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Behind the Curtain: When Words and Actions Don’t Align

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Behind the Curtain: When Words and Actions Don’t Align In “The Wizard of Oz” there’s a moment that hits like a freight train: Dorothy and her ragtag crew finally confront the “great and powerful” Wizard, only to discover he’s not what he seems. Behind the curtain isn’t a towering, magical figure—it’s just a guy, sweating bullets, pulling levers, and faking it with smoke and mirrors. His big, booming words promised one thing, but the reality behind the curtain told a different story. Sound familiar? It’s a perfect analogy for what happens when someone’s words and actions don’t line up. We’ve all seen it—a leader who preaches “integrity” but cuts corners, a friend who swears they’ve got your back but vanishes when it counts, or a coach selling the “good culture” of their program to student-athletes and families when in reality their culture is toxic. It’s the curtain trick: a polished front of bold claims and shiny promises, hiding a weaker, messier truth. And just like in Oz, once you s...
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Let Go Of Past Success

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There is a line in an old Geto Boys song that said “what you done did in the past don’t excite me.” Reflect on that line from the late Bushwick Bill. Look deeply at whatever it is you do in life professionally. Are you resting on your laurels? Are you hanging your hat on past glory and accomplishments? Are you still operating and leading like you did a year ago? Five years ago? Ten? Twenty? The phrase “That’s the way we’ve always done it” will not serve you well in the COVID-19 world. Amir Thompson, better known to us as Questlove wrote recently on his Instagram Page “You CAN’T conduct Pre-Covid business model in a Post-Covid times.” This is so true - especially as it relates to Education. Too often, especially in education, continuing to do what always has been done produces what typically is produced. The world in itself is full of average. On the mountain of average, people don’t want to accept or even share risk. They want to be protected from it. On this mountain resides...
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Reimaging Schools

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My father passed away on May 26th of last year.....and here we are....almost a year to the day later.....nobody could have predicted the world as it is today a year ago. We are experiencing a once-in-a-100 year pandemic that has impacted nearly every aspect of our day to day life. The traditional dine-in Friday fish fry's I enjoyed growing up are now take-out only or being served perhaps by a food truck. Trips to the cinema to enjoy the latest blockbuster release have been replaced by binge watching "Tiger King" or enjoying the last five Sunday's of "The Last Dance" on ESPN.  The world around us is changing. We have adjusted and adapted personally and professionally. As Axl Rose once sang, “Where do we go now?”  Education changed in Mid-March. Teachers across the country successfully transitioned to remote learning with the grace of Barry Sanders, cutting on a dime within days to support students. I commend every educator in the country for t...
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Managing Your Internal Inbox

One year.....a lot can change in one year.......the last time I wrote anything on this blog was EXACTLY one year ago, TODAY. Before I even write anything more I want to give thanks. To every educator across the country pouring your heart and soul into your students - THANK YOU. You are always going to remember this group of students. Five, ten years years from now as your students look back on this experience - they may or may not remember a remote learning assignment. They are absolutely going to remember you - their teacher. They are going to remember how much you cared, they are going to remember the comfort you provided, they will remember the sense of normal you provided during the not normal time, they will remember you brought classmates together - to share the forts they built, their pets, or their experiences at home. Most importantly, they are going to remember you for being there for them. And, you won't ever forget this group of students. As you reflect, you will come...
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We Are

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"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...
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Resolutions or Revolutions?

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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...
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TEAM: Together Everyone Achieves More

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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 ...
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