An email from our amazing counselor today… I never thought I’d feel more vulnerable than being a teacher in a parent-teacher conference until my son started kindergarten. As the teacher, I set the tone for the meeting: warm, always with chocolate, and open – we sat in chairs without a gigantic, imposing desk between us. […]
Vulnerability in Parent Teacher Conferences Read More »
Our Wolves came back to school this week. Ain’t no tired like first week of school tired…but ya’ll. Today is Wednesday and it was SO smooth. Like kinders could handle lunch today smooth. We spent two days working on names, and hugs, and relationships. We went over the “essentials” of being at Whitt, and I
Get the basics right..and let the rest follow! Admin goals for 17-18! Read More »
We’ve all got parents who are passionate for their students, who want to make sure that they are doing all that they can to ensure their students success. What happens when that passion comes across as combative? This is a situation every administrator has had come up in their career …also one you may have
#11: Uh oh! How do you work with a combative parent? #askanadmin Read More »
One of the challenges in being an administrator is never allowing yourself to forget the passion you had for your building when you first got there. Do you remember how excited you were when finally, after wanting and feeling like you were ready, you were named administrator? It’s an incredible feeling. It’s easy in the
Q10: As the leader, what are you MOST proud of at your school? #askanadmin Read More »
One of the benefits to our downtime in the summer is that we actually HAVE downtime. I have the opportunity to dive deeper into data, start plans for next year, and spend some time deep cleaning/organizing my office. This week, I also had a reminder that even when I think I’ve covered my bases, I
When awards go wrong… Read More »
Advice. ədˈvīs/ noun guidance or recommendations concerning prudent future action, typically given by someone regarded as knowledgeable or authoritative. Everyone has advice to offer. Sometimes it’s solicited, sometimes it’s not. Sometimes it is helpful, sometimes it’s not. I always get questions in the spring asking how to handle certain questions or how to prepare for
Looking for advice or its been given? You can go your own way! Read More »
This is the time of year I struggle more than any other. Spring in Texas is just hard. The weather is wonky. It’s testing season. My teachers are exhausted. My students are spring fever-ing. Spring break is past, and there’s much to do before we can call it summer. I can’t fix all the things.
It’s spring…how can you support teachers when they’re tired? Read More »
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
All about changes? Remember this… #IMMOOC & an @ASCD giveaway Read More »
I have the benefit of being at the annual ASCD conference, #EMPOWER17, this weekend, and as always, there are so many incredible things to learn and to see. But the best thing that happened today? Completely random and happened because I just have no social fear. We were walking back and forth down one of
#empower17, step out of your lane! Initiate conversations! Read More »
I am a relational leader. I am casual to a fault. I can’t help but build connections, which leads to relationships, which leads to a MUCH BETTER LIFE FOR ME. I have the benefit of having the VERY best parents in my Whitt Wolf world. One of them Mrs. Stacie Smith is not only a