my version of transparent, collaborative leadership...with a Teamann twist

November thankful…what can a principal do?

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Can you believe November is already here? This school year is flying by fast…and November is a great month to stop down and say “thank you” to your staff. I heard in a training today that as the leader your words of appreciation and thanks mean so much more…because,  inherently, of your position. Educators live in a world where being overworked has become the norm, where demands for excellence only increase. If you are like me…you’re also tired. You’re also in need of some thanks. You’re also ready for some words of praise. This activity is even MORE important that you do it then! Gratitude improves psychological health. Gratitude reduces a multitude of toxic emotions, ranging from envy and resentment to frustration and regret. … in fact, research confirms that gratitude effectively increases happiness and reduces depression. Be the boss who is kind. Kindness begets gratitude…it makes your people feel appreciated. It makes the exhaustion feel worth it. Simple acknowledgement of the efforts and energy can make the long day seem a bit shorter.

What can you do?

  • A simple note. Use my Happy Notes template to make it even easier. Say thanks…and if you can tie it into a specific act of appreciation, even better.
  • Feed’em. From a snack cart that travels, to a hot chocolate treat during meetings, or a full on catered meal…acknowledging your appreciation with a snackie snack will brighten their day. I buy lil’debbbies treats and always have some on hand for a quick thank you. Toss in an “I appreciate you” post it or card, and you’ll get a smile.
  • Value their time. Are there meetings scheduled this month that could be handled with an email? Are there opportunities you can step in to cover a duty or allow a break for your teams? I snuck in an extra leave early pass into their boxes last week, just knowing that sometimes our teachers need permission to just STEP AWAY without feeling guilty.
  • Throw a mixer! As educators we rarely have the opportunity to come together for the sole purpose of having fun together! What if you scheduled an event for after school that was come & go and optional for those who had the time? Even just a hour over chips and salsa can help foster the team camaraderie that makes the season seem do-able. Is there a fun movie that’s out? Spring for the popcorn and meet up for a thought free afternoon/evening.

 

If you’re feeling like you could some principal appreciation too, I have a solution for that too! Text “Follow @ValuePrincipals” to 40404 and you will start receiving texts of appreciation on your phone! You can turn off receiving updates by sending “STOP @ValuePrincipals” to 40404. These texts will be meant to lift ya up, push you through, and just to remind you why we’re doing what we’re doing. No more than one a day…just gems of greatness to keep ya moving forward!

At the end of the day, we ALL work harder when we feel like we’re using our strengths and when our hard work is acknowledged. It doesn’t have to be expensive…just genuine.

 

How are you showing thankfulness this November?

Thankful for YOU,

Amber

Who in your world is making you want to be better?

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Last weekend my lil’bit played in a softball tournament in a nearby town. This is our first year on a team from our town, and our first tournament as well. It amazes me the passion and energy that can be found on your local sports fields, on any given weekend. There were multiple teams from all over, with all kinds of skill levels and talents.

My kid..she loves to compete. She is competitive. She has an energy, and a determination that is a joy to see. That being said…she’s TOTALLY 7. Her team plays for fun. They practice once a week. They win some, they lose some.

There was a team that we played this weekend though…wow. They practiced 4 days a week. (Ya’ll…that is only 3 nights off. I can’t even!) Their warm up was synchronized by single word commands. They did drills in unison. It was amazing. They matched from head to toe, in branded bright colors. It was intense.

One of the positions that stood out in particular to me, was their catcher. The catcher position at this age has typically been a place holder…she wears the gear, she attempts to catch the ball, but there is also a coach behind her who typically gets it and throws it back to the pitcher (another coach). Well, as I am sure you can predict, on the other team, their catcher was LEGIT. She was in the crouch, she had a rocket arm…she was amazing.

Guess what happened after two innings? All of a sudden, unprompted by our coach, our catcher was also in the crouch. She tried to catch each pitch that came her way, and made some pretty good attempts to throw it back to the pitcher. This was our last game of this season, she’d never once done that before.

All because she had seen someone better than her. All because she watched, she saw someone better, and she was challenged.

 

Who is in your world that is making you want to be better?

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always learning,

Amber

Vulnerability in Parent Teacher Conferences

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An email from our amazing counselor today…

I never thought I’d feel more vulnerable than being a teacher in a parent-teacher conference until my son started kindergarten.

As the teacher, I set the tone for the meeting: warm, always with chocolate, and open – we sat in chairs without a gigantic, imposing desk between us. I wanted my parents to feel safe. I wanted them to know that, whatever the data showed, their children were loved, they were respected, and we would share the growth mindset philosophy of “yet” when we weren’t seeing the progress all parents hope to see.

As a mom, though, sitting across the kidney table from Mrs. Bott (S’s Kinder teacher), all the confidence I had as a teacher went out the window: I did not set the tone of the meeting. I did not choose the chairs, I was not the expert in the room.

Even as an educator, I walked into that classroom somewhat uneasy.  We were talking about my child. I had to give in to my vulnerability and ask questions. In that moment, I knew what it meant to be truly unguarded.

And while there was no chocolate at this meeting, Mrs. Bott and I had a fantastic conversation that eased my tensions and calmed my fears. She made a space for me to be vulnerable without fear of judgment.

When we give our parents a safe space to learn how do this parenting thing alongside us, we give them hope that they are a part of a team that is growing their child.

 

I am so happy to work with such talented, committed educators who make this space for parents (and for me!). You are the wind beneath your students’ wings. 😉

Insert cheesy inspirational music here….

 

I’ve spoken often about the need to balance your leadership teams with strengths that support your weaknesses. We had the chance this year to add a counselor to our team, and I tell ya…I thank my lucky stars each day that this young lady was available when we had that opening. Hiring is one of the MOST important aspects of our admin world, and when you have the chance…find you a rockstar like our Mrs. Halpin. She sends a daily email, with a timely message…and with tonight being our “late” night for parent conferences, this one resonated with us all.

 

May all of your parent exchanges be vulnerable, be open, and be positively productive.

Humbled,

Amber

Avoid those educational extremes!

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Last week I decided I would give up carbs. It wasn’t a rash decision. It was actually well thought out, prompted in part by the massive amount of snacks I was gifted for my birthday. (Anytime 10 different people are able to buy you fritos, you know you’re in a bad snack choosing place!) I have some friends who love their keto life style, so I thought, I can handle this…high fat, low/no carb. I got this.

Day one went well.

Day two prompted my husband to question my life choices.

Day three I ate a jelly doughnut.

What I’ve learned in my third year as an administrator is the same thing I learned in my carbless adventure last week…you can’t go to the extreme in your decision and choices.

There are a variety of hot sports opinions on “how” we should be doing what we do in education. They tend to fall in the “extreme” category. It’s almost to the point where I can’t check twitter anymore because I am so easily annoyed at the “extreme” ideals of what is being shared, and how very different it is from my reality.

There are very few things that I think I would now take a hard and fast stance against in education. There’s a lot I would stand for…primarily, a focus on the individual people. The relationships. Building connections. Fostering hope. But these are not mutually exclusive against some of the other things that we hear. George Couros just referenced this conversion on FB a book he was reading for perspective, “What I notice in that in this reading it is very either/or for “kids nowadays”. ”

Why does it have to be an OR? Can’t there be an AND?

Every campus, every classroom, every child, every day.

My teen? My AP class taking teen? She knows what her PSAT, ACT, and SAT scores have to be in order to attend Texas Tech University. Taking tests like that do not compare to a hands on, no HW, no testing environment. Yes, we’ve done test prep. She hasn’t had algebra in a year…but you better believe we’re doing algebra HOMEWORK in order to prepare her for what is coming up on the PSAT. I know that she is also taking practice tests at school…are they teaching her to the test? No, but they are preparing her for what lies ahead…these scores will determine her trajectory moving forward. I NEED HER PREPPED!

What a disservice we are doing if we don’t give the help students need, vs the help we think they should be getting.

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 I get that our educational system needs a re-haul. I get that we are over testing our students. but I also know that my job isn’t just to play, it’s to prepare them academically. That’s a foundation of reading, of writing, and of mathematical foundations. I can do that in a fun environment, that teaches them to love learning , but when you say things like “Just love your job and everything else will be ok.”, I find that hard to stomach. You’ve got people all across the nation who love their job…but are also working their bottoms off to give their students every possible advantage they can. They have students who are struggling, who are behind, below, every which way. They deserve to have us prepare them for their actual reality, not the one we wish they could have.

 

Back off the extremes, friends. Let’s do right by each kid, and whatever it takes to make that happen.

 

 

all the things,

Amber

 

Changing the Way We Think About Leadership #EdWriteNow

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When I reflect back on the professional opportunities I’ve been blessed with, I am so thankful to have many that rank way on up there. I can’t think of one, however, that had as much of a purpose as the one I experienced this summer. When Jeff Zoul and Joe Mazza initially reached out, about the #EDWriteNow project they had in mind, I was flattered, I was humbled, I was terrified. The concept was unique…10 writers, sequestered and challenged to write 5000 words…one chapter contributing to the overall message… of changing the way we think about different pressing facets of what we’re doing these days in education. All proceeds would benefit an amazing cause, The Will to Live Foundation; an organization founded to support teen suicide prevention. I signed on to the opportunity and agreed to donate my time and write a chapter; all of which would be completed in 2.5 days over a weekend in July. Saying yes was a no-brainer!

I am fortunate to be surrounded by REALLY smart friends…like award-winning, multiple books, bestselling author friends. It is humbling at times to look around my PLN and the collective knowledge and expertise that exists. This group of ten was no different. This was a group of passionate, involved, committed people. Our first meeting was a brainstorming session to establish what we would each write about. In the next 48 hours, we set up a schedule that allowed for solo writing time as well as partner share/reflection time. We had the chance to connect and give each other feedback. (By the way, stressful environment? Try chatting with authors like Starr Sackstein or Tom Murray…both with multiple best-selling education books, them giving you personal feedback on your writing… sheesh! The pressure!) The goal was to have our individual chapters completed by Sunday morning.

10 chapters, 10 authors, one book. It was incredible.

The topic I ended up landing on was one I’d been struggling with for awhile.  Why is it that when you read about an administrator in the paper, or on the news, it’s in a negative light? When did school based leadership automatically become the bad guy? It was pressing on my heart then, and even now…I struggle with knowing my position has the traditional connotation of negativity. Given that I’ve been threatened and belittled with profanity TWICE in the past two weeks, again says that we need to change the way we think about leaders and how we go about our position.

Here is just a smidgen on my piece, “Changing the Way We Think About Leadership”.

The administration title carries a unique work load. Our days are filled with decisions. From decisions that have a major to a minor impact, we spend each day with a list of things to do, and then chase the many fires that occur instead. We know the good, the bad, and the ugly…from students to staff, to our community. On any given day we decide what goes in a coke machine to whether we feel a parent is mistreating a child.

Much of what we do is dictated by state and district policy, and yet, there is no instruction manual that you’re given when named “administrator”. While we are able to make a sustainable impact, we are still held to the highest of expectations. That’s why we get the big bucks, right? To never make mistakes and ensure that everyone is happy.  Our decisions and the implications of that what we say goes is a heavy load. It’s an incredible honor, but it’s also incredibly stressful. There literally is no winning in some situations. Everyone will not be happy with the decisions made.

Leadership means making the hard decisions sometimes.

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Recognizing that education itself is different than it was even just 10-20 years ago calls for also recognizing that the way we look at the role of “administrator” needs to change. It needs to evolve before any other of the changes we want to see happen in education can occur because like with most other decisions made in a school, it starts and can stop right at our door.

Gone are the days where anyone can do this job alone.

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 A quote that anchors much of what I believe and share is by David Weinberger, “The smartest person in the room, is the room.” Connecting to other practitioners in this day is too easy for it to not be happening in school district and campuses, world wide. Whether it a virtual relationship via social media, or a core group of peers whose opinion you value, there is such benefit in having a group to collaborate or share ideas with. It can also be lonely in that office all by yourself. By developing relationships and making professional connections, you are exponentially increasing your ability and opportunity for success within your walls. By flattening what we think of when we think  “administrator” we have the power of changing everything about what we do. An administrator who dares to do things differently and challenge the status quo of what has been done before can not only transform their role, but empower all of those below…by bringing them alongside.

 

I can’t wait to see how the entire book comes together.

Be sure to pick up your copy of Education Write Now. You’ll support a great cause, and hopefully, be challenged to think differently about education, right now.

 

Sharingly,

Amber