Why Twitter = Awesomeness

As a leader it is so important to be a lead learner.  The title of my blog is Reflecting to Learn.  Reflection is important, but learning is so much more.  Continuous reading, studying, watching and tweeting??  Tweeting??  Yes, I will say it, Twitter=Awesome.

Learning is a cycle that must be continued throughout life.  When you are improving you are getting worse.  As educators we must take every day by the horns and soak in all we can.   Learning from other people can be the most powerful.  Meaningful conversations that are intentional.  Networking-Who is in your professional learning network?(PLN)

Building a professional learning network can take alot of time.  Going to conferences, sending emails, also many times it may involve taking classes and spending lots of money.  All those instances are great for connecting to individuals that share the same passion or have similar/different ideas.  Twitter is free and you don't have to leave your couch to get professional development.  Example-There was a time in June where I was sitting on my couch in my front room in my sweatpants and at the same time I was attending the Missouri State Ed. Conference.  One of my PLN friends was tweeting from the conference everything that was happening-How awesome is that!  I have learned so much from Twitter and have made so many life long friends--My PLN challenges me, supports me, and questions me.

The most important part about my PLN is that they are my positive people.  Many times I will get an email or a tweet from one of them that just brightens my day.  There are challenges out there and will continue to be-Surround yourself with positive people.

So take a few minutes-sign up for a Twitter account-and start Tweeting.  #PLN #education #positivepeople  #ifyoudontknowwhatahashtagisthatsok .  For educators there are numerous chats each and every night that I have learned so much from.

*Bonus-If your kids have Twitter you can follow them-We must learn and know what our kids are doing


-Jarred
@jfuhrman3932






Next Week is Thanksgiving Break

--Remember to be thankful for those things that you have and give to those that are less fortunate!

Soft Skills at Home

Does your child know how to properly greet an adult?  Do they know how to sit in an interview and be appropriate?  Do they make eye contact when they are speaking to someone?  Can they work as a team and get along with fellow co-workers or classmates?  Are they able to communicate their beliefs, thoughts and disagreements in an appropriate manner? 

We have to as a school, parent, and community begin to teach our children soft skills.  Many adults in our society today lack the proper communication and problem thinking skills to compete in the job market.  Our students of today don't know how to advocate and stand up for themselves.  

We have to begin to develop curriculum and strategies to help kids learn those skills to interview, work as a team player and communicate-They need all of these to be able to develop relationships not only in the workforce but in their personal life.

How many times these days do we see kids instead of go talking to someone just text them?  How much easier is it to just send an email rather than pick up a phone and call someone?  I am 100% for using technology and communication thru technology is important and vital, but the skills it takes to pick up the phone and call someone is still important.  

Below I have pasted some comments from an article written by Larry Buhl from Yahoo.  It was posted on Monster.com, which is a highly regarded search engine for jobs.

You'll likely see these "soft skills" popping up in job descriptions, next to demands for technical qualifications. Employment experts agree that tech skills may get you an interview, but these soft skills will get you the job -- and help you keep it:

Communication Skills

This doesn't mean you have to be a brilliant orator or writer. It does mean you have to express yourself well, whether it's writing a coherent memo, persuading others with a presentation or just being able to calmly explain to a team member what you need.

Teamwork and Collaboration
Employers want employees who play well with others -- who can effectively work as part of a team. "That means sometimes being a leader, sometimes being a good follower, monitoring the progress, meeting deadlines and working with others across the organization to achieve a common goal," says Lynne Sarikas, the MBA Career Center Director at Northeastern University.

Adaptability
This is especially important for more-seasoned professionals to demonstrate, to counter the (often erroneous) opinion that older workers are too set in their ways. "To succeed in most organizations, you need to have a passion for learning and the ability to continue to grow and stretch your skills to adapt to the changing needs of the organization," Sarikas says. "On your resume, on your cover letter and in your interview, explain the ways you've continued to learn and grow throughout your career."

Problem Solving
Be prepared for the "how did you solve a problem?" interview question with several examples, advises Ann Spoor, managing director of Cave Creek Partners. "Think of specific examples where you solved a tough business problem or participated in the solution. Be able to explain what you did, how you approached the problem, how you involved others and what the outcome was -- in real, measurable results."

Critical Observation
It's not enough to be able to collect data and manipulate it. You must also be able to analyze and interpret it. What story does the data tell? What questions are raised? Are there different ways to interpret the data? "Instead of handing your boss a spreadsheet, give them a business summary and highlight the key areas for attention, and suggest possible next steps," Sarikas advises.

Conflict Resolution
The ability to persuade, negotiate and resolve conflicts is crucial if you plan to move up. "You need to have the skill to develop mutually beneficial relationships in the organization so you can influence and persuade people," Sarikas says. "You need to be able to negotiate win-win solutions to serve the best interests of the company and the individuals involved."

I think that all of us can do our part in teaching our children these soft skills.  When your daughter whines the next time you are in the store do you break down and buy her what she wants?  When your son can figure out how to tie his shoes, do you just go buy him velcro?  When your 17 year old child is in a fight at school, do you dive in in rescue him or do you teach him conflict resolution?  Is this how you really want your children to grow up?

We at BLHS are working hard to incorporate these skills into each and every classroom.  When I talk to students, the most important thing I talk to them about is communication. You can't assume anything.  

Talk to your kids at home about the necessary skills needed to be successful in the workplace.  As of right now, many of them are still missing it.  

-Jarred

Follow me on Twitter- @jfuhrman3932

Upcoming dates for BLHS

Fri-Nov. 22nd- Meet the Bobcats-Winter Sports

Wed. 27th, 28th, and 29th--Thanksgiving Break(Remember what you are thankful for and have a great holiday!)

Here are a couple other articles regarding soft skills:

Why Soft Skills Matter

Helping Youth Develop Soft Skills

Thank your Teachers

Have I ever told you that the teachers I work with are awesome!?  Have you as a parent, student or educator ever thanked a teacher for what they do?  Many times when we graduate we go off to college or work and don't think twice about high school. Its not until years down the road we look back and see what that one, two or three teachers did for us when we were in school.

At Basehor-Linwood High School we have a group of outstanding teachers.  All of them work countless hours to see that they help each children learn.  They plan lessons, grade papers, build curriculum and spend countless hours working with our students to ensure success. Our teachers that we have don't always get the credit they deserve.  We as leaders, students and parents ask so much of them without even knowing it.  Think about that teacher that inspired you.  Did they teach you how to measure angles, read about Romeo and Juliet or that there really was a 2nd gunman on the Grassy Knoll?  Or did they teach you how to have respect, critically think and problem solve?

I remember a teacher that I had in middle school.  The one that inspired me to be an educator.  Mr. Spangler was my middle school English and Social Studies teacher.  I honestly don't remember much about English and Social Studies, but I do remember how much he cared about me.  I remember how hard he worked to come up with lessons to keep me engaged and how he showed up years later at a family function still showing his support.  He taught me how to respect other people and hard work.  I had teachers in high school and college who pushed me and challenged me more than I had ever been pushed.  At times I didn't like them, but now I appreciate them more than ever!


Take a few moments in the next couple weeks and Thank a teacher.  Thank them for the work they do with your child.  The teachers at BLHS work hard at building relationships and they put themselves out on a limb for our students.  Trust me-It's an awesome group that we work with and I would put them up against any group anywhere.  So from the bottom of my heart-Thank you to all teachers and I hope that all of you take a minute to say thank you also!

-Jarred

@jfuhrman3932

Next Week in Bobcat Land!

November 11th--No School-Inservice/Collaboration for the teachers

November 14th-17th-  SHREK the Musical

Make sure you contact the BLHS for reserved seating tickets 913-724-2266

November 11th-15th  "Dead Week" Before Winter Sports Practice Starts

November 18th- Winter Sports Practice Starts

Why Every Child deserves to Read!

My daughter told me tonight as we finished reading a story that she knew how to read.  I looked at her and said, "Not quite yet, but before too long you will be able to read."  She was insistent that she had read downstairs at some point.
We as a family had made it a point to read to our kids every night.  Kennadi is 4 and she sometimes seems like she can read as well as she can recite many of the books we have word for word.  Now I realize that as she gets into Kindergarten and 1st grade she will hopefully begin putting sounds together and learning phonics while beginning to learn how to read.  I am so excited to see and hear the day when she begins reading and she can read me the book instead of me reading it to her.  I know it will get tougher and we will have times when she will be frustrated, but it hopefully, eventually will lead to the magical tool of reading.

Reading is the most important tool we can give to our youth of today as they go out into the real world.  I understand that soft skills are important and people skills, but reading is something that kids and adults can get places with.  Here is a great blog that I found that talks about the 10 reasons for kids to read and it really makes sense if you look closely enough.  Reading can improve concentration, vocabulary and imagination-Who wouldn't want that?

In our schools today we focus on many things-Technology, test scores, evaluations, science experiments, character education, etc.  Don't twist my words around, ALL of these are important and they all make a difference when teaching a child. Reading is something however that I think every child deserves.  EVERY CHILD deserves to read!  Every child deserves the opportunity to learn and learning is reading.


So take a minute tonight regardless of how old your kids are(high school, elementary, middle school) or for goodness sakes look at your self and read!  Put your phones, computers, iPads away and read to your kids, read a good book and see how the imagination flows.

Thanks for reading

-Jarred
@jfuhrman3932

Other Items to check out in Bobcat Land

Twitter Feeds
-If you tweet follow these people for any info from Bobcat Country
@blhsathletics, @blhsnews, @sherryreeves19, @jfuhrman3932

Also I wanted to introduce our new Tech Director for the district, Lisa Lund you can follow her on Twitter  also:

@TechIntegratio1

If you are interested in learning more about the district initiative of MTSS Reading, please contact your child's school to ask questions.  You can also check out this website as it talks about how Kansas has adapted it.  http://www.kansasmtss.org/


Dates to Remember

Sat, Nov. 2nd-State Cross Country in Wamego--Congratulations to our X-Country team!

Mon. Nov. 11th--No School.   Inservice and Collaboration for Teachers

Nov. 14th-17th  HS Musical  "Shrek"

Fri., Nov. 22nd - Meet the Bobcats for Winter Sports

Look, Listen and Love

Every day is special.  Realize that.  Take a minute to Recognize that you only have so many days on the earth to make a difference.

Each day we have the opportunity to look a person in the eye, listen to what they have to say and love on them in any and every way possible.  Why so many times as educators, friends, parents, etc., do we walk right by?  Why do we look, but don't listen?

1)Look

See what walks in front of you.  Put away your iPhone for a few minutes, set down your iPad and just look at what is around you.  As an educator, what types of kids walk in our halls?  What is the look on their faces when they walk in the building?  What can you tell by looking at your teachers in the mornings and seeing the worn, tired faces or the excited, nervous look.  Parents, take a minute to look at your kids when they leave in the mornings.  Invest in your kids more than you invest in yourself.  

Here's a great article about Paying attention to your child.  IT is vital that we do that each and every day. Not just our children, but people around us.  LOOK each day how you can help another person. There is a reason that that someone was put into your life-Don't miss an opportunity to make a difference.

2)Listen

There are people who can look.  They can see the problem, but refuse to act on it.  They Look and then turn away.  They see the kid in the hallway without a friend.  They see the person on the street who has been fired from three jobs, lost their house and now has nothing.  They see the child-homeless, no food, yet they continue to walk on and refuse to listen to those things that are calling them.
One of Steven Covey's 7 Habits is Listening.  He understood the fact that people don't listen.  They even sometimes hear the screams, call-outs, but often turn a deaf ear.

Kids and adults want to be understood.  They want to be heard.  Listening doesn't mean that you can walk in their shoes, it doesn't mean that you can tell them that you understand what they are going through.  It can be used in its most essential form-just plain listening.  Kids talk and sometimes want us to just listen.  Don't give them advice, other times they want advice.  If you are listening you will find the answer.
LOOK.
LISTEN each day to that person that needs your help.  LISTEN to those that are excited about things.  Sometimes they just need a person to LISTEN.

3) Love

People often mis-use the word Love.  They don't understand what Love really is.  Love is not necessarily an emotion.  It is not necessarily an action.  It's not necessarily a feeling.  Love doesn't have to mean a sexual thing.  It doesn't have to mean that you want to form a relationship with a person.  Love can be simply saying hi to someone as you pass them in the street.  It can be as simple as shaking hands to greet another person.  Love is being with your kids without a bunch of distractions and talking to them about their day, dreams, and thoughts.  Love is patting a co-worker on the back when they have done a good job.  Love can even be throwing a few dollars to the person that is homeless standing on the corner.
The quote above, "Where there is love, there is life." is so true.  As educators we should love all our kids.  By doing this it means we treat them with respect, honor, and support them.  It also means we may have to discipline them, hold them accountable and push them to be the best they can be.  As a lead learner I want all kids to feel safe and supported when they are at school.
LOOK.
LISTEN.
LOVE each day with a passion.  Treat everybody with respect.  The more you LOVE the more life you can influence.

-Jarred

@jfuhrman3932

Be a child- Every Day!

Every day is different.  Every person is different.  Every child is different.

As I reflect back on the week that was I think a lot about my own children.  What are they thinking? Are they happy? Am I teaching them the difference between right and wrong? Are they growing up to be good kids, friends, Christians, brothers, sisters, etc.? I look at my job as a parent and realize that I have one of the best jobs and one of the toughest jobs!

As an administrator/leader many times we are asked to do both parent and lead.  We really get to see kids at their best and in other instances we get to see kids at their worst.  As I talked about before in a prior post, there are many faces that we as leaders wear during the day.  Not only leaders, but teachers can also wear many hats-It is important to recognize this. One face that I haven't mentioned before, but think might be the most important is the face of a child.

It is so refreshing to look at my own kids and think about what it must be like to be a kid again.  There are no worries, learning is a constant and all you have to worry about is to eat and grow.  The innocence of a Child.  It is so important for each of us every day to Be a Child.  Take a few minutes to look at the flowers, smell the air and smile.  When we smile others will smile--Greet everyone with a smile tomorrow and see the reactions you will get.  Look your enemy in the eye and smile!  Take a minute during your day to realize how lucky you are to be working with kids every day and seeing them grow right before you eyes.

Be a Child if even for a minute every day and see how much it will change you view on the day.  I know that every minute that I get to see my own kids grow and play is precious.  I look at different kids in the hallways whether they are freshman or seniors and get goosebumps when I see how they mature and grow each and every day and that I may have had some influence on them in a positive way.




Don't forget to BE A CHILD tomorrow!


Jarred
@jfuhrman3932

Failure is not a dirty word!

What does it mean to fail?  Does it mean you are a loser?  If you fail, do you ever recover? What about second chances? If a student fails a test do they get do-overs? 

Check out this video and would you call this guy a failure?

Why is a Major League Baseball player hitting .300 considered an All-Star? Doesn't that mean they "Fail" 7 out of 10 times they are at the plate?

Many times in Education we look at the word Failure differently than we do in the real world.  We as educators want kids to do well, be successful, and be a good addition to society.  We work hard each day to help kids understand Math, English, History and Chemistry.  We as Teachers many times strive to have all our kids passing classes and getting "A's" on all of our tests.  As administrators we incorporate strategies to help teachers teach the best they can and hold them accountable to a student doing well.

What do we do when a kid flunks a test?  What do we do when a kid fails a test?  Do they get a second chance to re-take?  What does it really mean?  Was there other factors to consider?

When looking at the word Failure we need to re-evaluate what it really means.  We look at the word Failure and we think immediately of someone that doesn't work hard, is not intelligent, and will never get anywhere in life.  Really???????    Can't failure, failing and to fail be a good thing?

As parents sometimes we need to let our kids fail.  They will in their life have a time when they fail-if you don't let them experience that when they are young-they won't know how to respond.  As teachers it is ok to let your kids fail sometimes, as long as they are given a chance to recover and master the content you want them to get.

Failure is not a dirty word!  When looking at different ways to change the meaning how about this acronym-Failing Always Involves Learning.  Learning from the mistakes you have made and how to do it better the second time! Another one could be Finding Answers Involves Learning.  Using creativity to come up with answers-even though you may fail once or twice-is OK.

Here are a couple of great articles to read about Failing in School and how parents should let their kids fail sometimes, but be there to teach them how to respond to the failure.

Benefits of letting Kids fail
Why Parents Should Let Kids Fail

Thanks to my wonderful PLN friends on #edleadchat for getting me thinking about the words Fail, Failure, Failing and what those different words mean.

Jarred
@jfuhrman3932