OK . . . so it's been over a YEAR since my last post. My world has
been rocked by many things - books, articles, movies, conversations,
speakers, websites - since July, 2005, but I've been immersed in a
couple of big projects and blogging fell by the wayside.
Mel Levine was my 2005/06 big event. Author of three best-selling books, A Mind at a Time, The Myth of Laziness, and Ready or Not, Here Life Comes,
Dr. Levine is one of the nation's preeminent expert on student
learning. Beginning in spring 2005, I co-chaired a committee made up of
parents and staff from each of the five schools in our District. We
ultimately distributed about 150 of Levine's books to staff throughout
the District, hosted Dr. Levine for a presentation to over 800 parents
on the evening of March 14th, 2006, followed by an all-day workshop
with our entire District staff on March 15th, raised over $80,000 in
six weeks from the community to fund staff who wanted to attend Schools
Attuned, a program for educators based on Dr. Levine's work, and
ultimately hosted three Schools Attuned sessions in our community
during Summer 2006. Sixty five staff, representing every school in the
District, attended Schools Attuned and Mel Levine, once a relative
unknown around here, has become a household word. Check out the All Kinds of Minds
website for more info! Also, read the great interview with Dr. Levine
on "Celebrate Strengths, Nuture Affinities" linked on the front page of
the All Kinds of Minds website (All Kinds of Minds.) It's the top item under The News and is an interview from the September, 2006 edition of Educational Leadership Magazine.
Dr. Levine's pearl of wisdom "You build your life around your
strengths and affinities" is one of my most-treasured parenting mantras.