Grief, Hope, and Thanks

This week we grieve with our neighbors in Lawrence at the loss of a beloved member of their family.  As many of you know, Susan Jordan, principal at Amy Beverland Elementary in Lawrence Township, was tragically killed this past Tuesday.

Because of the proximity our districts, close relationships are inevitable.  No doubt, many of you reading this knew Susan or know students, families, and teachers who were touched by Susan during her exemplary career as a teacher and principal.  

Jan Combs was an especially good friend and spent many, many hours with Susan and her family.  Jan says of Susan, “She loved, and she loved fiercely.”

Those of us who didn’t know Susan personally still grieve at the loss.  We grieve because we understand the void her students, both past and present, will feel.  We grieve because we understand the impact a loss like this has on teachers, friends, and family.  And we grieve because educators, regardless of where we live and work, are part of the same family. 

Susan’s career and her passion for children provide for us an example to strive for, so while we grieve with our friends in Lawrence, we also celebrate a life well lived.  We celebrate her educational accomplishments.  We celebrate the lives she has touched.  We celebrate her courage and selflessness, and we hope that we also would have the courage and love to follow her example to the very end.

Amy Beverland students, families, and teachers: We in Hamilton Southeastern Schools want you to know that our thoughts are with you this week and in the coming months.

Picture provided by Lawrence Township Schools

HSE teachers, staff, and administrators: A tragedy such as this reminds us of what is really important in life.  We on the HSE Teaching and Learning Team want to take a moment to pause and thank you for all you do for our children and families. 

Jan tells us that Susan Jordan had a pattern of ending a phone call by saying, “Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.”  It was an endearing habit of hers, but it was also a way of life.

In that same spirit, and as a tribute to Susan, we say to all of you, “Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.”

We hope you find strength, courage, love, and joy each day this week.

Your HSE Teaching and Learning Team

• Jan Combs, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning
• Stephanie Loane, Director of Elementary Education
• Tom Bell, Director of Special Education
• Jeff Harrison, Director of Educational Technology
• Phil Lederach, Director of Secondary Education

This I Believe

From Phil: My Pitch

My entry is short and to the point—which, by the way, is a fairly good definition of an Elevator Pitch.  Below, I present the four points that I want to remember in the coming months when I am asked this question:

"Why should I support more funding for Hamilton Southeastern Schools?" 

 

• Community Values: We have a tremendous opportunity in Fishers to give our children a world-class education.  Our students, our parents, our teachers, and our community value quality education, and with our support, HSE Schools can ensure that all of our students receive the best we have to offer.
• Whether or Not You Have Students in HSE: Fishers, Indiana, is widely viewed as one of the best places in the nation to live and to raise children.  One significant reason for our growth, our high property values, and our quality of life is Hamilton Southeastern Schools.  Even if I didn’t firmly believe that support of public education and HSE Schools is my moral obligation (which I do) as a property owner in the district, having strong schools is in my financial interest as well.
• High Quality Teachers: In the past, Hamilton Southeastern Schools has been able to attract and retain high quality teachers and administrators.  More recently, however, funding cuts have taken their toll, and we have begun to lose our competitive advantage.  While HSE is still a great place to teach, our salaries have become less and less competitive, while at the same time our class sizes continue to increase.  As a teacher for over 20 years and as an administrator for almost that many, I know first hand the impact of large class sizes.  HSE has already experienced the loss of good teachers who have been attracted by more lucrative salary packages in other districts, and we can no longer assume that our first-choice candidates will in turn choose to come to HSE. 
• Nowhere Else to Cut: We have no more “fat” to cut.  With the current funding structures, HSE joins Carmel, Zionsville, and the other “northern rim” schools as the least funded schools in the state.  As a result, we have far fewer teachers and administrators than schools of similar size.  In fact, many much smaller districts in Indiana employee more teachers than HSE.    

We hope you will find these Elevator Pitches helpful in the coming months.  We encourage you to prepare yourself for questions that will inevitably come, often at unexpected times.

Have a great week, HSE.  Thanks for all you do for the children of our community. Keep fighting the good fight!

Your HSE Teaching and Learning Team

• Jan Combs, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning
• Stephanie Loane, Director of Elementary Education
• Tom Bell, Director of Special Education
• Jeff Harrison, Director of Educational Technology
• Phil Lederach, Director of Secondary Education

Going Up?

This week, we ride the elevator up and down and get an Elevator Pitch each way.  The first is from Danielle Chastain, the principal of Riverside Intermediate School.  Danielle makes the argument for the importance of relationships and resources, and she want Hamilton Southeastern Schools to have a culture of learning for students and for adults.

On the trip back down, Stephanie reminisces about a family trip to the apple orchard and explains how the use of simple technology can amplify and extend the experience for her daughter.

Enjoy the ride!

From Danielle: Relationships, Resources, and Learning for ALL

Looking through the lens as both an educator and a parent of HSE students, I have come to the following conclusions:

Our/My children deserve:

•  Access to HSE²¹ resources and materials;
• A flexible 21^st Century learning environment conducive to child-centered learning, one where ALL students and teachers thrive;
• A class size favorable for building meaningful, trusting, positive relationships;
• A class size that allows teachers to truly know their students as readers, writers, mathematicians, artists, musicians, scientists, athletes, and historians;
• Engaging collaborative, student-centered instruction to take students to the cutting edge of their creativity and competence; and
• A teacher who has had access to HSE²¹ professional development, resources, and materials.

This is what I want for my children.  And as a member of this community, I believe that ALL Hamilton Southeastern Schools students are “my children.”

Respond to Danielle at: dchastain@hse.k12.in.us

HSE²¹ at the apple orchard! 

From Stephanie: Amp it Up!

When families ask about HSE 21 and the impact at the elementary level, I pull up a photo on my phone... 

Our family has enjoyed visiting orchards since I was a child. Treasurers to see, smell, touch, hear and taste. Our most recent visits have been amplified by the use of a device as a tool. We used our device to amplify our experience.

Katie Muhtaris and Kristin Ziemke in their most recent book, Amplify, ask us to consider what we hold dear as true early childhood and elementary experiences and find ways they can be simply enhanced or amplified through the use of a device.

Snapping photos at the orchard, recording bee vibrations and pollination techniques with  iMovie, keeping track of our favorite samples and varieties of apples in our note keeping app, using Pinterest to find new apple recipes, and investigating further questions.

 The car ride home after that visit continued on in an amplified fashion because we had questions about how the summer drought and harsh winter impacted one of our favorite apple varieties and left many of the trees bare. The girls read to us about the impact and found videos that amplified our understanding. 

Our children will always need the developmentally appropriate experiences in school that engage all of their senses. We use a device to amplify those experiences, ask them to push their thinking, bring it home to talk further about their new understandings, and then cozy up to a warm bowl of fresh applesauce!

Respond to Stephanie at: sloane@hse.k12.in.us

Enjoy your three-day weekend.  Next week look for more reasons to support Hamilton Southeastern Schools and HSE²¹.  

Your HSE Teaching and Learning Team

• Jan Combs, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning
• Stephanie Loane, Director of Elementary Education
• Tom Bell, Director of Special Education
• Jeff Harrison, Director of Educational Technology
• Phil Lederach, Director of Secondary Education

Boldly Go—In 30 Seconds

This semester, as we head into the spring election, is an exciting and important time for Hamilton Southeastern Schools.  For the next few weeks, we want to spend some time thinking and writing about how to support HSE Schools.  Before May 4, odds are good you are going to be asked your thoughts about our schools, and our hope is that our blog entries might help you prepare for important conversations.

 

What will you say when you are asked about our schools?

From Phil: Starting with the Big Picture

When I first started to write my Elevator Pitch, I kept stumbling to find the words.  I was reminded of Wittgensen’s wisdom about the importance of words.  I finally gave up on paragraph form and decided to go with bullet points that I will try to remember when I find myself caught off guard by a question about our schools.

This week, I’m starting with the big picture: public schools as a whole.  In the future, I want to focus closer to home.  If, however, I am asked this question, I will have at least a partial answer:

"Why should I support public education?"

• Education for All: Public schools have both a mandate and a moral obligation to provide an education to all students. For public schools, “all” means “all.”  We take (and love) every student who walks through the door.  We wouldn’t want it any other way.  We are glad we can’t pick and choose our students because every child deserves a quality education. Public schools have a tremendously successful history of providing this for our families, our towns, our states, our country, and our world.
• Pay It Forward: I attended public schools, as do my children and my grandchild.  When I was school age in a different state and different era, there were those who came before me who built and supported the public schools I attended.  It is now my turn to provide for the next generation.  My support is both paying back and paying forward.
• Economic Development: Part of our moral obligation is to provide the best possible opportunities for all children. This takes money, but it is money well spent.  Children who receive high quality educations soon become part of a high quality workforce that drives local and state economies.  There is no better economic development tool or better investment for a community than creating and supporting world-class public schools.

Respond to Phil: plederach@hse.k12.in.us

Star Trek fans should be able to
relate to Jan's message!

From Jan: Boldly Go, HSE!

The Hamilton Southeastern School District is a rare and exciting place to be.  This School District is BOLD! 

HSE21 provides a BOLD vision of transformation, where classrooms are transformed into learning labs and students are engaged in authentic and relevant learning opportunities. The district-wide 1:1 initiative BOLDLY expands learning beyond the four walls of the classroom for the 21,000+ students in the district. 

There are success stories too numerous to mention, and students are doing amazing things each and every day with the support of great teachers, administrators and support staff. 

The instructional vision of HSE²¹ is a BOLD commitment to providing students with an educational experience that is world-class!  

Respond to Jan: jcombs@hse.k12.in.us

Here is a BOLD challenge for any of you reading this blog: Send us your Elevator Pitch.  What great things are going on in HSE?  Why should our community support our schools?  

If you have an answer, send it our way!

Have a great week, HSE!

Your HSE Teaching and Learning Team

• Jan Combs, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning
• Stephanie Loane, Director of Elementary Education
• Tom Bell, Director of Special Education
• Jeff Harrison, Director of Educational Technology
• Phil Lederach, Director of Secondary Education

The Elevator Pitch

One pervasive urban legend tells of a young and hungry entrepreneur who couldn’t get an interview at a large corporation.  Completely frustrated, he came up with a plan born of desperation.  He spent several weeks observing the daily routine of the CEO and preparing for just the right moment.  When he was ready, he timed his entry onto the first floor elevator to match that of the CEO and began his pitch with the closing of the elevator door.  By the time they reached the top floor thirty seconds later, the young man had convinced the CEO and was offered a job.

What can you say in 30 seconds that makes all the difference?

I couldn’t find any evidence to support the veracity of this urban legend, but true or not, the concept of the elevator pitch has become part of our lexicon.   A quick search of “elevator pitch” gets millions of hits and a whole list of resources for writing a clear, brief message about you and how you can become an asset to a company or organization.  

I suggest to you that the concept of an elevator pitch has implications for all of us in education--today more than ever.  The debate surrounding education is all around us, and if we are not prepared to make a sales pitch about who we are and the value of what we do, there are plenty of others outside of education who will be more than happy to provide words for us.

Want proof that I'm right? Check the headlines of the Indianapolis Star for the next few weeks.  I have no doubt you will find lots of people who haven't been inside a school recently with lots of opinions about Indiana schools.

We must give voice to the words of our hearts.

When You Can't Find the Right Words

How do you respond when someone from outside of education asks question like these?

• Why should I send my children to pubic schools and specifically to one of the Hamilton Southeastern Schools?
• What is HSE21, and why is it important to my child?
• Why should I give my financial support and vote to public education?

Do questions like these catch you by surprise?  Do you fumble for words?  Do you think of the great things you should have said later in the evening?

To be perfectly honest, I know I do—and I know I shouldn’t.  I should be prepared.  I should have an elevator pitch for HSE practiced and ready to go. 

Daniel Pink, the best-selling author of books about business and management, gives some good advice about an effective elevator pitch.  He is speaking about business, but it applies to us in education as well:

The pitch process, when it works well, is inherently collaborative.  In some ways, pitch is not the right word because pitch implies I’m going to throw this to you and you’re either going to catch it or not.  It’s much more interactive.  We have to think of pitching not as I’m going to sell you on this right now, but essentially, "Here is an invitation—an intriguing invitation—to have a conversation."

Pink's Drive has major implications for education.
See the link at the end of the blog to learn more.

The Challenge

The HSE Teaching and Learning Team gave ourselves the challenge of creating an elevator speech about Hamilton Southeastern Schools and HSE²¹.  How can we briefly and clearly state our beliefs?  How can we do more than simply “sell” Hamilton Southeastern Schools to someone from the outside?  How can we provide, as Pink says, an “intriguing invitation” for further conversation?

Those are tough tasks to complete well in 30 seconds.  After the holiday break I invite you to consider what we write; furthermore, I invite you to consider during the break what you might say if given the same challenge.

Even better, how about sharing your ideas in this blog?

What will you say when you get the unexpected question?

There is no time more important than now for educators to share the good things happening in HSE Schools.  Leading up to the election in May, you will undoubtedly be asked questions about our schools.  Each and every one of us must be ready to speak clearly about what we believe about public education, about the good things happening in our schools, and why continued support of our schools is so important to our children and our community.

So have a great holiday break, HSE.  Rest.  Relax.  Come back in January ready to educate our children—and ready to educate others who may have questions about the value of who we are and what we do.

Your HSE Teaching and Learning Team

• Jan Combs, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning
• Stephanie Loane, Director of Elementary Education
• Tom Bell, Director of Special Education
• Jeff Harrison, Director of Educational Technology
• Phil Lederach, Director of Secondary Education

Bonus Video:  You might want to watch Daniel Pink’s TED Talk on what motivates people (and remember students are people, too).

Click this Link: The Puzzle of Motivation

Respond to Phil at plederach@hse.k12.in.us

The Alarm Clock

In the face of the daily grind, it can be difficult to maintain the passion for your profession.  This week’s entry comes from Bev Smith-Redmond, our Director of School and Community Relations.  She shares her routine for focusing and maintaining her energies.

From Bev: Taking Care of Others Starts with Taking Care of Yourself

The alarm goes off between 4:00 and 5:00 a.m. every day.  With a swipe to my cell phone screen, on a good day I can delay the inevitable until 5:45 a.m., but that is rarely the case.  Having worked in school administration and communications for the past 16 years, no two days are the same. I am one of the lucky ones.  My career brings me joy. Helping people connect is my passion. Public education is the arena in which I have been gifted the space to work.

However, in the busiest moments, my vision can become cloudy when solely looking at my days as a to-do list rather than sets of interconnected opportunities. A new phone call, a Tweet, an e-mail, an article, a photograph all vie, sometimes simultaneously, for attention at any moment. Work often comes in grandiose doses. In my experience, the days, weeks, semesters and school years can pass without consciously taking time to focus and refuel. As a result, I am learning to safeguard my professional passion.

Bev argues that you should prepare yourself for this journey.

I start my day quietly and purposefully.

Before checking in with the world, I connect with me. Who am I? Why do I do what I do? My goal—and I’m still a work in progress—is to recharge daily, even if for only a few moments.

Each morning, I attempt to listen first and list tasks second. Getting back in sync is not always easy, so simplicity works best. It could be the sound bites of a poem or devotion that connects me as I iron my clothes. Sometimes, I don my ear buds and stream my favorite podcast while I eat my Chocolate Chex, or swap professional encouragements and ideas with my mentors by text.  My car has become my rolling fortress where I rehearse affirmations or lessons gleaned from articles or conversations. In a pinch, I have even been known to turn up my playlist and just jam because I only have five minutes.

Recharge Your Batteries Wherever You Can

This week, I struck gold with some retro You Tube clips from famed television mogul, humanitarian, and master teacher Oprah Winfrey. In my profession, I cannot think of anyone who has shone more brightly as a source of inspiration. I chose two videos: the 2015 “Harry’s Last Lecture” on a Meaningful Life at Stanford University and Oprah’s farewell address in closing the famed Oprah Show after 25 years.

Oprah has many useful nuggets in these videos, but two of her challenges stood out for me:

1. Would you rather be right or be happy?
2. Find your passion and run after it!

Admittedly, number one requires much more introspection. But, item two is where I proudly stand, fulfilled and ready to run!

It snowed during Bev's wedding!

Respond to Bev Smith-Redmond at bevsmith@hse.k12.in.us  (and don't forget to congratulate her on her recent marriage).

Have a great week, HSE!

Your HSE Teaching and Learning Team

• Jan Combs, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning
• Stephanie Loane, Director of Elementary Education
• Tom Bell, Director of Special Education
• Jeff Harrison, Director of Educational Technology
• Phil Lederach, Director of Secondary Education

The Speed of Trust

This week, Tom tells us about a book that has influenced his thinking, The Speed of Trust, by Stephen M. R. Covey.  

"We judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their behavior."  --S. M. R. Covey

From Tom: Outcomes Depend on Trust

I am a trustworthy guy, at least I think I am. 

My family trusts me.  My students trusted me when I was teaching in the classroom.  The athletes that I coached trusted me, so why didn’t parents trust me when I became a district administrator?   Did I change?  Did I do something that made me not trustworthy when I took this job?  Why did it have to change?

These are tough questions!

After nineteen years as a director of special education, I have come to realize that these questions don’t really matter.  What matters is how I address the trust factor when working with parents during emotionally charged situations.  That is what led me to the book The Speed of Trust, by Stephen M. R. Covey. 

The Speed of Trust focuses on why trust is important, as well as what the outcomes are when you have established true trust in a relationship.  Relationships can come down to one essential question: Do we trust each other or not?  The answer tells us why progress is being made or why progress has come to a complete halt. 

Simply stated, when you have trust, things move at a much faster rate than when you don’t.  For example, when you are in the middle of a difficult situation with a parent or student and you do not have trust established, often the conversation is bogged down by multiple questions that are not pertinent to the problem, or the same question is asked over and over. 

This slows the problem solving process down and sometimes grinds it to a halt. 

The converse is true when you have trust.  The conversation remains focused on the problem and finding solutions; therefore, the time it takes to reach agreement is much shorter.  This is a speed that results from having trust. 

Sounds simple, right?  Establishing trust, however, is not always that easy.  It is an ongoing process that must be the focus of what we do with our students and the parents we work with daily.  The Speed of Trust helped me realize how important trust is in both our professional and personal life.  When we follow the steps that Covey outlines in the book, we can establish trust that will have a lasting impact on our daily lives and the people we come in contact with personally and professionally.

Cores of Credibility

In order to accomplish this, we need to possess the foundational principle of credibility.  Am I credible?  Am I believable? Am I someone people (including myself) can trust?  Covey identifies four “Cores of Credibility” which focus on character and competence within us.   

• Integrity:  A deep honesty and truthfulness.  It is who we really are. It includes congruence, humility, and courage.
• Intent:  What is our agenda?  It is your fundamental motive or agenda and the behavior that follows.
• Capabilities:  Capable people and organizations inspire confidence.  Capability is our capacity to produce and accomplish tasks.  It is our talents, attitudes, skills, knowledge, and style. 
• Results:  What is our track record?  Results matter.  They matter enormously to your credibility.  People evaluate your results/performance on three key indicators:  past performance, current performance, and anticipated performance. 

The Four Cores of Credibility are only one example of many in The Speed of Trust.  Covey addresses many other topics as well.  I strongly encourage you to take the time to read this book and look deeper into the roll that trust plays in our daily life as educators.  

Respond to Tom a tbell@hse.k12.in.us

We hope your week is a good one, HSE.

Your HSE Teaching and Learning Team

• Jan Combs, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning
• Stephanie Loane, Director of Elementary Education
• Tom Bell, Director of Special Education
• Jeff Harrison, Director of Educational Technology
• Phil Lederach, Director of Secondary Education