Get Organized!

Get Organized! Time Management for School Leaders is a new book by a friend of mine, Dr. Frank Buck.  Dr. Buck, a central office administrator for the Talladega City Schools, has become an expert in the area of time management and organizational systems.  While many books can be found on these subjects, most are not geared toward educators, and none (most likely) contain this type of detail.

If you are interested in removing a great deal of the stress that clutters your life, this book is a must.  You can obtain a copy here.

While you're at it, check out Frank's blog, full of helpful hints for those of us in the educational field.

Great SMART Board Site!

Here is a great blog that focuses on the use of SMART Boards in the classroom. I plan to check it out often!

SMART Board Technology

One of the most exciting things to come along in the field of education recently is interactive whiteboards, or SMART Boards. We have recently purchased two of these for our middle school, and the possibilities for enhanced classroom instruction seem endless.

Each of our classrooms is already equipped with a computer projector, allowing teachers to use Power Point and the Internet as a part of their daily lessons. Now, with the advent of SMART Board technology, teachers and students will be able to interact with the board, in front of the class, in much the same way one would use a computer. In fact, a SMART Board works when the computer is connected to it, thus, it becomes an extension of the computer.

The next several posts on this blog will be devoted to SMART Boards and their potential for reaching the very large pool of visual learners that we deal with on a daily basis. We welcome your comments and suggestions for innovative use of this cutting-edge educational tool.

Let the Journey Begin

With the middle of August comes the beginning of another school year, and we as educators find ourselves refreshed, renewed, and looking forward to our "best year yet." Through all the hustle and bustle of preparing bulletin boards, planning lessons, and keeping track of the myriad of "start-up" paperwork; we might forget to take care of ourselves.

Recently, our school system provided teachers of our elementary and middle school campuses with a retreat led by Dr. Buddy Ceasar from Southeastern Louisiana University in Alexandria, Louisiana. To be sure, many teachers were initially miffed at the idea of sitting through six hours of "eduspeak." However, as Dr. Ceasar began his presentation, it became readily apparent that we needed what the good doctor was prescribing -- namely that we pause, take a deep breath, and allow ourselves to reflect and prepare spiritually before those students arrive.

Ours is a Catholic school, so the general idea presented to us was spiritual in the religious sense. However, people of different faiths or no particular faith may want to consider the ideas that we came to embrace .

What follows in this, the first post of my latest blog, is a basic summary of Dr. Ceasar's presentation. It is my hope that these "nuggets of wisdom" will remind you to take care of yourself this year, and help you prepare for your best year yet!

Issues Related to Our Journey

- A value orientation based on higher/lasting values: sense of interconnectedness with others and the universe.

- Awareness and appreciation of the source of all life - a higher being or reality.

- Having a faith/hope beyond the limitations of life and life experiences -- a simplicity in life; awe; wonder; an awareness of time as "kairos" (quality, God's time), not merely "kronos" (quantity, measured time, chronology).

- Knowledge of and appreciation of self. Awareness of and acceptance of where we are in our growth process.

- Articulating a focus in life (life's meaning). Commitment; decision.

- Openness/approach toward the challenges, transitions in life (both internal development and external events).

- Living with an emphasis on the present. View of the past (letting go of guilt, regrets) or the future (anxiety, fear).

- Having a way of dealing with our humanity/limitations.

- A healthy appreciation of genuine authority which can provide direction and order.

- Having others in our life in a healthy interdependent relationship. A bonding sense of community.

- Having a level of tolerance, understanding, acceptance of those different from ourselves.

- Awareness of life as a gift. A sense of thanksgiving

Have a wonderful school year!