Those words “back to school” evoke a lot of different images for people. For many students returning to school is an exciting time to reconnect with beloved friends and school staff. For some others those words signify a…

Previously I wrote about the district strategic planning process this spring. Today’s blog shares the District Vision, Mission, Beliefs, Goals, and Theories of Action that resulted from that process. Our Vision: Proud Traditions. . .Unlimited Possibilities Our Mission:…

Of the fourteen blog posts I wrote this past school year, “Are you sharpening the saw?” had, by far, the most hits online, so I’m going back to the well of Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective…

“Many hands make light work.” This adage has been running through my head lately as I have seen wonderful examples of cooperation and people pitching in to lighten others’ loads. Burden bearing is meant to be a shared…

Recently I read an essay written by Katie Nichols, a student in Ms. Grissom’s AP Language class. Katie posed the question, “Are grades really showing learning?” This is not a new question in education, but it comes at…

May 4-8 is the designated “Teacher Appreciation Week,” and I hope you will take a little time to express appreciation to the educators who impact your lives or the lives of your children this week. Probably anyone who…

I am enjoying the recent beautiful weather, as I’m sure everyone else is, and it has caused me to pause and reflect on all of the exciting things happening in the school district and community. Each school board…

Are you sharpening the saw? Years ago I read Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, and those habits have stuck with me, becoming part of my worldview. One of those 7 Habits is called “Sharpen the…

The Iowa Core and its “Characteristics of Effective Instruction” are not new, but new this school year is an electronic template Indianola CSD administrators are using to observe the Characteristics of Effective Instruction in Indianola classrooms. Each of…

This is American Education Week, and next week is Thanksgiving week. The confluence of those two things has served to remind me how very thankful I am for many great things in my life. For this purposes of…

It has been an exciting fall for Indianola Community School District’s extracurricular programs and clubs. There have been conference championships, playoff appearances, division one ratings, and all-state selections. Everyone enjoys seeing successful programs and individual accomplishments. What I…

October 15 Indianola Community School District Facilities Director Rick Branson and I had the opportunity to meet with a group that has been working on sustainability and strategic planning for Indianola. The community I moved from, Fairfield, had…