LEADING THROUGH LISTENING

One of the growing topics of conversation in the media lately has been the use of electronic cigarettes and vaporizers (commonly known as a vape) amongst youth and teens in our society. This is not a new topic as the onset of the devices occurred roughly a decade ago and they began to be used regularly by teenagers nearly 7 years ago now. Unfortunately, society at the time was not sure of the implications and the devices and substances used in them were loosely regulated, despite research that showed concerns relative to children using electronic cigarettes and vaporizers. Fast forward to today, the devices have been banned on school property through New York State law, there have been increased regulations about the age at which people can purchase or possess a vape (currently the age is 18), and the level of research has grown tremendously. As a parent, it is important to know that the syrups that are used in a vape do contain small amounts of nicotine, which causes the addictive ...

As I was listening to some good tunes this week, a jazz classic from trumpet legend Bill Chase came on the playlist: Open Up Wide. Chase was fusion jazz trumpet player who led a small group of trumpets with a rhythm section. Those that don't appreciate trumpet players playing sounds that are into the stratosphere may classify his music as cats being swung by their tails. Regardless, the title of the tune made me reflect on some conversations I've had recently about the direction of the education profession as a whole. Education is the one profession where literally every person in a community has some experience with. Educational professionals are frequently questioned about whether or not they know what they are doing by a community because every member of the community has been in a school. We don't often question the dentist about their plans if we have no experience with dentistry. Or our personal trainer, mechanic, contractor, lawyer, etc. We listen to their judgeme...

It's hard to believe that the civil rights movement, led by Dr. King, began roughly 70 years ago. I say this because we seem to be still striving for the same things that he once advocated for. In fact, in some regards, we may have regressed as a society in recent years. The concept of equal rights has been around for centuries and in today's era is most commonly referred to a social justice. While rights are something that are bestowed upon an individual, that doesn't simply mean that all things are equal. Social justice is the concept by which the equality of rights are being exercised consistently across all groups of people. While rights can be equal on paper, our society still does not unilaterally view people as equal. It's up to society, made up of human beings from all walks of life, to ensure that all humans are considered valuable. It shouldn't take catastrophic events for communities to come together and support each other, regardless of race, ethnicit...

No, I am not blogging about my new attempt at an internet sensation to replace the bitcoin. Actually, a 'K'-coin is an initiative started by the RFA PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Support) team several years ago as a method to provide students and staff with compliments. PBIS is a program that we have adopted in the Rome City Schools that works to compliment people and recognize positive behaviors, rather than the traditional method of noticing negative behaviors in schools. The 'K' stands for Knight and individuals at the high school are awarded with the 'K'-coin randomly by either staff members or fellow students. The entire PBIS program has been very successful throughout our region and it can be monumental in shifting the needle from negatively treating each other, to seeing the positive in everything. With this blog, I want to send out my own 'K'-coin kudos to our entire district. The past week (and through this weekend with the cold) ...

The ringing in of the New Year always brings a sense of newfound hope, energy, and optimism for many throughout the country and the world. Turning over the calendar is a nice symbolic way to close a chapter and begin anew. A year is made up of 365 days and today brings with it the first opportunity to make 2018 a better year than the previous one. In fact, we all have 365 opportunities to make 2018 special. It would certainly be nice if a simple changing of the calendar and a new number at the end of the year would be enough to make the world a better place. If only it were that simple to create a different outcome or scenario. Unfortunately, for many people in our community and country, real world problems are a fact of daily life and simply changing a date can't take away the concern, fear, and uncertainty that they face. While there isn't much that many others can do either, we can continue our work of treating each other with respect, dignity, and honor. We've all he...