Dr. Harry Alvis

  " Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones.  A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you."     - Shannon L. Adler    I was very fortunate this past school year to meet a man named Dr. Fran Murphy.  While the time I spent with him was brief, his knowledge, sharp mind, and passion for education made a lasting impression on me.  Sadly, I learned that he passed away less than two months of our paths crossing.  The following is an excerpt from his obituary: It's with heavy hearts and loving memories that we’ve just learned of Dr. Fran Murphy's passing. Fran wasn't just a teacher ... he was a life coach for the soul, armed with wit and wisdom and an endless repertoire of tales ... most of which were true.  Fran dedicated most of his life to education, shaping the lives of countless students, colleagues, and communities. He was a principal, school superintendent, and college professor and dean. Among his...

  “In life, you don’t rise to what you believe is possible.  You rise to what you believe you are worthy.”                      – Jamie Kern Lima   Students (and adults) who feel worthy excel both academically and personally.  Their sense of worth shapes their motivation, engagement, and resilience.  The feeling of worthiness directly influences how students perceive their capabilities and respond to challenges.  A student who feels valued and respected is more likely to: 1.  Participate Actively:  Confidence grows when students believe that their voice matters. 2. Persevere:  Feeling worthy equips students with the resilience to face difficulties without fear of failure 3. Embrace feedback/constructive criticism:  These become tools for growth when it comes from a trusted and affirming source. Conversely, a lack of self-worth can lead to disengagement, low academic achieve...

  I was fortunate to be the only superintendent from Arkansas selected for Cohort 32 of the Thompson Executive Leadership Institute. As part of this outstanding group of educators, I had the privilege of traveling to Puerto Rico and visiting several public schools, including the Simón Madera Bilingual School in Guayama and the José Severo Quiñones Bilingual School in Carolina.   It was one of the most rewarding experiences of my professional life. My heart was filled with pride, hope, and joy as I watched passionate educators practice their craft under conditions that many of us in the continental United States would consider unacceptable—or, at the very least, worthy of a strongly worded email and an emergency maintenance request. Here is only a partial picture of what we observed: Some school buildings were more than 100 years old. Classrooms had no air conditioning. The library was the only room on one campus with a window unit. Puerto Rico does not experience seasons ...

" Engagement is the product of motivation and active learning.  It is a product rather than a sum because it will not occur if either is missing.                                                - Elizabeth Barkley Student engagement/motivation is the holy grail of education.  Those educators that have found it seem to have abilities that border on superpowers.  Those that haven't reached that level are completely confounded on how to get there. The most common battle cry to increase student engagement is make it "real world!"  They will often make some sort of comment about how they make the problem or lesson about cell phones or some other superficial topic to get kids interested.  Inevitably, teacher frustration kicks in when there is no real change in student engagement.  This approach will eliminate the classic quest...

  "It isn't that they can't see the solution.  It is that they can't see the problem."                                                                            - Gilbert K. Chesterton Recently, I had the opportunity to attend the Thompson Executive Leadership Institute.  During this training Dr. Thompson made a statement that made me reevaluate how I approach solving problems and how I engage with people whose help is essential to successfully navigating challenging situations.  He said, "sell the problem, not the solution." Most who choose administration as a career see themselves as problem solvers or "fixers."  Once we identify a problem, we work on solving it with tunnel vision level focus.  Most problems though, can't be solved by one person.  It takes a coor...

  " Being responsible sometimes means pissing people off."             - Colin Powell. The primary responsibility of good leadership is the welfare of the entire organization or group, which means that some people WILL be angry at your decisions and actions.  This is unavoidable if you lead with integrity and honor.   If a leader's primary goal is to get everyone to "like" them or to be "happy" all the time, they are building a system where we take those that are in our charge and "love" them into mediocrity.  This happens because the leader will avoid tough decisions, avoid confronting people who need to be confronted, and they will avoid rewarding high-performers because some people will be upset that they did not receive the same reward.  The leader will be met with cries of "that's not fair!", or "How dare they treat me this way after all the years I have given to this place?" and the like.  However, by holding ba...

  A fellow superintendent shared a quote that resonated with me. “…the highest form of leadership: servant leadership.  They give you what you need.  They have hard conversations.  They hold you accountable. They push you outside your comfort zone.  And they do all those things from their heart, because they care about you.” - Steve Jones and Lucas Jadin  It made me consider not only my role as superintendent, but the role of ALL educators.   We are all servant leaders in every sense.  The only difference is WHO we directly lead.  Some lead adults.  Some lead children. The form and function of that leadership is the same.   When you first read the quote, it is apparent that those are the qualities of a great leader.  It describes someone who can lead people to become the best versions of themselves.  Hopefully, that is the experience that we would want for our children and for ourselves. However, when the quote i...