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

What I’m doing NOW to prepare for 15-16! #cpchat

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This clip from Armageddon may best describe how I feel as I transition this summer from AP to Principal. Packing was surreal…but sitting in this big’ol office…having my note pads and posit its where they go…it means thisisreallyhappening.
I am walking into a dream position. The campus is beautiful. The scores are phenomenal. The staff has been lauded by all. The parents I’ve met have been beyond friendly and approachable. Most importantly, the systems that are in place are amazing. They are in a good place (nah, a great place) with PLCs, with logistics, with morale.

What am I going to do all summer then??

1. Get to know the office staff. These team of ladies has the potential to be my front line at any given moment. I want them to KNOW me, know my heart and to genuinely know who I am. I want to make sure they know my vision, my big picture plans, to help make it easier for them to see why I do the things I do, or make the decisions I make.

2. Meet with my “groups”.  There are a myriad of “groups” within a school, and school district. I have a “Tea with Teamann” for the PTA board already planned. We’re meeting team leaders and PLC leaders for a leadership day. I’m thinking about a “grill & chill” for families. I met with my superintendent and assistant supts to talk about what expectations they had for me for my first year. (Not surprisingly, their answer was relationships!) I want to meet all my SHAREholders, 🙂

3. Dig in. The outgoing principal was a data junkie. I am SO fortunate to be able to see longitudinal data on each student before we ever sit down to talk within our PLCs. I’m going to dive deeper into last years test scores, know my percentages, my areas of focus, and my initial thoughts where we can achieve even higher. I. can’t. wait.

4. Breathe. I am going to enjoy this year. I am not going to be worried and stressed over everything. I am not going to think I need to know everything. I am going to focus on being me, knowing that that was what allowed me to be chosen for this position.

I am going to leverage my PLN, which is chock full of incredible educators, to help make this the very best first year in the history of the world. 

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5. *bonus* ( I wrote this post Thursday afternoon and it timed out and LOST the whole things. As I’m rewriting, I’m adding a bonus #5. You’re welcome!;))

That last paragraph? I used the word “I” a ton. One of my goals this year is to excise that word from my vocabulary. I never want to be the kind of leader who is “I” focused…this is a team, a family. WE will accomplish great things, together. It is SO defeating to be with someone who Unless something has gone wrong and I am taking responsibility, then the word I will use is WE.

I want to remember that using the “I” word alienates those around you…

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 #dontbethatleader #wontbethatleader

 

It may be summer, but my wolf wheels won’t stop spinning. Any other pointers/advice you can share? PLEASE do!

 

Wolf ready,

Amber

Be more you!

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Advice is easy to give. It’s usually given with the greatest of intentions. Sometimes it can be questionable…but this isn’t that kinda post! 🙂

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Our superintendent, Dr. Vinson, gave a closing speech at a banquet a couple of weeks ago where he reflected on the things people told him when he came to this district. Things like “We’re almost as big as such & such district, our scores are as good as so & so’s district.”, and how that gave him pause. He decided that he didn’t want to be more like those places…he just wanted us to be more Wylie. 5 years later we’re an anomaly in the state when it comes to testing data and you have people lined up to get hired. We’re proud of who we are are, and the Wylie Way defines our priorities. The good test scores are a byproduct of the phenomenal educators we have here.

That comment of his reminded me of a conversation we had at the beginning of the year. He mentioned in passing that he wanted to learn more about Twitter, that he’d heard I was a “pro”, and I shrugged him off (as gracefully as one can shrug off your big new boss!!) and said oh, I’m trying to get away from being “that” technology girl, but sure. His response was “Why? Be who you are,Teamann, you gotta own that…”

That stuck in my mind and after completing my 13th year in education, being named principal next year, and finding out I was named a 2015 ASCD Emergent Leader…I can say that advice was heart affirming. 

I’m in a place that wants me to be more ME.

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Not who they think I should be, but more of the me I am.

Our students are encouraged to embrace their individual gifts and we highlight their strengths…don’t forget as an adult you should do the same thing.

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I hope that you are in a place where you can embrace who you are, and and are appreciated for the strengths you bring. Every team member plays a role, but the strongest teams balance each others gifts. Never deny your strengths. Find a place where they can SHINE!!

 

celebrating YOU,

Amber

Use your summer to RE-ENERGIZE! #txeduchat

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reenergizeI was able to host the Sunday evening #txeduchat, which is just what it sounds like…a chat designed for Texas educators. It takes place on Sunday evenings from 8-9pm, cst.

 

This Sunday we talked about what summer looks like to educators, regardless of their role in education. The amount of time we all get off varies, and what down time actually looks like varied even more! Time without students can be seen as “free” time, and a chance for teachers, principals, for everyone…to relax, refresh, and hopefully, re-energize!

 

 

To some, it meant a complete unplugging. A set amount of time that is spent completely edu-free. To some, being “off” meant time to educationally “play”…explore resources without feeling pressured, to tackle projects that we just don’t have time for in the hustle bustle of the school year.

 

To me, it’s an opportunity to clear the palette of the previous year and get my head right moving forward. I obviously take some legit time OFF as well, 🙂 but I like being able to plan when I have plenty of time and energy. 

Try to get things done that allow you to focus more on being in the moment during the school year.

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I’ve mentioned that I keep a desk calendar where I scribble (literally) the things that we have go on, any appointments I’ve had and school events that we hosted. I keep all the months throughout the year and then during the summer, grab a fresh new pretty calendar for the upcoming year and make notes on each month as a reminder of “things” to not forget. I go back through and make notes of when we had what, as a launching place for what we’d done the previous year. 1

My other gem is a notebook, preferably an Apple one, (creature of habit) and I write down all of the things that could have gone better throughout the year. If there was a picture day snafu, or a scheduling conflict, I make a note about what happened. If there is an easy solution, I write that down as well. It’s mostly meant to help me reflect, privately, about situations that could have gone better. It can be as easy as “Inform grade levels how they will be leaving the assembly BEFORE the speaker starts next year.” to “Remember to print positive emails to include in personnel files for summative purposes.”2

 

Here is the archive from the chat, lots of really great things were shared. I also highly recommend Angela Watson‘s Truth for Teachers podcast titled, “How to use summer to re-energize your teaching and yourself” as another resource.

Next week’s chat will be hosted by Angela Maier’s developer of the “You matter” movement and manifesto!  Sunday may 31st, 8pm, CST! You don’t want to miss it!!

 

chattingly,

Amber

Lead…like a dog?

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First, please note that this post is 100% based on zero facts. I have no scientific research that would support these claims, except that I taught used to teach science. It should also be noted…I don’t like cats. 🙂

There are many leadership styles. While watching my black lab run this weekend, I was reminded of a brief roommate I had in college who could never understand why I couldn’t stand her cat. We just never meshed, he and I. (the cat.) I feel like he KNEW that too, and took advantage of my annoyance with him, to show up on my room, or ergh, in my closet. Maybe that is where my true dislike began. Which leadership style can you most relate too?

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Don’t be aloof, be a people person.

Cats will turn their tail to you, and walk away. Dogs will lick your face. Enough said. 

Don’t be too independent, be a team player!

Cats are fiercely independent. They are picky about who they will snuggle and social with. They are often invisible during the day, seeming only to appear in the evening, especially if that is when they are fed. Dogs will sniff up up to anyone. They want to play, they just need a willing participant. 

Be the boss who plays too. Remind people why they should work so hard for you.

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Dogs are companionable, they hang out, they like to be with you, they like your company, whereas cats like it for as long as they want it, and then they’re off.

It’s not about you, it’s about what’s happening around you. 

Cats are notoriously nosy (um, hello curiosity!). They want to be the center of attention, make everything about them, and  know everything that is going on around them. Dogs? They just want to be out & about. Or chasing a squirrel. Or a ball. Or swimming in a pond. Or digging up a garden. Or rolling around in the grass.

Leaders need to be above making themselves the hub of everything that happens.

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 Dogs travel in packs! Surround yourself with an inspirational, supportive, creative team. Student success should be your goal, not winning a popularity cat test, I mean, contest.

 

Be more dog, people. Be more dog.

 

I like my new goal…to lead like a dog. Can you think of any other leadership parallels?

 

woof-ly,

Amber

Not just another student…that’s my baby…

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This week my  sweet lil’TsT had her kindergarten roundup. As in..she will be FIVE soon…and attending kindergarten next year. To put the myriad of emotions I am feeling into words is next to impossible. She’s already IN a pre-school, so it isn’t as if she has never been away from me. She’s also, um, not the first child of MINE to start school. So yes, the fact that I should be completely ok with this hasn’t escaped me, but I still well up with tears thinking about her beginning. Time always flies but to think her big sister will be in 8th grade this year (gulp!!) is a testament to how fast it TRULY flies once they start the seasons of school.

Couple that with the fact that I do this for a living and you’ll probably be even more confused at my emotions.  

I pull screaming kinders away from their parents each year and smilingly send them away

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, reassuring them that this will be FINE, that their baby will be GREAT, and they need to just let us take them.

(Oh dear…do we even want to THINK about someone trying to wretch my sweet girl outta my arms?!?)

The mom in me thinks, “She’s so tiny. There’s so much she can’t do yet!”

The admin in me thinks, “Here we go, another one to build an academic future!”

The mom in me thinks, “Please be gentle with her, she’s not ready for playground politics yet!”

The admin in me thinks “Just you wait, she’ll be running the show soon.”

The mom in me thinks “You have no idea…this baby makes me SO insanely happy every day…”

The admin in me thinks “Every new kinder baby is someone’s whole world, nothing new to see here…”

The mom in me thinks “I will be THAT mom for my kid…I will! Please keep her in mind when making decisions!”

The admin in me thinks “We have to think about what is best for ALL kids, momma!”

 

The dichotomy of these rival roles playing out in my mind is like its own greek tragedy.

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 Thank goodness I am in an incredible school where I truly KNOW and love each and every one of our kinder teachers. I see how hard they work, I know how much they love what they do, and am lucky enough to be there when my girl begins her schooling adventure. Couldn’t have asked for a better team to surround my sweet girl.

I just hope they can handle this dichotomy better than I can!

TsT

Kinder counting down,

Amber