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

Lane check…who is your “check in person”?

by Leave a Comment

I love my daughter’s day care. They care about her, they love on her, some days they even fix her hair in these amazing ponytail/braid/thingies. (If you’ve seen that curly-haired energetic baby girl of mine, you’d know that is an impressive feat.)

One afternoon last week, I pulled into the drive of her school, and again experienced the dilemma of where to park to run in to grab her. There are two lanes under a large carport, and then an outside “lane” that is the fire lane. One half under the carport is clearly labeled, “no parking”…and being married to a fireman,  I know you’re not supposed to park in the firelane. The dilemma comes in that every day there are people parked where I think they shouldn’t be parked. And every day I just pull up behind one of them and go get my girl.

How many things do you do in the course of your day because everyone else is doing it? Things that you may or may not think are correct but that you do none the less, because it’s what others are doing?

That afternoon, I grabbed the office manager and asked her what the correct protocol was for parking. (Inside carport, or fire lane is fine…for the record.)

It made me wonder again how much happens during an instructional day that we do, not because its right, or what’s best for students, but because it’s what everyone else is doing. I challenge you to find a “person” (if not a complete PLN!) that you can check in with that help keep you in the right lane…the one where you’re supposed to be, not just the one everyone is in.

 

vroom, vroom,

Amber

It’s not the snap shot you should remember, take time to watch the movie!

by 3 Comments

Have you ever been guilty of making a judgement about someone? Maybe a coworker? Or a student? A parent who was defensive or absentee? Someone who did something you thought was “wrong”?

I saw this video that my favorite Canadian George Couros posted on FB this weekend and it really reminded me of how often we make generalized judgments about someone based on one interaction we’ve experienced with them.

We encourage students to make mistakes, the proof that they are putting themselves out there, trying new things. As a teacher, I know I made mistakes. I am so thankful that I had supportive, encouraging administrators who saw beyond those mistakes. They saw my heart, my passion, and that my intent was always with the best of intentions. They saw ALL of me, not just an error I made. That snapshot didn’t define me.

Each year as an assistant principal, I have grown, I have learned, and I have done the very best that I can. Have I made mistakes? Absolutely! There’s no manual that comes with this job. You are dependent on those around you to help guide, lift you up, and support your efforts. I hope that you are able to say the same. There’s toxicity in surrounding yourself with people who won’t look past a moment to see the bigger picture. In my role, I challenge myself daily to see the BIG picture, and how I can help empower our entire staff to see beyond where they are (or were!) to where they can be. Their movie isn’t finished yet. 

As an educator, before you make decision on someone you know, work with, or work for…take a minute to question their intent. Do you KNOW that person or are you just basing your decision on a single snapshot of their career? What would the whole movie say? 

 

tissue grabN,

Amber

5 things learned from “Read, Write, Lead” & win your own copy!

by 4 Comments

Regie Routman’s newest ASCD book, “Read, Write, Lead: Breakthrough Strategies for Schoolwide Literacy Success” was a cover to cover read for me. Knowing how well-respected Ms. Routman is certainly made me WANT to read this book, but the focus on literacy skills made it impossible to put down.

My top five take aways:113016b

1. Establish a culture of trust. A level of professional trust is crucial for effective change. (In the same way the instructional leader needs to have a relationship with their staff in order to provide coaching support, a teacher must do the same with their students.) Where trust is missing, fear is often present, and fear is a guaranteed antidote to learning. The change when moving your campus/classroom to a literacy/writing based classroom will be different from what you are used too…keep those high expectations and keep moving forward.

2. Teach with urgency. Lacking the belief that we can positively influence the learning and achievement of ALL of our students will hold us back. Teach with a sense of relevancy and purpose & connect meaning to the tasks at hands.

3. These big ideas: modeled writing from instructors, student input, authentic book discussions, connect reading & writing. I’m going to look for strong teachers to help make these happen this year. Routman writes “We need to focus our reading and writing where our students’ interests are”. In an educational system where “student engagement” is crucial, there are quick wins shared that are practical and easy to implement, from kinder to high school.

4. The entire chapter on leadership priorities. “Effective leadership is essential for excellent school wide reading and writing practice across the curriculum”…and she cites a 6 year study that not one single successful school was able to be that way “with the absence of talented leadership”. The chapter highlights significant behaviors and actions of effective leaders, which led to accelerated achievement for both students and teachers.

5. Finally, the idea of PLCs: “professional literacy communities”…I don’t think there is too big a reach from the PLCs that we see working on campuses today to one with a literacy instructional  focus. Allowing data to guide not dictate. Recognize  that there is a difference between professional development and professional learning. Identify crucial questions that can be a school focus..and make sure you stay on track.

The appendix provides instructional look-fors that are also an incredible resource.

Want to get a copy for yourself?? You can order it here or you can also enter below to get a FREE copy! Enter between today (9/14/2014) and next Sunday, (9/21/2014) and I will send the winner their copy! (I’ll be keeping mine with all the high lighting, ;))

[gravityform id=”5″ name=”Read, Write, Lead”]

 

 

read on,
Amber

 

 

How can we all keep the kindergarten spirit?

by 6 Comments

IMG_2621

Last week as I was walking through classrooms, I came across this kinder kid who was working feverishly on the carpet on a project. As I smiled and walked around the room, he waved me over and asked if I wanted to see his invention. “See this? I made it up, because I needed something that could go real fast. I didn’t have it, so I made it up. ” In addition to just being adorable, I was impressed with his creativity and that matter of fact attitude. It doesn’t occur to a kindergartener that you shouldn’t just make up what you need. 

Personality is encouraged. Scribbling is encouraged. Sharing is talked about daily.

Expectations for all are high. The ability to have FUN while working each day is natural. Forgiveness is second nature. Independence is being forged each and every day.

No one questions mistakes in kindergarten…they are expected, encouraged, and even enjoyed. There are new discoveries every day. The most basic of discoveries blow their mind.

They’re not too cool for anything. They love their teachers. Teachers are hugged and called mom, more than once. Kinder teachers present life lessons as smoothly as they do math, all with the patience of Jobe.

The natural chaos of “learning” is anticipated….and enjoyed.

What if every classroom was  like a kindergarten classrooms?

kinder loveN,

Amber

the PLN and the principal

by 2 Comments

I can not imagine doing what I do without my PLN. I know I’ve discussed the power of a PLN here and here, but in continuing my summer series blogging with some of my favorite people on the planet, I agreed to add my assistant principal perspective to it.

This job doesn’t come with a manual. Your tasks are as varied as the weather. Your task list will also depend on your campus and the strengths of your campus administrator. Leadership of a campus takes a balance between the principal an and assistant principal. If there is a symbiotic relationship, your campus will run all the better for it, which I’ve also talked about before.

How then do principals around the country make an impact on what I do? My superintendent today sent out a district leadership diagram that details what our district feels are the necessary components of a strong leadership team. I completely agree with these roles needed to balance a team. You don’t have to have one of each of these, but between the campus leaders, all of these roles should be played.

Global Vision A team member who sees
the “big picture” and is adept in matters related to scheduling, college readiness,professional development needs and innovation
Consistency A team member who demonstrates consistency in all matters, such as discipline,policies and procedures, etc.
Administrative Tasks A team member whose
strength lies in the managerial tasks, such as textbooks, facilities, lockers, custodians, etc
Instructional Leadership A team member whose strength is in curriculum,
instruction and assessment with support of
Special Populations
Relationships A team member whose strength is in building
relationships with students, parents, staff and
community

My PLN guarantees that no matter what situation I find myself in, I am going to have support. If I need inspiration? They are there. If I have a question? I know who to turn too. If they aren’t able to answer, they recommend someone else who can. When planning  a digital leadership session recently, I asked via Twitter and Facebook what essential tools an admin needed to know to be considered “digitally fluent”, I had over 150 responses. There is POWER in these relationships.

It’s almost impossible to explain to someone that there are people that I talk to everysingleday that I’ve never met. Or that I’m rooming with, literally, a “virtual” stranger. Or that I need my passport to attend the wedding of a dear, dear friend that I met via Twitter. Or that I’ve spent all summer flying around, speaking about things I am passionate about, based on the recommendations of people who have never met me, in real life.

I can’t convince you to do it, I can only show you example after example of how my PLN has changed my life. Pick a medium. Pick a community, synchronous or asynchronous. Jump in.

pln 1

 

For more posts on this topic, you can also read posts from:

Tony Sinanis

 

(will update as posted!)

 

completely sold,

Amber