The Northerner

Although I am from Michigan, I am not talking about summers in northern Michigan, our wet summers and winters and extreme storms in the spring in fall. I'm also not here to brag about the Detroit Tigers or the infamous Lions.

This was week #1 at KIPP: Knowledge is Power Program. I moved to Denver to teach algebra at the new high school we are opening as a team. It is pretty daunting and exhilarating. At a lot of work places, there comes a day when the employees are asked to take a survey and discover their leadership styles. Well, the whole staff participated in an activity that revealed our leadership styles. The compass served as a beautiful analogy; there are always other forces working in all directions. Even at (0,0) there is a sense that all four directions are at play. The catch is that I had to pick one (north, south, east, west) direction that seemed to resonate with me.

In short, I am a northerner. I make decisions quickly and without hesitation, I would rather get the work done myself than delegate if I am unsure of others' ability or willingness. I thrive on challenges and new projects, seeing them through. I like the bottom line. I can be perceived as cold, aggressive or impatient. Got it. However - east was a close second. East was all about seeing a vision and the bigger picture, setting the details down but then moving onto the next project before the first was completed. It was about making sure there is meaning behind a decision and other perspectives were considered. It sounded nicer. I also totally relate to losing track of time - those easterners have no idea when the sun is coming up or going down.

Let's just say I am not South. Think opposite of north; the south is how I learned patience. I recognize that patience is a work in progress.

Many times these leadership style activities allow co-workers to see the other side and recognize why some people are easier to work with than others. Our school - and its staff - is using this knowledge and keeping it in the forefront of our thoughts as we discuss and make decisions regarding the opening of a new Denver public charter high school.

Question - as a young or experienced professional, how does your leadership style impact those around you? Where has your leadership taken you?
How can the opposite direction sometimes be the most sensible and right?

How much does your internal compass direct you?

Demise of iPhoto

No idea what happened but there are NO photos in iPhoto anymore. What the heck? Anyone out there with some Mac expertise that can tell me how I went from 3 years of photos to NONE? They are luckily still in the iPhoto library folders and stored on my external hard drive, Picassa and of course, facebook. But still. iPhoto is crap. This is the one application on my Mac that I just have grown to dislike more and more in our years together. Gr.
As a side bonus, I sifted through 99.9% of my photos to make sure they had a place on my computer and/or the Internet. Here a a few of my favorites from the years....

Venture on the Open Road

West of the Mississippi

I discovered an amazing trail this weekend that will surely be a great spot to clear and calm my head throughout the coming months of a stressful new job. When we arrived at the trail head there were sure signs of a Denver summer thunderstorm. The clouds darkened and quickly covered any sunlight. Raindrops were light but were growing in size and force. Of course I don't have rain gear yet. Phoenix stores don't have ponchos and water-resistant clothing. I asked Meg if she still wanted to head up the trail and she assured me we would continue on! Good! Our cotton would definitely keep us dry and warm in the event of rain (or hail) for 30 minutes.
Then there is also elevation to consider. Meg hails from the Windy City where water and land meet near sea level. Denver is a mile high but we had driven even higher to get to the trail head. Huffing and puffing a few minutes later, I asked her if she was good. In Meg's famous quote of the week, "it feels like breathing through a straw." I devised a thunderstorm plan - hang out under the tree cover until the storm passes. We never had to test out the safety of hiding under trees. We got to the glacier before the storm! The wind was strong but not enough to deter us off course. The trees and glacier lake were gorgeous even in the gray coloring from the storm clouds overhead. Colorado is beautiful. The hour drive outside of Denver allowed us to experience Colorado the way the settlers, trappers, and miners first saw the Rockies.
We hiked through the brush and along the glacial lake to reach the foot of the ice. People were actually skiing and boarding from the top of the ice field - in July. One man had his dog running along side him as he skied down. So cool! Maybe I will snowboard down with a dog, err hot dog is all I've got. St. Mary's Glacier is a far cry away from the urban hiking in Phoenix. I think I may like living in Denver.
And by the time we left - we were watching the storm roll across the rest of the Rockies as the lake glistened under the sunny skies.

Kappa and a Loose Bolt

I met an awesome Kappa alum tonight for a drink and decided to take the new bike for a spin. It was about a 30 minute ride in traffic to the pub but so worth it! Riding in traffic is a new natural high for me. I am not that fast on my bike or all that talented. Denver has quite a few badass bikers. They are really fast. Anyway, I got this single speed track bike that I can convert to a fixed gear pretty easily. Sweet. Just that I really like having brakes on my bike. The fixed gear would result in fixed fear!
So I was riding home from having a beer at a pub in Wash Park and took the scenic ride home, still on a busy traffic street at 9 PM. It was uphill for a while and a single speed means you don't switch gears because there is only one gear. The hill was not that much of an incline but I had to take a break. When I started to ride again I noticed I was barely moving. Weird, I am not that tired. Then I realized - my back tire was not rotating. At all. The back bolt was loose. Luckily I have this amazing roommate who has a 15 mm tool (that I need to go buy) and she and her boyfriend biked over to save the day! Hooray! I biked home.
you know you are a kappa when....there is a loose bolt around.

Cutting Sheers

So today started a new era. I took some gardening sheers and whacked away at our front yard. The management company is supposed to take care of the landscaping. Lo-and-behold: Jaclyn has a green thumb! I went wild on those shrubs and trees. They were so overgrown (in my eyes) and I trimmed them to have some shape - in my opinion. The only time I have ever really worked in a garden was with my Mom when she had me distribute mulch on about a quarter of an acre of landscaping. So why did I choose to do this? Was it punishment or control over the landscaping? I am thinking beautification project.
The sheers were like weapons of destruction. I took out every unnecessary limb and branch. The thicker ones? Oh, I got them good. It was when the moths came out of their hiding places and the bees were a little upset that I was on their territory. No problem. I had the sheers. My roommates stood back in awe (or terror) that their new roommate was going to town on the shrubs and trees. I was so mad at this one tree that lines our front entry. It is more than 8 feet tall and it tilts because there is just too much there. So I wanted it cut. I was swinging that tree for a good 3 minutes trying to swing and get the sheers on the lonely, out of place branch. I cut all the limbs around that branch but could not get the darn branch. I need a ladder. That means I am getting serious about this gardening business. I might need to let the people that get paid do something.
I did see a pretty neat little spider - it had a neon orange body. Then for the next 2 hours I thought he was crawling around on my body. Yuck.
Tomorrow is a new day in the garden. The next big project is to empty a planter that has been the home of a big ant colony. I saw about 15 hunter ants so there are a lot. Not quite sure if my gardening gloves and hand-held shovel is going to be enough. The wheelbarrow just won't cut it - these ants are quick!
Let's hope I don't get stung, bit or swollen from the ants that called this their home.
This is my home now, beetles :)

Inspiration for a blog

A few months ago my sister (on the right above) shared with me an amazing poem by Walt Whitman title "Song of the Open Road." The poem hit home with the way I hope to live my life. Because the poem meant so much to me it might explain the motivation behind a blog.....

AFOOT and light-hearted, I take to the open road,
Healthy, free, the world before me,
The long brown path before me, leading wherever I choose.

This is only the first verse of a very, very long poem but it gives some insight. I've basically been floating among houses, roommates and cities for the past 7 years. I started in Chicago with Loyola, studied in Santiago, Chile, moved out to Phoenix for Teach for America and recently relocated to Denver, CO to open a new KIPP Collegiate High School. Michigan will always be close to heart because that is where I first stepped out onto the open road. The ease with which I move around stems from my passion for sound and inspiring people. It sounds a little cheesy but I love to float around and see who comes in and out of my life and try to figure out why. I think the purpose of this blog is in part informing my global friends and family of where I am physically but also holistically. There are going to be serious stories that come with the job, funny episodes that might have been retold to me through pictures and friends, and memories of the amazing people that have come into my life!

"I don't need a passport to walk on this earth,
anywhere I go 'cause I was made of this earth,
I'm born of this earth, I breathe of this earth,
and even with pain i believe in this earth
....faith in the people rockin' under the sun"
-michael franti