Author Archives

Sharmane Miller

Human Resource Trainer, Writer, Speaker

My name is Sharmane Chivhon Miller. After marrying Byron, my friend and lover over twenty years ago, I found out my name was no longer unique. I learned the hard way that there were several others with the name Sharmane Miller so now I hold on to my middle name to make sure there are no mistakes. (You can’t blame me!)

My husband and I have three children: Jada (born in 1996), Michael (born in 2000) and Amara (born in 2011). Yes, I know there was serious family planning going on here but this is the extent of our contribution to the population. We have fun raising our crew in Nassau, Bahamas a beautiful island nation that I still call home.

As a teacher of more than twenty years, I have taught in both the public and private sectors in grades ranging from preschool all the way to eighth grade. I’ve also had the opportunity to train teachers in the School of Education at the College of the Bahamas. (Yes, I like a challenge!) However, I have to admit that my greatest joy comes from facilitating professional development sessions for educators. It is during these times that I learn a great deal from some of the most talented people ever! (If I sound bias towards educators, you’re right, and I’m not ashamed to say it either.)

During my time in the classroom, and even now as I engage in research and consult with schools, it is disheartening to see teachers who have become fatigued, despondent and frustrated. Many of them have given up on their ability to make a difference. In fact, some have even begun neglecting to hone their skills and the valuable gifts within them that separate them as leaders.

For these reasons, I created this blog as a fueling station for committed teachers who truly want to become better leaders so that they can bring about lasting change in students and those around them. It is hard to remain motivated when the results you seek seem utopian and downright elusive. When you visit me here, you will find information, inspiration and practical insight to help you flourish wherever you may be.

I tell teachers and school leaders to “Work harder on yourself than you do on your jobs”. This is what I hope our time together here encourages you to do. The better we become, the stronger the impact we are able to make. I believe if we BE more then we can DO more. After all, we only teach what we know, but we duplicate who we are.

So join me each week and be motivated, empowered and challenged to learn, lead and live with passion!

Posted on

How to Gain Momentum to Follow Through on Your Goals

Okay, let’s be honest with ourselves.  How many of us have already faltered on one, if not all of our New Year’s resolutions?  Come on, confession is good for the soul.

Ganing mountain Blog Post Cover_by suphakit73_freedigitalphotosnet

Well, I’ll be the first to say that on my pursuit towards my fitness goal I have already detoured quite a bit.  I won’t talk about my goal to read through the bible in a year.  Oh boy!

The truth is, at the beginning of the New Year, we are bursting with excitement and new ideas until reality hits.  The grading starts piling up, bulletin boards require changing, and students aren’t as cooperative as we would hope.  At this point, the goals we had set are but a distant memory.

Posted on

One Yard From Victory: Making the Decisive Call

Can you believe it?  The Seattle SeaHawks seemed to have “given up” their Super Bowl title to the New England Patriots when they were only one yard away from victory.  If I didn’t see it for myself, I probably would not have believed it.  It all came down to the call made for the last play.

Football & Helmet

Instead of driving the ball into the end zone, the QB decided to throw it, and …………. ZAP!  Just like that, a rookie defense player intercepted the ball and made the game-changing play that gave his team the championship title.

Isn’t that just like life, sometimes?  It appears as if things are going so well and nothing could go wrong, then out of the blue, the decision you make goes awry.  If this hasn’t happened to you, then just keep living.

Posted on

Dealing With the Unexpected: Four Lessons I Learned

Children’s lunch packed?  Check. √

Breakfast prepared?  Check.  √

Work bag packed?  Check.  √

Coffee in hand?  Check.  √  Okay, so we are ready to go.

Well, that’s what I thought as I pulled out the yard, focused on delivering two of my children quickly and safely to school.

Worried or shocked dog_FreeDigitalPhotosnetImage courtesy of Mister GC at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I was looking forward to getting the day started with my high-priority activities to maximize my productivity.  I pulled up to my work destination, gingerly turned off the motor, and instinctively leaned over to gather my things.

“What???  Where is my laptop bag?  Don’t tell me……nooooo!  Okay, calm down Sharmane.  Maybe your husband put it in the back seat when he was seeing you off.  Nope, it’s not there either.  Grrr!”

Posted on

Take Action and Keep it Moving!

“If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”                                          _Martin Luther King Jr.

Marting Luther King Jr.

 

The third Monday of every January is observed as a US federal holiday commemorating the birth of MLK.  Although many may take this day to relax, the opening quote advocates the need to keep moving.    Yes, rest is important, but here, King is admonishing everyone to be purposeful about making progress no matter what.

Posted on

Managing Your Mind to Stay in the Game

Have you ever had something disappointing happen to you that you kept replaying repeatedly in your mind?  If you’re human, I am sure you have.  It’s only natural to relive circumstances that evoke great emotional responses, especially those negative ones.  Unfortunately, though, this unhealthy practice limits our ability to move forward.

Man sitting on a pier_Caleb George

Image courtesy of Caleb George at Unsplash.com

In James Allen’s classic book, As a Man Thinketh, the mind is described as a garden.  Whether cultivated or neglected it will most certainly yield a harvest: useful fruit or useless weeds.  Our choice of thoughts creates our circumstances and even our character.

Posted on

How to Be Intentional About Change: Review! Reflect! Revamp!

It’s the beginning of a brand new year!  Can you believe it?  Before you know it, 365 days will pass again and we’ll be right back to this point.  Hopefully though, we won’t be the same.  I mean, what good would life be if we don’t grow and change, right?  We expect it of students but what about for ourselves?

Fall Season_Leaves on ground

Image courtesy of Rula Sibai at Unsplash.com

Posted on

3 Reasons Why Choosing to Forgive Others is in Our Best Interest

A student topples your favorite coffee mug, causing the handle to break off.  A colleague reverses into your parked car, putting a dent in the passenger door.  Your principal verbally chastises you for a matter in front of several other colleagues.  Wherever we might be, situations always seem ripe for an offense……that’s if we let them.

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Posted on

Let’s Do the Math: Counting Blessings Multiplies Happiness

“Count your blessings.  Name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.”  These words of a chorus I’ve heard as a child ring in my ear as I reflect on this season of thanksgiving.  But is counting really necessary?  What benefit does it hold?

Image courtesy of Zdiviv at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Image courtesy of Zdiviv at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

With every language and major religion emphasizing the importance of grateful expressions, there must be some truth to participating in this act.

But before we go there, let me first empathize with you.  Maybe right now you are bogged down with backlog assignments to mark, parents to contact, bulletin boards to change, behavior contracts to devise, lessons to evaluate, or reports to produce.   Should I go on?  Trust me, I’ve been there many times and it’s not a good feeling.

Posted on

The Thief That Everybody Knows But Won’t Confront

How many times have I written this inaugural blog in my head only to find out that it never materialized on paper?  Let me be honest: dozens of times!  The irking question is WHY did I fall prey to procrastination?  Why did I keep delaying something I desired to do?  What was holding me back from getting it done?

Thief

The answers are too numerous to mention but I think I have distilled them down to a few:

  1. Perfectionism – This is the yearning to get all the “i”s dotted and all the “t”s crossed. Perfectionists are stuck on start because they over-analyze things.  They experience what some may call a “paralysis of analysis”.  Now, I know we don’t live in a perfect world so why was I trying to ensure that the post was perfect?  This brought me to the next possible answer…
  2. Panic – This is so paralyzing until it’s not even funny. Many of us have panic or fear in bucket loads to share.  (Oh my, I’m rhyming too!)  We might fear rejection, failure, or even fear what people might say.  Would you believe that some people even procrastinate because they subconsciously fear success?  It’s true!
  3. Pyrrhonism – Don’t be scared by this term. This is just a fancy way of referring to self-doubt, skepticism and uncertainty.  Thinking that you’re not good enough is a crippling reality for many.  It contributes greatly to lack of motivation, anxiety and even depression.  I struggle with this from time to time and often have to talk to myself to shake it off and move on.

These were just some of the barriers I had to overcome to confront the thief that everyone knows: procrastination.  Yes, it steals our time, our satisfaction and or peace of mind.