Imagine being in world’s most successful Pop Band near the end of a storied career. “The winter of discontent” reigns supreme for The Beatles. In an attempt to literally get back to their roots as a band, The Beatles augmented with keyboardist Billy Preston are attempting their first live performance in three years. The band’s journey to this moment was marred by an impending dissolution of their musical partnership. Woes ranging from financial to creative to personal multiplied for The Beatles and they entered the studio in January 1969 attempting to “Get Back” to their Rock Roots. The mindset for these recording sessions was to avoid overdubbing and any of the technical innovations The Beatles had established in the studio. A film was being made to document the sessions which were to culminate into a rare live performance for the band. What was meant as a celebration to their musical roots transformed into the break-up of a band. A culture of sourness and apathy had permeated the band. At one point, George Harrison was so frustrated he briefly left the band. John Lennon later called it “…the most miserable session on earth.”

Flash forward to the end game for these sessions in the return to live performance for The Beatles. It is a cold, dreary January  day in London. The Beatles are giving an impromptu lunchtime live performance on the rooftop of 3 Saville Row, headquarters from their disintegrating business empire known as Apple. Armed with a set list of new music ranging from “Get Back” to “I’ve Got a Feeling” to “Dig A Pony.” Some of the old magic is starting to seep into the marrow of the band. A groove is growing and the past familiarity of being a live band naturally arises. You can see the internal band malaise dissipate into the ether as they progress with their set.

A beautiful mistake arrives within the middle of the set.

John Lennon forgets the words to “Don’t Let Me Down” and begins to sing an inspired melange of gibberish. His nonsense creates a moment of knowing levity within the band. It is evident and The Beatles take license with it and finish the song without missing a beat literally. The moment lasts just a few seconds. The joy in this mistake carries the band through a solid conclusion of the performance.

(Check out the clip here and advance to 1:20 mark. Blink and you will miss it, but it is so worthwhile:http://bit.ly/1TcUvcc)

That particular mistake reminds me of the need to tune into the joy in the journey. Even though, the band was heading towards the end of their tenure together, they were still able to find a reminder of their core and prevailed upward in their final live performance. As educators, this time of the year can be difficult to find any shred of joy in the schoolhouse. We sometimes burden ourselves with tunnel vision amidst the season of testing, observations, paper chases. Deadlines become akin to portents of doom in the schoolhouse. Our students and colleagues are viewed as speed bumps forcing us to slow down against our will as we careen towards the end of the school year. We disinvite the essence of joy from the schoolhouse and permit what is seemingly important to prevail. This unfortunately builds a barrier to our Noble Profession and ultimately all of us ending up losing direction on this schoolhouse journey.

How might we tune into the joy along the journey in the schoolhouse? How can we find inspiration in the mistakes and pitfalls we experience as educators? Where are those organic moments of inspiration?

It is vital to remember that there is indeed joy in the journey. Staying in the moment and tuning into the positive is essential within our role as educators. As a Lead Learner, I have to own the modeling and empowering for the positivity in the schoolhouse. Encouraging a collective voice of positivity amidst the mania is crucial. Promoting the positive in the schoolhouse through things like #CelebrateMonday shift culture and illuminate joy. We have to make a targeted effort to dispel negativity in our respective schoolhouses.Many schools have created their own respective hashtags in order to the trend the positive regarding their school via Social Media.

Education itself  is not a beautiful mistake but it is filled with moments which are transformative, uplifting and inspiring. The schoolhouse is a very human institution with flaws and shortcomings. Shifting those mistakes into glorious bridges towards excellence requires an evident positive culture where inspiration, change and growth are valued as transformational commodities. Our kids pick up on the negative frequency from us and the effects are detrimental. We are obligated to listen to the “…better angels of our nature” when it comes to connecting with those we serve and support in the schoolhouse. Tuning into the possibilities we have as educators is a must. Our role as Impact Makers is a game changer for our kids. There is truly joy in that.

The Beatles were masters of eroding negative power in their musical mistakes. As Educators, we are called to that same mastery. Let’s start with tuning into the joy on the journey.

Here is my new piece for Education Closet: http://educationcloset.com/2016/02/25/bebowie-in-appreciation-of-innovation-and-space-oddity/

Special Thanks to Susan Riley for encouraging me to submit this to her creative and innovative organization!

Written with much gratitude for the legacy of David Bowie and the lyrical debate I have enjoyed with Deborah Gaillard for over twenty years.

There is a neat hustle that takes place prior to New Year’s Day. It reminds me of the closing of Side 1 of certain albums or the end of the first act of a musical or play. There is an intense flourish that transpires hinting at the promise of the next movement to come on the next album side or the next act.  For example, consider the carnival flourish of “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite” on The Beatles’ “Sgt Pepper Lonely Hearts Club Band” Album. It is the sound of promise.

The days and moments leading up to New Year’s Day have that same resonance. A stream of hopeful retrospection occurs. We cut up our past memories and future dreams into confetti to be tossed amidst the noisemakers and champagne bubbles at the strike of midnight. Our resolutions for the New Year are intact and we greet anthems of “Auld Lang Syne.”

In the last couple of years, many have adopted the One Word approach to greeting the New Year. This is based upon One Word by Jon Gordon, Dan Britton and Jimmy Page. (Mr. Page is not to be confused with the Led Zeppelin Guitarist.). The premise is to choose a word that will sustain and inspire you throughout the year. This is truly an inspiring practice. I learned about it last year. My hope was to reach a moment of clarity on a cosmic word for 2015. Unfortunately, that did not occur. I decided to stick with my standby, reliable New Year’s Resolution of not biting my nails. Of course, I did not keep that resolution at all.

Within the last few days, many #EduHeroes have written incredible blog posts about their respective One Word for 2016. I decided that this year I was going to come up with one. I had these visions of crafting a moving blog coupled with decorating my office door with my One Word prominently displayed. Somewhere in my principal mind was the germ of an idea for an activity using One Word for the first Faculty Meeting of the New Year.

All of these ideas were quickly conquered by my dutiful friend known as Fear. In having a mental jam session with my friend Fear. Fear told me that this was a meaningless task and that I would simply waste the faculty’s time in doing these hare-brained schemes. Fear was blunt in telling me that I spend too much time listening John Lennon and that this would be another failed “Kumbaya” moment as a leader. I was better off doing a medley of songs from “Godspell,” where I would have rotten tomatoes dutifully tossed at me.  I let Fear win the argument.

In collaborating for our next Twitter Chat known as #EdBeat with Natalie Krayenvenger (@NKrayenvenger), we were thinking of possible topics. It always goes back to music for us and we were riffing on a few ideas. We wanted to avoid doing a typical New Year’s Chat. At #EdBeat, we are constantly looking for ways to be different and unique.

Without warning during the course of our Voxer Conversation, the concept of One Song suddenly arose. I thought it might be inventive for our #EdBeat PLN Participants to come up with a single song to serve as their personal anthem for inspiration. Natalie and I made plans and placed our dream idea into a reality for our PLN.

Then, I decided that it was important to set the tone and model #OneSong. I had to pick my song for 2016. What was it going to be? What was going to be my anthem to help me overcome times of trouble? What key was going to uplift over the fears and doubts I allow to play me?

“Fearless.”

The word led me to the 1971 song by Pink Floyd.  I first heard it back in college during my WCUA Radio Days. My fellow DJ co-host Chris Fischer turned me on to this obscure gem by the concept album-wielding band. It is a song that I both cherish and avoid. The song is so obscure that Pink Floyd performed only once in concert.There are songs that haunt you. In fact, it closes with a recording of fans at a Liverpool Football Club fans chanting “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Carousel.” This is one of them. For me the song is about facing your fears and overcoming the barriers built by those who negate hope.

I shared this concept with my wife and proceeded to play the song. Then, I read the lyrics aloud to her. I found myself beginning to cry when I reached the lyric this verse:

You pick the place and I’ll choose the time
And I’ll climb
That hill in my own way.
Just wait a while for the right day.
And as I rise above the tree lines and the clouds
I look down, hearing the sound of the things you’ve said today.

A chord had been struck. I did not want this to be my One Song. I was hoping to default to the stirring anthems of something like “Hey Jude” by The Beatles or “Higher Ground” by Stevie Wonder. Both are excellent songs but I kept coming back to “Fearless.” The past year has been rife with moments in which I have to tune into my fearless frequency. I made a willing decision to change schools seeking a new mission of challenge and purpose. Also, I conquered my fear of flying. I want to keep the momentum going for 2016. “Fearless” is my One Song.

As a Lead Learner/Principal, I find it is important to not only tap into your inner well of courage, but also to tune into the courage of others. Teaching, leading and learning takes courage in a climate where overwhelming odds and statistics dominate conventional wisdom. Being Fearless is an individual and collective journey in the school house. Empowering other teachers and students to create and innovate requires courage. Promoting a mindset of fearlessness is a collaborative act that has to be sustained and integrated in the schoolhouse. Ditching desks, leading a Twitter Chat, attending an EdCamp are examples of innovative educational moves requiring encouragement to stand fearless. Even taking on the celebration of Monday, the most reviled day of the week, in a schoolhouse demands all to stand Fearless.

What is your #OneSong for 2016?  What will be your anthem for inspiration? You are invited to join our next #EdBeat on January 27 at 8:00 p.m. EST to share.

Here’s a YouTube Video of “Fearless” by Pink Floyd: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrBGXbm4Rtk

For the most part music biopics do not get it right.

How many of you have seen a film featuring your favorite musician and you can just tell that something is not quite right? Music Geeks like myself shudder when we see an actor miss the mark when it comes to playing a musician we love. I have viewed many film music biopics on artists like The Doors, Johnny Cash and The Beatles. I appreciate the genre but I find myself pointing out the inattention to detail made by the actor playing a beloved musician.

My poor wife has to put up with me when we watch a film and I make the following statements:

“John Lennon never used that kind of guitar strap.”

“Loretta Lynn was nowhere near Nashville during that time period.”

“Jim Morrison never sang it that way.”

I could belabor the ponderous observations I make during these films, but my goal is to invite and not alienate in this blog. Occasionally, a film does capture the essence of a musician. Recently, “Love and Mercy” set a high standard for music biopics in portraying the life of Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys. This is an inventive film with two different actors playing Brian Wilson during two distinctive periods of his life. I highly recommend this film because it not only gets the music and characters right, but it also depicts the heroic struggles overcome by a mentally ill musical genius.

The essence of music is something that I yearn to be portrayed properly in film. That same yearning for a correct depiction goes to #EdBeat, the weekly Twitter Chat I co-host with Natalie Krayenvenger. (@NKrayenvenger) This is a project which is our labor of love for Education.

We are sometimes asked the question, “What is #EdBeat?” The answer is something that we wish to get right because we are both passionate about an activity in which we wish to uplift educators everywhere.

#EdBeat started off as an experiment in reaction to my first foray into the Twitterverse. I know that are many more powerful stories of the transformational  power of Twitter in Education. That metamorphosis never happened to me when I first created my Twitter account. In fact, it was dormant for a couple of years.

Two years ago, the school where I was principal was the subject of a poorly-written, retracted news article regarding our Title I Status. I dusted off my Twitter Handle to begin taking back our school’s story. The more I ventured in the Twitter Atmosphere, I noticed that there were several resources for professional development and collaborative conversation. I discovered that there were several Twitter Chats designed for educators to share and learn.

As I poured through these Twitter Chats, I observed that many had tight-knit communities of educators from all over the world. Some chats were inclusive. Other chats were difficult to navigate through and provided an atmosphere of alienation for rookies.

Earlier this year, I decided that our school could have its own Twitter Chat. It would be a simple entry point for teachers to become Connected Educators. I came up with a hashtag known as #Wileychat named for our school. #Wileychat was designed as an experiment. It would be a temporary chat designed to help Wiley Teachers.

In the midst of #Wileychat, I discovered that other educators in my PLN were participating. I was pleasantly surprised by this alternate form of traffic coming into our school chat. There were a few contacts I made from other chats sharing their voice in #Wileychat. I didn’t mind that at all and stood as a flattered participant on the journey. There were few early guest hosts, too. I was grateful to have LaVonna Roth (@LavonnaRoth), Jen Williams (@JenWilliamsEdu) and Katrina Keene (@teachintechgal) serve as early guest hosts for #Wileychat. It was great for other teachers at Wiley to connect with these esteemed and valued voices from my PLN.

After several weeks, I closed the shop on #Wileychat. To be honest, there were more non-Wiley folks involved in #Wileychat than there were acutal Wiley Teachers. As the sands shifted,  I transferred to another school since my mission at Wiley was coming to close after six years of leading a turnaround school movement. The “Closed” Sign was firmly framed on #Wileychat and it was time for me to ride into the sunset.

Despite the displayed Closed Sign, there were a few knocks on the #Wileychat door from past participants. One of them was from Natalie Krayenvenger. Natalie and I had previously connected through the #BFC530 Chat and she was a regular participant on #Wileychat.

I thought it would be interesting to host another chat that was more inclusive for all educators and not restricted by the name of a specific school.

Enter #EdBeat. The purpose of #EdBeat is to have a positive and inviting chat for all educators regardless of title, experience, school and location. Think of #EdBeat as the school cafeteria table where everyone has a saved seat. I opened up shop on #EdBeat in the late spring of 2015.

As responsibilities on my transition to the new school and travel commitments weighed in, I needed to rely upon the kindness of various guest hosts for #EdBeat. I reached out to Natalie in July of this year. We had a common interest in music and I thought she would be a suitable guest host #EdBeat.

It did not matter to me that Natalie had never hosted a Twitter Chat.

Enter Natalie Krayenvenger’s first-ever moderating of a Twitter Chat and the beginning of our collaboration with #EdBeat.

Your move, Natalie.

(Stay tuned for Natalie’s continuation of “What Is #EdBeat?” at http://www.whatsyourrush.net, the site for her inspirational blog.)

Today is a somber day for me. It is the fourteenth anniversary of the passing of a man whom I never met.

Those who know me well know that I have an encyclopedic knowledge of The Beatles. It is both a useless and helpful quality of mine. I can usually default to it as an ice breaker or reference point. It is amusing for some when I can make analogy to The Beatles in any given situation. My wife sometimes muses that I need win big on “Jeopardy!” if the The Beatles were ever a category.

My useless knowledge actually earned me a Grand Prize for a Radio Contest about twelve years ago. We were living in Massachusetts at the time and a local Classic Rock Station was running a trivia call-in contest. I was driving home with the wife and kids, heard the question, called in on a whim and answered the question correctly. My name was then entered into a Grand Prize Drawing for dinner with musician Neil Innes at the upcoming Beatles Convention.

Yes, you heard correctly. There are fan conventions for Beatle Fans. One of these was coming to the Boston Area. Neil Innes is a musician and satirist. He appeared with his band, The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band,  in The Beatles 1967 movie, “Magical Mystery Tour.” Later, Neil collaborated with the Monty Python comedy troupe. He is affectionately considered to be the “Seventh Python.” Innes was also responsible for The Rutles, a spot-on, cutting Beatles Parody.

Neil was also one of George Harrison’s best friends.

Surprisingly, my name was drawn for the Grand Prize for a three-day pass to The Fest for Beatles Fans Convention and dinner with Neil Innes. My wife and I had such an entertaining evening with Mr. Innes and a local DJ. We talked about many things from education to the prophetic nature of the film, “Network.” Neil was a witty and affable dinner companion. He possessed no star ego trips and provided the soft momentum for conversation.

This dinner had taken place a couple of years after George Harrison’s death. In the course of our conversation, Neil made a mild reference to a conversation he had with Paul McCartney at George’s private memorial service. It was a quick side bar from Neil but it was powerful. He shared a very poignant moment regarding his friend’s service. The reference humanized my icon for me.

When we got to the end of our time with Neil, my wife and I shared our favorite song by The Rutles and asked for an autograph. Neil complied with class and later dedicated our favorite song to Deb and me during his live performance.

There was so much more I wanted to share with Neil but it was time for us to move back to our respective pockets in the world. I wanted to tell Neil how his friend’s first solo album serves as soundtrack for solace for me. I wanted to tell him how his friend’s album, “All Things Must Pass” uplifts and inspires me on a daily basis. I yearned to share with him how Side 3 of that album carried me through the post-traumatic stress of being mugged at gunpoint when I was a college student in Washington, D.C.  “Beware of Darkness” is the lead-off track on that Side 3 and the opening chords echo for me that the world is both a place of danger and safety. The song reassures me that the all will be well if you simply stay aware and that life’s pitfalls can be conquered.

I just wanted to say that Side 3 of “All Things Must Pass” was a pillar of solace for me during a difficult time. I wanted to express how grateful I was for his friend sharing his gifts of wisdom and music with so many.

I never did say those things.

George Harrison died fourteen years ago today.  His album, “All Things Must Pass,” was recorded and released forty-five years ago.

I am forty-five years old.

George Harrison’s words and music continue to resonate for years to come. For me, there will always be Side 3.

Lately, I have been dwelling upon the Classic Albums that served as ignition for innovation. As a Lead Learner of a school amidst a paradigm shift, I am pulling those albums that sparked a revolution in the music industry: “Pet Sounds” by The Beach Boys and “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” by The Beatles. These albums are my go-to for unpacking inspiration. (Eventually, I will write about other albums for the purposes of variety in this blog.)

Both of these albums were intentionally created in an atmosphere of creativity, collaboration and love. These albums echo with an unrelenting resonance that still provokes discussion, insight and memory.

A couple of days ago, I had the privilege of listening to a message from my friend and colleague, Jennifer Ladd (@jenladd).  Jen is an inspiring 4th Grade Teacher in Michigan. I have had the fortunate luck to collaborate with Jen last summer as she guest moderated #EdBeat, the weekly Twitter Chat I co-host with Natalie Krayenvenger (@NKrayenvenger). Since Jen’s guest host stint, we have grown into being friends. We bond over sharing our mutual admiration for “Seinfeld” along with our various adventures with our families. Jen is a sincere voice who challenges herself by always seeking opportunities to grow and connect as an educator.

I might add that Jen and I have conversations via Voxer (@voxer). This is essentially a Social Media App used to share recorded voice messages, texts, etc.

Jen is a natural storyteller. It also helps that she has one of those dulcet NPR-type voices. Having a conversation with Jen is like a having a cool, personal episode of NPR’s “Fresh Air” in your airwaves. Jen had been sharing another story from her 4th Grade Class affectionately known as the “Laddiators.” Jen had been facilitating an engaging classroom activity known as the “Cardboard Challenge.” (cardboardchallenge.com)

The Cardboard Challenge provides kids an opportunity to engage in play, imagination and critical-thinking. The pursuit of curiosity is permitted in this imagination-laden activity.

Jen’s message was almost symphonic in her detailing of her students’ classroom victories involving their imagination being unleashed. She said something that struck a chord within me:

“I think this is going to be one of those memories. This is going to be one of those times you remember fondly something that happened at school.”

Our work in the noble profession of Education is impactful. Sometimes, we are not always in tune with that impact. How inspiring it was to hear Jen share this awareness! There are times when we dwell on the mundane and inessential the schoolhouse. I am guilty of expending too much focus on the bogged deadline and minutiae meandering.  Jen’s words resonate, inspire and challenge. We should tune into our words and actions as educators. Most importantly, we must tune into the impact that ripples along the path we design with our students.

In her sharing of her students’ involvement in this activity, Jen sounded jubilant. This was the sound of a teacher who knew she hit that right note in the classroom. It is euphoric when it happens and there is a sense of urgency to share it with the nearest person willing to listen. I am grateful for the opportunity to walk in the genesis of an eternal memory with my friend.