B.Y.O.T Bring Your Own Thoughts
The latest on all student-centered models, leadership development, strategic planning, teacher retention, and all things innovation in K-12 education. We answer questions before you think to ask them.
Crisis Management | District Leadership
Every summer, I look forward to seeing the Little League World Series prominently displayed on ESPN. Over the past few years, we could see more and more of the journey teams would go through as they play their way to their final destination in Williamsburg, Pennsylvania. There is something about the freshly cut grass, the metal bleachers filled with people from all over the world. Who can forget the left-field seating area as it hosts lawn chairs full of onlookers or cardboard box sleds of happily muddied kids depending on the weather? All of this creates the ultimate nostalgic moment of America's pastime. The drama, cheers, and occasional tears were always welcomed in my house as one team was eventually crowned champion, year after year with certainty.
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District Leadership | Organizational Leadership & Change Management
The best way to find out if you can trust someone is to trust them. - Hemingway February 10th was my first day as Managing Partner at Education Elements. On March 11th, 30 days into my new job, I was on the phone with our CEO making critical decisions about our response to the exploding Coronavirus crisis.
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District Leadership | Organizational Leadership & Change Management | Strategic Planning
Last summer, I decided to hit the road for a year as a “digital nomad,” giving up my apartment in Brooklyn, consigning my clothes, and storing a few treasured items in the basement of my childhood home. I took this leap because I wanted to be more nimble to visit our district partners, attend education events and conferences, and celebrate Simchas (the hebrew word for a Joyous Occasion, and the root word for my name Simma) with friends and family all over the country. This all came to a halt mid-March.
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District Leadership | Organizational Leadership & Change Management
There is a strange contrast between moments during this time. I wake up with the sun, hearing the birds chirping and families playing with their young children outside. Then, during my near-daily walk around my neighborhood, I offer a timid hello to those I pass. Our eyes meet, and I see the corner of their eyes turn up while the rest of their face is obscured by a mask. We both move in our opposite directions down the sidewalks, and life carries on - and so does the work at Education Elements.
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District Leadership | School Leadership | Teams & Culture
While the author of the quote isn’t certain (many attribute it to acclaimed management consultant Peter Drucker), the saying “culture eats strategy for breakfast” is commonplace in organizational management circles. I don’t know about you, but breakfast has been the last thing on my mind these past few weeks and months because I feel like there’s barely enough time to grab a quick snack in between phone calls, Zoom meetings, and responding to emails. And upon further reflection, thinking intentionally culture hasn’t really been at the top of my mind either. After all, who has the capacity to think about organizational culture when we don’t even know what the next day will bring? It seems like strategy is the one bellying up to the breakfast buffet.
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District Leadership | Remote Work | School Leadership
Schools were asked to transition everything they would normally do within their school walls to a virtual environment overnight. District and school teams are continuing to find ways to provide meals to students, adjust all meetings to virtual, expedite the distribution of devices and wifi, update as many curriculum resources as possible, and do all of this while trying to keep it together at home. We are starting to see more people get settled into working remotely and also try to navigate ways to still build team culture and keep spirits high.
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