RadicallyTransformingLives

The Difference Reflective verse by Andrew E. Kelly-12.29.16 “Two roads diverged in yellow wood” It is a yellow wood table. Her grease-stricken hair as she pushes past me in the awkward silence. Stained khaki jacket, too big, stiff with filth. She pours her coffee-perhaps the only pure drink all day. Pure? Creamer, Sugar, Stir Away Rustling four-day-old Christmas cookies ready for the trash. Crumbs everywhere, stares from around the room, Judgement, condemnation from those ill-equipped to judge. Each of us carrying our own demons that we shine and display like cherished possessions, Though we wish they could be cast in the deepest seas. My heart hurts for her. I don’t know her name. She doesn’t speak, neither do I… But I think and wonder— How did I get so lucky? Who caught the arrow destined for me? Where is my stained khaki jacket? My warm dinner and warmer bath seem so unfair, so unjust. “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— Took the one ...

I remember with  vivid clarity how I felt on the morning of 9/11/01 as I worked to serve the Clover Park High School Community and we struggled to understand the terrorists who attacked our nation that morning. I remember seeing the images of the planes striking the Twin Towers and trying to understand...who were the terrorists? What would/could we do? What would be different? I remember visiting classrooms that day, mostly filled with kids whose parents served in our Army and Air Force and wondering how their lives would change? How many of their parents would be deployed in response? How many moms and dads of the kids I loved would lose their lives in response to the acts that rocked the United States? Terrorists, as they were defined on that day were al-Qaeda. The world engaged and Americans rallied to make our country safe and "bring justice" for those who perished that day. I've tried to grow my mind and understand more, the world around me since then...I wo...

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...

Hopefulness is our "middle name!" As the new K-12 Superintendent/Principal in the Lyle School District in Washington State, every day brings a new "first." Wednesday, July 29th was the first time that I was lucky enough to meet with my entire elementary staff.....all six teachers and 5 para-educators who are committed to making a difference for the kids in our community. This year is exciting!  We have some HUGE buckets we're working to fill on behalf of our kids! We're developing a standards based report card so that parents know how their kids are doing in relationship to the appropriate grade level standards. We're implementing a new, K-6 English/Language Arts Curriculum to ensure alignment to the standards.  http://mhreadingwonders.com/ We're continuing with our work to implement Eureka Math (Engage NY)  http://greatminds.net/maps/math/home so that our Lyle kids can compete with mathematicians anywhere! We're transforming ...

Several of you have asked me what my thoughts are on “Common Core” or the new SBAC assessments. Wanted to provide a thoughtful response and invite you to do more digging if you’re interested. I’m also happy to engage with you in dialogue back and forth, discuss and answer questions, etc. First-The “Common Core” standards in WA are referred to as the “Washington State K-12 Learning Standards.” There is a ton of information that you can find out about at http://www.readywa.org/ Education nationally has varied tremendously over the past 100 years. Quite frankly, the richest of us sent their kids to exclusive private schools. The rest of us sent our kids to public schools, which varied from state to state broadly and even from community to community. Many of you value “local control”….and I do too….but not when that “local control” means that kids from small, rural or other communities don’t have access to the same high level rigorous curriculum. At the end of the day….for me it’s ab...

1.      Tell us a story from your life, describing an experience that either demonstrates your character or helped to shape it. Living in America is difficult for new immigrants, but it has not been nearly as hard as getting here. I came from Somalia, a country where gunfire and violence are not unfamiliar to people. When one tribe’s greed and lust for power corrupted the government, everything fell apart, politically and economically. With the onset of civil war, my mother decided to flee with the children. Traveling with three children and being a female made it a difficult voyage. We were in a group of about forty families fleeing the violence. We survived on little more than water until we were able to reach villages on our path. All the males including my father where told to remain behind to fight the attackers, thus giving us a presumed safe passage. However without males in our party, many of the villagers in our path took advantage of us—robbing us and ...

“It's not the critic who counts. It's not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled. Credit belongs to the man who really was in the arena, his face marred by dust, sweat, and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs to come short and short again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming. It is the man who actually strives to do the deeds, who knows the great enthusiasm and knows the great devotion, who spends himself on a worthy cause, who at best, knows in the end the triumph of great achievement. And, who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and cruel souls who know neither victory nor defeat.” ―  Theodore Roosevelt I love Teddy Roosevelt! I love that he was a courageous leader who risked it all! I'm inspired by his quote to push the principals I work with each day to to the right thing by their kids....no matter the cost! School improvement is a challenging endeavor. ...