As a leader finding the right leaders for you is super important. As a GenX woman I was taught to be strong and to 'do it myself.' Asking for help is a skill I've had to learn. As I've grown in this role I see my role not as being the one making the decisions, but instead as the one facilitating the decisions made by the team, the community and the students. I wouldn't be in this mindset without some amazing coaches - once I realized that I didn't have to do it alone. Leadership can be lonely, that's one of the reasons for this group, a place to ask questions, get guidance, share wins, and celebrate the education evolution movement. It's a place to come together, a community. Leadership is lonely because there's only one of us. We can't share much of what is happening with the team, with our employees, or with our community, until the time is right. It means we hold and carry so much. A coach can help. A coach with a community is even better, IMHO. Who are your favorite coaches? Why were they great? Who do you work with now?

Hey Rebel Educators! Because of our special event and guest speaker Dr. Michelle Ament, today at 1 pm, I have cancelled co-working hours. Please join us at 1 pm to learn more about the Human Intelligence Movement! Curious about AI? Concerned about how to build and retain uniquely human qualities? Interested in the intersection of the two? Come, learn, and discuss with Dr. Michelle Ament! Check the calendar tab for the links to the call. https://zoom.us/j/8570499648?pwd=a0M1ZUVFQzZsV1BxcngyZTdkUkgvZz09 See you at 1 pm PST (USA-CA)

Being a leader is about making decisions. Yesterday we made the best decision. We closed school. On a Thursday. With two weeks notice. For a party! To celebrate one of our educators who was getting married! It wasn't an easy decision. It was a quick timeframe to cancel school on a Thursday and leave our families without childcare. We were worried how they would react. We were worried they would be upset. We were worried it would negatively impact the culture we were so carefully building. But culture is about people. We talked with members of our community. We talked with our team. We decided that celebrating love was the most important thing and true to our values of community and empathy. We are a small community. We support each other. We celebrate each other. Sometimes decisions are quick and easy, sometimes they are big and hard and sometimes they feel harder than they should be. This one felt hard, but really, it was easy. As the community came together to celebrate her in the afternoon, it was clear we made the right decision. One of the amazing things about running a small non-traditional school is that you can decide to close, to celebrate, to be about community instead of academics for a day. What hard decisions have you made this week?

This group is amazing! We have such a great group of educators, thought leaders, and edupreneurs gathering here! I'd love for you to introduce yourselves and share why you decided to join this community. This group is for you, knowing why you are here will help me to create the best experience possible. Help me help you! I'm so excited to have you all in one place and excited to see what we can be, what we can build, how we can grow, and how we can make a difference in education - together!