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

Leading Out of Your Comfort Zone

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This weekend I’m at an SDE conference with my kinder team.

Kindergarten is its own beast, ya’ll.

I taught fourth grade. Big tall fourth graders who relatively could control their emotions, tie their shoes, and regular complete multistep tasks.

There were two opportunities I had to cover some kinder classes this year and my’lanta. I’ve never been more thankful to see those teachers show back up in my life! It was such a reminder that our teacher work hard and are EXPERTS at what they do! When this team asked if they could attend this kinder specific conference, I was all about it.

Why did I come?

Because I have never taught kindergarten,

Because their content is important.

Because rarely are you as the admin able to provide grade-level specific content to EVERYone, but especially kindergarten. (Think about your specials teachers, your experts, the odd specialists…how do you move them from point A to their point B?)

Because I had the opportunity to eat, text with, laugh and grow as this team got stronger together.

Because I get to hear what they are hearing. When they ask me to buy those heavy-duty fancy paper plates to build sand individual sand trays, I now know the reason why.

Because dear lord, I don’t know everything and can ALWAYS find a takeaway to make me a stronger leader.

Take advantage of moments to step outside of your comfort zone. Model what it means to genuinely be a lifelong learner. 

Don’t just talk the talk, walk the walk…but most importantly, walk WITH them.

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Kinder caring &

 

(Also, important to note, I’m here today, Sunday, only…will be back with the rest of my Wolves for school tomorrow! #allthethings)

Get the most out of your conference/professional development!

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How do you as an administrator (or teacher!) feel about conferences? Professional learning? Empowering your teachers?Here are the things we did to maximize sending our team of teachers to #TCEA! Make the most out of your next conference!

Often our budgets and #allthethings (subs! testing! schedules! teaching!), make it impossible to send every teacher we have to attend any conference. I am a very big believer in growing and empowering the team I have with me, so I allocate a substantial amount of money in my budget towards teacher development. We did an individualized book study as a campus, my kinder team is attending the SDE Kinder conference this month, and my first-grade literacy leaders went to see the guided reading guru Janet Richardson when she was close. We had the awesome opportunity to send a team of teachers to TCEA last week. In meeting with these risk takers, I wanted to make sure that we maximized their benefit, as well as our staff, to learn all that we could from the conference!

We had a PD today where each TCEA tripper will share something they learned. They’ve staggered their sessions throughout the day. For a couple of teachers, this was REALLY out of their comfort zone, so they are presenting the same tool/session three times. For some, they have three different things to share. As our Wolves attend sessions throughout the day, I’ve asked them to tweet out their gems of greatness with #wearewhitt. (GO check it out!!) We’ll pull that thread up in PLC on Wednesday and explore all that was shared. Ala George Couros, I didn’t go over the “how to’s” of twitter today, I just gave them their expectations and off they went! It was a GREAT day of learning!

Asking for those three tweets will help each teacher not only have “notes” for what was shared but also allow them to experience all of the sessions that were offered today. Many went over the 20 minutes allowed, which will just make your principal heart so happy! This also solidified for the teachers that went that there were expectations on their experience. Preparing and presenting will help keep what they learned in focus…everyone knows that tired head feeling after you’ve returned from a conference, the one where you are so overwhelmed you don’t know where to start? My people have a plan!

As a last attempt to ensure we could get everything possible out of the conference, I’ve asked teachers to implement ONE strategy, tip, trick, or tool that they learned about today into their lesson plans for next week. It didn’t have to be something that all 22 students had to be able to do, but maybe it could be used as an opportunity for those who need enrichment. (I shared the Discovery Education Spotlight on Strategies and was AMAZED that it was all new to them!!)

 

As an admittedly techie administrator, there aren’t a whole lot of “things” that I haven’t heard of or been exposed to in my 15+ years of teaching, techN, etc. BUT until ALL of my teachers are as comfortable and confident as I am…then I am not done learning either! My goal is to never walk away from any session and think I’ve learned nothing…even with a tool my district pays for, I was able to glean useful strategies to help build up my Wolves. 

Be that kinda administrator…the one who always wants their people to be better.

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Educating vs scaring…which social media route do you take?

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Having a beast that just turned 16 means I get to engage in all of the driver centered conversations. It’s “When can I, where can I, how can I” for #allthethings. I’m watching friend after friend post pictures of permits, of licenses, of cars. (Parent pressure, yeesh.) It’s not a decision that we’re rushing into lightly or one that we know we can just ignore.

We’ve decided that the fireman will be teaching her in late spring, which will trigger a natural timeline. She’ll start, she’ll practice, she’ll practice some more…and eventually she will test. At some point after that, she’ll get a car, which will accompany responsibilities and requirements. (No free rides in the Teamann household!)

There are SO many steps that we’re taking in order to ease her into this stage of her teenage life. The conversations are a constant, from pop quizzes to opportunities to have “Did you just see that?” conversations. It would be irrational to think that just talking about driving with her would mean she could immediately handle being out on the open road.

As an advocate for technology & for social media, I struggle when I see an “anti” approach by people in leadership positions. Someone posted a parent engagement idea last night in a group on Facebook that spoke to preparing families of middle school students to what “lies ahead” when it comes to social media. It involved a detective and a cyber forensics specialist that came in and showed all the different apps kids use, the dangers of them, the laws surrounding cyber harassment, and then gave them resources for how to monitor their children’s phone use. It was followed by comments centered around blocking, locking, and can I get the hand out’s that just made my heart so sad.

When I tried to rationalize why I immediately cringed, I thought back to the way that we teach our teenagers to drive. How along with the inherent dangers that are shared, or what the potential consequences of their actions could be…we also do a pretty good job of TEACHING them how to be safe. Why rules matter and are relevant. Why we stop at a stop sign even if no one else is there. How to be careful. How to yield, how to handle the fast lane. There are rules that are taught, that are practiced. Before we ever allow them to go out on their own, we have a pretty good idea of how they are doing with the responsibility we’re about to bestow upon them. We’ve been along for the ride up until then and do so even after they have that highly coveted license.

We don’t just NOT allow them to drive.

There’s more to driving than just all the things that can wrong.

There’s more to sharing with students and families about technology/social media than just all the things that can go wrong. 

Allowing someone to drive without the supports and balances that we provide is dangerous.

Denying students the opportunity to be engaged on social media without supports and balances is also dangerous.

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It’s a responsibility as a mom and as an administrator, I don’t take lightly.

 

How can you engage and educate, rather than engage and scare?

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

Why is appreciation so hard? Don’t let the Grinch get a’hold of you!

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Every day we are presented opportunities to say thank you. From a door being opened to the gift of a chipper coworker who lifts our spirits…this is a season of opportunities to be thankful and to say thank you. There is also scientific evidence that expressing genuine gratitude on a daily basis can improve physical health as well by improving quality of sleep, cardiovascular (heart) health and immune function.

Imagine that … something as simple as how we think about our lives and the people in them actually has a profound impact on our health!

Gratitude promotes optimism and helps us to develop a more positive outlook. Who doesn’t need more of that?? This season you can feel tired, you can feel run down. That to do list is ever looming, in addition to all the seasonal extras that seem to stack up! An easy way to help curb the grinchiness you may be feeling is to outwardly express appreciation for the gifts in your life. There is always something to be grateful for.

But what happens if you are NOT feeling appreciated? That you’re taken advantage of, or that all your hard works and energy/effort is taken for granted? I’m in a pretty awesome facebook group that my principal BFF, Melinda Miller, and I are running full of holiday prep & planning for our staff. It’s not uncommon for an admin to express a feeling of not being appreciated.

You’re not alone, friend.

Don’t lose sight of WHY you’re doing what you’re doing. You don’t do all that you do for words of appreciation. You do it because you are trying to create an environment of awesome. 

You are the architect of your environment.

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Culture matters. Creating a space where our teachers and our students are made to feel appreciated and WANT to be is a key component of our jobs…and that’s why you do what you do. Not for the thank you’s, but because it’s the RIGHT thing to do.

If you’re not feeling the love in your world, know that you are doing good work. You are doing some hard work. Some incredibly important work.

Take a moment to think about the people in your world…is there someone who might need to hear a “thank you” from you? Text or email…just a simple thought could bring a smile to someone’s face! Why don’t you text a principal friend RIGHT NOW? Just say “Hey…I see those long days you’re putting in…your staff is lucky to have such a dedicated leader!” Who wouldn’t have their day brightened by such a gesture? Even the Grinch would smile! (ok, he may smirk…but still!)

Please feel free to reread this as many times as you need too, 🙂 to help remind yourself that you are appreciated, even if not everyone vocalizes it…

 

Holiday hugN you,

Amta Claus

 

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