Schools should not focus on things they can’t change, such as a student’s zip code, parents or past hurts. “When you blame the problem or the lack of success on something specific, you’ve given up any ownership to make change,” she said. Smith said some changes in schools, such as those dealing with student safety, must happen quickly like the flipping of a light switch. Substantive change in instruction requires a dimmer switch where people must slowly be brought along because they have been conditioned as to what school is like. Otherwise, the switch will be flipped off two or three years later. Dr. David Lee, associate professor of educational administration at the University of Southern Mississippi, described the qualities of high achievers. They have energy, because boring people can’t lead, he said. High achievers have clarity in that they focus on the right things. They have routines
and structures that help them make incremental improvement. They have optimistic attitudes, they’re accountable, and they’re ready. Lee recalled a conversation he had with a National Teacher of the Year where he asked her how she had achieved that honor. He said she told him she was driving to work one day when she realized she was in a rut and made up her mind that the day would be different, and she would walk into her classroom and teach like never before. She parked in a different spot and taught and acted differently and started on a different path. Lee said her parking in a different spot was the change that started her on a path to her achievements. He said he had told that story to a group of teachers and later received an email from one who said she had parked in a different spot as a result. Later that year, she emailed him again to say she was her school’s teacher of the year.
“I’ve got to ask you, where do you park?” he asked. “Where are we going to park as a board member? Are we going to park in the same place, doing the same things, getting the mediocre results? If you’re getting great results, stay at it. But sometimes you have to change where you park.” Keynote: Give what you can The conference opened with keynote speaker Beth Chapman, Alabama’s former secretary of state, who entertained the audience with a string of jokes and encouraging remarks. Chapman told attendees that they should give the greatest percentage of themselves that they can give on a particular day because sometimes they don’t have 100%. She said they should do things “to be 100% effective but take zero talent.” With help from audience suggestions, those things included being on time,
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