In my last blog post, I reflected on my personal disconnect between the enthusiasm (over-enthusiasm some might say) I demonstrated in documenting my family’s recent road trip and the challenges I experience in documenting my professional growth.  I suggested that as – depending on geography – schools are preparing for the imminent return of teachers and students that it would be useful to try to unpack some of the inhibiting factors that get in the way of a teacher or an administrator (or a lay leader) going through the cycle of “learn, reflect, and share”.

A few people who commented on the post, rightfully pointed out the clumsiness of the analogy.  One’s enthusiasm can wax and wane to the degree that one is choosing to do something versus being required.  One’s time could be allocated differently to photography versus a written reflection.  And I agree with both points.  One commentator pointed out something that I hadn’t considered at all and that is the degree to which having an intuitive and easy-to-use structure like pegging photos to a Facebook timeline matters.  I think that is spot on.  The relationship between process and product may matter and it begs further exploration.  Those of you who know more than I – and that’s quite a lot of you – if there are new and exciting platforms that make it easier to document professional growth, inquiring reflective practitioners want to know!

There are other inhibiting factors as well.

I have written and spoken a lot about time as a zero-sum game and hereto it applies.  Over the last year I have had the pleasure of visiting lots of schools and engaging with even more and scheduling as an expression of values almost always rises to the top.  With no judgment implied, it seems reasonable to me to assume the following:

• Schools struggle to schedule adequate time for professional growth.
• It is difficult to require professional growth – let alone reflection and sharing – without providing adequate time for it to happen.
• Thus, we wind up counting on tapping the finite well of educators’ natural altruism as the primary resource allocated to professional growth.

But none of the above is what I am interested in exploring here.  Maybe they are the best remedies for what ails the ecosystem, and I do want to know more about better platforms, better schedules and all the sticks and carrots being used to successfully inculcate a culture of learn, reflect and share within and between schools.  This is essentially the work of edJEWcon.

However, as I engage as actively as I can in blogs, groups, chats, etc., I want to identify another barrier that I think can inhibit even the best possible situation – an educator who wants to contribute to the conversation and even has the time, motivation, content and know-how to share…and, yet, still holds back.

I think one of the most inhibiting factors that contributes to lurking and a sense that the same voices dominate the conversation is that we have been conditioned to believe that “sharing” is akin to “self-promotion”.

Let me acknowledge the other side of the argument I want to make just to get it out of the way.  People do take advantage of social media, chats, blogs, conversations, etc. as opportunities to self-promote.  It happens.  Frequently.  And it does represent a breach of etiquette and a challenge to the moral imperative of sharing we are trying to create.  I have been in those chats and comment sections where it feels more like jockeying for an opportunity to present one’s wares rather than a genuine desire to engage, share and learn from those present.  And if I am being honest, knowing how the game is played and that there can be winners, I’ve probably been guilty of it myself.  [If you ever find yourself on a chat with me and you feel like playing a drinking game, take a shot every time you hear me say “edJEWcon”.  Just be sure you have a designated driver.]

Still.

The concern that whenever we genuinely share can be misconstrued as self-promotion can lead to conversations where only the self-promoters share!  Everyone else is too humble to brag except the humblebraggers!  [This isn’t to suggest that there aren’t genuine and thoughtful participants; I am exaggerating to make a point.]

I am deeply concerned about helping the thoughtful practitioner convert from lurker to contributor.  The ecosystem will only work when feedback loops actively exist and inform. The power of networks is in their ability leverage excellence, facilitate conversation, engage peers in ongoing professional growth and to amplify the learning.  That requires more voices more often.  That requires the courage to contribute…

I’d rather run the risk of self-promotion if we can raise the volume of sharing.  Discerning professionals will weed out the former for the latter.  Let the problem of professional growth for Jewish Day Schools be too many dedicated professionals sharing their growth with peers and receiving too much feedback.

Hopefully this humble(brag) blog post will light the spark…

Believe it or not, but our earliest schools are wrapping up this week and the rest will be doing the same in the weeks to come.  We, too, will be transitioning into summer modes of communication.  Last week, I shared the results of our first-ever Annual Membership Survey.  And in the weeks to come, we will lay out more detail about our programmatic agenda for next year and how feedback may have played into our decision-making process.

In the meanwhile, let me express my sincere thanks to the good folks at ELI Talks and ELI on Air for letting me and my good friend Rabbi Marc Baker experiment with a podcast pilot this year.  I have said before that just the time we spent prepping for the podcasts and conducting them was more than sufficient for me to deem the experiment a success.  But we do have ambition larger than finding an excuse to think together…

Our goals for the podcast’s future include…

• Being more interactive – our goal is for the podcast to feel more like a “talk show” and less like…um…a “podcast”.  This means we need to be more aggressive/inspirational/inviting/encouraging in order to weave people’s questions, comments and contributions into the podcast itself.  We know (hope) you are out there listening…now we need you to be part of the action.
• Relevance.  Strong topics and strong guests.  We want to bring you ideas and people you really want to talk to and hear from.
• Edutainment.  We want this to be fun – for us and for you!  Finding a way to balance serious conversation with having a good time is what it is all about.

Have we gotten any better at the above?  Check out our most recent podcast and let us know!  Feel free to comment here on my blog or on the podcast page itself!

The 2015 North American Jewish Day School Conference has only been over for a couple of days, and I am already thinking about the future…

But before the future, I bit of a recap on the past and the present…

Last week, before the conference, I blogged about my hopes and expectations, ending with:

We are proud of the work we have done with our sister networks to create what we hope will be a meaningful learning experience for all participants. We have all worked hard to ensure the quality of content while trying to maximize access.  Schechter will have a strong showing and we look forward to our annual opportunity to be together.  But in addition to the networking, the learning, the socializing, and the celebrating, we also hope this conference shows what happens when networks work together for the greater good, deepening and strengthening our collective service to the field.

I think it is safe to say that with regard to the conference itself…mission accomplished!

In terms of my own experience, let me insert here that which I have already shared elsewhere through various social media, if for no other reason then to have it all conveniently stored in my primary reflective vehicle – this blog.

Here is how it started:

Here is the summary of my experiences:

Here is my first presentation:

Here is my second presentation:

My experiences of the conference were as cohost, presenter and network head.  I, not to my surprise, but to my disappointment, was unable to attend anything outside of those roles.  I experienced the keynotes and the receptions along with participants, but not the playground space, the vendors, or the actual sessions themselves.  The feedback I have received – solicited and otherwise – has been overwhelmingly positive and I look forward to reading the official survey for confirmation.

But as with any other conference or significant professional development experience, to close the loop with the powerful opening, what should be happening “right now?  How do we ensure that all the learning, all the new relationships, and all the enthusiasm from gathering over 1,000 passion-driven leaders from across the field is leveraged to the greatest good?

Since it came early and without the greatest sound system, I do want to make sure that you know we are actively engaged in answering those questions.  Those of us charged with stewarding the field as executive directors of national networks opened the conference with a statement about “how we can serve the field together”.

What are we thinking “right now”?

Imagine a system that effectively and efficiently delivers support in every area you need—financial strength and stability, professional development in 21st century pedagogies, new thinking to implement the Jewish mission of your school, participation in nationwide student contests, lay and professional leadership development, holistic school-based assessment and improvement, and networked connections among schools.  Imagine a system that recognizes the diversity of our schools, addresses their unique needs, and serves the field in an aligned and concerted way.

Could you have imagined it before this incredible conference?  Can you now?

Conference week is almost upon us!

One week from today, I will be headed up to Philadelphia to be sure I am ready to go for the 2015 North American Jewish Day School Conference, beginning Sunday, March 8th. This will be my first time as cohost, having had the wonderful opportunity to attend as a school head in 2011, 2012 and 2013.  (Last year, the field had two national conferences, Schechter (and me with it) having been a cohost of iJED.)

From Schechter’s part of the planning, I want to acknowledge Ilisa Cappell, Schechter’s Associate Director, for her tireless efforts on the conference’s Planning and Leadership Committees and for working so hard with Marc Kramer, RAVSAK‘s Executive Director, to develop a track at the conference for small schools.

In addition to my hosting duties, I will have the pleasure of presenting twice:

• I will be co-presenting with Harry Bloom of PEJE on how small schools can leverage their resources to effectively recruit and retain families.
• I will also be presenting on how schools can use “nings” to enhance professional culture, improve professional development and, thus, fulfill the promise of 21st century learning.

[I will send out links to both presentations once they go live.]

I am further thrilled to have chances to connect, celebrate, and dream with our Schechter community (including our friends in the Jewish Montessori Society), our growing edJEWcon community and all the formal and informal opportunities to learn, reflect and share with old colleagues and new friends that make these experiences so powerful.

We are proud of the work we have done with our sister networks to create what we hope will be a meaningful learning experience for all participants. We have all worked hard to ensure the quality of content while trying to maximize access.  Schechter will have a strong showing and we look forward to our annual opportunity to be together. But in addition to the networking, the learning, the socializing, and the celebrating, we also hope this conference shows what happens when networks work together for the greater good, deepening and strengthening our collective service to the field.

See you in Philly!