The last couple of days, I’ve been tracking the traffic on this blog and saw nothing but zeroes. I was a bit concerned since I had emailed the staff toward the end of last week to let them know that the blog had changed and to give me some thoughts on the new format as well as possible name changes.
Had they decided not to look at it? Was I not writing anything worthwhile? I thought after mentioning it that at least a couple of people would look at it. But Nothing! Zero! Zilch! Nada!
Then I had my wife and our secretary tell me that they went on to look and I finally figured it out – in the format change, the tracking code hadn’t changed over. Apparently I had overlooked the details. In this case, it was the details of the event that had changed my perception of reality. I was thinking that no one was reading, when in reality there were probably several. Finding the details in the complex or the mundane causes us to look more closely at all parts of a situation and determine appropriate action.
Yesterday I wrote about deciding on what you want, writing it down and reading it every day – more than once preferably. This relates to details in that the more specific a goal or thought is, the better chance of accomplishing that goal. For instance, a school or district may decide that it wants to improve reading scores. A great idea, right? Not so much, only because it is not specific enough. There is not a clear picture for people to visualize success. Now if the same school were to say that students were going to improve by 10 points on a reading assessment, then people know exactly what the goal is and can generate feedback on their progress.
This holds true for individuals as well. Students may determine that they want to get an A in a class or have a 4.0 GPA. Teachers may decide they want everyone in their class to score above an 85 on the end of year exam. Individuals may decide to start an exercise or diet program and say they want to lose 20 pounds by a certain date. All these provide a concrete goal toward which to strive, provide a benchmark on which to gather data, and allow feedback on progress. So remember, success lies in the details. Have you written down what you want yet?
3 comments:
I read your blog every day, because I am concerned about the quality of education my children are receiving at PCSD#2. But, when I read these blogs I feel, at times, you are more concerned about what people think of you than they do of the quality of education that their children are receiving. If that is the case, then things need to change. The Staff, administration and board are put in place to give my child the finest education available to them, and if any of these people are not willing to carry out that duty, then perhaps it is best for them to step aside and put a person in place who is willing to do so. I can think of a couple of areas that need change immediately. Let's all think of the needs of the children first and our own petty,selfish, useless needs second and do what is right for the community as a whole.
Thank you for your comments. I would be interested in talking via phone or email with you about your perception of these posts. I do agree with the statement that the staff and board in schools are there to help each child realize his or her best.
Change is not always quick, nor are the developing foundations for creating that change readily apparent. I think the greatest change comes from developing the relationships with people and having the conversations that move them in a different direction.
I started this blog as a means to communicate with a variety of people and to provide a forum for dialogue. I feel the only way we can improve is through open communication. I try to find thoughts and insights that may be useful and/or interesting to a wide variety of people.
Dave, You're right. I didn't realize the blog had changed and looked at the old one. Now I'm taking a bit of time to read through this. I think that most of the staff don't find time during the day to look at blogs especially daily and when they do, will often talk to you when they see you instead of blogging. It seems like a good way for everyone to communicate if they want to do so, and I do think that any attempts to communicate are worth it.
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