This weekend we spring forward in time. For some, this weekend is the beginning of spring break. For others, this weekend was the chance to do a little spring cleaning.
Every year this season marks the beginning of state testing. The focus, for so many, becomes how well the students will perform. Will we make our AYP, Annual Yearly Progress? Will we remain a school of excellence? Will we continue to be recognized? How will we move those “bubble” students?
During all of that pressure, educators need to refuel and remain inspired till the end of school. Ask yourself,
Have I reached my own AYP?
Here are a few books I would recommend to help you reach the progress you want to make for yourself. Even if you go get a cup of coffee and read it in a book store, it’s worth the effort!
The Butterfly Effect: How Your Life Matters by Andy Andrews
The back of the book says it all, “Every single thing you do matters. You have been created as one of a kind. You have been created to make a difference. You have within you the power to change the world.” One teacher affecting one student…it matters.
http://www.andyandrews.com/ms/the-butterfly-effect/
Q B Q: The Question Behind the Question by John G. Miller
When everyone is looking for “someone or something to blame” in a school, this book would be a guide for how to help people develop personal accountability and to avoid the traps of victim thinking or blame. It’s a quick, easy read which can transform your thinking toward solutions.
How Full is Your Bucket? by Tom Rath and Donald O. Clifton
What would happen if everyone with whom you worked was positive? What if school improvement meetings were all about solutions instead of causes? This book shows how the positive moments in your work and your life can affect your relationships, your productivity, and your health. There’s even a plan at the end to help you implement this way of thinking into your own classroom. (Thanks for my first copy, Dr. Anderson!)
http://strengths.gallup.com/114595/Welcome-Bucketbook-com-Users.aspx
Even if you just spend five minutes a day reading one of these books, it will give you the strength and encouragement to continue to do what is best for you and your students. Why would I bother to compose this blog post during most people’s spring breaks? As Colonel Joshua Chamberlain was quoted in “The Butterfly Effect,”
I was only a stubborn man and that was my greatest advantage in this fight, ‘I had, deep within me the inability to do nothing.’
I hope the same lies deep within you, too…