California Dreaming!!!

Well, once again it has been a long a while since I've last posted, and for that I apologize. I know, I know, I've started out my last few entries with a very similar statement, but I promise I will give you some more bathroom reading more frequently now that the school year is coming to an end. I have a lot that I want to say, so I will re-visit more often to keep the posts shorter.

Ok, now to the title of this post, California Dreaming. Two weeks ago yesterday, I boarded a flight to Orange County, California to meet with a fantastic group of people (Steve Farber, Glen Warren, and David Pinter to name a few). However, the coolest part of my trip happened exactly two weeks ago today. As most of you that are familiar with my blog know that I'm a huge fan of Steve Farber and his books, but more importantly, I am a bigger fan of of what his books stand for. After my visit to Orange County, I quickly saw that I was not the only person in education that has been inspired by his books. In fact it was exactly two weeks today that I was extremely fortunate to attend and take part of the First Annual Extreme Leadership Conference for schools.

The morning session was based upon the LEAP philosophy found in Steve Farber's first book, the Radical LEAP. While the afternoon session was based upon his third book, Greater Than Yourself, and was held for staff from the Orange County Department of Education. In either case, both sessions provided myself and our administrative team at Darby a great deal of insight in how to utilize these themes within our school. To say this was an amazing experiene with a great deal of information to our team in implementing these principles in our school would be a major understatement. Additionally, I was provided the opportunity to briefly speak at each session.

I was surrounded by some unbelievable educational leaders and had the opportunity to discuss how we've used these ideas in our schools. The best part of the day was having the opportunity to hear stories from the principals that have had utilized these ideas and how they, their students, teachers, and the schools themselves have improved every aspect that a student may be involved with in their academic pursuits. I have a few links that will provide you with some additional information explaining this Extreme Leadership conference/movement for you to check out if you have a moment.

http://k12farber.ning.com/
http://stevefarber.com/blog/?p=1248


So, until we meet again, take care, remain positive, and stay strong!!!

Otis