Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort. ~Paul J. Meyer I have an uncle who is a carpenter, and he has a saying that he uses often:…

I invite everyone to choose forgiveness rather than division, teamwork over personal ambition. ~Jean-Francois Cope It has been said that truly great school districts are lead by great governance teams.  A governance team for a school district is made up…

Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible. ~Tony Robbins At last week’s Board of Education meeting, the Board approved our 2015-16 District Goals. These goals were created using the SMART goals model.  This model…

Perspective is the most important thing to have in life. ~Lauren Graham We live in an information-rich, data-driven age.  The use of data has seeped into everything we do.  If we think about it, there are very few decisions we…

Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy and mutual valuing. ~Rollo May It is my belief that the best way to educate a child is with a strong home/school partnership.  I also believe that sound, honest, and frequent…

The best teachers teach from the heart, not from the book. ~Author Unknown Often I have parents and students ask me what happens during a teacher institute day.  When I was a teacher, I had a fifth grade student who…

Even though the future seems far away, it is actually beginning right now. ~Mattie Stepanek Last night I had the pleasure of welcoming our new elementary school families.  While we have new students in all grade levels, the bulk of…

Remember that children, marriages, and flower gardens reflect the kind of care they get. ~H. Jackson Brown, Jr. In Pleasantdale, we are working hard to take a great organization and make it better.  There are several ways in which we…

Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning. ~Benjamin Franklin There have been volumes written on organizational change. Effective change energizes an organization and creates conditions where people can do their best work.…

The things that have been most valuable to me I did not learn in school. ~Will Smith This week I saw a truly amazing thing that I have been reflecting on quite a bit.  Our eighth grade teams organized a…