“The argument over whether Elon Musk is a genius is really an argument about what our society values and what it is prepared to tolerate. A suite of behaviors that would otherwise be inexcusable are forgiven when they are the price of greatness.”— Helen Lewis, p.3 Helen Lewis opens The Genius Myth not with a…
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Hidden Potential by Adam Grant How Rethinking Growth Can Transform Our Classrooms, Our Teams, and Ourselves “The true measure of potential is not how high you reach but how far you came to get there.”— Adam Grant, Hidden Potential As an educator and school leader, I’ve long been preoccupied with the question of how we…
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“When kids feel that their worth is contingent on their performance … they feel they only matter … if they are successful.” ~Jennifer Breheny Wallace I picked up Never Enough on the recommendation from a few educators. I expected it to be non-surprising and “preaching to the choir”; however, as I turned the pages, I…
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Book Review: The Power of Mattering by Zach Mercurio In The Power of Mattering, Zach Mercurio makes a compelling case for why cultivating a sense of mattering is not only a deeply human act, but a critical leadership skill—especially in schools and educational institutions. Drawing from neuroscience, sociology, psychology, and wisdom traditions, Mercurio advances the…
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Book Review: 10-25 by David Yeager David Yeager’s 10-25 is an insightful guide that bridges generational divides, offering educators and parents profound insights into understanding, communicating, and mentoring young people. He was once a middle-school teacher, and was inspired by all of the challenges and tension he witnessed within the educational system. “I felt that…
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Thanks to my friend and colleague in Experiential Education, Mike Massingham, for gifting me this book. As educators and leaders, we often look outside of education for insights into how we can improve our schools, our leadership, and our communities. Will Guidara’s Unreasonable Hospitality is exactly the kind of book that offers those insights in…
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Thanks to Adam Grant for this recommendation ~ I picked this book up because of its subtitle: “Why We Fight about Morality and Politics, and How to Find Common Ground.” The idea of “Common” is of great interest to me, and I found great meaning in this book of the power of commonality. His thesis…
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Who knew it has been 25 years since the publication of Gladwell’s The Tipping Point! This new book, where he revisits key points of Tipping Points and updates examples and brings to life the pressures, forces and mores that make a movement tip, is an excellent read. The book explores the pivotal moments when ideas, trends, or…
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This book was recommended to me through my ISEEN Professional Affinity Group: Leading through Change, and I am so thankful for this recommendation. This is a difficult and challenging book to read ~ in fact, the author spends a few dozen pages trying to talk the reader out of reading the book in its entirety….
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Full disclosure, that Dr. Belle Liang and Tim Klein are working in a year-long consulting role at our school, and that is why I picked up this book – and I am so glad that I did. Not only am I excited about the work that we will be doing with them this coming academic…
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