What is your big dream?

If you want to excel at something, then let no day go by without dedicating your life 100% to making it happen. Time is precious.

Reflecting this am on the thousands of kids that I've had the honor to serve over the past 23 years in public education. My frequent urging to them was first to ask a question..."What is your big dream?" "Where do you see yourself in the future?"

If each of us can define in our minds what it is that we dream of, aspire to become, have as a goal....then we can take incremental steps each day to get there.

What is your big dream that you will take steps today, tomorrow, the day after....to make a reality?

My big dream is to change the way that public education works in the United States...so that the system is built to support kids and outcomes for them as our clients. My dream is to create a system where all kids, regardless of race, socio-economic status, and the position/background of their parents....are empowered to be life long learners and chase and catch their dreams. I really believe we can do better as a nation than the inequities that exist in our system. I fully realize that this dream will require us to change just about everything in the current system....

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Washington Educator's Feedback and Questions for Secretary of Education Nominee Betsy DeVos through US Senator Patty Murray

Thank you for the invitation to share my thoughts with Senator Murray for Ms. DeVos. As a point of reference, this is my 26 th year as a public school administrator/teacher. I have served students in Washington, Oregon and Nevada. I have served as a music teacher, Middle School Assistant Principal, High School Assistant Principal, Director of Alternative School, High School Principal, Director of Educational Non-Profit, Assistant State Superintendent (supporting WA under-performing schools—285 schools holding 250,000 kids) and currently Superintendent in the Lyle School District. I have six children. 2 have graduated from public schools and 4 are still enrolled in WA public schools. I have served as a Union President for school administrators in Nevada and am currently the President Elect for the Washington Association of School Administrators for ESD 112. Thoughts on Ms. DeVos: There are a myriad of data points about her absolute lack of qualifications to serve as our nati...
Read more

Faces in the Crowd

Image
493 faces in the crowd from 1306 SW Webster Street to the Starbucks on Westlake at South Lake Union, Seattle, WA. Even gender division, well-dressed and disheveled, young and old, tired and alert, black, brown, white and in-between. 493 faces in the crowd. On the street corner. Metro bus route 125. South Seattle Community College. Westlake Center. Sidewalk passing Fantasy Girls adult theater. 493 faces in the crowd. I noticed 493 different faces in the crowd this morning. Counted them actually. I was struck by the enormity of the work within our public schools in Washington State and around the country. I paused this morning to consider the differences portrayed on the faces I passed. What is it that creates "the look" of each face I passed. What role did/will teachers play in the attitudes of fellow human beings that crossed my path this morning? There really seemed to be no "in between." Faces were filled with joy, hope and optimism or sadness, despair...
Read more

Leadership and the Danger of "I" and "Me"

Leadership matters. Leadership matters in all sorts of ways. Leaders give us hope. Leaders help us have the courage to make challenging choices and decisions. Leaders are selfless. Leaders promote others, care, have empathy and don't belittle those who are different than themselves. Leaders acknowledge their success only in relationship to the overall growth and improvement of those who they lead. As a school and district leader for the past 22 years I have worked diligently to try and improve the school communities that I've served. The goal has always been to work in collaboration with all stakeholders for better outcomes for kids, families and communities. Through each of these roles some degree of success and progress has been experienced. I've never believed for even a moment that "I" held the key, magic potion, or silver bullet. Leadership matters and what I know to be true about the leaders that I've watched in my lifetime succeed in serving their r...
Read more