Your work matters.

As someone who has been recovering from shoulder surgery, I understand the power of small wins. I spent 7 weeks with my dominant arm in a sling. My PT exercises began with my left hand helping my arm do a bicep curl. Then I progressed to holding a stick to stretch my arm above my head while lying down. It was SLOW progress. The day my PT finally handed me a 2 pound weight, I fist-pumped the air! He said, “it’s just 2 pounds.” I replied, “Yeah but it’s a WEIGHT! That’s progress!” Now, less than 6 months later, I’m back to my regular morning workouts, doing burpees, push-ups, and holding 8-12 pound weights. Every small win, every small moment of progress is what got me here.

SMALL WINS have BIG IMPACT. It’s true in any change we are aiming to make. Why? Consider this quote from Charles Duhigg in the book The Power of Habit: “Once a small win has been accomplished, forces are set in motion that favor another small win. Small wins fuel transformative changes, by leveraging tiny advantages into patterns that convince people that bigger achievements are within reach.”

When we set out to accomplish a big goal it can feel daunting and unattainable. I’m guilty of this too. But here’s the thing - that goal might actually be achievable if we can break it down into smaller wins. Start by breaking down the milestones that will move you closer to the goal and be ready to celebrate them.

For example, you might be realizing students need systematic and explicit phonics instruction. And this year, you’ve provided a curriculum that supports doing just that. The overall goal might be to implement the curriculum in a responsive manner based on student data. BUT THAT GOAL IS HUGE. We need to break it down. Some milestones might include:

• Teachers understand how to read and access the lesson plans.
• Teachers implement the curriculum components. Each lesson plan will have sections to focus on, one at a time.

Focus on ONE thing at a time and celebrate when the goal is met. Even when they aren’t perfect! Did the teacher pull out the curriculum and read it, then ask questions? That’s a great start! Celebrate it! (This is your 2 lb. weight)

Then add another layer. In time, these small wins will add up and before you know it, you’ve accomplished your goal.

Leadership Moves:

1. Breakdown large goals into smaller milestones.
2. Focus on progress not perfection.
3. Focus on bite-sized actions. Go smaller.
4. Celebrate every step of the way!

What does this mean for me?

Focusing on what’s going well and celebrating progress, no matter how small, has transformative power. Go small or you may not go at all.

Where have we been?

March was a busy conference month!

First I presented at CoachFest which took place in Boone, NC. OBSESSED. That’s my word for CoachFest. I LOVED this conference both as a participant and as a presenter. To be in community with the coaches that were there was simply amazing.

Thank you to the coaches that joined my sessions. Some of you came to both! 🥰 In my 1st session, I shared my TSRA parallel stance to Plan-Do-Check-Act. In my 2nd session, I tried something I hadn’t done before - different format 🗣️and an unlikely metaphor 🪩 - and y’all loved it! Who knew thinking about mirrors could be so intriguing? Thanks for being mine and offering your feedback.

I closed out the month with the North Carolina Reading Association Conference in Winston-Salem, NC. I was scheduled to be an exhibitor but was unable to commit to the three days due to family illness. Instead, I made a virtual exhibitor table! What would I have had on my table? You can guarantee there would have been coffee in a cup! Click on the image below to visit with me!

I was able to present my session, Knowing Better Doesn’t Always Translate to Doing Better: Helping Ensure Reading Research Shifts Into Practice. We talked about how to use evidence-based indicators to create look-for statements, then practiced with a case study! We used the Curriculum Evaluation Guidelines published by The Reading League. You can download the latest version for FREE here.

Thank you to my beautiful friend for surprising me by joining the session and sneaking some photos! If you participated, THANK YOU for the work you’re DOING!

If you’re interested in any of the sessions I’ve presented, please reach out. Maybe we can bring them to you and your team.

Where can we connect? Bold font shows events at which I'm presenting. The Reading League 10th Annual Conference | Learn more here​ Check out my calendar Would you like me to join an upcoming event as a speaker? Please reply to this email to inquire about how I can support you and your event.

I’m thrilled to announce that The Reading League North Carolina is coming this summer! It’s hard to believe something that was only a picture on a vision board last year is truly happening! If you’d like to be the first to receive updates, please join our mailing list here.

Let's Work Together

It’s that time of year when leaders are straddling the line of finishing the current school year strong, while planning for next year. If you’d like to discuss how we might work together next year, let’s talk! Grab some time on my calendar here, or simply reply to sync calendars.

Need to learn more first? Download my one-pager to get a glimpse into Linda Rhyne Consulting.

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Lastly, I want to acknowledge that this communication comes during a week of tragedy as we learned of another school shooting.. My heart is with the families of Evelyn Dieckhaus, William Kinney and Hallie Scruggs, who were all 9 years old and 61-year-old custodian Mike Hill, 60-year-old head of school Katherine Koonce and 61-year-old substitute teacher Cynthia Peak. Want to take action? Organizations taking action on gun safety include Everytown for Gun Safety, Sandy Hook Promise and Moms Demand Action.