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

Words have power #thefirstyear

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As educators, I’d say that 90% of our job revolves around the words we say. We’re imparting education, examples, modeling what learning looks like. How effectively we are able to communicate, using our words for good, determines how well we do our job. Language—our words, tone of voice, and pacing— is one of the most powerful tools available to teachers. It permeates every aspect of our day. We cannot engage children in learning, welcome a student into the room, or handle a classroom conflict without using words.

From the good morning I say to as many students as I can, to the good jobs and high fives I give when walking around, to the conversations with teachers. I say a lot. A former coworker ran into a student in a park this week, and she asked her where she went to school…and she responded with mine. When asked who her principal, she was able to say me. She added that I was always happy. Two things there…she was able to name her elementary principal, who is new…and she said that I was always happy. I couldn’t have asked for a better description. To me that means that the words I share on morning announcements, or the hugs I give in the hallways are being communicated as I want them too.  It was also a huge reminder that my words have power, power that always has eyes/ears on it. It’s moments like this that gives me pause. Words have power.

My 13-year-old was told, at some point, in her educational career, that “girls aren’t any good at math”. I am sure it was shared in a consolatory manner, as she actually has struggled in math. At least, I like to think that was why something so disastrous was shared. That was 5 years ago, and guess what? Every test she struggles on, every concept that we have to attend tutorials for, it inevitably resurfaces. “But mom, come on, you know girls aren’t good at math. Isn’t that obvious?” No matter how many time I tell her that it isn’t true…no matter how many additional levels of support I give, she has a fixed mindset in THAT area. I can’t undo it. Words have power. 

Every day we have the opportunity to convey to our stakeholders valuable, important information. How are you using your power? Are you saying that students are behavior problems, or that you need help to meet that students needs? Are you sharing your academic expectations of far students can go in your class, or are you telling parents that their kid is doing fine? Are you providing resources that help students complete assignments or discover their passion? Our words have power.

 

If you tell someone something often enough, they’ll believe it. This is true for the negative…and also the positive. 

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Tell your students they are smart. That they aren’t quitters. That they can conquer the world. Give them that opportunity. Let your power be used for good.

 

Uplifitingly,

Amber

Also, just for the record, a couple of besties and I made a facetious prayer at dinner before Garth Brooks a couple of weeks ago, that we could somehow get better seats.

Ya’ll. Words. have. power.

   garth2 garth3 garth

Connected Educator Month, 2015 #CEM15

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Even though it looks different for each learner, being a connected educator simply means leveraging technology to expand one’s personal learning network. Doing so not only provides you with a network of like-minded people, but also inspires you to try new activities and strategies to create the most effective learning environment for your students.

No one has time to be alone on their educator island!

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Jump in this month and try something new!

There is a calendar through ASCD & the USDOE and  that gives a multitude of activities that you can partake in.  From tweeting to blogging to an online book club, there’s an activity for every type of learner. Defining what being what a connected educator looks like for you is step one!

I know right now, at this point in your year you’re thinking nuh uh, I can’t handle ANYTHING else. Trust me, we get that. These activities were intentionally easy,  applicable, and designed to help get you CONNECTED…which in turn should make your life easier.

Angela Watson, from The Cornerstone for Teachers, who is just a little slice of heaven, puts it like this “Has teaching gotten a little monotonous? Are your students driving you nuts? Are you bogged down by all the demands of teaching and losing sight of the big picture? Do you often dread or feel ambivalent about going to work each day? If the answer to any of those questions is YES, then becoming a connected educator is necessary.”

But wait, Amber, how does this all translate to helping students learn?

Educators are models of learning for kids.

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As educators’ learning shifts from the “sit and get” model to the collaboration model, that shift hopefully transfers to their teaching as well. If an educator controls his or her learning through self-direction, that learning becomes more meaningful. Authentic self-directed learning becomes self-motivating. That does more than translate to a better-educated educator — it also creates a teacher advocate for collaborative learning. AND that, quite simply, is where we are going! It’s easier  to differentiate, assess, and KNOW our students using this form of pedagogy, vs again, that traditional sit & get model. 3

We’re challenging our teachers to complete a “connected bingo” this month, knowing that if do  they’ll have changed the dynamics of their classroom, and the mindsets of their teaching!

Connectedly,

Amber

 

Have the vision, not the right answers… #thefirstyear

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One month in and there’s so much I have already learned! Right off the bat, I have learned how very much I don’t know…and how very ok that is!

 

nap

 

It feels like I have been here forever, in a very good way, but I haven’t been. I’m still learning kids names. I’m still learning traditions, and unstated expectations, and how things have been done in the past.

Keeping up with my schedule, my assistants schedule, my counselors schedule…not to mentions teacher’s schedules…

Emails. Oh the emails…responding, answering, delegating…saving, filing, deleting.

Instruction…there’s so much greatness around here. We’re piloting a district initiative with Ipads, and I am so proud of how my teachers have DOVE in, are tacking 30Hands, Educreations, app smashing, and integrating all over with a high level of instructional value. Follow us on Facebook if you’d like to see some of what we’re sharing. 

Learn along with us on our two hashtags that we’re posting to, #wearewhitt and #URLearning. 

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Building relationships. Every day I am intentionally doing SOMETHING that fosters relationships. From staff, to my AP, to my parents…I am doing SOMETHING and in my Erin Condren Planner I am highlighting each day that I do some little something. I am hoping it’s these little things that make a BIG difference. I’ve bought drinks for those outside in the car pool, given out Twinkies as a “Teamann Treat” for those who completed a task I’ve asked of them, mailed postcards to lil’Wolves bragging on what I hear their teachers bragging about, and written happy notes to those I see that are just keeping on!

I had a great conversation with an administrator I respect this week, asking him his thoughts on a few typical admin situations, and I thought he gave me the BEST advice. He said “Amber, you don’t have to have all the answers.

Your job is to set the tone, to share the vision…and to keep the course in getting there.”

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 Such a relief to know I don’t have to have it all mastered, just knowing what I want our “story” to be will help us all find those answers…together…the way it should be!

 

Admin LoveN,

Amber

 

Making PD perfect… #thefirstyear

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PD has come and gone. We are now in our first three weeks. I wanted to reflect on our PD week however, just to remind us all how very important it when we have the chance to pull together  all of our staff. While most had dropped in and out throughout the summer this was the first BIG welcome back. Knowing that I want this to be the best first year in the history of the world, I had high expectations for everything I wanted to fit into this one week. While there were several district related events, I’m going to share what we did to make sure there was a feeling of celebration and welcome.

  • I contacted several of our partner churches and local businesses to see how they could support our staff this week. Everyone likes food, right?? Nestle Tollhouse donated the largest cookie cake I’d ever seen, Walmart gave us a cake, and we had three churches donate breakfast! Wow! That’s a lot of love & support.
  • One of our goals was coming together as a family to truly fulfil the mission statement the campus developed last year. The first word is “together”…so we focused on a lot of togetherness! A hashtag crowdsourced by all. a new staff shirt, and an awesome staff picture that we are going to get hung up for the hallway when everyone walks in.
    What do you have hanging in your home? Celebrations..accomplishments…and pics of your family.

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    We want the same to be seen in our halls. #wearewhitt

  • Knowing that we were setting on an ipad initiative journey this year, who else would I welcome onto my campus to talk tech than the Matt Gomez? He inspired, he mitiviated, he included lots of pictures of Troy Aikman. I’m calling that a win!
  • Time. Differentiation. Support. We made it a point for us to have conversations, to get to know one another, for them to share with me what they loved about our school, what they thought we could be more progressive on, and something they wanted me to know about them. We used this 3-2-1 and it has been so valuable as I am getting to know them all.

Our last activity of the week was a candlepass. Yes, completely sorority girl of me, but it served a purpose. In ADPI, we have a tradition that is very fun for anyone that is engaged. Everyone in our sorority comes together. We sing a song as we pass a candle around the circle. Everyone anxiously waits to see who the candle stops on and the individual who is engaged blows out the candle and then tells everyone the story of their engagement. This candlepass obviously was not about that…but instead was about coming together and sharing in something important. As the candles were passed out, I asked everyone to think about the opportunity that we had coming together this year. This would be the only time our students got to experience this year, this 2015-2016, in their classrooms. We have this year to make an impact in their lives, at this point. I asked them to think about the words of the song I was going to play as it applied to our campus, to these students, and that I hoped that this would be the very best year…in the history of the world. I hit play, we completed the candle pass, and just like that, we ended my very first week of PD as a principal. 🙂

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJYXItns2ik

I hope all of your starts have been amazing! I really will figure out this blogging balance as the year goes on, 🙂

 

proud principal,

Amber

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blogging the unbloggable… #thefirstyear

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We all agree that the educational system may need some tweaks and adjustments, and I will always voice those concerns/ideas. Am I just wrong to think that there is more to what we do than just doing the fun stuff? As a public educator you can’t just do the fun, and ignore the rest. That’s not what is best for kids…right?

As I prepare my back to school professional development with my amazing team, I am seeing starting to clarify some of my “instructional” thoughts. Why when I am searching for data plans or an agenda to deliver the nuts and bolts for the school, am I not finding anything? Where is the #reviewingdata hashtag? I can find meme’s making fun of the required video list…but I don’t see curriculum vertical planning guides.

Where is reality?

Fact: There is more to being an administrator than just motivation and supporting innovation.

 

I think it is a disservice to also not talk about some of the realities that are (or should be) be a part of our day to day.

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  • We get to experience instruction in every teachers classroom, potentially impacting how every student earns. We have to evaluate instructional strategies and then EMPOWER our teachers…but also help make them better.
  • We have to look at trends in data; we have to assess how our students are learning. NO, I am not someone who defends or supports the pressure standardized testing. It is still a reality. We in Texas are measured on student growth in addition to baseline scores. Growing learners…that is what we do. That means the data has to be analyzed, discussed, & evaluated.
  • We make hard decisions. Sometimes unpopular decisions. Decisions that have to be made to ensure the fidelity of the system…the system that we all become a part of when we committed to becoming an educator.
  • We teach kids how to learn. Little five year olds, including mine, come to us not knowing how to read…not knowing how to add or subtract. I need her to be taught how to do that. I need her to learn. We are responsible for TEACHING them how to learn. For ensuring that happens.

Now, do I think that there should be innovation and building relationships with students? Of course, I do, and if you know me, you know how much I value both of those things. But there also needs to be conversations about data, and handbooks, and district initiatives. There needs to be analyzation of assessments, both formative & summative. And then training provided to help support your teachers to be as effective as possible. And I think we should be blogging about THOSE things too.

I’ll be blogging those unbloggables, if no other reason than to make sure some administrator who is new to the position knows those things should be talked about. I am so thankful to those admin who have been transparent and helpful in their journey, like George Couros, Curt Rees, Melinda Miller and Tony Sinanis. Voxer conversations, blog posts, & friendships have all made me a better leader/person.  My goal is to be that for someone else!

 

PD planning,

Amber