Technically Yours Teamann — Page 16 — my version of transparent, collaborative leadership…with a Teamann twist

Introducing Wen-Zen-day! A day of “zen” for students and staff…

August 17, 2018 by Amber Leave a Comment

I’ve mentioned the greatness of my principal peer, Dr. Helm, before. She is the elementary principal at George W. Bush Elementary…she and GWB are practically besties! Not only that, she has really great ideas that she frequently shares with me…and you know how I love that! One of them that I am completely stealing is her way of bringing ZEN to her students and staff.

When we met to go over a couple of different things in the summer, one of the ideas she mentioned that she did at her school was “Wen-ZEN-days”. This caught my attention because last year for our staff book study, the overwhelming choice by teachers was “Unshakeable” by Angela Watson. Balance and self-care for our teachers is SO important. They work so hard, they always get stuff ADDED to their plate and very rarely do we give them permission to take things off. As conscious of this as I try to be, I still feel like there are teachers who are doing things that were expected of them many years ago that don’t know how to NOT do them. “Wen-zen-day” is a day we’ll start this year as an effort to strategically build in a time weekly for reinforcing mindful practices on the campuses for both teachers and students.

She initially shared the concept with teachers in her weekly newsletter, with an easy way they could try as well.

What is Zen

Finding a moment of Zen you are fully present and are experiencing life in a way that the rest of the world- in its insane marathon of haste, chaos, and busyness-typically ignores. Tuned into the actuality of the present moment you are living life. As it happens.

Right now.

Practicing mindfulness is one of the single most powerful things you can do for your wellbeing. Want to give it a try? Visit http://www.happify.com for guided meditations and other mindfulness-building activities designed by experts.

Then she shared a “zen” idea they could practice with students…

Recently in the news we have heard more and more about the benefits of mindfulness and purposeful breathing in the classroom. So I want to share how I incorporated a 30 second breathing activity into my classroom last year, and how it made all the difference for me and my students.

First, when students entered my room, there was a “Do Now” on the board for them to get started on. This allowed them to come in and quietly get to work instead of sitting down and talking to friends and then having to call the room to order. During this time, I greeted them all individually. I was building relationships by checking in on each of them and giving them each a personal greeting. If a student had a bad day yesterday, I could ask if he was doing better today. If a student seemed sad, I would walk over to his desk and crouch at his level and check in to see if anything was going on.

After everyone had finished the “Do Now” activity, we did a really quick breathing exercise. It’s so simple. Ready?

Breathe in for four seconds.

Breathe out for eight seconds.

Repeat three times.

That’s it. Quick, easy and FREE!

To set it up, I told the students that we were going to take 30 seconds every day to breathe. I asked them to sit up tall, like their spine was made of a stack of pennies, and have both feet on the floor. They could close their eyes or look down. I asked them to imagine breathing in like they were smelling a flower, and breathing out like blowing on a bowl of hot soup – carefully so as not to splash soup everywhere!

For the first couple of weeks, I asked them to jot down a few words that described how they were feeling before breathing, and then immediately after breathing. The point of writing it down was to call attention to the way our body and mind shifted when we focused on breathing.

Okay, I know what you’re thinking. What about the kids who would use 30 seconds of silence to make inappropriate noises? Good question. Of COURSE this happened. My advice is to not give up. It took several weeks to normalize this in my classroom. Some students WILL struggle with it or use the opportunity to do something silly or crazy. I placed some tape on the floor right outside the doorway of my class, and if any students didn’t participate appropriately, I would simply ask them to breathe out in the hallway the next day. I didn’t make a big deal of it, I just asked that they do their breathing out there to avoid being a distraction to those who were breathing in the class. Eventually, these students would learn to come in the class and focus and participate.

It’s easy to give up at first. It may seem like they’ll never get on board. But they will! Just hang in there. I also modeled breathing by calling attention to times when I needed to take a breath. I would say, “Hey guys, I’m feeling a bit anxious right now. I’m going to take a few breaths in the hallway.” Or if the whole class was dysregulated, I would stop and everyone could do a quick reset by taking a few breaths together.

Here’s the deal. You are the leader of your classroom. You have a choice. You can be frustrated about all of the pressure, mandates, and items that are out of our control… or you can do something about it. Something that is free. Something that just takes 30 seconds!

The benefits have been researched and discussed time and time again, but for my class, I can say that my students were able to sit in their desks and focus, even with the chaos right outside of our non-existent door. They were able to use breathing to help calm them down before a big test or before they had to give a speech. I believe that it gave them a tool that they can call on throughout their lives when they start to feel stressed or overwhelmed. Teachers – I can tell you this. It just takes 30 seconds, it is free, and it will help bring a sense of calm into your classroom!

How great is this??

We’re going to implement this here with our Wolves. My counselor is going to lead the charge each Wen-zen-day on the announcements. I love the idea of a vertical language, K-4, all dedicated to our well being. The momentous Institute also has some incredible resources!

If you’re looking for buy-in, let your team dress comfortably on those days! The mental health of our people is SO important…important enough to be strategic about the taking care of them!

Zen seeking &

#Principalconfession: Data day stresses me out.

August 10, 2018 by Amber 4 Comments

I’ve talked a lot about how I think transparency in this role is crucial. There can be so much pressure to be Pinterest perfect, even as a principal. Now that I am entering year 4, I generally feel as if I have a pretty good grip on what I am doing and in what direction we’re all heading.

Nothing will make me doubt that faster than a deep data dive.

This post isn’t about the merits of testing or my personal stance on its purpose in education. I don’t want to debate any of that drama. It’s above my pay grade! THIS IS NOT THAT POST!

This post is about how it makes me feel, physically, when trying to have a conversation, with one of the hardest working staffs I’ve had the privilege of working with. One that is encouraging and supportive, but also accountable, challenging and motivating.

When we met as a district leadership team to review our campus performance data, my roller coaster of a reaction varied on the page I was on. Some pages were great. Some were amazing. Some made me see the potential. Some had gains across the board and some had leveled off.

I should also point out that we did really well, overall.

But that isn’t what I walked away thinking. I walked away needing a pedicure and some quiet time. My immediate next step was to figure out how to deliver this same info to those hard-working teachers. Even what we did well in was overshadowed by the areas where we could have done better.

My goal, always, via Todd Whitaker, is for them to walk away from our campus meetings more excited to teach tomorrow than they were today. This meeting did not do that. Even my body revolted against me, I could feel the beginnings of a fever blister.

Delivering the reality of what we did, knowing that we can always do better (b/c hello, growth mindset and we can ALWAYS DO BETTER!) is incredibly difficult to do without making people feel like what they did wasn’t good enough. And even if that’s true? That is a sucky thing.

I think I need to read more sports leadership books…this is what coaches deal with all the time, right? Playing hard, leaving it all on the field…and still not winning every game. That can be the reality in the classroom too.

I have decided that we won’t be doing anymore whole group data days moving forward. We’ll meet separately as a grade level PLC, and have these conversations. Same data will be shared, face time will still happen to everyone. Celebrations will be more meaningful and but I am hoping the “where can we ‘level up” chat will also be easier in smaller safer place.

So there. Principal confession. I hate data days. I love data and what it can to help, guide, and inform…but man, it stresses me out.

Make me feel better and tell me YOUR principal confession!!

Confessionally and

When you get what you want, but it isn’t what you need…

July 20, 2018 by Amber 7 Comments

I came across a picture on time hop today of a lil’giftie I handed out on my first day in a new job, many years ago. It was an out of the classroom job, and genuinely where I thought I wanted to be, professionally. I was so excited about joining a new team, all bright-eyed and bushy tailed.

I’ll never forget the utter defeat I felt when several of the more seasoned professionals in said new department brought the cans back down to my cubicle, announcing they “didn’t have time for “cutesie” things like this”. The derision in their tone was PALPABLE.

It took a year and a half of those kinds of moments, those kinds of defeats before I would make a move that put me back into a setting where I could breathe. Where I could be myself. Where I could feel successful.

As we gear up for a new school year, if you find yourself in a place where you aren’t happy or feel like you can’t breathe… take heart. There is a place for you, where you can feel purposeful, and like it’s where you’re meant to be. Mine came mid-year. I kept my head up and treated every day like it was a job interview. I honed my skills and narrowed my professional intentions. I connected with George Couros, who changed my life and introduced me to a connected world that gave me all kinds of opportunities, relationships, and friends. When an opportunity came up, I was ready.

Don’t start the year sad or discouraged about where you are.

Start the year with the intention to be REALLY good where you are so you can be GREAT when you get to where you want to be.

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Encouragingly &

#NAESP18 Teamann takeaways, ideas I’m using THIS year!

July 11, 2018 by Amber Leave a Comment

I can’t recommend educational conferences highly enough, for all levels of leadership, for all levels of learners.

Now I say that with the following caveats…I think learning is fun. I think FUN learning is important. I think everyone can grow and be better. I enjoy being challenged and pushed out of my status quo complacency.

If I’m the smartest person in the room, then I’m in the wrong room.

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Luckily, there were so many opportunities for this to occur at the #NAESP18 conference this week. While there’s only so much I can cram into my brain but here are the FIVE fun & easy takeaways that I am going to make happen THIS year.

Welcome to Whitt, kinder bags! Hand out bags stocked with information, a book, playing cards, crayons, a card game, and “tool sheets” to new kinder families…You can read what Jessica Cabeen, former kinder principal extraordinaire puts in her bags here. What are things that your kinder kids could benefit from? I’m going to add #thewylieway info, welcome postcards with a video from me, and PTA info.
Host your own maker space! I really enjoyed Joe Mazza presentation on Maker Dads. MakerDads is about supporting fathers everywhere to step up and create real-life, low-cost learning experiences for their kids from day one of their parenting careers. An added dimension is connecting fellow #Makerdads around the country with the use of technology, social media and facilitating a ParentCamp. My favorite line was that dads don’t come unless they are DIRECTLY invited. Inviting families doesn’t equal saying DAD’s, come on out! I want to add a “tech autopsy” to our maker space, space where students (in a supervised manner!) can take apart old technologies. Follow Maker Dads here!
Start “Kid Principal” videos! Interview a student from each class, one grade level at a time. I can see them asking ME questions, or me asking them things like, “What do you think I do all day?” or “What’s the most fun thing at Whitt?” these will be shared out once a month! Just another gem of greatness from Jessica Cabeen! For more of what she did to earn her title of Nationally Distinguished principal, you can purchase her book, Hacking PK- 3 Learning here!
Set big goals? Who holds you accountable? Sean Covey talked about the practice of setting “WIG’s”. That stands for wildly important goals…not to be confused with a “PIG”, which is a “pretty important goal”. He encouraged students to set goals, which we’ve all heard of, but an added twist, he suggested asking students to detail HOW they are going to get to their goals. For example, instead of just saying I want to run a marathon (Clarification: this is an example, I have zero desire to run a marathon…or actually to run, period. :)) he tells you to break it down. List three things you can to do help get yourself to that goal, like run three times a week, drink more water, and eat two healthy meals a day. That adds specificity to the goal, rather than it being broad and undetermined. He also suggests that you have an accountability partner you meet with to go over your progress in your goals. I love the idea of this with students AND teachers, and hope to incorporate it into our Wed-zen-days we’re starting this year.
Competitively encouraging the #wearewhitt pride! Joe SanFelippo offered a tee-shirt to the first five people who found him at a school district event and could recite the district mission statement. He mentioned doing it at all events, like open house or muffins with moms. I LOVE the idea of a fun giveaway that I can share in crazy fun ways. This one was easy and involved both big and little Wolves…and that just makes my heart so happy. Never miss an opportunity to say or share something great about your school! This idea and others can be found in him and Tony Sinanis’s book, Hacking Leadership.

As always, my absolute favorite part was the people who I got to connect with. At one point, I looked up to realize that at the table with me included teh accolades of three Nationally Distinguished Principals, published authors, and a prolific podcaster, in additional to a tattooed skateboarding principal who is redefining what we do as administrators. It’s impossible not to want to be better.

I am so thankful for those in our spaces who share, who share openly, and share with the knowledge that when we do, we make us all stronger.

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Whether it be from a hashtag, a chance meeting or an impromptu hallway smackdown…the relationships that can be developed, are not only real, they are inspiring.

#NAESP proud &

Hiring an assistant principal? Reading suggestions for new leaders! #cpchat **UPDATED with book links

June 25, 2018 by Amber 10 Comments

My amazing assistant principal was named principal of another school here in our district this past week. (!!!) We are SO excited for her, but that means I’ve got an incredible opportunity to bring on a new partner in crime. A new leader is bright…shiny…full of energy, ideas, and motivated to do their best.

A new leader means I also now have the INCREDIBLE RESPONSIBILITY of having a new partner in crime!

I remember the exact moment I realized as the new principal that the growing, molding, and motivating of my assistant principal (and actually, my whole office staff!) was my responsibility. While she herself, obviously, played a large role in her own development, it was me who would help guide and direct her as the leader of the campus. It was a weight I’d never contemplated so seriously before..but one I won’t take for granted.

You manage things; you lead people. —Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper

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My new AP is fresh from the classroom, and I know she is excited and bringing incredible strengths to the table. When we meet for the first time, I have this tool that another principal in our district shared (Thanks, Dr. Helm!!) to go over.

Here’s a PDF version!

What could I add? Any experienced admin have any suggestions?

I have several books to hand her as well.

I’ve also already got an order placed for several books that I feel are vital to the well-rounded, multi faceted leadership approach that we embody here at our campus. These are books that I either read and reread regularly or feel have led to the kind of leader I want to be, the perspective I want to share with my teachers. I can’t wait to share copies with her!