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

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

 

ps:

Involving Parents in your Academic Standard

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We all know that it takes a partnership between home and school to foster the kind of connections and growth we strive for as educators. When you have those kinds of quality relationships, it opens the door for parents to support the academic standards as well as the socioemotional ones.

I meet with a group of parents each month and have for the past 2 1/2 years. This group serves as my parent focus group, ones who are willing to sit down and have face to face conversations with me. This has led to several academic conversations that give me an insight into what my parents are thinking, as well as engage in some thoughts I have or decisions that we’ve made as a campus.

One that has come up over and over again is the idea of homework. Knowing that I scheduled it as a “think tank” conversation this month. I’ve written recently about avoiding those education extremes, homework included, and wanted to share specific things that parents could do at home to support ALL students and their academic growth. I wanted something that they could use with our kinder Wolves to my 4th-grade Wolves.

Knowing how incredibly valuable time is, I wanted to focus on skills that would transcend any specific content area and would fit naturally with a parent just living life with their student. Knowing that if it’s easy and meaningful, it would have a greater chance of sticking. We’ve also spent a considerable amount of time in our PLC’s talking through ways we could engage our families with our guided reading initiative and I wanted to offer a way parents could do more with reading, than just, well…reading…so the backside has questions that any parent could ask to help push students past just working on fluency and go deeper with their comprehension.

The end result was this, a Homework Helper. It was well received by my parent focus group and I thought maybe you could use it as well!

Bonus! I crowdsourced and solicited ideas in ways to help build a stronger connection from school to home with literacy, and this padlet was born. Let me know if you use any of these ideas, or feel free to add some of your own!

 

Partnership helpN,

Amber

November thankful…what can a principal do?

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Can you believe November is already here? This school year is flying by fast…and November is a great month to stop down and say “thank you” to your staff. I heard in a training today that as the leader your words of appreciation and thanks mean so much more…because,  inherently, of your position. Educators live in a world where being overworked has become the norm, where demands for excellence only increase. If you are like me…you’re also tired. You’re also in need of some thanks. You’re also ready for some words of praise. This activity is even MORE important that you do it then! Gratitude improves psychological health. Gratitude reduces a multitude of toxic emotions, ranging from envy and resentment to frustration and regret. … in fact, research confirms that gratitude effectively increases happiness and reduces depression. Be the boss who is kind. Kindness begets gratitude…it makes your people feel appreciated. It makes the exhaustion feel worth it. Simple acknowledgement of the efforts and energy can make the long day seem a bit shorter.

What can you do?

  • A simple note. Use my Happy Notes template to make it even easier. Say thanks…and if you can tie it into a specific act of appreciation, even better.
  • Feed’em. From a snack cart that travels, to a hot chocolate treat during meetings, or a full on catered meal…acknowledging your appreciation with a snackie snack will brighten their day. I buy lil’debbbies treats and always have some on hand for a quick thank you. Toss in an “I appreciate you” post it or card, and you’ll get a smile.
  • Value their time. Are there meetings scheduled this month that could be handled with an email? Are there opportunities you can step in to cover a duty or allow a break for your teams? I snuck in an extra leave early pass into their boxes last week, just knowing that sometimes our teachers need permission to just STEP AWAY without feeling guilty.
  • Throw a mixer! As educators we rarely have the opportunity to come together for the sole purpose of having fun together! What if you scheduled an event for after school that was come & go and optional for those who had the time? Even just a hour over chips and salsa can help foster the team camaraderie that makes the season seem do-able. Is there a fun movie that’s out? Spring for the popcorn and meet up for a thought free afternoon/evening.

 

If you’re feeling like you could some principal appreciation too, I have a solution for that too! Text “Follow @ValuePrincipals” to 40404 and you will start receiving texts of appreciation on your phone! You can turn off receiving updates by sending “STOP @ValuePrincipals” to 40404. These texts will be meant to lift ya up, push you through, and just to remind you why we’re doing what we’re doing. No more than one a day…just gems of greatness to keep ya moving forward!

At the end of the day, we ALL work harder when we feel like we’re using our strengths and when our hard work is acknowledged. It doesn’t have to be expensive…just genuine.

 

How are you showing thankfulness this November?

Thankful for YOU,

Amber

Who in your world is making you want to be better?

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Last weekend my lil’bit played in a softball tournament in a nearby town. This is our first year on a team from our town, and our first tournament as well. It amazes me the passion and energy that can be found on your local sports fields, on any given weekend. There were multiple teams from all over, with all kinds of skill levels and talents.

My kid..she loves to compete. She is competitive. She has an energy, and a determination that is a joy to see. That being said…she’s TOTALLY 7. Her team plays for fun. They practice once a week. They win some, they lose some.

There was a team that we played this weekend though…wow. They practiced 4 days a week. (Ya’ll…that is only 3 nights off. I can’t even!) Their warm up was synchronized by single word commands. They did drills in unison. It was amazing. They matched from head to toe, in branded bright colors. It was intense.

One of the positions that stood out in particular to me, was their catcher. The catcher position at this age has typically been a place holder…she wears the gear, she attempts to catch the ball, but there is also a coach behind her who typically gets it and throws it back to the pitcher (another coach). Well, as I am sure you can predict, on the other team, their catcher was LEGIT. She was in the crouch, she had a rocket arm…she was amazing.

Guess what happened after two innings? All of a sudden, unprompted by our coach, our catcher was also in the crouch. She tried to catch each pitch that came her way, and made some pretty good attempts to throw it back to the pitcher. This was our last game of this season, she’d never once done that before.

All because she had seen someone better than her. All because she watched, she saw someone better, and she was challenged.

 

Who is in your world that is making you want to be better?

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always learning,

Amber

Vulnerability in Parent Teacher Conferences

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An email from our amazing counselor today…

I never thought I’d feel more vulnerable than being a teacher in a parent-teacher conference until my son started kindergarten.

As the teacher, I set the tone for the meeting: warm, always with chocolate, and open – we sat in chairs without a gigantic, imposing desk between us. I wanted my parents to feel safe. I wanted them to know that, whatever the data showed, their children were loved, they were respected, and we would share the growth mindset philosophy of “yet” when we weren’t seeing the progress all parents hope to see.

As a mom, though, sitting across the kidney table from Mrs. Bott (S’s Kinder teacher), all the confidence I had as a teacher went out the window: I did not set the tone of the meeting. I did not choose the chairs, I was not the expert in the room.

Even as an educator, I walked into that classroom somewhat uneasy.  We were talking about my child. I had to give in to my vulnerability and ask questions. In that moment, I knew what it meant to be truly unguarded.

And while there was no chocolate at this meeting, Mrs. Bott and I had a fantastic conversation that eased my tensions and calmed my fears. She made a space for me to be vulnerable without fear of judgment.

When we give our parents a safe space to learn how do this parenting thing alongside us, we give them hope that they are a part of a team that is growing their child.

 

I am so happy to work with such talented, committed educators who make this space for parents (and for me!). You are the wind beneath your students’ wings. 😉

Insert cheesy inspirational music here….

 

I’ve spoken often about the need to balance your leadership teams with strengths that support your weaknesses. We had the chance this year to add a counselor to our team, and I tell ya…I thank my lucky stars each day that this young lady was available when we had that opening. Hiring is one of the MOST important aspects of our admin world, and when you have the chance…find you a rockstar like our Mrs. Halpin. She sends a daily email, with a timely message…and with tonight being our “late” night for parent conferences, this one resonated with us all.

 

May all of your parent exchanges be vulnerable, be open, and be positively productive.

Humbled,

Amber