Compliment - Compete

Today I am attending my first EdCamp. I have to admit I was hesitant about attending but a friend was so kind to sign me up! So here I am at the halfway point of my day and I have already learned something that I feel will change me as a leader and person for the better.  The opening keynote was delivered by the amazing Lavonna Roth. If you have not had a chance to hear her message please follow her on twitter @LaVonnaRoth. She spoke to us about the importance of Igniting our S.H.I.N.E. and how we use our S.H.I.N.E. to make our world better. (http://www.igniteyourshine.com/) She went on to talk about Complimenting vs. Competing. THIS really caught my attention and I felt like she was speaking directly to me with notion of complimenting those for their strengths/successes rather than feeling like I have to compete to be "better than" that person. This is a quality  I have gotten better at this over the years, but I still have my moments, that due to my own insecurities, I find myself going below the line. Moments where I am envious of others for successes, rather than showing gratitude and learning/growing from their successes.

This discussion took me back to the work of Steve Farber and the GTY project (Greater than Yourself). http://www.stevefarber.com/blog/2010/04/21/6-steps-to-greater-than-yourself/
As a result of today, I have recommitted to my GTY project in hopes to change my mindset when those moments of "competing" come to mind. I am hopeful that this is the "right" next step in my journey of professional and personal growth.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm still very competitive and always will be. I strive to get better each day, to push myself to #BeELITE in all I do.  However, I hope to strike a better balance in certain situations. To better balance my personal drive to improve over the feeling of having to compete to validate that  "I'm good enough". My ultimate leadership goal is to help others be more successful than they thought they could be.  I feel that the majority of the time I am a servant leader. My actions are humble and servant-oriented. I care for others, I want what is best for others. I believe that if you would ask those that I have had the honor to work with and for, they would say I approach leadership from that servant vantage point. However, this blog is about me doing deep soul searching and being painfully honest about one area of weakness that rears its head at times.

Im not sure if this all makes sense. I also am showing a lot of vulnerability in this post, but I feel for my own growth it was necessary to write it down. I challenge each of you to be reflective and honest with yourself.  Embrace productive discomfort and push yourself to find someone to make your GTY project and use your S.H.I.N.E. to make that person and the world a better place. Thanks LaVonna for your powerful message!

#BeELITE

Shadow a Student Challenge 2016

Ensuring that students have a fun, safe and fulfilling experience each day at THE Heritage is my top priority. I constantly seek input from students on an informal basis about their experience. I ask them to offer suggestions they might have on how we can make our school a better place for all students.
Today, I took a leap back, way way back to 1985 and 7th grade. My how things have changed from 1985. I accepted the #shadowastudent challenge and immersed myself in the life of a 7th grade student. http://shadowastudent.org/

My day began at 5am as my alarm clock went off my first thought was worrying about what to wear? What clothes would make me look like a “typical” 7th grade student? I played it safe and went with jeans and a “hoodie”, hood down of course…hoods are not allowed in school (smile). On my way to school, I felt myself getting a bit nervous. The kind of nervous you get on your “first day of school”. Worrying about where I would sit, would I know how to answer a question when asked by the teacher?

So with my backpack filled with my laptop, kind bar and water bottle I headed to my first period class, Algebra. I was so relieved to see my friend “Daubs” in my first period class. As you know having at least one friend in your class is a huge factor in the amount of “fun” you have in class. I took my seat, as I began my day in Ms. Litt's Algebra Class...to say I was anxious was an understatement. Math was never a strong content area for me as a student in school.  I felt myself hoping that I would not be called on...not only has it been years that I have had to sit in the "student" seat in a math class, but seeing students work on the iPads, the level of engagement and the level of instruction was nothing compared to what I experienced in 1985....

Then the moment that I had dreaded happened! Ms. Litt called on me to answer a question. I felt my heart begin to race, I felt all eyes turn and stare at me, I took at deep breath and said hesitantly….3? Ms. Litt quickly said…correct! Very good Ms. Sayre! Thanks Ms. Litt for giving me an easy one!
The bell rang to head to 2nd period. So with my shadow student, Jake we headed to concert band maybe its not too late to discover a hidden talent of music! As we enter the band room, Mr. Burke greeted us and showed me to my seat. “First chair” well next to Jake who had the actual “first chair”. We had a few minutes of down time at end of band. Jake and I gathered around a few other friends to catch up on spring break trips, rubrics cubes, NCAA tourney and discuss my apple watch.

The bell rang and we were off to 3rd period class, Advanced Science 7. Jake and I chatted on our way to class. He shared how he has found the least crowded path to each of his classes to ensure he is on time for each class. Jake reassured me that 3 minutes is plenty of time to get from class to class.

As we entered the science room students quickly grabbed their iPads and began a lab. Wait, a lab? On the iPad? What happened to beakers, Petri dishes, bubbling water, steam? What is a Gizmo? I quickly found that this is a “new” way a “cool” way to experience components of science. Students can move and manipulate the "sun" angles and see how many rays pass through based on the tilt of the earth. I hear student’s conversations of "that was kind of cool" with lots of laughter! That makes me happy.

It’s 10:15am and we are off to Social Studies 4th period where we discussed the primary elections, delegates and China. Finally, its 11:00am, time for lunch. After quickly eating lunch in 30 minutes we were off to 6th period and Language Arts.

I enjoyed this class as we got to pick our favorite book we have read all year and make a pic collage of why we would recommend this book. We then did a “gallery walk” to learn about each other’s recommendations. I liked moving around, it is hard to sit still for 48 minutes.

Next, Jake and I had to hustle. We had to catch the bus to the ILC (Innovative Learning Center) for our 6/7 period class. Riding a school bus to a different building in middle school for class….I didn’t do that in 1985. We entered the ILC and our teachers greeted us. First a stop at the snack shop for a Gatorade. Yes a snack shop….We began with a quick activity to show our support for those impacted by the tragedy in Belgium, we then moved into watching a Ted Talk “What Adults Can Learn From Kids” http://www.ted.com/talks/adora_svitak

The last activity was for us (students) to share out what we did on spring break. However we could not use words. We were given time practice. Freedom to go in small groups; to be creative on how we would communicate our spring break activities through actions/facial expressions and not words.

So what did I learn from today…

1. Sitting for 50 minutes is hard
2. I am so impressed with the level of talent, respect and focus of our kids.
3. I am not used to a bell driving my daily schedule
4. I need a snack around 9:30am 
5. MS students LOVE to share stories and maybe add a few exaggerations ☺
6. MS students and adults need movement, freedom and choice in learning.
7. Lunch is very important social time and the ONLY down time in the day.
8. School needs to look different, structured different. We need to move, trust and give students more freedom in owning their learning
9. Rubrics cubes are still relevant
10. March Madness can unite young and old (well older, not old)
11. We have GREAT kids, ELITE teachers, and EXCEPTIONAL opportunities!
12. I am truly blessed to have to opportunity to serve our school community each day. I am thankful for our positive school culture and our continued Passion for Growth in all we do. 

So now what? We continue our Journey to ELITE! We continue to seek ways to learn from each other and change the way we “do” school to ensure our kids our Ready for Tomorrow! Thank you to our school community for supporting my shadow day. A very special "thank you" to Jake for allowing me to enter his world and for being so kind throughout the day.

BE ELITE!

Journey to Elite

JOURNEY TO ELITE

Coming back from Winter Break can be tough. It is dreary, cold and gray. But inside the walls of THE Heritage we are energized as we begin our Journey to ELITE! Journey to ELITE instruction and an ELITE culture. We believe we are good. At times we may be great but so are many schools. We want to be different; we want to push ourselves to be uncommon. We want to be ELITE.

Our school district has partnered with the leadership firm Focus 3 on developing a system to create a culture that embodies a Passion for Growth, embraces the Power of the Team and requires us all to Stand Up and Own It. At THE Heritage we are ALL IN. This is not something you "buy into" rather it is something you "believe in." Tim Kight (founder of Focus3) often says, "If its not happening in you, it will never happen through you.

So how do we get there? How do we go from good/great to ELITE? With the help of Focus3, we believe we have a system, pathway and detailed plan to begin our journey. We believe we get there by being intentional, on-purpose and skillful in all we do. We believe we get there by practicing the skills it takes to be ELITE and embracing productive discomfort as we push ourselves beyond what we thought possible from our team and ourselves.

In Urban Meyer's book, Above the Line he states: "Belief is not simply about individual performance. It is an essential element of exceptional team performance. “Shared belief” empowers a team to operate at full capacity."

At THE Heritage, we believe in this vision of Journey to ELITE, we believe in our system, pathway and plan to become ELITE. We know it will take many "reps" and practice to develop skills to consistently respond Above the Line. We know that E (Events) + R (Response) = O (Outcome) so we will put in the work necessary to make "pressing pause" a habit, along with the remaining 5 R-Factor disciplines.

During the remaining months of the school year we will work as a team and as individuals to make the necessary changes to move toward being ELITE. We will hold each other accountable, support one another and push to be uncommon in all we do. To be the exception, not the rule…to be ELITE. This journey is personal and it is just that a journey. We will have set backs along the way and in those moments we will show relentless effort to get back on our planned pathway. It's going to be tough, but as the saying goes..."if it were easy everyone would do it..." Here's to the journey ahead!

“Toughness starts with your 20 sq. ft ...  Embrace the productive discomfort it takes to be Elite.” 

·      To find out more about R Factor and Focus3 please visit: http://www.focus3organizationalculture.com/about-us/tim-kight/

·      To find out more about the Hilliard City Schools “Values, Behavior, Outcome” blueprint please visit: http://www.hilliardschools.org/the-power-of-culture-at-hilliard-city-schools/

Give Back

  

As we close out the first semester I want to say "thank you" for all the generosity shown throughout this holiday season. As we reflect back it has been amazing to see our students, staff and families come together on so many occasions to demonstrate true Panther PRIDE and give back. 

Below are just a few examples of what we have accomplished so far together:

·      Halloween Costume Day (sponsored by Builders Club - Mrs. Garnett and Mrs. Nees) - Raised $200 for Unicef

·      Halloween Haunted Hayrides (sponsored by Mr. Gingerich and Mr. Byerly) - Raised $400 for American Cancer Society

·      Mrs. Roderick's Class making blankets for those in need. 

·      Novembeard Challenge - (sponsored by Daubs and the men of THE Heritage) - Raised $250 for students and families in need.

·      Thanksgiving Food Drive - Together we collected enough food to feed 110 Hilliard families for Thanksgiving. (the most collected out of all the schools in Hilliard)

·      Art Mosaic Community Project (Mrs. Boza and Mrs. Schaeffer)

·      Operation Winter Warmth - Collected over 1000 items (sponsored by FCA - Mrs. Dahs, Mr. Gingerich and Mr. Byerly). We were able to donate to 3 shelters throughout the Columbus area.

·      Staff vs. Student Basketball Game - Money collected goes toward the Heritage Faculty Scholarship Fund. (We give a $1000 scholarship each year to graduating Darby Senior/Heritage Alum). 

As a building we strive to pursue excellence in all we do. We believe our academic opportunities are exceptional. However, it is more than academics. As a school staff we want to instill a sense of growth, passion and purpose in each of our students. We are so proud of our school community as they continue to "step up" and give back to others in the community. We talk to our students about the importance of "starting a legacy, making the world a better place because we were here and being a good teammate". I can tell you without hesitation that this school, our Hilliard community and society is better because of our students. 

Please enjoy this video (created by Mr. Eric Gingerich) highlighting Operation Winter Warmth. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nn495Oxr_H8

Thank you for partnering with us to make school a fun and welcoming place to learn and grow. I wish each of you a safe and happy winter break. I cannot wait to see what the second semester and 2016 brings for our school community. Together we will change the world!​

Culture Builder/Culture Protector

This summer I spent a lot of time reading, reflecting and trying to find my "purpose." It was quite a process, as it required me to really go beyond "surface" answers such as to be the best principal or best person I can be each day. I believe I am still reflecting today on this question, but I do believe I now know my true purpose. My true purpose is to be a culture builder and culture protector....let me explain. 

I firmly believe culture matters. Culture can inspire. Culture can promote kindness. Culture can change lives for the better. As a staff at THE Heritage Middle School, we spent time at our summer retreat talking about what matters to us as a school staff. It boiled down to 3 things.... Passion, Purpose and Partnerships. If we can share our passion for kids each day, if we can LIVE our purpose out each day in the classroom and if we can develop positive and meaningful partnerships with our school community, our kids will experience growth and success in all they do. 

At the beginning of each school year, as most schools do, we have class meetings. However, our class meetings do not center on what kids, "can and can not do"; We do not go over the "rules" rather we spend time talking about what it means to be a student at THE Heritage. We believe it is a tremendous privilege to be a part of this school. We share with the students that we have one "rule." When that one rule is followed not only will you have a great year, but you will leave THE Heritage better than you found it. That one rule comes from a book I read a few years ago from Duke University Men’s Basketball Coach K in his book Leading with Heart. It states, “Don't do anything that is detrimental to yourself, because if it's detrimental to you it is detrimental to our team." Now as you can imagine we had to explain this a bit further to our middle schoolers. We did this by talking about daily actions and behaviors. We do this through our PRIDE acronym (P-Perseverance, R-Respect, I- Integrity, D- Dependability, Enthusiasm), our Start a Legacy theme, our "21 Ways to be a Great Teammate" (Jon Gordon), and our work on a growth mindset. 

As we were sharing our passions and our beliefs with the students, a good friend and colleague stopped in and listened to our discussion. After the meeting was over, he approached me and said, "Would you consider yourself a culture builder or culture protector?" I paused and said, "Can I say both?"  It was at that moment that my summer reflections and my search for my true purpose were revealed so clearly. So thank you, Brian Lidle for helping me identify my true purpose. 

Culture is never accomplished, that is why I responded the way I did to Brian. I firmly believe it is a relentless pursuit to leave the world better than you found it. Recently we had the great fortune of working with two amazing people to continue our journey toward a growth mindset. Mark Tremayne and Sharon Esswein are two of the most genuine people I have ever known. They LIVE with purpose and passion. They spent 2 days working with our students on the power of the growth mindset. They shared that if students and adults will embrace this notion of a growth mindset, we can change the world. I believe that. We at THE Heritage MS believe that. Our passion and purpose, in the words of Will Smith are, "We want to do good. We want the world to be better because we were in it!" We want our students to know, these messages are not about school and they are not about sports. Rather, these messages are about life! If we can instill these values into our students, there is nothing they can't accomplish. We WILL change the world - TOGETHER. 

References:

Leading with Heart - http://www.amazon.com/Leading-Heart-Successful-Strategies-Basketball/dp/0446676780

Growth Mindset – Carol Dweck - http://www.mindsetonline.com/

Jon Gordon - http://hardhat21.com/

Will Smith – http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=will+smith+growth+mindset+clip+youtube&FORM=VIRE8 - view=detail&mid=18F1FACE7F1E9AB44FB318F1FACE7F1E9AB44FB3

One Word 2015

I'm not much of a writer and certainly never considered myself a "blogger". I mean, what do I have to say that is any different from the thousands that have already written about education, #oneword or the countless other topics being posted? I have pondered this for almost a year and I still do not have an answer, yet here I am "blogging" for the first time. I guess for me, this is about accomplishing my goal of attempting to write.  It’s about taking a risk and pushing myself beyond my comfort zone. So for those that so kindly are reading this, I hope you find pleasure in my simple and honest approach to writing.

Over winter break I was scrolling through my twitter feed and viewing all the posts about the hopes, goals and promises for the upcoming year of 2015. So much is invested in reinventing, rediscovering or renewing commitments to become better as individuals. One "tweet" caught my attention and kept my attention. It was challenging people to throw away the notion of "resolutions" and instead choose #oneword. As I learned more about this challenge, I quickly began to reflect on what my #oneword would be. What #oneword would represent all that I hope for in 2015? What #oneword would capture my reflections from 2014 and inspire me in 2015? After careful consideration I landed on my #oneword for 2015: FAITH. I chose this word as I felt it represented my commitment to myself for the upcoming year. Many hear this word and they automatically think "religion". Although I do believe in a higher power and I do desire to strengthen my faith in terms of my religious beliefs, religion was not the driving force behind my word choice. A quote I saw from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. truly confirmed "faith" would be my #oneword for 2015. It read, "Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." This resonated with me in terms of my personal faith and my work as an educational leader. We so often have to take risks. We must also encourage others to take those risks with us and without trust and "faith" in one another, nothing changes; nothing gets accomplished. One more quote that I came across states, "Let your faith be stronger than your fears.” So many times we do not attempt, do not take that first step because of fear. Taking the first step, having the faith to overcome fears is vital to achieving our goals and pursuing our dreams.

Now many that know me are probably chuckling as they read this blog post. That is fine. This is a little sentimental for DSayre (as I am known by my close friends), but I truly feel that my lack of faith in the past few years has at times held me back from taking risks, trying new things and most importantly, being the best "me" that I can be. I hope that I can inspire others to find their #oneword and commit to being their best during 2015. Stronger Together, DSayre