Team Work

If you are not familiar with "Lessons of the Geese" (I could not discern who the author is; if you know, please reply with a Comment), you can view the video or click here for a pdf.

This is a great video to share with your staff.

A Better PowerPoint Approach

First there was Guy Kawasaki's 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint — 10 slides / 20 minutes long / no font smaller than 30 point.

Then, there is Pecha Kucha (Japanese word for "chatter") — 20 slides @ 20 seconds each.

Recently, I presented "Effectively Managing Your Board" to a group of school administrators using a Pecha Kucha approach to PowerPoint presentations. Both the group and I appreciated the change.

Here is author Dan Pink doing "Emotionally Intelligent Sinage" via Pecha Kucha. See what you think.

And the Pursuit of Happiness

I loved the book And the Pursuit of Happiness so much that I presented it to each member of our terrific graduating Class of 2013. Here is what I said to the graduates when I presented it to them on Thursday evening:

Reading it, you get two distinct treats for the price of one. Maira Kalman, creator of the book, is both the author and illustrator. You can see her art work at the Julie Saul Gallery in Manhattan.

Divided into 12 chapters, one for each month, it reads like a graphic novel. You will find fact after fact about our Country, and the facts tie in beautifully with all of the work you have been doing in U.S. History. After I read it over spring break, there was one fact that stuck in my head. The author presented a list of Benjamin Franklin’s accomplishments, which included bifocals, swim fins, Poor Richard’s Almanac, among many admirable patriotic deeds; but the one deed cited in the book I loved the most is “He believed in doing good every day.” Do good every day and you will have happiness and you will want to do good again — a wonderful life cycle to live by.

Fad, Frenzy, or Future?

As the Common Core Standards gain traction, I was thankful to read in this week's Sunday Times "Who's Minding the Schools?" by Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus. I think you'll find these two quotes interesting:

"By the 2014-15 academic year, public schools in 45 states and the District of Columbia will administer Common Core tests to students of all ages."

". . . most private, non-religious schools have concluded that the program isn't for them."

In any case, do read the article.

Forest Kindergarten

Five-year olds using knives and fire along with lots of freedom in the forest?

 "School's Out: Lessons from a Forest Kindergarten"  is a trailer to a documentary film about a forest Kindergarten in Switzerland. Check out more at www.schoolsoutfilm.com.

The Fault in Our Stars

John Green keeps coming up with excellent young adult literature. The Fault in Our Stars, one of his latest, is a page-turner for sure. It certainly gives the reader a sense of what it is like being a teenager and having to battle cancer.