#SoFLEdChat

Back in November I presented a TedX Talk entitled “Our Schools Should Teach Kids How to Fail”. This was an amazing experience all the way around, from developing the concept and going through various re-writes with an amazing teacher of mine, Lynn Mitchel; to rehearsing my Talk numerous times in front of my sons (who both could have gone on stage that night and delivered); to the connections with the staff at the host location, West Broward High School, especially the organizer, Horace Buddoo; to meeting the students who were part of the production crew at the school; to the feedback that I received that night.

The best part of the event was that my wife and my parents were in the audience. Getting to present in front of them was such a source of pride for me. I really rely on my family for energy and support as I push forward with changing the way we view education. I have received a lot of feedback from family, friends, and strangers this past week. My favorite response came from my Great-Aunt Helen, who is the matriarch of my mom’s side of my family. I have so much love and respect for her so hearing from her meant a great deal to me.

Aunt Helen showing her pride in me really made me feel a connection to someone who wasn’t there the night of the Talk, someone who will never see my accomplishments, but someone who continues to drive me and motivate me. That person is Nonni, my grandmother who passed away over seven years ago. Nonni and I had a special bond. She always used to say that we were connected by our souls. Whenever I think about her, I remember how she used to look me in the eyes and tell me that I was going to do great things. She said it so much that I started to believe it and continue to do so to this day. Nonni never got to see me become a principal, as she passed away about six months before I was promoted. But I know that I am living up to her ideal and that I am constantly trying to do more and be more because of her belief in me. I also realize that I’m not done yet, that there is so much more left to accomplish. Nonni’s faith keeps me pushing myself.

So this brings me to the title of this blog post, Everybody Needs a Nonni. My wife, Susie, and I were talking about Nonni’s belief in me and it led to an amazing conversation about someone having so much confidence in you that it completely drives you. Susie then made the profound statement in the title of this post. It is so true. Everyone truly does need a Nonni. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a grandmother who expresses pride in you, but someone in your life who fully believes in your capabilities. Nonni’s faith in me was so overwhelming that I don’t think that I had a choice but to become the person that she believed I would be.

So I wonder, do you have a Nonni? Do you have a person whose belief in you is so strong that it compels you to think beyond your current state? Or are you that person for others? Is there someone in your life that you have expressed total confidence in, someone who needs that support? If not, can you think of someone who you can do that for? I think about those who don’t have that type of person in their life and wonder what that type of belief could do for them. How many of our students need that one voice to be on their side. Can you do that for at least one person who needs it? Can you be for a child or a colleague what my Nonni was for me? The opportunity is out there. Go take it!

I have read many blog posts in the past week talking about the book One Word That Will Change Your Life by Jon Gordon, Dan Britton and Jimmy Page. The book’s authors encourage you to pick one word that will guide and motivate you rather than making New Year’s resolutions that you probably won’t keep. I originally read the book a few years ago and I have chosen words which have truly motivated me throughout each year. My word for 2015 was “moment” and this word helped steer me and remind me that each moment that we spend with each other is the most important moment. By focusing on this one word I was able to appreciate the now as often as possible.

As I read the various blog posts, I was inspired by my fellow educators’ words and how they expressed the importance of why they were choosing each word. I spent a few days contemplating what my one word would be and I found inspiration yesterday in the same way that I found my word last year – swimming in the ocean. My family and I spent New Year’s Eve at the beach and during a swim I started thinking about what my choice would be. My one word had to be something that would inspire me throughout the year and get me to a place where I would be happy at this time next year. I realized then that my guide would be “more”.

The word “more” came into my mind because of two sources. One was from my late grandfather, Adolph “Tuffy” Tirri, who used to tell us “I love you more” whenever any of his kids, grandkids, or great-grandkids would say “I love you Poppi”. While this became a catchphrase of his, it also opened up my eyes to the prospect of loving someone at an even greater level, a level only gained by wisdom, experience and from someone who had been through life’s hardships. When Poppi told you that he “love(d) you more” you could tell just by looking into his eyes that the man truly felt it. I learned from him that there is always another level that you can go to.

The other source came from a fortune that I opened a few weeks ago:

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My wife laughed this one off as she sees me pour my heart and soul into doing what’s best for kids each day. The people closest to me also joked about this because they see me as someone who is “all in” for kids and for my school. My wife is actually a little concerned about this because she sees the downside of putting your entire being into your school. She sees the stress, the headaches, and the physical toll that being extremely passionate can bring about. But I put those aspects aside because I know that I can really make a difference in kids’ lives.

So this year I will be focusing on “more”, as in “do more”, “be more”, “connect more”, “listen more”, and…well you get the idea. I truly never feel that I do enough and that there is more that I can do. In 2016 I will explore the concept of more. I know that there is more of who I am to discover, more that I can offer. I will seek to become more both personally and professionally. This is my third year at my current school and I believe that I have formed some great relationships and solidified my place in the community but I will find ways to connect more. I feel that I accomplished a lot in 2015: finished as a participant in the Florida Commisioner of Education’s Leadership Academy and now training to be a facilitator; attended my first edcamp (edcampsoflo); started a weekly Twitter chat with two of my teachers (#SoFLEdChat); attended Miami Device, an amazing conference, that left me inspired that there is more to do; and gave a TedX talk that I cannot wait to share with the world. But with all that said, I still feel that there is more that I can accomplish, but not for personal gain. All of those things that I mentioned are done to help further my guiding philosophy of making kids’ lives better.

Part of my passion is to help bring about change in education and in what school can and should be. I believe that I have to be connected to kids and to school in order to make this happen so that my voice is relevant (I honestly don’t envision myself as anything but a principal). However, I know that there is more that I can do both inside and outside my school. More that I can bring to education. A famous statement from the Marvel comic book Spider Man is “with great power comes great responsibility”. I believe that those of us who have the ability to make a change need to do all that we can to bring that change about. So I will continue to believe that I have never done enough. I will build more connections, write more, speak out for our students and teachers more. I will strive to do “more” each day for our kids.

So join me this year. What will your “one word” be? Think about where you want to be at this time next year. What goals do you have for yourself, both personally and professionally? Then pick a word that will help to get you there. Happy New Year everyone and I hope that we can connect more in 2016!