I walked into a new dentist’s office last week and a sign posted on the check-in desk read, “All patients must show insurance card when you sign in.”

I don’t carry the card anymore but keep a scanned image on my phone, so I pulled it up. No one asked to see my insurance card, nor did anyone that checked in while I was sitting there show their insurance card.

Think about it: does your organization ever behave like this? 

1. What policies do you have in place that don’t actually translate to a process or procedure OR are never implemented even though those all exist?
2. What are you willing to police?

If you don’t really have a process or procedure for getting it done, get rid of the policy. If people aren’t going to do it, get rid of the policy. If you think people should do it, but you aren’t willing to police it, get rid of the policy. 

All of these phrases ultimately have the same meaning- making a difference for kids- so it’s important to discuss and agree upon EXACTLY what difference you seek to make and what success looks like:

Guide school improvement efforts

Increase student achievement

Create a more dynamic learning environment

Provide enrichment opportunities

Educate students for success

Differentiate to reach all learners

We can learn a lot from road work signs. On a recent road trip, I saw this succession of signage as I went down the highway:

• Road Work Ahead
• Road Work 1000 ft.
• Road Work Next 5 Miles
• Uneven Lanes
• Road Work Next 2 Miles
• End Road Work

More people should operate with this sort of mentality. When working on a project or new assignment, tell people what they should expect (Road Work Ahead). Then tell them when to expect it (Road Work 1000 ft.). Then let them know how long it is going to last (Road Work Next 5 Miles). If their work is going to change to accommodate the project, let them know (Uneven Lanes) and provide updates along the way (Road Work Next 2 Miles). Finally, let them know when the project is over and they can resume their normal responsibilities (End Road Work).

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This is the third installment of a seemingly random string of posts on signs and other meanings they could pose for our lives.

The world of social media takes many forms. As do the people who access and use it. As one example, Twitter is used heavily by educators to connect to other educators and thought leaders from around the world. Some call this eduTwitter. Increasingly on eduTwitter, it seems people are posting negative reactions and comments to each other’s work. Instead, let’s push people to post more positive than negative. We all understand that hindsight is 20/20, but we choose to act like that rule is only acceptable for our own work.

Today, I challenge you on three fronts:

1. Find ten posts that you like and rather than just ‘liking’ them, comment what specifically resonated with you from the work.
2. Before you comment on someone’s post, ask yourself if you know anything about this person outside of their Twitter handle. If not, don’t post. Instead, ask them a question and learn.
3. If you’re an educator: When you get back to school this year, apply the same concept to your students or staff. When you are tempted to tell a student ‘good job’, specifically mention what you were impressed with in their work. If you’re a leader, call out teachers for the work they do that focuses on providing students with impactful learning experiences.

Feel free to steal these questions that I asked my teachers to answer about any student we identified as being ‘at-risk’ for not graduating based on attendance, GPA, grades, or state test scores.

1. What can you tell me about this student’s life outside your classroom?
2. What are some things this student enjoys? Teams they support? Activities they participate in?
3. Make one positive phone call home for this student, no matter how minute the positive behavior that was exhibited. Document the parent response here.