Educator Insights Vol 4

Weekend Insights for your journey as an Insightful Educator

Author

Scott Martin
August 19, 2023

Hello Insightful Educators

One of my favorite things to do is grab coffee with someone and catch up on the books, podcasts, TED talks, articles, shows, and people influencing them.

So, alongside the full newsletter, I am pushing out a weekend edition of insights I think you will find influential in your journey as an Insightful Educator.

Think of it as you and I grabbing coffee and jamming on what’s influencing us at this time.

Feel free to reply with what you are finding helpful and invite a friend to subscribe! The more people around the table…the better!

One Person Worth Following

Cory Steiner @CorySteiner10 Superintendent of the Northern Cass School District. I am an upstream guy working to reimagine the entire system of education, and I love coming across other brave, imaginative, courageous upstream leaders…and Cory Steiner is certainly that! As superintendent of the entire Northern Cass School District, he decided to put student flourishing and well-being above traditional standards and completely transformed his district around personalized learning. I spent time on a Zoom call with his team and was incredibly impressed by the bold upstream work they are doing. If you are operating within the four corners of a traditional school, it is still absolutely possible to do transformative work on behalf of students and your learning community.

Check out this TED podcast by Cory and prepare to be inspired!

The District that Disrupted the K-12 System, and the New Model for Success - Dr. Cory Steiner, Superintendent of Northern Cass School District

This district threw out the traditional K-12 system (grades and all!) in favor of a student-led, proficiency-based model. Listen now!

techedpodcast.com/steiner

The Book I’d Recommend

I just finished re-reading Viktor Frankl’s classic work, Man’s Search for Meaning, his true account of finding meaning and hope, even in the horrors of a Holocaust concentration camp. He famously writes that once a person knows their why, they can face any how. This has deep resonance for schools wanting to be places of meaning for students, helping them to find their deep purpose, even and especially in a chaotic world. I highly recommend this book for anyone, but especially for educators.

Book Excerpt I’m Pondering

TED Talk You Must Watch

There's more to life than being happy

Our culture is obsessed with happiness, but what if there's a more fulfilling path? Happiness comes and goes, says writer Emily Esfahani Smith, but having meaning in life -- serving something beyond yourself and developing the best within you -- gives you something to hold onto. Learn more about the difference between being happy and having meaning as Smith offers four pillars of a meaningful life.

www.ted.com/talks/emily_esfahani_smith_there_s_more_to_life_than_being_happy?language=en

You can complement this edition of Educator Insights with the Transforming Schools to be Communities of Care and Belonging edition of the Insightful Educator newsletter

Transforming Schools to be Communities of Care and Belonging

Where Everybody's Glad You Came

insightfuleducatornewsletter.beehiiv.com/p/transforming-schools-communities-care-belonging

As always, please connect and give me feedback on Twitter @drscottamartin

Which insight above is your favorite?

What do you want to see more of?

What insights do you have?

Other suggestions?

Please let me know.
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Scott