Analytical psychologist Carl Jung introduced the concept of 'synchronicity' in the 1920's as the principle of "meaningful coincidences". Nothing that occurs in our complex lives is an accident. Events that have no causal relationship are meaningfully related. My most recent experience with synchronicity occurred as I joined a conference call with fellow principals in our … Continue reading Principals on the Prayer Line
Walking through Atlanta's Little Five Points neighborhood is a Saturday ritual for me. From Moreland Avenue, I find my usual table in the corner of Sevananda Natural Foods Market and observe the steady flow of eclectic patrons pouring into the iconic store. I've been visiting Sevananda since the early 90's and the experience has always … Continue reading Emotional Intelligence Matters
One of the best lessons I learned during the first months of my principalship was that diplomacy matters. In a life of service, verbal assaults become par for the course. Think Jackie Robinson. Think MLK. Think Barack Obama. Are you able to rise above the rumors, the attacks and accusations and focus on the work? … Continue reading The Lost Art of Diplomacy
Sometimes I feel like I'm just standing in place, ain't no real race.Ain't no other side. Life is like a circle and you end up where you started. If you end up where you started ain't no other side. -Gil Scott Heron, The Other Side Our timing and God's timing for our lives don't always … Continue reading The Other Side
Trust the process. Pause long enough to see and experience the light at the end of the tunnel. Premature departures can cause us to miss out on the benefits of our collective efforts.
When I think of visionary educators, I think of Lucy Craft Laney and Marva Collins. Both women started their own schools in predominately African-American communities. Laney opened her school in 1883 in Augusta, Georgia while Collins founded Westside Preparatory School during the same year I was born - 1975. A solid elementary foundation was at … Continue reading Arguments with Mrs. Collins
{The following is an excerpt from the forthcoming book, The Mountain Principles: 28 Lessons on Leading and Learning} Be coachable, reflective and resilient in your work so that you can continue to sharpen your skillset. Years ago, while working as a curriculum coordinator, I was tasked with visiting the classrooms of social studies teachers and … Continue reading Chapter 8: Be Coachable
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Principle 24: Discover your inner genius and create opportunities for those around you to discover and unleash their own unique form of genius. Move beyond the archaic ideas about what genius looks like in the 21st century. Soundscape: Desire by Pharoah Monch The word 'genius' originated in ancient Rome and initially was applied to all … Continue reading The Notion of Genius
