Author: Nelson Coulter, Chief Organizational Learning Officer of CEN I recently read The Obstacle is the WAY: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph by Ryan Holiday (2014). I didn’t realize it until the very end of the book, but RH was really describing Stoicism. Interesting that I’ve never thought of myself as Stoic, but clearly, I have some Stoic tendencies. …
CEN Student-Driven Community Development
Author: Greg Wortham, CEN Chief Partnership Officer Building Communities from within Collegiate Edu Nation (CEN) schools have opportunities to build their communities from within, and we encourage schools to lead from within by leveraging the creativity, innovation, and strength of their students, faculty and administrative staff. Every community has a unique position as to internal and external resources, but we encourage …
Developmental Coaching
Author: Nelson Coulter The best leaders I know are as much coaches as they are anything else. These wise folks commit huge portions of their time to the development of the folks around them. In that process, these astute leaders skillfully deploy some exceptional coaching up strategies: Noticing — They observe carefully the processes, the people, the interactions, the dynamics. …
Dirt Road
Blog Author: Brittany Williams, CEN Director of Continuing Education “Down on a Dirt road, where things don’t change And everyone still knows your name You’ve got a place to call home, and you’ve got place to hide You’ve got a land you love and a name to be proud of And you’ve got the address to the Good Lord up above There …
DoingPower
Author: Nelson Coulter We all learn, every day, in millions of ways. We learn when we read, when we observe, when we consider, when we discuss, when we listen, when we attend, when we ………. However, nothing matches the learning efficacy of when we DO something. There is sticking power when we actually remodel that room, assemble that tool, plant and grow that …
So, is your glass half empty or half full?
Blog Author: Dr. Kim Alexander, CEO, Collegiate Edu-Nation Having been heavily engaged in farming for 51 years now (no I’m not 80 years old – my brother and I rented our first 60 acre cotton patch in 1970 when I was a freshman in high school), I have learned over the years that certain things, like the weather, are beyond my …
The Power of Positive Relationships
Blog Author: Jance Morris, Middle School Principal, Sunray ISD I’m sitting in my office waiting on three young men to pick up keys and garage door openers for a house they will move into this week. They have two combined years of teaching experience, the world by the tail, and are excited about every opportunity presented to them. I met these young men (then …
We Are Ready for Ready Bodies and Ready Minds!
Author: Rhonda Riley, Principal, Throckmorton Collegiate ISD I am writing today to talk about a new program that we are starting at TCISD that we are very excited about. My hope is that we will help our students and also spread the understanding of how the body and mind must both be cultivated in our youngsters! I began looking into …
(re)FOCUSed
Author: Nelson Coulter, Assistant Professor, LSU-Shreveport The wisest leaders I know are relentless focusers. Or, RE-focusers. These leaders understand that their personal time, energy, and resources are finite. They know full well that they cannot do everything, meet with everybody, read every book, invest in every project, or attend every meeting. Thus, these wise leaders decide with laser-like clarity the most …
I Got Lucky!
Blog Author: Michelle Carroll Smith, Lytle ISD Superintendent As superintendent of Lytle ISD I have had the opportunity to serve in the district in which I grew up and graduated. School worked for me, so I guess I never wanted to leave. My grandmother, dad, son and daughter all graduated from Lytle ISD. While my family was focused on agriculture, education …
5 Levers of Learning
Author: Marsha Alexander, Chief Operating Officer, Collegiate Edu-Nation While on pregnancy leave in the fall of 1980, the superintendent of Roscoe ISD contacted me about a high school math position opening at the end of the semester. I had a BBA in General Business with teacher certification but had been working as a loan officer/processor at a local savings and loan …
WHY Always Matters
Blog Author: Erin Boatmun, Curriculum Coordinator, Sunray ISD Years ago, when I was an education student at a small, rural university, one of my professors lectured over the authorship of effective lesson plans. He said, “When you are teaching class—when you are teaching anything, for that matter—your students only want to know one thing—WIIFM.” He pronounced it, “wiff-em.” I can remember looking around …