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Ben Owens: Creating Innovation in Schools
Ben Owens worked as an engineer for 20 years before becoming a STEM teacher for 11 years at a wall-to-wall PBL school in rural Appalachia. He founded the non-profit, Open Way Learning, and now works to help schools create the cultural conditions for localized,...
The best time to plant a tree
“The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now.”-Chinese Proverb The same is true of an ideal week. I was inspired to see one of my favorite school leaders tackle her ideal week recently during the pandemic. It makes sense to do...
Unhelpful stories
The stories we tell ourselves are powerful and at times, unhelpful. When you have repeated a story to yourself for years, it is easy to slide into these mental grooves and accept them as a fact. In time, you begin to resist certain actions because ‘that’s not who I...
Where productivity goes to die
Here are a few ways we get distracted and get less done … Social Media. There is no way your lizard brain is disciplined enough to avoid the allure of social media. It is designed to interrupt and then keep your attention. And there is both an ungodly amount of...
Systems-level thinking
Yesterday I shared this James Clear quote, “You don’t rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” It’s an interesting quote because it challenges the reader to not just set aspirational goals, but more importantly, to establish a strong...
It’s time to let go
Yesterday’s post was about a leader trying to figure out his new schedule. 7am-7pm is not sustainable. Last night in the mastermind I was hearing some similar things. "Just because I can do something, doesn’t mean I should." This leader gets it. The idea...
Finding your rhythm
For a time the world has changed and forced you to change along with it. In the mastermind last night, one member was vulnerable and shared: “I’m working from 7am-7pm … I’d like to hear how everyone else is managing their days? It feels like I’m a...
Teru Clavel: The Difference between Asian and American Schools
Teru Clavel is a comparative education expert who has shared her insights on education and globalization on Fareed Zakaria’s GPS, The TODAY Show, CBS This Morning, and others. Teru earned a master’s degree in Global and International Education and a bachelor’s degree...
Do it in public
One way to be more productive is to announce your goals in public. Don’t be fooled, it may feel easier to work in private (and in secret). The stakes are low when you don’t achieve the goal no one else knew existed. It can be scary to say to other leaders,...
