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

Win an autographed copy of Shake Up Learning…and EVERYone wins!

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I’ve long been a fan of Kasey Bell and her laid-back approach to #allthethings google. We’ve planned together, we’re brainstormed together, and flat out learned from each other. I call her my #digitalbestie because if there is a question I’ve had in regards to PD, Google training, or regional support from her “real job”, she is always available for me! Her support of empowered learners is a staple of strong and appropriate integration.

When she told me that she was writing a book, I celebrated her wholeheartedly. She is an engaging presenter and easy to follow as a teacher. I couldn’t imagine her book being ANY different. It combines reflection with a call to action. One of my favorite lines in the whole book is “Facilitate the messy!” which can surmise a lot of educators thoughts when it comes to shaking up what they do in their classroom. As a teacher or an administrator, there is great comfort in reading along with not only her journey to be as comfortable as she is in her role now but also how to guide those alongside you, with you.

Chapters range from “a breakdown of the DNA of dynamic learning” and “how to unleash your voice and share your story”, to leadership support with “how to empower your students” and “facilitating with finesse”. It provides examples, reflection questions, next steps and more. It is an easy read and I would love to get a copy in YOUR hands!

 

Empowered educators lead to empowered learners…and that should be the goal for all of us!

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Not feeling lucky? You can purchase it here!

I can’t wait to share her greatness with you!

 

ShakeN up &

Easter Appreciation, an easy way to celebrate your EGGcellent team!

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My principal bestie, Melinda Miller and I have this Facebook group dedicated to Staff Appreciation and Celebration. It’s an entire page for administrators to share and creatively copy all sorts of great ideas, all meat to encourage, motivate and celebrate your teachers/staff. While it can be overwhelming, it does make me feel SO much better to see that everyone’s year has an ebb and flow…and how rarely anyone does #allthethings. There’s such a Pinterest pressure, even as an administrator, to get it all right, all colorful, and all the time…this group has shown that we all have seasons where we need someone else to be a spark in our world!

In light of that, someone shared this seasonally appropriate activity this week, that can be adapted to fit your campus or even your classroom, or office team! You’ll need to purchase some tiny trinkets, think dollar spot erasers, or candy, and some plastic Easter eggs.  (Or jeans passes! or leave early passes!) I’m going to set this up in the lounge next Monday and allow teachers to celebrate each other as they see fit!

 

 

Pages 2 & 3 are generic that you can just print out and use! Thank you, Mandy Ellis, for your version that I used for ours! Spring days can be a trying, “testing” time for most educators. These little treats & tricks can help brighten your staffs days…which in turn, trickles down to our students. 

A happy teacher makes for happy students!

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Seasonally &

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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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.