#vision — Page 4

Free and easy ways to connect with your staff & parents!

May 19, 2014 by Amber Leave a Comment

There are a variety of ways that teachers and administrators can communicate with their class, staff, and parents. Effective communication is vital to a schools success. Not just the typical teacher to parents way, but also in the campus to the families way. Good communication can prevent misperceptions and mismatched expectations, encourage parent involvement and foster a team approach to caring for your students. Families should feel welcomed, informed and as involved as possible.

Tim Lauer in Portland uses Instagram to share the good things happening at his school. Want to know what matters to that lead learner? Check out his feed.

Classroom activities, fun projects, assemblies…there are visuals to accompany all of the good things going on at Lewis Elementary.

Melinda Miller creates videos that communicate important calendar events happening. Her campus still sends home a paper calendar but also provides this link to her staff/families. She uses an app called Touchcast, to make this happen. TouchCast creates an interactive presentation that mixes video with web content. The app lets you record a video and overlay elements such as web pages, maps, photos, Twitter streams, polls, quizzes and more. Users watching the video can click on these multimedia elements and interact with them while the video continues to play. You start by recording a video using your iPad’s camera. You can pick from several themes like newscast or review that’ll insert titles and other elements to get you started. TouchCast uses a timeline to lay out the elements of your video and allows you to drag& drop extra content.

Tony Sinanis, known for his Bammy award winning and New York Principal of the Year ways, creates amazing videos with his students each grading period. Want to know what Cantiague students are learning about? Let them tell you. I think my favorite part of this idea is the relationships that are so evident between Mr. Sinanis and his students. As an administraor, it is impressive, but as a parent? I’m all in.

We use Remind101 not just with our students in individual classrooms, but also with our staff. This has been a HUGE tool for me this year, as I don’t have the personal relationships with our staff that I am used to, just being a year in on this campus. It’s always awkward when you get to the phone number/texting/connections aspect of being the lead learner…but no fear! I still have the capabilities to connect with my staff through Remind 101. We created an account and then utilize it to announce a couple of jeans days (ensuring campus wide participation;)) and have taken advantage of its one way mode of getting info to our teachers. From uplifting texts to snow day announcements, this has become our go to way to getting a message out to teachers. I can even choose individual users as well for grade level specific messages, if necessary.

Jay Posick creates a weekly Smore that he shares with his Merton families. I love that I can back to week one of his school year and see what they doing then. He adds pictures and short blurbs to let everyone know where and what is going on. As a parent, I think this would be incredible way to have the “what did you do at school today” conversation. It is free and easy to use. Promote school events, let students design flyers for upcoming curriculum, and you can even monitor the number of views and web analytics. Smores can easily be linked and shared to classroom blogs, school websites, Twitter and Facebook. Plus? a 2014 bonus…Smore ‘pages’ work flawlessly on smartphones and tablets!

Establish THE hashtag, THE phrase, THE saying that defines your campus. From the AHMO of Wylie high school that made it to Letterman, to the #GOCRICKETS that Joe Sanfelippo has permeating all of Fall Creek, Wisconsin, to the biggest and student led hashtag of #leydenpride from Jason Markey’s unifying campus culture, this is an opportunity for you to create an environment that extends past your physical location. Brand your vision for your community. Everyone wants to be a part of a team…this is why the collegiate traditions of A&M and Texas Tech are so popular, people want to feel connected and a part of something bigger than they are. Why should your campus not take advantage of that?

Twitter and Facebook are two popular ways to share information but in this day and age there is no reason not to find a “high tech” way to match your “low tech” efforts and meet the needs of your families. Worried about them getting on board? Showcase your students! Spot light the great things happening on your campus every day. That’s what parents really want after all! Then? You just sneak in the extra that you want to know as well.

BE INTENTIONAL in your attempts to involve the “village” that we all know it takes to have a successful school/home partnership. It’ll be worth that extra step or two to use any of these methods. Need help? Email me and I would be more than happy to walk you through getting started. Or? I can connect you to any of the excellent folks I get to call friends listed above to help ya too!

Communicatingly,

Amber

Initiate change? Of course you can! #R10tech

May 6, 2014 by Amber 2 Comments

I had the opportunity today to present at the Region 10 technology conference. As always, I come away amazed at the work of the Region X team. This conference has evolved over the years into a must attend the event for the Region X area. From session flow to strategic sessions, to participant size to the addition this year of FOOD TRUCKS…they are doing it right!

The conversations today with educators from around the area was so refilling. I appreciate so much the passion behind what they are all doing. Some are in district level positions, some are campus administrators, and some are classroom teachers. What I’ve found is that those who are willing to miss a day and all that entails are the ones willing to have the conversations that are going to initiate change.

I said in my presentation today that if you think you need a title to be a leader, then you may not yet be ready for that responsibility. Anyone can make a difference…after all, even the biggest wave started out as just a breeze!

Classroom teachers can make change happen by adopting genius hour, by becoming connected to other learners, to challenging the status quo. Differentiate…get creative, turn the power to choose how they learn over to your students. Not completely, oh naysayers of mine, but even just a lesson a week can start a wave….its ok not to do what you’ve always done.

Building leaders can make changes by modeling what it means to be a lifelong learner, by allowing teachers to TRY new things, and to feel comfortable in FAILing if that’s what happens. Encourage conferences, encourage learning, be the LEAD learner not just by title, but in action.

District support staff can initiate change by offering support, encouraging new ideas, by asking different questions. Offer to be in classrooms, or do more research on an idea…help a teacher make connections with innovators in the area at hand. There’s no need to recreate the wheel if some other awesome educator has tried it before.

Edupeeps in district level positions can initiate change by being willing to be transparent in their own learning, to open up and be flexible in what good ol’traditional teaching has to look like. Get to an edcamp, attend a national conference…let yourself break free from the educational silo you may find yourself in.

We all have the power to make change…we just have to be willing to “be more dog”.

Educator proud,

Amber

What Principals can (and should!) learn from Kliff Kingsbury

April 13, 2014 by Amber 1 Comment

Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury is a fan favorite, partly because he’s a former-player-turned-coach, but also partly because he bears a striking resemblance to Ryan Gosling. He also holds the distinction of being the first coach in Big 12 history to start his career at 7-0. With an impressive track record of grooming athletes in his previous positions, notably Houston Cougars quarterback Case Keenum, and then there was, what was his name? Oh yes, the Texas A&M Heisman winner, Johnny Manziel, Kingsbury’s first season at Texas Tech led to a palpable air of “swag” in West Texas.

A head coach is in charge of developing his players, ensuring that as a team, you get overall success from individual strengths. Isn’t that just like the role of principal? How impactful is the catalyst of a dynamic leader on a team? Well, according to Red Raider players, very instrumental.

“Really, a team gets its personality from its head coach. Coach Kingsbury is a very strong person. I think the way he conducted himself…made us a stronger team.”

— Texas Tech senior RB/OLB Kenny Williams

12 games in, it looked as if the wave of momentum of the Raider Nation was about to crash. You’d have never known that from Kingsbury’s demeanor. It didn’t change the whole season. Not when they started 7-0, or lost the next five. He got to the field house at 4 am, every day. He worked out twice day. He refused to dwell on the past. He refused to let his players do that, either. Many educational theory books point to the principal as being the tone setter for the campus. Todd Whitaker says that when the principal sneezes, the whole campus catches a cold. A leader doesn’t dwell on the present, he looks to the future.

Kingsbury brings an air of excitement to his team. He relates to them. A dance off amongst players that he participates in? Genius. Not only is he showing his team that he can still relate to them, but Kingsbury is showing them that you can work hard and still have fun. We are losing the FUN in our edu world! It is up to the administrators to remind both our staff and students that you can have fun and learn. We can model that in a variety of ways…no dancing required!

In Leverage Leadership: A Practical Guide to Building Exceptional Schools, my favorite chapter details the importance of timely, effective feedback through regular observations. It also details how the single most important attribute of a principals’ role is coaching. At Texas Tech, Kingsbury coaches each player to get to a level of success as a team. He recognizes that you’re only as strong as your weakest link and that you always want your best players on the field. Effective observation and feedback isn’t about judgmental evaluation, it’s about coaching. The primary focus of observations shouldn’t be used to judge your teachers, but to find the most effective ways to COACH them to help improve student learning.

Kingsbury also brings resiliency to the Red Raiders.

” That’s how you build for the future. Because it’s not always going to be going well. It’s not always going to be fall in your favor. But you gotta keep fighting.”

—Kliff Kingsbury

With ever-changing paradigms in education, administrators have never faced more changes and challenges day-to-day. Resilience and unwavering optimism is necessary as a leader. You become resilient by CHOOSING to be resilient. Believing that you are making a difference in the lives of children is motivation enough to keep moving forward. Leaders must bounce back, choosing self efficacy over feeling powerlessness. It doesn’t matter if you lose a game, Kingsbury says “learn from the loss”. We all know that things don’t always go our way. Teachers can harness this power in their classrooms as well, recognizing that while every student may not be the “best”, there is something they are the best at.

Kingsbury has been called the “quarterback whisperer”. He doesn’t want his players to be so afraid of failure that they can’t be loose, can’t reach their potential, can’t have fun. While I’m no Robert Redford, I do think there is much to learn as an administrator from a coach who chooses to lead fearlessly, in his on way. #ourcoachiscoolerthanyourcoach, indeed.

Guns up,

Amber

Let’s talk data, shall we? (wait, come back!)

March 28, 2014 by Amber 1 Comment

Data meetings are always fun and exciting. Teachers love when that lil’data appointment pops up in their email box. It’s a hard conversation to have because amazing teachers are already well aware of their students strengths and weaknesses. It’s still a reality in our classes. A necessary evil, if you will. My principal had a great analogy. We want to apply the data effectively because if you go to the doctor when your stomach hurts, you don’t want him giving you headache medicine.

While it may seem like “busy work”, ultimately, it benefits you most of all.

If you’re already aware of the in’s and out’s of student performance, how can looking at data help you? Think of it this way, you may have a general awareness that you need to lose weight. But that favorite dress/suit? when it’s tight you know its time to trim the carbs. Looking at specific data can heighten your awareness of certain topics/concepts.

What if the results are overwhelming? Break it down, bit by bit. Take one question a week. Focus on the vocabulary within the question. Anyone can eat the elephant, just one bite at a time. Need help with question stems? Try this site.

How do I spiral this into my already action packed plans based on existing curriculum? Make cards that you can use during bathroom breaks or at lunch. Have your students answer and talk it through with a student partner. Use it as a bell ringer that first 10 minutes of class while students are filing in and getting situated. Cut a couple of assignments a week down by half. Use that time to focus on lower scored skills.

How can I teach it differently, when I’ve already taught it the best I could? Within your textbooks, there are scaffolding lessons available. Think of iStation, Study Island, Think Through Math, Ten Marks…there are a variety of sites that offer teacher lesson support. If you’re on twitter, find educators who teach similar subjects and ask to share. Check Pinterest. Check for Facebook groups. Look at Teacher Pay Teachers for ideas…get creative!

Stay FOCUSED. Don’t let yourself get lost on the tangents of “poor questions”, “bad data”, “these students”, and “overall passing percentages”. Even if 88% of your students passed, what if it was just 1 TEK or strand that could bump the rest of your kids up?

One teacher mentioned that she has her students go back over their most recent assessments and decide which areas/TEKS they struggled with the most. Students are completing different assignments, prescriptive tasks, based on where they were struggling. When you can transfer the ownership to the students, how much more powerful is that?

Be intentional with your material…there’s just not enough time in your day to miss a minute. Especially when we’re doing so many great things. I’m a big believer in a whole child focus, but there’s a time and place for data as well!

Data dug,

Amber

Fabulous Fridays

March 12, 2014 by Amber 1 Comment

Sometimes it’s the little things that can make the biggest difference.

February is a long month. It’s a solid month of instruction, leads up to Spring, and typically, both students and staff get a touch of the spring fever.

We decided to have “Fab Fridays in February” and have a fun activity each week to help offset that feeling. These were cheap (or free!) and really helped alleviate some the doldrums many were feeling.

The first Friday I recruited some of our amazing moms to bring in crockpots of soup to show our teachers they were “soup”-er. It was a warm treat on a cold day and everyone enjoyed some down home cooking.

The second Friday coincided with Valentine’s Day and we played “Love Connection”. I found a bunch of “famous” couples…from Thelma and Louise to our principal and her husband and I cut them in half. I then placed half a couple in each person’s room. The goal was to find your loooooooove connection. It was SO much fun to see teacher’s racing down the halls, trying to figure it all out. There were current couples as well as some golden oldies, 🙂

Our principal and her hubs…a famous couple, indeed!

Have you seen Legally Blonde 2? (yes, yes, I know. ) The next Friday we did our own version of the Snap Cup.

I placed a staff list and slips of paper in a cup and let the love flow! Teachers wrote their “warm fuzzies” on a slip, and passed it on. Next year, I think I’m going to start the love cup on Monday and then post them on the Friday, but either way, it was SO rewarding to see all the happy thoughts that were shared. From old team members to new hires…everyone felt the love!

The last Fab Friday we deemed as sweets for the sweet…we served cookies and milk! Once again, I had amazing moms who baked (or bought!) cookies and brought them to school. I supplied the milk and viola! A sweet way to celebrate all the hard work that our teachers do, each and every day.

Our campuses are more than just a job. They are like a second home! The culture we build and cultivate is a beacon that can either lure or repel the best and brightest. Your culture is evident in everything, from how you communicate to your teachers (or students!) to how the halls are decorated. It ALL plays a role in defining your brand, in showing who you are. The better your culture is on the inside, the more attractive you will look to the outside…and in public education these days? We always want them to see our BEST!

Whether you have a campus or a classroom, you can make Fab Fridays work for you! (Or Marvelous Monday’s, or, Terrific Tuesday’s….)

(Thanks to Melinda Miller for sharing all of her Fab Friday ideas! We’re all better together, :))

Fab FridayN,

Amber