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

Involving Parents in your Academic Standard

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We all know that it takes a partnership between home and school to foster the kind of connections and growth we strive for as educators. When you have those kinds of quality relationships, it opens the door for parents to support the academic standards as well as the socioemotional ones.

I meet with a group of parents each month and have for the past 2 1/2 years. This group serves as my parent focus group, ones who are willing to sit down and have face to face conversations with me. This has led to several academic conversations that give me an insight into what my parents are thinking, as well as engage in some thoughts I have or decisions that we’ve made as a campus.

One that has come up over and over again is the idea of homework. Knowing that I scheduled it as a “think tank” conversation this month. I’ve written recently about avoiding those education extremes, homework included, and wanted to share specific things that parents could do at home to support ALL students and their academic growth. I wanted something that they could use with our kinder Wolves to my 4th-grade Wolves.

Knowing how incredibly valuable time is, I wanted to focus on skills that would transcend any specific content area and would fit naturally with a parent just living life with their student. Knowing that if it’s easy and meaningful, it would have a greater chance of sticking. We’ve also spent a considerable amount of time in our PLC’s talking through ways we could engage our families with our guided reading initiative and I wanted to offer a way parents could do more with reading, than just, well…reading…so the backside has questions that any parent could ask to help push students past just working on fluency and go deeper with their comprehension.

The end result was this, a Homework Helper. It was well received by my parent focus group and I thought maybe you could use it as well!

Bonus! I crowdsourced and solicited ideas in ways to help build a stronger connection from school to home with literacy, and this padlet was born. Let me know if you use any of these ideas, or feel free to add some of your own!

 

Partnership helpN,

Amber

Why should reading and writing be authentic? #taketwo

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At some point, as the adult in the room, we have to recognize that as long as students are reading and writing for a fabricated purpose, there is only so much energy and time that they will commit to the assignment. Churning out students who hate a subject but can perform in a standardized way isn’t doing anyone any good. While there definitely isn’t a chapter in your teacher’s manual that asks, “Why should reading and writing be authentic?”, it’s something that should be in the back of your mind while planning.  Even in the context of a classroom they can (and should!) be presented and taught as authentically as possible. When we present students with an authentic purpose, and have cultivated a reason for them to read or write that extends beyond an assignment or a classroom, then we will start to see their voice and passion come alive.  It may be an off the cuff assignment or look a little different from what the teacher down the hall is doing, but that is ok too.

As a fourth grade teacher, I had the pleasure of preparing our students for our state writing assessment each year. Have you ever tried to convince a 4th grade boy that writing is FUN? It was always a challenge! Realizing that the goal was to get them to find something they enjoyed writing about, or something that offered them a reprieve from a grammar worksheet became my mission. One year (pre Mrs. Teamann, of course…) we wrote letters to Troy Aikman, ℅ Valley Ranch and the Dallas Cowboys. The topic was “Why Troy Aikman should marry Miss Gattis”. Persuasive essay, check! Letter, check! We pored over and over those essays, edits and clarifications were flying through the room. No one wanted to let a typo get to Troy! (least of all Miss Gattis!)

Any subject that we teach has the opportunity to make an impact.

We work with students, children, who haven’t yet discovered that they have the power to change the world.

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Motivating students to be critical readers, to read for enjoyment and knowledge, is a gift that we can give them. Reluctant reader? I genuinely believe we just haven’t found the right thing for them to read yet. Everyone has a passion, we just need to find the right book. It’s up to us, as the adults, to help model what it looks like to be a lifelong learner…a lifelong reader. My elementary colleagues, it just gets harder as they get older…it’s up to us to make elementary school not only FUN but also never losing sight of what it means to have academic integrity. Do we make that a priority? Are we giving enough time in their day to read for pleasure? Are read alouds still happening? One of my 4th grade teachers still does a read loud and she is amongst the top in the district for growing students. She wouldn’t give yup that time for anything…and the books she chooses are MEANT to hook kids into reading, it is very intentional. 

We live in an incredible world, where students have the opportunity now to connect with anyone, and I mean anyone. I have teachers who tweet authors, or celebrities, and colleges, all while modeling to their students what it looks like to communicate in a digital way. Students can blog and share their reflections with an authentic audience. George Couros has shared this image with me before.

 

There are too many opportunities for our students to read and write, and connect globally, to not take advantage of their greatness!
I run into former students all the time…and I can’t tell you how many of them remember those letters we wrote. I bet you they couldn’t tell you one single prompt from an assessment from elementary school…but they all want to know if I ever heard back from Troy!

 

 

PS: I didn’t. Which may actually be a good, non-stalkery ending to that story! 🙂

 

Always a fan,

Amber

Ways to keep growing as a leader… #taketwo

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I’ve mentioned before that one of the things I think that impacted my leadership last year was that I put all of the “me” things on the back burner, including my own growth as a leader. In years previous, I was very active on twitter leader chats, participating in conversations, I was more involved with my local and state leadership opportunities, and would attend several conferences throughout the year. These opportunities helped me stay connected to my PLN (aka: peer friends!), helped me stay abreast of current and emergent leadership trends, and even grounded me as an administrator.

This year, more determined than ever to not lose sight of those things that I truly think help me maintain balance, that myth that we as educators all strive for, I’ve added more to my plate. Contradictory, isn’t it? Last year taught me however that when I spend too much time on the things I HAVE to do, vs the things I enjoy or WANT to do, I am not very good at anything. 

I have the privilege of having been named an ASCD Emerging Leader last year. ASCD has incredible resources to support educators overall, and in particular, those who want to GROW. They’ve been doing the ASCD Learn Teach Lead Radio podcast with BAM Radio for several months now and it’s getting extremely popular. There are great conversations with educationally centered authors on the show, and they are quick and easy to listen too. I’ve begun listening to one each Sunday as I get ready for church. All episodes can be found here. If you’re a teacher, looking for the same kinda knowledge, I can’t recommend Anglea Watson and her “Truth for Teachers“podcast enough. These are 10-15 minutes of PRACTICAL teaching advice, that both newbies and veteran educators can grow from. From genuis hour help to procrastination, she covers the #realtalk part of your world.

Professional reading can take a bad rap, but I again contend that when it’s something I WANT to read, it makes a huge difference. I blogged over the summer about what I was reading to grow, and that hasn’t stopped, even with my busy elementary fall world!

Three books you should stop and get NOW are:

  • Renegade Leadership, by Brad Gustafson. The title is enough, but Brad makes me want to be a better principal. Centered in student learning, he makes it sound SO easy to also be a renegade and push the status quo. My favorite part is that he doesn’t expect you to stop ALL the other pieces that we know being a leader means…the HR side, the finance side, the paperwork side. He shows you to be a renegade in spite of all those necessary components.
  • The Starter Guide to Makerspaces, by Nick Provenzano. Makerspaces are one of the things that I just don’t get. Thankfully, “The Nerdy Teacher” has written a book to help me! I definitely plan on leading my staff this Spring to a place where we can MAKE and MAKE confidently!
  • ROI powers ROI: The ultimate guide to think and communicate for ridiculous results, by Michael Rose. For $9 on Amazon, you can download this book. It just makes me think differently about what I try and communicate to my people. Sometimes the WHAT loses all its importance if you don’t master the HOW. Please see #thefirstyear for more on that! This book has made me pause before I speak and that is a good thing.

Last but not least…conferences. There is such power in connecting, not only myself, but also my teachers. I sent several to go hear George Couros a week or so ago, and EACH ONE OF THEM  have come in to me and asked, in different ways, how they can take a risk or lead differently. It doesn’t matter that I push them WEEKLY, it was hearing him speak that made them step up..and out. GO to a conference. SEND your people to a conference. No money? Find an #edcamp near you.  On my radar for the spring/ summer?

  • TCEA– Haven’t been in several years and am looking forward to presenting with Matt Arend on Snapchat in Schools, and also with him and Sanee Bell on Leadership through Failure.
  • ASCD– Missed last year, and won’t make that mistake again! Early Bird rates are still available!
  • ISTE- Local this year (ish!) and I’m taking a team of teachers…ISTE has come a long way with integrating academic best practices with emergent technology ideas, it’s worth attending every few years!

 

How do you maintain the “growth” part of your role as an educator?

 

Always learning,

Amber

Summer reads: 10 books to consider when #principalplanning

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With just 18 days alllllll to myself, I have developed a stringent plan to get all my professional reading in. While I would usually say that my break was for fluff reading…I’ve been doing pretty well on that, 🙂 and need to get all these books in that I’ve been collecting on my desk read and processed. Some are rereads that I’ve committed to consistently rereading. Some are new finds, recommended at the PLC conference we attended a few weeks ago.  Some other leaders have suggested. Each title was selected with a targeted area of growth in mind, and I’m hoping that by committing to tweeting/blogging about them I will be more accountable for their leadership message. Choosing to  develop and enhance my growth mindset through personal accountability and reflection should ensure that these gems of greatness are more than quick reads, but that they are cornerstones of the leader I want to be.

 

bookie books

 

Now, if I can get through a Jennifer Weiner novel in a day, surely I can handle ten books in 18 days, right? Of course I can. 🙂 Especially knowing that these titles are meant to not just motivate, but to also add structure and MEAT to the notion of leadership. I can pin happy  quotes on Pinterest all day long, but what I need is the structure, a system if you will, of how to apply these principles in the crux of the day to day operations of leadership. Don’t tell me to go swing…tell me how to be the leader my district, my teachers, and my families deserve me to be.

Do you have any that you’d suggest I’d add to my stack? Tell me what and why!

book buried,

Amber

A book study via Facebook… #InnovatorsMindset #thefirstyear

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innovators mindset bookstudyWe have a collective leadership team on this campus that is undertaking a book study this semester. When looking at the hectic schedule that we already know is in place, we had to get creative in how we would undertake adding an additional to do.

First, I knew that I needed a book that would be timely and relevant to where we are in our journey as a campus. I wanted something that was easy to read, but something that could guide us from where we are to a more collaborative, innovative place. It would also be more beneficial if it impacted our practices from THEIR mindset shift, versus a top-down approach.

Second, there wasn’t a day or an hour that would have worked for multiple teachers on multiple grade levels. I’ve done a Twitter book study before but knew that I wanted deeper conversations.

Third, I’ve had some great conversations with my PLN about how I needed to be able to sustain the energy and focus that I have this first year moving forward. I have to be able to manage adding a book study. I needed a time management piece.

The solution?

The Innovator’s Mindset, by George Couros…as a book study in a closed Facebook group, that I can schedule using PostCron.

Several friends have done book studies on FB, and speak to the ease of conversations, of the simplicity in posting images with questions, and the management piece.

I created question images using Canva and have scheduled them to post using postcron. They’ll post on Mondays, early, so that as teachers read they can come back and reflect on the questions. On Wednesday, I’ll post a video or blog post that goes along with the chapter as well for further thought.

FB schedule

Luckily. George has provided all of these resources for me on his website. It doesn’t get much easier than that!

I’ll keep you posted on how effortless, and yet impactful, this book study truly is!

 

Mindset ready,

Amber