What's the Difference?

We all have a purpose.  What are you doing today that is preparing you for the next step in the purpose to which you are called?  Do you recognize the tasks you currently do as preparation for a higher calling? I participate, as often as possible, in a Bible study through our church.  We recently began a new study on Gideon by @priscillashirer which discusses this idea.  It is fabulous.  You should check it out.  

This leads me to an idea that I've been tossing around recently.  I noticed some similarities and differences in my areas of interest on twitter and I thought I'd share them with you.  I promise I'll tie it all together at the end.

Over the past several years I have been increasing my professional use of twitter.  I began, like most, by following some suggested education handles @educationweek, @discoveryed, etc.  At first I was simply reading articles and blogs posted by people I followed.  Soon I began to expand my little personal learning network to include authors of books I was currently reading (@toddwhitaker, @timelmore).  I found myself checking out the chats (#edchat, #educoach, #oklaed to name a few) and lurking, adding to my PLN along the way.  There was a natural progression.  Next I began posting with the hashtags, but at times that would provide little feedback and engagement from others.  Soon this wasn't enough.  I wanted to engage and make my voice heard.  I wanted to have ongoing dialogue with others in my field.  I began participating in chats more this year.  I don't always make them at the designated time but they have expanded my PLN more than I could have imagined or have done without the use of technology.  @principalJ, @mrpowerscms, @rafranzdavis, @khurdhorst, and @burgessdave, for example, all live in different states but we've connected through twitter.  Amazing!  They have encouraged me to blog and to put my thoughts out there for the world to know.  As a person who would not normally engage others in conversation this has been exciting and freeing.  I look forward to continuing to grow with my fellow education lovers as we begin this next school year.

I began to grow my personal, Christian, PLN similarly at the same time on twitter.  I started off following some suggested Christian handles and pastors that intrigued me like @tonymorganlive, @tonynolanlive, and @pastormark.  I've expanded this group to include other speakers and authors I enjoy.  Here's where the distinct difference occurs.  There are very few trending chats and hashtags to follow to grow your PLN in this area.  No place to make your voice heard or to have in-depth conversations on real meaningful topics.  

Yes, I know that your local church is a physical place to make this happen, but sometimes you need more.  Just like for my education lovers, we have professional development through our school and/or district, but we seek out additional resources and conversations on our own.  Our love of education prompts us to do this.  Likewise, our love for God should draw us to learn more about Him through study of His Word and dialogue with fellow Christians.  It should be a natural progression as we grow.  On twitter there is a gap in this progression.  The dialogue is missing to an extent.

God brought this to my attention while reading an article on Twitter from churchleaders.com about cultural trends the church should not ignore.  It brought up the point about giving a voice to those who are part of the church both online and in-person.  Churches typically do a good job of providing in-person opportunities to make your voice heard.  There are not many online opportunities available without knowing where to look.  

Here's where it all hopefully ties together.  I'll be starting a new chat focused on the learning and growth I hope to see in Christians the way I see it portrayed in educational chats.  Each week on Tuesdays at 8:00 pm CST I'll be hosting/moderating this positive and encouraging chat with Biblically-based questions that will be posted on my blog site a day or two prior.  The first chat will begin on August 6, 2013.  The hashtag to follow will be #faithedchat.  Please pray about joining me and spread the word to those you believe would be interested in an idea like this.

Thoughts? Ideas?  I'd love to know what you think.

What Matters Most

We all have a circle of influence which extends from our family to church and work and out to others with whom we come in contact. Making a person in our circle of influence feel safe, secure, cared for, and loved must precede any expectation we have of them opening up to us, learning from us or respecting us.  Maslow's hierarchy of needs affirms this idea.  In the Bible, Matthew 22 tells us that the second greatest thing we can do is to love others as much as we love ourselves preceded only by loving God with all our being.  The Bible also encourages us to take care of others and to make sure that their needs are met.  Mark 6 and Acts 2 provide examples for us in this matter.  

That being said I have really struggled with this blog.  I know the importance of it.  I am great at parts of it and struggle with other parts.  I'm reflective.  I know my weaknesses and am working on them.   I want my blog to be more personal but I've been keeping my entries at a safe level of communication.  That's why I had to put this down last night, cry for a bit, talk through it with my pastor husband, and begin again today. 

I am an introvert.  Seriously.  Unless you are my family I have a difficult time letting people into my life.  At work I can talk to kids and talk business with the faculty and parents but I don't often go further than this.  It is hard for me to let people in because I don't want to be hurt.  I keep people at an arms length away.  It isn't intentional.  It's just a safety measure I've put in place that haunts me.   I want to connect with people on a more intimate level but I have found few people who will take the initiative to go beyond my hard exterior to see me for who I really am and get to know me.  I am an introvert.  I'm not going to seek out the friendships on my own.  If you are an introvert you understand what I'm saying, maybe not on every detail, but on the basic idea of it.

Relationships matter.  We need them.  We were created to desire relationship.  Knowing our basic needs are met and that we are cared for and safe in our different environments will allow us to connect on a deeper level to those within that community environment.  It will allow us to focus on respect, confidence, learning, and achievement.  The relationship is key.  If we don't get to know those around us on a sincere level we cannot expect them to learn from us or grow with us.  For people who are introverts this can be very difficult at times, almost paralyzing.

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” 

― Maya Angelou

That quote sums it up.  If we don't connect with people and make them feel loved, we are wasting our time.  I want people to feel loved when they are around me.

I'm great at making my family feel loved.  My immediate family anyway.  I'm not so great at staying in contact and making my extended family feel loved.  For that I have regret and want to improve, but my introverted instinct gets in the way frequently.

I do an awesome job of connecting with students and helping to meet their needs so they can better focus on learning.  They frequently open up more with me than they do to others.  I love that and it is why I love my career.

I do a horrible job of connecting with people outside of these two areas.  I can help people with basic needs, but I know I should be doing so much more.

I help teachers at work with professional development, but I know I could do more if I took the time to develop more safe and secure relationships with them. That is one of my focal points for this year.  If you are one of my education friends please encourage me in this manner.

At church I have a difficult time connecting with people.  As an introvert, by the time I've put myself out there all week with teachers, students, and parents I am emotionally exhausted.  I don't take the time to develop the relationships like I should there.  For my church, please help me by reaching out to me.  I long for connections here, but they are few and far between.  Remember that I'm an introvert and may not seek you out.  

Okay.  I've let you into my mind enough for today.  Relationships are so important.  Take the time to evaluate your own personality and your relationships.  Where could you improve?  I've got some growing to do.  I know they are important and I'll be investing more in this area.  Just be patient with me and don't expect me to go head first and at warp speed.  Know where I am and I'll get to know where you are and we'll grow together.  And by all means, if I've offended you in the past know it was most likely a mistake.  Talk to me and let me know.  Ask questions.  There are lots of layers to me, more than what you see on the surface.

Do you know what the needs of people in your circle of influence are?  Do they all have roofs over their heads and food for their bellies?  Do they feel safe and loved?  What could you do to help them meet these needs so they can grow and better themselves?  It will make you a better person in the process, just like it'll make me a better person as I focus on growing in my areas of weakness.

Here's to growing together to become more like Christ in the process.

Leading with Integrity

Integrity - doing what is right even when no one is looking.  That is a difficult task to maintain.  It is often easier said than done.  It frequently carries with it a heavy burden or cost.  Showing integrity will not always get you the popular vote, but it is always necessary.  The loss of trust can ruin a relationship when your integrity is called into question.  Integrity is a universal best practice in a life worth living.  For leaders, it is essential - whether you are leading a nation, a business, a school, a church, or even a family.

Let me begin there, with the family.  Your family is most likely the smallest group of people you come in contact with daily but they are the most important.  As a leader in your family you set the example for your children, spouse, and extended family.  It is also the place where you are the most likely to let our guard down.  Does your family know that you mean what you say and say what you mean?  Can they trust the words you say?  Do your actions match your words?  Do they see you struggle through situations but come out of them with your integrity still in tact?  As a wife and mom, I want my family to see me for who I am.  I want them to be able to trust the things I say.  I want them to know my struggles, but know that I'll persevere through them.  What an amazing character trait to be able to share with those I love!

What if you have not shown the best example of integrity at home around your family?  Start     today.  Begin by having an open conversation with them about it.  Apologize.  Show them that change is possible and communicate openly about tough situations.  Your family can learn valuable lessons in forgiveness and the ability to make positive changes amidst challenges as you work on building up your integrity.

In our workplace...we all lead someone.  Even if you are the low man on the totem pole people still look to you and you need to do your job with integrity.  Take no short cuts.  Don't do tasks half-heartedly.  Do those you work with see you making decisions based on what is best and right to do or based on what will make you look good?  Do you complete your tasks to the best of your ability or only complete the bare minimum?  Are you known for speaking honestly or for talking out of both sides of your mouth?  Do you know what you stand for and do you stand for it?

What if you have not shown the best example of integrity in your workplace?  Start today.  Apologize.  Move forward with integrity from this point forward.  Figure out what you believe in and hold true to it.  Creating an atmosphere where people know it is okay to make mistakes and move forward will transform your staff.

Integrity is needed in life to build a level of trust with those in which we have contact.  If we are seen as lacking integrity we will be dismissed as irrelevant.  We cannot positively impact the people in our lives if they have cannot trust us.  What a better first best practice to discuss than integrity.  We cannot build relationships and impact lives without it.

Best Practices in Life

I could not sleep last night.  My mind was racing with ideas on topics about which I'd like to blog,  answering my own recently asked question as to whether or not I should begin this process.   As I poured over the ideas in my head the theme of "Best Practices" kept coming up.  Best practices are those which we know work to produce the desired outcome in a given situation the majority of the time.   We can learn about best practices from 1) experts in the field in which we are inquiring, 2) trusted individuals within our community knowledgeable in the area, and 3) honest self-reflection.

As an educator we are inundated with strategies that are considered best practices or high yield strategies.  For example, Marzano is famous in the education world for his work in this area. There are also those we trust within our own learning community (PLC/PLN) for solid ideas and strategies.  However, as educators, we all know that you must look at this list of best practices and other strategies and find what works for you in your classroom to allow your students to reach their full potential while in your care.  There are certain practices that are going to produce good results for many, some that should be discarded, and some that only produce good results for a few.  It is our job to know ourselves and our students and to select those that will work for our situation.  We must not be afraid to take risks in search of new practices that will work in our classroom, and we shouldn't be afraid to utilize the proven practices just because they aren't the latest/greatest idea.  The idea is to find the strategies that work for you as you are fulfilling your task of guiding students in learning.

Could I apply this education idea to other areas of life? Absolutely!

We can apply this idea to any area in life - marriage, finances, raising children, health, spiritual growth, etc.  There are experts in every area of life and we should look to those individuals for guidance.  We should also look to those we trust within our community for advice.  After we have looked at the strategies and advice in a given area we must decide what will work for us and apply it.  It does us no good to simply fill our mind with knowledge and strategies but never put any ideas into practice.  Likewise, it does us no good if we try every piece of advice without first analyzing its validity in our situation.  We would do well to make informed decisions and then put them into practice in our life with determination and perseverance.

Here are some keys to identifying successful strategies in any area needing improvement:

1) identify experts in the area and do some research

2) identify trusted individuals within your community and ask questions

3) reflect honestly upon your own practices and be ready share with others your successes and to make    adjustments in weaker areas

As I come across topics of interest I'll be blogging about them.  Some will be proven "best practices" and others will be new ideas.  Some will be successful and some will be total flops.  I'm no expert, but I love learning and sharing ideas from experts and those I trust in my community/network.  Take what you want from it and share your successes/failures with me too.  We'll grow together as we seek to be the best we can be.