those you work with, you will also build an environment that promotes risk taking.

4. Listen-Hear what people are saying, consider it, and act upon it. Even if you do not agree, when people see that you are legitimately listening to their thoughts, you will build upon your relationships with them. There is a difference between not listening and not agreeing. You do not have to always agree, but it is important that you always consider.

There are many other ways that you can build trust but these are just some that I work on. These qualities relate to any relationship. If you want things to get done effectively, trust is everything.