MRVED Update - December 15, 2021

MRVED Business

MELT Registration

MELT Registration opened on Monday. Over 3/4 of MRVED teachers have already registered! We have already had to close sessions, so if you haven't registered yet, be sure to do it now! Registration closes December 22nd at 4:00.

MELT Brochure

MELT Registration Link

Resources

Bias Based Bullying Resources

The University of Minnesota conducted a study on bias-based bullying, using both the Minnesota Student Survey and qualitative interviews and focus groups of Minnesota students, parents, and school staff. The study was seeking to understand both the scope of BBB in Minnesota's schools and the related individual and structural protective factors. They have produced a number of factsheets for school administrators and for teachers and staff. Please share this information with your school colleagues. For more information on bullying prevention and intervention, see the Minnesota Department Of Education’s Ensuring Safe and Supportive Schools resources.

Book Study

The Power of Positive Leadership - Chapter 11&12 & Wrap-Up

First off, thank you for reading along with my reflections of The Power of Positive Leadership by Jon Gordon. My hope is that you have learned as much, if not more than I have while reading this book.

Chapter 11 talks about positive leaders having grit. If you are familiar with Angela Duckworth's research on grit, you will fully understand this chapter. If not, and you need a refresher, here is a short TED talk she did about grit. Bottom line is, positive leaders find a way to get it done, no matter what! They battle through adversity, critics, failure, and self-doubt.

I'm not going to expound on some of these quotes from the chapter, but just leave them here for you to ponder.

"If you don't love it, you'll never be great at it." (Gordon, 172)

"Fear is draining, but love is sustaining." (Gordon, 172)

"It (failure) doesn't define you; it refines you." (Gordon, 173)

"Don't let praise go to your head and don't let critics into your head." (Gordon, 176)

One part of this chapter that really hit home for me, was the part Gordon talks about not letting the results get in your way. Even if the numbers, wins, etc... don't show it, he says "keep doing things the right way...Trust the process." (Gordon, 175) Again, this is something I preach to my baseball teams. I coach JV baseball, and I fully believe that my job is to get my players ready to play varsity baseball. This may mean playing players in positions they aren't comfortable with. Stealing a player that might get thrown out. We are putting them in multiple different situations to see how they react. We may lose some games because of it, but I preach to my players, "trust the process". We need to do things the right way and good will come to us.

Chapter 12 is the finale to the book. It basically sums up all the other chapters with stories of positive leaders. You can read it on your own :-)

Conclusion

I hope this book was life-changing for some of you. Jon Gordon provides so many useful strategies to help make you a positive leader. Throughout the book, I was blown away by the mind-blowing quotes that made me stop and reflect on my own leadership qualities. My hope is that by reading this book I can become better at everything I do. From being a coach, teacher, teammate, father, and husband. This book will stick with me for a really long time! If I ever feel like I am becoming an energy vampire, I'm pulling this book out and reviewing my highlights in it. If you didn't buy this book, I HIGHLY recommend getting it and reading it over winter break. Better yet, buy 2 books, keep one for yourself and give one to a friend! If you liked this book study, you are going to LOVE the next one.

Row the Boat - Preview

Since I enjoyed reading Jon Gordon's book The Power of Positive Leadership so much, I decided to dive into another of his books that he co-wrote with PJ Fleck, Row the Boat. Much like The Power of Positive Leadership, this will be my 2nd journey through this book. Row the Boat is such a quick and easy read, however, my plan is to take my time through it and do a lot of reflection. PJ Fleck will also be our keynote speaker in April! I hope you can join me on the journey as we start the next book study on January 12th, 2022. Let's Row the Boat together!!

MRVED Update - December 1, 2021

MRVED Business

MRVED Meetings

December 8, 2021 - MRVED Board Meeting

December 16, 2021 - Teachers' Advisory Meeting

December 17, 2021 - Principals' Council Meeting

December 22, 2021 - Superintendents' Council Meeting

MELT Registration Information

Be looking for MELT Registration from your principal next week. MELT Registration will open at 7:30 AM on Monday, December 13th. With over 650 teachers in the MRVED and limited classroom space, sessions will fill quickly. Once sessions are full, they are taken off the registration. So if something you want to take is not listed, it is likely full. There is no wait list, so please do not contact the MRVED asking to get into closed sessions. Two years ago, we had over 400 teachers register by 10:00 AM on the first day!

IMPORTANT: MELT Registration information will come from your principal the week prior to registration. Please READ through the descriptions carefully. The session information is sent to you prior to registration so you can read through the information and choose sessions that are pertinent to you.

Resource

Wordwall

Someone had asked for some ELL resources and I came across this neat website called Wordwall. With Wordwall you can create fun interactive games for your students to play. There is also a database of user-created games for you to search through. The games in the community range from letter sounds to identifying states. Some of these games would be fun on an interactive board. There is a free and paid version. Check it out today!

Professional Learning

5 Ways to Practice Thanksgiving Every Day

With Thanksgiving a week behind us, we shouldn't just be "thankful" on a Thursday in November, we should find ways to be thankful every day. I remembered something that Jon Gordon said that made me think, he said that "research shows that grateful people are heathier people". Not only physically healthier, but mentally healthier as well. Here is a blog post written by Jon Gordon about 5 Ways to Practice Thanksgiving Every Day. Give it a read today, and put one or two of the practices into your routine tonight!

Book Study

The Power of Positive Leadership - Chapters 9 & 10

Chapters 9 & 10 talk about pursuing excellence and leading with a purpose. Again, both chapters are jam-packed with quotes I could list for days! However, here is my reflection on the two chapters.

To sum up chapter 9 one could say that positive leaders are never content, they continually strive to get better every day. They pursue excellence, and not just as a catchphrase. They live it, breathe it, practice it. Positive leaders need to model the pursuit of excellence to show those that follow them the path of excellence. Gordon talks about the "one percent rule". "The rule says to give one percent more time, energy, effort, focus, and care today than you gave yesterday." (Gordon 146) This quote resonated with me as this past spring my mantra to my baseball team was, "be better than we were yesterday". It reaffirmed my message to my team.

In the pursuit of excellence, leaders must love their teams, but also hold them accountable through what Gordon calls "love tough". Gordon says, "you have to love your people, but you have to make sure you hold your team accountable to the plan, the process, the principles, and the values of the culture" (Gordon, 140). Notice he doesn't say you need to hold them accountable to the results, he says "of the culture". Holding people accountable to the plan, process, principles, and values is key to creating an awesome, high-functioning team. If  you have communicated well with people, there should be no excuse for violating the culture, thus holding people accountable becomes a little more easy. Jon uses the phrase "love tough" to show that you must first love your people before you can be tough on them. "If your team knows you love them, they will allow you to challenge and push them." (Gordon, 143)

In chapter 10, Gordon talks about leading with a purpose. The biggest takeaway for me was when he talks about people burning out. He says, "we don't get burned out because of what we do. We get burned out because we forgot why we do it." (Gordon, 152) We need to always center ourselves around, what Simon Sinek, calls our "why". Why do we do what we do? When times get tough and stressful, stop and remember why you are a teacher, paraprofessional, cook, janitor, in the first place. Everyone has a "why", we just need to stop and reflect on it.

He also gives the example of a purpose-driven goals. Gordon was working with an NFL team and had the players write goals on a piece of paper. He then had them rip up the goals. Players and coaches were upset at him for doing this. Then he asked, how many of you had goals to win the Superbowl? Throw for x amount of yards? Have x amount of tackles? Win x amount of games? And all the hands went up. Every team/player in the NFL has those goals. Why not write down why you play football in the first place and then share with others?

Think About:

1. What is your why? Write it down.

2. Gordon talks about his one word strategy on page 159. What is your one word for the year? What is your life word?

3. What legacy will you leave?

MRVED Update - November 10, 2021

MRVED Business

MRVED Meetings

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

MELT Networking Facilitator Sign-Up

The MRVED is looking for people to be facilitators of networking sessions for MELT 2022. As a facilitator, you are not expected to be the expert or present on anything. Your job is to facilitate the meeting. Start and end the session on time and keep people positive. You will also have the ability to email the group prior to MELT to gather ideas and plan for the hour. Sign-up link is listed below.

NEW THIS YEAR: Networking facilitators will be paid a $100 stipend. Facilitators will also get priority registration for the MELT to ensure they get into the sessions they need and want.

Please sign-up by the end of the day November 19, 2021.

**Please note: Any networking group that does not have a facilitator, will NOT be held.**

MELT 2022 Networking Facilitator Sign-up

Resources

PBS Learning Media

PBS Learning Media is a great resource when looking for lessons & videos on a variety of topics. You can search by subject, grade level, or standard. Teachers have access to 1,000's of lessons and videos ranging from PreK to 12th grade. From Sid the Science kid to a Ken Burns documentary. From science, to reading to physical education. There is something here for everyone. There is so much in this database, you could get lost for hours searching. Everything PBS does is of high quality. Check it out today!

Professional Learning

2021 Learning Forward Annual Conference

One positive aspect to living in a COVID world is the ability to tap into high quality workshops virtually. The 2021 Learning Forward Annual Conference will be virtual this year December 5-7, 2021. Learning Forward has keynote and breakout sessions from some of the best & top minds in education. Breakout sessions from people like Thomas Guskey, Michael Fullan, and Jim Knight are just some of the few you can have access to. Registration is roughly $200 per day. Considering it would cost a district around $2000 per person to send someone to a National conference, $200 is a great deal. Registration for the conference can be found on the conference homepage linked above. If you don't feel you can make the conference, but want to see what people are saying about it, follow along on Twitter with #LearnFwd21.

Book Study

The Power of Positive Leadership - Chapters 7 & 8

I don't know about you, but reading this book a 2nd time has given me the ability to see so many things I didn't catch the first time. If this is your first time through the book, I highly suggest reading it a 2nd time with a pencil and highlighter in hand and marking up the book. If you don't have The Power of Positive Leadership by Jon Gordon yet, you won't be disappointed! It's a quick read, and you will have plenty of time to get caught up to where we are.

Chapter 7 is on uniting people and chapter 8 is all about relationships. I've had one thing stick with me throughout the reading of these two chapters. Jon Gordon says, "You can be the smartest person in the room, but if you fail to connect with others you will fail as a leader" (Gordon, 89). You can own all the businesses you want, but if you don't make connections & build relationships with the people, eventually you will have nothing. Many of the leaders that fail to connect with people are also the same people that put themselves before the team. Gordon calls it the "disease of me" (Gordon, 90) and it infects everyone in the organization. These type of "leaders" are easy to spot. They gloat about what they have, they are more concerned about money and fame, others in the organization don't like to be around them, & they often see themselves as great leaders.

Connection is so important, Jon Gordon says, "The more connected you are, the more committed you become" (Gordon, 91). If you, as a leader are connected to your people, they feel connected to the organization, and therefore will be committed to the mission and vision of the organization. Bottom line is that people are committed and loyal to other people. I'm not committed and loyal to a brand or organization...I'm loyal to my leader. We see this in action when a leader moves on in an organization and is replaced by someone that might have a different vision. Often times we see other people choose to leave the organization when the leader goes.

Chapter 8 is about relationships. As educators we know full-well the importance of relationships. Jon Gordon's first couple sentences of this chapter really resonated with me, "The first step in uniting people and being a leader is not saying, "Follow me." It's being someone your team wants to follow" (Gordon, 101). He then goes on to say, "...if you are not someone people want to follow, they are not getting on your bus. People follow the leader first and their vision second" (Gordon, 101). Reflecting back on my own life, I have had leaders in my life say "follow me", and I've thought to myself, "absolutely not!". Why is that? I don't trust you? I don't see your vision? You don't care if I'm there or not?

What does that tell us? A leader is someone that has earned the trust of the people they lead. They truly care for people. And they can clearly articulate their vision. To earn the trust of people, they truly need to feel you care for their well-being. So often I hear the phrase, "everyone is replaceable". Yes, this statement is true. However, why would I say that if I truly cared for you and valued you as an employee and individual. If people can feel you care for them, trust can be built. The feelings need to be genuine and real.

The last part of this chapter that really sunk in for me was the section on service. Gordon says, "A team feels a leader's commitment when the leader takes the time to serve them" (Gordon, 119). This is so true! I had a conversation with someone recently and the comment was, "He needs to become the president of the company so people can start serving him." I was appalled by this comment, even before reading this chapter. Getting a promotion shouldn't mean less work and less service, it should actually be more! It's the disease of me versus we. I'm curious to see how long this person either stays in power, or the company survives.

Think About:

1. Have you ever had a leader with the "disease of me"? How did that make you feel?

2. Can you name an example of a leader that really values relationships?

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?

MRVED Update - September 29, 2021

MRVED Business

MRVED Meetings

October 20, 2021 - MRVED Common Inservice Day

October 27, 2021 - Superintendents' Council

October 29, 2021 - Principals' Council

October 20, 2021 Common Day

Jon Gordon will be our keynote speaker starting at 9:00 AM. 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 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

The MRVED is also looking for teachers to host networking sessions within their grade level or content area. The networking groups will take place from 10:30 to Noon and will be hosted on the platform of the teacher hosting the meeting. Facilitators will be paid a stipend of $100. If you are interested in being a networking facilitator, please sign-up HERE, prior to the end of the day October 1st.

Standards Update

There is much to share in the world of standards! Due to COVID & legislative action, many of the standard implementation dates have been extended. Below you will find a listing of new standards and implementation dates.

Arts Education - 2023-24

Physical Education - 2023-24

Science - 2024-25

ELA - 2025-26

Social Studies (Draft 2) - Currently Under Review

Math - Going under Review

Social Studies Standards Update

If you have been following the news over the summer, you should know that the Minnesota Social Studies Standards are currently under review. In fact, the committee just met yesterday (September 21st) to finalize their 3rd draft. The draft will then be sent to the commissioner for approval before being sent to rulemaking for an implementation date. Much like the last revision, 11 years ago, expect these standards to be litigated in the courts and implementation delayed.

One of the biggest changes in the new standards is the addition of a 5th strand, Ethnic Studies. Ethic Studies joins US & World History, Civics & Government, Economics, and Geography as strands in Minnesota Social Studies Standards.

Before reading through the final draft of the new Minnesota Social Studies Standards, I encourage you to read through a guest blog post I wrote for edUconnections for my good friend Dr. Wendy Schoolmeester. Whether you agree or disagree with the direction of the new standards, please become as informed as possible and then form your opinion.

The Power of Positive Leadership

Jon Gordon will be our keynote speaker on October 20th and will center his talk on positive leadership and building leadership qualities in people. The following book study and reflection is in no way a replacement for buying the book. I highly recommend buying the book and following along. Below is my synopsis and reflection on the first 2 chapters in the book. My hope is that by reading my reflection it will spur other thoughts and dialogue amongst your colleagues.

Jon lays the groundwork for the book in chapters 1 & 2. The quote that most resonates with me from either chapter comes from page 5, "I know that being a positive leader doesn't just make you better; it makes everyone around you better." I don't think anyone can name a single person they consider to be a positive leader that is leading an organization that has a negative culture or reputation. They don't exist, because the positive leader rubs off on all aspects of the organization. And it's true, genuine positivity. People can see right through fake positivity.

Another quote that stuck with me comes from page 4, "every one of us will have to overcome negativity, adversity, and challenges to ultimately define ourselves and our team's success". The reason this resonates with me is that we often times see these positive leaders, the leaders we look up to, and think they NEVER face adversity. Everything is perfect for them. This idea couldn't be any further from the truth. The truth is, in the words of PJ Fleck, positive leaders keep rowing the boat. They row through adversity. They weather the storms and the positive attitudes carry them. They keep their oars in the water and keep pushing. Jon Gordon says it best in his introduction to chapter 2, "We are positive, not because life is easy. We are positive because life can be hard".

I challenge you to identify a REAL positive leader in your life. What aspects make him/her a positive leader? Has there been a time the leader has faced adversity? How did they "row" through the adversity?

MRVED Update - September 15, 2021

MRVED Business

Upcoming Meetings

September 21st - Title III Paraprofessionals

September 22nd - Superintendents' Council

September 23rd - Teachers' Advisory Council

September 24th - Title III Teachers

Welcome Back

Welcome back to the 2021 school year! The MRVED hopes the best for you in the 2021-22 school year. After a full year of bouncing in and out of distance learning due to COVID, people are hoping for a "normal" school year. We challenge you to think about what the new normal will look like. Although COVID teaching was not fun, what can we learn from last year that will make us better educators, leaders, and students for the 2021-22 school year?

Paraprofessional Conference Recap

The 2021 Paraprofessional Conference was held in Benson on August 18, 2021. Over 150 paraprofessionals attended the training and had the opportunity to partake in over 20  sessions. There were many positive comments about the training from the attendees. Thank you to Benson schools & staff for helping the MRVED put on this successful annual conference. Thank you to the MRVED superintendents for investing in training for the people that work closest with some of our most precious cargo - our kids.

Looking Ahead

Planning for the 2021-22 MRVED Common Days began in the Spring of 2021. Our Teacher Advisory Council met and discussed format and topics for the day. The following was sent to the Superintendent Council for approval.

October 20, 2021 - Virtual (Topic - Leadership)

January 17, 2022 - In- Person MELT Conference at LQPV

April 14, 2022 - TBD

Obviously, with the ever changing COVID pandemic, even the best plans could be disrupted. 

October 20, 2021

The October 20, 2021 MRVED Common In-service day will be held virtually this fall. The MRVED is excited to announce that Jon Gordon will be our keynote speaker in the morning. Jon is a best-selling author and world-renowned keynote speaker. Jon has worked with sports teams ranging from the L.A. Dodgers to Clemson Football and Fortune 500 companies such as Campbell's Soup, Dell, and Snapchat. He is a highly sought after speaker.

More details on accessing the Keynote will be coming in the near future.

There will also be time throughout the day to collaborate virtually with others in your grade level and/or content area. Please see the network facilitator sign-up information below.

October 20, 2021 Networking Groups

The MRVED is also looking for teachers to host networking sessions within their grade level or content area. The networking groups will take place from 10:30 to Noon and will be hosted on the platform of the teacher hosting the meeting. Networking facilitators will be paid a stipend of $100 for their time and effort. If you are interested in being a networking facilitator, please sign-up HERE, deadline to register to be a facilitator is the end of the day October 8th.

Facilitator Expectations

• Start & End the meeting on time
• Provide the virtual meeting space (Link to the meeting)
• Keep the meeting time positive
• Facilitate a brief Jon Gordon follow-up
• Attend a short virtual meeting with Brandon on October 13th at 3:15

Book Study - The Power of Positive Leadership

Through popular demand, we'll bring back the MRVED Update Book Study. This fall we will go through Jon Gordon's book, The Power of Positive Leadership. If you wish to follow along with the book study, please purchase the book. We'll start discussing the book in the next MRVED update. In the next update, we will go through Chapter 2. The discussions questions and reflections in this blog are in no way a replacement for purchasing the book. The Power of Positive Leadership is a quick and easy read. You will not be disappointed in purchasing this book...in fact, I'm also reading Row the Boat by Jon Gordon and PJ Fleck at the same time!

You can sign up for Jon Gordon's Positive Leadership Challenge. It's a free 7-day challenge to help you become a better leader and create positive results.

MRVED Update - March 17, 2021

MRVED Business

Upcoming Meetings

March 18, 2021 - Title III (Virtual)

March 19, 2021 - Principals' Council (Virtual)

March 25, 2021 - Superintendents' Council

April 1, 2021 - MRVED Common Inservice (Virtual)

April 1 Common Day

With warmer weather on the horizon, April 1st will be here before we know it. The MRVED will continue to work towards our Social Emotional Learning goals for our common days. Since we can't all come together again, the MRVED is creating a website that will include SEL activities, as well as a handful of webinars that teachers can watch with specific discussion questions. Teachers are encouraged to utilize the activities and/or videos in groups (PLC, Grade Level, Content Area). There are some excellent, high quality activities, and videos for teachers to access. Look for the website roughly a week prior to the event.

Also, as part of the April 1st date, the MRVED will be piloting an idea to try to effectively collaborate amongst our districts from a distance. The collaborative time will take place between 10:00-12:00 on April 1st. Instead of the MRVED controlling which virtual platform will be used, we are leaving that up to the teachers who wish to start a collaborative meeting. Teachers will have the power to decide what and when they want to collaborate, all you have to do is place a video call link into the document listed below. Please have your collaborative group and link listed on the document no later than Friday, March 26 at 3:00 PM.

If you wish to collaborate around a certain topic, or grade level, or even content area, please sign-up using the document linked below. 

Collaboration Zone Sign-Up

Look for more information from your district pertaining to a schedule for the day. The SEL videos and activities can take place at any time during the day or even after. The Collaboration Zone will take place from 10:00-12:00 on April 1st.

Professional Learning Opportunities

The Hormel Foundation Gifted and Talented Symposium

The annual Hormel Foundation Gifted and Talented Education Symposium provides an opportunity for educators, counselors, administrators and parents to gain greater understanding of the unique needs of gifted and high potential learners. Participants attend in-depth sessions focusing on foundational knowledge, creativity, curriculum strategies, and social/emotional needs of gifted and high potential learners provided by the field's finest regionally, nationally and internationally recognized presenters. All are welcome to register and attend the symposium.

When: June 15-17, 2021

Where: Virtual

Registration: $100

Website & Registration Link

What Have We Learned From COVID - 1 Year Later

As we soar past the 1 year anniversary of COVID-19 shutting down our schools, I have begun pondering the question, "What have we learned?" I have also wondered what aspects of COVID teaching will we take with us into the future? What things will we leave behind? What shifts have we made? The questions go on and on. As I was thinking about this, a very succinct article about this very topic scrolled past my Twitter feed, so I thought I would share it here. I would like to hear your thoughts about what we have learned one year later.

Five Things we Learned about Schools during the Pandemic by Chalkbeat

Resources

Supporting Students During the Derek Chauvin Trial

The upcoming trial of Derek Chauvin might be one of the biggest trials in the lives of your students. This case has the potential to be as big as the OJ Simpson case, although the contents of the trial are much different. The one thing we, as educators, need to remain cognizant of is how different groups of people will react to the trial and eventually the verdict. Some people will simply ignore the trial and not want to talk about it in their classrooms. Others will see this trial as a teachable moment for our students. With the contents of the trial being racially charged, it's important that we provide accurate information as it is presented. Intermediate District 287 has put together a variety of resources about supporting students through the trial. The bottom line is that as educators, we don't need to force our opinions of the trial on to our students. Our job is to support them through their emotions about the trial as well as provide them with accurate information. You can sign-up to receive updates about the trial by going to the trial website.

New Test Specifications for English Language Arts & Science

With new standards released the past couple years in Science and English Language Arts (ELA), means a new MCA test eventually. The ELA test will first be administered in the 2024-25 school year and the first administration of the Science test will be the 2023-24 school year. With each test, MDE must create a test specifications document. This document in the legislatively controlled document that guides the test creation. You can access the drafts of the new ELA and Science Test Specifications below. Please note, both documents are still considered to be in "draft".

Reading Test Specifications

Science Test Specifications

MRVED Update - February 24, 2021

MRVED Business

Upcoming Meetings

February 24, 2021 - Superintendents' Council

March 12, 2021 - Title III Paraprofessional 

April 1st Common Inservice Day

With warmer weather on the horizon, April 1st will be here before we know it. The MRVED will continue to work towards our Social Emotional Learning goals for our common days. Since we can't all come together again, the MRVED is creating a website that will include SEL activities, as well as a handful of webinars that teachers can watch with specific discussion questions. Teachers are encouraged to utilize the activities and/or videos in groups (PLC, Grade Level, Content Area). There are some excellent, high quality activities, and videos for teachers to access. Look for the website roughly a week prior to the event.

Also, as part of the April 1st date, the MRVED will be piloting an idea to try to effectively collaborate amongst our districts from a distance. The collaborative time will take place between 10:00-12:00 on April 1st. Instead of the MRVED controlling which virtual platform will be used, we are leaving that up to the teachers who wish to start a collaborative meeting. Teachers will have the power to decide what and when they want to collaborate, all you have to do is place a video call link into the document listed below. Please have your collaborative group and link listed on the document no later than Friday, March 26 at 3:00 PM.

If you wish to collaborate around a certain topic, or grade level, or even content area, please sign-up using the document linked below. 

Collaboration Zone Sign-Up

Look for more information from your district pertaining to a schedule for the day. The SEL videos and activities can take place at any time during the day or even after. The Collaboration Zone will take place from 10:00-12:00 on April 1st.

Updates

MN Social Studies Standards Update

Since releasing the first working draft of the social studies standards in December, the Minnesota Department of Education has received significant feedback from throughout Minnesota. To provide time to review all of the public comments, the department is building more time into the process of revising the standards. The Social Studies Standards Committee meeting scheduled for Tuesday, February 2, is canceled. The second draft of Social Studies Standards will be published later this spring. This will provide the time needed to thoroughly review the feedback received. The next Social Studies Standards Committee meeting will be held Thursday, March 25. Watch the social studies standards page for updates on the Social Studies Standards revision process, future public comment periods, and meetings. With the extended time period to provide time for feedback, review and revision, the final draft of the standards will not be completed until fall of 2021.

There are also two bills working their way through the MN House and Senate. One calls for the complete disbandment of the committee, while the other calls for a halt in activities until next year. There was also a bill introduced to completely stop ALL standards review. It is not known at the moment if any of these bills has enough support to make it to the Governor.

Online Relicensure Webinars

With the cancellation of MELT, I have had a handful of teachers contact me looking for places to watch webinars to meet relicensure requirements. Be mindful of any "free" professional development websites. Many are filled with advertisements and/or not good quality. I have been recommending the following resources:

ASCD - ASCD is one of the leaders in professional development for education.

MDE - Minnesota Department of Education offers training on a variety of topics throughout the year.

Learning Forward - Need to be a member to access, but membership is not too expensive

Always check with your local continuing education committee to ensure the webinars meet your local requirements.

Resources

Relationship Article

Many of our students are back in the classroom. One of the most prominent phrases I hear from teachers is, "The kids are so happy to back with their classmates." You can really tell the kids lacked peer to peer relationships throughout distance learning. Now that most are back, we also need to remember those that continue with distance learning. How are we creating relationships with those students? How are we helping foster the peer to peer relationships. Edutopia provided a great article by Liz Kolb, titled A Focus on Relationships When Students Aren't Together. The article provides some good activities for teachers to reach those students at ta distance. Give it a read today!

Editing Videos in Google Slides

I was recently asked about how to shorten a video that is stored in Google Drive. There are different options for this. You can upload the video to YouTube and use the YouTube studio editor. You could also use another web application like WeVideo. While researching the topic more, I also found another way to edit Google Drive videos; use Google Slides! Check out this post from Jeffrey Bradbury on how to do it. Sometimes the most complicated problems have the simplest solutions.

MRVED Update - February 3, 2021

MRVED Business

Upcoming Meetings

February 5, 2021 - Principals' Council 

February 10, 2021 - MRVED Board

February 19, 2021 - Title III Teachers

February 24, 2021 - Superintendents' Council

MDE Science Call with MRVED Recap

John Olson from MDE met with MRVED teachers on January 18. John talked about implementation timelines and standards rollout.

John shared the following documents

MDE Science Documents

Social Studies Standards Update

The 2nd draft of new Minnesota Social Studies standards was scheduled to be released sometime in February has been delayed until spring. MDE cites the reason for the delay is for MDE and the committee to review a "significant" number of public comments. With this delay, it was subsequently delay the final adoption of the standards into next school year. The first draft of the standards can be found by going to the MDE Social Studies website. It is high recommended that if you are a teacher and/or parent of school-aged children that you review the document to become fully informed of the proposed changes. The next public comment period will be available after the review of the 2nd draft this spring.

Hot Topics

Grading During the Pandemic

Talking with educators, one of the common questions many people are wrestling with is "How do I grade kids during the pandemic?" With gaps in learning, kids at different spots academically, some kids learning from at home, etc...How do you fairly grade everyone and everything? Below you will find a short, but powerful article from Joe Feldman and Doug Reeves.

ASCD Educational Leadership Article on Grading

Children's Screen Time Has Soared During the Pandemic

The headline is probably not shocking to anyone, but as we revert back to "normalcy" what effect has all this screen time had on our kids? The New York Times published an article in mid January about this very topic. It is a very thought-provoking piece, one that has ramifications in the classroom. How do we "detox" our kids from their screen time addiction?

Children's Screen Time Has Soared During the Pandemic - Matt Richtel

Technology

13 Virtual Games to Play in Your Elementary Classroom

Now that many of our elementary schools are back to in-person learning, the question now shifts to, "How can we utilize the at home devices effectively in our classrooms"? Here is a great article from Emelina Minero from Edutopia with 13 virtual games for the elementary classroom.

https://www.edutopia.org/article/13-virtual-games-play-your-elementary-classroom

MRVED Update - January 13, 2021

MRVED Business

Upcoming Meetings:

January 15, 2021 - Title III Teachers 

January 27, 2021 - Superintendents' Council

January 28, 2021 - Teacher Advisory Council

February 5, 2021 - Principals' Council

Science Standard Implementation Conversation with MDE

John Olson, from the Minnesota Department of Education will be providing outreach to our MRVED school districts on Monday, January 18th, starting at 1:00 PM. John will be going over a timeline for implementation of the new science standards and answer any and all questions you may have about implementation of the science standards.

If you would like to join the conversation, and your administrator has not already set something up or shared the link with you, please let Brandon (braymo@mrved.net) know.

Articles

COVID Teaching - What is here to stay?

This pandemic has changed the way in which we "do" education. It often has me thinking; "What is here to stay? What are we going to dump when we are back fully in-person?" This article from Edutopia provides some great talking points.

Has the Pandemic Ushered in New Norms in Education?

Talking to Kids About Tragic Events

The events of last week at the Capitol can be tough to talk about with kids. Events like the attack on the Capitol are politically charged, emotional events. How much do we share with kids? How do we talk to them about the event without letting your political emotions show? This CNN article offers some great advice.

10 tips for talking to your kids about the attack on the Capitol

SEL

TED Talk

I came across this great TED talk from Caige Jambor on how social emotional learning benefits everyone. Take 10 minutes and watch today!

Technology

Tech Tip - Jamboard

Jamboard has been featured before, but it is worth repeating. Jamboard is an AWESOME whiteboard app from Google. You can set up multiple whiteboard for your classes to accomplish group work or do multi-step activities. Jamboard works great if you have kids in class or at home. If you haven't used Jamboard yet, check it out today!

10 Jamboard Templates from Ditch That Textbook (guest post by Kris Szajner)