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

#SAVMP- How do you encourage leadership?

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leadershipLeaders are everywhere. They aren’t just the ones in charge. Take for example the office clerk in Georgia, who was able to prevent who knows how many injuries or even possibly deaths.

Antoinette Tuff said she convinced an armed Michael Brandon Hill, 20, to surrender after a brief gun battle inside the Ronald E. McNair Discovery Learning Academy in Decatur, Ga. The heroic bookkeeper said she stopped the gunman from going to a schoolyard filled with frightened children ‘because I knew that if he got outside, he was going to start shooting the kids.’

What if she had decided that it wasn’t her job to step up and step in? That she wasn’t a LEADER, that she was just a book keeper?

I firmly believe that we can ALL be leaders in education. It doesn’t take a title to step up, it takes a heart for kids, and a willingness to do what is best for them. @TechNinjaTodd wrote a great post for me on being a teacher leader and the ways that he has taken on some different leadership roles on his campus. Teachers, you can look for leaders in your classroom too. Have you talked to your students about what it means to be a leader? How impactful that would be for your campus…if we all realized what a difference we could make…

George Couros asked on our recent  #SAVMP hangout about what campus admin can do tomorrow to help encourage leaders. I think you start by empowering your staff to recognize their strengths. Regardless of one’s love language, (cough cough) who doesn’t appreciate being recognized for their effort? I am big believer in supporting and promoting what you want to see more of…I did it in my classroom, I try to do it on our campus. That doesn’t mean isolating and leaving out anyone else…just highlighting what you think supports the campus vision.

I started with teachers who had a penchant for technology…asking them to help their peers, to help  lead staff development, all the way up to where we had multiple teachers presenting at the local regional tech conference. (So proud!) I saw our teacher branch into tweeting with professionals, utilizing different creative collaboration tools, and actively seeking opportunities to grow. That fire was there, it just needed to be stoked.

Look for the sparks on your campus. Whether it be students in your class, teachers on your campus, or members of your PLN. It just takes a spark to start an inferno…a leadership inferno.

 

Fired up,

Amber

 

What if every day started with this?

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Yet another reason kinder classes could teach the rest of us a few things… I sat in on a morning routine this week and was so tickled to hear & see this. Wouldn’t we all have better days if we started each day singing this to ourselves? I think they have their priorities straight!

Singingly,
Amber

Why I lead…and why you should too! #SAVMP

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mentorI had never planned to be administrator. My Master’s degree isn’t in administration. It’s in Technology and Curriculum Integration, one

of the very few options at the time. (In 2005, technology in the classroom wasn’t at all in demand the way it is today!) I think I’ve always

 

Mentoring and being mentored is an important process, especially when it comes to leadership and feeling your way through the minefields of working with a large collective group of people. I’ve been fortunate to have have spiritual mentors, professional mentors, even some friends I look up to as a mom & wife mentor.

George emailed me not too long after ISTE with another one of his genius ideas…this time to create a School Administrator Virtual Mentoring program, an opportunity to collaborate and share with administrators arounds around the world. How could I not want to be a part of this?

Our first tasky task (shout out —> @KylePace) was to introduce ourselves to our mentees and also blog about why we lead.

been a step up and step in kinda girl (imagine that…) and while my career path hasn’t intentional landed me where I am today, I do think I am where I am meant to be.

As a teacher, I was REALLY proud of my classroom management skills. I could silence the entire cafeteria by myself and could snap my fingers with the best of them. It wasn’t until I was able to see the proverbial “big” picture that it made sense to me. It wasn’t until I became an assistant principal and looked back that I completely cringed. I wish I could go back and tell that girl to calm down. That talent isn’t nearly as important to the “big scheme” of education as I thought it was.

What’s most important? Building relationships. Championing for the underdog. making children LOVE school and LOVE to learn. Challenging the status quo. Ensuring that ALL kids (even the one s that make you groan) get a fresh start every year. That they are able to come to a place where they get hugs, attention, a place to discover WHO they are…and more importantly…who they CAN be.

This is why I am a leader…to help all of us get to where we feel that everyone together is better than anyone alone.

That we can make a difference in the life of a child.

That no one should feel alone. Or unprepared. Or behind.

We have that power. Take advantage everysingleday. We’re all leaders.

I can’t wait to work with my fabulous mentees: Amanda, Chris, and Matt!

SAVMP-ly,

Amber

What’s on your refrigerator?

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This post is cross posted from Connected Principals.

 

2798066405_aa99a03ea4_n  Today I had the opportunity to sit in on an MST vision planning meeting in preparation for the 2013-2014 year. I am changing campuses next year and my new campus is Watson MST. The MST stands for Math, Science, & Technology. There is a strand of MST schools within our district that follow this focus. Students who score above a certain percentile are “invited” to attend.

Anyhoo. In this meeting, while trying to establish a framework of beliefs for the MST program, a brilliant colleague, the principal at the other elementary magnet, Jason Adams, explained in a unique (to me) way of looking at what were doing.

 

He said, “Think about your refrigerator at home. What’s on it? Pictures of your kids? Schedules? Recipes?  Postcards? You have things on there that are important to you and that you want a reminder of, to be able to look at every single day. We want these beliefs to be on our MST refrigerator. What’s so important that we want to remember  and be reminded of it every day?”

What a GREAT activity for teachers (and students!) to do at the beginning of the year. Have something that represents your school or your classroom and let each teacher or student “hang up” what is important to them.

We, as a group, voted on what was MOST important, but I can see this being something to keep up all year long…with everyone’s input, to help keep that vision front and center all year long. Vision is crucial!

 

Magnet-ly,

Amber