The Effective Presentation

I spent the morning attending a conference. One of the sessions I attended dealt with 'delivering an effective presentation'. As I sat through the presentation, I thought to myself, this is one of the worst presentations I have ever sat through. Dull. Drab. Boring.

Don't get me wrong; the content was spot on. The presenter provided some of the science behind delivering a solid presentation. As well, there were ideas shared on alternatives to the tradition powerpoint. All good stuff. However, it lacked a key, main ingredient: enthusiasm.

It was as if the presenter was going through the motions...delivering the slides- with no emotional connection tied to it.

As I reflected on the session, I drew this conclusion: the most dynamic presentations I have sat through have been delivered by people who passionately believed in their message. And, they left an indelible impression on me- along with other attendees.

I inherently believe if you want to deliver a presentation that people will talk about long after you left the room, put your heart into it. If  you cannot muster the strength to put your heart, soul, and passion into what you are presenting on, go find something else to do with your life. Life is too short to be wasted on going through the motions. If you have to present, present like you want people to walk away from your speech truly changed.

Determining the size of font- and how many words you have on a slide are important. And, if not done well, can be a major distractor. However, if you get the nuts and bolts right- yet lack passion, don't be disappointed when people pull out their phones to check Facebook or Twitter.

Delivering the effective presentation? Simply put: Bring your thunder stick.


“Be still when you have nothing to say; when genuine passion moves you, say what you’ve got to say, and say it hot.” -D. H. Lawrence  

Leadership and the Path to the Super Bowl

As you may be aware, I am a die hard Pittsburgh fan. I am still reeling from that crushing, devastating, embarrassing loss. After the loss on Sunday, I pretty much vowed I would not watch the Super Bowl.

Until I read this article on the Falcons Head Coach (Falcons Believe in all of Dan Quinn's Corny Sayings...).

I am a leadership junkie. I love to read about leadership in action. This article on Coach Quinn truly embodies leadership.

Leadership is about pulling together a team. The team can be on a field, a court, a classroom, a board room, or an office. It is about gelling together a group of people to unite for a unified cause. Anyone who has ever led knows this is no small feat wrought with obstacles, frustrations, and challenges.

Yet, in spite of the difficulties, the truly great leaders are able to take the focus of the individual and place it on the greater good of the team- and the ultimate mission of the team. When a team truly bonds, and comes together, amazing feats are accomplished.

Many coaches, bosses, managers are able to rattle off certain leadership buzz words they may have read or heard about it; leaders can use the same verbiage, coupled with relationship building, and produce vastly different results. This is what separates leaders from managers.

Coach Quinn embodies what is right with leadership. Unifying a group to accomplish a goal. Leadership at its finest.

It pains me to say it, but Go Falcons. I am a bigger fan of leadership than I am of the Steelers.

"We talk about brotherhood every single day."-Dwight Freeney on Coach Quinn. 

The Path to Success in 2017: Reading.

As the new year dawns, many, including myself are brainstorming areas for improvement in 2017. As I have spent time thinking about areas I would like to grow, I have not given much consideration to how I will get 'there.'

I read a fascinating article yesterday on successful people and their respective reading habits. The article talked about Warren Buffet. WB said he will read for about 80% of his day. Many times during his life, he would read anywhere from 600-1000 pages a day. Similar to Warren Buffet, Bill Gates is an avid reader. He regularly sets a goal to read 50 books a year.

I spent the better part of the day reflecting on this. I have always enjoyed reading. And, I do read everyday. Am I reading enough? In comparison to the aforementioned, no. Not even close. I thoroughly enjoy watching sporting events. I won't think twice about watching the Steeler game for 3 hours at a time. Not sure I remember the last time I read for 3 hours at a time.

Yet, as I think of the areas in my life I want to grow, I wholeheartedly believe reading is an avenue to get there.

So, as you prepare for the start of a new year, I challenge you with this: make growth in your reading habits a priority. Put down social media. Pick up a book - or a magazine. Find something to read that will make you grow. In turn, take time to reflect on how much you have grown- and read.

Here's to a great year of reading and growing...

"Being an avid reader gives you a strategic advantage in life. It improves your thinking, relational skills, and more. But you can leverage that advantage by reading books that stimulate personal improvement."- Michael Hyatt

"You stay teachable most by reading books. By reading what other people went through." 

— Retired Marine General James Mattis

The Right Mindset

I have continually preached this message this year: our job as educators and leaders is to reach EVERY one of our 3,000 students.

We will measure our success by how wildly excited our students are to come to school each day. Is this a lofty dream? I am sure skeptics out there will say I am crazy. They will bombard me with excuses of why we can reach perhaps 80%, but never 100%. Too many variables we cannot control.

Yet- which of those 20% are we willing to discard? How many doors are we willing to knock down to reach each of the 3,000 that have been entrusted to us? How hard are we willing to fight to see each of our students be as committed to learning as we are to teaching?

Rethink education. Find a way to engage ALL students. Continually strive to create an environment rich with passion- with emotion- with zeal. That in the midst of this crazy world we live in - perhaps our students can find a respite in coming to school each day.

I read this quotation tonight- which really prompted my desire to write. If we as a collective profession took on this mindset, we would win this next generation of leaders, thinkers, and doers.

Let us fight for our students. If we do, and we remain committed to this fight- regardless of the obstacles we face- we will win.

“I am a soldier.  I fight where I’m told and I win where I fight.“George S. Patton

Calling All Future Teachers!

I read with great heaviness an article this  morning, "Where have all the teachers gone?". In short, the article goes on to explain the shortage of teachers facing Pennsylvania. There was a statistic in the article I found staggering: Pennsylvania issued 25.212 teacher certificates during the 2012-13 school year. That number fell to 8,615 for 2014-15 school year.

I have been following a recent teacher strike in the western part of the state. As I read the article and the subsequent comments below the article, one comment stood out to me. On reader noted, "They should fire all of the teachers (at said striking school district). There are a ton of teachers our there looking for jobs that could  replace these ones." Simply put: this is not true.

Although I believe we have excellent teachers in our current workforce, my fear is for the future. If we keep going at this rate, our candidate pool stands to dwindle considerably. Although I can conjecture as to why the interest has tremendously waned, I would love to hear from would be candidates as to why. If we, as both a commonwealth and nation at large, are to continue to be the best, we must train up our next generation of teachers and leaders. If not, we stand to royally fail our  next generation of students.

I recently had a conversation with an assistant principal. As we discussed his future and the future of  education at large, I asked him what  his greatest fear is in becoming a head principal. His answer shocked me. He stated the thing that gives him the greatest pause is that as the current elder generation of teachers retires, who is going to replace them?

Reading articles and statistics like the aforementioned affirms my fears and concerns of fellow administrators. This trend must be reversed. The central question is: HOW?

I would love to hear your feedback. Or, if you are a college aged student thinking about education as an occupation, what are your thoughts?

The Future of High School Education

I recently read a recent article published in Education Week regarding a survey that was recently administered to high school graduates. In short, here are a few highlights of the survey:

Among the findings in the 2014 survey:

• Eighty-three percent of college students reported at least some gaps in preparation in one or more subject areas , while 49 percent of those surveyed reported large gaps in one or more subject.

• About two-thirds of graduates said they would have taken higher-level courses in high school if they had realized the expectations of college and the working world.

• If high schools had demanded more and set higher academic standards, 87 percent of those surveyed said they would have worked harder.

• About one-third of college students wished their high school did a better job teaching work and study habits.

I have long argued there needs to be more of  a joint collaboration among K-12 Education and Higher Education. As a former 12th grade English teacher, I would grow increasingly frustrated when I would have former students return to tell me they had to take remedial English. 

Unfortunately, now that there is a required exit exam (Keystones), my fear is that some of the 'gaps' will not be adequately addressed as we strive to meet the new mandates. 

I vehemently believe in the value of this type of survey; in fact, I believe this type of feedback should drive what we do. Our job as educators is to prepare our students for the next phase of their life. If they are not being adequately prepared, it is time for us to go back to the drawing board. Our aim is to prepare students who can be contributing members of society- all else pales in comparison to this! 

Fall Curriculum & Instruction Newsletter

Greetings! When you have a moment, please take a look at our inaugural C & I Newsletter.