MRVED Update - October 27, 2021

MRVED Business

MRVED Meetings

October 29, 2021 - Principals' Council

November 12, 2021 - Title III Teachers (Virtual)

November 18, 2021 - Teachers' Advisory Council and Principals' Council

November 19, 2021 - Title III Paraprofessionals

November 24, 2021 - Superintendents' Council

October 20 Recap and Evaluation

The MRVED hopes that Jon Gordon's message resonated with each of you. There certainly was something there for everyone!

If you haven't already filled out the evaluation on the day, please be sure to complete that by the end of the week. The MRVED takes all feedback seriously. Our Teacher Advisory Committee combs through the survey results and makes suggestions for future professional development. Our Principals and Superintendents also review the evaluations and make suggestions and decisions based upon the feedback.

Deadline Extended for MELT 2022 Call for Presentations

The MRVED is excited to announce the return of the MELT (MRVED Educators Learning Together) Conference on January 17, 2022 to be held in-person at LqPV High School. It has been 2 years since we were last able to get together as a MRVED and we are so excited to have this opportunity to learn and grow together. There are so many talented people in the MRVED and this is your opportunity to share those talents with others. We have learned so much since the 2020 MELT that I am hoping to have a record number of local teachers presenting this year. Presenters will receive a small stipend and be able to register for sessions early to ensure they get to attend the sessions they want to attend. Please consider presenting by filling out the form linked below. The deadline has been extended to the end of the day November 3rd.

2022 MELT Call for Presentation Proposals

**Please Note: You are not committing to presenting by filling out the form. You are providing your name and idea to be considered to present.**

Resources

Empathy Maps

Empathy maps are a great way for teachers to get to know their students personally and academically. In education, an empathy map is a simple visual that captures knowledge about the behaviors, attitudes, needs, strengths, struggles, emotional states, and other key attributes of a particular student or group of students. The template and more information can be found in this Edutopia article or video by Jorge Valenzuela.

Professional Learning

101st National Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference

The Centennial Celebration continues with the 101st NCSS Annual Conference. The conference, which was slated to be held in Minneapolis this year was recently moved to a virtual conference. Even though the conference was moved to a virtual one, participants can still access 100's of great sessions from some of the greatest social studies minds in the country.

You can register for the conference HERE.

Book Study

The Power of Positive Leadership - Chapters 5 & 6

Chapters 5 & 6 in The Power of Positive Leadership go hand in hand. Chapter 5 is about leading with optimism and chapter 6 is about confronting, transforming, and removing negativity. In a nutshell, its about leading with optimism and not allowing pessimism and negativity to thrive in your culture.

Jon talks about building a team that optimistic and has the same set of beliefs as the leader. He provides the example of Donna Orender, who was once the commissioner of the WNBA. Her job was to grow the WNBA. When talking about putting her team together, she says this, "You have to give people excuses to say yes. Some will be all in based on what you say. Some you need to show. For those who still didn't believe, she had to help them leave, letting them know they weren't in the right place." (Gordon 49) Think of a time in your life when you were trying to get people to follow you. You had some people with you from the start, they needed no convincing. Once you got started, you would gather a few more, because they could now see your vision. And you also had some people that didn't want to join you. In an organization, especially when trying to establish a culture, the same thing is going to happen. It's how you work with those that don't get on board that will make or break things for you.

Sometimes we have little voices in our head that tell us something can't be done, or we should quit. Dr. James Gills, a famed triathlete when talking about how he learned to complete 2 triathlons in less than 24 hours says, "I learned to talk to myself instead of listen to myself." (Gordon, 52). This is a very powerful quote. We have the power to feed ourselves positive thoughts instead of listening to the negative voices in our head. Learn to talk to yourself, not listen. Control the conversation with yourself! Jon Gordon says, "The story we tell ourselves determines the life we live" (Gordon, 55). Then, "when you see that the world has no power over you, you will lead more powerfully in the world" (Gordon, 60).

Chapter 6 talks about the "energy vampires". These are the people in the organization that suck the energy & life out of an organization. Jon Gordon says, "You must address the negativity. Confront it, transform it, or remove it." (Gordon, 71) Energy vampires and negativity can be like a cancer in your organization/classroom. Once you see it, address it before it spreads. Give the energy vampires an opportunity to change or transform before fully removing them. After all, nobody really wants to be an energy vampire. Jon Gordon also talks about his no complaining rule. It's simple, if you want to complain, provide 2 solutions as well, otherwise don't bring it up.

It also should be noted that, as a leader, you shouldn't just be getting rid of all the people that don't believe in your mission and vision. Sometimes it takes time for people to see your vision as a leader. Your job as a leader is to help these people grow & learn. Remember, some people will willingly hop on your bus needing no explanation or picture of where you are going, these people trust you as a leader fully. Some people are going to need to see the flyer or postcard explaining where you are going. They may need to ask some questions, but eventually they will get on the bus. Some people need to hear from others on the bus before they grab their seat. Some people need help making the big first step to get on the bus. Some will refuse to get on the bus. Just remember, it takes a whole team to build up a culture, but only one person to bring it down. How will you handle the few that won't get on the bus?

Think about:

1. Are you an energy vampire? Do you know an energy vampire?

2. Has there been a time where you let the energy vampires roam freely for too long?

3. A time when you overcame the voices in your head with positive speak.

MRVED Update - October 13, 2021

MRVED Business

MRVED Meetings

October 20, 2021 - MRVED Common Inservice (Virtual)

October 27, 2021 - Superintendents' Council

October 29, 2021 - Principals' Council

November 12, 2021 - Title III Teachers (Virtual)

October 20, 2021 Common Day

Jon Gordon will be our keynote speaker starting at 9:00 a.m. A link to the live presentation will be sent to your school a week prior to the event. If you are watching the keynote in your own classroom, please contact your administration for the link and ensure that Zoom will work on your computer. You can ensure Zoom will work on your computer by joining a Test Meeting Room.

October 20, 2021 Networking Groups

Following Jon Gordon, there will be virtual networking groups within grade levels or content areas.  The networking groups will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and will be hosted on the platform choice of the teacher hosting the meeting. To register for a networking group, please complete the Google Form:  Networking Group Registration.  Please complete this form by Friday, October 15, 2021.

The links for the networking groups will also be sent to your administration.  Once you receive the link for your networking group, please test your compatibility with the platform being used PRIOR to October 20th.  MRVED will not be able to assist in technical difficulties on that day. 

*Please note that we could NOT find facilitators for 1st Grade Math, 3rd Grade Math, 6th Grade Reading, and Elementary Social Studies.

MELT 2022 Call for Presentations

The MRVED is excited to announce the return of the MELT (MRVED Educators Learning Together) Conference on January 17, 2022 to be held in-person at LqPV High School. It has been 2 years since we were last able to get together as a MRVED and we are so excited to have this opportunity to learn and grow together. There are so many talented people in the MRVED and this is your opportunity to share those talents with others. We have learned so much since the 2020 MELT that I am hoping to have a record number of local teachers presenting this year. Presenters will receive a small stipend and be able to register for sessions early to ensure they get to attend the sessions they want to attend. Please consider presenting by filling out the form linked below.

2022 MELT Call for Presentation Proposals

**Please Note: You are not committing to presenting by filling out the form. You are providing your name and idea to be considered to present.**

Professional Learning

MREA (Minnesota Rural Education Association) will be holding their annual conference November 14-16 at Cragun's Resort in Brainerd, MN. They have also offered a virtual option for whole districts to participate. Check with your local district to see if they have purchased the virtual option.

Ron Berger & Dick Beardsley are the keynote speakers with many breakout sessions scheduled between as well as the legislative update from Sam Walseth.

The MREA conference is a great way to connect with other rural educators and learn about how to overcome some of the hurdles we face in outstate Minnesota. MREA does a fantastic job of advocating for our rural school districts.

MREA Annual Conference Information and Registration

Book Study

The Power of Positive Leadership - Chapters 3 & 4

I'm on my 2nd reading of The Power of Positive Leadership and I have picked up so much more than when I read it the 1st time! I highly, highly suggest you purchase this book if you haven't and follow along with my bi-weekly reflections.

At the end of chapter 2, Jon shares the framework for positive leaders. See the image to the left. Chapters 3 & 4 are all about mission and vision. Every organization has a mission and vision. Some have it plastered on the walls of their buildings and letterheads. Others can recite the mission by heart. Whereas, some people have no clue what the mission and/or vision is of their organization.

Jon uses the analogy of the Energy Bus, which is another one of his bestsellers. The analogy is that you can give your team the bus (the framework - or structure), but unless you have a driver of the bus, it doesn't move. Leaders are the bus drivers...you're either a positive leader, or a negative leader. The bus either moves or it sits still and spins the tires.

One of my favorite quotes comes on page 16, "Culture is not just one thing, it's everything. Culture drives expectations and beliefs. Expectations and beliefs drive behaviors. Behaviors drive habits. And habits create the future" (Gordon, 16). Culture is truly everything and is the motor the will move the bus. Like culture, you can feel if that motor is fine tuned or not. Listen to Jon Gordon address the Gopher Football team (https://twitter.com/Coach_Fleck/status/1430531056676057091?s=20). Did you catch what he said about feeling the culture in the room? Remember, you still need that leader to press the gas to get the motor to fire. It's up to the driver to ensure their motor is fine-tuned.

Driving a culture is hard! Sometimes we forget about it's importance because we become to laser-focused on results. Jon likens this to a tree. The fruit of the tree is the results, the things you can quantify. I can count the number of apples a tree produces and then make a goal to increase the number next year. But if I don't take care of the root system of the tree (the culture) among many other things, my quantifiables won't increase. If ultimately, you forget about the root system, your tree with wither and die. Spend time on the roots to see the fruits.

Chapter 4 is all about vision. In a nutshell, share your vision, share your vision, share your vision! Every leader has a vision for what they want to see, but if others can't see that vision with you, or you don't show them your vision, they are following you blindly. Blindly following someone makes people feel really uncomfortable. Jon gives lots of great examples of people that have created and shared their visions. One of my favorite quotes from this chapter is, "Martin Luther King Jr. said, "I have a dream." He didn't say, "I have a strategic plan that I think might work." (Gordon, 32). Think about that!

My challenge for you this week is to think about the culture of your organization, your classroom, your home? Is it a positive culture as described by Jon Gordon? Who is the bus driver in each of these situations? Can your riders see where they are going? Or is the front window full of mud? If it has mud on it, how do we clean it so everyone can see where we are going?