MRVED Update - December 18, 2019

MRVED Business

Upcoming Meetings

January 7, 2020 - Community Education Directors
January 10, 2020 - Title III Paraprofessionals
January 20, 2020 - MELT @ LqPV High School
January 22, 2020 - Superintendents' Council
January 24, 2020 - Principals' Council
January 31, 2020 - Title III Teachers

MELT Information

Thank you to everyone who has already registered for MELT ~ we had close to 500 people registered in the first day!  Registration closes on Thursday, December 19th at 4:00 p.m.  If you have not registered, please do so today!

If you are hosting a student teacher this spring, please forward the registration information to them!  They need to also register using the registration link!

MELT 2020 Registration Link

If you have any questions regarding MELT 2020, please contact Katie Raymo at 320-269-9297 or kraymo@mrved.net.

Happy New Year

What do Teachers Really Do During the Holiday Break

I came across the article, "What do Teachers Really Do During the Holiday Break", from Teaching Channel.  It simply asks the question, "What do you do on your holiday break?"  It is evident that teachers need to take the time for themselves during the holiday break and not feel guilty about it.

Classroom Resource

Native Knowledge 360°

Native Knowledge 360° (NK360°) provides educators and students with new perspectives on Native American history and cultures. Most Americans have only been exposed to part of the story, as told from a single perspective through the lenses of popular media and textbooks. NK360° provides educational materials and teacher training that incorporate Native narratives, more comprehensive histories, and accurate information to enlighten and inform teaching and learning about Native America. NK360° challenges common assumptions about Native peoples—their cultures, their roles in United States and world history, and their contributions to the arts, sciences, and literature. NK360° offers a view that includes not only the past but also the richness and vibrancy of Native peoples and cultures today.

Book Study

Lead Like a Pirate - Chapter 20-26 & Conclusion

The last section of the book is titled "Be a Better Captain".  We will paraphrase the last 6 chapters of the book and offer a conclusion to wrap up our book study on Lead Like a Pirate by Shelley Burgess and Beth Houf.

The last section of the book provides practical advice on how to be a better leader.  My favorite quote from this section comes right at the beginning, "You never actually arrive at greatness; it's a moving target, a lifelong pursuit" (Burgess, 186).  We want to be great, we want our teachers to be great, we want our school to be great, etc... But we also need to realize that if we see greatness as an end, once we achieve it, we'll never have anything else to shoot for.  Greatness is a moving target, so we should always be trying to reach it!

You also need to surround yourself with supportive people.  Often times as a leader, you are left on a pedestal all by yourself.  It can be a lonely place.  One of the best places you can surround yourself with support is Twitter.  Believe it or not, Twitter is a great place to grow your own Professional Learning Network (PLN).  Twitter can be a place where you can connect with some of the best people in your field.  It gives you direct access to those people.  It also gives you an avenue to grow professionally with articles and links.  There are so many powerful things on Twitter, that if you are not on it, give it a try today!

Conclusion

After reading Teach Like a Pirate (TLAP), I initially thought Lead Like a Pirate (LLAP) was going to be much of the same.  I liked TLAP, but wanted something different.  Lead Like a Pirate offers some of the same concepts, but shines a whole new light on things.  It is well worth the read, even if you haven't read TLAP.  If you have read TLAP, you will enjoy LLAP.  Any education leader should read this book.