December 1 Letter from the President

December 1, 2010

Greetings Rotarians,

Welcome to December ALREADY!!

We kicked off the new month with a great turnout with nearly 100% attendance.

Thanks to Rick Thompson for the program which included a brief description of several books that he has found particularly valuable as an educator and administrator.

Several members requested a list of the books that Rick presented, so here they are.

1.  Five Dysfunctions of a Team:  A Leadership Fable, by Patrick Lencioni.  This book described typical symptoms of team problems and shares how leaders can diagnose and overcome them.
 
2.  Getting to CALM:  Cool-Headed Strategies for Parenting Tweens and Teens, by Laura Kastner and Jennifer Wyatt from of UW.  This book shares how parents can stay calm as they teach adolescents to navigate rules, curfew, computer use, drugs and alcohol, and all the rest.  I enjoyed the dialogue which shows how powerful yet delicate families are.  It is very easy to relate to these scenarios.
 
3.  Brain Rule:  12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School.  This book gives scientifically proven evidence on how our brain works, in language we can all understand.  Gender differences, exercise, memory, and stress are all explored.  Dr. Medina, a molecular biologist, was our keynote in the school district in August.  He is on faculty at UW and SPU.  His website is www.brainrules.net
 
4.  Now, Discover Your Strengths.  This book will help you choose your five dominant strengths to develop your unique talents and those people you manage (or live with).  This is based on the Gallup study of over two million people.  Note, you must purchase the book to do the online inventory I referred to.  This book has been instrumental in teaching my how I think and lead.  The premise is to develop strengths instead of ameliorating weaknesses. 
 
5.  School Reform from the Inside Out:  Policy Practice, and Performance.  This book is part of a series between the Harvard Graduate School of Education and the Harvard Business School which describes how schools actually improve, and why they are so slow to respond to external, government influences.  Real case studies are used.  It describes why complex organizations like schools appear to be change resistant, but in fact are not. 
 
6.  Schools for the 21st Century:  Leadership Imperatives for Educational Reform and Leading for Learning:  How to Tranform Schools into Learning Organizations.  Dr. Phil Schlecty, a Sociologist, does a marvelous job describing how to really change schools through student engagement.  His argument is basically that for schools to survive, engagement of students is the key.  His website is www.schlectycenter.org
 
7.  Teach like a champion:  49 Techniques that put students on the path to college by Doug Lemov.  This book has been referred to in many educational circles and is worth reviewing.
 

Yvonne has organized another excellent program for us next week. Dan Tracy will present his experience working aboard the "Africa Mercy Ship".

DON'T FORGET DECEMBER 12!!!

Yvonne Swanberg is kindly hosting a Holiday Gathering at her home from 4-7 PM.

Please bring a jacket or blanket to donate.  Also bring a "dinner hors d'oeuvres" and bottle (or two [editor's comment]) of wine.