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

Leadership book tasting…any book, any role! Build capacity with a book study…

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Educators are tired. Our plates are full and our brains are fried. Providing a book study for professional development doesn’t have to be boring. What if you engage and built leadership capacity via a book study…one that doesn’t look like it usually does?

Knowing this, I still wanted to offer/facilitate an opportunity for leaders in our district to grow, even if it doesn’t look like it has in the past.  A book study is typically an effective form of professional learning because new learning can be immediately applied.  Educators are involved in multiple sessions where there is continuous discussion around a relevant topic that has arisen from school data. Remember, the goal of any professional learning is to have a positive impact on student learning. But finding a book that makes everyone happy? Paying for hardcover books that I may never see again? Ugh. The central office role I serve in now makes it even more important to recognize that one book choice isn’t going to meet all the needs of all our learners.

As a principal, we hosted several out-of-the-box growth opportunities. One year we partnered with Greenwood Elementary in Minnesota and scheduled virtual talks with Brad Gustafson and his team. Then there was the year we did a private Facebook group with George Couros on “Innovators Mindset”. Twitter also was a tool of choice when we read “Teach Like a Pirate”. All that to say…I’m a big believer in professional growth.

Staying still is no longer an option. But growing because “I told you so” is a terrible leadership strategy.

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Enter the CISD Leadership Book Tasting of 2022!

  • open to all leaders in CISD
  • five choices, a leadership variety
  • made available digitally, on a district-provided iPad
  • slow, asynchronous style
  • designed to meet the needs of any role, and can apply to any book

 

Here’s our initial flyer.

Here are our activities.

 

Here’s to a summer of self-paced, self-driven professional development!

 

Readingly yours,

Amber

Lipstick & leadership

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Y’all.

In full true to form, Amber Teamann fashion…I have a confession to make.

I have this lipstick, it’s a super flattering color. It’s not my normal brand or shade, but I like it a lot. I finally got to a place where it needed to be sharpened. I couldn’t use it anymore, it was flat across the top and almost hurting me to apply.

I googled.

I went to Ulta for a brand-specific sharpener. (you know that’s a thing right? more money to get just what you need??) I couldn’t find it.

My hubs offered his pocket knife to sharpen. If you know me, you know THAT sounded like a disaster waiting to happen. I declined. He was quite insistent that I should just be able to “twist” it up. I scoffed.

I decided it was a marketing ploy and I resigned myself to secretly ordering another $10 tube.

Then tonight, I removed all the plastic….& what do you know? it was OH so easy to just…twist it up…

 

SIGH.

 

Sometimes what we need isn’t a magic bullet, it’s patience and the ability to listen to those who are giving us common-sense advice. #sorryhubs

 

Learn from me, friends. Your lips, and possibly your leadership, will be better for it in the morning.

 

Humbly,

 

 

Summer ways to make your leadership life easier! #leadership

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Summer. Longer, sunnier days. Doesn’t mean my to-do list is any shorter but it definitely has a different feel to it, doesn’t it? These are the times I try to “do” a couple of things that make my leadership life somewhat easier.

Not exactly rocket science, but helps bookshelf the end of the previous year while getting me excited about what lies ahead.

 

  1. Sorry gentleman, this one is just for the ladies. Keeping it low-key:  I stop wearing eyeliner. I can’t afford R&F eye lash boot…but this lash booster version on Amazon makes me feel better about just wearing mascara each day in the summer. I apply it in the morning and it has made a real differnce! It’s amazing how much quicker my morning routine can go if I just remove that one step.
  2. I use a spiral notebook to take ALL of my notes in for each meeting I attend. I like being able to date the top and flip back and forth. Yes, I know, you can get a 1.99 notebook from the Walmart but that doesn’t inspire me to take notes OR keep me motivated to keep up with all the time. Easily replaceable. Flimsy. The paper tears easily. Bleech. I need mine to last ALL year. I order an Erin Condren one from Amazon so that if I get REAL tired head, I can also order another cover, & viola! an instant facelift. It’s the little things, y’all.
  3. What can you schedule in your world? I am now “running” our Crandall ISD technology Twitter account. I have scheduled ONE helpful instructional tweet to send out each day through the end of July. If I keep building upon that, I’m creating a steady presence while also taking it off my regular to-do list. I’ve also created a google form where teachers can submit their ideas/suggestions OR questions that we can tweet out starting next year.
  4. Calendar mapping. Sometimes it hards for the people in our world to have a macro view of what we are thinking, usually all at the same time. Micro conversations are easier for people to have if they have a glimpse of what the direction is you’re heading in…whether that’s in campus or in a central office position. That part sure hasn’t changed for me. I added this big ol’calendar to my whiteboard..and have already started mapping out big projects or reminders of “we should start thinking about this” or” last year at this time was when we”…it definitely gives me a strong skeleton to flesh out as we work through the summer.
  5. Read, read, read. While I’m a prolific reader, I make considerable gains here in the summer. My newest favorite read that I think you should get? Think Again, by Adam Grant. It’s SO good!

 

There ya go. Just a little snapshot into ways I am trying to create calm amongst the chaos. I hope the start of your summer has begun and you feel some of that tension already slipping away.

 

beach dreaming &

5 reasons you should join #TCEA…TODAY! (you don’t want to miss reason #5!!)

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I love techieness. I love learning. I love organizations that focus on TEACHERS and SUPPORT. TCEA, my friends, does BOTH!

 

I’ve been a TCEA fan from way back in my teacher days, and they just keep expanding and adding more resources to their memberships to make it worth your while. My first TCEA conference I attended b/c as my principal put it at the time, “you deserve to surround yourself with like-minded people because of all you do for our campus.” what kinda intro was that?? It was destined that I would always be a fan!

Especially with what we have experienced this past year, you can’t stress enough the importance of having a community to be connected to, and @TCEA is a great one! It is so very important it is to have a variety of voices, in a variety of roles sharing perspectives and experiences.

We need our “edtech” voices in all educational spaces.

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Conferences are offered regularly, support is at a variety of levels, and this week, there’s a bonus reason to join!

5 reasons you should join TCEA right this minute:

  1. Educational, Easy to Access Webinars – Learn how to use Google Calendar to optimize your time, discover YouTube features and content that can enhance your classroom, or stay in the know about the latest trends like esports, STEM activities, and how to discuss digital citizenship with your students. They also have a PD library of all recordings going back three years! TCEA’s incredibly knowledgeable professional development staff hosts 35 Lunch and Learn webinars each year, so you can sharpen your skills and fill your toolbox with fresh ideas right on your lunch break.
  2. Access to Experts and Peers on the TCEA Online Community – Wish you had a veteran colleague on hand to answer your tech questions? Or are you looking to share your own discoveries about how to enhance the classroom experience? The TCEA Online Community has over 30,000 of your peers ready to listen and help!
  3. Professional Development – From the TCEA Annual Convention & Exposition to the Lunch and Learn Webinars, we empower educators by providing professional development opportunities tailored to their specific needs and learning styles. This year the conference was virtual and my goodness did they set the standard for what learning could like! No waiting, on-demand, and nationally renowned speakers! All from my couch!
  4. Online Resources – Learn about the latest iOS and Android apps, evaluate recent discoveries on their TechNotes Blog, or explore fresh ideas for educators on their TCEA eBook Library.
  5. And last but not least, for teacher’s appreciation week, IT’S FREE TO JOIN! How can you pass up FREE?? Even if you just join b/c it’s free, the resources that will float your way, the connections you make, and the opportunities above will more than prove that TCEA is a worthwhile membership you need as an educator!

Go here to join!

 

TCEA fanN,

Amber

Where do you earn your validation as a leader?

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Every leadership role has its own unique way of measuring what it meant to be a “success”.  As a principal, one of my biggest struggles was always feeling like success was a moving target.

If I made the teachers happy, was I still challenging and empowering them to grow?

When the students were happy, did that mean the teachers were in a good place?

If test scores were high…were they high enough?

If you’re hitting a leadership bullseye, make sure you are not hitting it on the wrong target.

Making a difference for those you truly serve doesn’t always come with a “yes”, sometimes it is a “yes, and” or a “yes, but”. That macro view of your campus, district, or position speaks to your position. You HAVE to see things differently as a leader and sometimes that means you have to dig deeper into the difference between success and mastery.

Sarah Lewis, author “Rise” says,  

Mastery requires endurance. Mastery, a word we don’t use often, is not the equivalent of what we might consider its cognate — perfectionism — an inhuman aim motivated by a concern with how others view us. Mastery is also not the same as success — an event-based victory based on a peak point, a punctuated moment in time. Mastery is not merely a commitment to a goal, but to a curved-line, constant pursuit.”

I can relate to this personally — this is the urge that drives me on to find new ways to explain things, to understand things, and identify new relationships and concepts. There is no endpoint. There is always someone who comes along to challenge us, nudge us, and let us know that there is always more to know, more to consider. This TED talk makes it OK to feel that there’s so much we don’t know, as long as we keep seeking and exploring. The difference Adam Grant might say is between knowledge and wisdom.

May this Friday find you seeking the next mountain top, friends!

 

Challenging and