Leading from a Different Chair

The first blog post for Principally Speaking came after I realized that I would be moving from the assistant principal chair to the principal chair some four plus years ago. After 360+ posts surrounding my thoughts, life, and dreams as a principal, life is again shifting, and I have an opportunity to lead from a different chair moving forward.

Over the last month, I have transitioned into the role of Director Technology and Innovation for the Affton School District, and it has been a whirlwind. I realized that over this transition, I have slowly moved away from writing in this space, but I've been pulled to return. Writing has always been an outlet for my ideas, a place that I needed to participate in the marketplace of ideas, and an important contribution to my Professional Learning Network The name of the blog may change, but the person writing the words will remain the same.

On another note, I was able to talk with a group of 4th graders at a local career day, and I told them that the dream that I had for them was the same that I had for myself, a career that each morning when you wake up you can be excited about the possibilities and a career that allows for an opportunity to serve others. These are the two metrics that I have always marked whether my career was headed in the right direction, and my new role brings renewed energy to both of those goals.

Many great things have happened over the last month. Some I may return to, and others that will probably fall into the black hole of transition. I was very happy to host and organize the first TED event in our community, TEDxMRH. It was a celebration of ideas, and an opportunity for some great thoughts to be released into the marketplace of ideas.  In addition, I have an opportunity to participate as a key speaker at the Martin Institute Summer Conference besides Pam Moran, Will Richardson and others in Memphis in June. Finally, I have signed with a publisher to author my first book, Leading Engaging Schools. This book hopes to take many of the ideas of this blog and shape them into a book with the energy to propel more leaders to shape their places of learning into space and places of deep, authentic learning. Much more on that in the future.

Finally, it seems like the travails of life, and the need to persevere are pretty well summed up in the video below. I hope that you enjoy, and here's to shaping transformational  education together moving forward.