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

I wish you knew… #leadership

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A couple of weeks ago I posted something on the Instagram about how I had a week where I felt like I was underwater the whole time. You’ve had those weeks, right?

The ones where you are giving all that you’ve got but it doesn’t quite seem like enough? When your days are long and your nights are too? When despite feeling like you’ve done #ALLthethings, your husband isn’t happy, your kids aren’t happy, and you just can’t win?

 

Well, that was that week for me. So I had posted a lil’scripture that spoke to my heart, b/c that is what that space is for me. A place for sharing what speaks to me. I think I’ve shared this before, but quite a while ago, I was in a place and position that was not only toxic emotionally, but also professionally. I couldn’t see past the forest for the trees. Sharing a positive “happy” on FB (which then led to IG) made me feel better. It was a good “footprint” to leave but it also was a reminder that there is always something to be positive about.

Anywho, I had a teacher in the hallway who told me that she felt so much better after seeing my post, b/c it made her feel better about also feeling like she was drowning, and that she didn’t know I ever felt that way. 

Ya’ll. It stopped me dead in my tracks!

Those quotes I post each day speak to my heart, and are so directed at me…it just so happens that someone usually also feels impacted by it, but genuinely…I go back to that Zig Zigler quote that says “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” which is OH so true for me!  It then made me think about other things that I wish people knew taht probably isn’t obvious froma quick social media scroll…

  • I cry when I am stressed, it’s the go to emotion…which is super annoying, but doesn’t mean I am weak. 
  • I worry that it actually does mean I am weak.
  • Imposter syndrome…it’s a real thing.
  • I once had a co-worker rebuff my attempt at asking a question b/c “I get paid to speak, why would I be asking her anything?”
  • I can be a great mom, a great wife, and a great principal…but rarely at the same time. 
  • I worry more than I should about what people think.
  • I make really quick decisions.
  • I hate working alone…and am so thankful to always have really great people around me, balancing out those quick decisions.
  • I get ridiculously nervous in front of my district peers but am completely fine in front of an audience of 1000. 
  • I don’t want to be average, ever. in anything.
  •  I have a 5, 10, and 20 year plan. 
  • I have trust issues. Please see #6.
  • George Couros is like my edtech big brother…and without him…eek. I don’t even want to imagine who I’d call when I need, well, #allthethings.
  • I have people I consider BEST friends…that I see every other year-ish. (When I was named principal, I called my husband…then conference called and Joe and Tony. We’d met IRL once.)
  • I regularly can’t fall asleep at night, worrying about what I haven’t yet accomplished. 

 

All that to say…unless you KNOW someone…you don’t actually know them.

Unless you KNOW someone…you don’t actually KNOW them. You only know what you think.

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Making assumptions, or heaven forbid, judging someone if you’re not a part of their circle is not only unfair but also usually inaccurate. Most of us are just trying to be the very best we can be, and to do the very best we can.

Give grace friends…the world could use more grace.

 

Reflectingly &

 

 

Introducing Wen-Zen-day! A day of “zen” for students and staff…

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I’ve mentioned the greatness of my principal peer, Dr. Helm, before. She is the elementary principal at George W. Bush Elementary…she and GWB are practically besties! Not only that, she has really great ideas that she frequently shares with me…and you know how I love that! One of them that I am completely stealing is her way of bringing ZEN to her students and staff.

When we met to go over a couple of different things in the summer, one of the ideas she mentioned that she did at her school was “Wen-ZEN-days”. This caught my attention because last year for our staff book study, the overwhelming choice by teachers was “Unshakeable” by Angela Watson. Balance and self-care for our teachers is SO important. They work so hard, they always get stuff ADDED to their plate and very rarely do we give them permission to take things off. As conscious of this as I try to be, I still feel like there are teachers who are doing things that were expected of them many years ago that don’t know how to NOT do them.  “Wen-zen-day” is a day we’ll start this year as an effort to strategically build in a time weekly for reinforcing mindful practices on the campuses for both teachers and students.

She initially shared the concept with teachers in her weekly newsletter, with an easy way they could try as well.

What is Zen

Finding a moment of Zen you are fully present and are experiencing life in a way that the rest of the world- in its insane marathon of haste, chaos, and busyness-typically ignores. Tuned into the actuality of the present moment you are living life. As it happens.

Right now.

Practicing mindfulness is one of the single most powerful things you can do for your wellbeing. Want to give it a try? Visit http://www.happify.com for guided meditations and other mindfulness-building activities designed by experts.

Then she shared a “zen” idea they could practice with students…

Recently in the news we have heard more and more about the benefits of mindfulness and purposeful breathing in the classroom. So I want to share how I incorporated a 30 second breathing activity into my classroom last year, and how it made all the difference for me and my students.

First, when students entered my room, there was a “Do Now” on the board for them to get started on. This allowed them to come in and quietly get to work instead of sitting down and talking to friends and then having to call the room to order. During this time, I greeted them all individually. I was building relationships by checking in on each of them and giving them each a personal greeting. If a student had a bad day yesterday, I could ask if he was doing better today. If a student seemed sad, I would walk over to his desk and crouch at his level and check in to see if anything was going on.

After everyone had finished the “Do Now” activity, we did a really quick breathing exercise. It’s so simple. Ready?

Breathe in for four seconds.

Breathe out for eight seconds.

Repeat three times.

That’s it. Quick, easy and FREE!

To set it up, I told the students that we were going to take 30 seconds every day to breathe. I asked them to sit up tall, like their spine was made of a stack of pennies, and have both feet on the floor. They could close their eyes or look down. I asked them to imagine breathing in like they were smelling a flower, and breathing out like blowing on a bowl of hot soup – carefully so as not to splash soup everywhere!

For the first couple of weeks, I asked them to jot down a few words that described how they were feeling before breathing, and then immediately after breathing. The point of writing it down was to call attention to the way our body and mind shifted when we focused on breathing.

Okay, I know what you’re thinking. What about the kids who would use 30 seconds of silence to make inappropriate noises? Good question. Of COURSE this happened. My advice is to not give up. It took several weeks to normalize this in my classroom. Some students WILL struggle with it or use the opportunity to do something silly or crazy. I placed some tape on the floor right outside the doorway of my class, and if any students didn’t participate appropriately, I would simply ask them to breathe out in the hallway the next day. I didn’t make a big deal of it, I just asked that they do their breathing out there to avoid being a distraction to those who were breathing in the class. Eventually, these students would learn to come in the class and focus and participate.

It’s easy to give up at first. It may seem like they’ll never get on board. But they will! Just hang in there. I also modeled breathing by calling attention to times when I needed to take a breath. I would say, “Hey guys, I’m feeling a bit anxious right now. I’m going to take a few breaths in the hallway.” Or if the whole class was dysregulated, I would stop and everyone could do a quick reset by taking a few breaths together.

Here’s the deal. You are the leader of your classroom. You have a choice. You can be frustrated about all of the pressure, mandates, and items that are out of our control… or you can do something about it. Something that is free. Something that just takes 30 seconds!

The benefits have been researched and discussed time and time again, but for my class, I can say that my students were able to sit in their desks and focus, even with the chaos right outside of our non-existent door. They were able to use breathing to help calm them down before a big test or before they had to give a speech. I believe that it gave them a tool that they can call on throughout their lives when they start to feel stressed or overwhelmed. Teachers – I can tell you this. It just takes 30 seconds, it is free, and it will help bring a sense of calm into your classroom!

How great is this??

We’re going to implement this here with our Wolves. My counselor is going to lead the charge each Wen-zen-day on the announcements.  I love the idea of a vertical language, K-4, all dedicated to our well being. The momentous Institute also has some incredible resources!

If you’re looking for buy-in, let your team dress comfortably on those days! The mental health of our people is SO important…important enough to be strategic about the taking care of them!

 

Zen seeking &

 

When you get what you want, but it isn’t what you need…

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I came across a picture on time hop today of a lil’giftie I handed out on my first day in a new job, many years ago. It was an out of the classroom job, and genuinely where I thought I wanted to be, professionally. I was so excited about joining a new team, all bright-eyed and bushy tailed. 

I’ll never forget the utter defeat I felt when several of the more seasoned professionals in said new department brought the cans back down to my cubicle, announcing they “didn’t have time for “cutesie” things like this”. The derision in their tone was PALPABLE.

It took a year and a half of those kinds of moments, those kinds of defeats before I would make a move that put me back into a setting where I could breathe. Where I could be myself. Where I could feel successful.

 

As we gear up for a new school year, if you find yourself in a place where you aren’t happy or feel like you can’t breathe… take heart. There is a place for you, where you can feel purposeful, and like it’s where you’re meant to be. Mine came mid-year. I kept my head up and treated every day like it was a job interview. I honed my skills and narrowed my professional intentions. I connected with George Couros, who changed my life and introduced me to a connected world that gave me all kinds of opportunities, relationships, and friends. When an opportunity came up, I was ready.

 

Don’t start the year sad or discouraged about where you are. 

Start the year with the intention to be REALLY good where you are so you can be GREAT when you get to where you want to be.

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Encouragingly &

The Power of Positive Leadership

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I posted something on Instagram this week about choosing happiness. So much of our attitude and mentality is within our control…but it’s up to us to harness it! As I sit, awaiting our state STAAR scores…I thought it would be a powerful reminder that my happiness is my choice. 😉
( I love Twitter. @8amber8)
  • 1. Positive People Live Longer – In a study of nuns, those that regularly expressed positive emotions lived on average 10 years longer. (The Nun Study)
  • 2. Positive work environments outperform negative work environments. (Daniel Goleman)
  • 3. Positive, optimistic salespeople sell more than pessimistic salespeople. (Martin Seligman)
  • 4. Positive leaders are able to make better decisions under pressure. (Heartmath.org)
  • 5. Marriages are much more likely to succeed when the couple experiences a 5 to 1 ratio of positive to negative interactions whereas when the ratio approaches 1 to 1, marriages are more likely to end in divorce. (John Gottman)
  • 6. Positive people who regularly express positive emotions are more resilient when facing stress, challenges and adversity. (several studies)
  • 7. Positive people are able to maintain a broader perspective and see the big picture which helps them identify solutions whereas negative people maintain a narrower perspective and tend to focus on problems. (Barbara Fredrickson)
  • 8. Positive thoughts and emotions counter the negative effects of stress. For example, you can’t be thankful and stressed at the same time. (several studies)
  • 9. Positive emotions such as gratitude and appreciation help athletes perform at a higher level. (Heartmath.org)
  • 10. Positive people have more friends which is a key factor of happiness and longevity. (Robert D. Putnam)
  • 11. Positive and popular leaders are more likely to garner the support of others and receive pay raises and promotions and achieve greater success in the workplace. (Tim Sanders)
I’m ok with ALL of these things!!
(I’m pretty sure Troy Aikman agrees with #9. IJS.)
Add being positive to your 2018 summer to do list…let’s see if our positivity buckets can all overflow!
Sunshine SpreadN &,

Are you intentional with your praise?

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Gallup is very clear in its research how powerful praise and recognition can be in the workplace. With the gamut of to do’s on an educators plate, it can be easy for that to slip right off the prioritized list of things to get done.

I read in a recent Gallup’s study that individuals who receive regular recognition and praise:

  • increase their productivity
  • are more engaged with their colleagues
  • less likely to LEAVE their current role
  • have higher rated feedback from their clientele/customers

 

How does that translate to education? You’ve heard that someone who feels appreciated will always do more than expected. I’ve mentioned before that I keep track of when/how I share praise on my team. (just a checklist, where I add checks by a name each time I write a note….) In the same manner that I keep track of who I send Christmas cards to, I keep a list of who I’ve celebrated or recognized. I actually got a comment this year that suggested my praise was disingenuine, because of the fact that I track it. If what Gallup is telling me is correct, the majority of us don’t give or receive anywhere near the amount of praise that we should. As a result, we’re much less productive, and in many cases, completely disengaged in our jobs. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the number one reason people leave their jobs is because they “do not feel appreciated.” 

Ensuring that our team feels appreciated is a priority, and as the leader, it’s my number one priority.

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That to me makes it important enough to keep track of because I don’t want any of my people going anywhere!!

I created these happy notes several years ago in an attempt to make sharing a “happy note” with my team easier. These small interactions can make a big difference in the day to day stressors of your team…whether they be big or small. Hopefully, these templates will make it easier to make it happen for you!

Also, I’ve freshened them up, so you have all new sets to use as well!

Happy note shareN &