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

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

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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

How can we all keep the kindergarten spirit?

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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

So you want to have a class blog…

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Below is a SAMPLE first blog post…this is one that I used with my fourth graders many moons ago that started off our blogging adventure. (Feel free to use!!) During class we’d discussed the many do’s and don’t’s of our classroom blog, and also how we wanted others who read to “see” us. It was a VERY long conversation! Students knew that other adults, as well as other students, would be visiting our blog and they wanted to come across as intelligent as possible, 🙂

By setting the “tone” for what and how we wanted the blog to work, the expectations were in place before we’d even logged on. In addition to the student safety pieces we’d discussed, we also talked about web netiquette and what made a “good” comment versus a “blah” one. Also, spelling errors weren’t a focus for my classroom, I was more interested in what thoughts they were trying to convey rather than whether or not they spelled them correctly. Each teacher (and class!) can make that decision for themselves. That being said, students were way more critical of each other than I could have been about their errors on the blog.

There are so many support systems out there, like #commentsforkids. That stream on twitter will generate more traffic for your class posts to help show your students what a global audience can really look like! There are also a multitude of blogging platforms out there…blogger, kidblog, wordpress, etc. Do NOT be scared of blogging with your students!! I can’t stress this enough! You have complete autonomy of your “space”.  I always set my comments settings to where I had to go in and approve them before they could be “seen”, to ensure no personal info was shared. I used a generic title & my kids didn’t use their real names. It was a safe space!

Good luck with blogging in your classroom! I hope you see as many benefits as I did from the relationships that I was able to develop from both my students and my parents throughout the years.

________________________________________________________________________
i_love_bloggingIt’s time to get blogging! We’ve talked about the different do’s and don’ts for blogging…but I wanted to add a couple more here. Read through these and post a comment about the rule you think is MOST important and why.

1. Don’t give out any personal information like telephone numbers, home address, school name or parent’s office address.

2. Don’t use your real name as your log on name.

3. Make sure you’re not simply typing “Yeah” or “That’s right” or something equally boring.

4. Learn how to use “smileys” to show how you are saying things. Read the smileys sideways – they make a face. 🙂 or 🙂 is a smiley face. You are happy and smiling when you speak….let me see that personality!

5. Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in real life.

Be ethical. Don’t believe anyone who says, “The only ethics out there are what you can get away with.” If you encounter an ethical dilemma in cyberspace, consult the code you follow in real life. Chances are good you’ll find the answer, 🙂

OK, put these rules to the test and comment letting me know what you think!!

Bloggingly,
Mrs. Teamann

Theory X vs Theory Y leading

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In my summer reading pile of fun, 🙂 I have recently started “6 Habits of Highly Effective Bosses” and thus far have been fascinated by how easily leadership styles can be “sorted”.

45 years ago Douglas McGregor coined his clarification of organizational management into Theory X and Theory Y. As you begin your new school year, take some time to see which of these styles apply to you, and which you feel you most want to emulate. I see direct parallels to the classroom.

Theory X think people have an inherent dislike of work, that they avoid working when they can, and need to be controlled. They think employees prefer to be directed, dislike responsibility, and prefer the security of their role more than anything else.

This is the manager who feels employees (or students!) can’t ever be trusted, and need to be watched at all times. They need to be given explicit instruction, down to the very last detail, because  there is an assumption that it won’t be done, or done correctly. Theory X leaders can mildly be described as micro managers; they feel that employees don’t care about the company’s interests in the long run. Formal rules, clearly laid out in black and white, and structures have to be in place to define clearly what WILL happen when employees  don’t do things correctly…because obviously, they won’t.

In contrast, Theory Y believes people need to be inspired and empowered. They assume that control and punishment are not the only ways to make people work, and that employees (or students!) will actually direct themselves if they are committed to the work. If people are not ALL IN, then what they do becomes a job, versus their passion, versus something they are fully committed in seeing become successful. Theory Y sees people as assets that can be nurtured for the talent that they bring to the organization.

This directly correlates to the culture eats strategy for breakfast mindset. Or as Ron Willingham, author and chairman of the consulting firm Integrity Systems says, “People are important than processes.” Managers should base their success on team accomplishments. Maslow (yes, THAT Maslow) even suggests that managers that are comfortable with interpersonal negotiation , mediation, teamwork, and staff empowerment are more likely to be “successful” than “power kick” managers. Let go of some of that control and recognize that if people understand the why, they’ll be able to handle the how without being micromanaged.

As you kick off your school year, consider taking more time to build relationships than establishing the “rules” and the consequences of your world, whether it be your classroom or your campus. Student choice, student voice, and allowing our students to have a say in what they do can make a difference!

gomez

theory Y hopeN,

Amber

 

 

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#ISTE2014 or I survived the subway!

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(I just love alternate titles! I can’t ever make up my mind so having two is just perfect!)

I had not planned on attending ISTE this year. Changing school districts , several prior booked obligations, and just an overall weary feeling did not lend itself well to travel. However, the thought of missing out on connecting with some of my favorite minds and faces was even less appealing, so off I went!

My ISTE highlights:

IMG_1696Connecting with my friends. I don’t even have another word for them…they aren’t just people I “know from the internet”. Some I talk to everysingleday. Most are who I consult when I have a professional question. Several make me think, challenge my beliefs, and ensure I sound articulate when discussing hot educational topics. Some I met f2f for the first time this trip, including my room mate! 🙂 Melinda was just as delightful in person as she was on voxer! Getting the chance to be in the same space with the people whose tweets I read and blogs I follow just makes me happy. Surrounding yourself with people who have the same passion as you is calming. It just balances me out to move forward.

Listening. As vociferous as I am, I didn’t talk a lot this trip. (Angela Watson, you don’t count.) I don’t mean listening to sessions either. Confession: sessions at ISTE weren’t why I went. I’m a sharp enough cookie that if there is a tool or an idea that I want to learn more about, I can seek it out to more depth than I could have in sitting in a session. Also, changing districts means I am unsure of what my new role will entail. I’m going to need time to see what I can bring to the table, so I wasn’t on the prowl for something new and fabulous to take back with me. Lunching around a conversation about teacher leaders and challenging administrators how to mold and empower campus leadership without adding to teachers plates? That was better than any session I could have sought out.

Opportunity. As soon as I decided I was going to go to Atlanta, I checked the baseball schedule. My cousin plays for the Braves and I haven’t had an opportunity to see him play. What started as a “Hey George, let’s go see Evan play” turned into the best night I’ve had in a long time. Me and 34 of my closest friends, 🙂 ended  up at Turner Field, on a perfect summer night to watch the game.

I can turn any sporting cliche into a metaphor for education, and this was no different. Baseball is nothing new to me, but through the experiences of my friends this game was completely different. We rode the subway to get there. As in…a train that WENT UNDER THE GROUND. That’s just not normal, ya’ll!  Despite the fact that you may have been in education for “x” amount of years, every once in while get out of your comfort zone! Do something that challenges you! (Shaking hands aside, I think I handled it quite well. I only almost fell once! And I did lose my clinique lipstick…but I didn’t die! I win!) I didn’t even know there  WAS a subway in Atlanta, but again, trusting those smarter than I, we went and had a grand ol’time.

Bonus: Getting to see Evan after the game even though he didn’t play was awesome!

kim evan amber

I can’t imagine attending a conference and not having these connections. Jon Gordon has a quote that says “One person in pursuit of excellence enhances the performance and energy of everyone around them.” To me, that was all the focus on students, learning, and connections at ISTE this year and I am glad I went.

 

Above ground rideN,

Amber