Tag: Resiliency
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The Unspoken Promise: Navigating the Messy Middle
In 1914, explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton set out to cross Antarctica on foot. However, his ship, Endurance, became trapped and crushed by sea ice as it slowly sank. He and his crew were stranded for nearly two years! At some point, during their ordeal, everyone’s goal had to change. They were no longer explorers but…
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Safe Pasture in Strange Places
It happened early this past summer. A small herd of elk lumbered into town, grazing and then lying down in a grassy field across the street from a fitness center. It was quite a spectacle, all the more so as elk are naturally reclusive, even shy. Picture four young bulls, with full racks of antlers,…
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Why Choose Leadership?
Weekends are usually when I decompress from my work week as an assistant principal. Like it or not, I ruminate over decisions I made and difficult conversations I had with both students and adults. Yesterday morning, while accompanying my wife to a local supermarket, I kept thinking, “Why would anyone choose to be a leader?”…
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Cow Conundrum | Short Story
The mama cow bellows from the pasture nearby, lined up at the barbed wire fence with her hungry calf and the others. “Bring us some tasty hay,” she calls to the pick-up driving rancher. The other girls join in the chorus: “There’s nothing to eat out here but prickly weeds and nettles.” It’s true. A…
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Life’s Curveballs: Lessons from a Retired Army First Sergeant
A teacher at my school is a retired U.S. Army First Sergeant (1SG), which is one of the highest enlisted ranks. As you would expect, to make 1SG takes considerable leadership ability. Consequently, I like to glean administrative wisdom from this person whenever I can. During a break at one of our back-to-school meetings, I…
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The Art of Perspective: Lessons from a Mural
I drive by it every day on my way to work. It’s a group of cows painted on a building, standing behind a fence. At least that’s what it looks like from the highway. However, today I parked right in front of it, and discovered a different perspective. It’s challenging to make out what these animals…
Davids Daily Dose 