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Education is constantly evolving, and intelligent innovative educators are ready to evolve with it. Sometimes the professionals who are ready to step into leadership positions are on the younger side. Pulling together the right support system and mindset is essential to the success of educators with these aspirations. I had the opportunity to learn and present with some of the top young education leaders this weekend at ASCD's Empower conference in Anaheim, California. In a carousel-style workshop, we shared with (and learned from) fellow leaders to develop our skills and bring a refreshed mindset back to our schools and districts. Here are our top 4 takeaways: Saying "Yes" and Taking Chances Amy MacCrindle , Director of Literacy from Illinois, reminds young leaders that sometimes all it takes is 3 little letters to take the leap into leadership. Her experiences can be narrowed to 3 pieces of advice: Amy says, "opportunities that fall outside your comfort

As new, but important, initiatives are rolled out in schools there are bound to be bumpy patches. It can be tempting during these difficult moments to apply a quick fix and move on. Here are some examples of situations in which this is common: A small number of students are struggling to complete a new element of a learning task, so the teacher completes it for them for the sake of moving on to the next lesson. A teacher is not yet comfortable with a digital platform – such as GSuite – and an administrator permits him to turn in evaluation evidence on paper despite an existing paperless policy. To be clear, I am not referring to accommodations that students with learning difficulties need in order to have a level playing field. I'm referring to quick fixes that make things easier, but do not help learning happen. These quick fix/Band-Aid reactions might ease stress temporarily, but they will not help the learner develop a necessary skill or master essential content in th

Often connected educators advise their new-to-the- PLN (personal learning network) colleagues to create a separate Twitter/Instagram/Facebook account for professional purposes. While most are already connected to family and friends on social media, many are not yet using social media as a means to professional learning and growth. Dipping their toes into using social media for professional purposes is less intimidating if they get to start fresh with a brand new online identity, one that is separate from already existing personal accounts. But this is a myth. Make no mistake, a separate professional online identity might be a good place to start. It helps rookie connected educators learn the general etiquette and norms around sharing information, asking for feedback, and building a PLN. They can do all of this without feeling as though their personal life is suddenly public. The purpose of this post is not to discourage that practice. Crossing a Social Media Threshold The