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

Ways to keep growing as a leader… #taketwo

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I’ve mentioned before that one of the things I think that impacted my leadership last year was that I put all of the “me” things on the back burner, including my own growth as a leader. In years previous, I was very active on twitter leader chats, participating in conversations, I was more involved with my local and state leadership opportunities, and would attend several conferences throughout the year. These opportunities helped me stay connected to my PLN (aka: peer friends!), helped me stay abreast of current and emergent leadership trends, and even grounded me as an administrator.

This year, more determined than ever to not lose sight of those things that I truly think help me maintain balance, that myth that we as educators all strive for, I’ve added more to my plate. Contradictory, isn’t it? Last year taught me however that when I spend too much time on the things I HAVE to do, vs the things I enjoy or WANT to do, I am not very good at anything. 

I have the privilege of having been named an ASCD Emerging Leader last year. ASCD has incredible resources to support educators overall, and in particular, those who want to GROW. They’ve been doing the ASCD Learn Teach Lead Radio podcast with BAM Radio for several months now and it’s getting extremely popular. There are great conversations with educationally centered authors on the show, and they are quick and easy to listen too. I’ve begun listening to one each Sunday as I get ready for church. All episodes can be found here. If you’re a teacher, looking for the same kinda knowledge, I can’t recommend Anglea Watson and her “Truth for Teachers“podcast enough. These are 10-15 minutes of PRACTICAL teaching advice, that both newbies and veteran educators can grow from. From genuis hour help to procrastination, she covers the #realtalk part of your world.

Professional reading can take a bad rap, but I again contend that when it’s something I WANT to read, it makes a huge difference. I blogged over the summer about what I was reading to grow, and that hasn’t stopped, even with my busy elementary fall world!

Three books you should stop and get NOW are:

  • Renegade Leadership, by Brad Gustafson. The title is enough, but Brad makes me want to be a better principal. Centered in student learning, he makes it sound SO easy to also be a renegade and push the status quo. My favorite part is that he doesn’t expect you to stop ALL the other pieces that we know being a leader means…the HR side, the finance side, the paperwork side. He shows you to be a renegade in spite of all those necessary components.
  • The Starter Guide to Makerspaces, by Nick Provenzano. Makerspaces are one of the things that I just don’t get. Thankfully, “The Nerdy Teacher” has written a book to help me! I definitely plan on leading my staff this Spring to a place where we can MAKE and MAKE confidently!
  • ROI powers ROI: The ultimate guide to think and communicate for ridiculous results, by Michael Rose. For $9 on Amazon, you can download this book. It just makes me think differently about what I try and communicate to my people. Sometimes the WHAT loses all its importance if you don’t master the HOW. Please see #thefirstyear for more on that! This book has made me pause before I speak and that is a good thing.

Last but not least…conferences. There is such power in connecting, not only myself, but also my teachers. I sent several to go hear George Couros a week or so ago, and EACH ONE OF THEM  have come in to me and asked, in different ways, how they can take a risk or lead differently. It doesn’t matter that I push them WEEKLY, it was hearing him speak that made them step up..and out. GO to a conference. SEND your people to a conference. No money? Find an #edcamp near you.  On my radar for the spring/ summer?

  • TCEA– Haven’t been in several years and am looking forward to presenting with Matt Arend on Snapchat in Schools, and also with him and Sanee Bell on Leadership through Failure.
  • ASCD– Missed last year, and won’t make that mistake again! Early Bird rates are still available!
  • ISTE- Local this year (ish!) and I’m taking a team of teachers…ISTE has come a long way with integrating academic best practices with emergent technology ideas, it’s worth attending every few years!

 

How do you maintain the “growth” part of your role as an educator?

 

Always learning,

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

 

Thank a Teacher in Your Life #thefirstyear

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I had the opportunity to blog for ASCD this week on a topic that is near & dear to my heart…appreciating teachers. I hope to always retain my “teacher eyes” and now have the benefit of seeing an entire campus in action. They impress me each and every day.

As an educator, Teamann-Teacher-Appreciation-300x300I love that my professional life revolves around a school calendar, brand new school supplies each year, and the daily promise of children’s hugs. How very gratifying it is to know that what we do has the power to change a child’s trajectory in life! Teachers are in a unique position to accomplish what so few other occupations can: immortality. They live on forever in the stories shared between generations, the unforgettable memories, and the differences they made in their students’ lives.

As we celebrate teachers with intentionality this week, I hope administrators, parents, and community members are able to take a moment to reflect on what happens behind the scenes. From the early mornings to the late nights, a teacher’s work is never just a job. There are so many cliché jokes that can be made about working from 8:00 to 3:00 or having summers off, but I don’t know of many bankers, lawyers, or accountants who spend their own money on their professional supplies or fight passionately to the point of tears over their “clients” the way my teachers do. Teachers expend energy to the point of exhaustion but never fail to turn on their smiles each and every day . . . all for the students they will teach for a mere 187 days of their academic careers.

I see students walk into classrooms, broken and dejected. I watch them blossom under a teacher’s care and see their entire futures being rewritten. Do you think that sounds extreme? Visit a classroom and watch how, when given attention and support, even the students who struggle most will become engaged and grow as learners. My teen, in such a precarious stage in her life, has had the opportunity to be coached by someone who took the time to get to know and support her not only athletically but also personally. He has held her accountable for her playing on the court and her decisions off the court. I’ve watched him devote his time and stay 45 minutes after a game waiting on parents to pick up their daughters, despite having a family of his own at home. These are the adults with which we entrust our future. How very thankful for them we should be!

On my campus alone, I have teachers whose homes were destroyed this week in a hail storm. Their cars were totaled. Their roofs were destroyed. And you know what? They are here. They are here, they are smiling, and they are hugging on our students and listening to their storm adventures—all while their personal world is in ruins. Find me another profession where you see this level of daily commitment. There are dozens of examples of how far above and beyond a “contract” teachers will go. The 4th grade teacher who stays up until midnight, working on papers and trying to advance her education with an administration certificate while simultaneously teaching full time and raising two active kids. The 3rd grade teacher who makes it a point to write a letter of encouragement to a former student with testing anxiety—a student she had four years ago—before our state standardized tests. A teacher who has invited every one of her students to have lunch with her each day for the last month (or more) until STAAR to ensure that they all know they mean more to her than a test score. A nurse who visits a student who had to be hospitalized, just so he knew he was loved and missed. I could go on and on. And I am just referring to my one elementary campus. There are examples like this where ever you find teachers.

You never forget the teacher who made an impact on your life.

As we celebrate teachers across the nation, I hope that you take the opportunity to reach out and thank a teacher in your life. There are so many ways to show teachers or staff members that you appreciate their time and energy (thanks, Pinterest!), but even a simple thank you or a handwritten note can make an entire year’s worth of energy worth it. We are blessed to have those we call teachers . . . let’s make sure they know it!

Click here for some of ASCD’s most inspiring free resources for teachers.

 

How do you know if you’re doing a good job? #thefirstyear

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I’ve said before that there is no manual that comes with a leadership role. How very much easier it would be in life if every time you had a question or were presented with a situation, you could simply turn to the relevant page and see how it should be addressed. But we all know that is not true in life, and it’s definitely not true in leadership.

Recently I’ve found myself wondering how do I know if I am doing this whole principal thing right? What are the measurements in being “successful”?  Is it everyone being happy? Is it knowing all that there is to know? (gulp.) Is it happy kids? Is it happy teachers? HOW DO YOU KNOW?

The answer is…..

impossible to measure?

non-discernible?

based on assessments? (but which ones? State? Local? Common, formative? Rabbit trail, that one is…)

popularity?

definitely not easy.

In speaking to those infinitely more wise than me, I think that you just do the every best that you can and know that you are always growing.  Keep yourself surrounded by people that you can have heartfelt, genuine, reflective conversations with, on a regular basis. From your staff to your parents to district leadership…be open in discussing how they are feeling and how they feel the overarching principles that you want to lead by are being received.  Are you fair? Are you consistent? Are you doing things for the right reasons?  Have there been any misunderstandings? Is what you are saying what they are hearing? The answer to that may surprise you…but the only way to KNOW is to ASK. #lessonslearned

 

I’d be interested in hearing from you…what are the markers of you feeling as if you’ve done a good job? How do you know? This question has kept me awake at night lately, and would love to know what you think! And while you’re thinking about it, this post has now gotten THIS SONG stuck in my head. You’re welcome!

 

 

survey seeking,

Amber

Who doesn’t need additional support? #ASCD has you covered!

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Last week, ASCD launched a brand new product for teachers, ASCD myTeachSource. This is a digital subscription product where teachers can access tools and content they need on key topics, such as formative assessment and classroom management. It’s priced at just $29 per year and is designed completely with the needs of teachers in mind. (members ALREADY have access to it!)

Now, I am a self-admitted ASCD junkie, given the amount of their books/authors I depend on to meet my own professional development needs. But this? This is for my people!

My highlights:

  • Articles on a PLETHORA of topics. This week alone I could share 3 different articles on formative assessment. A very timely topic, this provided background, practicality, and easy applications for my teachers. From the articles section, you can also connect with videos, tools, and additional links on the topic!
  • Videos: What better catalyst to a PLC than a short video? The focused in on best practices, no fluff, so I could get right to the good stuff. (LOVED the one on “relationship building exercises”.
  •  Tools: As a principal, again, this are SO valuable for quick and easy support with my team! I can send these out for team leaders to lead a conversation on, or I can use them for coaching with those might need a lil’support. A time saver for me, but a HUGE resource for them!
  • Links: Now, you can google just about anything you want these days, but knowing that ASCD has cultivated these resources, that align with their “whole child” vision, & that have been vetted by their team, just makes me so much comfortable utilizing them!

ascd

 

Check it out!

 

All about that support,

Amber