Happy Birthday to the Blog

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That’s right LYS Nation, our daily conversation is fouryears old today. It alternately feels like we just started this yesterday andthat we have been doing this forever. I have to admit when I started writingfour years ago I had no expectations and no idea where this would take us. Mybiggest fear was that I would have writer's block after the first two weeks.Fortunately, the blog struck a cord with you (the reader and practitioner) andthe LYS Nation was born. Writer’s block has yet to be an issue because the LYSNation quickly stepped up and took over the topics of discussion. And as Iregularly remind you, it is much easier and rewarding to participate in adialogue than support a never-ending monologue.I thought it would be fun to re-visit the first post Iwrote for the blog, and yes, exactly four years later, I’m dashing this offright before I hit the road to visit another school.Thank you for another great year and who knows where we’llgo in the upcoming year.Getting Started: An Introduction (February 2009)Here I am sitting in anotherairport terminal at 6:00 in the morning. I wish I could say that this isunusual, but it’s not. I’m now a school road warrior. For the past 5 (now 9)years I have lived on the road, 3, 4 and too often 5 nights a week. Going whereschools and principals have needs and problems that they need help with.There are some perks. Becauseof the travel points I’m a Hilton Diamond member and a Continental (now United)Elite member. This means on a big jet and in a big city, I get upgraded. Thathappens a couple a times a month, but most of the time I’m on a small planegoing to a small town. I also get a lot of free Southwest Airline tickets. “Congratulations,you fly a lot, do you want to fly some more?”I’m not complaining. I’m justmaking the case that I have seen a lot, worked with a lot of principals andschools, and have fixed a lot of problems. All of that to say, that what I’veseen, what I’ve learned, and what I do may be useful out there.I have observed that schoolleaders for the most part live on islands. Islands that have been built byisolation, misinformation, wishful thinking and/or petty jealousies. Hopefully,I can help get some of you off the island, or at least make the island morehospitable.So here’s what I’m going todo. I’m going to write about school leadership and school operations. The focuswill mostly be on improvement and what works. But I’ll also write about thetools that I find useful, books that I have read, conversations that I have hadand respond to your comments. Who knows where this will go? I just hope thatevery once in a while, you’ll find something that is useful to you, your schooland/or your staff.Time to board now, off toanother city and another school.
Think. Work. Achieve.Your turn...

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