Cain's Corner

"We Are" Recently, I had the honor to receive an advance copy of "They Call Me Mr. De: The Story of Columbine's Resilience and Recovery."   I cannot recommend this book enough. It's a transformative must read for every educator and parent. The book filled me with hope, wisdom and inspiration. There were several times throughout the book I was moved to tears. Throughout, I reflected deeply on who I am as a husband, a father, a man, and a leader. This book is one that's personal for me.  We are a Columbine Rebel Family. My oldest child will graduate from Columbine High School in May. We have three other kiddos that will graduate as Columbine Rebels. My wife and I -- we wouldn't want our children to attend school anywhere else. We live in a community that's strong, welcoming, united, kind, and caring. Often you hear that sports teams take on the personality of the head coach. I've heard it said that schools as well take on the personali...

Resolutions or Revolutions?  Resolution (noun): A firm decision to do or not do something. Revolution (noun): A dramatic and wide-reaching change in the way something works or is organized or in people's ideas about it.   It is that time of year where people begin to think about New Year's Resolution's. Every new year, 92% of adults create new goals and resolutions only to experience frustration, false starts and failures. In fact 50% of resolution makers will fail by the end of January. Losing weight, exercising or getting finances in order are among the most common resolutions people make. Yet, year after year the same resolutions continue to produce the same non-existent results.  Now, think for a moment about your school. Where have you seen goals and resolutions mirror the success rate of new years resolutions? Was it that new "program" that was going to be a "game-changer?" Perhaps it was that new learning from the summer con...

TEAM Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. Good morning. It's been a while since my last blog entry. All of my writing this summer has been dedicated to the two graduate courses I took this summer on Multicultural Issues and leading for the Transformation of Student Task systemically at the school level. TEAM is a word that's been on my mind lately and I wanted to spend some time this morning sharing my thoughts around it.  As schools return for the 2018-19 school year we all have dreams. Those dreams, hopes, and aspirations innately are connected to your North Star (vision/purpose) that drives your organization. A question often asked is how? How is the vision achieved? What is the path to get there? No successful organization, particularly within the Education setting, ever fulfilled a vision due to the work of one person. One is to small a number to achieve greatness. That is such an important truth ...

Trust  Mr. Webster's definition of "Trust" -  1. a: assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something. b: one in which confidence is placed 2. a: dependence on something future or contingent. b: reliance on future payment for property (such as merchandise) delivered Most school culture surveys include a question or questions about trust. Trust is the foundation of leadership. The foundation of any relationship is trust. Any healthy organization or relationship must be built on trust. Developing trust is like constructing a house. It takes time, and it must be done piece by piece. As with a building, it's much easier to tear down trust than it is to build it up.  School improvement begins by creating relationships. These relationships help us determine what is relevant to the learner. Relevance helps us achieve academic rigor with our learners.  Megan Tschannen-Moran (2014, pp., ix-x) said "there is...

Professional Learning for Personal Development             Recently I finished reading "4 O'Clock Faculty" by Rich Czyz . I highly recommend the book as it provides ways to make professional learning meaningful, engaging, and personally relevant. If we want to change the way students learn, we must change the way adults learn.  Effective  school leaders understand the needs of their teachers as learners. For me, a starting point in differentiated professional development and understanding the needs of teachers draws from Michael Huberman’s “The Lives of Teachers”. Relying on concepts of developmental psychology, Huberman (1993) indicated that teachers travel through several different stages. Career Stages and Development Needs Stage Name Years in Field (approximation) Developmental Theory and Needs 1 Preservice 0 Training and preparing for the profession. 2 Induction...