eadership begins with me.  I'm responsible for the way I interact or don't interact with the world. I often say "don't wait to be anointed a leader, because it will never happen'.  Instead of waiting, assume leadership of what each of us can directly control.  Our actions, our thinking, our work, and how we do our work.  There will always be outside forces that will infringe or intrude on the sanctity of an individual, but think of the strength of the whole if each of us assumed responsibility and took a more active and thoughtful role in our own leadership.  By embracing the idea of leading ourselves, each of us will create ripples of impact that will sustain change and influence long after we are no longer in a particular role. 

As my colleagues and I discussed this shift, someone said, "Why don't we use our students as coaches for us?"  It's one of the things that we talk around or about, but in that moment it struck me as a beautiful solution to a complex problem.  I know great teachers always have, are and will solicit feedback, coaching, from their students, but intentionally and systematically empowering students to openly give us feedback has amazing potential.  What's also exciting about this loop is that if students are empowered to coach me, think how well they would coach each other?  Think of how well they would be engaged?  Think of how well they would learn? 

I'll have to admit as a teacher I never really figured out the whole concept and more importantly understood the practicality of differentiated instruction.  As a high school teacher, working with a 150 students per day, the notion that I could create, plan, implement, and manage all of the pre-existing growth trajectories of each student was daunting.  It was a tall order and to be quite frank, one that I thought wasn't worth the investment because it wasn't feasible.

Fast-forward several years and I have slightly changed my tune.  But devotees of differentiated instruction, may still not like me.  Let me back up for a second and explain some of my thinking before I reveal my new position.

I've been a teacher for almost 15 years.  I've worked in many different schools and communities and have seen successful schools and schools that struggle.  Teachers that work hard.  Students that come to school everyday.  But the biggest factor that determine student success may be where they are born.  

The mundane and normalcy may actually impair our curiosity.  According to the results of the study "novelty and perceptual vastness forces us into the present moment".  The most important aspect of this study for  teaching and learning is that "the importance of cultivating small doses of awe in the everyday" increases satisfaction. 

Is innovation really that hard?  Working with a group of teachers to articulate a pathway to be able to think and act innovatively (is that really a word?) proved to be an eye-opening experience for me.  First, we ask teachers to do lots of really hard work, but give them very little time or guidance to "redesign and repurpose" (a characteristic of innovation offered by a participant).  This is completely counter-productive to the collaboration and spirit of innovation.  If all I'm able to do is what I know, how can I discuss, develop,  and design?  Where does the need for innovation come?  Does the need come from within or from external forces?  Probably as with most things, somewhere in-between. 

 if our goal of any instruction is to use the Common Core State Standards as an inverted scaffold toward proficiency and independence, then it's never about working toward the standards and skills in isolation, but in intentional and thoughtful spiraling that provides students with the opportunities to get the feedback they need to be independent.