Another installment of readings from Lead. Learn. Change., the book, pages 77-87. The episode includes includes the story Traffic Lights and Bumper Stickers, Reflections and Call to Action, and a PAGE Break titled Shared Commitment. All profits from the sale of the book support the Allene Magill Memorial Scholarship fund, helping paraprofessionals who are pursuing their dream of becoming classroom teachers.
Be ready to go - Traffic Lights and Bumper Stickers
A glance in the rearview mirror is not the best compass.
The Sankofa Bird
Reflections and Call to Action
Filters
PAGE Break – Members Matter
David Reynolds (00:07):
Hello listeners. Thanks for joining me today. Welcome to another installment of readings from the book Lead Learn Change. As a reminder, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are earmarked for the Allene Magill Memorial Scholarship Fund. A link for the book is available in show notes, or you can simply search for the title in the Amazon bookstore. Today we're reading pages 77 through 87, including the story, traffic lights and bumper stickers, reflections, and call to action and a page break titled Members Matter. Let's get started. Traffic lights and bumper stickers at a traffic light waiting for green. I read the multiple messages affixed to the vehicle in front of me. Some of these gems of wisdom were plastered to the pickup truck's rear glass, while others clung to rusted metal surfaces on the heavily used and sometimes abused tailgate. One bumper sticker stood out perhaps because it was the most legible. it read.
David Reynolds (01:14):
It read, “The older I get, the better I was”. We all possess a congenital proclivity for embellishing our personal histories, painting ourselves as wiser, stronger, faster, and better than we really were. That this particular philosophical insight was on the rear window was fitting because the sentiment certainly grew out of a look toward the past. Maybe the driver saw yesteryear as his glory days, as many people do. Possibly his prospects for the future are as dim as his mud covered taillights. Who knows? What I do know is that reflection on the past can be a valuable experience, but a glance in the rear view mirror alone is not the best compass. We must not forget our past, and of course, we must avoid the grave error of not learning from it. Without the benefit of our previous journeys, we cannot navigate to where we want to go next.
David Reynolds (02:06):
Like the Sankofa, the mythical African bird who looks back holding on to that which can grow in the future while its feet are headed forward, we must value those who have come before us, what they taught us, and what we have experienced thus far. The past is not superior to the future, nor is the future more valuable than our history. Both are simply points of support for the bridge we call the present. To change things up, shake things up, set a new standard, raise the bar or blaze a different trail. There is no substitute for looking ahead. That's the way things get done. Find true north. Keep it simple. Imagine what could be seek help and get started even if your goal is to merely maintain your current status. If you don't want to lose ground, some sort of action is always required. If you can't just sit there, you have to be ready to hit the gas when the light turns green.
David Reynolds (03:01):
And yes, timing is important. That's a given. To forge a new path to make things better for others. To truly lead mere motivation to change is not enough. You must be committed to growth, which requires discipline. You must be accountable, which demands that solid relationships are in place, and you must be willing to try something that stretches you a bit, which means you must take some risks. You have to be willing to fail. As the great basketball coach John Wooden said, failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be. These truths apply to you as an individual, to you as a vital member of a team, and they apply to your organization as the collective advocate for agreed upon beliefs, leveraged in support of those you serve. Set the example through every relationship you form. Make it clear what is possible, helping others see what's in your imagination.
David Reynolds (03:54):
Commit to reaching your goals or fail trying, but keep trying regardless. Don't quit. Add all the bumper stickers you want to your car. Look back all you want. Just make sure your headlights are properly aimed, that your front windshield is clean, that your GPS is working, and that you are not riding alone. Be ready when the light turns green. Look ahead. Be a leader. Take others with you. Note the image of the Sankofa used in the book is used with permission from Berea College. And now reflections and call to action questions and ideas to help you move forward. What events, accomplishments, or obstacles in your past should or should not play a pivotal role in the next step you take to move forward? How can you best objectively and accurately gauge progress as you move towards your goals? What filters will you use and whose support is needed to recalibrate your work if and when unforeseen factors stall your momentum or alter your trajectory or direction?
David Reynolds (05:10):
Footnote, regarding filters. Filters in this instance and when similarly used elsewhere in this book mean the standards or guidelines one uses to determine if an idea, concept or plan has merit. Viewing one's core beliefs or one's goals as filters leads to the question, does this idea, concept or plan align with my filter standards, parameters, beliefs, and or does it increase the likelihood of success? Does it add value for others? Does it support stated goals and results? Page break. Members matter from fewer than 100 members in 1975, PAGE membership has grown to over 95,000. In 2020 PAGE staff and PAGE members work every day to make Georgia a better place for students to learn and for teachers to teach. That simple affirmative message supported inside a nonpartisan approach that addresses issues and solutions not endorsing political parties or candidates is a pivotal factor that has led to the organization's phenomenal growth.
David Reynolds (06:21):
A year by year membership growth chart is listed at this point in the book to provide some perspective on the numbers represented by the chart. Consider that 95,000 page members would fill New York Yankee Stadium and Atlanta Brave's Truist Park, and there would still be over 2000 PAGE members without a seat in either venue. Fewer than 20 stadiums in the entire world have the seating capacity to accommodate all PAGE members. To further underscore the commitment to its members and potential members, one need look no further than the miles logged by PAGE employees representing member services, membership services representatives, college service representatives, and membership consultants. Just how far will we go to support PAGE members to connect with them to the moon? During a recent year, PAGE membership staff drove 300,781 miles. It's just under 234,000 miles to the moon. If you're wondering, PAGE takes seriously its commitment to connect with educators, support them, and establish meaningful relationships with them.
David Reynolds (07:34):
It's no wonder this group is so successful. PAGE also connects with educators via legislative advocacy and legal services. Three full-time staff members represent PAGE's 95,000 members and advocate on behalf of these educators and the children they serve. Advocacy occurs directly at the state legislature and at meetings of agencies that propose to implement educational policy. Advocacy may take the form of one-on-one conversations with elected officials testimony during committee hearings at the Georgia General Assembly, sometimes over 15 times during the session, and responding to questions as panel members, facilitators of issue-based forums and via other settings and formats. Coalition work with other education organizations leveraging this growing social media presence, dialogue with media outlets and supporting grassroots efforts of educators to organize and establish goals for their respective groups typify recurring and ongoing legislative team practices, fellow PAGE staff members serving in an ad hoc advisory capacity based on areas of expertise and knowledge.
David Reynolds (08:39):
Offer feedback and recommendations to the core legislative team and help craft messaging communicated in the form of website postings, tweets, and emailed reports. The PAGE legislative team filters large volumes of information for page members, and likewise seeks input from them to develop priorities for PAGE's work. The team also advocates at the national level to promote the interest of Georgia educators and students communicating with the Georgia Congressional Delegation and the US Department of Education regarding student assessment, school funding, educator leave, and other public education issues. Seven In-house PAGE attorneys answer legal calls from members assessing educator's concerns and providing timely information and advice. Members have the benefit of talking directly to a staff attorney without intermediaries or significant wait times. When a case arises that warrants a legal defense under the PAGE Legal Protection Plan, whether an employment, criminal, or certification issue, one of the more than 30 page approved network attorneys practicing throughout Georgia represents the member.
David Reynolds ( 09:40):
No other teacher organization in the state comes close to offering this type of access and support for its members. PAGE understands that litigation can sometimes be avoided by speaking with an attorney with extensive expertise in employment and school law matters. Members can call the PAGE office on weekdays during typical office hours and can speak with the staff attorney by the end of the day, calls outside these hours are responded to during the next business day, occasionally sooner. PAGE membership staff promote this to all of the stage educators as this level of access is tremendous benefit to all members. PAGE staff, attorneys field, an average of 13,000 calls each year. PAGE staff attorneys also facilitate and host professional learning sessions addressing the code of ethics for Georgia educators Annually. Over 400 presentations are provided to school staff and College of education students and PAGE attorneys, author articles involving school law issues, and generate important reports on the state's teacher retirement system. The Professional Standard Commission and Georgia's Health Benefit coverage plan page continuously conveys current information about any activity that affects PAGE members, a crucial function that supports the professional success of educators. That's Paige. That's all for today. Thanks for listening. You can email me at Lead Learn change@icloud.com. Have a great day. Until next time, go lead. Go learn. Go make a change. Go.