A Reflective Learning Journal

I have been at the most amazing conference with my colleague, Janice Shore (@janishore), and 8 Student Leaders from GDCI.
OSLC 2014

We have been learning, dancing, singing and laughing alongside 2200 teens and school advisors for the past two days. The energy is unreal and the vibe too cool to describe!

I thought I was coming for the kids. Yet here I am, walking away a better leader!

The reflective takeaways for me:
1. Every school has a soul. There is a difference between school climate and school culture. Thank you Phil Boyte (@philboyte) for explaining this to me. Think of it this way: thermometer vs. thermostat.

We have been talking to our kids about the “feel”, the soul, the culture of our school. We have been challenging each other to change it. No small task… but boy, it is sure going to be fun trying to do it!!

2. Students come to school for their friends, but they don’t love school because of their friends. They love the staff. When we create the balance of caring for our students, investing in them, laughing together, along with academic achievement and respectful expectations, we will have a culture that people want to be a part of ( Janice and I blogged this part together- we are togetherwise!!).

3. It is time to promote the power of senior students to lead the way by loving on the junior students. I love this! Where will it go??❤️

4. A well timed Taylor Swift song or Neal Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” can turn a room upside down! This is a valuable learning that I have tucked into my teaching backpack for future use!