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Starting over as a leader… and a Thanksgiving staff freebie!

November 4, 2020 by Amber 3 Comments

This blog has always been a place of reflection and a sharing of my professional growth and struggles. It started as a tool within my 4th-grade classroom, became a place that exploded with my tech integrationist days, and then where I shared all I learned as a campus leader. Adding another change to the pile will allow me (and thereby, you!) to share a different perspective and once again, catalog what a different lens in education can teach us.

When I was named principal in 2015, I was very clear in my 3-5 year plan and knew even then that my next step would be off of a single campus. I thought that 3-5 years would allow me enough time to see if I was any good at it, but also, to be able to create systems that were sturdy enough, and grounded enough, that they would last past my tenure. That being said, I had no idea what the next step would be or how it would come about.

2020 though, seemed the perfect year to not only change jobs, but also districts, homes, and my realm of experiences doesn’t it?

Sheesh, y’all. It’s been a month. Bear with me as I document this, if no other reason than to be able to look back on it later and think, o\h yeah, that ALL happened, 😉

August 23- made a joke to one of my softball momma friends that we were thinking about listing our house

August 30- started packing (it escalated quickly!)

September 11- House goes on the market

September 16- Hey Amber…there’s a position in Crandall ISD, you should apply!

September 25- Interview. 2 pm: house goes under contract; 3 pm offered the position

September 28- Tell the Wolves. (cry, smile, cry some more)

October 6- Say goodbye to Wylie ISD! Say hello to Crandall ISD!

So now this journey has taken me to this new role, the Director of Technology and Innovation, which seems kinda apropos, doesn’t it? It takes all my techie-ness, all the years of supporting and working with teachers on #ALLTHETHINGS that made my lil’tech heart happy, and combines it with my leadership experiences, and ta-da! A whole new district to support, empower, and engage!

In the same way that I felt my teachers were my “students” in my class, this central office role feels similar.

Acclimate. Listen. Learn. Support. Encourage. Empower.

Learning all new systems, verbiage, all while only seeing 1/3 of people’s faces has made for some fast-paced days, but it has been fun! I look forward to supporting campus leaders (and all y’all!) with ways you can support your staff, but on-campus and virtually…in a pandemic and hopefully, out!

For those who read this far…yay you! Here’s a FUN & FREE Thanksgiving activity you can use with your staff! A turkey hunt! Get creative and let teams decorate their turkey with feathers found in their classrooms or homes if you are virtual!

I’ll still be sharing admin friendly tips, tricks, and of course, make sure I share all the thing that go wrong, 😉 so you can learn from me as we go along!

Here’s hoping this Wednesday finds you thankful!

Gooble GobbleN & oh so

Honor traditions #thefirstyear #VeteransDay

November 11, 2015 by Amber 1 Comment

There is a tradition at my campus each November. The third grade presents a huge Veteran’s Day program. There are elaborate costumes, gut wrenching songs, and even more special, heartfelt reverence and appreciation.

Frequently we challenge the status quo of always doing the “same ol’thing” and I, in particular, am a fan of making positive student supporting changes. But when looking at the tradition of the Veteran’s Day program that I am in awe of last night…I can’t imagine it not being a part of what we do here.

Now, I have ALSO been a part of cultures where the same thing is done each year, but there was no ceremony…no tradition about it. It was just “the way it was always done”. It was easier for the teacher, it required minimal thought/effort. There’s a difference and a good leader can tell between the two.

When making changes, make sure that you aren’t changing for changes sake. Evaluate what you are wanting to do, talk to the people involved…gauge the impact change would have. As a leader (and we are all leaders in one form or another), it is very important to understand the power of we have in our choices and changes we make.

Don’t waste your power taking away something that BUILDS up and SUPPORTS the culture that you want!

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I was honored to read a list honoring our veterans and the wolves who love them last night. I was prepared with my list, knew how to say each tricky name. What I wasn’t prepared for was each service member and his/her wolf walking up to the front of the stage beside me. Some brought ornately framed pictures, instead of a person.

(Note: These are the things you should warn your new principal that are going to happen!) I know while reading those first four names my voice cracked, and I almost started bawling. (I kept reciting in my head rainbowsunicornsYOUARETHEPRINCIPALunicornsrainbows.)

It was moving. It was powerful. It was humbling.

And it will not be changed, anytime soon.

Tradition appreciative,

Amber

Texas Leadership Standard: Hire, retain, support…it’s that easy!

January 5, 2015 by Amber Leave a Comment

While researching standards for my post on leadership, I discovered the tenets of leadership as defined by the state of Texas. Intrigued, I decided to delve a bit deeper into each standard, and see how it truly relates to my role. While these standards could establish what defines a leader on paper, I want to apply them to campuses today. Knowing that reflection is also a key component, there may be some twists and turns that jump out at me as I review each strand. The standards are also under review and going to change, so it will be interesting to see how “leadership” looks when it is redefined. This is post two in a series on “Texas Leadership Standards”, the entire series can be read here.

The leader is responsible for ensuring there are high-quality teachers and staff in every classroom and throughout the school.

I recently blogged about how important a team is. There are many a cliche that supports that line of thinking. “You’re only as strong as your weakest link”, etc etc etc…

This aspect of the Texas Principal Standards can’t be seen as anything less than one of the most important facets of an administrators world. The staff that you surround yourself can make or break you, as we all know. Very rarely, however, do you get to start from scratch and hire an entire staff. What happens when you get traded mid season? (Sports tie in!)

You recognize that you have to make each person on your staff the very best that they can be. The answer isn’t to start looking at the weakest links and getting rid of them! No! What do you do with students in your class that needed extra support? You meet them where they are and help them grow.

Three simple ways to do this….first, set your expectations. Make sure your staff knows what your non negotiables are. Todd Whitaker shares that every student deserves to be treated with dignity and respect every day. Period. Along with that he listed 3 things that have absolutely no place in a school environment:

arguing
yelling
sarcasm

That’s a good place to start. Our students deserve respect!

Second, differentiate the PD that you offer to your staff. There are going to be varying levels of abilities and wants and strengths within your team. Get to know your teachers and find out where they want to be supported/lifted up. As lead learners on their classrooms, they should understand that we want to model for our students that we are ALWAYS willing to learn. How can you help them grow? Are there trainings, conferences, books, resources, etc, that you can share? Take advantage of social media and use it to fine tune your staffs expertise!

Finally, do what you can to make your campus a place people WANT to come too. If there is a strong sense of commitment, of dedication and focus on student success (academically and personally) people will get on board and get behind you. Never underestimate what a “family” can do, together. Help foster that kind of environment. Are you a leader people would want to work for? It’s important to build trust. Listen to them. Have an open-door policy. Make sure they know they can come to you with any problem—personal or professional—and have your ear. It’s also crucial to involve them in decision-making and value their perspective.

Building a team that you are proud of isn’t difficult. It does however take time, energy, and a positive outlook. I heard a great exchange once. Someone asked what do we do if we spend all this time and energy on our teachers and they leave? The response? What if you don’t and they stay!

not taking chances,

Amber

Social media & strategy

August 11, 2014 by Amber 1 Comment

It’s easy to get excited at this time of year. There’s all the back to school supplies, new back to school outfits, and all those fresh new faces! This also is the time new initiatives are rolled out on campuses state wide. From district ideas to campus thoughts…everyone’s excited in August!

I participated in #ptcamp this summer, which was both overwhelming and energizing. There were so many great thoughts share…and as usual, social media was discussed quite a bot. Even if it wasn’t directly referred to as “social media”, the words twitter, facebook, and instagram were talked about. Just like any other new initiative if you’re deciding to get serious with your social media presence, albeit for your classroom or your campus, I challenge you to BE INTENTIONAL.

Regardless of your own personal stance on using social media, you can’t deny the ever increasing use of it in our students lives. To not take advantage of a tool that your students and families are already utilizing is missing a huge opportunity to truly CONNECT. (<—My word for 2014-2015!) If your opinion is that what you’ve been doing is fine, and that you have no need for MORE connections with your students & community, call me. 😉

Building relationships is what we do! Utilizing some form of SM to help facilitate those relationships makes sense. You don’t have to do them all, pick one, that you’re comfortable with, and then BE INTENTIONAL.

Decide what you’re going to share. How often you’re going to share. When you’re going to share. The challenge, just like with any other form of communication, is to maintain your presence to help ensure the validity of your communications. Don’t do all the heavy lifting of getting your parents invested and then in October forget to post anything. It will be next to impossible to get them to commit to something else in the future.

Need some data to help back up my social media “claims”?

72% of all internet users are now active on social media
18-29 year olds have an 89% usage
The 30-49 bracket sits at 72%
60 percent of 50 to 60 year olds are active on social media
In the 65 plus bracket, 43% are using social media
Time spent on Facebook per hour spent online by country. USA citizens get the top gong at 16% followed by the Aussies at 14 minutes and the Brits at 13 minutes.
71% of users access social media from a mobile device.

2020 though, seemed the perfect year to not only change jobs, but also districts, homes, and my realm of experiences doesn’t it?

Acclimate. Listen. Learn. Support. Encourage. Empower.

The leader is responsible for ensuring there are high-quality teachers and staff in every classroom and throughout the school.

Read more at http://www.jeffbullas.com/2014/01/17/20-social-media-facts-and-statistics-you-should-know-in-2014/#VKwcE6rkAmqai71U.99