"Learn-It-All" Curiosity

This week on the Modern Learner's podcast, Will Richardson and Bruce Dixon were sharing about Microsoft's CEO, Satya Nadella.  Prior to 2014, Microsoft as a company was losing money and business looked dismal. Leadership at that time created a very cut-throat, driven culture; encouraging ranking of employees by points and trying to get co-workers to "one up" each other to stay on top. This way of thinking did not prove to produce the best results.  In February of 2014, Nadella was named the new CEO and with the new position came a new culture.  Satya believed in learning and collaboration.  His gentle approach believed that human beings were wired to have empathy which was necessary for creating a successful work environment.   This was a "learn it all" culture opposed to the past "know it all" bent, leading to very successful times for Microsoft.  (You can find the article here.) 

Richardson and Dixon challenged school leaders to think about the cultures in our own schools and compare them to Microsoft's most successful times. Is the culture in our schools one about having the highest GPA or SAT/ACT?  Do we believe that grades really are the only motivator?  Are students considered laggards if they do not have all As?  Do we see failure as an opportunity for growth or for a reason to believe we cannot learn?   Are we modeling our own philosophies of life-long learning to our students? 

This podcast pushed my thinking about our current culture within our own school. What does learning really look like in the 21st Century with millennials?  How can we teach thinking in this information rich world?  How do we model reflecting on growth and celebrating our successes beyond letter grades?  How can we get back to the basics of our own learning philosophies with one foot in the outcome (standardized testing, college entrance exams, GPAs) world we live in?

I know if we all continue to learn and work together, we will continue to provide the best learning environment for our students, just as Microsoft has been able to do.


School Notes: 

* Natural Helpers - Twenty students have been asked to participate in the Natural Helpers training by Crisis Connection on Monday and Tuesday.  A list of students has been shared.  If you have any questions or concerns, please see Jody.

* PLC Meeting - We will be having an after-school PLC meeting on Wednesday, November 15th from 3:00 - 4:00 p.m.  We will have a short meeting to begin the work session.  We will NOT have our morning faculty meeting this week. 

* Study Island/Exact Path Training - A representative will be at school on Monday for training.  If you are interested in attending a training and have not contacted Jody, please do so immediately.

* Congratulations to Nancy Poehlein and her art students.  She and her students had 7 of the 113 entries at Brescia University Juried High School Art Exhibition.  Perry Central was the only school that had winners in 3 categories:  Emily Flamion in Ceramics, Ayron Roark in Sculpture and Brittany Brown in Fibers!  Congratulations to everyone!! 

*Dual Credits - Also, congratulations to all of our teachers for being recognized by the Indiana Department of Education for having a high percentage of students earning dual credits at Perry Central Jr./Sr. High School.  Great Job!!


Important Dates: 

Monday, November 13 - Natural Helpers (all day), School Board Meeting 6:30 high school library

Tuesday, November 14 - Varsity Girls @ Home vs. South Spencer 6:00 p.m.

Wednesday, November 15 - After School PLC Meeting 3:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Thursday, November 16 - Varsity Girls Basketball @ Forest Park 5:30 p.m./ Varsity Boys Scrimmage @ Corydon Central 5:30 p.m.

Saturday, November 18 - FLL Robotics Competition