Settle in… this one will take a while. Seriously, go grab some coffee, a snack… perhaps you’d like a blanket? (Blankets are plentiful in my house; I’m always wrapped up in one, even on summer days!) In fact, go ahead and throw on your pajamas, tuck the kids in bed… do all the things before starting. I’ll wait…

All done? Cozy? Ready? Let’s go!

In 2011, I realized that I did not want to be a classroom teacher forever. (Hey, we’ve talked about this being judgment free here… don’t judge me!) Don’t get me wrong, I love the students; I love everything about learning with the students. I hope that if you’ve been on this journey with me for very long, that truth has been evident. However, I wanted a greater impact. I also knew that I had absolutely ZERO interest in being an administrator. I am wise enough to know that I cannot handle the stresses that come with running a building. I deeply admire those in administration and look on with fascination as each of you make the world turn so effortlessly, knowing all along that it’s anything but easy. I wasn’t sure where that left me though… in my district, you were a classroom teacher with leadership roles or an administrator or at the district office.

Somewhere along the way, I found myself serving as an instructional coach in practice, but not in title. Once I heard the label “coach” and identified with it, I hunted down all of the coaching books I could find. I took to Twitter in hopes of finding more information on this idea of being an instructional coach. (For a small glimpse into my educational journey, click here.)

In March 2017, I started reading all this hype on Twitter about something called #LeadLAP (I thought it was about racing… I am from North Carolina, right?). When I found out that it was a book that was the leadership equivalent of #tlap, I knew I had to have a copy. It was the first time I bought a Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc book immediately upon book release (it kind of started a trend… oops). It was everything and more. Lead Like A Pirate is written by Beth Houf (an amazingly passionate principal from Missouri with experience in K-8 administration) and  Shelley Burgess (Yes, the Pirate Captain’s wife, coauthor of P is for Pirate – I told you that you’d hear from her again. She is also an educational powerhouse. Can you imagine what it must be like in the presence of BOTH of the Burgess pirates? Whew! I can only handle the conviction & passion from one Burgess keynote experience at a time). This book is a must-read (yes, Beth, I went there… Must. Read. Period.) for coaches, administrators, and district leaders.

In this multiple rereading, I found something I’d never found before. See, in Dave’s book (and keynote) he talks about the the phenomenon of everyone buying a silver Honda Odyssey on the same day he and Shelley bought a silver Honda Odyssey. Of course, everyone around him didn’t buy the minivan at the same time, but the Reticular Activating System (RAS… I’m just trusting Dave on this one) that typically filters out all the extraneous information around us is now highly tuned into the subject of interest. In Dave’s case, it was the silver Honda Odyssey. In mine, today, it was one particular word. This word was repeated multiple times in Lead Like A Pirate and is my biggest takeaway from this book.  Not only is it my biggest takeaway, it’s also my implementation plan. I’ll tell you that word in a minute, just hang tight.

This book is FULL of great wisdom from two phenomenal educators. I could pick from a number of amazing topics from this book! Everything from the quotes throughout the book from various authors and notable people throughout the ages to the challenges at the end of each section to even the call to action at the very end were inspirational. There is also a list of sample interview questions that I literally had to stop and ask myself in the middle of my reading! Shelley shares a story about giving faces to data, and I identified with that as I tell stories frequently to make a point. I like to hook people by grabbing their emotions first (yes, I did go there with the “hooks” – been a minute) before sharing the connection to data, content, etc.

As an instructional coach, I value everything about the ANCHOR conversations that Beth & Shelley discuss in the coaching section. I appreciate that they differentiate between the role of an evaluator and the joy of simply having a teaching and learning conversation with other educators in their building. I speak a little about that in an earlier blog post about The Secret to Coaching. I am thankful they speak to the loneliness of being in an administrative role. Although I’m not an administrator, I am a lone wolf in my school, and in many ways, in my district. Piloting a new position was the loneliest experience I’ve had in education, and if it had not been for my directors and my Professional Learning Network (PLN) on Twitter and Voxer, I would have left education. My administration is fabulous, but even they were unsure of how to fulfill the vision of my role at the beginning of the pilot. I felt as though I were on an island, with no one having a clue the island existed, waiting for someone to randomly discover it and rescue me. Reading about the loneliness of being an educational leader was so powerful when I read this book for the first time. Thankfully, I now have a pack of wolves that I run with, and we have one another’s backs.

While reading, I was trying to figure out which of the powerful pieces of wisdom I’d focus on within the blog, and what I’d use as my implementation from this book. My way of taking notes is on Twitter, so here are some of the tweets I shared while reading.

It. Is. Time. #LeadLAP is Book 23 in #DBC50Summer!!!! So excited to reread this gem by @burgess_shelley & @BethHouf – blog coming soon! #tlap pic.twitter.com/8G2yVhecG4

— Alicia Ray (@iluveducating) July 30, 2018

 

“Trust is the oxygen of our school systems” Are you struggling to breathe?How’s the “oxygen” in your school? Building trust through relationships is like a tank of fresh oxygen! #LeadLAP #DBC50Summer pic.twitter.com/C8KGtAwFlG

— Alicia Ray (@iluveducating) July 30, 2018

 

Are you building a culture of compliance or commitment? Your answer matters! #LeadLAP #DBC50Summer #BookSnaps pic.twitter.com/d4pIRfGhac

— Alicia Ray (@iluveducating) July 30, 2018

 

Are you captivating or clinical? Unsure??? Ask your learners… they’ll tell you! #LeadLAP #DBC50Summer #BookSnaps pic.twitter.com/TPtlVqpp67

— Alicia Ray (@iluveducating) July 30, 2018

 

“Programs don’t teach kids; teachers do” -Powerful words from powerful women in a POWERFUL book! It’s not smoke and mirrors-just a “commitment to people who are doing the work” Leaders, are you fully invested in your people? Or are you investing in programs? #LeadLAP #DBC50Summer pic.twitter.com/4Pe6eQNqTH

— Alicia Ray (@iluveducating) July 30, 2018

 

Best question ever… soooo, how much time do I get to answer this one? Hahahaha! #DBC50Summer has done my heart good! #LeadLAP is even better this time around! #BookSnaps pic.twitter.com/rFBagXwKTQ

— Alicia Ray (@iluveducating) July 30, 2018

There were so many paths I could take with the blog for Lead Like a Pirate. But there was one path that was glaring at me during this reading of the book and it had nothing to do with any of these posts. In fact, as I think of this path, it reminds me of the saying “off the beaten path”… it’s the path less traveled; truly, y’all, this path is so covered with thorns and overgrown brush that you’d likely need a machete to cut through it. However, it’s the path that my gut is telling me to take with the reading of this book, and by now, and I’ve learned to trust my gut.

The word that I’m taking away, which is also the implementation journey I will embark on in the new school year, is first mentioned in the introduction of the book. It’s actually only four paragraphs into the book that the word first caught my eye. It’s the manner in which we search for ways to make our school amazing. It’s written again, in the first chapter, the manner in which we go about developing, maintaining, and sustaining positive culture in our schools. I find it again in the Transformation chapter, the manner in which we take traditional education to new heights for staff and students. We do “whatever it takes”, right? (great song by Imagine Dragons linked here, you’re welcome – one of my favorites and could even be considered a sort of anthem of mine, but not what we’re here for at the moment… moving right along)

Again, we find this word sharing the manner in which we should filter out ideas that don’t support our long-term vision. It’s also the manner in which we should pursue what matters most in our vision. It’s the manner in which we should seek out and nurture each person’s gifts. It’s the way in which we increase our knowledge and expertise in an area. Later in the book it’s the way in which Dave Burgess was trying to figure out how to teach others what he did that made him successful in the classroom as he was writing Teach Like a Pirate.

Eight times this word stood out to me… in fact, it’s circled every time I saw it. It’s likely written more than that, but these are the sightings that grabbed my attention. I recently purchased a shirt for #HiveSummit with this word written on it. (You should check out HiveSummit.org – it starts Aug 1, 2018 and runs through Aug 14, 2018, then all videos are removed. Trust me, check it out!) You could also search on Twitter for this word and #tlap and find the newest DBC author that was announced (I’m SUPER excited to read his book!)… do you know the word yet?

RELENTLESS(LY)

Synonyms for this word are unending, persistent, incessant, continuous, unwavering, unfaltering, tenacious, untiring… these are words I want to embody this year. I want to be relentless in the ways I seek to connect with students and their families. I want to be relentless in developing and maintaining a positive culture in my school. I want to be relentless in seeking out and noticing the good in each person I work with. Relentless is both my takeaway and my implementation because, as Dave says, “Inspiration without implementation is a waste”. What will that look like? When something doesn’t work, I won’t give up. I’ll keep trying, constantly looking for ways to improve. I will be tenacious in my drive to see teachers and students succeed. I will be unwavering in my belief that every person at my school is there with good intent wanting to make a positive difference in the lives of students. I will be persistent in reaching my goals, starting with finishing the #DBC50Summer and implementing these changes to my practice in the new school year. I will be RELENTLESS.

*And yes, Hamish Brewer, THE Relentless Principal, just announced that he is writing a book for DBC, Inc! So excited!*

I just can’t get enough of Lead Like a Pirate! If you can’t either, check out the website where Shelley & Beth continue to blog incredibly inspirational goodness frequently. You can find the book’s resources here. There are multiple podcasts featuring the Lead Like A Pirate message, such as The Wired Educator, Perspectives in Education, 10-Minute Teacher Podcast with Vicki Davis, and LeadUpTeach. You can also head over to the flipgrid and share your thoughts on Lead Like a Pirate there! As always, the password is DBCSummer. I’ve got to give a shoutout to Andrea Paulakovich who had this amazing idea that we could use flipgrid as a place for global collaboration on every DBC, Inc book!

Follow along with the lively community on Twitter using #LeadLAP and join in the chat using the same hashtag every Saturday morning from 10:30 am -11:30 am EST! This community is incredible, encouraging, and full of school leaders, and administrators (both school and district level) who want to see education disrupted and transformed in the greatest way possible, the PIRATE way! Both Beth & Shelley are active on Twitter as well, so feel free to reach out to them; they both have such a heart and passion for education and leadership! I am constantly inspired by these two ladies and look forward to continuing to learn from them!

Spoiler Alert… this isn’t the last you’ve heard of Lead Like a Pirate… just saying! Apparently the rest of the DBC, Inc family couldn’t get enough either, so keep your ears open later in the summer.

Here we are… finished with another book and moving along to the next one on the list.  The next two books were released back to back, only a day or two apart! They aren’t considered a “set” but goodness, they should’ve been!  These two books, both about math, are phenomenal additions to the DBC, Inc line! First, Book 24 is Table Talk Math by John Stevens (yes, that John Stevens from The Classroom Chef) and Book 25 (***HALFWAY***) is Teaching Math with Google Apps by none other than the Google guru Alice Keeler and the late Diana Herrington. We will reach the halfway point very soon!