Small & Meaningful

I used to think that in order to make meaningful change that we had to make changes at the systems level--make changes that affect hundreds or thousands of people. And while there's something to that, meaningful change can happen at a smaller scale as well. At that smaller scale, change is more focused and tailored. … Continue reading Small & Meaningful

COVID MAPS

I have two photo albums in which I've been saving screen shots of the Johns Hopkins COVID maps. I'm pinning them here for easy access. DAILY Screen Shots / March 19, 2020 - May 19, 2020 WEEKLY Screen Shots / May 24, 2020 - SOURCE https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html

Is Losing Faith Helpful?

There is a curious pattern that I observe in my own work and in the work of some of my peers. We struggle with faith. Logically we know we need it. It's helpful. But when we are deep in the mud struggling with a problem, we lose it. At that point, I guess one could … Continue reading Is Losing Faith Helpful?

The Coaching Habit

Michael Bungay Stanier's book The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More, and Change the Way You Lead Forever is a great read. In it, the author combines high-level management concepts with clear guidelines on how to transition from old habits to new, more effective ones. The author names some common bad habits such as, “The … Continue reading The Coaching Habit

Pretending that Everything is OK is Stressful

I see a lot of people moving through daily life like everything is ok. I get it. I mean, what other option do we have? We get up. We put our pants on one leg at a time (or not), we count our belssings, and we do what we gotta do. But the problem with … Continue reading Pretending that Everything is OK is Stressful

What if Tech Giants Gave Back

Like, really gave back. Not in a trickle down economics kind of way with Jeff Bezos on track to become the world's first trillionaire by 2026. But in direct giving back kind of way, paying back the goverment that funded the tehnologies these companies are built on so that the government can use that return … Continue reading What if Tech Giants Gave Back

An Economic Approach to Pro-Mask Messaging

Why do we need everyone to be on board with mask-wearing? Mask wearing will help us move from a blanket mitigation response to COVID to a much more targeted & focused containment response. Mitigation is, “Stay at home, shut everything down.” Containment is, “Be out and about, shop at your local businesses, get the kids … Continue reading An Economic Approach to Pro-Mask Messaging

Segregated Schools

image from EDBuild.org I grew up in Suffolk County on Long Island in the 1970s and 1980s. For most of my K-12 education I attended a small, well funded, mostly White school district. School district budgets are connected to property taxes which has a racist history of its own. A result of that connection is … Continue reading Segregated Schools

Representation Matters

I appreciate seeing and hearing interviews with Black Lives Matter protesters from cities across the country. There seems to be a shared feeling that something has changed. A lot of times in these interviews the protesters remark on how diverse the group is. That diversity is important. But what may be even more important is … Continue reading Representation Matters

Protect Young Black Boys and Young Black Girls (repost)

Below I am sharing a post from the Mayor of Ithaca, New York, Svante Myrick. He wrote this piece in response to the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. I appreciate Myrick's story and the call to action he puts forth. On March 30, 2020, Svante Myrick wrote: Growing up I always felt lucky to … Continue reading Protect Young Black Boys and Young Black Girls (repost)