Leadership — Page 27

Are you a student principal?

May 31, 2013 by Amber 2 Comments

This post is cross posted from Connected Principals.

I met with a colleague yesterday to discuss our upcoming presentation for the Texas ASCD #Ignite13 on leveraging social media as an administrator for your staff, students, and families. He is a secondary principal who has recently been promoted to an area director in our district, so I feel like I was in the presence of a celebrity, 😉

As an elementary AP, it was interesting to hear his high school gems. The things that are SO important to elementary teachers and our climate are totally different than his. I found myself writing down several of the things he said, as just a reminder that there is a BIG picture out there. I think in my elementary world that gets lost.

My favorite line is from a discussion he had with a teacher over a scheduling decision that he was unwilling to be flexible on. (His policy made it easier for ALL students to get the credits needed to be successful and not be penalized for wanting to do extra-curriculars throughout the school year.) He told the teacher that he was here for the students. He was a STUDENT principal, not a teacher’s principal. He made his decisions on what was best for the students, not for the convenience of teachers. It made me think of the powerful piece I read from Jimmy Casas over the weekend, Front Porch Leadership.

Our job is make all of the adults that come in contact with our students have that kind of mentality, that we are truly here for the students. Their success, their self worth, their future. Inspiring others to WANT to be that way is my goal for the 2013-2014 year.

note taking,

Amber

Getting to do what we do, :)

May 23, 2013 by Amber Leave a Comment

This is cross posted from the Connected Principals site.

I wrote a post for our teachers on my blog talking about the opportunities that we still have before the end of the school year. At that point we had 16 days left and I gave 16 easy, free things that they could do that didn’t center necessarily with instruction, but instead strengthened a connection to a student.

The next day I received an email from a neighboring district collegaue. Her words reasonated with me, yet again, and I thought they might benefit you as well.

Thanks Stacy, for letting me share!

*********************************************************************************************************************************

Hi friend,

I have had a lot on my plate this year and have let a lot of things go as a result of that overload. I am getting back on board my plate and getting inspired. Last night, I read your blog post, and I think I tweeted you that it was great, and got further inspired.

So, since our district does not allow us to have personal, professional blogs, this is what I came up with. Read on and thanks for the inspiration.

I hope all is well in the land of the lions,

Stacy

From: Stacy
Sent: Thursday, May 16, 2013 8:52 AM
To: Our Staff
Subject: If I had a blog, this is an article I would post: The FINAL COUNTDOWN

I am about to reveal something that you likely didn’t know was a source of irritation for me, a “pet peeve”, if you will. We all have those, don’t we? I am no different! I would like to share that one of my biggest pet peeves is the public and grand “countdowns/days left” displays and discussions that inevitably occur at the end of the year or near any break.

Why? The biggest reason is the children. In this day and age, our children’s summers will not match the summer you have planned for yourself and your family. Many of our children will be engaged in day care and camps, but it just is not the same as what you have provided for 180 days at school. The message the countdown sends to kids is often a source of anxiety for a multitude of reasons. They are anxious about what the structure of their day will be; you have provided a regimented and predictable day for them for 180 days. Many of our children will spend their summer days craving the attention that you have given them over the 180 days that you were together as a class. Children like that consistency and knowing what is next; many of their summer days are spent without any structure, challenge, or real engagement with an adult. You have filled their days at McCall with love, happiness, security and rich experiences that likely will not be matched day for day in their summer days.

Second, children get the message that this is over—you are done and ready to go home. It isn’t over, we still have 16 days left to fill with math, reading and science and social studies. They begin to make bad choices because everyone is “ready for vacation”. When we maximize that time for them and plan great lessons all the way to the end, you don’t wear yourselves out because you are managing behavior issues due to unengaged, unfocused children. I came across the attached blog post last night from one of my peers in the tech world and friend from twitter, Amber Teamann. Her post is what inspired me to share how I feel about the countdown. She has a similar view, but wrote a GREAT post on a list to challenge you (and her staff) to complete the last 16 days. I am not saying not to be joyful over your summer and the plans you have, but try to not to be so public about it to the kiddos here at the end.

Make these last days amazing memory makers for the children and plan great lessons. The kids will LOVE you for it and you will have an end of the year to remember instead of dread, I guarantee it!

So, that was my “blog post” that can’t be published, but can be emailed, and embedded with another blog post that isn’t blocked by our filter. Life is full of problem solving and figuring out what we can do instead of what we can’t do. J

Here is the link to Amber’s post:

technicallyteamann.com/what-can-you-d…

Cally checkN,

Amber

What can you do in 16 days?

May 15, 2013 by Amber 8 Comments

We’re winding down and only have 16 days left for our 2012-2013 school year. Instead of thinking of it as “only 16 days till summer” what if we looked at it as “only 16 more days to make a difference”?

We’re going to start a EOY wrap with some fun ideas for ya, but I wanted to give you 16 short and sweet things you can do to make a difference in a child’s life between now and June 7th, 🙂 I challenge you to pick ONE for each day we have left!

Let a child know they are important to you.
Hug someone who needs a hug.
Whisper “You matter.” to someone who may not hear that at home.
Tell a student you were GLAD that they were in your class this year.
Eat lunch next to a student who struggles with social relationships.
Buy a random student an ice cream (I’ll pay!) and ask about their summer plans.
Ask your students what they are PASSIONATE about, and be ready tobe amazed.
Have a conversation with your students, not teach a lesson for one subject.
Ask how your students want to change the world.
Have your student’s give each a other a compliment.
Take a walk outside.
Discuss your favorite activities or memory from this year.
Ask what they would have done differently.
Color with your students. Even our big kid’s like to color!
Do a happy dance li
ke no one is watching. (Jenny’s class is GREAT at this!)
Go sit outside (before it gets too hot!) and read an inspirational book. (Sandra would love to suggest one for you! And I have my copy of “Things Change“, by Troy Aikman, if you’d like to borrow it.)

These are all easy, free, and a way to make a difference between now and then. A child will remember YOU and the way you’ve made them feel more than they’ll EVER remember a lesson.

Difference makeN,

Amber

Keep calm…and be a ninja!

May 6, 2013 by Amber 2 Comments

Back in October’s #edcampdallas, we had the great fortune of meeting Todd Nesloney (@TechNinjaTodd), who had driven down from Waller, Texas. He & his ninja counter part Stacy, (@TechNinjaStacey) were so enthusiatic and engaged throughoutthe day, they decided to go back and host their own #edcampWaller. It was a resounding success.

Much like Matt Gomez (@MattBGomez), Todd is a forward thinking, take charge kinda teacher and has been featured by many as one to follow, specifically in the realm of flipped classrooms. I asked Todd to do a guest post about his leadership on his campus and what results he’s seen. He’s a charismatic speaker and innovater…but he backs it up with phenomonal classroom results.

Thanks for the post, TNT!

I’ve been teaching for 6 years. Before that I worked four years at an elementary school as a classroom aide (as part of the “Grow Your Own” program) while I attended Texas A&M University. And before that I worked at an elementary school while I was in high school as part of the “Ready, Set, Teach” program. In those 11 years I have never learned as much as I have this past school year when I finally decided to step up and take charge of my own professional development.

Teachers are Leaders. The sad thing though, is that many of us don’t see ourselves as that. Sure we view ourselves as leaders of our classroom, but when it comes to helping out other teachers or other schools we sometimes feel very inadequate. Over the past 9 months, the number one thing I’ve learned is that there are far more exceptional people in education than I ever realized. Once I joined and became active on Twitter (in June of 2012) I found a wealth of knowledge, experience, ideas, and creativity from many of my new connections. It energized me. It lit a fire I haven’t had since before I started teaching.

So often as teachers we get bogged down by all the rules, procedures, and paperwork. We also can get derailed by those “Negative Nellies”. Those people who are so convinced that education can never be fixed and therefore they’ve given up. I was almost one of those people. Four years into my teaching career I was ready to quit. I was preparing my students for a test because the state and my district wanted great scores. I was shoving problem after problem after problem down my students throats. I was teaching them how to take a test. And in the process I was looking like an excellent teacher because my students were scoring exceptionally well! But I was dying inside. I view myself as a game changer. Someone who thrives on pushing boundaries and trying new and exciting ideas. But I turned into this robot who was making my students into test taking robots. I hated it.

Then I heard about the Flipped Classroom, Project Based Learning, and Twitter. And my eyes were opened. I decided no longer would I listen to those who said the only way you could get kids to be successful was to teach the test. I was no longer going to listen to those who said my ideas were too outlandish and that I needed to take a step back. I decided I was going to take charge of my own learning and I was going to forge new paths within my district for the betterment of my students.

For a while I felt very alone. Sometimes when you blaze new trails there are many people that whisper behind your back, that hope you fail, or that constantly tell you your ideas are crazy and it can begin to feel like you’re the only one on a sinking ship. Then I found my PLN (Professional Learning Network) on Twitter.

Through the power and connections of Twitter I was reminded I’m not alone. That out there in Texas and the rest of the country and the rest of the world are educators just like me. Educators who want their students to LEARN not just to take a test. Educators who want to push boundaries, change conventional thinking, and really challenge their students. I found a network of peers who encouraged me, cheered me on, challenged me, and best yet have walked with me through every step of my new endeavors. Have I met many of these people in person? No! But I have met some! And getting to meet these people in person fires you up even more. I now attend every single conference and training I can in hopes of finding more people like me and of course in hopes that I’ll get to hang out with or meet more of my twitter friends. I now even plan my own conferences (EdCampWaller) in hopes of bringing even more great minds together.

And better yet, these new endeavours and connections haven’t only benefitted me, they’ve also benefited my students! Now my students are getting these fun and engaging lessons that I’ve heard about from other educators. My students are getting to connect with other classrooms from all around the world. And best of all, guess what, since I refused to teach a test in October of 2012, my scores have increased by 12% to an almost perfect pass rate this year. Who said you have you to teach a test?

So don’t fret. If you’re trying new things and often feel alone, forge ahead! Seek out other educators through Twitter or whatever other avenue! Step outside your comfort zone and you will find a world of encouragement and learning that you couldn’t have ever even dreamed of. Take charge of your learning and lead the way!