Weekly Report

Leadership and Authenticity

Topics for this week include leadership styles, embracing your authenticity, and celebrating successes with your students.

Jeremy Jorgensen

Nov 10, 2023 — 5 min read

Photo by Chela B. / Unsplash

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#91

Happy Friday!

This week, I had the pleasure of working with our school's STEAM teacher to guide students in tackling a Density Challenge. Our students are also leading our Veteran's Day Ceremony today. They traditionally do a great job.

Did you know that teachers make over 1,500 decisions a day? That's one of the reasons we're all so tired.

Have a great weekend!

In today’s newsletter…

Empowering students through different leadership styles.
Building relationships by being yourself.
Celebrating successes together - both teachers and students

The News

Here are some articles that grabbed my attention.

Leadership - Many different leadership styles can help you empower and inspire students. Two of the most appealing styles to me are transformational leadership and servant leadership. The key is to decide to become a leader. Take the time to read about nine different leadership styles and determine which ones resonate with you the most.
Your Thing - It might be shoes. Perhaps a class pet. Funny t-shirts. Embracing your authentic self and doubling down on your unique style and personality can go a long way in strengthening relationships with students. Even better, explore the shared interests you have with your students. These may open doors to new connections.
Writing to Learn - In a meta-analysis conducted by Steve Graham, Sharlene A. Kiuhara, and Meade MacKay, it was found that writing about content material in science, social studies, and mathematics significantly enhanced learning across different grade levels. The study included 56 experiments and revealed that writing-to-learn activities were equally effective in improving learning in various subjects and for elementary, middle, and high school students.
Celebrate Success - In our pursuit of goals and achievements, it is important to pause and acknowledge our successes. This applies to both teachers and students. By recognizing and celebrating our achievements, we not only boost our confidence and motivation but also foster a positive mindset and gratitude. On Mondays, I started asking my students to write down their successes from the previous week, hoping to build positive momentum for the rest of the week.
Resource - Taking time to get to know your students and framing learning around their interests can increase student motivation and learning. Here are some ways to identify student interests and strengths.
Social - This is a great visual representing what the learning process is actually like.

**Ideas, resources, tools, and free downloads to make your teaching life easier and more enjoyable.**

Growth

Personal Development and Wellness Resources

Morning Meditation -The scientifically proven reasons to meditate are too significant for me to ignore any longer. Morning meditation can have numerous benefits, such as helping with anxiety, depression, sleep, stress levels, and chronic pain relief. Starting with just five minutes of breathing exercises in the morning can set a positive tone for the day and make the practice easier to maintain. Now, if I can avoid the snooze button, those saved minutes can pay off.
Decision Paralysis - Teachers make hundreds of decisions each day. However, we can also overthink things. Trying some of these strategies may help relieve some of the anxiety around decision-making. It's important to remember that sometimes, trusting our instincts and taking calculated risks can lead to great outcomes and that most things aren't worth stressing about.
Podcasts - If you are not currently a podcast listener, you might consider trying them out as a means of personal and professional growth. Podcasts offer numerous benefits for professional learning in education. They allow you to maximize your time, personalize your learning experience, and learn at your own pace. They can also connect you to a network of entertaining and experienced educators.

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Inspiration

"The key to good decision-making is not knowledge. It is understanding. We are swimming in the former. We are desperately lacking in the latter."— Malcolm Gladwell (Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking*)

Teacher Commuter Playlist - Somebody by Harper O'Neill

Favorite Things

Fun - If you still have energy after a long day of teaching you might enjoy choosing one of the items on this list.
Good News - The world has made substantial progress in increasing basic levels of education. Education = Opportunity.
On This Day - On October 10, 1969, "Sesame Street" made its broadcast debut. Since the beginning, over 80 million Americans have watched Sesame Street.