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 2, 2020

MRVED Business

Upcoming Meetings

December 4, 2020 - Title III Teachers

December 9, 2020 - MRVED Board Meeting

December 10, 2020 - Teachers' Advisory Council Meeting

December 11, 2020 - Principals' Council Meeting

December 16, 2020 - Superintendents' Council Meeting

MRVCTEC

The Minnesota River Valley Career and Technical Education Collaborative (MRVCTEC) is a group of five school districts—Lakeview, MACCRAY, Montevideo, Renville County West and Yellow Medicine East.

These schools work cooperatively with their partners—Minnesota West Community and Technical College, the SWWC Service Co-op, the Minnesota River Valley Educational District, the Southwest Minnesota Private Industry Council, and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

This collaborative provides opportunities for students to gain skills, knowledge, and experience in technical careers. Career and technical education provides students of all ages with the academic and technical skills, knowledge, and training necessary to succeed in future careers and to become lifelong learners.

Explore various career and technical education career paths found right here in the Minnesota River Valley by going to the MRVCTEC Website.

Music Teacher Writes COVID Song

Sometimes we just need to laugh. Check out how this music teacher uses music to get through the pandemic.

When was the last time you laughed as hard as the news anchor? Even in dark times, laughter is great medicine!

State News

Social Studies Standards 1st Draft

The 1st draft of the new Minnesota Social Studies standards have been released. If you have a few minutes, please look over the document and provide feedback to the standards committee. The committee will take that feedback, make revisions and release a 2nd draft in February.

First Draft of the Minnesota Social Studies Standards

Feedback Form Link

You can also attend one of the virtual town halls to learn about the process of creating the standards as well as provide input.

Resources

Outdoor Classroom

If the weather cooperates, what better way to social distance than getting your classroom outdoors. Teach Outdoors Minnesota has a ton of resources to help get your classroom outside. The lessons range from Pre-K to High School. Some lessons are quick and easy, while others may take a couple class periods. Either way, the activities will get you up and outside and learning in an experiential way.

Virtual Christmas Classroom Ideas

If you have students that are working at a distance or maybe you find your whole class in virtual learning prior to the winter break. Here are a couple lists of fun virtual activities you can do with your class to celebrate the break.

22 Virtual Christmas Party Ideas

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.

Christmas Resources

Christmas Resources For the Classroom
With the holiday season upon us, here are a couple resources you can use for your classroom.

• Classroom Christmas Ideas - Pinterest
• December Lesson Plans - Education World
• Christmas Plans for ELL Students
• Christmas Around the World

MRVED Business

The MRVED Staff would like to wish all of you a happy and relaxing holiday break.  The next MRVED Update will come Friday, January 9, 2015.  The MRVED offices will be open Monday and Tuesday of next week and will run a limited staff the following week.  If you need any assistance during this time you can try calling the office at 320-269-9297 or reach any of us by email.  Have a great holiday season!

Meeting Updates
DAC Meeting
The District Assessment Coordinators had the opportunity to meet at the MRVED on Monday before the ice storm moved through.  They spent a couple hours during the morning networking and asking questions of each other.  The District Assessment Coordinator in your district works very hard to ensure that all testing is completed and reported correctly.  In this holiday season, let them know how much you appreciate all they do!

FACS Best Practice Meeting
The FACS best practice meeting that was scheduled for Tuesday was cancelled due to the icy roads and numerous late starts.  They were scheduled to go to Willmar and tour Cashwise Foods and Bakery as well as Mr. B's Chocolates.  The meeting will be rescheduled for the Spring.

TAC Meeting
The Teachers Advisory Council met at the home of Karen and Steve Jacobson on Thursday.  Most of the day was spent learning about how to have a collaborative conversation as an instructional coach.  The group had the opportunity to practice the collaborative conversations.  They also spent some time viewing an actual lesson, scoring the teacher, and conversing as if they were helping that teacher get better.  The TAC also had the opportunity to look at the MELT sessions and provide feedback.  Overall, another great day of learning at the Jacobson farm!


Upcoming Meetings
January 9, 2015  Title III Paraprofessionals
January 16, 2015  Community Ed
January 19, 2015  MELT
January 28, 2015  Superintendents' Council