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

a Principal’s Bucket List…great ideas from other principals! #bucketlist #2018

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I came across a teachers bucket list on IG by @PrestoPlans and knew I wanted to do one! Several of the ideas would have translated into my admin shoes…but then I decided to make an ADMIN version! Of course, as I sat staring at the page…I realized I wanted MORE! (Please see the previous blog! ha!)

Thankfully, I am surrounded by greatness on FB and IG, and voila! Look at all of these awesome ideas!! Free, easy, and admin accomplishable!! Listed at the bottom are all the amazing educators who contributed! There were so many great ideas I couldn’t even add the cutesy clipart, just so I could fit it all in! Thank you SO much to those who commented!

Will you tackle this bucket list?? I think these ideas are GREAT…some are new to me (send welcome cards to new families, monthly! LOVE!) and some I’ve heard of and have yet to tackle (#noofficeday, darn it!!)

This makes me SO EXCITED about this semester!! Anyone want to race me, in completing this list?? #gameon!

Download the PDF here!


@PrestoPlans says she is also working on an admin version, keep an eye out for hers as well! #allthethings

Principal Pinterest pressure..it’s a thing!

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Have you heard the quote “Comparison is the thief of joy”?

I think that may have come out after the invention of Pinterest and/or social media.

Maybe its just me. Maybe I’m the one scrolls through the FB or the twitters and thinks man, I am so slacking. My outfits weren’t that fun. Each and every sentence outta my mouth isn’t Pictaquote quality. My staff development wasn’t that creative. My day left me in tears, and that chick has never cried a day in her life. (and what wrinkle cream does she use anyway?!?)

As if our educational world wasn’t tough enough, we have the constant exposure to all of the rockstars that we are surrounded by. The ones who obviously don’t sleep, the ones that have a bottomless budget, or the ones to whom everything just comes easier too. The pressure of the pinterest perfect principal…it’s a real thing!!

Don’t fall victim to the pressure, friends. There is always more to the story. I made a comment to a friend recently about how proud I was of her for data I had seen, 100% of her advanced students had scored advanced on our state test. She laughed, and said “Yea, I only had one advanced student though”. That sure wasn’t listed in the footnotes for the data on the screen! Please remember that you are only getting to see the highlight reel. 

You’re seeing a snapshot of their day, and that is it.

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That aside, what YOU do is good enough. That where YOU are is where you are supposed to be. I guarantee YOUR staff is appreciative of what YOU do, and is thankful for YOUR efforts. Don’t compare. Let’s be satisfied with what we do, and how we do it.  Let’s know that our reality is perfectly acceptable, in fact, our reality is awesome. We strive for perfection and success, and when we fall short, we feel less than and worthless. What we don’t seem to realize is that working toward our goals and being willing to put ourselves out there are accomplishments within themselves, regardless of how many times we fail or feel like

 

If you can scroll and be inspired, excellent. Tweak and twist, and reinvent for your world. That’s awesome! See something of mine you like? PLEASE reach out and I will share it all with you! Education is not a zero sum game. 

 

But if you find yourself constantly comparing, and worse, not measuring up?

The “unfollow” button is your friend. Use it.

 

Non-guilty-ly,

Amber

No teacher summer slide…FUN summer PD for teachers! #TTESS #PD

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I’m sure the last thing a teacher is thinking about right now is summer professional development, but! Melinda Miller is an amazing principal that I get to call friend, conference roomie, and creative collaborator! We’ve teamed up this week to bring our campuses a fun opportunity for summer professional development This is obviously not required, but some fun alternatives and for my Wolves, a chance to “win” a free day off in the fall for every bingo they complete. I’ve also offered a free PD book of their choice for each bingo! The activities are easy, and hopefully, something they can use to grow and stretch over the summer. The effectiveness of professional development depends on how carefully educators think, plan out, and implement what they are learning. These choices support not only our campus learning initiatives but also support our state evaluation system which asks each year for teachers to develop a professional growth plan. These are launching points for each teacher for their self assessment that we do in August.

I want our school to be a place where both adults and students learn. Staff who routinely develop their own knowledge and skills model for students that learning is important and useful. Their ongoing development creates a culture of learning throughout the school and supports our efforts to engage students in learning. A school that prioritizes staff development demonstrates that it is serious about all educators performing at higher levels. As a result, the entire school is more focused and effective. These activities are more FUN than what we typically see in a PD setting, but this is also a GREAT time of year for teachers to remember that learning can (and should) be fun!

Download here!

 

My teachers are done as of a half day tomorrow, so I hope they use some of these squares to connect with me over the summer, my halls are so lonely without them!

 

Summer planN,

Amber

Math Mysteries for your Students

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Dum da dum dum… duuuuuuum!
And that’s not a lolly pop offer, 🙂
I’m talking mysteries…plus math! Found a fabulous reminder this morning of a site I’ve used with GT students before, although it can also be used whole group. It combines problem solving with their natural mystery loving tendencies.
(Side note: Not a sponsored post, I just thought these were so fun for my third & fourth graders!)
It’s a great site for teachers. It also offers audio support for those who have difficultly reading and has the option to print each mystery out. You can even choose from different levels of mysteries. Challenge your students to write their own via google docs and let their friends solve…a cross curricular activity at its finest!
These would be great centers, a homework alternative for problem solving practice, or a great way to close out a classroom lesson. I know that energy and creativity can start to lag here in May, but this is an easy enough idea that can extend into something you could work into your regular rotation for the fall. I know your writing teachers would appreciate the push!
Enjoy!
Sherlock Amberolmes

The recipe for fail proof feedback, #empower17

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One of the benefits of being able to attend #empower17, ASCD’s conference is kinda getting a feel for powerhouse speakers. Ones that you know are going to be dynamic, knowledgeable, and have a proven track record for awesome. Robyn Jackson for me is one of those people. She is calm, she is clear…and she never fails to blow. my. mind.

Her session was on feedback and how to ensure that it was not only delivered The gem from today, amongst the many, was an illustration she gave on why it is SO important to give our master teachers feedback and how powerful it can be. Todd Whitaker is 100% passionate that the only way to get our school system to get better is to make every teacher like the best teacher, and how can you do that? By giving feedback that allows growth…but even your BEST teacher deserves quality feedback.

So imagine you spend the entire day in the kitchen, working on a recipe. Working so hard, giving it your best. You present the dish to your spouse, and what feedback do you get? Typically an “It was great.” or a “Don’t make that again.” Super helpful, right? So same recipe, and you give it to your nephews…and what do they say? “Can I have some ketchup, please?” They dump it all over the plate, essentially drowning out all those flavors and changing the flavor to something different completely. Now think about if you offer that same meal…to your best friend. She savors every bite…she moans and groans, “Is that rosemary? Do I taste lemon?” Her comments validate your efforts, drawing out every flavor. Then she says, “Ohhhhh….girl. You know what? What would happen if you added a dash of cayenne? That would be just a little kick!” So what do you do? You’re so excited, you remake that recipe, adding in what she suggested, just to see how it goes.

Think about the power in how to harness that to give feedback to your teachers. Do you give them all or nothing? Super generic, that deflates their energy? “I loved that lesson, you were awesome!”

Do you negate all their efforts, covering their energy and efforts with a different flavor? “I saw that you did this, yadda yadda,  but have you ever thought about assessing with this instead?”

Or do you dial down, identify the greatness, pointing out the facets that made it SO powerful…and then offer one lil’tweak that ENHANCES what you saw?

If feedback is going to be what moves our teachers along their own path of excellence, being able to offer specific, genuine suggestions is going to be what you as the LEADER, not the manager, can add to the equation! Your effectiveness will then be measured in how far you can bring your staff along, versus their compliance in just doing what you’ve told them to do…and that my friends, is leadership!

 

Recipe followN,

Amber