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

How available are you? #cpchat

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How available are you-Being connected means I am always available on something. I’m checking twitter, or my email, or instagram all of the time. There is facebook messenger, there is snapchat. My staff has my cell number and I check my email regularly (gulp.)

I’ve never thought of that as a bad thing.

A conversation this week made me pause, however. Is being that available setting an expectation that I expect that of others? It honestly had never occurred to me. That darn activator “strength” of mine means when I have a question or need input,  I typically reach out to other leaders on campus. While I’m not at all put out if they don’t all respond, I don’t know that I’ve ever communicated that to them.

Knowing that my people are watching all the time, I still think being available is important. What are your strategies for honoring off/down time while maintaining a consistent, constant flow of communication and shared leadership?

How accessible are you to your staff? Can they reach you via phone/text all the time?

 

tick tock,

Amber

 

Summer reads: 10 books to consider when #principalplanning

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With just 18 days alllllll to myself, I have developed a stringent plan to get all my professional reading in. While I would usually say that my break was for fluff reading…I’ve been doing pretty well on that, 🙂 and need to get all these books in that I’ve been collecting on my desk read and processed. Some are rereads that I’ve committed to consistently rereading. Some are new finds, recommended at the PLC conference we attended a few weeks ago.  Some other leaders have suggested. Each title was selected with a targeted area of growth in mind, and I’m hoping that by committing to tweeting/blogging about them I will be more accountable for their leadership message. Choosing to  develop and enhance my growth mindset through personal accountability and reflection should ensure that these gems of greatness are more than quick reads, but that they are cornerstones of the leader I want to be.

 

bookie books

 

Now, if I can get through a Jennifer Weiner novel in a day, surely I can handle ten books in 18 days, right? Of course I can. 🙂 Especially knowing that these titles are meant to not just motivate, but to also add structure and MEAT to the notion of leadership. I can pin happy  quotes on Pinterest all day long, but what I need is the structure, a system if you will, of how to apply these principles in the crux of the day to day operations of leadership. Don’t tell me to go swing…tell me how to be the leader my district, my teachers, and my families deserve me to be.

Do you have any that you’d suggest I’d add to my stack? Tell me what and why!

book buried,

Amber

PLC conference: Leadership gems

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We have traveled as a district leadership team to the Solution Tree PLC conference. Day 1 involved some powerful examples of what a PLN and PLC led culture can lead to on a campus.

I figured out at my first PLC conference that the PLC mindset was very similar to what I think is the “connected educator” mindset. It’s all about collaboration, sharing information/knowledge to benefit students, growing as a learner, and utilizing the knowledge of the whole to benefit the individual. That being said, I enjoy conferences because I love to learn, and think there is always something else I can do to improve as an educator and as a leader.

Yesterday’s sessions and great thoughts:

Teaching, Leading, and Living a High-Energy and Well-Balanced PLC Life, by  Timothy Kanold            

This session was all about finding that elusive work/life and how necessary it is to keep sane. Relational and emotional intelligence is a REAL thing. Did you know your EQ has a direct correlation to the emotional climate that you create within your campus? Your relationship with your campus/co-members is as important to their success as it is to yours. “Poor relational leaders will drive skilled and motivated workers out of their profession, or even worse, cause them to withhold discretionary effort…” (Hard Facts, Dangerous Half Truths, and Total Nonsense, 2006)

He referenced “The PLC Energy Quadrants”, that I thought was very interesting. It spoke to the need of EVERY day spending time in quadrant II, a place of low positive energy…(reflective, serene, relaxed) in order to balance staying in the “fully engaged, in the flow” quadrant I, a high positive place (helpful, hopeful, connected, joyful).  Ironically enough, this past year, I weeded out almost all of my low positive “actions” instead choosing to be action oriented and focused on my first year as an administrator. 3

Another fun fact: too much time in QI or QIII will send you to Q4.

Leading with Passion and Purpose: The Principal’s Role in a PLC

This session was led by a high school principal from Texas, bonus points! Mr. Jones started with an activity, having us complete an acronym, with the word LEADER. Pausing to think about how as a leader, each one of those letters stand for such BIG THINGS that I am responsible for being…for representing…for modeling was a big pause. He also shared that the principal, by their year 3, has a direct and substantial impact on students results on a campus. (Marzano, 2005) Knowing how difficult it would be for me to manage such a substantial impact on all 54 of my staff members, I can however choose to be that person for my 6 PLC teams.  “No one person can serve 50 masters!”

My two top tweets from his session (I take notes in twitter blurbs…it works for me!)

  • There’s a difference between co-laboring and collaborating. Which one do you do? # Everyone’s shovel is in the ground!
  • If you’re listening…you’re not talking, solving, or rationalizing, you’re being present…be a listening leader!

He closed talking about something I struggled with this year. His slide was titled “When you’re Famous”…but it asked what evidence you have to show that your students, your teachers, your teams, and your school have accomplished.  

Being a leader isn’t all about you.

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If you’re the most successful, celebrated, and accomplished person on your campus, you’re doing it all wrong.  The awesome Matt Arend sent me a screen shot this week lauding someone who used to be against many of his initiatives but has, over time, become a huge supporter of the growth changes he’s brought forth. That is a successful leader. That is #realimpact.

“Indeed, there are virtually no documented instances of troubled schools being turned around without intervention by a powerful leader. Many other factors may contribute to such turn-arounds, but leadership is the catalyst.” (Leithwood, Seashore Louis, Anderson, & Wahlstrom, 2004)

 

leadership growN,

Amber

 

Leadership during severe weather, lessons learned! #thefirstyear

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A destructive hail storm pummeled North Texas this past Monday evening. The hail caused significant damage to homes and cars in our little ISD, even causing us to cancel school Tuesday, for a “hail day”. (Everything’s bigger in Texas, right?) From golf ball sized hail at my house to SOFTBALL SIZED HAIL in another neighborhood…we were hit hard to say the least. Check out this aerial view:

wylie tarps pic 1_1460498763636_1174901_ver1.0_640_360

Immediately after the 15 minutes of pounding rain and hail (I posted a video on instagram!) there were tasks to be handled and leadership implications. From checking on my campus to checking in on my teachers, I’ve added multiple tools to my leadership toolbox that will hopefully help myself (and anyone else!) not miss a beat if they go through this again or something similar!

  • Do you have a check-in plan? While I had most of my staff’s numbers in my phone, I didn’t have EVERYONE. Needing to not only know the extent of damage to their personal homes but being able to personally reach out is important. I am thankful for my PLC leaders who were able to contact teams, and report back to me. Group texting is convenient but sometimes needs to just be between me and the person I need!
  • Do you know the multiple modalities of communicating to students and families? I now know how to access my Skyward family blast system from our district website. It was HUGELY helpful to email all of our families and give campus & district updates. We posted it on Facebook and twitter, but in a situation like this I really needed to access as many ways as possible to get the messages out. (Campus website, marquee, phone blast, etc.) I’ve now saved these links within my chrome browser so I can access them at home if I leave my laptop at work. 
    Communication in an emergency is crucial and keeps all of your stakeholders informed and calm.

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  • Who will walk your building if you can’t? While our district was amazingly prompt, I needed to walk my halls and give an immediate assessment report to our superintendent. Thankfully my car was in our garage and I was able to get here quickly. There were hundreds of cars completely totaled from the hail, making them undrivable. If you or your teachers can’t travel, what’s the plan?2
  • How will you be able to help? One campus posted on FB that they would open their gym on our “hail day” allowing parents some kid free time to handle broken glass, phone calls, window repairs. If your building is habitable, what a tremendous support as parents are dealing with all their damage. 3
  • Who is your district contact? From sub questions, to damage reports, to teacher needs…who and how will you communicate with district leaders? I am blessed with a text savvy supt so he is available ALL the time ( I don’t think he slept Monday night!) but you will have many questions. Know your contacts! (And, as importantly,  have their numbers at home!!)
  • What will you do if your teachers are impacted? Our district resoundingly responded with not many out at all today, despite the damages incurred on many houses. We had a plan on how to divide up students if necessary, and have car pool plans now in place for those without vehicles. How will you cover classes and/or duty if your people can’t get there? From homes with holes to daycares with no roof, there is a myriad of reasons people have had to miss today.
  • Where will you be? Videos on the news showed our amazing teachers, janitorial staff, administrators, and even our superintendent being all hands on. I raked yards, helped carry in tools/wood to cover windows, and delivered lunch to roofers. It has all contributed to such a STRONG commitment to our district and community. Humble leadership is down in the trenches and if you’re able to contribute, it will make an impact.

This has been a year of learning experiences, that’s for sure! I’ve taken plenty of notes in the last 48 hours and while I hope I don’t have to use them again this year, I feel SO much better about how I will handle what mother nature throws our way!

 

Texas weather ready,

Amber

Be a leader. Be open to learning. #thefirstyear

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Took advantage of connections today to visit three different schools to see how they are utilizing and maximizing their maker spaces. Completely different, all three of them. Different budgets, different people in charge, different spaces.

I loved it.

I love an idea that is SO broadly fabulous that it can’t fit into a mold. It was great conversations, great connections, and sparked many a thought on how we can fit the maker-ing into my Whitt world.

As I walked the halls of Sigler Elementary, the esteemed campus of one Matt Arend, I once again in life, realized how beneficial being a connected educator can be…one who is open to hearing the fun things others are doing, tweaking the suggestions that others have shared to make them work for you, and how much that makes me grow as a professional.

How very boring our world would be without the awesome of all of us.

How very boring our world would be without the awesome of all of us.

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Be open, friends. Be collaborators. Be sharers. Be someone’s spark.

I’ll write more about the excellent conversations I had today soon. After all, sharing IS caring!

Amber