Leeana's Brazen Words

The fact is, I don't have it in me today. So I'm very glad that as I read Brazen last night, I typed these words into my phone. As I read them back, I'm not sure they communicate on an island. The context of the chapter really lends to my understanding, but maybe the quotations will still speak to you, as is. If not, don't judge Leeana...read the book. Need a copy? I'll lend you mine (when I'm done).

"The temptation, I believe, is to become convinced that our life is out there somewhere and we must go out and take hold of it...when, in fact, our life is right here waiting for us to notice it."

"The problem isn't desire. The problem is what we do with our desire when we feel like we're behind in satisfying it." 

"I'm beginning to realize I want security more than I want a Savior."

"We hold our current reality in one hand and hold our longings in the other hand, and we ask God to show us how we can honor both. This is the holiest of work because it requires us to let go of our compulsion to secure our own solutions."

HyperDocs

I know what you might be thinking. Because I thought the same thing. And somebody just said the same thing to me today when I told her I was going to do a post about HyperDocs:

"Isn't it just a shared doc with links?"

Well, yes. And no. But even if yes, that's the power in it!

I'm really writing this post a couple of months too early...I'm going to a HyperDocs all day session with Lisa Highfill this summer, so I'm sure I'll have more to say later. But for now, I'm just going to post a couple of links here:

http://karlymoura.blogspot.com/2016/04/hyperdocs-need-i-say-more.html

https://sites.google.com/site/highfill2013/hyperdocs-explained

https://sites.google.com/site/highfill2013/hyperdocs-explained/5-ways-to-package-hyperdocs

https://sites.google.com/site/highfill2013/hyperdocs-explained/show-what-you-know

And a couple of my very brief thoughts:

1) I think the biggest "hidden" potential in these is the ability to differentiate. Listen...I think we ask too much of our teachers. Really. It's CRAZY what we expect them to do! And when you tell me I have to differentiate my instruction after you've already told me to align it to the standards and integrate technology and be sure to address the needs of my ELs and my SpEds and my SEDs and my gifted kids...I'm fried. So when I find a tool like HyperDocs that can help me meet the needs of all my kids? I'm ecstatic! Yes, there's a lot of prep involved in making a good one. But just think of the payoff!
2) I really love Cate Tolnai's idea of hosting a HyperDoc IN a Google Drawing. Just a design thing, but I love how it looks! http://www.one-tab.com/page/g6mWgn1mQN6P73ckQwGniQ
3) Our ELA teams at the middle school are (finally) going 1-to-1 with Chromebooks next year, and I'm super-excited to see if HyperDocs will help them.

In any event, if you had never heard of HyperDocs, you're welcome. If you had, you're welcome for the reminder! =)

Twitter Chats #yesyoucan (sometimes)

It took a while for me to come around.

I even made fun of people who participated in (what I viewed as) too many.

But then I finally dove in, and it has been great!

Why participate in a Twitter Chat?
To find community
To make connections
To encounter the power of listening to other people's ideas

Mr. Coleman always says, "Together, we're smarter than a super computer!" He's saying that about the collective mindpower of the people in a room at any given time. Now imagine expanding that to some of the best and the brightest, but across a state, or even the nation!

There are some really good-thinking people out there, and it does me good to pay attention.

Now, I'm still not a freak. If I've got stuff going on, I'm just going to have to pass on a chat. Maybe I'll check the hashtag out later, but I'm not going to stress about it (or even apologize) when I have to miss one. And if I go driving for Uber on a Friday night, I'm not getting up for #satchatwc at 8am on a Saturday.

But if I'm up, why not check it out?

Here are the one's I've looked at so far. I know there are MILLIONS of others, but these have caught my interest: (all times are Pacific)
#connectedtl : mostly edtech coaches of some sort, Tuesday night 7pm. This is the group whose Voxer group I joined as a result, and THAT has been transformative
#satchatwc : only if I'm up, but good stuff, Saturday 8am
#caeddchat : California Ed Chat, Sunday 8pm
#tlap : haven't participated yet (I have a standing Monday night meeting), but I love #tlap and all its iterations, Monday, 6pm

Do you have a favorite I should really look into?

Potter and Clay

This image is what comes to mind for most people when they think of the Potter and the clay metaphor from Jeremiah 18: 1-11.

The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord saying, “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will announce My words to you.” Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something on the wheel. But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make.
Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, “Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.  At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot, to pull down, or to destroy it; if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it. Or at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to build up or to plant it; if it does evil in My sight by not obeying My voice, then I will think better of the good with which I had promised to bless it. So now then, speak to the men of Judah and against the inhabitants of Jerusalem saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Behold, I am fashioning calamity against you and devising a plan against you. Oh turn back, each of you from his evil way, and reform your ways and your deeds.”’

But that's not how I read it today. Today I heard (and understood for the first time) that the clay belongs to the potter. If things get messed up, he can smash what he's doing and start again. We would never fault the potter for doing that. He did that at the flood. He does that sometimes with nations or people, and we want to say he's allowing evil or that he doesn't care.

In any event, I don't even know what I want to say about that. Just that I think I understood the passage better today. And I still want him to shape me. But maybe sometimes he does that by starting over...and that's the BEST thing for me if he's doing it.

The "$10 Burger" : 3 patties, cheese, hot dog, cheese sticks, bacon, potato chips, thousand island. #makemonty #t

A photo posted by Shawn Wisley (@mrwisley) on May 21, 2016 at 1:20pm PDT

Oh my gosh.

The "$10 Burger": 3 patties, cheese, hot dog, cheese sticks, bacon, potato chips, thousand island.

I did NOT finish, but it had to be tried. #SillySaturday

Mike Niehoff

https://twitter.com/mwniehoff

I love Mike. I've met him a couple of times in person...he's very personable, obviously super-bright, and funny. I like him a lot.

Mike is what one would call a visionary. He pushes me to think WAY outside my box. I like having friends like that.

I can't bring myself to "go there" every time with him, but I can nod my head in agreement MOST of the time (not so much on his political posts...but that's okay).

I'm sorry I can't dedicate more time to this post, but all I can encourage you to do is go creep on his Twitter feed and learn about the guy.

Then follow him. We're not supposed to agree 100% with everyone online. Grow a little. Grow your #edutusks!

Done with State Testing

Who feels so much better now that state testing is done, with a 99.39% student completion rate? #thisguy #t

A photo posted by Shawn Wisley (@mrwisley) on May 18, 2016 at 4:49pm PDT

No time for a real post here, so my #ThankfulThursday is simply dedicated to the fact that I'm done with CAASPP testing!

It's pretty ironic for a guy who is somewhat morally opposed to such testing to be in charge of it for my school. Oh well...I'll leave the world-changing to my #FollowFriday (see tomorrow's post).

Sharpen the Axe

I love this idea, but I know that I've got a LOT of room for growth with this. I find that I'm often trying to hack down a tree and sharpening my axe at the same time. Obviously, this doesn't work too well.

I think my people-pleasing tendencies contribute to my difficulty in putting this principle in play in  my own life. The panel of critics in my head tells me that people want action now. That they won't understand the axe-sharpening...so I need to "act" to appease them. What results is ineffective, frustrating, blustery effort. Were I to spend more time in preparation for the eventual action, I would be more efficient, more successful, and a lot less tired.

Now...I'm not killing myself on this. In fact, the very act of writing this blog is an axe-sharpening event. So is my time spent on Twitter. So is my book reading. So, often, are the conversations I have with colleagues and mentors as I seek to anticipate the best courses of action at work and in life.

Please also note that Mr. Lincoln has left two hours for intense work, too. This is not a get-out-of-work card. Preparation without action is dead. (Biblical echo intended.)

Steven Covey also listed this as the 7th of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Here are some links about his version of the idea.

https://www.stephencovey.com/7habits/7habits-habit7.php

Texting from my computer

I found a new tool today. I can now text from my laptop!

It was born out of necessity. My phone dies quickly, so I often find myself needing to plug it in. Today, I was at a conference, and I had to plug my phone in far away from me. But I wanted to stay connected!

Enter mySMS.

Since I don't have an iPhone (yet), I can't just connect via iMessage. I had to find a solution to connect my Android phone number to my laptop. mySMS is a chrome app and extension that does exactly that.

The mySMS extension in the webstore

I am at my laptop most of the day, so this is a great thing...I can respond much quicker on my keyboard than on my phone...Now I just need to figure out how to quickly insert bitmojis!

Writing on Desks

A NJ teacher surprised her students with motivating messages on their desks before an exam pic.twitter.com/SHcUPBd74A

— Dory (@Dory) May 15, 2016

I don't have any excuses, really. I let testing get me down this year. I allowed it to show in my interactions with staff, and I let it show in a couple of interactions with kids.

Not my shining moment.

I see things like the tweet above online, and I think, "If I were still in the classroom..."

Hogwash. I can still do stuff like this. I can create (and encourage) schoolwide celebrations. I can portray the most positive message I can muster to the kids.

I don't need to say things like, "Just slug through it. Do your best." I can do MUCH better than that.

I have to be honest, it's really hard being the site-level coordinator of state testing when you barely believe in the concept of state testing at all. I want less standardized testing, and more individualized learning. It's hard to hold people accountable to that, but I'd rather do the hard work of figuring out how to make that work than give the tests we've got to our kids. It hurts my soul.

But I've got to be resilient. More than I was today. More than I was last week.

And you know what? I've got a chance on Wednesday to do it right with the kids I'll see then. I can also not be such a sourpuss to my colleagues. Sorry, guys.

I need to be more awesome. #kidsdeserveit

Ephesians 2: 4-5

"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved." - Ephesians 2:4-5

(Just a quick share tonight.)

Mark Broadfoot

https://www.instagram.com/yourmomisafoodie/

Mark is the beverage director at Galaxy Taco. He's doing bleeding edge stuff with mezcal (tequila's smokey cousin). Speaking of cousins, Mark is mine!
http://www.galaxytaco.com/
If you ever go there, try the braised pork. TRUST ME.

Some press
http://sdcitybeat.com/article-13973-george%E2%80%99s-mark-broadfoot-knows-mezcal.html
http://sandiego.eater.com/2015/7/7/8906495/masa-mezcal-margaritas-behind-the-menu-at-galaxy-taco

Just for a laugh

Life has given me lemons

Lemons. I love them.

And if, by the title of the post, you thought I was going to write about the struggle to make good out of a difficult situation...I'm not.

I just love lemons. And someone (my wife's friend...I even forget whom) gave us a grocery sack full of lemons from their tree.

FREE!

I have posted previously about my love for sparkling water. Add lemon.


Even flat water tastes good with lemon. The Rum & Coke Zero I had last night was good. But better with lemon.

I made some cheesecake. #LemonZest

So life has given me lemons. And for that, I am thankful.

Results Now

If you hold a position of leadership or influence in schools and haven't read any of Mike Schmoker's materials, I urge you...remedy that!

Results Now was first book I read in my admin credential program. It changed my life.

I entered the admin program for money. I wasn't making it on a teacher's salary, and the only way to increase my income was to become an administrator. So I joined the Dark Side. My mom cried (literally). I didn't think I had what it took. I doubted myself. I knew I needed to do this to make ends meet for my family, but all I had ever considered was the kingdom that was my Spanish classroom.

But in my first class, under the guidance of Sweetwater Union superintendent Frankie Escobedo, I read Results Now. It opened my eyes. His clarion call to close the achievement gap resonated deeply with me. His candid description of the structural impediments to student learning were obvious to me, but something that I had never voiced to anyone else. I was surprised and elated to find that someone was willing to be so transparent about what was wrong with education.

How unions, which had served such an important role in the history of education, were now hindering student achievement with a laser focus on what was best for teachers (instead of students). But he delineated four agreements that administrators should make with teachers that could open lines of communication and enable everyone at a school to work for what was best for kids without fear of reprisal or admonition from an misguided administration.

I can't explain it without quoting the entire book. So I urge you to find it and read it. If you ask me directly, I will buy you a copy. I believe in its message this strongly.

But let's look at the quotation for today's #WednesdayWisdom post: "Collaboration allows teachers to capture each other's fund of collective intelligence." Mr. Coleman (my principal) is always saying, "Together, we're smarter than a super computer!" It's just so true. Teachers for generations were timid to share their ideas. To open their classrooms to their colleagues (not to mention their coaches or their administrators). And there were structures in place that made that fear warranted! But if we make the agreements that Schmoker recommends, the open culture can lead to a more equitable implementation of practices THAT ARE BEST FOR KIDS.

In any event...if you've read Schmoker, just give me an Amen. If you haven't, get your hands on some now!

Don't Delete Your Gmail!

***For the first time in over a month, I missed my daily blog. I'll give myself a break, though, as I had a rough day at work (dumb CAASPP testing), went to the school board meeting, and didn't leave work until 10:15pm.***

Especially if you're a Google Apps for Education (GAFE) user, you should never, ever, ever, delete an email again. Even if you're a regular Gmail user, you'll probably never reach your limit. But if you have a school account, you should really take advantage of this.

I've got a colleague (he shall remain unnamed) who keeps deleting his email. It's not entirely his fault...it's the power of a habit. Our district formerly had Groupwise, and had a RIDICULOUSLY LOW amount of storage space for emails. Like...within my first month on the job, I had to archive (save) my emails, then delete them from the email server. STUPID.

So this unnamed colleague of mine has grown used to this workflow. I had emailed him something, and we talked about it the next day. I asked him to pull up the email, and he said he couldn't...that he had deleted it. MY MIND WAS BLOWN.

You have unlimited storage, I said. You never had to delete a message again, I said. I like to clear out my email, he said. I shook my head. I let it go (until this post). WOW.

Leave them all there! If you MUST, you can organize! Learn how to use labels. Folders. Archive (why?). You have organization options. But you never have to delete again. EVER.

What's the advantage of having every message you ever sent or received? SEARCH.

I like to remind people that Google is, at its core, a search engine. You can find anything in there. And this applies to Gmail, as well. Here are a couple of quick links to deepen your learning, if you choose:

Search tricks: http://www.popsugar.com/tech/Tips-Gmail-34542860

Gmail Tips & Tricks: https://davidleeedtech.wordpress.com/2013/03/02/gmail-features-for-teachers-tricks-tips/

Yet

I absolutely love this! The power of yet...such a small word can have such a big impact #growthmindset #powerofyet pic.twitter.com/1q1YZcOmXI

— Rishima Talwar (@rishimatalwar) May 8, 2016

Today, this is all I've got. And today, that's okay.

God is Perfect, I am Not (Guest Blogger: Captain Obvious)

The bible study I'm working through right now is having us work through the idea of what it means that God is perfect.

"...God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." - 1 John 1:5

"...his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he." - Deuteronomy 32:4

The realization that hit me as I thought about is is that I cannot even fathom what that means. I am a flawed creature, shadow and light. I have good moments, but I also have bad ones...hidden ones. Like any human being, I can recount to you the evil thoughts that I've entertained; things that nobody even knows about. Not to mention all the bad things about me that are apparent from the outside: my gluttony, my penchant for procrastination, my biting sarcasm/criticism.

What might it look like to be a perfect being? What would God's thought life be like? (I know, higher than mine.) What the study got me thinking was that maybe I need to spend more time contemplating this. If I truly understood God to be perfect (HOLY), would my behavior change? Would my fear of the LORD increase? Would I try harder to not drag His name in the mud by association with mine?

God, help me to understand your holiness and respond appropriately. Thank you for all the good things you've given me to experience.

Bitmoji is life

Have you made your Bitmoji yet? I've fallen in love with them. I text them, I include them in my email messages...pretty obsessively at this point! I'd include more in this post, but I'm using the Android app while between Uber riders...no images! (updated from home!)

I Knew Him When...

My #FollowFriday recommendation is Dave Burgess, @burgessdave on Twitter.

I taught for about 15 years with Dave at West Hills H.S. down in Santee, CA. He consistently beat me out for any wacky/zany/weird teacher awards for the yearbook, which frustrated me to no end. But he deserved it...I was never committed enough to cross-dress for a lesson!

If you've never heard of Teach Like a Pirate, you need to check it out. Google it, check the hashtag (#tlap), go to his website...whatever. Just check it out. And if you're ever at a conference where he's presenting, make a point to go to his session.

I had the pleasure of seeing his #tlap concept evolve (Dave, do you remember doing the GUHSD Summer Institute classes in a trailer at Chap?). I wonder sometimes if he's sad to have created an acronym that commits him to pirate imagery for the rest of his life, but I bet he's doing just fine!

As a still-new-to-this blogger, I'm not sure what the rules are about posting the details of his system. (Dave, if you tell me it's okay, I'll add the acronym here. I even found the hook cards online...but I figured those are off-limits.) I don't want to take away from Dave's livelihood. It's worth the money...buy the book! But I'm telling you, if you ever get a chance to see him live, it's going to stick even more.

Dave's concepts are definitely the type of thing that resonate deeply with me. The "hooks" idea (being intentional and creative in finding the best way to engage students into a lesson) is what good teachers do naturally. He's just identified a range of TYPES of hooks, then elaborated on the ideas to help lesson-crafters flesh them out. And he gives teachers permission to do the crazy things they've always wanted to do, but just wondered if it was allowed. Let me give you a tip, people. DO THE CRAZY THINGS! And do the gut-wrenching, heart-level things, too!

Side note: I love how angry Dave gets when people tell him, "You're so lucky to be so creative. I wish I had that gift." Seriously...it ticks him off. And with good reason; don't belittle someone's hard work and dedication by thinking it's just a gift!

On a personal level, let me tell you this. Dave is such a great dude. He's got a fire in his eyes (especially if he's telling you an elaborate story). He's passionate about getting teachers to craft lessons that will CHANGE KIDS' LIVES. I know that he must miss connecting to kids the way he did. But I'm sure he finds tremendous joy and satisfaction in developing teachers across the country who are making those connections with their students. I know for a fact that he has saved teachers' careers, reigniting in them a passion for what they can do.

It's been really neat to see his publishing empire grow, and with a stable full of educational thoroughbreds! @alicekeeler @techninjatodd @awelcome ... and those are just the ones I know! I'm sure if Dave is putting his stamp of approval on a product, then the creator must be awesome.

In any event, if you have any control over the Professional Learning in your district or school site, I urge you to look into getting Dave to come present. Your students will thank you for the amazing impact he will have on powerful instruction. If you're looking for a powerful community to engage with on Twitter, check out #tlap or the #tlap chat.

Sugar-Free Popsicles

It's #ThankfulThursday, and I'm thankful for sugar-free popsicles.

If you didn't know, I'm a Type-1 diabetic. Lesson time: that means that my pancreas is dead, and I no longer produce insulin. Insulin is what "eats" sugar in your bloodstream, so I need to inject insulin every time I eat. (To be more precise, I have an insulin pump. So I'm dripping insulin into my system 24/7, and adding extra every time I eat or if I need to make a blood sugar correction.)

I found out I was diabetic back in 2001. That would make me 26 years old at the time. I was advising yearbook at West Hills HS back in Santee, CA, and late one deadline night I noticed that I couldn't read the whiteboard from the back of the room. I went to Walmart to see an optometrist, and she checked out my vision. After doing all the normal tests, she asked me if I had to urinate a lot.

I thought it was a strange question, but had to admit after thinking about it that yes...I had been going to the bathroom more frequently lately. She asked me if I had to get up in the middle of the night for it. Yes. She asked me if my mouth was often cotton-y (dry). Yes. So she said, "You need to go to the hospital. I don't mean to alarm you, but you need to go now."

Awesome.

So I went to the hospital where they checked my blood sugar and found it above 400. (Yours is hovering around 80 right now.) Because of my age and my overweight status, they assumed I was Type-2 (where you still produce insulin, but your body has trouble processing it). They put me on oral medications, and I suffered for a while longer.

A ski trip with my brother to Banff (I'll post about that some other time...) where I simply could not get my blood sugar down led me to go back in and get re-checked. They discovered this time that I was, in fact, not producing any insulin. I may have been what is sometimes called Type-1.5...where, like mine, your pancreas slowly dies over a period of time. I'm convinced that I had a leaky gut (research that on your own, if you wish).

In any event, I'm a diabetic. But I live in the greatest time ever to be cursed with this disease! I mean:

• I have a pump that acts like an external pancreas, keeping me alive.
• My insulin didn't come from a pig.
• I have great health insurance, and having the disease is not a financial burden like it is for some others (although I wish they could make a generic insulin to bring costs down!)
• The paleo/primal/low-carb diet has gained popularity, and I have access to amazing cookbooks and recipes to eat well for my condition (and ingredients to make the recipes a reality).
• Like...tonight, Red Robin put my burger in a lettuce wrap. That wouldn't have happened 20 years ago!
• There are great diabetic communities online (https://www.facebook.com/type1diabetesmemes/) where we keep each other laughing about our disease (something about that being good medicine).
• Coke Zero
• There has been an explosion of unsweetened (but tasty) sparkling waters to hit the market. My personal favorite is the cherry-lime from La Croix.
• And, of course, there are sugar-free popsicles. The regular ones are good, but the tropical ones are great! And my favorite is the red one.

I keep some in my freezer in my office (yes, I have a freezer in my office...mostly so I can have a stash of these amazing popsicles on hand!). On a hot day in Selma, I can go through 3 or 4 in an afternoon.

I have no idea if you non-diabetics would like them (I've lost my disdain for diet things). But I LOVE them!

Contentment

I don't have it in me to write a long one today, but here's my Wednesday Wisdom, courtesy of Dave Ramsey.

Contentment is the most important money principle.

Can I be content? I know I haven't been terribly successful with this so far. I'm always striving. I'm always reaching. I'm always grasping!

It's easy for me to think that contentment will come when I'm out of debt and living comfortably. But can I be content AND work hard to get out of debt?

Also, what if we strike the word "money" from the quote. Can I find contentment AT ALL? It's totally a biblical principle, but I don't have it yet.

Lord. help me to be content in all situations. Whether rich or poor, healthy or ill, loved or rejected, encouraged or discouraged. Help me, please.

Pop quiz: do you think I'm content with this post? LOL

Next Level: tackling twitter chats

I was scared. I admit it.
I was skeptical. I was even a bit derisive ("Where do these people get the time? They must all be single...")

The idea of keeping up with a Twitter chat was daunting. The technology was not the issue (I had seen the suggestions of using TweetDeck or HootSuite). It was the time. Setting aside an hour to answer a set of questions is hard for me.

Sunday night, I was able to pull it off for my first FULL twitter chat: #caedchat 8-9pm, Pacific time. My wife was busy putting together PTA gifts for Teacher Appreciation Week, so I dove in. And you know what? It wasn't that hard. And I really enjoyed it. And I was pushed. And I learned from others. Everything was perfect.

Fresh from that victory, I decided to give #connectedtl a chance (they're mostly edtech coaches and TOSAs). I joined their Voxer group as a result of CUE Admin Rockstar camp (another post on that another day), and I thought I might try it. It's on Tuesday night at 7pm. BIG PROBLEM: I have a weekly mens group that meets at that exact time, and I meet my mentor for dinner prior to that meeting every week.

So I wasn't sitting at my laptop. I downloaded Hootsuite onto my phone. I knew it wasn't ideal, but I had received the questions for the chat and thought I could schedule my tweets to publish at about the time I thought the questions would launch. NOPE. The interface was wonky, and I couldn't figure it out. So no scheduled tweets! Oh well, I think...I'll just pop them all out at once, and the others will just have to deal with it. But my codependency kicked in, and I determined that I was potentially ruining the chat for someone expecting the questions to come through live.

Forgot to mention: my meeting has a car break-in problem, so we appoint one guy to go out and watch the parking lot for twenty minutes at a time. I volunteered so I could sit in my car and spit out my tweets before heading in to the meeting. In any event, I finally finished the chat at 10:20 (long after all the others had left). But there's a Voxer channel with follow up for the next two days, so I'll be sure to follow up there!

All in all, I encourage chat participation when you can. It's really not difficult, technically. It's the time commitment. One or two a week (and really, a few a month) will probably do the trick for me!

Do you participate in any chats? Leave the hashtag and the time in the comments!

Dime Con Quién Andas

Recovery quote: "Stick with the winners."

Dime con quién andas, y te diré quién eres. #MindsetMonday || Tell me who u hang out w/, & I'll tell u who u are. https://t.co/mNLsdueXIi

— Shawn Wisley (@mrwisley) May 2, 2016

Who you choose to surround yourself with can completely change your mindset, goals, and most importantly your success.

— Tyler Roney (@TylerJRoney) May 2, 2016

I went to hang out with my tribe this weekend. I don't want to hang out in the admin equivalent of the toxic teachers' lounge. I want to be with people who love kids, love technology, love great teaching, love encouraging each other...

I'm lucky to have some of that face-to-face. But sometimes, I have to travel to be with my tribe. And sometimes, that travel leads you to Yoda.

Take cliché photo, I must! #cuerockstar #t

A photo posted by Shawn Wisley (@mrwisley) on Apr 29, 2016 at 3:05pm PDT

Stop picking at it!

I have a wound. I'm not sure what it is, really. It's on the back of my head, in my hair. It might be a pimple. It might be an ingrown hair follicle. It might be (and this is probably psycho-somatic from watching too many Dr. Pimple Popper videos) a cyst. I don't really know.

What I DO know is that I find it irresistible to pick at. Not for any sense of satisfaction, unfortunately, but just impossible for me to leave alone. And I know that makes it worse. And I know I look horrible picking at my head in meetings, and getting blood on my fingers (and in my hair). My wife tells me to stop it. My colleagues tell me to stop it. I desperately want to stop. BUT I CAN'T.

And I have no idea why I chose to share this gross story as the lead-in for my surprise deep reading of the day.

Why We Don’t Need to Try So Hard to Be Better https://t.co/RnUtxWyaAw #Success via @tinybuddha pic.twitter.com/yzWa3Nw9kg

— Brett Blair (@CoachBrettBlair) May 2, 2016

I follow life coach Brett Blair on Twitter, and he's one of those guys who posts 10-15 links a day, and they're usually pretty good, but a bit much to take. For some reason I clicked on this tweet above, and it took me to a site called Little Buddha. Now, I'm enlightened enough to know that I can find truth from multiple sources. Some of my Christian friends might be confused by me sharing this post as my #ScriptureSunday post. And I'll admit, it's a stretch. But...my former pastor (and friend) Matt Hammett said it all the time: "All truth is God's truth." And I'm sure he quoted his source for that thought (R.C. Sproul, Aquinas, Augustine...God?). In any event, while I'm offput by a little Buddha, I found the truth in the post to be SO. SPOT. ON. Stuff that I'm going to have to re-read and chew on! Here's the link:

Why We Don’t Need to Try So Hard to Be Better - By Meredith Walters

Here are the main points:

1. The insight, answers, and wisdom we need are always within us and emerge in their own time.

2. When we miss a lesson, we’ll get new opportunities to learn it until we get it.

3. Our pain won’t let us stay off course for long.

All this striving and comparing is the mud that gums up the works of my self-healing process. That’s why it sometimes takes so long to work: I get in the way.

But if I can impose on your time (I mean, you came all the way here...keep going!)...click the link. Read the whole article. Then give yourself a break. RELAX.