Leadership — Page 17

What’s your big three as an admin?

November 20, 2014 by Amber 1 Comment

Tony Sinanis recently blogged about his big “three” as an admin and challenged me to write about what I think might be my big three. While I completely agree with his three: “be the ears, be the voice, and be the culture”, it would be redundant to say mine are the same.

Instead I’ll share three gems of greatness that I think compliment his nicely. (Such a team player, aren’t I?)

1. You don’t always to be right.

As an administrator, it is crucial to be able to see the value in losing the battle, but winning the war. It doesn’t do anyone any good to win every argument if you alienate or isolate the people you work with while doing so. When meeting with teachers or parents, there is something to be said for allowing other’s viewpoints to be given weight and be heard. Someone who can communicate You can be the right-est person in the world and yet have no one on your side, which would a rather ineffective leader, wouldn’t it? Employ your inner empathy skills here. What distinguishes average to mediocre leaders from those who excel at leading others is how the latter group understands that their focus shouldn’t be simply directed to whether goals are achieved or not. Nobody wants to be on the same team with someone who has to win every argument, never giving any credence to other’s points of views.

2. You don’t always have to make everyone happy.

In fact, thinking that you CAN make everyone happy would be a mistake. No matter what idea you have or what positive motivation you have fueling your movements…someone will not agree. This has easily been the most challenging part of being an administrator for me. If decisions are made on what is best for kids, how could someone disagree with you? It’s easy to forget that people view decisions or actions through the same lens they view the world in. Never take it personal when someone disagrees with you! Use it as an opportunity to get to understand that other person and find out what lens they are using. Really listen to what they have to say…and at the end of the day, even if they still disagree with you, at least they can respect the fact that you gave them a chance to discuss their point of view. It’s also so important to have relationships with your team, so that they know what your vision is. You can disagree with how I might go about accomplishing something, but if you know my heart is always making decisions based on whats best for kids, then I am ok with you being unhappy.

3. You don’t always have to be in charge.

Delegation is a lost art. I don’t know if some leaders don’t like to delegate because they don’t trust the people they work with, because they are controlling, or if they truly don’t understand what empowered leadership looks like. I had a teacher I worked with who was an incredible event planner. She rallied teachers behind her, had terrific connections in the community, and was a natural at the detail oriented focus required to pull off a big school event. Early on I was intimidated by the fact that she was such a natural, but I learned how much easier it was to let her run with her passion, because at the end of the day, she was going to make it happen, and make it awesome. And wasn’t that what I wanted? It allowed me to step back and focus on other pressing matters…as soon as I relaxed and appreciated her strengths. Know your team and know their strengths. Maximize those strengths to benefit your campus! It really will make a difference when your whole team is invested in your campus vision.

What did we leave out? Can you elaborate or add? I would love to know what your big three would be!

Leadingly,

Amber

If the blog title fits…goodbye, Technically yours, Teamann!

November 7, 2014 by Amber 7 Comments

The evolution of this blog has come a long way. It began as a tool I used in my fourth grade classroom. It then became a place I could share all of the great things I was seeing in classrooms and share techie resources as a technology facilitator. It then became a place to share weekly happenings as an administrator. It became less and less about “technology” and more and more about leadership…about quality instruction…about all the things I am passionate about.

Did you know that there are Texas standards for principal efficacy? There are!

The leader is responsible for ensuring every student receives high-quality instruction.
The leader is responsible for ensuring there are high-quality teachers and staff in every classroom and throughout the school.
The leader is responsible for modeling a consistent focus and personal responsibility for improving student outcomes.
The leader is responsible for establishing and implementing a shared vision and culture of high expectations for all students.
The leader is responsible for implementing systems that align with the school’s vision and improve the quality of instruction.

Do you notice what is missing from those standards?

The leader who tweets and blogs.

There is much, much more to being an administrator, and much, much more than that to me.

The leader who tweets and blogs is simply using a tweet and blog vehicle for helping accomplish the goals of the principal. It’s not bad. It’s a choice. The standards are standards. They don’t define the tools used to address the standards.

I’m choosing to rename this blog, and the domain (henceforth to be www.amberteamann.com) to ensure the clarity of not being a technology driven administrator, but instead as an administrator who sees the importance of technology to help accomplish my goals as a leader. Just like I see an importance in having a strong system to work in, a focus on relationships, and a level of accountability for high academic expectations…it all meshes and melds together into a modern, effective, collaborative leader.

I am thankful for leaders like George Couros, who model so well what I hope to emulate for my staff, my district, and the PLN that has grown right along side me. As a leader, it is not just teaching “stuff”, but it is helping people to see why it is so importance to embrace the change needed in schools today. Whether that be through the Fundamental 5, instructional rounds, or literacy circles, this is a space where I share what I’m doing, what I’m thinking, and how that relates to education.

This blog is an investment into the kind of leadership that will allows teachers to be the very best that they can be, ensuring each student gets the education that they deserve. Pre-social media (pick your noun- Twitter, Google +, Blogger, Tumblr), many administrators were actively learning and enhancing their craft, but it was hard to really show that one was a “lifelong learner” that we promote so actively to our staff & students. We now have a variety of tools at our disposal. We can not only share our expertise, we can share it in a much more open example of transparent leadership.

This is a space of collaborating, of communicating, of creation. It also happens to be a blog.

Focus on the verbs, not the nouns.

Verb-ish,

Amber

#EDUDO: Giving feedback…easy ways to make it happen!

November 2, 2014 by Amber Leave a Comment

Taking part in the #EDUDO movement, I thought I would share a couple of tips and tricks discussed in our admin meeting last week on providing feedback. There was an ASCD post recently from Robyn Jackson that highlighted 4 ways to give effective feedback. There was a post in the Washington Post that came to the conclusion that feedback was a crucial part of the walk through process.

“Although the researchers suggest that their results should be considered exploratory, they do suggest a general principle of instructional leadership that fits well with one overarching principle of learning: feedback is essential. Instructional leadership activities that offer meaningful feedback to teachers may help. Those that don’t, will not.”

How then can you give quality feedback when you have so much else on your plate? By planning, making it a priority, and having the right tools!

1. Plan to be in classrooms to actually GIVE the feedback!

We use Eduphoria which has several tools to help me keep track of how many walk throughs & observations I have done for each teachers. (You could easily make a checklist in Evernote, which I’ll come back to in a moment. Put that in your pocket, save it for later.) Each week I get an email telling me how many I have completed. Within the system I can I easily check to see how many i have done for each teacher. I also have it sent to email me each every other week when there are teachers that don’t have a certain number of walk throughs.

I also, with the greatness of Melinda Miller, have made it a point to write down on our calendars exactly who we plan on visiting. If not by specific names, then at least with a number of rooms per day. It sounds completely simple, but it has been surprisingly effective!

2. Go old school with a note!

I’ve used this form and it’s been my go to for several years. It’s template based but allows me to personalize. I print multiple copies each week and commit to sharing them. Being intentional in looking for the good…I never run out of good things to brag on! Print your own at “Technology rocks. Seriously.”

3. Tech it up a bit with a suggestion from the greatness of Jessica Branch. I like taking pictures when I see something happening in the classroom, but she suggested combining the Red Stamp app and the picture to send a teacher a visual “wow!” instead of a paper post it. You have the option to even email it straight from the app, so it’s easy!

4. Remember that Evernote from earlier? Pull it out of your pocket to enjoy it now! Evernote is a tool that I’ve used in the past to keep a running record of the classrooms I visit. I’m able to create a page for each teacher, and take notes of what I see happening. Our standard walk through form doesn’t allow for a longitudinal record of my visits, but in Evernote I can make simple notes of what I am observing and be able t track feedback over the semester/year. Teachers have access to what I’ve written and know what I’ve seen each time I’ve been there. This is valuable to help keep me in line with visiting at different times and making sure I am seeing different subjects and teaching styles. (whole group, vs small group, etc.) there’s also a handy checklist option! You can read more about that here.

Feedback needs to be timely and relevant to the learner’s needs in order to be effective. Keeping that in mind, be ready to share something timely, something constructive, and something positive. Without feedback of any kind, we would not learn at all, period. We would end up doomed to repeat the same mistakes over and over again…but it also ensures that teachers (or students!) feel as if we know what is happening with each teacher (or student!) individually. Their lead learner should be the person who delivers that feedback as well the one who can help them move forward.

feedbackN,

Amber

edcampDallas hosted by Wylie ISD! October 25, 2014

October 9, 2014 by Amber Leave a Comment

We have another opportunity to participate in an edcamp this month! EdcampDallas is being held October 25th, 2014 at Wylie East High School.

The tweetup, an opportunity to see and meet some virtual connections, will be held Friday night at 6pm at Houlihans.

Why should you give up a Saturday to go to an edcamp?

10. You are passionate about what you do and see the benefit in always modeling what it means to be a lifelong learner.

9. You know how tight your budget is AND how tight our budget is! Why pay to go away when you can have the best for free?

8. Differentiation is important to you and your development as well!

7. You agree that your favorite part of any staff development is talking with your peers, those who are in the trenches with you! Their perspective can give you support and strength.

6. You know that you bring something to the table. Your skills and expertise in what YOU do has value! (Think about hosting an session!)

5. There’s no pressure! Love it or hate it, you’ve invested no $$ to make you feel guilty about switching sessions during the day!

4. Meeting new friends and creating (or extending?) your PLN makes your heart happy!

3. Walking away with free, applicable tools for your classroom is a undeniable perk.

2. Edcamps are ALL inclusive. You get a breakfast, free sessions, door prizes, GREAT PD, and it’s all free. All you have to do is show up!

1. And the number one reason why YOU should come to edcampDallas at WEHS??

edcamps are EMPOWERING. It allows the true voices of the classroom to have a say in what is being done, in how it is being done, and in ways to IMPROVE what is being done. Take charge!

Take a chance! Come to edcampDallas! You won’t regret it! There are already almost 400 people from all around the STATE committed to attending!

edcampR,

Amber

Lane check…who is your “check in person”?

September 29, 2014 by Amber Leave a Comment

I love my daughter’s day care. They care about her, they love on her, some days they even fix her hair in these amazing ponytail/braid/thingies. (If you’ve seen that curly-haired energetic baby girl of mine, you’d know that is an impressive feat.)

One afternoon last week, I pulled into the drive of her school, and again experienced the dilemma of where to park to run in to grab her. There are two lanes under a large carport, and then an outside “lane” that is the fire lane. One half under the carport is clearly labeled, “no parking”…and being married to a fireman, I know you’re not supposed to park in the firelane. The dilemma comes in that every day there are people parked where I think they shouldn’t be parked. And every day I just pull up behind one of them and go get my girl.

How many things do you do in the course of your day because everyone else is doing it? Things that you may or may not think are correct but that you do none the less, because it’s what others are doing?

That afternoon, I grabbed the office manager and asked her what the correct protocol was for parking. (Inside carport, or fire lane is fine…for the record.)

It made me wonder again how much happens during an instructional day that we do, not because its right, or what’s best for students, but because it’s what everyone else is doing. I challenge you to find a “person” (if not a complete PLN!) that you can check in with that help keep you in the right lane…the one where you’re supposed to be, not just the one everyone is in.

vroom, vroom,

Amber