There is one essential question that you need to ask each morning, “Am I going to seize the day or merely accept what comes?” Frankly, there are only two ways to approach the day ahead. One is to actively pursue your goals and dreams. The other is to passively receive whatever the day brings.

One thing is certain when it comes to your students – what you look for, you will find. If you look for problems and deficits, you will find them. If you look for gifts and strengths, you will find them.

Guest Blogger, Laura Estes-Swilley, reflects on school culture from a teacher's perspective: A school’s culture is the intangible form of its community. It is the wafting aura that many schools are struggling to clean in today’s complex education system.