I have had the privilege of attending the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Annual Conference the last few days. The conference is being held in National Harbor, Maryland, which is a new "town" and conference center on the Maryland side of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. Over 4,000 independent school faculty, administrators, and trustees have gathered from all across the country to share ideas and learn about best practices. The keynote speakers have been excellent! Wendy Mogel, author of The Blessings of a Skinned Knee, was irreverent and quite funny as she offered common sense advice for parenting teenagers. Her new book--The Blessings of a B Minus--looks like a must read! I also heard Dan Heath speak about change. Heath co-wrote (with his brother, Chip) Switch: How to Change When Change is Hard, and he offered three overarching pieces of advice for those seeking to initiate and implement change in their personal or professional lives: Direct the Rider, Motivate the Elephant, and Shape the Path? What do those phrases mean? You need to read the book to find out! Have a great weekend--I hope to see many Calvert parents at tomorrow night's Corks for Calvert event.
