Tag Archives: education

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Celebrating Impactful Education: A Recap of My Keynote at DC Everest School District in Wisconsin

I would love to be a speaker at your event!

I recently had the honor of being the keynote speaker at an incredible event hosted by DC Everest School District in Wisconsin, and I couldn’t wait to share the highlights with you all.

First and foremost, let me express my immense gratitude for the opportunity to speak to fellow educators. It’s not just a passion of mine; it’s my favorite thing to do. The experience at DC Everest was nothing short of fantastic. From the moment I stepped into the venue, I knew it was going to be a memorable day. The educators and leaders at DC Everest made it truly special, and I must mention the unexpected surprise of being gifted a walk-up song – AC/DC’s Thunderstruck. Yes, you read that right! It’s a long story, but suffice it to say, we embraced it wholeheartedly and set the tone for an amazing day of learning and growth.

I must extend a huge shout-out to Brady Messenberg, Director of Technology, and his entire team for orchestrating such a remarkable conference. Brady’s dedication and commitment to creating an impactful event that resonated with so many individuals is commendable. The multitude and diversity of sessions offered – over 111 in total – truly showcased the innovative spirit of DC Everest School District. Personally, I found myself reevaluating my own practices after attending Brady’s session on cybersecurity. It’s clear that DC Everest is paving the way for excellence in education, and I was proud to be a part of it.

Brady Mesenberg & Kelly Croy at DC Everest Schools

I also want to express my gratitude to the individuals who made the event even more memorable. From Felecity Treptow to Rita Mortenson, Melissa Piette, Tammy Trzebiatowski, Wes Molyneux, Casey Nye, Tracey Ravey, Jeff Lindell, and many more – your presence and enthusiasm made the day truly special. Special thanks are also due to Jack for his hard work on the video production and Joey for ensuring impeccable sound quality. I made sure Jack received one of my brand new Willy-Wonka-Styled Golden Tickets that ensures him copies of my book, mention in my next book, a spot on my podcast and more! I always wanted to offer a golden ticket, and hid a second in one of the books that day. Fun! DC Everest, you are truly amazing, and I can’t thank you enough for the warm welcome and the opportunity to be a part of something extraordinary.

But the journey doesn’t end there. As much as I cherished my time at DC Everest, I’m eager for more opportunities to connect with educators and leaders across different districts and events. If you’re reading this and thinking about organizing an educational event or seeking a keynote speaker, look no further! I would be honored to bring my insights, passion, and joy for education to your audience. Let’s make an impact together.

Now, as we wrap up, I want to take a moment to address something important. Education is not just a job; it’s a lifestyle. It’s about making a difference, day in and day out. I understand the pressures and challenges that come with it, I was a classroom teacher for 27 years: I know: the constant striving for more, the occasional self-doubt, the feeling of never doing enough. But let me remind you, you are incredible. Your dedication, your commitment to growth, your willingness to make a difference – it’s what sets you apart. So, be kind to yourself, celebrate your wins, and remember, your best days in education are yet to come. Educators are my favorite species.

Thank you all for your unwavering dedication to education. Let’s continue to uplift, inspire, and make a difference, one day at a time.

And for those interested, here are the presentations I delivered at the Wisconsin event:

1. Be Careful What You Label a Weakness! How a Permanent Beta Mindset Transforms Education
Every single person in our schools should feel joy, purpose, and fulfillment. Join me as we explore how adopting a Permanent Beta mindset can revolutionize education, allowing everyone to level-up, make a difference, and feel great. It’s an amazing presentation where we laugh, reflect and adopt a growth mindset and a wonderfully positive mindset on the work we do. So many come up to me afterward and said, “That is exactly what we needed!” Fun!

2. Breakout Session with District Leadership: Lead Every Day & Level-Up Your Personal & Professional Leadership
Elevate your leadership skills and transform your school into a thriving learning community. Learn the six tenets of leadership and how they can serve others, along with practical insights from my book Along Came a Leader: A Guide to Personal and Professional Leadership.

3. Breakout Session with Support Staff: The Six Things Everyone Needs to Hear, The Five People You Need in Your Life, and Why We Get Our Best Ideas in the Shower!
That’s a long title! LOL. Feeling exhausted and overwhelmed? You’re not alone. Join me as we explore strategies to bring back energy, passion, and control to your life, ensuring that no one leaves work wondering if they made a difference. Much of the content here is based on my book Unthink Before Bed which is helping thousands of children and educators reclaim their days and nights with the coping skills they need to confront and conquer anxiety, stress, imposter syndrome, and fear of tomorrow. It’s changing lives.

Let’s continue to inspire and uplift one another. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of our students and colleagues. Thank you for being amazing educators!

Always forward,

Kelly

I would like to speak at your event!

Order Kelly’s books, Along Came a Leader and Unthink Before Bed: A Children’s Book on Mindfulness for your personal library.

Educator, Author, Keynote Speaker
Twitter: @kellycroy
Instagram: @kcroy
Website: kellycroy.com and wirededucator.com
Podcast: The Wired Educator Podcast
and of course: Facebook.

Sign-up for Kelly’s newsletter here.

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Along Came a Leader: My Zoom Visit with Fairview Park City School District’s Book Club

Last week I had the honor of being invited by the Fairview Park City Schools book club to discuss my book, Along Came a Leader: A Personal and Professional Guide to Leadership. I was thrilled to connect with fellow educators who share my passion for leadership and education. Our virtual discussion on the Zoom platform was a rewarding experience, and I was grateful for the chance to share my insights and learn from others.

During our conversation, we delved into the challenges educators face and how leadership can help overcome these obstacles while inspiring students. I drew from my experiences in coaching, teaching, and writing to offer practical strategies and techniques for fostering positive and productive cultures and promote the six tenets of leadership from my book.

As a speaker and educator, I am passionate about inspiring others to become better leaders. I firmly believe that everyone has the potential to be a great leader, and my goal is to empower individuals and organizations to achieve their full potential. By sharing my insights, I hope to help others unlock their leadership potential and create a lasting impact on their communities.

The book club, comprised of educators, administrators and staff members asked some incredible questions. One teacher asked me what my biggest struggle with leadership was. My answer was  ‘accountability’ and I explained my challenges of holding myself personally accountable and helping to maintain accountability within an organization without coming across as a jerk. Everyone seemed to appreciate my candor and sense of humor. I was also asked about how I addressed loyalty in the book. One teacher really appreciate that I highlighted the difference and importance of placing loyalty in virtues about people. People change. We have a duty to be loyal to virtues. We can love people even when they make mistakes, but when those mistakes hurt others, our loyalty must always stay with the virtue. Now, loyalty in relationships is different and a mark of integrity. Don’t confuse personal and professional loyalties. They are not the same. They should not be intertwined. We need virtuous leaders of the highest level of integrity to have the courage to identify a wrong as wrong and work collaboratively to correct it, without allowing friendships to interfere.

I really enjoyed talking to the large group and it is always an honor when someone reads your book and wants to talk to you about how it impacted them. Wow! I am never taking that for granted. What a great afternoon! Click to Read More

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I’m Keynoting NJECC, The 37th Annual New Jersey State Wide Educational Technology Conference

I am excited to share that I will be the keynote speaker for the NJECC, 37th Annual State Wide Educational Technology Conference this March. This is an in-person conference at Montclair State University in New Jersey. I am proud to share my message and represent my state and school district. This will be a great event. I know other Apple Distinguished Educators have spoken at this conference in the past.

I have prepared a new presentation to share with this audience, with a touch of the fun from some earlier presentations, and I am absolutely excited to bring some energy and fun to an amazing group of educators, essential staff, and leaders! Looking forward to New Jersey. Thankful and humbled for this opportunity.

NJECC’s Theme: Leading, Inspiring and Transforming Education through Technology

NJECC’s mission is to Click to Read More

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Speaking at The World Education Summit

Speaking With John Hattie, Jo Boaler, Sal Kahn and so many MORE.

I am excited to be a speaker at The World Education Summit. I had three (3) sessions accepted! This is my second time speaking at the World Education Summit. Some of my education heroes are speaking there as well like: John Hattie, Jo Boaler, Sal Kahn and so many MORE. It is an extravaganza of teaching and learning! Such an honor and privilege.

Learn more at www.worldedsummit.com  and follow @WorldEdSummit #WorldEdSummit

My three (3) presentations:

Session One Title: Start a Podcast and Teach the World: The Wired Educator Podcast by Kelly Croy 

3 Key Points from Your Session

  • The Most Important Thing I Have Learned from Creating 232 Episodes
  • Discover Why Podcasting is Absolutely the Best Social Media Platform
  • Learn the Ingredients of a Successful Podcast

Session Two Title: Don’t Hope Children Develop Coping Skills for Anxiety, Teach Them: A Book Talk on Unthink Before Bed by Kelly Croy

3 Key Points from Your Session Click to Read More

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Get Out of Here!

Every time we leave town our problems shrink because our perspective grows. 

I had the pleasure this past week to leave town and visit family.

While I enjoyed: hanging out with relatives, good food, and exchanging fun stories, another blessing crossed my mind; it is a wonderful gift to change your location, routine and perspective.

The nine hours in the car wasn’t easy, but my wife and I really got to spend some time with one another. Physical discomfort of sitting for so long aside, there is a genuine importance to switching up your routine and literally getting away from the perspective from which you see the world the majority of the time.

As hard as I try to bring variety and a fresh perspective to my work and my family life, I fall into a routine. I see the same things. I do the same things. I talk about the same things. Most significantly, I observed, my approach to life becomes a bit routine.

Just being on the road allowed me to count my blessings and change my perspective as we encountered people who were: homeless, in distress, in trouble, sour to the world, and challenged in many unique ways. Our family has our own challenges too, but what we saw was a reality of life that we are typically spared from during our work and school week routines. We don’t encounter these harsher realities, or when we do it’s on the news and a bit distant. (Don’t even get me started on how our social media consumption literally and figuratively filters the world into a false ‘magical place of beauty and perfection.’)

We all need a change in perspective a little more frequently.

My biggest takeaway: The problems I thought were problems are not really problems.

I had more fun than I deserved with some amazing family, but I am also thankful for the needed change in perspective our travels highlighted.

Routines begin to narrow our focus ever so gradually until we have a pretty fixed mindset.

Every time we leave town our problems shrink because our perspective grows.

I challenge organizations to encourage visits to conferences and other organizations, even ones outside of their line of work, and to bring outsiders with powerful stories and uniques perspective into your organization. We need to share ideas and takeaways. We must consistently work to expand our perspective.

~Kelly

If you like what you’ve read, please share-out with our friends on social media and tag me. Don’t forget the #LeadEveryDay hashtag. Can’t wait to hear your thoughts.

Educator, Author, Keynote Speaker
Twitter: @kellycroy
Instagram: @kcroy
Website: kellycroy.com and wirededucator.com
Podcast: The Wired Educator Podcast
and of course: Facebook.

Sign-up for my newsletter here:

I’ve written two books, Along Came a Leader a book on personal and professional leadership, and Unthink Before Bed: A Children’s Book on Mindfulness .

Send me an email. 

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The Six Obstacles to Innovation

Innovation is quite simply “finding better ways to do things.” Too often innovation is lumped in with technology.  It’s not devices that make something innovative, it’s ideas, methods, and systems. Hardware and software sometimes aid innovation, but not always.

In the end, innovation is about improvement, something you’d think everyone would rally around, but sadly that is not the case.

A lot of leaders and organizations say they want innovation, but do they? Most wait until they see others doing something innovative and then try to catch up. That’s not innovation.

Here are the six obstacles to innovation: 

  • Arrogance: People are too confident in the current way they are doing things.
  • Identity: People see themselves one dimensionally and are unwilling to grow or change, or they see themself as part of a group or time period of a particular method.
  • Lack of Curiosity and Unwillingness to Learn: People are not curious about new methods and avoid learning and applying new ways.
  • Fear of Loss of Control: People have too strong of a desire to be in control and are not willing to accept a period of time of not being the expert or in control. True innovation needs an environment where its okay for everything to not be worked out and ideas can be adjusted and adapted.
  • Lack of Empathy: People are unable to see other people’s needs for innovation and sadly focus on only their own need for continuity and order. People fail to see how a new idea or method would help others and rather focus on how this would be hard for them.
  • Competing Priorities: Most often innovative ideas get reshuffled to competing priorities due to interest, training, time, investment, or a lack of understanding. One person’s idea in a group is given more weight and value than a new, innovative idea. Many organizations will spend money in certain known and proven areas and avoid investing in new, unknown areas, only to spend more later trying to catch up with those that went first. Most organizations and individuals just don’t want to take the time to do things a different way. It takes time to change. It takes leadership.

The obstacles outlined above illustrate why the icons of innovation throughout history were all viewed as mavericks and rebels. They had to be. Steve Jobs, Nikola Tesla, Elon Musk, and others all broke away from the bureaucracy of how things are typically accomplished within organizations because they realized if they did not their innovative ideas would perish.

In my book, Along Came a Leader, I share six tenets of leadership. Vision is one of the six. I feel leaders need a strong vision.  The ability to see what could be is so important to leadership and acting on it allows innovation to take place.

If you are a leader of an organization or an inspiring leader, take note and avoid the six obstacles to innovation so your organization can advance and lead.

~Kelly

Kelly Croy is an author, speaker, and educator.  Send Kelly an email. • Sign-up for Kelly’s Newsletter. Listen to Kelly’s  The Wired Educator Podcast with over 219 episodes. • Kelly has written two books, Along Came a Leader a book on personal and professional leadership, and Unthink Before Bed: A Children’s Book on Mindfulness . • Follow Kelly Croy on: Facebook. •  Twitter.  •  and Instagram 

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Integrity is Your Resume’

Live Authentically!

Some things in life truly are all or nothing, and integrity is clearly one of them.

You can’t be a ‘little bit’ honest.

Morality isn’t a fad.

A lifetime of studying and practicing leadership has taught me that integrity is the greatest filter of all leaders.

Anyone can be honest and true in a moment, for a day, a duration, a stint, but integrity is the sum of all our decisions and actions. Integrity is our resume’.

You can hold many leadership positions…

You can obtain numerous degrees…

You can have a tremendous list of references…

But in the end your integrity will separate your ability to lead from others.

I love that the word “integrity” has the word “gritty” kinda built in there, because it takes courage and resolve to consistently make decisions and actions with intention and morality.

Living an authentic life is paramount to maintaining your credibility as a leader, serving others, and leaving a lasting impact.  Authenticity is the glue that holds leadership together; without it a leader falls apart. 

If you assembled all of the people you know, together in one room, would they describe the same person? Authenticity isn’t about being perfect, but it has everything to do with trust, integrity, and loyalty. Living an authentic life is paramount to maintaining your credibility as a leader and leaving a lasting impact on others. We trust and admire those who live authentic lives. Leaders are people who live by a set of core values regardless of the circumstances, and regardless who is around. 

Do you act the same way regardless of who is around? Or are you a different person to different people? As a teacher and coach I have observed that student athletes often act differently depending on who is watching them. The same holds true for many of the fellow employees I have worked alongside over the years.  Even within some families we see behavior changes, and issues of integrity based on who is around at the time.  I have had many discussions with teachers and coaches that describe very different observations of the same student, athlete, or colleague.

Authenticity is about who you say you are, who people say you are, and who you really are. Tell me what you truly value and I’ll tell you what kind of person you will become.

Authenticity is the glue that holds leadership together. Without it a leader falls apart. Nothing will weaken your impact more, or destroy your accomplishments faster than a breach of trust or a lapse in your integrity.

Every conversation, decision and action adds to your integrity or subtracts from it.

Make the next best decision.

Live authentically.

~Kelly

Kelly Croy is an author, speaker, and educator. Want to learn more? Send an email. • Sign-up for Kelly’s Newsletter. Listen to Kelly’s other podcast The Wired Educator Podcast with over 208 episodes of interviews and professional development. • Order Kelly’s book, Along Came a Leader a book on personal and professional leadership, and Unthink Before Bed: A Children’s Book on Mindfulness for your personal library. • Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook.  • Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter.  •  Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram 

 

 

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WEP 037: Repetition is a Strength, Not a Weakness

Level up Your Leadership, Design a Dynamic Life

Repetition is a strength, not a weakness.

You don’t need a pandemic to start building good habits. You just need to start. 

Repetition is a gift when it is intentional and skillful. Any successful person is so because of one factor, consistency. What is consistency? Consistency is a disciplined repetition. 

This episode of The Future of Podcast is about how to look at the pandemic differently and positively.

When all is lost, repetition offers us hope. Routines serve us, not imprison us. They free us. 

I do hope you are safe and well. Thank you for listening to this episode. 

Level up Your Leadership, Design a Dynamic Life

~Kelly

Kelly Croy is an author, speaker, and educator. Want to learn more? Send an email. • Sign-up for Kelly’s Newsletter. Listen to Kelly’s other podcast The Wired Educator Podcast with over 170 episodes of interviews and professional development. • Order Kelly’s book, Along Came a Leader for your personal library. • Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook.  • Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter.  •  Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram