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

Summer thoughts, :)

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By this, I mean I’ve taken quite the little blogging break as I’ve enjoyed my summer break. 🙂 Plenty of sunshine, snuggles, and sleeping…all good things!

But like a great book (also of which I’ve read a ton!) all good things must come to an end. This is my last week off and one of the things I wanted to do was kick off 2012-2013 blogging summer thoughts and preview some of the things I’m focusing on for this year.

 

Also, this ensures some accountability on my part to follow through, 🙂

#1. No office Days!

I heart my PLN and many of the administrators I follow (@Dwight_Carter, @datruss, @shiraleibowitz, @L_Hilt & @PrincipalJ@matthew_arend) participate in “No office days”. The concept is simple. Schedule some days when you DON’T stay in your office. 😉 You spend the whole day in classrooms, participating in lessons, grouping with students, and generally, just interacting with children. I can’t WAIT to do that this year! You’re not there to do walk throughs or “spy” but seriously just there to be out of your office and see what a day in the life of a student in your school looks like. I think it will be a great reminder just how hard teachers and students work each day.
#2. Don’t lose sight of what our goal should ALWAYS be…students!
Mr. Howard and I had the privilege of of attending a leadership conference in June called the “Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships” conference. Other than the ASCD conference in Florida with my fun techo girls P&J, this was the best. conference. ever.
***They’ll have their OWN deservingly separate posts later.***
We heard some amazing keynotes, some insanely apropos speakers, and really had the opportunity to refocus on what was most important to us as leaders. Luckily, JH and I are so similar in theory and thought that we were able to have some great conversations of what his long term vision for Luna was and how we could get there. It’s all about the CULTURE, the RELATIONSHIPS, and the opportunity to take advantage of the fact that as educators we get to CHANGE LIVES. That’s who I want to be. And this year? Conscious effort to be aware of it…
#3. Energy. Energy. Energy.

Remember this? I heard Jon Gordon for the first time this summer and have decided that between my bounciness and his books that there should never be a “bad” day in my world! Last year brought on some distinctive and challenging situations. I ended the year drained. Mentally, emotionally drained. There’s only one way to go from there and that’s UP. I’m not going to be a plate spinner, someone who waits until a plate starts wobbling before I give it more attention. Inevitably, it’s me, my energy, that I leave for absolute last. This year? I will prioritize every plate I am spinning. I will eliminate plates that accomplish nothing. I’ll evaluate how much time I spend on plates that are of little value. And lastly, I’ll plan on making sure my performance reflects my spinning. Thanks to Mike Metz and his great EC plate spinning summary, 🙂

Longest post in awhile, 🙂 but again, I’m counting on accountability from my PLN to keep me on track!
Listingly,
Amber

TEPSA #12

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These resources are intended for the TEPSA 2012 audience in Austin.
🙂
Here is the link to the initial “why” twitter question.
Here is the link to the prezi.
Here is the link to the “Flutter” video.
Here is the link to the Listorious site and the “educational” relevant lists.
Here is the link to the educational hashtag page, as well as a very basic “getting started” guide.
Here is the Connected Principals website, my profile page on Twitter, and an article on whyadministrators should tweet that I wrote for a member of my PLN.
Thank you for attending this session and let me know if I can answer any questions for ya!
a’Tweetssentingly,
Amber

If…

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If you knew I was next door….would you still talk to your students that way?

If it was your child…would you treat them like that?
If it happened to your grandchild, would you be calm & rational?
If you knew your coworker behaved that way, would you say something?
If you “liked” a student more, would you be more lenient?
It’s challenging as an adult to self-reflect. I think most people GENUINELY think they are doing the best they can. Are you able to see how you come across to your students? to your peers? to your students parents? or more challenging, have you asked yourself those questions?
I genuinely think as a first teacher I was proud of myself when my administrators saw me “getting onto” or admonishing students. Looking back now, I cringe. What I thought was effective was actually way more detrimental to my relationships than I thought.
The three words hanging in my office: energy, enthusiasm, and empathy are the three that are my compass. If i have a trying task at hand, or a daily situation I’m dealing with…I’m always hoping to use three words as my guide. If you knew that, would it make it easier to understand why I act the way I do?
ifN,
Amber

The 2012

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We’re back, it’s calm & quiet, and its like we haven’t ever left!
🙂
I don’t believe in New Year’s Resolutions, mainly b/c I never seem to follow them, 🙂
What I do believe in is making positive changes that will impact my life. That being said, my list of 8 (duh!) goals does involve some professional statements. One is to maintain and continue BEING POSITIVE. We started our year with bucket filling, and somehow, over the past semester I think I lost my focus. Be it the stress, the sickness, or the fast pacedness of the fall, I ‘m not sure. I do know that I like me more when I’m chipper and happy. 🙂 Being positive isn’t just an attitutude, it an be a life uplifting direction. Check out these tidbits I came across from Twitter:
( I love Twitter. @8amber8)
  • 1. Positive People Live Longer – In a study of nuns, those that regularly expressed positive emotions lived on average 10 years longer. (The Nun Study)
  • 2. Positive work environments outperform negative work environments. (Daniel Goleman)
  • 3. Positive, optimistic sales people sell more than pessimistic sales people. (Martin Seligman)
  • 4. Positive leaders are able to make better decisions under pressure. (Heartmath.org)
  • 5. Marriages are much more likely to succeed when the couple experiences a 5 to 1 ratio of positive to negative interactions whereas when the ratio approaches 1 to 1, marriages are more likely to end in divorce. (John Gottman)
  • 6. Positive people who regularly express positive emotions are more resilient when facing stress, challenges and adversity. (Several Studies)
  • 7. Positive people are able to maintain a broader perspective and see the big picture which helps them identify solutions where as negative people maintain a narrower perspective and tend to focus on problems. (Barbara Fredrickson)
  • 8. Positive thoughts and emotions counter the negative effects of stress. For example, you can’t be thankful and stressed at the same time. (Several Studies)
  • 9. Positive emotions such as gratitude and appreciation help athletes perform at a higher level. (Heartmath.org)
  • 10. Positive people have more friends which is a key factor of happiness and longevity. (Robert D. Putnam)
  • 11. Positive and popular leaders are more likely to garner the support of others and receive pay raises and promotions and achieve greater success in the workplace. (Tim Sanders)

 

I’m ok with ALL of these things!!
(I’m pretty sure Troy Aikman agrees with #9. IJS.)
Add being positive to your 2012 list…let’s see if our buckets can all over flow!
Positively,
Amber