Principal — Page 12

Tips & tricks to planning as a principal, part 1

June 29, 2016 by Amber 3 Comments

This summer I find myself able to actually THINK ahead…something last summer didn’t allow, as I had NO idea what I was supposed to even be thinking about!

I’m a planning nerd, which is surprising considering how much is always happening in this role. Someone shared via Twitter recently, ”

The principal’s day is spent in hundreds of brief tasks, many lasting under a minute. An hour has upwards of 50-60 separate interactions with students, parents, custodians, and teachers. The flow of interactions is nonstop, hectic, and often unpredictable…”

That so perfectly describes the frantic pace…my goal for 16-17 year is to work ahead, and be ahead enough, that I can stay in the flow of productivity. That flow, if you’re a Covey fan, is in quadrant II.

In order to make that happen, I have a few tricks that I think will make this easier. Starting with, a strong PROACTIVE approach. I was so reactive in 15-16. Planning is essential to keep my mind AHEAD. And while yes, there are cheaper versions out there, investing in a quality planner makes a world of difference. They are of better quality, which means I can put my hands on them daily, and they aren’t going to fall apart and have to be redone mid-year. (Which I definitely don’t have time for!!)

An Erin Condren Life Planner… As techie as I am, I have to have a paper planner. I take this with me to all of my meetings. I make notes on the daily pages if I meet with individual teachers or parents, which can come in handy. (Record keeping as an admin can be extremely helpful.) While I don’t take “notes” per say, documenting dates and timelines are very important. It also allows me to track each year what we’d done the year before. If you’ve never bought an Erin Condren, you can use this link to get $10 off…every little bit helps!
A sturdy notebook. This was probably my favorite “trick” from last year. No matter what meeting I went to, district, parent, team, PLC, etc. I took all the notes in this one notebook. It has my requisite happy quote on the cover. It had everything I needed from week to week, for easy reference, and I was able to mark to do’s with highlights and post its. Next years, 16-17 is ever better, because it has a built-in task list which will make it even easier to keep track of my “must do” items. Being able to design the cover seems so materialistic but all my favorites? Plus more happy quotes? Guaranteed to make me smile and during the year, you need all the smiles you can get!

Convert your to-do list into an accomplishable list. I love lined post-its. They are just the right size for me to jot everything down. And I do, jot EVERYthing down. It becomes a revolving stressor on my desk…. Moving forward I am going to plan on utilizing the 1-3-5 method of daily to-do’s. Feasibly, you can only accomplish one big thing, three medium-ish things, and five smaller things in addition to all the day to day happenings. Making yourself choose a 1-3-5 list means the things you accomplish will be the things you chose to do—rather than what happened to get done. Prioritizing ruthlessly seems to be the only way to actually get done what’s most important in the little time that we have as educators.

Part 2 I will talk about what you can be doing this summer to get yourself ahead for the 16-17 school year! I’ll also be highlighting a Principal/Teacher organizational system from the Principal Principles. I can’t wait to share!!

Summer scheduleN,

Amber

Now hiring: A principal mentor… #thefirstyear

June 13, 2016 by Amber 1 Comment

It’s over. It’s done. I will never be a first-year principal again.

<<insert wiggle dance>>

That spring semester is no joke. As evidenced by my lack (no, really, LACK) of blog posts would suggest, May was fast and furious. I took a ton of notes, which means hopefully I will have time to process and write this summer so that next May I will be able to navigate the quick turns with the ease of a veteran administrator.

This post, however, I want to focus on a need I have. The need for a mentor. A legit, talk me off the cliff, an in real life, time zones be darned…mentor.

Consider this my social media want ad:

Now hiring: (but not actually able to be paying) a mentor. A veteran administrator who has seen the pendulum of education swing, and is not easily swayed by the standardized testing system. Preferably someone who has experience with a high socioeconomic clientele… Must be willing to entertain conversations concerning team dynamics and best practices. Should be apt in an ability to balance all the in’s and out’s, of all of the things, and help me prioritize. While I am able to meet deadlines, I do struggle with completion panic, wondering if all things were done to the level expected. Or if it could have been better…or in a different, more efficient manner. While not blinded by this role this year,

there were definitely missteps…ones that have me banging my head against my proverbial desk asking “WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!”

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The best part about this want ad is that I am connected. I am VERY connected. To my detriment connected. Why would I need a mentor? I can vox with literally some of the best administrators in the nation, some of the most prolific speakers, key notes, and authors are my PLN turned friends. How could I not have a mentor?

I’m not real sure. I just know there were several moments this year where I was alone. Utterly alone. Making my mistakes. On that island that we all speak about. Why didn’t I reach out? Why wasn’t there a way to connect that would fit inside my #thefirstyear bubble?

And that is why I need a mentor…to help me figure out what I am doing in that bubble that didn’t allow the connections I’ve spent years investing in weren’t able to help me when I needed it. This year ended on a high. Knowing that I want to be even better than I was, however, I’ve decided to place this want ad. Please let me know if you’re interested in applying, 🙂

I will guarantee some high-quality conversations, random mail goodies, and occasional nervous breakdowns.

summer reflectN ready,

Amber

Leadership during severe weather, lessons learned! #thefirstyear

April 13, 2016 by Amber 1 Comment

A destructive hail storm pummeled North Texas this past Monday evening. The hail caused significant damage to homes and cars in our little ISD, even causing us to cancel school Tuesday, for a “hail day”. (Everything’s bigger in Texas, right?) From golf ball sized hail at my house to SOFTBALL SIZED HAIL in another neighborhood…we were hit hard to say the least. Check out this aerial view:

Immediately after the 15 minutes of pounding rain and hail (I posted a video on instagram!) there were tasks to be handled and leadership implications. From checking on my campus to checking in on my teachers, I’ve added multiple tools to my leadership toolbox that will hopefully help myself (and anyone else!) not miss a beat if they go through this again or something similar!

Do you have a check-in plan? While I had most of my staff’s numbers in my phone, I didn’t have EVERYONE. Needing to not only know the extent of damage to their personal homes but being able to personally reach out is important. I am thankful for my PLC leaders who were able to contact teams, and report back to me. Group texting is convenient but sometimes needs to just be between me and the person I need!
Do you know the multiple modalities of communicating to students and families? I now know how to access my Skyward family blast system from our district website. It was HUGELY helpful to email all of our families and give campus & district updates. We posted it on Facebook and twitter, but in a situation like this I really needed to access as many ways as possible to get the messages out. (Campus website, marquee, phone blast, etc.) I’ve now saved these links within my chrome browser so I can access them at home if I leave my laptop at work.

Communication in an emergency is crucial and keeps all of your stakeholders informed and calm.

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Who will walk your building if you can’t? While our district was amazingly prompt, I needed to walk my halls and give an immediate assessment report to our superintendent. Thankfully my car was in our garage and I was able to get here quickly. There were hundreds of cars completely totaled from the hail, making them undrivable. If you or your teachers can’t travel, what’s the plan?
How will you be able to help? One campus posted on FB that they would open their gym on our “hail day” allowing parents some kid free time to handle broken glass, phone calls, window repairs. If your building is habitable, what a tremendous support as parents are dealing with all their damage.
Who is your district contact? From sub questions, to damage reports, to teacher needs…who and how will you communicate with district leaders? I am blessed with a text savvy supt so he is available ALL the time ( I don’t think he slept Monday night!) but you will have many questions. Know your contacts! (And, as importantly, have their numbers at home!!)
What will you do if your teachers are impacted? Our district resoundingly responded with not many out at all today, despite the damages incurred on many houses. We had a plan on how to divide up students if necessary, and have car pool plans now in place for those without vehicles. How will you cover classes and/or duty if your people can’t get there? From homes with holes to daycares with no roof, there is a myriad of reasons people have had to miss today.
Where will you be? Videos on the news showed our amazing teachers, janitorial staff, administrators, and even our superintendent being all hands on. I raked yards, helped carry in tools/wood to cover windows, and delivered lunch to roofers. It has all contributed to such a STRONG commitment to our district and community. Humble leadership is down in the trenches and if you’re able to contribute, it will make an impact.

This has been a year of learning experiences, that’s for sure! I’ve taken plenty of notes in the last 48 hours and while I hope I don’t have to use them again this year, I feel SO much better about how I will handle what mother nature throws our way!

Texas weather ready,

Amber

How do you know if you’re doing a good job? #thefirstyear

March 15, 2016 by Amber 2 Comments

I’ve said before that there is no manual that comes with a leadership role. How very much easier it would be in life if every time you had a question or were presented with a situation, you could simply turn to the relevant page and see how it should be addressed. But we all know that is not true in life, and it’s definitely not true in leadership.

Recently I’ve found myself wondering how do I know if I am doing this whole principal thing right? What are the measurements in being “successful”? Is it everyone being happy? Is it knowing all that there is to know? (gulp.) Is it happy kids? Is it happy teachers? HOW DO YOU KNOW?

The answer is…..

impossible to measure?

non-discernible?

based on assessments? (but which ones? State? Local? Common, formative? Rabbit trail, that one is…)

popularity?

definitely not easy.

In speaking to those infinitely more wise than me, I think that you just do the every best that you can and know that you are always growing. Keep yourself surrounded by people that you can have heartfelt, genuine, reflective conversations with, on a regular basis. From your staff to your parents to district leadership…be open in discussing how they are feeling and how they feel the overarching principles that you want to lead by are being received. Are you fair? Are you consistent? Are you doing things for the right reasons? Have there been any misunderstandings? Is what you are saying what they are hearing? The answer to that may surprise you…but the only way to KNOW is to ASK. #lessonslearned

I’d be interested in hearing from you…what are the markers of you feeling as if you’ve done a good job? How do you know? This question has kept me awake at night lately, and would love to know what you think! And while you’re thinking about it, this post has now gotten THIS SONG stuck in my head. You’re welcome!

survey seeking,

Amber

Make your Fridays in February…fabulous! #thefirstyear

January 25, 2016 by Amber Leave a Comment

What’s that? Am I writing something in ADVANCE?? Or is it that I couldn’t sleep and decided that the 4am hour just might could be a productive one? 🙂 I’ll never tell!

There is a voxer group of my PLN peeps that have genuinely become friends. We voxed pretty much every day for a good two years before we’ve kind of drifted into random/occasional voxes…and me so much more so than them. One of the greatest take away from that group was the idea of “Fabulous Fridays in February”, from the awesome Melinda Miller. Knowing that February can potentially be a dreary long month, she peps it up with fun activities each week…just a lil’something to look forward too. Each year I’ve added, adjusted, adapted to the campus I’m at to help being some of this fabulous along with me! Plus, you know I love a good theme!!

Now, I know I post a lot of “culture” building posts…please know for every one of these I post, there is a PLC meeting, a 504 meeting, or some kind of PD convo that is also taking place. There are walk-throughs, there are coaching comments, and there are deep conversations. All the roles and responsibilities of a school principal are important. I just also happen to feel that a positive school culture is imperative. School culture is the heart of improvement and growth.

School culture is the heart of improvement and growth.

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It is the deliberate decision by the leaders of the campus to create a positive school culture that enables the other areas (effective, intentional instruction for student success for example) to also achieve noteworthy outcomes. Notice, I said leaders, not just the principal.

I think teacher leaders are just as, if not more, important than a principal.

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They have a power amongst their peers that is hard for an administrator to replicate.

Now, that being said, back to the fun stuff. February is a long month. No holidays immediately in sight, the Christmas break has worn off, and typically, the spring testing has started to rear its ugly head. I want my teachers to WANT to be at school.

I want them to look forward to being with our Wolves, and to know that I value what they do for our campus.

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Creative little celebrations don’t take much money, just some foresight to plan ahead. You can recruit PTA moms, involved moms, local churches, local businesses, team leaders, office staff…anyone to help you lighten the load. Something as simple as a thank you note can make a world of difference to a teacher who is tired. I have some special Wednesday incentives as well that I will be handing out for various things, which will be new for me this year that I’ve gotten from a new Plano principal, Mrs. Taylor. I’ve attached those below my fabulous Canva picture below! (If you haven’t started using Canva to rock your world yet, get to it!!)

Are you doing Fab Fridays? Or Marvelous Mondays? Terrific Tuesday? Tweet me your great ideas! Here is my 2014 version, and my 2015 version as well!

Stay fab,

Amber