What I learned this week

This has been an interesting week which really gave me a different perspective on things in my life. Here is what I have learned:

• Standardized testing is good for no one.  Not the students taking it, not the teachers proctoring it, not the administrators organizing it.
• The carrot and stick method doesn't really work.  It works less when the carrot is replaced by another stick.
• Administrators and teachers need to find a way to work together to drive learning in the school on a daily basis.  Nothing happens if only one of the groups is doing the work because the other will get resentful.
• Educators can be really petty.
• Trying to organize a large gathering while running a fever and hacking up a lung is really not a good idea.
• Trust in the creativity of your students.  Also, they love to talk about the cool things they are doing in their classes if you give them the chance.

That's it.  It's been a pretty busy week.