#thefirstyear Archives

To be known or to be impressive? #2020oneword

December 30, 2019 by Amber Leave a Comment

Twitter is so fun. We have a new-ish pastor. He’s been around now for about a year, but we attend a satellite church, so I’ve actually never met him. We are always entertained and moved through his message though. He also has been fantastic to follow and learn along with through the twitters. It’s developed a “connection” from afar, and even just that tenuous of one, makes me feel more plugged into his sermons/messages.

While scrolling, I came across this tweet the other day and it made me pause.

Just through a quick read, I thought well that’s silly. Can’t I can be super impressed with people I know? I know some pretty impressive people after all… (coughTroycough)

He, so graciously, responded…and I just can’t stop thinking about how very much of THIS KIND of leader I want to be.

This is why I’m so transparent in my failures and the mistakes I’ve made as a leader. (#thefirstyear, just as a reminder.)

It’s also why I’m so anti “cotton candy leadership”. The notion that our jobs are all about riding tricycles or how giving up our offices is the right & easy thing to do…just kills me. Our jobs are hard! (and amazing and rewarding and filled with the VERY best of lil’people!!) but also, HARD.

Recognizing the multifaceted role that we are charged with…never letting any of those balls drop…being able to be SEEN in the role…means more to me than being impressive. It’s recognizing that sometimes it’s more important to let people see the struggle than just to assume the success. Otherwise its a misrepresentation of the MOST important things we do…change lives.

It means being KNOWN. Sharing the good, the bad, the struggles. Sharing the flaws and the failures…always being real.

And being ok with it.

My word for #2020 is going to be “known”. To be seen for #allthethings, not just the high light reel that is traditionally shared. (Although, let’s be honest, I’m not really that kinda girl anyway. )

Thanks for the nudge, JH! I look forward to ACTUALLY meeting you, 🙂

2020 ready &

Thank a Teacher in Your Life #thefirstyear

May 2, 2016 by Amber 1 Comment

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, I 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

March 15, 2016 by Amber 2 Comments

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

Make your Fridays in February…fabulous! #thefirstyear

January 25, 2016 by Amber Leave a Comment

What’s that? Am I writing something in ADVANCE?? Or is it that I couldn’t sleep and decided that the 4am hour just might could be a productive one? 🙂 I’ll never tell!

There is a voxer group of my PLN peeps that have genuinely become friends. We voxed pretty much every day for a good two years before we’ve kind of drifted into random/occasional voxes…and me so much more so than them. One of the greatest take away from that group was the idea of “Fabulous Fridays in February”, from the awesome Melinda Miller. Knowing that February can potentially be a dreary long month, she peps it up with fun activities each week…just a lil’something to look forward too. Each year I’ve added, adjusted, adapted to the campus I’m at to help being some of this fabulous along with me! Plus, you know I love a good theme!!

Now, I know I post a lot of “culture” building posts…please know for every one of these I post, there is a PLC meeting, a 504 meeting, or some kind of PD convo that is also taking place. There are walk-throughs, there are coaching comments, and there are deep conversations. All the roles and responsibilities of a school principal are important. I just also happen to feel that a positive school culture is imperative. School culture is the heart of improvement and growth.

School culture is the heart of improvement and growth.

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It is the deliberate decision by the leaders of the campus to create a positive school culture that enables the other areas (effective, intentional instruction for student success for example) to also achieve noteworthy outcomes. Notice, I said leaders, not just the principal.

I think teacher leaders are just as, if not more, important than a principal.

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They have a power amongst their peers that is hard for an administrator to replicate.

Now, that being said, back to the fun stuff. February is a long month. No holidays immediately in sight, the Christmas break has worn off, and typically, the spring testing has started to rear its ugly head. I want my teachers to WANT to be at school.

I want them to look forward to being with our Wolves, and to know that I value what they do for our campus.

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Creative little celebrations don’t take much money, just some foresight to plan ahead. You can recruit PTA moms, involved moms, local churches, local businesses, team leaders, office staff…anyone to help you lighten the load. Something as simple as a thank you note can make a world of difference to a teacher who is tired. I have some special Wednesday incentives as well that I will be handing out for various things, which will be new for me this year that I’ve gotten from a new Plano principal, Mrs. Taylor. I’ve attached those below my fabulous Canva picture below! (If you haven’t started using Canva to rock your world yet, get to it!!)

Are you doing Fab Fridays? Or Marvelous Mondays? Terrific Tuesday? Tweet me your great ideas! Here is my 2014 version, and my 2015 version as well!

Stay fab,

Amber

A book study via Facebook… #InnovatorsMindset #thefirstyear

January 10, 2016 by Amber 4 Comments

We have a collective leadership team on this campus that is undertaking a book study this semester. When looking at the hectic schedule that we already know is in place, we had to get creative in how we would undertake adding an additional to do.

First, I knew that I needed a book that would be timely and relevant to where we are in our journey as a campus. I wanted something that was easy to read, but something that could guide us from where we are to a more collaborative, innovative place. It would also be more beneficial if it impacted our practices from THEIR mindset shift, versus a top-down approach.

Second, there wasn’t a day or an hour that would have worked for multiple teachers on multiple grade levels. I’ve done a Twitter book study before but knew that I wanted deeper conversations.

Third, I’ve had some great conversations with my PLN about how I needed to be able to sustain the energy and focus that I have this first year moving forward. I have to be able to manage adding a book study. I needed a time management piece.

The solution?

The Innovator’s Mindset, by George Couros…as a book study in a closed Facebook group, that I can schedule using PostCron.

Several friends have done book studies on FB, and speak to the ease of conversations, of the simplicity in posting images with questions, and the management piece.

I created question images using Canva and have scheduled them to post using postcron. They’ll post on Mondays, early, so that as teachers read they can come back and reflect on the questions. On Wednesday, I’ll post a video or blog post that goes along with the chapter as well for further thought.

Luckily. George has provided all of these resources for me on his website. It doesn’t get much easier than that!

I’ll keep you posted on how effortless, and yet impactful, this book study truly is!

Mindset ready,

Amber