The last topic that I will share has to do with what Dr. Reeves considers "true innovation." In order for something to be truly innovative it must be disruptive. Change is messy. If someone isn't feeling uncomfortable then there really isn't any change taking place. True innovation must be experimental. You need to be willing to try something that you haven't done before. There is a lot of failure when you try to be an innovator. So much can be gained if one is willing to learn from and admit his or her mistakes. Finally, you must be focused. Anything beyond six strategies or actions is doomed to be a failure. The idea of learning more deeply and not a mile wide and an inch deep fits this last idea well.
My challenge from this session is to be willing to think differently and to take risks for the potential positive change it can have on the education of the students under my care!
My challenge from this session is to be willing to think differently and to take risks for the potential positive change it can have on the education of the students under my care!
—David M. Hanson, elementary principal, Wyndmere Public Schools, North Dakota
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