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

Help curb teacher burnout with Fab Fridays in February!

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Teacher burnout…it’s a real thing. This stretch in the winter/spring is a LONG chunk of instructional intensity. You’ve got middle of the year data, you have testing awareness creeping up on you, and spring break is just outta reach. The genius of Melinda Miller introduced me to Fab Fridays in February several years ago and I have loved coming up with fun things to do with my staff each year.

While it may seem like a lot of work, really, your teachers are doing the heavy lifting this time of year. And if your team is like mine, they easily over commit in order to help their students succeed. The benefits of building and supporting a positive school climate far out-weigh the time and effort required.  

I would also take a guess that a positive school climate can help bring the joy and fun back into teaching and learning.

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Who wouldn’t want to be part of a school like that?

Here’s what we’re doing this year! (You can also download it here!)What do you do to love on and support your teams?

 

FabFri loveN,

Amber

Lead like Jimmy, not like Barry…says @TroyAikman & @8amber8

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This past week NFL Films released “Troy Aikman: A Football Life”. Obviously, I’ve watched it a number of times now, and keep finding these gems of greatness.

One of the themes that jumped out at me was Troy’s issues with Barry Switzer’s coaching style. Switzer was older, relaxed, and felt like as the coach of a two-time Superbowl winning team, he didn’t need to be as hard-nosed as Jimmy Johnson, the previous coach, had been. Jimmy was relentless..he was focused, and he was determined. The result, as we know, was the early 90’s dynasty of the Dallas Cowboys. When Switzer took over, and that become more relaxed? Well, Troy attributes that downfall to the  “fun” leadership.

 

Why is that relevant on my “Love, Learn, Lead” blog?

There was a tweet I saw this past week that again referenced that if your leadership isn’t fun, then you’re doing it wrong.

Leadership isn’t always fun, folks. There are parts of our job, just like a teachers, that are hard. That are stressful. That are complicated. That are DIFFICULT. In fact, our assistant superintendent said this year that sometimes HARD LEADERSHIP is the most courageous kind of all.

It takes a courageous leader to make the hard decisions.

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The leader is the one who pushes, and makes your team want to strive to be the best. There is a pressure there and a responsibility. There is an ownership, of all levels of our teams performance, that ultimately comes down to what? Leadership.

The more I do this job, the more I understand this. There has to be a balance.

The main responsibility of a team leader is to guide a team so that it reaches its full potential. The team leader has more responsibility than anyone, because if he does not carry out his responsibilities, the whole team will suffer as a result. A successful team leader should understand the strengths and weaknesses of every team member so there can be a level of support and coaching. I love how in my world sports and leadership are just intertwined, don’t you?

I’m by all means not saying leadership is miserable.

I’m just saying that leadership definitely can’t all be fun. And so is Troy.

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Aikman-esque,

Amber

Last minute gifts that an admin can give…freely! #taketwo

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It’s that time of year. Where everyone has their eyes on the holiday break. Where you may tempted to hit snooze just one more time. When maybe what you can gift a class of 30 or a staff of 60 just can’t seem to be found in a store. I have some suggestions that won’t break the bank, but that still may not be the easiest to give.

Give the gift of:

Affirmation: Make sure your people know that you see how hard they work. That you recognize the energy and the effort that they are giving. That you see they give up their conference time for ARDS, for meetings, for whatever you ask. That they work late. That they buy all the extras to make their classroom function the way you want it too.

Example: Be an example. Be selfless. Be positive. Be tireless. Be an encourager.

Encouragement: Reassure your team that they are doing the right things. Ask their opinion, value their input, and give them opportunities for decision-making. Make sure they know you support them in their decisions and choices.

Patience: Be patient. Allow discourse. Recognize that you should always value progress, and not be looking for perfection.

Rest: Teachers are tired. Teachers work hard. The same is true for our students. Don’t add unnecessary meetings when you can email. Don’t waste time with unnecessary fluff.

Inspiration: There’s a thin line between overwhelm and inspire, but this time of year you can definitely share stories or videos that can remind a teacher why we do what we do. Here are 6 to start with! Fill their bucket, and make them GLAD that they work for you or are in your classroom. Close out your semester positively…you can do this and still not sacrifice an instructional focus.

 

These universal gifts are ones that won’t cost you an extra penny, but may require time and reflection of your own. In a time when you are all stressed with the demands of the principal’s job, you need to remind yourselves that you have great power to make a difference in your teachers’ lives. Teachers who feel encouraged and comfortable with your support will stay with you in a positive climate of learning. You deserve to have that kind of school…and these gifts can make it happen!

What are you doing for your staff this year??  There’s still time to make it happen!

 

 

 

Amta Claus

A leader is a team player or…be more like @tonyromo #taketwo #RTIAW

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We all know I am a football fan and have written about the parallels between leadership and both the quarterback and coach before. This week I had the parallels opportunity to attend an RTI conference by Solution Tree. One session, by Brian Butler spoke to the need for collaboration of philosophy and resources to support your struggling learners, as a member of a strong TEAM.

Our role as administrator SO closely resembles that of a coach or a team leader. Did you see Tony Romo‘s message this week? Primarily delivered for those who wanted to create controversy around the starting quarterback position,  he eliminated any and all talk of his not being a servant leader, and his role as the starting quarterback.

Tony Romo is 15-5 in his last 20 starts. That is pretty darn good. (Just ask Cody Kessler.) Yet he is able to evaluate his own place on this team that is 8-1, and say that he can see he should step back. With uncertainty comes unrest. Romo easily could have tacitly endorsed the quarterback controversy that’s been discussed so much this season.

Instead, he put an end to it.

What this speech helps reiterate for me is that the team as a whole is bigger than any one person, including the leader. It is a campus’ collective responsibility to ensure ALL students are learning. Not mine vs yours…not my way because I’m the principal…not because I read a book that said…but because our students are all of ours. That doesn’t mean teacher autonomy is sacrificed, just that we are all on the same page for “WHAT” is being taught, the “how” can vary.

Also known as…

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Still a Romo fan (but also wearing a DAK ATTACK tee shirt),

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