"It is important to take the time to tell stories in our
classes. It is even more important to provide an environment for our students
to have the opportunity to tell their stories in class. Telling their stories
helps students build and understand their own identities."
Having read the book Wonder by R. J. Palacio when it first arrived in book stores in 2012, I am not surprised that it remains number one on the NYTimes middle reader bestseller list. When I saw the newly released movie this past week, it was equally gripping. Watch the movie trailer below to get a glimpse of the power of the story.
The NYTimes October 27, 2017 article "How to Be a C.E.O., From a Decade’s Worth of Them" by Adam Bryant talks about his years writing the Corner Office column. Here’s a sample of what Bryant's excellent article has to offer about leadership.
“Leadership,
Part I - Leaders, for example, need humility to know what they don’t know, but
have the confidence to make a decision amid the ambiguity. A bit of chaos can
help foster creativity and innovation, but too much can feel like anarchy. You
need to be empathetic and care about people, but also be willing to let them go
if they’re dragging down the team.”
“Leadership,
Part II - . . . if you were to force me to rank the most important qualities of
effective leadership, I would put trustworthiness at the top. A close cousin of
trustworthiness is how much you respect the people who work for you.”
I stumbled upon this fascinating article "Top Experts Always Recommend These 4 Books." Author Eric Barker's Time magazine article is excellent. Even though it was written in June of 2015, I think you will appreciate what the author has presented, and I am sure you will compare what he has listed with what you have read and which books sit on your bookshelf.
Listening to a TED Radio Hour podcast, "Disruptive Leadership," I was enthralled with the speakers—Sheryl Sandberg, General Stanley McChrystal, educator Bunker Roy, entrepreneur and writer Seth Godin, and leadership advocate Drew Dudley—who presented segments from their on-stage TED Talks.
While the whole podcast is a worthwhile 53-minute listen with tons of sage advice, I thought you might like to view Drew Dudley's 6-minute Talk since it is so powerful and uplifting, especially when he talks about "lollipop moments."
Aesop's Fables are fascinating stories for children of all ages . . . and adults, too. To get a hold of a book of Aesop's Fables, you can download a copy free from iBooks or Google Play or you can just go to this Library of Congress website.
Recently, I read to preschool children, Jerry Pinkney's The Lion & the Mouse. This beautifully illustrated book has no words, so you can "tell" the story in your own words. Children loved it.
From the article:
"It is easy to react emotionally and often angrily when
confronted with conflict, racism, and bullying. Instead of reacting, let's work
together this year to respond to hate by arming our children with ways to be
empathetic and curious about others and the world, and giving them the ability
to think critically about injustice."
In Clayton Christensen's book Innovator's Dilemma he discusses how "disruptive technology" can be both helpful and terrible at the same time and how we can navigate to the helpful side.
As an example, look at our technology habits when it comes to communicating—texting, phone, tweets, Instagram, YouTube, etc.—with one another and where it is leading our younger generations.
Along with Christensen, here are three excellent resources to read to learn about the insidious, ill-side of technology.
"But what makes an inspirational leader? This infographic
identifies 33 distinct and tangible attributes that are statistically
significant in inspiring others." Read more at "The 33 Traits of Inspirational Leaders."
Who is Ethan Bortnick? Here is an excerpt from his website bio:
“Recognized by the Guinness World Records as 'The World’s
Youngest Solo Musician to Head-line His Own Concert Tour,' 16-year-old Ethan
Bortnick has been performing around the world, raising over $50,000,000 for
charities across the globe.
When he was just three years old, the Hollywood, Florida
native asked his parents for piano lessons and discovered an uncanny ability to
hear a song once and play it back note for note – the musical equivalent of a
photographic memory. He soaked up the music of such diverse artists and
composers as Beethoven, Mozart, jazz pianist Bill Evans, Little Richard, Billy
Joel and Elton John, and began creating original compositions at age five. A
few years later, Ethan began making television appearances and touring,
connecting with audiences in countries such as Japan, Brazil, Canada, South
Africa and Australia.”
Get to know him better by watching this YouTube video.
I have the privilege of volunteering for United Way's K-Ready Readers, a program that gives me the pleasure of reading to a group of 3-, 4-, and 5-year old children each week.
So, this past week, I thought of my former Brooklyn neighbor and friend Tad Hills and his dog Rocket when they would come to my school and read Rocket books. How the children loved that experience.
Well, I read How Rocket Learned to Read and the children loved it. Just maybe Tad, Rocket, and I inspired and brought these little ones a bit closer to reading on their own.
"Parents want the best for their children. We do, too. For
the first time ever, 15 nonprofit organizations have joined forces to support
parents of the one in five children with learning and attention issues
throughout their journey.
With the right support, parents can help children unlock
their strengths and reach their full potential. With state-of-the-art
technology, personalized resources, free daily access to experts, a secure
online community, practical tips and more, Understood aims to be that support."
Here some of the topics discussed:
“I’m Concerned My Child Might Have Learning and Attention
Issues. Now What?”
“6 Steps for Requesting a School Evaluation”
“How to Organize Your Child’s IEP [Individualized Educational Plan]
Binder”
“Getting My Child to Listen (Without Yelling)”
“Am
I Cheating?” Why I Felt Ashamed to Use Dyslexia Accommodations”
"As a father, teacher, head of school, and now a grandfather, I have always loved reading to children. I read to my sons from birth and sustained this habit as they grew up. I saw the amazement in their eyes as I read; they were enthralled and totally immersed in the story. I knew reading to my sons would increase their vocabulary and their interest in reading, but there was also a selfish reason—it gave me great joy."
