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

The Power of Positive Leadership

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I posted something on Instagram this week about choosing happiness. So much of our attitude and mentality is within our control…but it’s up to us to harness it! As I sit, awaiting our state STAAR scores…I thought it would be a powerful reminder that my happiness is my choice. 😉
( 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 salespeople sell more than pessimistic salespeople. (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 whereas 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 2018 summer to do list…let’s see if our positivity buckets can all overflow!
Sunshine SpreadN &,

Letters to the Beast…or what I wish I knew at 16…

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Recently my oldest, my beast, turned 16.

16, ya’ll.

That’s OLD!

That’s driving age, thinking about college age, preparing to be all grown up age. When I think back to who I was, or thought I was going to be at 16, I don’t know that I had any concept of the life I had before me. All the things that I would go through, the friends that would change, or the reality of that all grown-upness. Those crazy fun college memories, the lessons life would teach me. That was a distant possibility to a girl living in the Grove. (aka: the hood!)

I wish I’d had more of the friends I do now, the levelheaded mature friends. The middle-aged (gulp.) ones that see past where you’ve been and instead empower all that they know you are.

The independent, strong friends…who remind me of who I still want to be, even at my age.

That show women have a choice, and a voice…the power to do what we want when we want…if we are calm, and think things through.

That you can be your own boss and you can walk your own path.

That you’re not defined by your mistakes, and can actually grow to be even more wise and stronger because of them. Ones that tell me that mistakes don’t derail your dreams, sweet girl, but instead, just give you a more creative, scenic route, to get you there.

The friends that help you see that strong women aren’t your competition, that Jesus loves you, and that your parents are actually way more right than they are wrong.

 

Luckily, I am surrounded by women who teach me these messages. Some of have been in my beast’s life for a few years, some for all 16. Some are family, some are practically family. Knowing that she’d never listen to these messages from me, no matter how great our relationship is, I reached out to the amazing women in my life.  From the one that was in the room with me when I delivered to the ones I call now to lament her high school teenage angst with…I reached out.

I asked them to write her a letter. A “What you wish you knew at 16” letter…and to seal it up in a self-addressed stamped envelope and mail it to my girl. On the first of each month (and a few extras for “bad” days”!) she’ll choose one, not knowing who it’s from, and read their words of wisdom. The incomparable Emily Turner (owner of RaiderDoodles) hand decorated each envelope. They are incredible! Each one is different and special. The beast has opened each one so carefully, she wants to save the artistic envelopes too! Look at these!

 

 

 

We’re a few months in now, and while each one has made me cry, they are also already heavily creased from her rereads. The words they shared have already made an impact. They are all directed to her in this stage of her life…and have varied from a bulleted list to four pages of “you’re incredible, you’re amazing and here’s what you do when you don’t feel that way”.

They’re beautiful. They’re heartfelt.  They’re what I ALSO wish I’d known at 16.

I am so thankful for the powerful, strong women in my life. Not just for me, however, but for the love and the guidance they’re now sharing with my beast.

 

Value the people in your world, from your IRL relationships to those you know online. You never know when you’ll have an opportunity to grow and learn from what they have to offer.

 

Changing the Way We Think About Leadership #EdWriteNow

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When I reflect back on the professional opportunities I’ve been blessed with, I am so thankful to have many that rank way on up there. I can’t think of one, however, that had as much of a purpose as the one I experienced this summer. When Jeff Zoul and Joe Mazza initially reached out, about the #EDWriteNow project they had in mind, I was flattered, I was humbled, I was terrified. The concept was unique…10 writers, sequestered and challenged to write 5000 words…one chapter contributing to the overall message… of changing the way we think about different pressing facets of what we’re doing these days in education. All proceeds would benefit an amazing cause, The Will to Live Foundation; an organization founded to support teen suicide prevention. I signed on to the opportunity and agreed to donate my time and write a chapter; all of which would be completed in 2.5 days over a weekend in July. Saying yes was a no-brainer!

I am fortunate to be surrounded by REALLY smart friends…like award-winning, multiple books, bestselling author friends. It is humbling at times to look around my PLN and the collective knowledge and expertise that exists. This group of ten was no different. This was a group of passionate, involved, committed people. Our first meeting was a brainstorming session to establish what we would each write about. In the next 48 hours, we set up a schedule that allowed for solo writing time as well as partner share/reflection time. We had the chance to connect and give each other feedback. (By the way, stressful environment? Try chatting with authors like Starr Sackstein or Tom Murray…both with multiple best-selling education books, them giving you personal feedback on your writing… sheesh! The pressure!) The goal was to have our individual chapters completed by Sunday morning.

10 chapters, 10 authors, one book. It was incredible.

The topic I ended up landing on was one I’d been struggling with for awhile.  Why is it that when you read about an administrator in the paper, or on the news, it’s in a negative light? When did school based leadership automatically become the bad guy? It was pressing on my heart then, and even now…I struggle with knowing my position has the traditional connotation of negativity. Given that I’ve been threatened and belittled with profanity TWICE in the past two weeks, again says that we need to change the way we think about leaders and how we go about our position.

Here is just a smidgen on my piece, “Changing the Way We Think About Leadership”.

The administration title carries a unique work load. Our days are filled with decisions. From decisions that have a major to a minor impact, we spend each day with a list of things to do, and then chase the many fires that occur instead. We know the good, the bad, and the ugly…from students to staff, to our community. On any given day we decide what goes in a coke machine to whether we feel a parent is mistreating a child.

Much of what we do is dictated by state and district policy, and yet, there is no instruction manual that you’re given when named “administrator”. While we are able to make a sustainable impact, we are still held to the highest of expectations. That’s why we get the big bucks, right? To never make mistakes and ensure that everyone is happy.  Our decisions and the implications of that what we say goes is a heavy load. It’s an incredible honor, but it’s also incredibly stressful. There literally is no winning in some situations. Everyone will not be happy with the decisions made.

Leadership means making the hard decisions sometimes.

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Recognizing that education itself is different than it was even just 10-20 years ago calls for also recognizing that the way we look at the role of “administrator” needs to change. It needs to evolve before any other of the changes we want to see happen in education can occur because like with most other decisions made in a school, it starts and can stop right at our door.

Gone are the days where anyone can do this job alone.

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 A quote that anchors much of what I believe and share is by David Weinberger, “The smartest person in the room, is the room.” Connecting to other practitioners in this day is too easy for it to not be happening in school district and campuses, world wide. Whether it a virtual relationship via social media, or a core group of peers whose opinion you value, there is such benefit in having a group to collaborate or share ideas with. It can also be lonely in that office all by yourself. By developing relationships and making professional connections, you are exponentially increasing your ability and opportunity for success within your walls. By flattening what we think of when we think  “administrator” we have the power of changing everything about what we do. An administrator who dares to do things differently and challenge the status quo of what has been done before can not only transform their role, but empower all of those below…by bringing them alongside.

 

I can’t wait to see how the entire book comes together.

Be sure to pick up your copy of Education Write Now. You’ll support a great cause, and hopefully, be challenged to think differently about education, right now.

 

Sharingly,

Amber

How do you know when it’s time to unfriend?

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Recently as I was scrolling through Facebook before bed, I came across a video shared by a friend. It had an inflammatory title, and was quite evidently, taken of a group of people committing a crime. It had been shared from a site I’d never heard of, but when I clicked on it to see exactly what kind of site it was, I was distracted by the hateful, hate-filled, hostile comments from the video. They were so disturbing that I immediately had to click off and away.

It unnerved me, but I clicked off FB and went back to watching the news.

As I laid there, the video began to gnaw at me. Why was it shared? What was the point? Why would you contribute to that kind of vitriolic message??

Worst of all…how could someone I am “friends” with so openly perpetuate that kind of message?

I couldn’t stand it. I went back to FB and left a comment…

“I’m disappointed to see this shared. The message and comments there are inherently hateful.”

Typically, I would have just ignored it. Maybe I would have unfollowed this friend and felt content in doing so. Even commenting is more than I would have done in the past. I felt like I should just stay out of situations I didn’t know how to articulately involve myself in…but this time, I just couldn’t.  

We’re at a time where when left unchallenged, hate persists and grows.

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The next day, when I checked to see if maybe, just maybe, this friend had embarrassingly apologized for the share, or deleted it. Much to my sadness, that wasn’t the case. It had been defended..and predictably, there were already heated comments left on the “share” as well.

I deleted the friend. Regardless of our past, of our history, or of whatever originated a connection worthy of facebook…I no longer want to be apathetic to situations where silence could equal acceptance.

It still feels insignificantly inadequate, to merely delete someone. But maybe it’s a starting point in openly drawing a line…and knowing that I need to, against even those I thought were friends.

I asked a couple of friends I trust to read over this…to ensure that the message I am intending to come across, does. One responded with the words, “Silence makes us all complicit.”

Silence makes us all complicit.

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I don’t want to be silent any longer. Deleting was the first step, writing this was another.

 

Hitting post,

Amber

Thinking August PD? Ways to innovate for your staff!

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Summer is always a calmer time. It allows for reflection, for refocus, and time to plot your course moving forward. For us, that means thinking about what professional development we are going to offer when our staff comes back in August. Knowing that we don’t want a sit and get kind of offering I’ve been doing research on different ways we can offer what we know has to be done,  but in a manner that sets an example. Here’s what we’re contemplating:

  • Starbucks model: What’s the best part about Starbucks? the laid back, friendly vibe. Set up your room for tables of two or four and have drinks and light snacks available. Provide each table with conversation starters, campus questions, or trends that you want them to think about. Have them record their reflections via tweets with your campus hash tag. Show the tweets to the whole campus via Twitterfall or Tweetbeam.
  • Your own “Idea Smackdown”: While I’ve seen this done at Edcamps statewide sharing apps, how fun would it be to have your teachers stand up and in 30 seconds share their best classroom management idea, small group math station ideas, or guided reading template tip? Whatever your building initiative is, you can tailor this strategy to support it! Time it and go!
  • Breakout Edu: Adam Bellow not only enjoys his steak the RIGHT way, but he is also the CEO of Breakout Edu. Breakout EDU, founded in 2015 by James Sanders and Mark Hammons, provides kits to schools and districts allowing for immersive game play. Specifically, with either a wooden box kit ($119) or a plastic version ($89), a group of individuals has all of the tools required to play one of over 200 games accessed freely on the Breakout EDU website—some developed by the founders, others created by the users themselves. What better way to get your team thinking like a team, than to throw them into Breakout Edu?
  • SpeedGeeking: I’ve used speedgeeking  (similar to speed dating!) as a way to introduce teachers to new technology applications in a short amount of time. What if you took that same concept and applied to different initiatives happening on your campus? You could also use this method for getting out all of the mundane BTS to do’s, like messages from the nurse, secretary, data clerk, etc.
  • a Twitter slow chat: We read “Teach Like a Pirate” several years ago and used this twitter chat model.  Not only did it encourage them to be more active on the Twitterverse, but it allowed connections from across the nation as all kinds of educators jumped into the conversation.
  • FB book study: Create a closed group. Use Adobe Spark to create discussion questions. Schedule them to post using Postcron. Allow your teachers to answer them within a scheduled window of time. Encourage conversations by responding to posts and asking follow-up questions. We used this last year for Couros’s “Innovator’s Mindset”. 
  • Take a cruise: Set up tables (but call them “ports of call!!”) with different ideas, articles, information that you need/want to be shared. Invite your teachers to “take a cruise” and visit however many ports you want the to visit. Create a passport where they can record their thoughts/reflections. I anticipate having “ports” they must visit in addition to “fun” ones as well!

 

The most important thing about whatever you plan is to remember who you are planning it for.

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 I know of a campus that took their team to a swim park last year. Thank goodness I knew better to try something like that, 😉 but now having had my staff for two years,  I am thankful that they are willing to do some of these unconventional PD ideas with me!

 

 

PD planN,

Amber