my version of transparent, collaborative leadership...with a Teamann twist
It’s that time of year where we may be inundated with gifts of thoughtfulness, and I try my hardest to get thank you notes written for each one! I went digging on Teachers Pay Teachers today, and thankfully, found several FREE ones that met my needs! I thought I’d save you the hunt and share with you here!
Free Holiday Thank you Notes from Fourth Grade Frenzy
Holiday Thank you Notes from Sailing into Second
Holiday Thank you Notes from Maureen Prezioso
Happy thanking!
Note writing &
I am all rhymed out
but wanted to share
what we’re doing this year
if you have a care!
Share and cleverly steal
as we all always do
make JOY your priority
so special when from you!
Ho ho hoN &
I love the holiday season. I love shopping for the perfect gift, at the perfect price, for the perfect “OH!” when they open it. I love celebrating my big Wolves and my small Wolves.
I’ve done big things for my staff and some smaller type of things. Things that are all drawn out, and things that take just a few minutes, or few dollars. Things that mean a lot or simple things that are tokens of appreciation. #ALLTHETHINGS, y’all.
As a principal, who is on a budget, both at school AND at home…I have to be conscious of how/why/what I choose to purchase.
If you’re wondering what to do or how to even get started, oh administrator friend of mine, first join this Facebook Group where, literally, all we are talking about is the holidays and celebrating your staff for the holidays.
Then, scroll on down for gifts that anyone can handle, regardless of your budget… some of our favorite things…at three different price points!
12 Days Of Christmas
Here are several of my variations on the 12 days leading up to Christmas break. You can pack these full of free things like wear jeans, or workout gear, or school colors…and throw in coffee bars, popcorn bars, or other snackie snacks. Easy, peasey.
(Side note: I’ve also done 12 days of GIVING, where we shared acts of kindness!)
Who doesn’t need a good package of chapstick? Just a cute tube with an attached note and you have a PRACTICAL, albeit cheap, gift for all, male or female! Amazon sells 72 lil’tubes for $29.99. That’s a bargain!
Then attach this cute tag and viola! You can add your signature using any kind of graphics editor, like Canva, picMonkey, or an app like Over, Typorama, or my favorite, Word Swag. (yes that costs $4.99 and yes, it’s worth it!)
If your team is anything like mine, they will love any effort you give them. We meet as a PLC grade level team each Wednesday and the Wednesday before we get out for the Christmas break and we just sit and eat holiday snacks and chat. We play Christmas music by the fire. It doesn’t take much, just some free time and no stress…you also can’t go wrong with the gift of TIME.
How do you show your seasonal spirit? Share in the comments!
festively and
Melinda Miller and I joke about how October and February are the armpits of the school year. By October the newness of the year has worn off, the honeymoon is over and the hard work of growing students stretches out in front of you.
As an administrator, one of the challenges is for you to mentally maintain not only the joy of your staff but also the joy of yourself. It’s easy to forget that old adage of putting your own air mask on first before you try to help others, but its crucial during these critical months that you do think about your own well-being. Knowing what fills your bucket is a great first step.
I’ve become really interested in the Enneagram and how that applies to me, my marriage, and my staff. Determining our personality “type” through the Enneagram can help you see through the different lens from which we experience the world. Our personality is an effective way to express ourselves, but challenges arise when our points of view become rigid and we get stuck in automatic habits.(Unpack that thought…it’s a good one!) By discovering these unconscious patterns, we can lead more fully, more comprehensively, and hopefully, encourage our people to understand the actions and reactions of those who operate around us. (You can take a free enneagram test here!)
There are nine basic types of personalities. Here are, according to the Enneagram Institute are those 9 types. You can click on each type to read more.
The Rational, Idealistic Type: Principled, Purposeful, Self-Controlled, and Perfectionistic
The Caring, Interpersonal Type: Demonstrative, Generous, People-Pleasing, and Possessive
The Success-Oriented, Pragmatic Type: Adaptive, Excelling, Driven, and Image-Conscious
The Sensitive, Withdrawn Type: Expressive, Dramatic, Self-Absorbed, and Temperamental
The Intense, Cerebral Type: Perceptive, Innovative, Secretive, and Isolated
The Committed, Security-Oriented Type: Engaging, Responsible, Anxious, and Suspicious
The Busy, Fun-Loving Type: Spontaneous, Versatile, Distractible, and Scattered
The Powerful, Dominating Type: Self-Confident, Decisive, Willful, and Confrontational
The Easygoing, Self-Effacing Type: Receptive, Reassuring, Agreeable, and Complacent
At the beginning of our school year, our team leaders and PLC leaders all took the test, and it’s been interesting to see those types manifest through the course of the year. I abide by the theory of “If I can predict it, I can prevent it.” and being able to understand on a different level has been very helpful.
Especially in this season, as a 2, I can take on too much and can tend to “feel” too deeply when my attempts to please all, aren’t successful. At least, through the Enneagram, I recognize that as a handicap on MY end, versus those around me.
Lead on, my friends through the holiday season…keep your eyes up, your chins up, and your weight down!
Joyfully &
A couple of weeks ago I posted something on the Instagram about how I had a week where I felt like I was underwater the whole time. You’ve had those weeks, right?
The ones where you are giving all that you’ve got but it doesn’t quite seem like enough? When your days are long and your nights are too? When despite feeling like you’ve done #ALLthethings, your husband isn’t happy, your kids aren’t happy, and you just can’t win?
Well, that was that week for me. So I had posted a lil’scripture that spoke to my heart, b/c that is what that space is for me. A place for sharing what speaks to me. I think I’ve shared this before, but quite a while ago, I was in a place and position that was not only toxic emotionally, but also professionally. I couldn’t see past the forest for the trees. Sharing a positive “happy” on FB (which then led to IG) made me feel better. It was a good “footprint” to leave but it also was a reminder that there is always something to be positive about.
Anywho, I had a teacher in the hallway who told me that she felt so much better after seeing my post, b/c it made her feel better about also feeling like she was drowning, and that she didn’t know I ever felt that way.
Ya’ll. It stopped me dead in my tracks!
Those quotes I post each day speak to my heart, and are so directed at me…it just so happens that someone usually also feels impacted by it, but genuinely…I go back to that Zig Zigler quote that says “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” which is OH so true for me! It then made me think about other things that I wish people knew taht probably isn’t obvious froma quick social media scroll…
All that to say…unless you KNOW someone…you don’t actually know them.
Making assumptions, or heaven forbid, judging someone if you’re not a part of their circle is not only unfair but also usually inaccurate. Most of us are just trying to be the very best we can be, and to do the very best we can.
Give grace friends…the world could use more grace.
Reflectingly &
