The Cardinal Way

Somewhere buried within the thousands of pages I’ve read on leadership, I read a story about an interaction between John Wooden and one of his players. Wooden, the legendary UCLA basketball coach who led his team to seven straight NCAA Championships (10 total), was not giving the player as much time on the court as he would have liked. The young man, likely one of the best collegiate basketball players in the country, decided to express his disappointment to his coach. He approached Wooden and said something to the tune of, “Coach, why aren’t you giving me more playing time? I’m the best player on this team.” To this, Wooden replied, “You’re right, you are the best player on this team; but, we are not the best team when you are playing.”

The team was more important than the individual.

I’ve often thought about just how right Wooden was in that moment. Achievement, particularly the kind of achievement that stands the test of time, is never attained in isolation: “We” will always be better than “me.”

Those who aspire to leadership in education need to remember this. More importantly, leaders must practice this. Here are some practical ways that leaders foster a “we” will always be better than “me” culture:

Leaders are inclusive, not exclusive. Leaders who build teams on “we” rather than “me,” spend time ensuring that everyone in their organization feels valued for their contribution. This can range from telling the new teacher that they have something to offer with respect to professional development to taking time to thank secretaries and custodians for how their work contributes to the success of the school. Great school leaders know that everyone has an important role to play when student success is on the line - and they work to ensure everyone feels valued in their role.

Be a Cardinal; Change Lives; Put a Mission into Motion

Thank you to:

• the Athletic Department for thier work in hosting the regional this Saturday.
• Our Fall Sports coaches. The Fall Season has wrapped up and we appreciate the countless hours our coaching staffs dedicate to our student-athletes.

Congratulations to Sara Neville, Bryan Schuerman, and our FCCLA students who won numerous awards at the FCCLA conference earlier this week.

Week 28: Grateful Friday Challenge

Hey! Yippie! We did it! Another great week in Perry-dise Township is almost finished. Every day we get to interact with kids and teach something we are passionate about is truly a reason to celebrate. We are well into the month of March and Selection Sunday is coming up fast!! Dang, it’s a great time to be alive! I can’t wait to fill out brackets, cheer for the underdogs, and celebrate wins for my favorite teams!

So, I looked up other reasons to celebrate in March on this website: National Day Calendar. This got me thinking… if March 11th is a day for recognizing the 311 Hotline, Johnny Appleseed, Oatmeal Nut Waffles, Promposals, and Funeral Directors and Morticians…what else makes today worth celebrating? So this is your #SHSGFC challenge: Make the last day worth celebrating in your classroom. Post a sign outside your door with what you are celebrating inside in your classroom based on today’s lesson.

Here are some possibilities to get you thinking:

In Math: Celebrating 3.14, because honestly... Who doesn’t like pi?

In English: Celebrating the verb, because you can’t do anything without it!

In History: Celebrating history where stories are told and never get old… just kidding they get older every day.

In Science: Celebrating the proton...they are always so positive!

In PE: Celebrating the only subject that makes your heart race.

In Special Ed: Celebrating our differences while finding our strengths.

In Art: Celebrating pottery! Let’s get fired up!

In Music: Celebrating where it’s okay to get into a little bit of treble.

In World Languages: Celebrating the smile... a language we can all speak fluently.

In FACS: Celebrating the skills that pay the bills.

In Business: Celebrating investments, they always get my interest.

Here’s to celebrating you,

With banners flying as we go! #FlyAsONE

Hope you enjoy this weeks 180 Days of Learning Posts

Over the last few weeks, Ms. Neville's Early Childhood Education classes have talked about reading books, lesson plans, and how to plan lessons based on specific topics or books. The students chose a Dr. Seuss book to plan a lesson on as well as a craft to go with the book. Students celebrated Dr. Seuss Day early by sharing their books and lesson plans in class.

Mrs. Schott's sheltered EL Algebra I class is working on solving equations. Students worked through different problems to find the solution and solve for the variable. Students practiced examples as a class and then spent time working through problems in small groups.

Ms. Means photography students moved outside today to take pictures from different perspectives. Students had the opportunity to explore the school grounds and take pictures of different aspects of the building as they worked on photography from a different perspective.

Mr. Norris's English students are working on a poetry portfolio. Students spent time in class working on developing their products for their portfolios. While students were working on their poetry, Mr. Norris individually conferences with students to provide them feedback on their work and to give suggestions for improvement of the final product.

Mrs. Jordan's Advanced Nutrition students' Food Truck Project took place this week. Students created their own business model and plan for a food truck with a menu of food items. Mrs. Jordan provided guests to the Food Trucks with 'money' to spend at each Food Truck station. Guests were able to move around the room, hear each students pitch for their business, and try a wide variety of excellent food.

Officer Capps and Officer Potee visited Mrs. Reedy's classroom today. Officer Capps brought his police dog, Diesel. Officer Capps talked to the students about how he trained Diesel and what Diesel is able to do as a police dog. The students also all got a chance to pet Diesel and spend some time with our school officers and their wonderful dog.

Website: http://websites.msdpt.k12.in.us/sh/
Location: 971 E Banta Rd, Indianapolis, IN, United States
Phone: 317-789-4800
Twitter: @SHS_Cardinals