Schools Should Never Confuse Excellence and Success

The problem with success is that it usually involves comparison to others. How do I measure up? Did I win? Was I the best? Was I the smartest? When individuals, teams, or schools are focused on success, anything less than first place is disappointing. Setbacks and failures can be devastating.    

In contrast, excellence is a habit of mind. It's about being the best we can be. Excellence is giving your best effort, maximizing your talents and gifts, and reaching for your highest potential. When you seek excellence, you realize failures and successes are inevitable along the way. 

Even when you seek success, you may still find failure. But when you seek excellence, success usually finds you.

10 Thoughts on Success vs. Excellence

1. Positive culture and motivation are harmed when schools focus on success. We should take success and failure in stride and aim for excellence. Even when we fall short of the expectations of others, we can still demonstrate excellence daily.

2. It's too bad that excellent things happening in a school might be overshadowed by test scores, or other measures, that weren't as successful compared to a neighboring school or district.

3. Some of the best work happening in schools is overlooked. Quiet excellence needs to be recognized and celebrated too. 

4. Often the school or teacher that is celebrated for "success" enjoyed a distinct advantage from the start. They started at third base, but everyone thinks they hit a home run.

5. Schools seeking success play the testing game. They take actions that are not really best for student learning, hoping they might result in higher test scores. Test prep and teaching to the test are unfortunate examples of this.

6. When teachers compare themselves to others, it invites either despair or pride. The despairing teacher: "I can never be as well-liked by the students as so-and-so." The prideful teacher: "I am so glad I don't have classroom management problems like so-and-so." Excellence isn't about comparison.

7. Educators motivated by success are often seeking to elevate their own status, even climbing over the backs of others.. 

8. Educators motivated by excellence value others and are happy when others are successful. 

9. In Missouri, our state department of education has a goal, Top 10 by 20. The catchy slogan means Missouri will be one of the top 10 states for education in the nation by 2020. The idea of creating a statewide vision for improvement is a good one. But does this goal focus on success or excellence? Does this goal rely on comparison to others? 

10. To be excellent, we must focus on the actions, attitudes, and commitments that lead to excellence. As Albert Einstein noted, "Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value." Creating value for self and others is excellence.

Question: Are schools too focused on success over excellence? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below, or on or .

A Teacher's Christmas Wish

As the carol reminds us, "It's the most wonderful time of the year." We especially know how magical Christmas can be for kids. It's supposed to be a time filled with joy and happiness for all.  

But for many students, and some teachers too, the holidays are stressful and difficult. The hardships of life seem magnified around the holidays. In our school, two families were suddenly faced with heartbreaking personal loss just before the break.

So as we gather with our families to rejoice and be thankful, I know that teachers in our community and all over the world will also be thinking of a student, a family, or a fellow teacher, who might be suffering during the holiday season. 

Teachers have generous and caring hearts. I can just imagine that in the midst of the holiday bustle, a teacher is thinking of her students, lifting them up in prayer. 

It's a teacher's Christmas wish.

That she will have love and care during the holidays and all through the year.

That he will have a warm bed, food to eat, and someone to keep him safe.

That she won't be afraid.

That he won't feel lonely.

That someone will pick them up, dust them off, and wipe their tears.

That there will be something under the tree.

That there will be peace at home.

That there will be loving hugs.

And that after the holidays are over, all of the students will return to school with good memories of Christmas, feeling supported and ready to learn.

It's a teacher's Christmas wish.



Question: How are you mindful of your students during this season? Leave a comment below or respond on or .

Stay Out of the Social Media Madness

"Stay out of the social media madness!"

That was a comment I received on a recent survey asking teachers for feedback on how I'm doing as building principal. I think it's always good to ask for feedback, but you have to be willing to accept the responses, whatever they are.

And every response is a great opportunity for reflection. It's a starting place for understanding. It makes me curious to know where individuals are coming from and how I can serve better. 

So how is my use, and promotion, of social media bumping into something for this person?

I'm not exactly sure. Maybe they only see the negatives of social media. Maybe they think I'm self-promoting. Or distracted. Or have my priorities out of line. Or maybe I've let this person down in some other area and this is just where it's directed?

It makes me wonder if I've fallen short in sharing the positives of social media? How it can be used to build community, discuss ideas, celebrate learning, and tell the story of our school. That there are new and different ways to use social media, ways that might be positive and productive.

So I am having an honest dialogue with myself, "Have there been negatives to my social media involvement?"

Retrieved: https://twitterforeducation.wikispaces.com/

The answer is yes. There have been negatives. Social media does have pitfalls. I've felt it pull me too far in at times. There are dangers that must be avoided. Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing.

But I've worked on not letting it pull me in too far. I've set boundaries for my workflow. Family time is family time.

So for me, the positives far outweigh the negatives. I feel good about what I contribute and the connections I make using social media. I can be proud of that.

But I also realize Twitter won't work for everyone. Some people are turned off by social media and might better learn and connect in a different way. 

The feedback I received was valuable. Even if I don't change my approach to social media, the comment I received gives me insight. And it causes me to reexamine if social media is as beneficial as I believe it to be. It's good to reflect on feedback we receive, whether we agree with it or not.


5 Positive Ways To Use Social Media

1. The best free professional development I've encountered. It's available 24/7 and 365 days a year! Where else can you connect with people all over the world to learn and grow, to share ideas, and to get inspired? I've even chatted with some of my biggest heroes in education. Through these conversations, I learn new things. I develop shared meaning with others. That's true collaboration.

2. A platform to advocate for ideas that matter to me (personal voice). There are things that are important to me that I want to promote. I want to see better opportunities for students, stronger schools, and empowered teachers. That's why I share my thoughts on leadership, innovation, #FutureReady, #EdTech, and more.

3. A way to engage with our students, school, and community. I use social media to connect with our community through our school Facebook and Twitter. It's great to post pictures and highlight outstanding accomplishments. I like to share things from the classroom and from the extracurricular side. Go Liberators!

4. A platform to uplift, encourage, and celebrate. Just like in my face-to-face interactions, when I share positive words with others online, it lifts me up as well as others. I've found a positive community of dreamers, believers, and thinkers who challenge me and make me stronger.

5. An example for students of how social media can be used in positive and productive ways. Social media doesn't have to be shallow, vein, and a waste of time. We can use it to promote big ideas, to energize a cause, and to develop professionally. Right now, millions are using social media to network professionally, start a business, and build a personal brand. It's important for students to have digital literacy skills, now and for their future success.



Question: How are you using social media to improve your professional life? Leave a comment below or share on or .