MRVED Business

Have a Great Summer
This is the last update of the 2015-2016 school year.  We hope you gained something from reading the updates this past school year.  We strive to create and pass along content that is relevant to our eight member school districts.  If you ever have a topic or something you think other teachers would enjoy reading or attending, please let Brandon know and he will gladly place it in the update.


Have a great restful break.  As every year, the MRVED will be open all summer, so stop by and grab a piece of candy (or a cup of coffee) and say hello.  We always enjoy summer visitors and hearing about all your adventures during the break.  If you need anything over break, do not hesitate to let us know.  Get rejuvenated and some rest for another school year. Thank you all for a great year and we will see you in September.

MRVED Meetings
May 16, 2016  Principals' Council and TAC combined meeting (starting with lunch at 11:30 a.m.)                 May 25, 2016  Superintendents' Council

June 15, 2016  MRVED Board (7:00 p.m.)
June 22, 2016  Superintendent's' Council

Summer Off Myth

Summer Off
As educators, our friends have all made the comments about how rough it is to "have your summer off". Edutopia published a great article about what "summers off" really means for a teacher.  I think we can all relate to it!

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/summers-off-myth-heather-wolpert-gawron

With that, enjoy your summer off :-)

Tech Tip - Summer Ideas

Summer Ideas
Below you will find a variety of resources to help you continue learning all summer long.  I challenge you to try something new this summer.  Whether it is following 5 more people on Twitter, following a new blog, starting a blog of your own, tweeting more, etc...  Go out on a limb and try something.  Who knows, you may find great value in your new adventure.

• 100+ Education Twitter Accounts to Follow
• Top 15 Educators on Twitter
• 35 Educators you should Follow on Pinterest
• 14 Great Facebook Pages Every Teacher Should Know About
• Top 100 Education Blogs to Follow

Hopefully you can find one person, blog, Pinterest page, Facebook page, etc... to follow over the summer to help you grow as an educator.

Better Conversations - Wrap Up

Wrap Up
Over the past seven weeks we have examined the six beliefs that help us have better conversations.  The six beliefs come from Jim Knights book Better Conversations.   If you strive to have better conversations with people, I highly suggest this book.  Jim Knight is a "guru" in instructional coaching.  This is what compelled me to read this book, and it not only has had an impact on how I have conversations with the teachers and administrators I work with, but also with my wife and daughters.  I highly recommend this book.

6 Beliefs to Better Conversations

1. I see others as equal partners in conversations.
2. I want to hear what others have to say.
3. I believe people should have a lot of autonomy.
4. I don't judge my conversation partners.
5. Conversation should be back and forth.
6. Conversation should be life-giving.

Reflection

As I read the book and had the opportunity to reflect using the Better Conversations Companion Book, I have realized that I do not know what it looks like when I do something.  If I truly want to have a better conversation, I need to know what it looks like when I do what I do.  With that being said, I plan to record some of the conversations I have with people and reflect back on our conversation to see if I truly am acting out what I believe to be true.  Beliefs really do drive our behavior, and if I really believe that we are equals in conversation, I want to hear what you have to say, I give people autonomy, I don't judge, our conversation is back and forth and life giving, then my behavior should follow suit.

My hope is that through these past seven weeks, you have had the opportunity to reflect on your own conversation habits and beliefs.  At the very least, I hope you had the chance to think a little deeper about the importance of conversation.

MRVED Business

FitnessGram Webinar
The MRVED will be assisting in hosting a FitnessGram webinar for all Phy Ed teachers on Monday, May 9th from 3:15-4:00.  The purpose of the webinar is to dig deeper into the software and ask questions of the FitnessGram presenter.  If you need a refresher or just have a few questions, participate in the webinar on May 9th.  Contact Brandon before May 1st if you would like to participate and he will send you the webinar information.

Summer Professional Development
Due to decreasing participation numbers the last few summers, the MRVED will not be offering any summer professional development opportunities.  If you are in need of a relicensure area, contact Brandon and he can provide some assistance in finding other opportunities.

MRVED Meetings
May 16, 2016  Principals' Council & TAC (11:30 a.m. combined meeting)
May 25, 2016  Superintendents'  Council

June 15, 2016  MRVED Board (7:00 p.m.)
June 22, 2016  Superintendents' Council

Better Conversations - Life-Giving

Life-Giving Conversation
The last of the six beliefs from Jim Knight's book Better Conversations will be discussed this week.

6 Beliefs to Better Conversations

1. I see others as equal partners in conversations.
2. I want to hear what others have to say.
3. I believe people should have a lot of autonomy.
4. I don't judge my conversation partners.
5. Conversation should be back and forth.
6. Conversation should be life-giving.

Life-Giving Conversation

"When I believe conversations should be life-giving, I go into the conversations expecting that my conversation partners and I will leave conversations feeling more alive for having experienced them" (Knight, 57, Better Conversations Companion Book).  The prime example of this is when you have a conversation with someone and you walk away thinking you learned so much and you have that feeling like you really were into that conversation.  During these conversations time seems to fly by.  It's really a culmination of the five previous beliefs.  If all these pieces come together, more often than not the conversation is life-giving.

Life-giving conversations are engaging and energizing and they increase your sense of well-being.  If the topic at hand is something we are invested in, then we are more likely to engage in deep conversation about it.  Again, if we are equals, and truly listen to others, give them autonomy, not judge, and the conversation is back and forth, the conversation will more than likely be life-giving and we will walk away energized.

On the opposite end, we have all had conversations where we walk away physically and mentally exhausted.  These conversations are the opposite of life-giving conversations.  Sometimes these types of conversations are necessary, but if we engage in conversation like this on a daily basis, it will likely burn our desire to have a better conversation.

Next week we will wrap up this series on better conversation.