My Brain Hurts

Do you ever have the feeling your brain is so full that it can't possibly take another bit of information? I'm having that feeling this morning.

In the past 2 months, I have learned more than I have learned in the past 2 decades. I have read more books, blogs, and articles than I have in a lifetime (at least professionally), and I have had more in-depth, intellectual conversation in 2 weeks than I have had in my career.

It's awesome.

This is what it's about, this "innovation" thing you always hear about. It doesn't feel top-down because my colleagues are real people, with the hearts of teachers, trying to do right by kids in a way that will change our school system in a lasting way, not just to make themselves look good.

I clipped this article byAllan Kelsey from www.leadingleaders.net after an excruciating committee meeting where 16 people were expected to work as a team to write a unit using the UbD framework without dividing up any part of the work. I googled "idea group size" in a passive-aggressive attempt to make myself feel better about the futility of the project. Rereading that article today while looking for something else, a quote struck me:

"Perhaps it is at 5 that the feeling of “team” really begins. At 5 to 8 people, you can have a meeting where everyone can speak out about what the entire group is doing, and everyone feels highly empowered."

While my team of 8 is often divided in a variety of combinations of 2-8 people, the feeling of the 8 meeting together and working together to solve the problems of the world, is pretty amazing.

One of my current favorite professional reads...

... begins the final chapter with this line: "The best educational leaders are in love- in love with the work they do, with the purpose their work serves, and with the people they lead and serve."

I'm definitely in love, but my brain hurts today. Thank goodness I'm headed to a school for a learning walk this afternoon at: