Uncategorized – Page 4 – Be That Person

December 31, 2016January 1, 2017 heathercphipps 2016, Gratitude, Uncategorized

2016 Was a Great Year

2016 was a great year!

There, I said it. Likely one of the least popular statements I’ve made in a blog, but there it is. I refuse to give 2016 over to the Dark Side.

Don’t get me wrong, I understand the desire for a fresh start. It has not been an easy 12 months. Loss, grief, change, and what can only be described as a tumultuous year for our country has left many people sad, angry, adrift. I have found myself there at times as well this year. It has been a challenging year.

I felt the loss of Carrie Fisher and then Debbie Reynolds in the last week. I’m a child of the 80s, the Star Wars Generation. Last week was rough. It was like a final blow to our culture when we were already down. And yes, I laughed as hard as anyone when I saw the Facebook post about the GoFund Me account to keep Betty White safe from 2016. Believe me, I understand the inclination to wish the year away.

But despite personal loss, despite disappointments, despite disillusionment, 2016 was a great year!

I started a new job. It was the fulfillment of a lifetime of work. I get to spend my days surrounded by amazing people doing important work for young people.

My daughter got married. So many family and friends, those there and those there in spirit, made the entire experience a joy! It was a day filled with overwhelming love.

But even if none of that had happened, 2016 would have been a great year!

Life is short. Each and every day is a gift. In 2016 the sun rose. In 2016 the moon shone. In 2016 babies were born and friendships were forged and memories were made.

Our children laughed and loved and learned new things. Our flowers bloomed, and our gardens grew. Talented people made music and art and dance and theatre. Academics debated the real issues in our society and reached for greater understanding. And strangers held doors open and offered helping hands and said “Good Morning” and “Have a nice day.”

It is in the small things that we make a life. It is in the routine of a morning kiss before leaving for work or a text from your daughter when she’s thinking of you during the day that we find real joy. 2016 was full of these moments.

I am in no way trying to say that we do not have real, significant, difficult things to address in our world. We do. I am in no way saying that we should not strive for greater connections to each other, greater tolerance for each other, and greater acceptance of each other. We should.

But I am saying that this life and this world is a gift! This day, this week, this year is a gift! Regardless of what 2017 brings, I will strive to remember that.

December 17, 2016December 18, 2016 heathercphipps Uncategorized

Inspiration

It’s Aaron Sorkin for me. He does it every time. West Wing is the best. Hands down. No comparison. Every episode, almost every scene of every episode, moves me and makes me want to do more, be more. Newsroom does not disappoint. A Few Good Men. Steve Jobs. The list goes on and on. His stories, his words inspire me and make me want to be a better person.

I want to believe that I can be one of the people he writes about. I want to believe that I can do things that matter and that make the world a better place.

What inspires you?

Books, music, film, television. These are powerful tools for changing the stories we tell. Authors and actors, photographers and artists are the storytellers of our time.

I am a movie fanatic. I see almost everything. I love to sit in a dark theatre and lose myself in a story. I love to reflect on what is and imagine what could be. Movies about the underdog rising up and winning against all odds help us believe that we too can win. Stories about adventure, creativity, and love can warm our hearts and ignite a spark in us.

Television shows about teachers, politicians, reporters, doctors inspire us to dream and to do. There is nothing as powerful as the real stories of athletes, scholars, leaders who challenged the status quo and pushed for making things better.

It’s cold outside. It’s a great time to snuggle up with a good book, to light a fire and turn on a movie, to spend an afternoon in a museum.

Read!

Listen to old music and new music!

Tour museums!

Watch movies no one else has heard of!

See plays, watch documentaries, attend the ballet. Find the things that educate you, challenge you, inspire you.

December 17, 2016February 26, 2017 heathercphipps Education, Uncategorized

Houston, We Have a Problem

Don’t worry, this is not a post about problems. We have enough discourse right now about problems. This is a post about solutions. As I was re-watching the movie Apollo 13 this week, I was reminded of one of the most important rules in life.

We are never in this alone.

It would be so easy to see the heroes of the Apollo 13 mission as Commander Jim Lovell, Command Module Pilot Jack Swigert, and Lunar Module Pilot Fred Haise. And of course they are heroes. They accomplished what few people before or after have ever done. They braved a new world at great personal risk. And when things went wrong, as they so often do in life, they stayed level-headed, they relied on their training, and they used their knowledge, skills, and experience to make it home safely. But they did not do it alone.

Gene Kranz was the Lead Flight Director. His job was to coordinate the efforts from the ground. Countless men and women worked around the clock to find the right answers, the best solutions, to problems no one had ever encountered before. Their efforts were no less heroic than those of the men in the capsule.

While there was no doubt some poetic license taken in the retelling of the story, Ken Mattingly, who was replaced on the mission for medical reasons just days before the launch, also worked the problem from the ground. His efforts were no less heroic than those of the men in the capsule.

And there was Marilyn Lovell, Jim’s wife, and the family, friends, and co-workers of the crew. So many people who were either working to find solutions or working to support those most directly involved in the crisis.

We are never in this alone. This is true in space travel, in education, in life.

Our teachers work day after day to find the best solutions for the children in our schools. They are heroic. They design engaging lessons. They work hard to be sure there is a solid objective for the lesson and appropriate instructional strategies. They use data and research-based ideas. But more, they get to know their students on a personal level. They connect with children and parents to build a safe space for learning. And when things go wrong, when a lesson doesn’t work or technology is glitchy (yes, thats the technical term) or when a student is hungry, they find solutions. They stay level-headed, they rely on their training, and they use their knowledge, skills, and experience to solve the problem. And they do not do it alone.

There are paraprofessionals alongside them in class. There are secretaries and food service workers and custodians supporting the building. There are administrators working systematically to design the best schools and to connect with students and parents daily.

And then there’s us. Those of us who no longer work in a building with students. I have to admit, it is a weird feeling. We all got into this to help students. We all got into this to make a difference for a child. As I watched Apollo 13, I found myself affirmed in the idea that the work of those of us on the ground crew, those of us not in the classroom every day, is still serving children. Our work is still focused on meeting the needs of the students, the parents, the teachers, the schools.

And we are not alone in this either. Our school boards, our legislators, our judicial system are all hard at work to meet the needs of the people. Everyone got into this to make a difference.

I guess I am just saying that you matter! Whether you are the one in the capsule, the one on the stage, the one in the spotlight, or the one whose name is unknown doing quiet, important work behind the scenes. None of us are in this alone. And we all matter!

December 10, 2016December 11, 2016 heathercphipps Christmas, Gratitude, Optimism, Positivity, Uncategorized

Works Every Time

I had a bad day this week. Nothing catastrophic, just busy and tired and not feeling great. I have a good friend who listens on those days, and as I always do, I felt better after I talked to him. The next day he sent me a text and asked if it was a better day. I replied, “Absolutely! I changed my attitude.” He said,”It works every time.”

He’s right.

The holidays are a busy time, and with them come a set of high expectations for the perfect Christmas card, the most beautiful decorations, and the exactly right gifts for everyone. “It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” That’s a high bar. It can cause stress at the time when we need it the least. A positive attitude is important right now.

So how do we do that? I think we do it by being intentional about the stories we tell each other and the stories we tell ourselves.

I love listening to stories from Steve Hartman on the CBS Evening News and Sunday Morning. From early in his career he has focused on telling the stories of everyday people. He went so far as to build an entire series on the premise that if you threw a dart at a map, you could find someone with a moving and inspirational story worth telling.

He’s right.

In a world full of news about violence and crisis and divisiveness, his stories remind that us that this world is filled with kindness and resilience and love. Everyday people doing everyday things building a life of meaning and filling the world with good. We need to spend our energy telling those stories.

At the end of the day, share the most positive events of the day with your family. Don’t relive the negative events.

Spend time each day identifying the people who were kind to you and who went out of their way to say something nice. I walked out of the grocery store on my bad day this week and the volunteer ringing bells in the cold said, “You look lovely today honey.” A total stranger, freezing in the cold to raise money to help others, took the time to say something kind to me. Why wasn’t that what I called my friend to share? It should have been.

And be the voice who is saying the kind things to other people. It takes very little to turn someone’s day around. A smile. A warm greeting. An affirming comment can make all the difference in the middle of a bad day. Be the positive story that others tell at the end of their day.

I can’t promise that December will not be stressful. I can’t promise that nothing will go wrong or that no one will be cruel to you. But I do know that in the midst of those things there will be moments of great joy, people of good will, and kindness and love all around.

Tell those stories!

December 3, 2016December 4, 2016 heathercphipps Leadership, Mentor, Uncategorized

Comfortably Uncomfortable

I felt safe in my classroom. I knew I was a good teacher. I had spent years and years improving my skill. Then one day we got a new principal who challenged my thinking and my understanding of what it meant to be an instructional leader. He encouraged me to go back to school, to learn new skills, and to try a new job. I was nervous, but it was an exciting nervous.

That uncomfortable feeling you get when you try something new is exhilarating.

I was asked recently to describe my most important mentors, those people who really made an impact on who I am and what I do. It was a fun conversation. I love reflecting on the many people who have taken the time to nurture me, to teach me, to challenge me. The people who have made the most significant impact on my life did not allow me to stay safe. They pushed me and challenged me to grow.

The best coaches listen and seek to understand you. They take the time to learn who you are and what you believe. They know your strengths and your abilities.

The best coaches support and encourage you. They are there for you when you need them the most. They give of their time and their attention, and they make sure you know that you matter.

The best coaches help you organize your thoughts and set priorities. They encourage you to develop action plans to achieve more than you ever knew was possible.

And they challenge you. The best coaches do not simply accept what you say or what you believe. They are willing to engage in debate and discussion and push your thinking.

The best coaches, the best mentors, help you feel comfortably uncomfortable. It is in that space where you are forced to think about things in a new way, to try something you have never done before, where you grow the most. Loving, caring support is valuable, but the best mentors, the ones who make the most lasting impact, move you beyond who you are to who you were meant to be.

This week seek to identify those people in your life who have been willing to challenge you. Thank them!

And watch for the people in your life for whom you could be doing the same!

November 19, 2016November 20, 2016 heathercphipps Education, Gratitude, Leadership, Positivity, Uncategorized

Count Your Blessings

“When I’m worried and cannot sleep, I count my blessings instead of sheep.” Irving Berlin- White Christmas

In a week when we focus on gratitude, are you feeling grateful for what you do?

I work in education. It is hard, important work. This week I’ve been reflecting on why I do what I do. I’ve been remembering the teachers who did for me what I hope I have done and now help others do for students. Influence is such a powerful thing, and education is a profession with enormous influence.

So many teachers had an influence on me and taught me lessons that helped shape who I am.

In elementary school, Mrs. Landon gave me independence and individual opportunities to learn. She “differentiated instruction” for me and for Amy and for Charlie and for Randy before anyone knew the term. The four of us read and wrote and acted and researched many times on our own. She allowed us the freedom to work ahead and to learn at our own pace. She empowered us with projects and leadership roles. She taught us something important…

You are special.

In junior high (middle school wasn’t a thing yet), Mr. Reynolds did the same for all of his students. He was an amazing teacher. He acted out Civil War battles and made learning fun. And he was about the “whole child” before anyone knew the term. He could relate to every student. He allowed us all to tell our stories, and he supported us all in whatever we needed. Over Spring Break, he took us to Washington D.C. We watched as he stayed on the bus when we got to the Vietnam Memorial. His experiences in the war were still too fresh. He helped us understand that everyone has a story, and he taught us something important…

Everyone is special.

In high school, Mr. DiMauro challenged us. He set the bar so high academically that many times I thought I’d never reach it. But he found ways in class to “scaffold the learning” before anyone knew the expression. He taught us Beowulf in Old English and somehow we were able to understand it. Day after day he set impossible learning goals, and day after day he helped us meet them. He taught us something important…

You can do hard things.

In college Mr. Blanke gave me a job as the Box Office Manager, but he did so much more than that. He empowered me to run things and make decisions. He gave me paperwork and office work, but he also gave me real work. He let me design processes and change the way things were done. He confided in me. He processed with me. He relied on me. And he taught me something important…

You are needed.

Life is not always easy. I have had real challenges and obstacles in my job, in my health, and in my life. And every time I was able to meet the challenge and overcome. I am grateful for the people who helped teach me the lessons that made me who I am today.

Working in education (or in business or in marketing or in food service or in anything) is not always easy. There can be hard days and weeks when you question why you do what you do.

When you have those days or weeks, remember, you chose this job. You chose it for a reason…a positive, important, life-changing reason. Reflect on the people who had influence on you, and reflect on the students, staff, and parents you can influence. Be grateful for the opportunity.

You are special. You are needed.

Now go do what’s hard!

November 6, 2016November 6, 2016 heathercphipps Fall, Husker Football, Uncategorized

Fandom

In a week that has seen a spectacular Cubs World Series win and a spectacular Husker defeat, I am reflecting on what it means to be a fan.

I love football. High school football is my favorite. I am a huge fan. I go to every game I can. Win or lose, I love those teams. Some years our teams struggle. Some years our teams are in the play-offs. Some years we have a team win state. But win or lose, I’ll be back next year.

I also love college football. I’m a Husker. I was a Husker last week; I am a Husker today; I will be a Husker next week. I was proud of them two weeks ago when we were 7-0. I was proud of them last week when they lost in overtime. And I am proud of them today. Will we pick apart every decision made last night, every decision made this season? No doubt. And we should. Growth only happens when we are willing to lay bare the reality of what happened and why. Only when we confront the truth can we get better. I am not saying don’t ask why this happened. I am not saying don’t address the reality.

But I am still a fan.

Each week the Husker’s opposing team has gone out of its way to honor the memory of Sam Foltz, the Nebraska punter who died in a car accident earlier this year. Ohio State was no exception. Their tributes were moving, and our media spent the day promoting them. Our fans liked and shared and retweeted and spoke of the class and style of the Ohio State team. Hours later we were liking and sharing and retweeting some not so nice things as the score climbed.

Tommy Armstrong came off the field on a stretcher. Both sides of the field held their breath, dropped to their knees to pray, and cheered as he gave his thumbs-up as he was taken to the ambulance. There was a pause and reminder to keep things in perspective. But minutes later we were questioning plays, criticizing players, and wondering if the coach should be fired.

I get it. My high schools teams lost Friday night. My Huskers lost last night. I am a football girl. I am bummed.

But my Dad’s Cubbies won the World Series this week for the first time since 1908, and Chicago hosted the 7th largest celebration in human history. Such is fandom.

Watch tape. Reflect. Make a plan to get better. That’s my hope for the Huskers this week. We’re here for you. Win or lose. We are fans.

The nation speaks of Husker fans with reverence. We are warm and welcoming and classy. Today is the measure of our fandom.

October 29, 2016October 30, 2016 heathercphipps Autumn, Fall, Optimism, Positivity, Uncategorized

Rusty

I spent a few days in Huntington, West Virginia this month. It sits on the southern bank of the Ohio River, minutes from both Kentucky and Ohio. Although we flew in on the edge of a hurricane, it was the perfect time of year to visit this beautiful part of our country. The city is nestled inside lush hills, and the leaves had all turned gold and burgundy and burnt orange. Picturesque is the only accurate description.

The highlight of the trip was a complete surprise. It was one of those magical moments that seem almost too good to be true. We met a man who left an impression. His name is Rusty.

We had a little time to walk over to Marshall University. You can’t visit Huntington and not visit the Marshall University stadium. The Thundering Herd suffered a tragedy in 1970 memorialized in the movie We Are Marshall. The school has done a remarkable job of honoring the past and celebrating the future. The stadium was closed, but Rusty was cleaning the parking lot. We asked him if he would take our picture. Almost immediately he started sharing stories about Marshall. Rusty has worked there for 50 years. He grew up in a house that sat where the Marshall practice field sits now. Rusty has some stories.

He took us up to the private boxes for a tour. He showed us the press box. He shared stories of Huntington community members and the history of the school. It was riveting.

But Rusty shared more than the story of Marshall. He shared his thoughts on life. He shared his wisdom. He told us that if he were rich (and after spending time with him- trust me that he is rich in all the ways that matter), he would give $25,000 to a young couple. “Can you imagine how much it would have helped to have someone get you started when you were young?” He also shared that he would sit down with the couple and their parents to make sure they had a good life plan. When Rusty imagines being rich, his thoughts do not go to what he could do for himself, but what he could do for others. And he recognizes that what we all really need is just a little help. “Imagine if everyone could just help one other person.”

Imagine.

Mother Teresa said, “If you can’t feed a hundred people, feed one.”

I watched one of my favorite episodes of The West Wing this weekend. Two West Wing staffers met a man in a bar who was taking his daughter on a college visit. He was talking about how hard it can be to provide for your family. “It should be hard. I like that it’s hard. Putting your daughter through college, that’s a man’s job, a man’s accomplishment. But it should be a little easier, just a little easier. And that difference…is everything.”

As I watched it, I thought about Rusty. And I realized that we already have the capacity to make it a little easier. Imagine if everyone would help make one person’s life better, one situation a little easier. One person at a time we would make the difference for everyone.

October 29, 2016November 27, 2016 heathercphipps Grit, Perseverence, Uncategorized

REACH

I am a creature of habit. Routines, predictability, and rituals all make me feel safe. There is comfort in knowing what will happen next. Every Sunday I clean the house, do the laundry, pay the bills, and water the plants. It happens like clockwork. If the routine is disturbed, I don’t feel like the week will go as well. Yep. There is comfort in our habits.

But there is not growth.

Our bodies know this instinctively. The same 30 minute walk on the treadmill feels good. But it does not take long before our bodies adapt to the routine and no longer reap the same physical benefits. We have to add an incline or vary our speeds. We have to add weights or swimming. Mixing it up produces results. It is harder, but it is better for us.

The same is true in other areas of life. It is too easy to get comfortable in our routines. It is too easy to stay safe in the same job, the same hobbies, the same predictable habits. It is only when we reach beyond that we grow.

What were your dreams as a child?

What do you see yourself doing ten years from now?

“What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?” (Robert H. Schuller)

This week challenge yourself to try one new thing.

Trying something new is hard. There is risk in the adventure. But it is only when we are willing to risk that we can truly grow.

October 22, 2016October 23, 2016 heathercphipps Politics, Uncategorized

Becoming Political

I have avoided writing about politics for this entire election season. My fear, to be honest, is that any foray into the topic might result in an ugly exchange in the comments section of the blog. Civility is not always the first thing we think of when we hear the word politics today. But I was at a political forum this week, and I was reminded how important it is to our democracy to engage in these discussions.

“I am not political. My focus is on my school and my district. I am not interested in playing the games that are involved in politics.” As a classroom teacher, and even early in my administrative career, I said this countless times. And with it came the implication that politics were somehow ‘beneath me’.

I know better now.

It is naive to think that you are not political. We are all political, or we should be. There are almost always two sides to an issue, and there are almost always critical stakeholders on both sides. Effective leaders understand this, and they seek to build relationships and understand the political climate and issues at a local, state, and national level.

Education policies, budget policies, civil rights policies all impact the classroom. Ignorance of the process and of the issues being legislated is not noble, it is damaging. Information is power, and relationships provide an opportunity to have a voice in the process. Effective leaders understand this.

Obviously there is considerable focus on the national election, but I would challenge everyone to spend as much if not more time on your local elections. At the state and local level, your senators and Board of Education members shape policy that impacts you every day.

Do you know who is running for local seats? Do you understand their priorities? Have you researched their qualifications and their background?

There is still time!

In 2001 I was in the classroom, and we had a new principal. We also had a reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act – No Child Left Behind. While leadership at the district level across the nation shifted focus, many building leaders and classroom teachers paid little attention until they were directly impacted. This was not the case in my building. Our principal was aware and informed, and he made sure that we were as well. He modeled the importance of engagement in educational policy at the national level. This was my first experience with anything like that, and it made me feel empowered. It planted a seed that has grown over the years.

I am political now. I have so much to learn, but I am trying.

Know the candidates. Read everything you can get your hands on about local, state, and national politics. Read both sides of the issue. Be open to being influenced. I joked with a friend that his mind was poisoned this week after a day at a political institute, but it is essential to listen openly to both sides of all issues. Likely the right answer in matters of policy lies somewhere in the middle of opposing views.

Relationships matter. Always. They are the foundation of everything we do. The relationship a teacher has with a student or a parent allows them to motivate and engage students. The same is true in politics. The relationship a leader has with the people in the organization, other leaders, and the community is critical for success. You invest in people, and the sometimes difficult work of creating policy gets easier.

Leading in the public or private sector, in government, education, or business, is challenging and frequently involves making decisions on issues about which there are diverse opinions. Knowing your people, understanding your culture, and anticipating areas of conflict are essential to navigate those issues effectively. Not every issue is right for every time or every organization. Leadership is making the difficult decisions…and knowing when it is not the right time.

It was easier when I believed I was not political. I could bury my head in the sand to some extent and plead ignorance about local, state, and national issues…or worse, espouse an opinion about something on which I was not informed. But who wants their leader to be ignorant?

Politics and leadership go hand-in-hand. This was a lesson that took me longer to learn than I am proud to admit. I have so far to go, but I am on the journey.

October 8, 2016October 9, 2016 heathercphipps Autumn, Fall, Halloween, Uncategorized

Pumpkin Patches and Bobbing for Apples

October has returned, and I am thrilled.

I grew up on one of those streets you see in the movies, blacktop not pavement, lined with tall oaks older than the people who lived in the houses. Autumn was magical. As a child, I would rake leaves into complex mazes in the backyard with my friends. At the end of the maze would always be a pile of leaves large enough to jump into and be totally hidden from view. Hot chocolate with marshmallows was the reward when we’d finally get the leaves into the bags and hauled up to the street. Half a dozen of us would trick-or-treat together for hours in the dark venturing further and further from our block each year. A particularly good memory is when my parents would take me over to my grandma and grandpa’s neighborhood to trick-or-treat. The house up the hill had this huge bell in the front yard, and all of the kids got to ring it for Halloween…better than any piece of candy would ever have been.

This has always been my favorite time of the year.

I hope I was able to make some of those same kind of memories for my children. Halloween is big in my family. What’s not to love? Dressing up in costumes, seeing your neighbors, getting candy just for asking. Many, many years as my own children were growing up, we’d host Halloween parties. We would bob for apples and mummy-wrap the kids in toilet paper. I’d make ghosts in the graveyard cakes and ooey-gooey things out of jello. One year (and only one year) I even sewed their costumes from scratch.

Some years, when the weather is just right, October is absolute perfection in the Midwest. The temperatures cool slowly which in turn allows the leaves to turn slowly, and we get the chance to truly appreciate the beauty of a Nebraska fall.

This has been one of those years. And I have been particularly nostalgic.

The seasons have always been such a powerful literary device. The analogy of new life each spring has always rung true for me. But this year I am taken by the fleeting nature of fall. Many times the leaves go from lush and green, to rustic colors of gold, to falling to the ground much too quickly. Some years, when I am busy and distracted, I almost miss it. This will not be one of those years. I will work on appreciating the moment.

My children have grown up too quickly.

My career in education is passing too quickly.

Time itself goes too quickly.

This is not melancholy. I am overjoyed at the season. I am blessed beyond measure, and I am working hard to take it all in. I’ve written before about the crazy nature of October for those of us in education. This year is no exception. I know it will slow down, but I am in the middle of busy.

I guess I am just reminding myself that fall is short. My favorite month will pass too quickly.

Slow down.

Watch the sunset.

Take a picture in a pumpkin patch.

Winter is coming.

September 24, 2016September 25, 2016 heathercphipps Gratitude, Positivity, Stress, Uncategorized

Change the Behavior

I suppose it makes sense that if I’m going to write every week that I will circle back from time to time to some familiar themes in my own journey. Unfortunately overthinking things is one of those themes. I reread several of my old blogs this week as I was awake in the middle of the night thinking about things that were small in the light of day.

https://heathercphipps.com/2015/10/25/a-better-nights-sleep-guaranteed/

https://heathercphipps.com/2016/01/16/are-you-overthinking-this

There has been something in my DNA from almost the beginning that makes for sleepless nights sometimes. I wake up, turn over, and my mind starts to wander. Sometimes those are the moments of my greatest ideas. For some people, ah-ha moments come in the shower. For me, those moments are more likely to come at 3:00 AM.

It’s also true though that 3:00 AM may find me ruminating over something that happened the day before, an unanswered email sitting in my in-box, or a difficult conversation I have to have the next day. I’ve been doing this for long enough to know that when I get up in the morning, the issue will seem small. But in the middle of the night, it can seem almost insurmountable.

I was complaining about my lack of sleep this week when a friend gave me some simple advice. He said, “change the behavior.” Wise words.

Eckhart Tolle says, “When you complain, you make yourself a victim. Leave the situation, change the situation, or accept it. All else is madness.” Truth right there.

So I set about to design something tangible I could do to change this habit I have of overthinking things in the middle of the night. In my experience, not once has this worrying helped me find a viable solution. So I need to change the behavior. Complaining about it is clearly not working.

Later in the week, instead of laying there fixated on some current issue, I got up and started to think about all of the things I’d worried about over the summer. None of them, not one, is still something lingering out there as a concern. With time, almost all issues seem better.

Many of us have truly difficult moments in our lives, those with real consequences, significant loss, or extreme pain. There is suffering that cannot be easily healed. But most of the things that consume our worry are not those things. So I am trying something new.

Every day I try to reflect on three things for which I am grateful. I’ve done that for many years. Jon Gordon’s idea of a gratitude walk is life-changing. You cannot be stressed and thankful at the same time. But this year, once a week, I am going to write down what I am most worried about. For me, as a writer, sometimes just putting pen to paper eases the concern.

When I do that, I will look back on the things I wrote about the week before. If any are still an issue, I make those a priority for my life or my work. Likely, most will no longer be a concern, and I can let them go.

And the next time I am awake in the middle of the night, I can look at that list and be reminded that whatever is turning over in my mind will likely not be a concern in a matter of days. And it certainly does not deserve to steal my serenity.

September 17, 2016September 18, 2016 heathercphipps Education, Leadership, Teachers, Uncategorized

The Long Road

I saw a former student this week. He is one of those of those kids I will never forget. There were three of them actually- Joe and Dalton and Jack. They are forever connected in my memory. Fun and full of life, they made each day an adventure. I was on a half team that year, so I taught both English and reading and had a study hall. Some of those students had me three times day- that was a lot of Mrs. Phipps.

Those three came back to visit sometimes when they were in high school and on one of those visits taught me one of my harshest lessons as teacher. In an attempt to save precious instructional time, I would list each assignment on the board along with the last name of any students who did not have it turned in. It made it faster and easier for me to remind them what they still needed to hand in. Great system. Well the boys came back to visit and there happened to be no assignments on the board. They asked, “What happened to the Wall of Shame?”

So that happened. Something I thought was a great system to save instructional time was actually a shaming experience for my students about whom I cared deeply. Of course it was. Seems so obvious now.

The road to Master Teacher is long and filled with moment after moment of hard-learned lessons. While I am not in the classroom anymore, I feel like I am still learning more and more about best instructional practices.

I regret the times I used word finds in class. I regret the time my students spent making stuffed pigs and pig cakes as final projects for A Day No Pigs Would Day. I regret the countless days spent typing “final copies” in the computer lab. I want that instructional time back to do close reading and make actual meaning of language and vocabulary. I want that time back to turn student loose on research questions of their own design about Shakers and agriculture and the Depression and family life.

When we know better, we do better.

Education is a reflective profession. We are charged with a challenging, ever-changing job that matters deeply. Our systems and our structures need to allow for data-based decisions, collaboration, common planning, Professional Learning Communities, and time for reflection. Our leaders need the vision to make time where there seemingly is none. Our teachers need the tools to plan, teach, reflect, change. Our schools need the culture and climate to encourage risk and reflection.

As I look back on a lifetime in education, I really should not regret those lessons that failed, those projects that lacked purpose, or those systems that defeated my real purpose. I learned so much from each of them. When I knew better, I did better. I was blessed to have students who were honest about what worked and what didn’t. I was lucky enough to work with colleagues who mentored me and who showed me a better way. We learned together. And I was privileged to have leaders who allowed me take risks and to fail at times in order to learn and to grow.

As the beginning of the year honeymoon comes to an end, and the real day-to-day work takes shape, I wish you all a year of risk and reflection. I am overwhelmed everyday by the masterful work happening in classrooms all over our districts. Our students are in good and caring hands!

September 10, 2016September 11, 2016 heathercphipps Family, Gratitude, Grief, Positivity, Uncategorized

It’s Okay to be Sad

My darling daughters,

Yesterday was a hard day. We lost our sweet Maggie, and just as we knew it would be, it was tough. She was a great dog. She was a best friend to both of you over the years, and she will most definitely, permanently define your understanding of the love between a child and a pet. You were lucky to have such an energetic, fun, forgiving dog.

Kelsey, I’ll never forget her ability to move ever-so-slowly throughout the night in such a way that by morning I would find you tucked in a little ball in the corner of your bed because she had completely taken it over. And you loved it. You never seemed to mind that she made your bed her bed. Your stuffed animals became her stuffed animals. Your pillows became her pillows. She was your Maggie, Shadow, Kimperton, and you loved her and she loved you so completely.

Hunter, you loved her and spoiled her in ways I’ve never seen anyone do with their dog. You taught her how to shop. She loved to ride in your car and get Starbucks and Dairy Queen with you. To find her sleeping at the foot of your bed was evidence that even after years of routine, she had made a new best friend.

And she loved to camp. So many nights spent trying not to step on her as she slept in the dark by the campfire. So many games of fetch spent racing her best friend into the lake to see who could get the stick first. It almost always resulted in the two of them swimming back together each holding one end of the stick in her mouth.

It was a sad day. And it’s okay to be sad.

I don’t know if I’ve really ever told you that it’s okay to be sad. You know that I believe more than anything that our attitude controls our lives. Positivity is our greatest strength. But it is possible to be positive and sad at the same time. Sometimes life is hard. Glennon Doyle Melton calls life “brutiful“, brutal and beautiful at the same time. She writes and speaks eloquently about embracing the hard parts, sitting in the sadness and the pain, and using the experience to define who you are and what can never be taken from you.

Maggie was taken from you. It is sad, and it is hard. But the memories of her, the unconditional love you learned from her, cannot be taken from you. Who you are because of your time with her cannot be taken from you.

Minutes after she passed, you both posted things on Facebook. I wasn’t sure I wanted you to put your raw pain out there as quickly as you did. But I am proud of you both for doing that. I am proud of the way you jumped in with both feet to spend a last day with her- playing with her, loving her, crying over her, sitting in the sadness and the pain. I am proud of the way you put your sadness out there for the world to see. I am inspired by the way you both said loudly “I am sad” and “Life is good” at the same time.

Your lives will not always be easy. Real, painful, difficult things will happen. It is absolutely okay be sad. And it is possible to be sad and to know at the same time that life is really, really, good.

September 3, 2016September 4, 2016 heathercphipps Activities and Athletics, Back to School, Husker Football, Uncategorized

Friday Night Lights

I love football, especially high school football. There is something so fun about standing on the sidelines on a 73 degree night watching our kids play their hearts out. There are rivalries and comebacks. There are trick plays and Hail Mary’s. There is always excitement in the air.

But when I got home Friday and checked Facebook and Twitter, I was truly overwhelmed by post after post of pictures from the game (or one of the many games played across the city, state, and country on Friday night). And while there were some fantastic pictures of football, most of the pictures had almost nothing to do the game.

There were little kids sitting in the grass playing with each other while the game was happening in the background. There were cheerleaders and dance teams and band members. There were middle schoolers and high schoolers. There were veterans and a JROTC. There were moms and dads and grandmas and grandpas wearing school colors and cheering.

Post after post talked about how much fun people had. Post after post demonstrated what our superintendent and our district athletic director have both shared recently in interviews, that high school football games are about so much more than football.

In those hours, under the lights, we become a community.

Friendships are formed. Talents are unveiled. Students and parents and community members spend time together talking and building relationships.

“There is so much more than football going on here.” (Jim Sutfin)

People get the opportunity to see our students shine. We showcase the hard work of so many groups who perform on those nights. And it goes well beyond those on the field. Our students sell concessions to raise money for their activities. They support their fellow classmates with cheers and applause and respect when they perform. And they represent their schools and districts with pride.

Teachers and administrators who have retired come to the games. Elementary and middle school students come with their families and imagine what it will be like when they are in high school. Current families and staff members spend time together outside the school day.

We build a community on those nights and on countless other nights at orchestra concerts and cross-country meets, at volleyball games and plays and musicals.

There is magic in these football stadiums. There is a small town feeling in even the largest of cities. There is opportunity there to connect and to become stronger together than we will ever be alone.

On a side note, in Nebraska (and probably in other places too I’d imagine), we do something similar on Saturday nights. I went to my first Husker football game Saturday. I have no idea how someone who loves the Huskers as much as I do has gone 46 years without going to a game in person, but wow! For a few hours we became a community there too.

I hope you will continue to post your pictures. I am moved by all of them, and I am reminded in them that I am #Proud2bMPS.

August 28, 2016August 28, 2016 heathercphipps Leadership, Uncategorized

The Person Right in Front of You

I am an Optimist. Saturday night was a big night for Omaha-area Optimists. We had our largest community fundraiser, the Summer Bash for Childhood Cancer. It is an amazing event, and our club sponsored a table. But I wasn’t there. I had the opportunity to go to a concert with some friends, and it was a terrific night. I had some mixed emotions though. I knew the Summer Bash was going to be amazing. The table was full of fun people with whom I really enjoy spending time. I know I would have enjoyed seeing the fruits of our labor and celebrating the work of the last year with my fellow Optimists. I also knew though that I would have a great time at the concert. I needed to get my head right before the evening started.

Life is full of moments like this. We make one choice over another. We camp instead of flying somewhere in our downtime. We miss a chance to have lunch with people because we’ve already committed to a meeting. We choose to spend our summer vacation with family instead of taking that cruise with friends. It’s just not possible to be in two places at once.

So how do we honor the moment? How do we appreciate each event, each meeting, each person in a way that makes the most of our time and theirs?

Think for a second about the people in your life you enjoy the most, the people who make you feel the happiest. I am going to guess that there is something powerful that each of those people have in common. I am going to guess that each of those people make you feel special. I bet when you sit down to have a meal with those people, they ask about your life and they really listen to what you say. I bet when you are meeting with those people, you feel like the topic at hand is the most important thing they’ve dealt with all day. I bet you feel like you matter to them.

Those people know something that not everyone has figured out. They live their lives in a way that not everyone does. They take each and every opportunity to focus on the person right in front of them. They are not concerned with the meeting that’s coming up, the lunch that they are missing, or the event that they chose to miss. They are fully engaged in the moment, and they are fully engaged with the person right in front of them.

A friend shared some advice he’s been given about how to interact with people in meetings. It really resonated with me. For you, that is but one of many meetings you’ll have that day. But for that person, it is the only meeting they’ll have with you that day. When they leave it, how will you have made them feel?

In education, this is unbelievably important. The building secretary signs many people into the school each day, but each of those people is only welcomed into the school once. A teacher interacts with many students each day, but each of those students may only interact with the teacher once that day. The principal deals with many parents and staff members throughout the day, but each of those people may only deal with the principal once.

How do you want people to remember that interaction?

I am writing this as much for myself as anyone else this week. I am blessed with an amazing job full of meetings and opportunities to work with students, parents, and staff. I am blessed with family and friends who genuinely want to spend time with me. Am I staying fully engaged in the moment? Am I staying fully engaged with the person right in front of me? Not as often as I should be, but you can bet I’m trying to get better about this!

August 12, 2016August 14, 2016 heathercphipps Back to School, Education, Positivity, Uncategorized

First Days

This week as I made my way around the district on the first day of school, I was reminded that our experiences on first days are pretty similar. Whether it was the first day of kindergarten, the first day of middle school, or the first day of high school, the pictures on Facebook looked the same….students smiling nervously, parents beaming with pride, and school staff excited for the beginning of another year. The human experience is the human experience. Starting an adventure in a new place is exciting. For our students, for our parents, and for our colleagues, finding a sense of belonging and establishing relationships in that new place is scary and hard and really important. Regardless of what’s new, we all tend to ask ourselves the same questions.

“What should I wear?”

This question feels oh so middle school, but it’s not. I had tons of kindergarteners gushing as they showed me their new outfits on the first day. And I know the high schoolers and their friends talked about what they were wearing for pictures at Orientation. Will this help me fit in? Will this help me stand-out? Am I over-dressed? Under-dressed? Believe it or not, even as adults, we ask ourselves (and our friends) these same questions. We all struggle with the simultaneous desire to fit in and to stand out.

“Will people like me?”

It is easy to dismiss this as a superficial question, but we have all worried about this at some point in our lives. Belonging is a powerful human need. Friendship and relationships are cornerstones of our well-being. This is true for five year olds, eleven year olds, fourteen year olds, and adults. People need a tribe, a community.

This is one of the most powerful ways we can work to make the world a better place. There are tangible things each of us can do to help others feel accepted. Children instinctively know this. They are more likely to talk to someone they do not know, to invite others over to play with them on the playground, or to call someone a friend almost immediately. We lose some of that as we age. My hope for the first days of a new school year is that we all, students, staff, community, reach out to others and make people feel welcome.

And a beautiful side effect of focusing on helping others feel accepted is that it takes our minds off our own need to belong.

“Will I like them?”

I believe we are happier when we are surrounded by people we like, people who lift us up and make us better. In school this can look like spending your time with others who share your academic, athletic, or extra-curricular interests. We know that students who are involved in activities have higher GPAs and are more successful academically in school. I don’t have to “like” you to learn from you and to get better because of you, but it’s sure more fun if I do. Building a network of people you like is important. At work this looks like finding colleagues who are also friends.

Our world gets better when we are accepting of each other.

This is my challenge to you for the new year. Find ways to help others feel like they belong. Focus on being inclusive. Focus on reaching out to someone who is new at school or at work and asking them to join you. Focus on the well-being of others. You’ll be amazed at how much that helps your own well-being.

August 5, 2016August 7, 2016 heathercphipps Back to School, Gratitude, Leadership, Optimism, Positivity, Uncategorized

Awe

It’s almost here. The first day of school. In a few days our kindergarteners will step into the building for their very first day of school ever. And our seniors will step into the building for their very last first day of school ever. There is something truly magical about this time of year. It is a gift!

In fact, everything about this profession is a gift. I am in awe of it.

We kicked off the new year with a welcome back celebration last week. Our superintendent (@jsutfin) and Eric Sheninger (@E_Sheninger) spent the day inspiring us to celebrate our successes and to be better than we are now. We are entrusted with an awesome responsibility. And we were encouraged to focus on the awe.

I had no trouble doing that last week.

Everywhere I look in our schools, I find reasons to be in awe.

I am in awe of the teachers who build knowledge, instill curiosity, and create thinkers. They meet each student where they are, find ways to engage them, and motivate them to be better than they ever knew they could be. They meet needs as simple as tying shoes and as complex as making a child feel accepted. I am in awe of the teachers who spend their evenings at soccer games for students who invited them, their weekends at Dance Team car washes, and their early mornings on the field at Marching Band practice. They make home visits, call moms and dads to share successes, and pick just the right moment to tell a child how proud they are.

I am in awe of the administrators who build relationships with students, even when it is not easy, advocate for the resources their teachers need, and manage to lead in the midst of extreme challenges. They buy toasters and pop-tarts for students who are hungry, show up at graduation years after struggling with a child through middle school, and sit with families in the hospital during some of their darkest days. I am in awe of their deep dedication and willingness to do whatever it takes.

I am in awe of the willingness of educators to put their hearts out there over and over, every time, for every child. This is not always easy. Our students sometimes make poor choices, in some cases ones that have devastating consequences. But in every case there is someone, a teacher, a principal, who cares about them and supports them through all of it.

I have watched teachers unpack boxes, refill school supplies, hang bulletin boards, fire up iPads, and launch new apps. I have watched administrators greet families at Orientation and facilitate engaging and meaningful professional development. I have watched these staff members work and learn and grow in the last week. And I was in awe of them.

And I am certain too that they heard the message to inspire awe in their students.

How do we create a sense of wonder in our students?

How do we expose our students to things that will amaze them?

How do we challenge our students to take risks, to step outside of their comfort zones, and to push themselves beyond their fears in order to become the best versions of themselves?

Awe is complex. It is an abundance of amazement that can almost overwhelm you. Embrace every moment of the first days of school. Be in awe! It’s so worth it.

July 30, 2016July 31, 2016 heathercphipps Back to School, Education, Leadership, Team, Uncategorized

Our People are Our Everything

I’ve been in a job transition for the last 7 months. It’s been fun and challenging and rewarding and complicated. I transitioned with someone who has a long history of excellence and who had a giving heart every step of the way. But I am ready to be through transition and into the work.

I’ve learned a bit about transition in the last six years. I’ve learned how to identify the big rocks in a job and how to build comprehensive lists to stay on top of things. I’ve learned how to network with the people who can help me grow and be successful. And I’ve learned that reflecting on my vision is essential.

But the most important thing I’ve learned from transitions, from life really, is that your team is your everything. It is the people in your life, and your relationships with those people, who make or break your success. Relationships are everything.

I am blessed to work with a group of people who make me better, and I always have been. In each of the schools I called home, I was surrounded by smart, caring, hard-working people who put students first and challenged each other to do our best work. At the district level, I am surrounded by people who think at high levels, question the status quo, and keep kids first. They have helped me and supported me in ways I cannot adequately define in words. I am lucky to have each of them in my life.

For the past few weeks, I have been able to connect with my new team. We have talked about who we want to be and how we can support students, teachers, administrators, and each other. It has been exciting. We’ve gotten to know each other a little better, and we’ve had the chance to talk about how we are the same and how we are different.

Another thing I have learned about teams is that it is the differences, not the similarities, that often make the strongest teams. I am not like some of the people I work with everyday. And I am grateful for that. Where I am weak, they are strong. We balance each other. A little rule-follower, a little rule-breaker. A little systems thinker, a little constant dreamer. A little big picture, a little in the weeds. The strongest teams have a little of it all, and they are better for it.

Leadership is about sharing a vision that all of those people can rally around. Leadership is about setting the path, equipping everyone with the needed resources and support to be successful, and allowing each person to use their strengths. How are you serving as a leader with your team?

People have asked me what my hopes are for this new year in this new role. I hope to be competent. I hope to maintain the structures and systems that have made our division strong and to challenge the status quo so we get even better. I hope to work collaboratively to establish our vision for teaching and learning. And most importantly, I hope to build a team.

Our people are our everything. As we start a new year, surround yourself with people who challenge you, push you, support you, and make you happy.

June 12, 2016 heathercphipps Family, Gratitude, Parenting, Positivity, Uncategorized

An Abundant Life

There is nothing like a major life celebration to reveal the true abundance in your life. My daughter got married Friday. Her dress was stunning. The reception hall was beautiful. The food was delicious, and the dance was a blast. But if none of that had been true, it would still have been a success.

My daughter and son-in-law were surrounded by family and friends who laughed with them, cried with them, toasted them from the heart, and frankly suffered through outrageous heat to get some beautiful pictures that they’ll treasure forever.

There were memorials and moments of silence. There were hysterical stories about their childhoods, and person after person shared that they knew that they would marry each other…almost from the moment they met.

Their lives are abundant.

They are very young, still in college, and working many hours a week to make ends meet. They do their laundry at our house and drive cars that overheat and break down. They do not have a lot of money or expensive possessions, and they have some lean years ahead of them like most young married couples.

But their lives are abundant…and so is mine.

One of my best friends married them. Another one sat next to me while the best man, and my daughter and my husband reduced me to tears with their toasts. Many of my friends drove miles, flew miles, and made arrangements to be there on a Friday afternoon to watch her say her vows, to hold me over and over as I cried tears of joy, and to dance with me as we celebrated.

We build a life relationship by relationship. And this week I was surrounded by the people in my life with whom I have forged those relationships. Those people, and their love, are the abundance in our lives. Not money. Not things. People. Never has that been more clear to me.

I was supported and encouraged every day of this past week by friends who reminded me to relax and to enjoy the experience. One of my favorite texts came Wednesday afternoon. “I have no idea what you are doing at this exact moment, but I am 100% sure that the correct advice is ‘Calm down!'”

Then I didn’t sleep well Thursday night, and on Friday morning I texted a friend that it “might be a rough day”. The response was perfect. “Power through and choose to make it a great day. Or cancel the whole thing. Those are your choices.” Pretty great to have people in your life who know you well enough to set you straight when you need a reminder…and who read you well enough to text you whenever you need someone to remind you to “Relax!”

The relationships in our lives are everything. Because of those relationships, my life is abundant. Focus your energy on people, not things.

The most wonderful thing about this experience for me has been to witness that same abundance in the life of my daughter and her husband. They are surrounded and supported by people who love them unconditionally. Their lives are truly abundant, and for that I am most truly grateful.

The delicious cake was just a bonus!

June 5, 2016June 5, 2016 heathercphipps Parenting, Uncategorized

We are parents forever

It’s wedding week. The details are finalized; the clothes are ironed; the vows are ready. We have moved beyond the planning phase to working the plan. From this point, our job is just to enjoy the experience and savor the moment. In a week, my daughter will be married.

I am excited, and I am proud. I am confident in the love she shares with her fiancé, and I know they are ready and willing to put in the effort and steadfast attention required to make a marriage work. I am overjoyed.

And I am devastated.

She was a child just yesterday, her never-ending smile lighting up every room she was in. It was just yesterday she was performing concerts for us on her bed, staging elaborate shows on our make-shift stage, and drawing with sidewalk chalk in the driveway. (Oh wait, she and her sister still do that!).

And she will be that child to me, in many ways, forever.

I know some things now that I did not know even a year ago. Our children are our children forever. I know now that all those moments in the teens years when I thought that all we had to do was get to 18…19…21 and our jobs would be done were a fallacy. Our job is never done.

We are parents forever.

I know now how my parents feel when a day passes and they don’t talk to me. I know now the fear and anxiousness my parents feel every time I tackle a new challenge. I know now the pride and joy my parents feel every time I am successful in something, even now. I underestimated the fact that those emotions never, ever, ever change.

We are parents forever.

I hope that I am a better daughter for knowing this. Believe me, I have always known how lucky I was to be blessed with parents and step-parents and parents-in-law who support my family in countless ways. I just have a more real appreciation now of the fact that while my daughter’s life is changing immeasurably, my feelings for her will never change.

May 29, 2016May 31, 2021 heathercphipps Memorial Day, Uncategorized

Peonies

I grew up in a house that was built for my grandparents. There are still three stone steps in the middle of the yard that once led to a path to the house next door where my great-grandparents lived. The yard is large and filled with trees that are older than I am. It is steeped in my family’s history. My sister lives there now, the current keeper of our traditions.

At this time every year, the peonies that line the patio outside of the little cabin in the backyard are blooming. The smell of peonies always brings me back to Memorial Day weekend as a child. One of my jobs was to cut the flowers that we would leave at the cemetery when we visited. Some years I’d wrap the peonies in wet paper towels and foil to try to keep them alive, other years we’d put them in a bucket of water.

What came next rarely varied. Each year we visited all of the local cemeteries where my grandpa and great-grandparents and many other distant family members were buried.

My grandma would tell me the stories of her mother Anna and her brothers Clinton who died in infancy and Clifford whose first wife passed away. She would tell me about her sister Josephine, and we would visit the Stuben and Bowles family plots.

Then we would climb the hill to find Roy and Hannah, my great-grandparents on another side. And as a child, that’s how I thought of it, as “visiting Roy and Hannah”. They were there on that day. They were very much there on those days.

Not only did we visit family, we visited others who passed away too young and told the stories about their lives.

Over the years the tradition changed. Eventually we were visiting my grandma there as well. And sadly we started visiting friends of mine who died too young. The memory of their passing is sad, but the memories of their lives are wonderful. The tradition is about keeping that memory alive.

My daughter Hunter is the keeper of traditions in my immediate family. She was born on Memorial Day in 1997, so our Memorial Day traditions are different than mine were growing up. We frequently had her family birthday party on Memorial Day. Different traditions, but still a time set aside for telling stories and remembering.

My wish for you this weekend is time to reflect on the love of those you’ve lost, and of course, to reflect on those we’ve lost who gave the greatest measure in service to our freedom.

May 19, 2016May 22, 2016 heathercphipps Education, Leadership, Positivity, Uncategorized

Say Goodbye

I contend that if you want to know which teachers have the best relationships with students, watch classrooms on the first day of school and the last day of school. There is an energy, an excitement on those days that is palpable. This week the best teachers are sending notes home to parents, taking pictures with their students, and putting closure on the school year. They are asking students to write letters to themselves that they will mail years later, and they are showing videos they’ve been building all year.

Closure matters.

May is also banquet season. There are scholarship dinners, award and recognition nights, and retirement celebrations. There is chicken and iced tea and cake and dessert. There are certificates and medals and crystal apples and clocks. It’s a busy time of year and one that is not always fully appreciated. At a time that can already be stressful in schools, adding after school events and evening activities can feel like a burden instead of a gift. But this is one of the most important times of our year.

Closure matters.

As a middle school teacher, I would read my students the same book on the last day of school every year. And years later if they’d invite me to their graduation, I would give them a copy of the book. It was a tradition. We would tell the stories from the school year and laugh and cry and write in everybody’s yearbook. It was emotionally draining, and I looked forward to it every year.

Closure matters.

After a long season of baseball or track, after a year of competing in show choir or debate, teams celebrate with an awards banquet or a recognition night. Records are acknowledged, and trophies are presented. Parents take pictures and coaches make speeches. It is usually a very long night, and it is also a night that will be remembered for the rest of their lives.

I was having a conversation with some friends this week about retirement. We were imaging what we will want when we retire. A party? A lunch? Slipping quietly out the back door without any fanfare? We all have our opinions, but I imagine when the time actually comes, we may feel differently.

Retiring from a job, ending a sports season, or leaving elementary school is emotional, especially if you have had a positive experience. Endings can be hard. Rituals like letters home, awards banquets, and retirement parties can help. They give people a chance to celebrate the experience and in some ways to grieve the loss.

Allowing for opportunities to reflect and reminisce is important. People need the chance to relive the highlights and to retell their stories. As a school leader, be intentional about planning these events for students and staff.

May is always an emotional month in education. We are saying goodbye to our students who have become part of us, and we are saying goodbye to colleagues who have become like family. I hope that you take every opportunity to celebrate this time of year and to say goodbye. Closure matters.

May 15, 2016 heathercphipps Gratitude, Grit, Optimism, Perseverence, Positivity, Uncategorized

Little Shop of Letdown

Major milestones in our lives offer an opportunity to reflect. Such has been my spring. And as I have been reminiscing, I have been reminded of the many ups and downs that make up a life. For me, for my friends, and for my family, life has not always turned out the way we thought it would. Woven through the fabric of the many celebrations and achievements in our lives are a fair share of failures.

As we celebrated an impressive freshman year and an outstanding grade in college calculus, I was reminded of the struggles it took to get through my daughter’s first AP course. School was not as easy for her as it was for her older sister.

As we celebrated awards and honors and some amazing achievements as she graduated college, I was reminded of the devastation when my oldest was cut from the musical “Little Shop of Horrors” her junior year without ever even having the chance to read for the part she wanted. She cried for days.

As I transition to a new job, I am reminded of the year I was so ready for my first administrative job. I’d earned the degree. I’d done all of the preparing, and I was sure the next administrative job was mine. When circumstances caused me to miss the interview and someone else got the job I believed should have been mine, I was disappointed. I was more than disappointed.

But as strange as this is going to sound, I am so grateful for the failures. I may appreciate them even more than the successes.

With my daughter’s struggles in school came a strong work ethic, an ability to persevere, and an understanding of how to “do school”. With my daughter’s loss of a part in the musical came an even greater ability to be humble, compassionate, and sympathetic. Having to wait for my first chance to lead as an administrator helped me learn patience and taught me that with time things work out.

My children are the amazing human beings they are today not because they have always been successful but because they learned how to respond with positivity, grace, and grit when things went wrong.

Failure is not an option. Failure is a guarantee. At some point we all fail. Reaching for our dreams, imagining a different future, trying something new all mean risking failure. And when we fail, we learn.

Take risks. Try something that scares you. Set what one of my friends calls stretch goals. Imagine that you can go well beyond what you thought was your limit physically, intellectually, or emotionally. And decide now that when you fail, and you will, that you will maintain a positive attitude, persevere, and learn from it.

Every experience, every success, every failure make us who are. Appreciate them all!

May 8, 2016 heathercphipps Leadership, Positivity, Uncategorized

For the sake of the relationship…

IGNORE and AVOID

In my district, we have a belief that “people are our greatest resource.” I agree completely. People are what it’s all about. Our success, our satisfaction, and our happiness are defined by the relationships we build with other people, Whether a lifelong friend, a family member, or someone we’ve just met, relationships matter.

This is hardly the first time I’ve written about the power of relationships. For me, they are everything. And I spend quite a bit of time reflecting on how best to develop and maintain positive relationships in my life.

So the focus of this blog may seem strange. The idea I share today may seem contrary to what I have always said is best practice in working with other people. But I’ve come to believe this is some of the most important advice I’ve ever gotten.

Ignore and avoid.

I like to talk. Communication is in my top five Gallup strengths. I believe there is enormous benefit in open, transparent, ongoing conversations. I believe the quickest way to resolve an issue is to address it directly.

As a leader, I tend to confront issues head-on. I believe a Fierce conversation has great power. So why would I suggest that anyone ever ignore or avoid anything? I have actually taught classes on the importance of having the conversations you know you need to have.

Well, because people are flawed. They have bad days. They say things they don’t mean, and they use harsh tones when they are hungry, angry, lonely, tired, or sad. Even the most positive, thoughtful person can lash out when they are frustrated. I’ve done it myself plenty of times. And when you reach out to try to help, they will sometimes just get more angry.

In those moments, we have a choice. We can choose to be offended by it, or we can choose to ignore it. We can choose to confront it, or we can choose to avoid it. For much of my life, I have gotten offended and chosen to confront. Rarely, in those moments of agitation on my part, did I made the situation any better.

In many of those cases, it would have served our relationship more to simply let the situation pass.

In one of those moments recently, when I was frustrated and angry for how I felt I was being treated, a friend suggested I should ignore and avoid. His recommendation was that I should move past what was said and recognize that it was not typical for the person who said it. He helped me see that fixating on my emotions surrounding the issue and over-thinking how to address it was not doing me any good.

Now, I would never, ever advocate that you allow people to treat you rudely or accept ongoing inappropriate behavior. I am not suggesting that we ignore bullying or avoid the conversations we know we need to have. Letting a small issue grow because you are afraid of the conversation is never healthy.

I am simply saying that when a friend or family member who is normally a positive person has a bad day, it is okay to just ignore it.

And when you are the one who acts inappropriately, because we all do at times, apologize. Someone may be ignoring and avoiding you to not further damage your relationship.

May 1, 2016 heathercphipps Education, Grit, Leadership, Uncategorized

Own Your Power

I believe that there are certain fundamental truths in the world. I believe that having a relationship with someone is more powerful that having authority over them. I believe that doing the right thing for the sake of doing the right thing is the most important thing we can do with our lives. I believe that being a good person is more important than being a powerful person. The people who I respect the most in this world are humble and kind to quote Tim McGraw. They are also, in many cases, leaders at the highest level. You can be both humble and powerful. I see it everyday.

There is an inner struggle when you assume a leadership role, a battle between who you are and what you are required to do. There are any number of decisions you have to make as a leader that have the potential to frustrate or upset others. There are issues that divide people. When your focus is on creating a positive culture and developing relationships, those issues can create fear. How will your work impact that culture and those relationships?

But you cannot lead unless you own your power.

Strong leaders take the time to build the knowledge and skills necessary to run the team, the organization, or the company. They start first by developing themselves. They are lifelong learners who push themselves and challenge themselves to grow. They have built relationships, and they seek out the people with whom they need to cultivate new relationships. So when they do step into the role, they are ready to lead. And the organization needs them to lead.

But you cannot lead unless you own your power.

The best leaders are good people who are willing to do what is necessary to move the organization forward. They have moved past the fear that others might not like them. They are willing to make decisions and to own the consequences. They share the credit, and they take the blame. And people respond well to them. We want strong leaders who are knowledgeable and decisive. We want leaders who will take responsibility and have the difficult conversations. The best leaders do not necessarily enjoy conflict, but they do not shy away from it.

I am a leader. I am blessed to be in a position where I get to voice my opinion, influence decisions, and help determine the vision for our district. There are so many people in our schools and communities who assume leadership roles, big and small, every day. To do our jobs well, we have to be willing to own our power.

When you are coaching the football team or the baseball team, own the decisions you make about playing time. When parents question the length of your practice or the position you assigned their child, stand up for your choices. Don’t hesitate when you are explaining those decisions to players or parents. You know the skills and the talents of your players.

When you are serving as Troop Leader or President of the Neighborhood Association, be decisive. Own the choices you make. You are in that role for a reason. You do not have to fear explaining the decisions you’ve made. You are the leader.

And when you assume a job as a school leader, do it with confidence. You have prepared, and you will continue to learn. There will be any number of things about which you are not self-assured. Do them anyway. People need leaders who are willing to lead.

There is nothing shameful in owning your power, the best leaders do it with ease. You can, and should, be humble and kind. And you can, and should, own your power as a leader.

April 23, 2016April 24, 2016 heathercphipps Family, Gratitude, Optimism, Positivity, Uncategorized

A Letter to my Daughter…Enjoy!

Today marks the official beginning of the wedding festivities. This afternoon you will celebrate with people who have known you, in some cases, for your entire life. There will be food and gifts and games and likely some stories about when you were a little girl and how quickly you grew up. Your sister has worked so hard to make everything perfect. It will be great fun! Enjoy it.

Then in less than two weeks you will carry that banner in as you and the other SLP majors take your seats and celebrate commencement. There will be speeches and tassels and pictures and happy tears. There will likely again be stories about when you were a little girl and how quickly you grew up. Earning your degree is a major accomplishment. Enjoy it!

I don’t know if I did this well enough a year ago when your sister was graduating high school and having her senior dance recital and turning 18. I don’t know if I reminded her often enough to slow down and enjoy the experience. These times feel so busy, and I don’t know if I told her to take it all in and appreciate each and every moment. I want to be sure we all do that right now.

These milestones are significant. They should be cherished.

But I also want to say this before we get too far down this path. As hard as we have all tried to be sure that each of these events are perfect, they will not be. They will be far from perfect. Things will get missed. The way you envisioned this or that will not be exactly the way it actually happens. It will rain. Your hair may come undone. Your make-up may smear. You may, in fact, fall flat on your face at some point in all of this. Such is life.

The unexpected will happen.

But it will be those moments you remember most. It will be the surprises that stick with you decades later. So decide right now to enjoy those moments too. Laugh at yourself. Roll with things. Enjoy them for what they are, not for what you thought they’d be.

And finally, cry when you need to. There are people who should be with us for all of this who are not. There may be more loss in these next few weeks. Such is life. Let every emotion in and remember that you wouldn’t be sad if you hadn’t loved deeply.

I guess I just wanted to say that I am excited for you (and for me) as we start this journey. It will be fun and funny. It will be emotional and draining at times. And at the end of it, the two of you will be married. Nothing else that happens along the way matters more than that! Enjoy it!

April 16, 2016April 17, 2016 heathercphipps Optimism, Positivity, Uncategorized

We Don’t Know the Whole Story

I was driving to a meeting yesterday when I noticed the car. First it came up from behind me and cut into the lane next to me, pulled around me, then did the same to the car in front of me. The man was not driving safely. In fact, when we got to the next intersection, he pulled dangerously close to a turning semi. I thought, ‘that is an accident waiting to happen’. When I pulled up behind him a few blocks later, I smiled because he’d done all of that and we were still in the same place. So there!

I went to my meeting, and several meetings after that, and was wrapping up my day when I got a text from my husband. We were supposed to be heading out of town, but our dog was acting strange. She was lethargic and having a hard time breathing. Our daughter had sent him a text and a video, and he was going to take her in to the vet. We didn’t want to leave town not knowing what was going on. I wanted to get home to see her before she went to the vet. Driving home I realized that I was going faster than I should be, and I was pulling around the slow cars. There it was. The reminder I needed earlier in the day when I was passing judgement on another driver.

We don’t know the whole story.

For all I know that person was headed to the hospital because his wife was having a baby. Or he was headed to his daughter’s graduation. Or he was headed to the nursing home because his mother was passing away. There are any number of explanations for why a person is acting the way they are in any given situation. I’m not defending ever driving unsafely. I am just saying that there may be things going on that we are not aware of.

Too often I pass judgement on the angry man in line in front of me at the grocery store. Too often I assume the worst of the woman yelling at her child at the mall. In most cases, I have no idea what that person is going through. I have no idea if they are sick or lonely or grieving. I have no idea if they just lost their job or their house or their child.

We don’t know the whole story.

Of course it is not appropriate to act rude or unsafe. I am not excusing that behavior. But I am challenging us to consider our own behavior. We choose every day in every moment whether to assume the best of others or to assume the worst.

I was not the safest driver coming home from work yesterday. I was not the most patient person in the drive-through when I was picking up dinner for husband because he had been at the vet for three hours. My fear likely looked like frustration or anger or impatience.

My dog Maggie had surgery last night. She came through it very well. She is home today and resting peacefully. It screwed up my weekend plans. It caused me to miss an important event in my family’s life. And it scared the heck out of me. But she’s okay. I hope the people who interacted with me while it was all happening had more grace for me than I had for that driver earlier in the day.

Give grace. Be kind. Assume the best of others. And understand that you rarely know the whole story.

April 10, 2016 heathercphipps Education, Teachers, Uncategorized

Keeping the First Things First

I work in education. It is without question the most rewarding, engaging, and important work I can imagine. We are entrusted with the care and teaching of people’s children. We show them facts and figures. We empower them to think and learn things on their own. And we shape what they believe and who they will become. It is an awesome responsibility, and it is an enormous joy.

In classrooms, our focus should be on helping students develop the knowledge, skills, and character traits necessary to be the best versions of themselves.

In schools, our focus should be on empowering teachers and supporting students and families in order to meet the needs of everyone as they enter the classroom.

In districts, our focus should be on providing the resources and support necessary to ensure that each student has a successful school experience.

Steven Covey says it like this: Put first things first.

My roles in education have changed over the years. I was a middle school teacher for thirteen years. In that time, it was not always easy to put the first things first. I set challenging objectives, designed engaging lessons and developed authentic and meaningful assessments. I got to know my students on a personal level and tried to establish relationships. But without fail, every year, there were things that got in the way of what I knew should be the first things. Some of my students didn’t have enough to eat. Some of my students had anxiety or depression or just that painful funk that often accompanies middle school. Some of my students would misbehave and make it hard for everyone to focus on the lesson. There were metaphorical fires to put out at times. And in those times it was hard to put the first things first.

As a building administrator, those issues seemed to grow. A disagreement between students in the neighborhood at night would spill over into first hour English class and end up in my office. Those students who didn’t have enough to eat would stop in my office to grab a pop-tart on the way to class. Sometimes a student who just needed to cry would take up several hours of the day. I knew that my first job was to be the instructional leader in our school. I knew that I should be in classrooms watching lessons and providing feedback, but it was not always as easy as I wished it would be.

As a district administrator, I know that putting first things first means being present in our schools and at activities. I know it means being in classrooms watching lessons and ensuring that our curriculum is sound, our instruction is effective, and our assessment is driving instruction. But there are still those metaphorical fires that get in the way. Staffing issues, discipline issues, and other emergencies (that many times are actual emergencies) get in the way of me keeping the first things first.

So what to do about it?

I’m not sure I have the answer, but I know that we need to give ourselves and each other grace when what we perceive to be the most important thing that someone should be doing doesn’t get done. We need to recognize that there may be any number of things happening in our classrooms, in our schools, and in our district that are a more immediate need than what we shared as a necessary task. We need to accept that our most pressing issue may be minor in the work that others are doing at a given time. Sometimes putting the first things first means taking care of a hungry student, a frustrated parent, or a building principal who is asking for help

And then we need to refocus our attention, reflect on how we are spending our time, and design systems that support our work and allow for both the emergencies and the deeper leadership that guarantees all students succeed.

Nobody said this was going to easy. But it is definitely worth it.

April 2, 2016April 3, 2016 heathercphipps Balance, Family, Gratitude, Uncategorized

A Balanced Life

April is a busy month. And May is certainly not any slower. There are choir concerts and Honors Nights and track and baseball and soccer. There are the usual birthday parties and anniversaries. And of course there’s graduation.

Spring is a busy time. But so is summer…and fall…and winter. Our lives are busy. Between work and school and church and athletics, our families are running in many directions. It is easy to get overwhelmed and feel like we are not living a balanced life.

I have had many discussions over the years with my friends about finding balance in our lives, finding that work/life balance, focusing on body/mind/spirit balance, achieving whatever that perfect balance is that keeps us healthy and happy. Many of those conversations started with a well-meaning friend who was worried about my balance at a given time.

After much reading, many conversations, and some serious soul searching over the years, I have arrived at my own understanding of balance. There is no such thing as balance, and I wouldn’t want it if it existed.

If I am going to be honest, I have imagined a life where I workout every morning, read the paper, and make a real breakfast before heading to work. Then I connect personally with all of my co-workers, clear all my emails, and check everything off my to do list. I leave work a few minutes early, check in with my parents and my siblings and take a few minutes to catch up on Facebook and Twitter. When I get home I take a quick look around the house to pick up any messes, go through the mail, stay on top of the bills, and play fetch with the dog. Then I cook a delicious meal and set the table for dinner. I clean up the kitchen, watch a few of my favorite shows on Netflix and login to do any evening emails and finish up my work from the day. I read for fun every night before bed, pray, meditate, stretch and do yoga before turning early and getting 8 hours of sleep.

My meals are healthy. My clothes ironed. Everyone gets their birthday cards on time, and I never forget an important event in a friend’s life.

Obviously I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea. Until there are 47 hours in a day and I become a much more perfect version of myself, it is unlikely even half of that ever becomes reality in a day.

And I am fine with that. For years I wasn’t fine with that. For years I thought if I read enough, reflected enough, or made enough to do lists that I would be able to find this perfect balance that would make my life complete.

Well guess what, my life is complete.

When I need to work more, I do. When I need to go away on a cruise for a week, I do. Are they balanced? Not even close. I think our lives are about finding the things that bring us joy and then doing them.

So release yourself from the guilt that comes with working late at school or leaving school early to go to a soccer game. Give yourself grace when you buy your contribution to the potluck or put your children in a store-bought Halloween costume. Some years you sew Pooh and Piglet costumes in the basement, and some years you buy a ladybug costume at the store. Your children will remember both years fondly, and they won’t love you any less because you bought their costume.

We each get to define what brings us joy. Likely what makes my life complete is different from what makes your life complete. Normal in my family is different from normal in my neighbor’s family. We establish our own routines and traditions. I am not advocating selfishness or wanton disregard for the needs of others; I am just suggesting that we stop beating ourselves up for not being balanced.

March 27, 2016 heathercphipps Education, Mentor, Optimism, Positivity, Teachers, Uncategorized

Imagine Something of Everyone

I was overcome with pride this week as I watched elementary students working during Genius Hour in one of our schools. Those boys and girls are passionate about saving endangered species and Mine Craft and teaching dogs tricks. They lit up when they talked about what they were researching and what they cared most about right now. And I watched their teachers empower each and every one of them.

Then I got online and found a video that some of our high school students made called Mean Tweets about cyber-bullying. It is remarkable. They are taking tangible, powerful action to address a very real concern for young people. They saw a problem, and they took steps to address it. And I watched as their superintendent and their teachers and their administrators shared the video on social media, empowering them even further.

“Sometimes it’s the very people who no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one imagines.” Alan Turing

When I first heard this quote, I was sure it would end up in a blog. I was sure it would be a retelling of the many people who have accomplished great things despite this or that. I thought it would be about the people who overcame great challenges to rise in their fields or achieve great success. But in the end, as I rolled the quote around and around in my head, it is not about that at all. Because in the end, I do not agree with the quote.

Deeper examination of the people who have achieved great things in spite of overwhelming obstacles will always reveal someone who believed in them. There was a parent who told them that they were smart. There was a friend who read their stories or looked at their drawings and appreciated them. There was a teacher. So many times there was a teacher. Someone looked at them and saw what I like to call the sparkle, that inner glow that shines when they dance or run or sing or solve math problems. Someone told them that they sparkle, and that someone ignited a flame…even if it was just once in passing long ago and the flame stayed hidden deep down inside.

I cannot, will not, live in a world where there are people that no one imagines anything of. I cannot, will not, allow anyone to go through life with no one believing in them. I want to imagine something of EVERYONE. I want us all to imagine something of everyone.

In my profession, this is not a nice to have trait, it is a have to have trait.

Every day children walk into our schools and spend their days with people who should imagine something of them. Teachers are entrusted with the care and nurturing of minds and hearts and souls. It is our job to see the sparkle, to know our students so well that we can help identify their passions and encourage them. It is our job to do this for EVERY student in our classrooms, even the ones who are angry or quiet or difficult to like at times. In fact, it is our job to find it most in those students. We have the opportunity, the gift, to be the person who imagined something of the next great artist, the doctor who cures cancer, the President. It is our job to imagine something of these future parents, neighbors, colleagues.

Reflect on the people who saw something in you. Thank them.

Then look around for the people whose sparkle you should be seeing. Reach out to them. Encourage them. Nurture that sparkle. Do not allow a single person to go through life with no one imaging something of them.

Imagine something of everyone.

March 20, 2016 heathercphipps Pause, Positivity, Recharge, Stress, Uncategorized

Pause

I’m back! And it feels good. I really missed writing these past few weeks, but it was time for a break. Breaks are good for us. They give us time to recharge, reconnect, and re-energize. Our bodies, our minds, and our souls need time every once in a while to just…pause.

Pause was not the word I used when I decided to stop writing a few weeks ago. Someone else used it, a friend. He told me that he was glad I was pausing…that I had given myself permission to pause. He said that by extension I had given some other people permission to pause as well.

His words struck me as profound- this need to pause. This need to give ourselves the grace to stop what we are doing, or thinking, and to just breathe.

I tend to do things at high speed. My conversations, my actions, even my thoughts move quickly. I’d blame our fast-paced world, but the truth is it’s how I’m wired. I like to be in constant motion. It’s thrilling…and it’s exhausting.

Years ago when I got my first teaching job, my principal told me that he hired me because I didn’t pause before answering his questions. I just jumped in with an answer. He thought that meant I’d be decisive and have authority in the classroom, fewer issues with classroom management. My department head, who had also been in the interview, told me she worried that it meant I didn’t take the time to pause and reflect. She may have been right.

It has taken me decades (and let’s face it, I’m still learning) to appreciate the importance of a good pause.

In conversations, there is power in the silence. Susan Scott calls it letting silence do the heavy lifting. When you pause, you allow other voices into the space. You allow for other perspectives, other ideas, other beliefs. When you sit in the silence, you often find the real issues.

When you pause to think or to let others think, you arrive at deeper meaning. The first thing out of my mouth is rarely the best thing I’ve got.

My top Gallup strength is Achiever. I like to get things done. The more tasks accomplished, the more successful I feel. But we can learn something from the work of elite athletes. Yes, they work hard. Yes, they are active. Yes, they lift and run and are careful about what they eat. But they also rest. They know that you grow muscle on your rest days. They know that it is essential to pause for maximum results.

It’s not easy for me to take a break. I like the constant activity of a busy life. But I knew a few weeks ago it was time to pause. I took a few weeks off from the blog. I stayed at home to rest when I got sick. And I took an amazing vacation over spring break. Pausing is good for the body, mind, and spirit!

I hope you don’t need anyone to give you permission to pause. I hope you take some time daily, weekly, and monthly to rest. And I hope you are surrounded by people who encourage your pauses. I feel lucky to have those people in my life!

February 17, 2016August 26, 2025 heathercphipps Breaking the Rules, Competition, Grit, Optimism, Perseverence, Positivity, Uncategorized

50 Years from Now

My family laughs at me every time the movie Transformers is on TV. Almost without fail, I jump into the story at the exact same moment…the point of inspiring motivation and life-changing wisdom. Do you see now why they laugh at me? I may be the only person in history who has ever described Transformers as life-changing, but it is.

There is a scene early on when the first Transformer reveals himself as Bumblebee, an alien robot. (And with that, the rest of you start laughing at me as well. A movie about alien robots shares life-changing wisdom?) But when Bumblebee invites the young heroes into his car, leading to unknown adventure and considerable risk, one of the main character hesitates. The other one utters the words that I’ve been saying to myself ever since…

“50 years from now when you’re looking back on your life, don’t you want to say you had the guts to get into the car?”

Life is full of choices, chances to try something new. These opportunities can also be filled with risk. It is not easy to take a leap and jump into something unknown. It is not easy to take a chance and know that you could fail, but nothing amazing was ever achieved without risk.

From our earliest years, we have to make choices about what adventures we will tackle and which ones we will let go. Auditioning for the school play is a risk. Trying out for the football team is a risk. Taking an Advanced Placement course is a risk. But those risks are necessary to create the best possible life.

Say yes!

I am a terrible bowler, but I always have a good time when I play. I am not a runner, but I’ve finished three half-marathons. Stand directly under the frozen, powerful waterfall at Smith Falls on the Niobrara? Every time!

When people are asked about their greatest regret, they almost always list the things they didn’t do. At the end of our lives, it is not what we tried and failed to do that haunts us, it is the times we failed to try.

Embracing this attitude is essential not just for the day-to-day things, but it is key to living the best possible version of your life. Taking risks is necessary in order to find success. Go back and get the degree. Apply for the job that seems beyond your reach. Volunteer to be the one who fills in at a meeting or on a committee.

Every day there is a chance to say yes. “Want to go to lunch?” “I have an extra ticket to the game, want to come?” “We need someone to lead this project, are you interested?” A good meal, a new relationship, a powerful experience might be the result.

Something we learn as we get older is that things will not always work out when we say yes. There is a winner and a loser in all epic battles. We only have one state champion. We only have one gold medalist. But without the risk of failing, we cannot succeed.

“50 years from now when you’re looking back on your life, don’t you want to say you had the guts to get into the car?”

February 7, 2016February 14, 2016 heathercphipps Grit, Perseverence, Uncategorized

Relentless Pursuit of Perfection

Peyton Manning may or may not have played his last professional football game, but his performance this season added to his legacy in ways no one can deny. His skill, his leadership, and especially his resilience cemented his place among the best of the best in football history. What Jerry Rice brought to the game physically, Peyton Manning brings to the game mentally. They might both be described as genius in their chosen field.

I am a big believer in finding your sparks, your genius, and tirelessly working to become the very best at them. There are those among us who have taken their passions and pursued them relentlessly, seeking perfection. What do they have that we don’t? Yes, some of them have physical prowess or intellectual ability beyond what most people possess. But those are not the things that set them apart. It is their passion, their drive, and their persistence in the face of obstacles that makes them the best.

Say what you will about Steve Jobs, but there is no one who worked harder to make his vision a reality than he did. The stories of his drive are legendary. Aaron Sorkin, who wrote the screenplay for the movie Steve Jobs, is known to be just as tenacious in his pursuit of perfection. He revises his scripts right up until the moment of shooting.

As troubled as Michael Jackson’s private life might have been, he is at the top of almost every list of the greatest performers of all time. No recording, no stage set, no dance number was ever good enough. He knew there was always room to make it even better.

Why is it that some people set the alarm to go off at 4:04 am every day and climb out bed to finish a run or complete a workout before heading to work? They’ve done more before 7:00 am than many will do all day.

Why is it that some people rehearse dance seven days a week, or practice their instrument for hours on end, or write fifty pages a day, every day? Some people have made a commitment to be the best at what they do.

I’ve wavered on the title of this blog all week. I struggle with the conflict between done and done perfectly. In pursuit of perfection, we are sometimes paralyzed. “In pursuit of excellence” may, in fact, be the better title. The goal is to be the best you can be, not necessarily to be better than everyone else.

None of this is easy. Sleep is easier than waking up early to go for a run in the rain. Sitting on the couch is easier than heading off to the dance studio to practice the same routine for the hundredth time that week. Snapping the quick shot is easier than waiting for hours for the perfect light to get the best possible photograph. This relentless pursuit of perfection takes stamina and persistence and grit. There are some people though who embrace the suck.

I don’t have competition in my top five strengths. (We’ll pause as those who know me best say it must be number six.) But I certainly want to succeed at whatever I do. My sparks are teaching and learning…and writing. I was rejected by my first publisher this week. I submitted a book proposal, and I got a polite email on my birthday that they did not feel the book would be appropriate for their readers. I am undaunted. I will continue to work on the manuscript. I will finish it, and I will revise and revise and revise in a relentless pursuit of perfection.

February 6, 2016February 7, 2016 heathercphipps Positivity, Staff Development, Uncategorized

We Choose

ATTITUDE (1)

I have a confession to make. I did not walk my own talk this week. I was guilty of the one thing that drives me the most crazy about my job.

I spent a full day in professional development growing my skills as a leader and a learner. I ended up taking over ten pages of notes, and I came home with many good ideas for my work. It was a great day! I will absolutely be better for having been part of it. But, full disclosure, I had been dreading it all week. In fact, I shared with a friend as we were driving there that I was sure it was going to be boring. I seriously thought about skipping it.

What was I thinking? I know better. I get out of things what I put into them. I choose my attitude. Imagine how much more I would’ve gotten out of it had I been fully and positively engaged right from the start.

It can be tempting to play the victim in staff meetings, in staff development, in the staff lounge. We sometimes complain about what is being done to us without taking any responsibility for our own attitude and our own level of engagement. We are in charge of our own learning.

I know there have been times when I was in a session that wasn’t as interesting or as relevant as I needed it to be. When I had the right attitude, I was still able to learn something. I know there have been times when I planned and facilitated staff development that wasn’t as interesting or relevant as others needed it to be. Thankfully, when that happens, there are dedicated, positive professionals who learn things anyway and who come to me to help make it better the next time.

I am on Facebook. I see the memes about teachers and staff development. I try hard to just laugh at them and move on, appreciating the humor. But deep down inside, they make me sad. They make me want to reach through the computer and have a meaningful conversation about personal accountability for growth and attitude. They make me want to ask people what attitude they hope students have everyday when they step into the classroom. And they remind me that my job is to make all learning opportunities (for students and for staff) meaningful.

I am definitely not making excuses for staff development that is neither relevant nor engaging. I work everyday to help us all get better at that. We need to differentiate learning, so it makes the most sense for the learner. I am suggesting though that we should all take responsibility for our own attitude.

Take advantage of every opportunity to get better at what you do or to grow as a human being. Listen to the message, participate in the conversation, seek meaning. If the activity or the topic isn’t relevant and engaging, get involved. The leaders I know are excited when teachers want to participate in planning professional development. Offer your input, share your opinions, but also be willing to step up and make it better.

January 31, 2016January 31, 2016 heathercphipps Twitter, Uncategorized

140 Characters

I enjoy Twitter chats. Two in particular are part of my weekly routine. I appreciate connecting online with other educators, hearing their ideas, and sharing my own. Twitter has provided a connection for me, and it is immediate, ongoing, free professional development.

This week something important happened in one of those chats. People were pushing back on ideas, challenging responses. It was not negative. It was not mean-spirited. It was a wonderful, meaningful discussion. I have struggled some with the concept of ideas in 140 characters. How can we hope to see the whole picture, appreciate the nuances in situations, and reach for the full meaning of things in 140 characters?

Of course we cannot. We can ask questions. We can share resources. We can scratch the surface. We can ignite a desire to learn more. And we can inspire. There is power in 140 characters.

There is power too though in reaching for more. There is power in not just “liking” or “sharing” or “quoting” an idea. There is power in questioning and challenging things. It’s not about being argumentative. It’s about seeking the best ideas. The strongest teams are made up of well-intentioned people with different perspectives and ideas. The strongest leaders know this and create safe environments where people can openly discuss the complexities of a situation.

I learned a new word this week that perfectly summarizes what I’ve been wrestling with since starting the blog. Listicle. More than a list, less than an article. Social media is full of them. I’ve written many of them myself. Three things to boost engagement. Four characteristics of an engaging leader.

I usually shoot for about 500 words each week, long enough to share my thoughts and short enough that people might actually read it. It can be a challenge though to get to the depth of what I want to share in 500 words.

I am not weighing in to politics here. I don’t want to go there with this blog, but I thought the following quote was relevant to my struggle between sharing concise ideas and not neglecting the bigger, deeper picture.

In one of my favorite monologues from Aaron Sorkin in The West Wing (“Red Mass”), one of the characters speaks eloquently about the importance of reaching for the deeper meaning. The opponent in a presidential campaign has been quoting poets and philosophers in quick one-liners. His frustration is that one-liners cannot get at the full meaning of these important thinkers.

When the President’s got an embassy surrounded in Haiti, or a keyhole photograph of a heavy water reactor, or any of the fifty life-and-death matters that walk across his desk every day, I don’t know if he’s thinking about Immanuel Kant or not. I doubt it, but if he does, I am comforted at least in my certainty that he is doing his best to reach for all of it and not just the McNuggets.

I just opened Facebook and saw a graphic with three things to do at the start of every day. They were positive, powerful strategies, and I copied the picture and will refer to it. We can make tremendous impact in 140 characters. But we should also find ways to reach for the deeper understandings.

January 24, 2016 heathercphipps Optimism, Positivity, Uncategorized

Lead Where You Are

I have a friend who retired after a long career as a middle school social studies teacher. She was one of those people who taught us all what it means to engage students. Her classroom looked different every day. One day the desks were in a huge circle to facilitate a whole class discussion, and the next they were arranged like the legislature to reenact a debate about the Bill of Rights. She used formative assessment before we knew what that term meant. And she taught me as much as anyone about good instruction.

I have another friend who has a gift for connecting with students. Almost weekly a former student would come back to see her to tell her how much she meant to them. During passing period, the students would hang out in her room to talk. Before and after school there were always kids in her room for extra help. While they were dissecting sentences or talking about The Outsiders, they would almost always also be telling her about their soccer games or dance recitals, their babysitting jobs and their trips over winter break. She built relationships, and she taught me as much as anyone about the importance of connecting with students.

Neither of those friends had “official” leadership titles. They were not department heads or assistant principals. They were not curriculum facilitators or district administrators. But make no mistake, they were two of the most influential leaders in my life.

The President came to Omaha a week and a half ago. Before addressing a crowd at Baxter Arena, he stopped at the home of a high school English teacher. She had written him a letter, and she had made an impact on his thoughts and his feelings. A high school English teacher in Omaha, Nebraska had provided leadership to the leader of the free world.

Leadership is not a title.

Everyday we have the opportunity to impact the lives of our family, our friends, and our co-workers. We can model positivity and strong work ethic. We can do our jobs well, and we can treat each other with kindness and compassion. In education we can build relationships with students from whatever seat on the bus we sit.

Every one of those interactions may serve as an example for others. And every time we have the opportunity to witness those things, we can learn and grow and become better people.

We are all leaders. We all share the responsibility for teaching our children, and we all share the responsibility for making our world a better place.

I get to watch the leaders in our district work every day. They are kind and caring, smart and insightful, strategic and student-focused. They are administrators and teachers, parents and students, and I am proud to be among them.

Leadership is not a title. Lead from where you are!

January 16, 2016January 17, 2016 heathercphipps Gratitude, Optimism, Positivity, Uncategorized

Are you overthinking this?

My daughter is getting married. Someday I will write a blog about how I feel about the precious little girl who used to sing and dance and put on shows for us getting married, but today I am reflecting on the evening we spent this week choosing decorations for her reception.

She and her fiancé had a group of people with them. In addition to me, her sister (and Maid of Honor) and several of their friends came along to offer suggestions on everything from the food to the lighting to the centerpieces. It was fun, but it was also a little overwhelming. Sometimes too many opinions make it hard to make a decision.

As we looked as centerpieces, I kept asking myself, “Are you overthinking this?”

Life is complicated. I would never pretend otherwise, but sometimes we make it more complicated than we should. Choose a centerpiece. Decide on the lighting. Pick the turkey over the pork. In the end, those choices will not matter as much as the marriage. Don’t overthink it.

In our lives we make big decisions and small decisions every day. We choose little things like what we will wear each morning and what we will eat for breakfast, and we make big plans for trips or new hobbies or changing careers. While it is important to be reflective and planful, it is also possible to overthink things.

In my family, we tend to make the big (and expensive) decisions quickly and obsess about the little ones. We made the decision to buy our house in five days and a new car in less than a week, but it took almost two years to choose a vacuum. I might overthink things.

Sometimes we sabotage our happiness by obsessing over every little thing. Instead of embracing the moment, we fixate on the things that aren’t perfect. Instead of being grateful, we worry.

I am not advocating reckless abandon, but I am suggesting that we should take a leap every now and then. Life should be enjoyed. If we spend too much time overthinking it, we are likely missing out on some of the fun.

January 16, 2016February 12, 2017 heathercphipps Leadership, Teachers, Uncategorized

Hugs, Hive Fives, and Hope

There is no greater purpose than to make life better for someone else. Time spent in service to others is time well spent. In education we are blessed with the opportunity to do this every day. It is the greatest job in the world!

I had one of those moments recently that all educators have. I saw a former student and was reminded of the impact that we have on the young people in our care. In a brief encounter, she hugged me no less than five times. Our connection is deep. Middle school was not an easy time in her life. She struggled with behavior; she wrestled with friendship issues; and she lost a parent. We spent countless hours together in my office working through issues.

We all have those stories. It’s a natural consequence of our profession. But we could all have more of those stories if we were more intentional about our interactions with each other.

Life can be hard. Growing up is not easy. The day to day work of making friends, doing schoolwork, finding a seat in the cafeteria or on the bus, it’s hard. Then throw in making or not making the team or the cast or the choir. And some of our students are dealing with so much more, issues that no one should have to experience, poverty, illness, death.

But we have the daily opportunity to help make life better for them. What makes the difference? A person makes the difference. You make the difference.

As a teacher, get to know the children in your class.

As an administrator, get to know them too.

I truly believe that while all of our students are unique, they also all share a few similar needs.

Everyone wants to be known, to be seen and appreciated for who they really are.

I call it sparkle. Our students each have a sparkle. You can see it in their eyes when they talk about their passion. You can see it in their work when they are doing what they love most. Do you see it when they sparkle?

And they want to be encouraged. Something as simple as a hug or a high five can make the difference in someone’s day.

As we start another week, look for opportunities to find the sparkle in your students. Know them. Encourage them. Care about them. You could be the hope they need to make their day, their life, a little better.

January 10, 2016 heathercphipps Gratitude, Optimism, Positivity, Teachers, Uncategorized

Who You Are Matters

Everything you have ever wanted, is sitting on the other side of fear.

Leadership is not easy.

There is risk and vulnerability in taking on the challenge of leading…in your classroom, in your department, in your building. Anyone who has ever led a project or a group of people knows this.

Stepping into a more “official” leadership position requires a willingness to risk judgement, disapproval, and failure. It is daunting, and it is immeasurably gratifying.

I had the opportunity to hear Dr. Shane Lopez (@hopemonger) speak eloquently this week about creating hope for students. What resonated with me though was what he shared about creating hope for the staff members in our care. There is research from Gallup around hope that helps identify what we need from our leaders.

Who we are matters!

People want a leader they can trust. You will almost always hear the word “integrity” used when describing the leaders people most admire. It is comforting to know that the person you are following, the person making decisions that impact you daily, has a strong moral compass. We want leaders who are also good people.

We need to trust that our leaders are honest and ethical. In education we also want people who are good role models.

There is something reassuring about knowing that if you say you will do something , you will. The best leaders have amazing follow-through. We trust that they will make good plans and see those plans through to fruition.

People want a leader who creates stability. Who you are today is who you will be tomorrow. Who you are with me is who you will be with others. The core beliefs of our organization will be the same from day to day, year to year.

Leading frequently requires difficult decisions and conversations. It is important to create a safe environment where you can tackle those challenges while building and maintaining positive relationships. A stable leader does this.

People want a leader who is compassionate. Dr. Lopez went so far as to call this love. Engaging communities feel like a family. The staff celebrates together. The staff mourns together. The staff shows up for each other.

This was an emotional week for many reasons. There were some exciting celebrations, some scary family challenges, and a difficult anniversary. Such is life. The real world rarely stops interfering as we try to teach or lead or live. Compassionate leaders recognize that we are all traveling a sometimes fun, sometimes challenging path. They listen to our stories. They ask about our families. They respect that we have good days and bad days, and they make the bad days easier.

Our schools are our work families. It should not take a crisis for us to tell each other how we feel. We do not say “I love you” enough in this world.

Finally, people want a leader who creates hope. Gallup defines hope as “the belief that the future will be better than the present, along with the belief that you have the power to make it so”. In education, what more could we want? We teach to touch the future!

As a leader (and we are all leading in some area of our life), who we are matters. Seek to be someone that others would want to follow.

December 30, 2015January 3, 2016 heathercphipps Uncategorized

Reflection and Projection

Untitled design

The end of the year brings with it a natural time for both reflection and projection. Few can resist the opportunity to think back over the year now past and to look ahead at the year just beginning.

There were no doubt events in the past year that have changed who you are and shaped who you will be in the future. Life brings us lessons if we are willing to stop long enough to learn them. Pause. Reflect. Learn.

And look ahead. My favorite thing about a career in education is that we have a fresh start each school year. There is something inspiring and energizing about starting anew. We all have that opportunity right now. 2016 lies before us, untouched, unspoiled, unwasted. We have the chance, once again, to be the people we most want to be, to start anew.

‘Tis the season for New Year’s Resolutions.

There is a reason so many people start diets, or exercise routines, or blogs at this time of the year. Anything seems possible right now. We make plans, join gyms, and sign up for marathons. We envision ourselves as better people at the end of the next year. I am in favor of writing some resolutions, but I am more in favor of setting some goals.

To me, a resolution is about deciding to do or not to do a particular thing. I have not had soda since November 1st, and I have resolved to stick with that for at least six months. I have a friend who has resolved to not eat sweets for a full year. Setting these expectations for ourselves can help define our behavior and set us on a path to new and healthier habits. Sometimes we are more likely to stick with resolutions if they are about moderation- not all or nothing- by the way. Drink less soda. Eat fewer sweets.

A goal, in contrast, is a desired result. It is not about going to the gym. It is about being healthy. It is not about publishing a blog. It is about sharing your voice. Goals can transform who we are. How do you want to be different in a year? Set your 2016 goals around that.

Write your resolutions down, seal them in an envelope, and vow to open them on December 31, 2016. Select your one word based on Jon Gordon’s book and put it in a frame to look at everyday. Take action right now before the year gets away from you. Intentional choices to make 2016 better, to make yourself better, will pay dividends all year.

Happy New Year My Friends! I hope that 2015 brought you joy and that 2016 brings you to new adventures, old friends, and the life you’ve always imagined.

December 27, 2015 heathercphipps Collaboration, Uncategorized

Collective Experiences

Together We Are Better

Several times this week I was reminded of the power of the collective. Alone we can do great things, but together we can do so much more. The best leaders aren’t those who strive to be the smartest person in room; they are the ones who make connections, build relationships, and leverage the strengths of others to find the best next step.

Connect Personally

On Christmas Eve there was quite a snowstorm here in Omaha. It was beautiful. Social media was filled with stunning pictures of our unexpected White Christmas. After almost 8 inches fell in my neighborhood, we all emerged to shovel the driveways in time to get out for our celebrations. I bundled up and turned up the playlist on my phone ready to dig in and get the work done. But I had to turn off the music. There were neighbors everywhere- two doors down, across the street- our block was filled with people chatting and waving and helping each other clear sidewalks.

Every time I got tired, someone new was there to say hello or wave at me from down the block. It energized me. I didn’t need my playlist because the neighborhood was making music of its own. It was such a fun collective experience. And together we did the work faster.

Connect Professionally

The day before I was in a meeting at work where I was again reminded that together we are better. Our superintendent was pushing a group of us to think about things in new and different ways. People were sharing unique perspectives. People were challenging conventional wisdom. People were offering creative ideas. It was one of those conversations about things at the 10,000 foot level that inspires you and makes you love your job. The issues we face are significant. The work we do is important. The answers to how best to move forward are complex. Individually we will not find the best solution, but together we will be better.

Connect Globally

Technology has connected us in ways we could not have imagined just a few years ago. In the past, our professional network was limited to those people with whom we were in regular contact. Now we can connect with not only the other people in our district and our community, we can connect with people from all over the world.

Together we are better. As this year draws to a close, I encourage you to build new relationships and make new connections. Reach out to your neighbors. Stop in and talk to your co-workers. Follow educators and others on Twitter (find me @hcphipps).

Our collective experiences make the world a better place!

December 19, 2015December 20, 2015 heathercphipps Christmas, Family, Gratitude, Stress, Traditions, Uncategorized

Embrace the Moment

If you believe the songs on the radio, “it’s the most wonderful time of the year.” And while I truly do enjoy the season, it comes with its share of stress.

I am a planner. I appreciate a well-made list and feel like an organized life is to be embraced. Let’s face it, things just go better when there is a plan. Christmas is no exception. There are lists for cards and lists for gifts and lists with the details of the many celebrations.

Traditions are not just comforting because they remind us of seasons past; they are comforting because they provide a routine and a plan for the significant moments of our life. They help us know what to expect.

This is a time for traditions. Putting the star on top of the tree with your dad, opening a new pair of pajamas and wearing them while reading “Twas the Night Before Christmas” on the hearth, and snacking on your grandma’s party mix are hallmarks of the season. It wouldn’t be Christmas without them.

But it would.

Traditions are important. They provide a structure for our celebrations and our memories. They are the stories we tell and the things we look forward to each year. But traditions change.

Children grow up. People move. Extended families get bigger. These are good things, and we should enjoy them.

Embracing change is as important as valuing traditions. Every holiday, every day is a gift. We have to find the flexibility to enjoy them all. In fact, when I really think about it, most of my best memories were things that happened spontaneously or when the plans I made went horribly wrong.

Last weekend I had breakfast with some of my roommates from college. We were reminiscing about some of the holiday fun we had. There was the time I decided to try baking a pumpkin pie from a real pumpkin (not a good idea people- use the canned pumpkin). There was the message on our answering machine sung to tune of “Let It Snow”. And then there was our trip to see Santa at the mall. We spent hours getting ready, put curling ribbon in our hair, and took a million pictures. None of those things were planned. None of those things were traditions.

The year I dropped the pumpkin pie on the kitchen floor was awesome. The year of the blizzard when we spent Christmas Eve alone at home was intimate and exceptional. Every Christmas has been special, and this one will be too.

It should always be the most wonderful time of the year. We should create traditions with our children, but we should also teach them to embrace change, to enjoy the spontaneous moments, and to laugh when things go wrong.

from your friends at the local co. My wish for you is a week full of love and laughter, time with family and friends, and a focus on the real reason for the season!

December 13, 2015 heathercphipps Optimism, Positivity, Uncategorized

Everyone Has a Story- Part 2

go explore Last week I was reflecting on how much easier it is to be understanding and to show grace when we know people’s stories. This week I’ve been reflecting on how those stories reveal our complexity as human beings.

I am a positive person. I am talkative (anyone who knows me is laughing right now at the understatement). I tend to have ridiculous amounts of energy and enthusiasm. I see the best in things, and I’ve been accused of being “PollyAnna” on more than one occasion.

But sometimes I am sad and withdrawn. Sometimes I am frustrated and upset, and I honestly cannot explain why. I usually snap out of it quickly, but those who know me best know what I am talking about.

I am complex. So are you.

It is tempting to put people in a box. We meet someone, form a first impression, and we assume that is who they are. Rarely are people that easy to figure out. Some people are comfortable in a room full of strangers, but who they are in those interactions may bear little resemblance to who they are with their friends. Others are more reserved and take some time to open up, but they are listening and learning and getting to know people.

Someone told me this week that they appreciate my “authentic self”. It made me feel good. I’m not sure I always know though who my authentic self is.

Our stories shape who we are. The times that we have been hurt have left us jaded. The times we have been sick have left scars. The times we have disappointed others have left guilt. Even if we have moved beyond any negative emotions from the past, we are different because of the experiences.

Our stories also give us strength and resilience. Each one of us has overcome seemingly insurmountable things. We have tackled great challenges and come out on top. We all have.

I really am a positive person. My authentic self believes the world is good and kind and fun. None of that changes because I have a hard day, or a hard hour.

My challenge to you this week is to seek to see the people in your lives more deeply. We are none of us all good or all bad, all happy or all sad. It’s part of what makes us interesting. It’s part of what we should value and appreciate.

It’s a big week. There are final exams and holiday parties. There are celebrations and stressors. Be kind to each other.

December 4, 2015December 6, 2015 heathercphipps Gratitude, Optimism, Positivity, Uncategorized

Everyone Has a Story

Everyone Has a Story (1) I spent a powerful evening with some friends this week. We were collaborating on a service project and working really hard. But we passed the time by sharing stories from our lives. We talked about the joys and the sorrows, the ups and the downs. It made the time go quickly, and I feel like I know them so much better than I did before.

I care about them. I want good things for them. I hope that was true before I learned more of their stories, but I have to believe that those feelings are deeper now.

In my life there have been moments of great joy and moments of incredible pain. I have achieved and succeeded and failed miserably. I have celebrated miracles and mourned losses. So have you.

We all have a story.

It has been my experience that once you know someone’s story, it becomes almost impossible not to treat them more compassionately. It is one of the fastest paths to kindness. A co-worker may annoy you with their peculiar habits or their negative comments, but when you learn even some of their story, you are more understanding. It is easier to show someone grace in their worst moments when you know some of the story of their life.

Listen to people’s stories. Ask them about their childhood. Open the door to a conversation. Then be present and learn about who they are and what they have been through. It will change how you treat them.

And be willing to tell your story.

Everyone’s life can be hard sometimes. Illness, injury, and disappointment are all a part of it. They define us as much as the good times. We need to tell our stories, all of our stories.

I am not suggesting we wallow in despair. In fact, I am suggesting quite the opposite. Positivity is the trait I value most. There is nothing more inspiring than hearing someone who you know to be optimistic and positive talk of a challenge or a disappointment or a truly devastating loss. They model that we will all experience those things and can still be happy. How we tell our stories says a great deal about who we are.

Tell your happy stories. Tell your sad stories. Tell the stories that make you look good. Tell the stories that make you look ridiculous. We all have them.

I do not want to over speak, but our stories have the power to change our world. Countries, cultures, religions have stories too. When we seek to know them, we are more understanding. We treat each other better.

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.” Never underestimate the power of learning even part of someone’s story.

November 28, 2015November 29, 2015 heathercphipps Gratitude, Optimism, Positivity, Uncategorized

Life Needs More Exclamation Points!

I’ve joked that you can take the English teacher out of the classroom, but you can’t take the English teacher out of the person. In a meeting recently with some colleagues, we were revising the word choice, construction, and punctuation in a document. There was an exclamation point at the end of a sentence, and we were debating whether or not that was appropriate.

Exclamation points are commonly used to express excitement, surprise, astonishment, or other strong emotions. Grammarians would caution against overuse of the mark. But a wise friend in our meeting asked, “Shouldn’t life be filled with more exclamation points, not less?”

Yes!

Our lives should be filled with excitement, surprise, and astonishment! We should seek those opportunities.

Say Yes

Every day, every moment, life presents us with opportunities. Say yes to them! An invitation to an event can feel like an obligation, but it could be the experience of a lifetime. A new professional opportunity can feel overwhelming, but it could help you grow in ways you’ve never imagined.

Trying something new can be scary, but I agree with the advice that we should do something everyday that scares us. There is a thrilling exhilaration in doing something new. Your heart beats faster. Your adrenaline spikes. Your emotions go into overload. It’s fun.

Risk-taking is part of a well-lived life. Now I’m not suggesting you jump out of an airplane without a parachute, but I am suggesting you be willing to say yes to an opportunity even though it scares you. It may feel safer to maintain the status quo, but the best things in life are almost always a result of challenging it.

Be Present

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” (Ferris Bueller) We have to do more than just say yes to those opportunities; we have to be present enough to enjoy them when they are happening. Noticing the best moments when they are happening is a skill we should all cultivate.

Two of our football teams had the opportunity to play in the state championship game in Memorial Stadium last week. As they were leaving the field at halftime, a player’s dad said to me, “I hope they are taking a few minutes to look around and really soak this all in.” The experiences of a lifetime are always worth savoring.

Extend Opportunities to Others

Everyone deserves a life filled with exclamation points. When you have the chance to invite someone else to join you in an adventure, extend the offer.

Experience Wonder

If you read the blog a couple of weeks ago, you know that I have a new niece. There is something miraculous about a baby. Holding Logan this weekend has been priceless, and I have tried to enjoy every minute of it.

Our world is full of awe-inspiring miracles. I could watch a mountain stream flowing over rocks for hours. Vacations are alive with opportunities to enjoy the beauty of nature, but if we take the time to look around, we’d see that beauty everyday. The autumn leaves have only now fallen from the trees. The first frost has left a shimmer on the grass. The colors of the sunset as I drive home from work this time of year take my breath away.

Our lives need more exclamation points! Be intentional about looking for them!

November 21, 2015November 22, 2015 heathercphipps Gratitude, Optimism, Positivity, Uncategorized

‘Tis the Season

Thanksgiving is a special time. As a child, I remember singing “Over the river and through the woods, to grandmother’s house we go.” I remember pilgrim costumes and crafting turkeys by tracing my hand.

As I got older, I remember deeper lessons about history and social justice. I remember essays and poetry and singing “Tis a Gift to Be Simple”.

But mostly I remember someone asking me every year to pause for a moment and give thanks. English teachers, music teachers, social studies teachers. Art teachers, science teachers and math teachers all found engaging ways to incorporate a lesson about gratitude. And it stuck!

I really do choose to see the best in the world, and we know from research that cultivating an attitude of gratitude is a powerful way to develop that mindset.

This is not just me talking. Forbes outlines 7 Scientifically Proven Benefits of Gratitude. Our own physical and psychological health can be improved, our relationships can be improved, and our mental strength can be improved. There are simple, tangible things we can do to improve our lives.

It isn’t always easy though. Life can be hard. In the midst of illness and grief, during times of fear and stress, gratitude is likely the farthest thing from your mind. But practicing daily or weekly gratitude rituals can ease your stress and cultivate a positive attitude.

“You can’t be grateful and unhappy in the same moment.” (Dan Baker, What Happy People Know)

I have included several links this week because many have written about the benefits of gratitude and outlined concrete steps you can take to be intentional about growing in this area… taking a gratitude walk is a great one.

This week I offer a challenge to all of you. Take some time to pause and reflect on the good things in your life. Write them down or make a mental list of them as you take a long walk in nature (with a warm coat). If you work with students, ask them to do the same. You have the opportunity to shape a mindset that just might stick with them for the rest of their lives!

For me, I am grateful for my family and my friends, for my life’s work, and for the opportunities that continue to present themselves on an almost daily basis. I am grateful to be alive, and make no mistake, that is no small thing.

November 14, 2015November 15, 2015 heathercphipps Paris, Positivity, Uncategorized

I Choose to See the Best in the World

I had a great week! Some amazing and fun things are falling into place at work. I got to hear one of my favorite educational thinkers in person, and she was as good as I’d always hoped she would be. Two of our district’s football teams won in the semi-finals and are headed to state. And best of all, my niece Logan was born. It was a terrific week!

Then I got home from football Friday night and turned on the news. I’d seen glimpses of what was happening in Paris, but I had not slowed down to absorb the full weight of the attacks. My heart broke, like it does every time I see the devastation wrought when evil and anger and ignorance manifest themselves in our world.

I am overwhelmed with sadness and fear and anger at the hate. I am grief-stricken for the family and friends of those who lost their lives. And I am worried for the wounded, in body and in spirit, whose journey to healing will be difficult and long.

The world can be a hard place.

Life ebbs and flows in even an average week. And we’ve all had days that were anything but average when things went wrong and life got hard…sometimes very hard. I have had bad things happen in my life. My friends have had worse.

But for every story of pain and loss, there is a story of strength and resilience.

“The heart of life is good.” (John Mayer)

I am resisting the urge to be fearful of the world our precious Logan has just entered. I do not want her life to be about fear. I want her life to be about joy!

According to the US Census Bureau, about 251 babies are born every minute. Every minute! That’s 251 opportunities every 60 seconds to change the world.

As I’ve said in the past, I am not burying my head in the sand and ignoring the very real threats to our physical, psychological, and societal well-being. The world can be a terrible place, but if I choose to see the worst in it, I am doomed to a life of fear. I am of little use to the people who need me most. I will not let that be Logan’s reality.

I choose to see the best in the world. I choose to embrace the stories of compassion and support that were being reported alongside the devastation in Paris. I choose think about the heroes who ran toward the violence in an attempt to save lives. I choose to celebrate the people in my own life who have overcome horrific events with grace and positivity. I choose to think about the 251 babies born every minute who can be loved and nurtured and taught to care for our world.

I am a change agent. You are a change agent. Our world can be changed. And in the meantime, there is more right than wrong with people. There is more good than bad in the world. There is more love than hate.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?” (Marianne Williamson) That’s what I’ll teach Logan!

October 25, 2015 heathercphipps Uncategorized

A Better Night’s Sleep, Guaranteed

The clock on the dresser reads 2:00 am. Its blue glow reminds me that morning is getting closer, and I have still not slept. My mind will not stop turning over the parent phone call I had yesterday at work and the follow-up meeting that will happen in the morning. Did I say the right things? What will they do tomorrow?

Worst case scenario. I go there too frequently. I imagine an outcome that is far worse than anything I’ve experienced. I can’t explain it, but I know it is not healthy.

Last week I saw the new Tom Hanks/Steven Spielberg movie Bridge of Spies. A Russian spy is arrested, and the intrigue commences. Several times in the movie the man is in dire straits. Tom Hanks, as his lawyer, observes each time that he doesn’t look worried. He responds, “Would it help?”

Would it help? A powerful question. Life is short. It is a waste of time to spend any of it on things that will not help…help us, help our family and friends, help the world. Worry is one of those things that does not ever help. It is always a waste of precious time.

Looking Back

Leaders are confronted with difficult situations on a daily basis. It is tempting to rehash each phone call, each meeting, each decision. Rarely will those moments go exactly the way you hoped. There is almost always something you could have said or done differently.

Reflection is critical for growth. It is important to think through how those moments were handled and the eventual results. There will be new challenges tomorrow, and effective leaders learn and grow.

But worrying about what has passed does not help you grow, In fact, it stifles growth. If I am frozen by regret or constantly questioning decisions I have made, I cannot be effective in the new moment. No one can change the past. Moving forward is one path to serenity.

Looking Forward

I love anticipation. The two weeks before a trip are often as much fun as the actual trip. But inevitably I will think about things that could go wrong, and worrying about something in the future is also wasted time. Your flights may be delayed, or your hotel may disappoint. The airline may lose your luggage, or the weather may be horrible. Or…everything may be perfect. You could worry, but would it help? No!

The same can be said of the difficult phone calls, meetings, and events that a leader anticipates at work the next day. Plan well. Consider possible reactions and ramifications. Be strategic. Then let it go.

There have been any number of difficult situations I have navigated as a leader. Some were small. Some were large and quite public. In neither case did the situation get better because I worried about it. Worrying takes my sense of calm and sometimes robs me of rational thought. It keeps me awake at night, and it causes anxiety. And in no case did it help. In fact, it hurts. Now you are going into that situation tired and nervous.

For me, exercise helps. A long walk clears my head. Time with friends, movies, and television help distract me. Reading a good book or writing a blog works too.

The key is to recognize when you are worrying and take steps to stop. There may be times when professional help is needed. Get it. Many times though, self-awareness is the most important step. Recognize it. Address it. And get a better night’s sleep.

October 17, 2015October 18, 2015 heathercphipps Uncategorized

Are you living in vaporware?

Last fall I realized that I had many goals left to achieve in my life. I have some pretty big dreams, and those dreams are not going to fulfill themselves without some work on my part.

“An unexamined life is not worth living” (Socrates), and honest questioning and self-reflection is essential for personal growth. It can be hard to pause to look in the mirror and reflect on whether or not you are living the life you imagined. But it is worth the time.

We were meant for great things.

Kristin Chenoweth has a beautiful anthem called I Was Here about this desire to do something big. It’s worth a listen. It pretty much sums up my own feelings.

I Was Here

I wanna do something that matters

Say something different

Something that sets the whole world on its ear

I wanna do something better

With the time I was given

I wanna try to touch a few hearts in this life

Leave nothing less than something that says

I was here

I think this desire to leave a mark, to do something big, is universal.

In 1962 at Rice University, President Kennedy announced that we would land a man on the moon years before we knew how to do it. President Kennedy’s Speech

Alan Turing envisioned a machine that would revolutionize cryptanalysis and computer science long before he was able to actually make it functional.

They had big dreams.

In the world of technology, companies frequently announce spectacular, almost unimaginable, advances long before they have made them a reality. And some of them never see the light of day.

We call that vaporware.

Last fall I realized that I was living in vaporware. One of my biggest dreams, publishing a book, was nowhere. I needed to do something, anything, to take the first step in making it a reality.

Set Goals

I chose blogging as a tangible step. I decided the goal would be to publish once a week during the school year.

Make a Plan

I set time aside on Saturday mornings to write. More often, of course, is better, but I always write on Saturday mornings. That gives me 24 hours to reread and revise. My daughter creates the artwork for the blog every Saturday after I’m done writing. My husband proofs it and offers feedback. Then I publish Sunday mornings.

Revise the Goals

I know my next step is to determine how to move from a blog to a book. That’s the next goal.

Are you living in vaporware? When you examine your life, are you living your dreams?

None of this is easy. It is sometimes incredibly hard. But it is always worth it.

“We choose to do it not because it is easy but because it is hard.” John F. Kennedy, Jr.