Educators... the work you do matters!

Today is Labor Day, which signals the unofficial end of summer and the start of fall. As much as I love the summer—the chance to recharge, travel a bit, and spend extra time with family—the fall brings a lot of excitement of its own. The weather is turning cooler, football season is here, and school is back in session. For some districts, students have been in class for almost three weeks (including my district, Yadkin County Schools), while some educators just welcomed their students back last week. Either way, when Labor Day arrives, every school in North Carolina is back in session and the summer has “unofficially” come to a close. And that is why I am wrapping up this year’s edition of the NC Ed Leaders Summer Blog Series by publishing the final post of the season on Labor Day.

I had the honor of speaking at our annual Yadkin County Schools Convocation to kick off our school year in early August. This event is attended by the teachers and staff in our district, so I wanted to use this opportunity to thank the educators in Yadkin County for the work they do day in and day out for our students and our community. Below is the transcript from my speech (the names of some students have been changed when necessary to protect their privacy). I am sharing it today as a reminder to ALL educators about how important public education is for our state and our country. With the school year getting underway, this post felt like an appropriate way to close up our Summer Blog Series. I hope you enjoy it and I look forward to bringing back our NC Ed Leaders Summer Blog Series next June. Have a great school year everyone!

Good morning everyone, my name is Boomer Kennedy and I am the principal here at Forbush High School. I am honored to have the opportunity to speak to all of you this morning. My staff will tell you that I like to talk… so I have been warned by several of them to keep my remarks brief! So I will try to do that, but this beginning of the year Convocation is a celebration for our district, so I want to use my time this morning to do just that, to celebrate the awesome educators here in Yadkin County.

It seems like more and more often we hear from politicians and from “experts” about how public education is failing; about how the public education system needs to be completely overhauled because it just “isn’t working.” You’ve heard what those “experts” say, right? Those experts—who haven’t spent a day in a classroom or in a school building—but they have all the answers for why public education is “broken.”

I am here to tell you—no, I’m here to remind you—that public education is not broken. Public education is strong—in Yadkin County, in North Carolina, across the country and the world. Graduation rates are at their highest, literacy rates continue to go up, the job force is strong, college-going rates are up. Why are all those things happening? Because our K-12 public education system is strong and continues to get stronger. Can we grow? Can we improve? Sure, and we will! But make no mistake, public education is anything but broken. Public education continues to be the great equalizer in this country, in our state, and in Yadkin County.

Sometimes I just want to ask some of those “experts,” do you really think public education is broken?

If so, then you should talk to “Haley,” a young girl who enrolled at West Yadkin Elementary last year and who did not speak a word of English. She was nervous, uncomfortable, and she worried about how she would fit in at her new school. But the other students at West Yadkin helped her out tremendously and the fifth grade teachers—Mrs. Watts, Mrs. Hobson, Ms. Cox, and Mrs. McDonald—worked with her every day. By the end of the year not only did Haley love coming to school, she considered West Yadkin to be HER school!

Or let's consider a rising fourth grade student at East Bend Elementary, we'll call him "Big G.” This student had some notable behavior issues going into third grade last year and he had basically given up on himself in many ways. But his teacher, Ms. Pettit, refused to give up on him and continued to fight for him, sometimes even when he did not want her to! In the end, because his teacher and other staff members at East Bend never gave up on him, he had a successful school year, growing academically and gaining a ton of confidence in himself.

Still think public education is broken? Why don't you ask London, or Ethan, or Allison, or Jay-Bez, or Dorothy? Because the teachers at Jonesville Elementary sat down with those students and told them, face-to-face, why those children inspired them and motivated them every day to be their very best. And then, those teachers videotaped those messages and shared them with their school community.

So, you don't think public education is working? Why don't you talk to the staff at the Yadkin Success Academy (our district’s alternative school), who work tirelessly to support the needs of their students. Even if those students have struggled in school or made some poor decisions in their lives, the staff at YSA still pushes them, and cares for them, and helps them get back on track. Last year, three students at YSA earned high school diplomas and another 15 students earned their way back to their regular educational setting, including several who graduated from Forbush and Starmount High Schools. That is another 18 Yadkin County success stories thanks to the hard work of the staff at YSA!

Are you not sure if the work we do every day matters? Let’s check in at Boonville Elementary, where a student named “Carson” perseveres every day through a rare blood disorder that impacts his body and has caused him to have over 100 blood transfusions. However, with the support of his friends and the Boonville staff, he comes to school every day with a positive attitude and he finished first grade last year on grade level. Carson is the definition of determination!

Since we are on the topic of determination and perseverance, let's talk about Julie Dalton, 1st grade teacher at Yadkinville Elementary. Julie overcame an illness that led to her needing a kidney transplant and now she is back for her 22nd year of teaching. It is teachers like her—those who are truly dedicated to our students—who make our district so great!

Still not convinced? Well then you should have been at Starmount High School’s graduation last spring when the entire graduating class and audience gave a very special student with disabilities a standing ovation. This student had major complications at birth, but he was a daily blessing to Starmount High School. He is a top notch kid who tried his best in every class, had great attendance, and always had a smile on his face. What a role model for all of us to follow!

And finally, if we still are not sure if public education is working, maybe we should ask Forbush High School graduates Madison Carter and Navaeh Hemric. Madison and Navaeh were Health Science and HOSA students with Mrs. Adrianna Sloan, and with Mrs. Sloan's guidance and the support of numerous Forbush staff, both of them were accepted into Lenoir-Rhyne's very prestigious and highly competitive RIBN program. And I have to end by telling you about Zach Morris and Zeke Matthews, both of whom are automotive students with Mr. Keith Senter. With the help and support of Mr. Senter and so many others at FHS, Zeke—who is a rising senior—earned a $5,000 scholarship to Lincoln Tech and Zach—who just graduated last May—earned over $30,000 to UTI!

And those are just a few of the numerous examples of success stories here in Yadkin County. I want to thank all of the principals who shared those stories with me and I wish I had time to share more, but let those stories be a reminder to each of us that what we do, day in and day out, really matters. It matters to our kids, it matters to their parents, and it matters to our communities.

The educators in this gym are the heart and soul of public education is this county. The work you do changes lives; the work you do breaks cycles of poverty; the work you do builds communities. Thank you for your passion, for your dedication, and for your commitment. Thank you for all you do and have a GREAT school year!

Boomer Kennedy is the principal of Forbush High School in East Bend, North Carolina. Connect with him on Twitter @BoomerKennedy.

What You See is What You Get: 5 Tips for Becoming a More Purposeful, Illustrative Leader

For many educators across the state of North Carolina (myself included!), the school year has already begun. For others, the first day of school is right around the corner. It is an exciting time for students, parents, and educators! The start of the school year also means that our NC Ed Leaders Blog Series will soon come to a close for the summer, but we are not finished quite yet!

Today's post comes from Jamie Frye (@mrjamesfrye), principal of Claremont Elementary School in Claremont, North Carolina, which is a part of the Catawba County Schools system. Mr. Frye has previous experience as a teacher, district administrator, and assistant principal. He is a North Carolina Teaching Fellow who is currently working on his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy with The University of Kentucky. Jamie completed his undergraduate degree in English Education at Lenoir-Rhyne University and holds graduate degrees from Michigan State University and UNC-Greensboro.

Jamie has been affiliated with and held leadership positions in several professional organizations and conferences, including the North Carolina Technology in Education Society, The Friday Institute for Educational Innovation, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction's Digital Teaching and Learning Division, and the North Carolina Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development. He was also named to ASCD's Emerging Leader class of 2015. Mr. Frye's post below describes the importance of "Illustrative Leadership" and provides great tips of how school and district leaders can transform the culture of their organization.

Great educational leaders are hard to find.

Literally -- not only are elite leaders rare, vibrant, and passionate, they’re hard to find because they don’t frequently darken the doors of their office during school hours.

Though it may seem contrary, exemplary leaders who affect growth and systemic change in learning do not always prioritize the “shallow work” (of e-mails, phone calls, or many meetings) over, as Cal Newport describes it, “deep work.” Good leaders know that the depth of that creative-intensive work is what, as an end result, enacts positive change for students (note: that isn’t to say that checking emails or having meetings are bad -- just that they should take less of your time than actively implementing your creative work).

The best leaders don’t endorse “best” practices, but rather encourage limitless attempts to grow “better” practices instead. Articulating a vision of growth is a skill that is not simply taught, but more effectively modeled -- and modeling takes time. Sometimes, people grow more by observing others’ actions than they do when a plan is explained to them.

How better to lead human beings, who were once also students in the schools we are working to grow, than by modeling your example and expectations experientially? This is something I call Illustrative Leadership. 

The mission of a leader to ensure a sound, basic education -- and to facilitate continuous school and district growth -- is more important now than it ever has been. All of the most important visions, initiatives, and incentives, from personalized learning to STEM education, flourish with time; however, to ensure all teachers, custodians, and support staff can promote the success of our visions of equity in classrooms and beyond, we as leaders must be careful to model our leadership with purpose.

Of course, these truly illustrative leaders are exceedingly few and far between, and the passing of the torch from experienced to lesser-experienced leaders doesn’t always involve discussions of the importance of emotional connections with constituents, nor of how to model “better” (not best) practices. In times when leaders are overtly consumed with ensuring the basic survival of their schools and districts due to budget crises, it’s become simple to lose sight of the importance of modeling/illustrating the pinnacle of purposeful, intentional leadership; that kind of leadership, in the words of Kouzes & Posner, “is an affair of the heart.”

With this in mind, let’s talk five tips for transforming culture and learning by putting Illustrative Leadership into action:

1. Articulate Your Vision

“The capacity to imagine and articulate exciting future possibilities is the defining competence of leaders...keep in mind that your constituents...want to share in that glimpse of the future” (Kouzes & Posner, 2010).

As leaders, our vision is our foundation. Aristotle wrote in Politics that “the law is reason free from passion.” Sometimes, we become so lost in enforcement of law and procedure that we forget that it is our primary job to be proactive evangelists of learning.

By combining reason in decision-making, passion in action, and modeling in servitude, we create a culture of open-door Illustrative Leadership. It is one thing to speak of passion for our work, but to be passionate, articulated with vibrant visibility, is unique. Passion without vibrance is dead -- vibrant visionaries are illustrative leaders who can get others on board, guide a shared mission, and produce large-scale results.

2. Share Your Creative Process
“[M]odeling requires and therefore teaches many imaginative skills” (Root-Bernstein, 1999).

Perhaps one of the most crucial components of modeling through Illustrative Leadership is sharing your creativity and thought process. Sometimes spoken as one of the more difficult to implement of P21’s 4Cs, great leaders employ creativity as they shape learning and culture daily. By sharing our creative process and steps we take to reach an idea -- and how we connect those ideas into long-range plans -- we model for our teachers how to reimagine their own visions for learning. This is yet another piece that distinguishes continuously improving leaders.

To learn more about creative ways to illustrate your creative-intensive deep work, I highly encourage you to visit the Sparks of Creativity wiki, collaboratively constructed by Michigan State University instructors and students.

3. Become Your Vision
“[Leaders] need to be curious and search for a deeper meaning and understanding of what’s going on around [them]” (Kouzes & Posner, 2010).

One of the most incredible principals I’ve ever had the opportunity to see in action transformed the dynamic of an elementary school through her implementation of the Leader in Me program. This visionary woman created a culture that continued well after her departure by modeling her expectations. Mrs. Julia Styers spent three days modeling and coaching teachers in the classrooms each week, in addition to greeting every student as they walked in, helping with routine duties, and ensuring that all students were truly learning. Her two remaining days were dedicated to shallow work, such as e-mails, phone calls, and meetings -- a clear illustration of her prioritizing her vision for facilitating an innovative learning environment. By her example, this “lead learner” created a persistent culture of love and learning that empowered teachers and students alike to become servant leaders and learners. By being a leader who made time and not excuses, she modeled what dedication to Whole Child success looks like -- and her staff and students followed suit.

4. Teach with Your Actions
“...when working at their personal best, leaders transform their followers into leaders” (Kouzes & Posner, 2010).

A great way to strike your vision to the ground as a leader is not to practice what you preach. If your school is focused on the transition to digital learning then your professional development for staff should begin utilizing those tools and mindsets to demonstrate their ideal potential. If I ask a group of teachers to redefine Formative Assessment in their classroom, I’ll lead a meeting with a Kahoot! to assess prior knowledge, thereby illustrating my expectations for those teachers.

Another method of teaching with your actions involves letting others see you at your weaker points. Allowing your co-workers and constituents to see you in times of stress or uncertainty (to an extent) -- and letting them see how you positively react to and handle it -- strengthens your constituency and builds their own problem-solving skill set. These actions don’t always come easily; don’t be afraid to take the unpopular action, even if some political flack comes with it.

5. Embrace Problems and Solve Together
“Love creates the desire to serve others and to see them grow and become their best…[p]eople do their best when there is an opportunity to change how things currently stand...[Good leaders] motivate others to exceed their limits and look for innovative ways to improve the organization.” (Kouzes & Posner, 2010).

The answers to some of your greatest problems can be unveiled in conversations with people who don’t normally have a seat at “the table.” As an illustrative leader, by having collective and inclusive conversations about your vision with everyone who has a stake, your actions can show that you value competency over credential -- and you’ll learn quickly that the stories your custodians and cafeteria workers can share may provide valuable insight into your decision-making process. As one of my greatest mentors, David Stegall, taught me, "everyone deserves a seat at the table."

And, according to Daniel Willingham in Why Don’t Students Like School?, problem-solving is rejuvenating for your staff, too: “[w]hen you solve a problem, your brain may reward itself with a small dose of dopamine” (Willingham, 2009). Problem solving is dope!

You don’t have to tattoo the name of your newest initiative on your forehead, but impactful leaders should walk in a way that puts their beliefs into practice. Picasso said that “[t]o model an object is to possess it.” Combine this with the notion that our perception becomes our reality, and it becomes obvious that Illustrative Leaders who share their vision, model expectations and aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty really can accomplish anything they set their minds to.

How are you working to practice Illustrative Leadership?

Jamie Frye is the principal of Claremont Elementary School in the Catawba County Schools system. You can find him on Twitter @mrjamesfrye.

References:

Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2010). The truth about leadership: The no-fads, heart-of-the-matter facts you need to know. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Mishra, Punya et al. (2014). Sparks of Creativity. East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University.

Newport, C. (2012). Knowledge Workers are Bad at Working (and Here's What to Do About It...). Retrieved December 8, 2015, from http://calnewport.com/blog/2012/11/21/knowledge-workers-are-bad-at-working-and-heres-what-to-do-about-it/

Root-Bernstein, R., & Root-Bernstein, M. (1999). Sparks of genius: The thirteen thinking tools of the world's most creative people. Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin.

UC-Davis. (n.d.). Why EL? Retrieved December 8, 2015, from http://www.experientiallearning.ucdavis.edu/why-el.shtml

Willert, T. (2016, January 7). Midyear budget cuts could force some Oklahoma school districts to close. The Oklahoman.

Navigating Conflict and Managing Relationships in the Workplace

The summer is quickly coming to a close, but we have a few more blog posts in the NC Ed Leaders Summer Blog Series before the school year begins. Today's post comes from Phil Echols, Senior Administrator of Professional Learning in the Wake County Public School System. Mr. Echols works with educators across Wake County, coaching and supporting Professional Learning Teams. He is passionate about collaborative relationship building and teaming, and his post below offers specific advice for teams of educators looking to better manage conflict, have courageous conversations, and build deeper, authentic relationships. Phil was a recipient of the Cary Chamber of Commerce Entrepreneurial Award in Education and is also a member of the ASCD 2018 Emerging Leader cohort. Check out Phil's post below and be sure to follow him on Twitter @PhilEchols.

Since the age of five, I've spent every August in a school building as either a student, teacher, counselor, or professional learning specialist. I used to think that was a bad thing, but I've grown to appreciate it as a part of who I am. Education, relationships, and leadership have been my life's work as well as a part of my identity. My father, a Baptist minister, and my mother, a first-grade teacher, instilled in me the importance of a good education and being a contributing member of society. My deceased mother was a retired elementary educator with 36 years of service. To avoid conflicts in the workplace, I attended every elementary school on the western side of Henry County, Virginia to avoid her school. She wanted it that way. Maybe, I wasn't the most pleasant child to work with. Nonetheless, exposed to a variety of school cultures and populations, I adapted to many different school environments.

As a heterosexual, middle class, African American male, my experiences varied from racism and discrimination to favoritism and admiration. In most cases, I found myself adapting for survival. It wasn't until early adulthood that I fully understood how difficult school survival was and just how critical interpersonal skills and relationship management are. I recognized not only were these things at play for students, but also for adults. Somehow, I thought it would be easier as an adult. But I found the skills needed as students to navigate the "playground" are the same skills needed for teachers to maneuver the workplace.

I often dreamt of writing a book entitled "We Work In a Middle School, We're Not In Middle School." For now, I'll settle with this blog post. The same behaviors we as adults detest in classrooms are the same behaviors we engage in and model in the hallways and staff meetings. Catfighting, backbiting, cliques, and exclusion are alive and well in our adult interactions.

My current role as a Professional Learning Specialist has allowed me to grow in areas I support such as effective learning communities, effective communication, and courageous conversations around race and equity. We must be an example for others and our students. This blog entry is not a "holier than thou" sermon, and I'm not where I ultimately want to be professionally, but thank goodness I'm not where I used to be. Here are a few takeaways from my growth in the areas of navigating conflict, courageous conversations, and keeping the lines of communication open.

Navigating Conflict

Conflict isn't a bad word, and it's necessary for community. Conflict can improve team effectiveness. Imagine a world where we all thought the same thing and had the same preferences. Not only is it boring, but there's no growth in tossing around the same ideas. Conflict is an opportunity for something better to be produced.

In the work of Adaptive Schools by Thinking Collaborative, Cognitive Conflict focuses on substantive, issue-related differences of opinion. Cognitive Conflict can produce increased understanding, better decisions, and an increased level of commitment. Affective Conflict focuses on individuals and is personalized, ultimately resulting in decreased commitment and poorer decisions. The goal is for Conflict to be cognitive.

One way of engaging in Cognitive Conflict, as outlined by the Adaptive Schools Foundations Seminar (2014), is through the use of stems of connection. These stems connect and build on ideas already placed on the table and further engage others to continue participating in the conversation.

Stems of connections:

"Here's a related thought…"

"I hold it another way…"

"Hmmm, from another perspective…"

"An additional idea might be…"

"Taking that one step further…"

Courageous Conversations

In matters of race and equity, the Courageous Conversations Beyond Diversity work developed by Glenn Singleton and the Pacific Educational Group, Inc, outlines the Courageous Conversation Compass with the four quadrants: Thinking, Acting, Feeling, and Believing. When engaging in conversations around race and equity, we must stay centered on the compass. The most productive discussions will come from us, remaining centered. If you know you're in the "Feeling" quadrant, take a break and come back once you've gathered yourself. Most organizations operate on the right side of the compass (Thinking and Acting). If you keep functioning on the right, there's going to be problems. Be mindful of how you're showing up in conversations around race and your location on the Courageous Conversations Compass at any given moment. An excellent resource for more is "Courageous Conversations About Race" by Glenn Singleton.

Pinging (Check-ins)

The only conversations we're having with people SHOULD NOT be to offer criticism or ask for help. In the book Never Eat Alone, Keith Ferrazzi talks about the power of "pinging" or checking in with others to keep the relationship fresh and the lines of communication open. When people see you coming around the corner or view a message from you, the last thing you want them to think is, "What do they want NOW!?"

Here are a few ideas of ways you might "ping" your colleagues:

Text or call to say hello without asking for a favor

Don't text or call the day before just to set them up for a favor the next day

Stop keeping score on how many they owe you or vice versa.

No matter how busy you are, always greet the person before getting down to business.

In summary, Relationship Skills are identified by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) as the ability to establish and maintain healthy and rewarding relationships with diverse individuals and groups. Clear communication, listening actively, cooperating, resisting inappropriate social pressure, negotiating conflict constructively, and seeking and offering help when needed are all examples of relationship skills. All of these are also closely related to Emotional Intelligence. We can't control others, and as my father often says, "We can barely control ourselves." Ultimately, we influence others by practicing what we preach and through our lives being the example. Given your commitment to improve our world for our students, how might you enhance your relationships moving forward?

Phil Echols is Senior Administrator of Professional Learning in the Wake County Public School System. You can find him on Twitter @PhilEchols.

I'm Sorry

The latest edition of the NC Ed Leaders Summer Blog Series features a post from Donald Wyatt, principal of Sedge Garden Elementary School in Kernersville, North Carolina. Donald began his educational career as a 4th and 5th grade teacher in Craven County, North Carolina, before moving to Forsyth County in 2010. He was an assistant principal in the Winston-Salem / Forsyth County Schools system until 2016 when he was named principal at Sedge Garden. I have known Donald for a few years and I have to say he is just an all-around good guy. He is highly-respected by his teachers, he loves and cares for the kids at SGES, and he is a very hard worker. His post below talks about admitting mistakes and building a culture of mutual trust and respect in your school. Admitting when you are wrong is a hard thing for any human to do, let alone someone in a "leadership" position. Donald's thoughts are humble and genuine, and they really struck a chord with me. I hope you enjoy Donald's post and be sure to follow him on Twitter @donaldgwyatt.

I have been an administrator for 6 years now. As Assistant Principal and as Principal I have made countless decisions that have had positive impacts on students, staff members, community leaders, and parents. I have also made countless decisions that have led to high student growth, high student engagement, and high teacher moral. This post is not about any of those decisions.

I once made a teacher move her entire classroom to the room next door. I made the decision for cohesiveness; I believed the team needed to be beside each other in adjoining rooms. I remember, vividly, watching her and her husband move furniture from one room to the other. I remember, vividly, thinking “This is the right thing to do.”

A couple of weeks later that teacher stood at my door. I said, “I’m really sorry, this is my fault, I will rectify this as quickly as possible.” The look on my colleague’s face has prompted this post.

Leaders make decisions all day, every day. Some are thought out, analyzed, and evidence based. Others are gut-driven while some happen so fast we don’t have time to process every detail. None of these things are bad; we all know a decision can be over-analyzed and that data doesn’t always reflect the social and emotional goal. We also know that even the best leaders make the wrong decision.

So, what happens when leaders are wrong...

We begin with FINGER POINTING: we say, "the teacher didn’t complain or give me additional information."

Then we say “it’s not my fault” ... wrong again.

We try to MAKE IT A SYSTEM ISSUE: we say, "the kids, the administration, the state." Nope, nice try!

Or we blame our lack of a CRYSTAL BALL: “I could never have known that." Well, maybe, or maybe not.

Why do people have such a difficult time apologizing and truly accepting responsibility for bad decisions? I don’t have the answer to this question. I’m sure there are some psychologists out there who could go on for days. I can tell you, for me as a leader, learning to say "I’m sorry" was one of the most empowering moments of my career. It allowed me to be vulnerable to the people I am leading. It allowed them to see that I understand I don’t always get it right. It allowed them to see that I am constantly reflecting on the decisions that I make. It allowed them to see me as a person, not just a position. Being a leader means making mistakes, and owning mistakes builds respect, trust, and collaboration.

It wasn’t easy for me to admit I was wrong to the people I am supposed to be leading. I was scared to death that admitting I got it wrong would open a floodgate of people questioning my every decision. I was scared it would give the teachers ammo to question me, relentlessly, when I made a decision that was not popular.

I am here to tell you that none of that happen. In fact, it was the opposite. It opened a floodgate of conversation, collaboration, trust, and respect. It brought the entire staff together. It starts with modeling. Every person in that building saw that it was okay to be wrong, and furthermore, to openly admit it. They say that a bad decision leads to reflection and reflection leads to growth.

Learning to apologize for poor decisions was one of the biggest turning points in my leadership career. It was more about realizing that leaders, no matter how good the intentions, don’t always get it right. It was also about really becoming a family with the ones you lead. It is okay to get it wrong, and once they see that, they feel that same way. I have watched teachers build much deeper relationships with children, parents, and other staff members because they are able to own their mistakes.

If you are a leader in any capacity, you will make mistakes. I challenge you to use the power of owning those mistakes to build a culture rooted in honesty, respect, and trust!

Donald Wyatt is the principal of Sedge Garden Elementary School in Kernersville, North Carolina. You can find him on Twitter @donaldgwyatt.

The Transformational Power of Education

We have reached the halfway point of this year's NC Ed Leaders Summer Blog Series and I am very excited to share our next post. Today's writer is Shiela Patterson, a history teacher at South Stokes High School in Walnut Cove, North Carolina. Shiela may not realize it, but she had a huge impact on me as I began my administrative career at South Stokes as an assistant principal several years ago. She is one of the most positive, hard-working people I know, and she helped guide and mentor me as I navigated the waters of my first year as an assistant principal. It came as no surprise to me when Mrs. Patterson was named the 2019 Burroughs Wellcome Fund Piedmont Triad Regional Teacher of the Year. Shiela has been an educator for 23 years, 20 of which she has spent at South Stokes. She was formerly an exceptional children's teacher but has taught history for the last 12 years. In addition to bringing history to life in the classroom, Mrs. Patterson has also led a variety of professional development sessions addressing the social studies curriculum, technology integration, and vertical alignment. As you will see from the post below, Shiela believes in the transformational power of education for students, teachers, and the community. If you need an inspirational boost to get ready for the school year, this is the post for you!

Education is transformational... for students, for teachers, for communities. And, as educators, we are at the center of that transformation process. It is an awesome responsibility and reward, and it is surely not for the faint at heart. As our student population changes statewide, we must adapt and change our thinking and approach. No matter how hard change may seem to be, it is our duty, our job, our passion to transform education so that it can transform our students.

My transformation began last week as I spent a week at NCCAT with the North Carolina Regional Teacher of the Year team, led by Mariah Morris, our 2019 Teacher of the Year. Through fabulous speakers like Freebird McKinney and Tabari Wallace, I was able to begin to understand the amazing challenges that we have in front of us as educators. We must begin to see education not only as a career or passion, but we must become educational diplomats that help our teachers and our communities understand and overcome the barriers that so many of our students face today. We must transform education to address the equity needs and educational goals and outcomes of each and every student. Education is transformational.

Education is transformational for our students. Education is the avenue by which students can overcome struggles and barriers that may have been placed in their way through family situations, physical and educational disabilities, or entrenched cultural struggles. When students come to us hungry, neglected, abused, we must remember that they CAME TO US and we have the power to meet them where they are and help provide them with the tools they need to face these challenges as we provide a meaningful educational experience. Through collaborative efforts among teachers and community members, we can begin to provide an educational environment for our students that will allow them to pursue 21st-century careers. This will not only allow them to be successful in the classroom, but in the amazing life they will live after they leave our four walls.

Education is transformational for teachers. Through constant growth by engaging in PLNs, immersing ourselves in research-based models of instruction, and staying abreast of societal issues, we can grow and learn how to best serve our students. The growth mindset does not only apply to our students, but we must apply it to ourselves as educators. We must learn it is no longer enough to impart knowledge to our students in the vacuum of a classroom; we must engage in the response of our profession to a changing student population. We can no longer ignore the huge impact technology has on our students; we need to understand how that will shape their education and their lives. Our roles as teachers are not the same as it was when I became a teacher over 20 years ago, and I embrace that. We can be transformed as educators into educational diplomats, teacher-leaders, and educational advocates.

Education is transformational for our community. As the centerpiece of most communities, schools and teachers provide a pivotal role for the direction communities can take. Schools must be inclusive, warm, and engaging to students and parents, but also be responsive to the needs of the community. By engaging community partners such as community colleges and local businesses, schools can begin to forge partnerships that allow the school to produce the citizens our areas will need in order to thrive in the 21st-century. While it is important to have local support at athletic events, the community transformation takes place when schools invite the community into their schools for STEM events, apprenticeship programs, and job shadowing days. These events help begin the dialogue addressing the needs of the community, allowing students to see a positive future in their community instead of the desire to leave when they graduate. Communities must transform if they hope to grow and schools are an integral part of that process.

Education is transformational, there is no doubt about it. We all have our transformation stories, whether it was when we were a student or as a teacher. We must remember the power of that transformation and know that every student deserves that experience. As educational leaders, we must help those around us discover their transformational power so they can be a part of the educational transformation process, not an additional barrier for our students. Good luck with the 2019-2020 school year...and let the transformation begin!

Shiela Patterson is a history teacher at South Stokes High School in Walnut Cove, North Carolina. She can be found on Twitter @historyguruE2.