Freebies — Page 3

Motivating staff in the winter doldrums! #FabFridays for 2018!

January 29, 2018 by Amber Leave a Comment

We’re all feeling the blahness here in Texas…multiple weeks of cold weather…we just can’t handle it!

Spring break is HOW many weeks away??

HOW many assessments do we have coming up?

We like to joke that October and February are like the armpits of the school year. Not a lot to look forward to, but LOTS to make us all tired and sweaty!

Brighten your campus with some FUN FRIDAYS to look forward too! Fab Fridays in February have become something I look forward to each year, instead of dreading this long month of cold days. Check out what we’ve done in previous years as well! (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017). Some are cheaper and easier than others…it just depends on who you have around to help you , or if you have any budget money available.

My PIC Melinda Miller and I have Facebook group completely dedicated to administrators and staff appreciation/motivation ideas. If you’re an administrator (at any level!) join the fun and share what you do to keep your climate & culture healthy and happy!

The only thing we talk about are ways to celebrate and lift up your hard-working teachers and coworkers. From counselors week to staff appreciation gifts, there are a lot of people doing awesome things and we’re sharing that we can! It’s already 1100 admin strong, so come join the party!

What will YOU be doing for Fab Fridays in February? Even just one or two fun activities to look forward to will make a difference!

PS: If you can’t get this pulled together for February? Try Marvelous Mondays in March!

All about changes? Remember this… #IMMOOC & an @ASCD giveaway

April 6, 2017 by Amber 6 Comments

It’s easy to have great ideas, or energy, or a big grand vision. The hard part is remembering that it is your experiences that led you to a place where those ideas, or big changes you want to make, is your reality. Making changes is not inherently bad, unless it’s at the expense of damaging relationships or sacrificing the integrity of your campus/classroom. All of what you’ve seen or read, or been exposed to is what helped shape who you are today. From things that you remember or feel from when you were in school, from coworkers or administrators that taught you what you didn’t want to be, to the role and mindset you’re currently in…there are a variety of influences that helped create the educator you are, right now.

But that’s not where everyone else is.

You have to be careful in your passion and zeal to make an impact that you don’t leave your people behind. This is one of the reason they say significant change takes such a long time, there has to be a level of trust in place before people can take risks. I met an amazing educator at #EMPOWER17 who took a risk in opening up to a mentor, one who also happened to be his evaluative supervisor. At the end of the year, when his sharing and risk taking led to some evaluative push back, he choose to take a demotion and move to another district. That trust had been shattered and he knew he wouldn’t be able to ever feel safe taking those risks again. That district lost out on someone who wanted and was willing to be innovative and take risks.

I also think that it’s hard to drill holes in the boat, if you’re busy paddling. If you’re the only person moving your ship forward, for whatever reason, means there’s going to be plenty of time & room for people to be drilling. Keeping your team involved and feeling that they have a voice or say in what is happening will help keep them invested and feel as if they are a part of the change, instead of change being done to them.

What do you do to ensure your whole ship is helping you paddle? I have a copy of “Bold Moves for Schools” to give to some fabulous reader who comments below. I would love to hear how YOU are keeping your ship afloat!

Captain Amber

Help curb teacher burnout with Fab Fridays in February!

January 17, 2017 by Amber Leave a Comment

Teacher burnout…it’s a real thing. This stretch in the winter/spring is a LONG chunk of instructional intensity. You’ve got middle of the year data, you have testing awareness creeping up on you, and spring break is just outta reach. The genius of Melinda Miller introduced me to Fab Fridays in February several years ago and I have loved coming up with fun things to do with my staff each year.

While it may seem like a lot of work, really, your teachers are doing the heavy lifting this time of year. And if your team is like mine, they easily over commit in order to help their students succeed. The benefits of building and supporting a positive school climate far out-weigh the time and effort required.

I would also take a guess that a positive school climate can help bring the joy and fun back into teaching and learning.

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Who wouldn’t want to be part of a school like that?

Here’s what we’re doing this year! (You can also download it here!)What do you do to love on and support your teams?

FabFri loveN,

Amber

Holiday season…keep your head above water with these 3 tips! (And a give away!)

November 30, 2016 by Amber 10 Comments

Have you ever felt like things were moving too fast? Like things weren’t getting your full attention? Like you were overwhelmed and didn’t know where to start?

Three “strategies” I’ve employed this year to help me “manage” the workload have made a difference in keeping up with my whirlwind of a world.

The first mental saver has been placed email efficacy. My email in box is my todo list. If I have 30 emails in there, that means there are 30 items that require some kind of action, which will stress me out completely. I’ve doubled the amount of folders I have, because I am now sorting them into clearly named folders, as soon as I read them. It makes it so much easier for me to find things if I’ve filed them appropriately. I’ve added sub folders to help! As an example, within my 4th grade folder, I’ve got a field trip folder & a parent contact folder. No more “missing” or “where I’d put that” searching! I’ve also started marking items that require a follow up within my inbox. Things I may have sent out but need to make sure we’re taken care of, I change to a different color using the “categories” feature within our email system. At a glance, my inbox is kept current and color coded so I can immediately evaluate what needs to be done.

The second mental saver is the Erin Condren planner to my plate. Rather than try to articulate the greatness that is this planner, just watch this.

While it may seem contradictory to “add” something to help me simplify, this planner has made a huge difference. Our campus calendar can get so crammed, sometimes with activities that don’t involve me, so I needed a place where my responsibilities were clear & detailed. Even the items that did require effort on my part on the campus calendar didn’t have “all” the details I needed. This planner solved that problem. Want one of your very own? This link will get ya $10 bucks off! Merry Christmas to you! You can also sign up for her newsletter right now and get an additional 10% off! #everylittlebit

Last but not least, prioritize a to-do list. I keep a stack of the longer lined post it pads on my desk at all times. As I’m asked to do something or have a project in place, I add it to a list I have going. Task completed? Cross it off. Decide there are multiple steps/tasks to a project? Create a new page. One of my mental stressors is that nagging feeling in the back of my mind that I have something that needs to be completed. Writing it down, identifying what needs to be done to get it completed, and keeping track of my progress takes the stress level way down. When my list gets ragged, I transfer it over to a fresh new page and seriously, it takes away my feelings of things being unmanageable.

These stick on my desk next to my keyboard but I can always stick them on a notebook/binder if I am heading into a meeting. It keeps it visible, helps me keep it current, and gives me that oh so goo feeling I get when i get to cross it off! 🙂 It’s the simple things people!

Education is hard enough these days. Not letting our organization get out of control is an easy way to regroup, refocus, and recommit.

What strategies help you stay focused?

Comment below and enter to win your very own multi pack of post its pads courtesy of Office Depot!

Give away giveN,

Amber

Have you been appreciative today? A reminder and help…

May 12, 2015 by Amber 2 Comments

It’s the little things…

a teacher completing lesson plans for her partner who was in an accident.
a thank you note for a “stress free” testing season.
a gift card to your favorite daily drink stop from a team that loves you.
an acknowledgement of your strengths from someone who notices.
a parent who says “good job”.
a vox from friends who miss you, who make you laugh.
a friend you can trust.
a student who says they love you.
a facebook comment that reminds you that someone is invested in YOU.
a student who ducks and smiles when he sees you.
an administrator who respects you.
a bright and cheery good morning.

Sometimes its the little things that we forget to appreciate from others. What if it was YOUR little thing that made someone smile? What if that was the only smile they had that day? What if the only acknowledgment of their efforts, or just being, came from you?

From staff to students, there are people fighting struggles…home struggles, parent struggles, wellness struggles. Maybe their marriage is failing, maybe their child is sick…you just never know.

Never miss an opportunity to be someone’s little thing.

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And yet it can be the little things that make a day tolerable enough to think you can do it all over again tomorrow.

Are there people who you could do a “little thing” for? Let me help you with these happy notes, 🙂

little thing grateful,

Amber