Wow, what a fantastic Annual Leadership Institute! I say that as a participant for the past 15 years, as a student of communication, and as a proud Kentucky educator!
Yes, I am a member of the ALI Planning Team, but I defer to my colleagues on the team for their contributions and foresight. I am just one meager member. As always, I highly praise Wayne Young, Rhonda Caldwell, and their excellent KASA staff! I'm sure my ALI colleagues would agree that they make our jobs easy. At the same time, I am utterly confident that they value the input of KASA members... hence, the committee!
The most important questions in my mind are why was this ALI such a success and how can we replicate it?
The first and foremost difference for this ALI is that it took place a week later than usual. The Galt House, our longtime event site, asked us to move the ALI back a week, due to another commitment they have. We hesitantly did so, knowing that their incentives would help, but worrying that attendance would be down. Now, as an ALI member, I look back and -- like one of my heroes, Alfred E. Neuman of MAD Magazine, I think... "What? Me Worry?"
We had record attendance!!! More than 1,300... in fact, I believe something like 1,400! Henceforth (I think they say that a lot at Harvard and at MAD Magazine, but who really knows?), I say, "What? Us worry?"
My guess is the crack KASA staff already has a plan to illicit feedback on this conference and the positive and negative aspects of the later start. Regardless, we can start here! I'd love to get your feedback to this blog concerning your reaction to this year's ALI, especially the viability of a later start! I understand some folks who work 220, rather than 240 days (Aren't WE lucky at 220? ... but don't dare tell them that!!!) are more prone to attend at this later date! Great! What do you folks think?
Having addressed that issue, I must say that four things come to my mind about this Annual Leadership Institute and KASA in general. Those four things are HUMAN connection, potential, development, and achievement! I will address each from my own perspective. You, most certainly , are welcome to share your own views on any or all from your perspective!
Human connection! I don't know about you, but dadgumit (I really am from Kentucky!:-) I love to run into people I've met in various venues over time! Just the other night I was missing my friend, John Slone, who rotated off our ALI committee... son of a gun, there he was on Wednesday night and we renewed our friendship with laughs about our shared ALI experience and the fact that he raises miniature donkeys for show... if you know me at all, it's not surprising that when I learned this, I immediately accused him of showing his ass(es)! ... He loves it! And, he told me, he has to get involved on a KASA committee again! Come on back to KASA committees, John, we miss you!
2. Human potential! That is at ... or at least near... the centerpiece of education, isn't it? Here, I want to highlight Frank DeAngelis, the principal of Columbine High School at the time of the horrific shooting. I told him after he spoke that his presentation was not at all what I expected, but that it was absolutely wonderful! I grieve with him, as I'm sure you do, over the loss of life of each of his students and concerning the overall tragedy. I pray for this kind of nonsense to stop! In addition to everything else in this complex issue, my heart goes out to Frank for his own loss... in his marriage and family. I want to say, "Frank, God bless you, my friend, you have done the best you could with a Christian heart." Despite these obstacles, Frank excels to fulfill potential... So sadly, so incredibly sadly, the human potential of the victims never will be completely known.
3. Human development! ...So, I'm sitting in the third floor walkthrough eating lunch who knows which day (ultimately, it all runs together, right?) and I see a distinguished looking man (Read: former superintendent) at the table next to me. Suddenly, it dawns on me that this is Phil Eason! I introduced him at the Kentucky School Public Relations Association gathering in Owensboro in the past year or so (ultimately, it all runs together, right?) I tell him pretty much what I just told you... Then we find through conversation that it turns out we both earned our bachelor's degrees at Western Kentucky University! Somehow, our conversation turns toward his work with a human strengths identification program. ... Since, I have learned much from the Myers-Briggs Personality Inventory, the conversation flourishes. Ultimately, he invites me into his realm and I look forward to what I will learn from that! (I even called my son and told him about it!) As I paraphrased above, isn't human development the centerpiece of education?
4. Human achievement! God bless the students of the Kentucky School for the Blind and for their achievement! They wrote a freaking book!!! The young man who spoke was incredibly eloquent! My favorite lines came from the video... something to the effect that... We are real people, too. Don't let our disability define us... we are more like you than you realize! ... On this point, I also think of the two breakout sessions at which I was privileged to facilitate. Mark Crain, Angie Blanton, and my friend and fellow ALI member Amanda Heaton presented on "Finding the Key to Unlock Success: An Administrative and Special Education Team's Journey to Success for ALL students." They worried that their content would be worthwhile to others... Everybody in this well-attended session loved it and took away practical ideas to replicate their success! Then in my last session to facilitate, Ben Bruni explained what he learned in "A New Beginning -- What to Expect in Year One of Administration." ... Now, if I understand correctly, Ben is moving from Logan County Schools to Russellville Independent this year.... Let me say that wherever he is, he has learned his craft! I told him afterward that I do not remember a better breakout session in my 15 years of attending KASA sessions! His material was a succinct, yet comprehensive overview of what you need to know to become an administrator! Clearly, he took notes as he went through that first year... Great job, Ben!!! Your audience loved it... including me!!!
Those are some of my thoughts... What about you?
Two questions:
Do you prefer the one-week-later Annual Leadership Institute?
What was your favorite highlight of this year's KASA ALI?