As another school year has wound down to its last few days, I have found myself spending a great deal of time reflecting on accomplishments and challenges. A school year is filled with many moments, some that we will cherish forever and some that we might like to forget. Regardless of the context of the … Continue reading Thinking Back; Moving Forward
Author: bknightlearning
Plus, Minus, Equal
I read a book last summer that shared an anecdote that has stuck with me this year. The book, Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday, shared a training philosophy from mixed martial arts legend Ken Shamrock. The idea: Plus, Minus, Equal. Even though it was shared as a training philosophy it has had great … Continue reading Plus, Minus, Equal
Halfway
My oldest son got a text from one of his friends towards the end of last week asking him if he wanted to run in the 500 Festival Mini Marathon that was held this past weekend. He is in pretty good physical condition, and he is 14 years old...so why not? He, almost without thinking, … Continue reading Halfway
Find Your Who
I had the opportunity this week to speak to the seniors at the top of our graduating class. This group is an impressive selection of young people with an unbelievable amount of potential. My message, while easy to express in words was full of powerful ideas that could potentially push and challenge each of them … Continue reading Find Your Who
Retain Hope
In my post last week, I shared my thoughts on what I felt are the real responsibilities of my job. While the focus of the post was around building culture, and working towards improvement, I had a conversation with a student this week that made me rethink about what I wrote. While I still believe … Continue reading Retain Hope
My Job
I had the opportunity to take part in mock interviews for aspiring administrators this past weekend. I enjoyed the time getting a chance to talk to, and support, those who are willing to take on leadership roles in our schools. As I reflected on my time in those interviews, there was one question that seemed … Continue reading My Job
Leverage
I came across one of my favorite quotes this week from Marianne Williamson: 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, and … Continue reading Leverage
What You See
I saw the follow video recently and it instantly made me think about our schools: If your reaction was like mine, your thoughts went to the expectations, personas, and biases we place on our students. We often say things in education like “I believe all students can achieve at a high level”, but then our … Continue reading What You See
For Something
It is an interesting time to work in a school. There is an uproar for student safety as the conversations about gun violence in our schools have once again become very prevalent. There are conversations about teachers carrying guns and students walking out. It is hard enough as an adult to process all of this, … Continue reading For Something
It Builds Character
It is time for some March Madness! Yes, I am talking about basketball, not passing periods preceding the much anticipated Spring Break on the horizon. One of my favorite parts of March Madness is the competition. Watching teams, big and small, compete. As many of the athletes are playing for the last time, there is … Continue reading It Builds Character
