The Pros of Good PR

Ah, the end of the quarter. The birds are singing, the bunnies are frolicking, and grades/attendance reports are coming out. This can only mean one thing:

Grading time is always a tense time for teacher-student and teacher-parent relationships. Teachers feel stressed and overwhelmed; many of them feel that students want grades they haven't earned. Parents are also feeling stressed; many of them feel left out of the information loop or are hearing alarming things from their students. When these tensions collide, angry emails or phone calls are exchanged and administration usually gets involved. These issues CAN be resolved, but you have to remember:

 When a school does not have good PR when working with parents and students, relationships sour quickly. Resentment builds between school employees and parents, when both sides tend to have the best of intentions. When an issue comes to me, it's usually because either the parent or the teacher has escalated the disagreement beyond the scope of the initial issue. Here are the top five things I've learned about cleaning up after PR disasters:

1. Give people the benefit of the doubt. It's always possible that someone is lying or twisting the truth, but you can't ever start from a position of disbelief. Listen to all sides of the story with an intention to understand.

2. Understand that a person's perception is their reality. If you feel that someone is twisting the story, this becomes especially important. People, whether they be teachers or parents, don't care about intention if it feels harmful to them personally. Don't address intention; focus on addressing the situation as the complainant perceives it.

3. Remember there is a thinking, feeling human being on the other end of the phone or email. When you're feeling attacked, it is easy to see the attacker as an aggressive, cold-hearted person who cares nothing for anything but their own selfish desires. It takes a serious mental shift to realize that the person on the other side is feeling the same way about you and your reaction can either confirm or refute that assumption. Treat the other person as a thinking, feeling human being - even if they aren't doing the same for you.

4. Remember that most strong emotions stem from fear. Keeping this in mind can help with #4. Why is a parent angry? It's probably because they're afraid. Afraid their student is being targeted. Afraid their parenting is being called into question. Afraid their student won't graduate or won't get into college or won't get a scholarship. The list goes on and on. Identify the fear and then attempt to address it.

5. Apologize and seek a solution. With #1-4 in mind, move forward. It costs nothing to apologize and it goes a long way towards showing you're willing to listen. Then seek a solution. Calmly, honestly, and promptly. It might not be the solution the parent is demanding but with the right PR and a good attitude, you'll solve a lot more than just the initial issue.

 There will always be crazy people and situations you can't believe are happening. But in everyday interactions? Develop good public relations strategies and your job will be a lot easier.

- Sara

Timing and change…

 In a few short months I will graduate with my Master’s degree in an area that I am so passionate about. This has been a goal of mine for so long. It is an exciting personal achievement of mine! Working in education I focused on encouraging my students to set academic goals and develop action plans. I am reminded that “modeling” is one of the great ways in which we teach. During my first year in the program my students loved hearing about my classes and enjoyed laughing that I had homework and tests too! My students knew that I loved education and was a lifetime learner!

My internship experience has given me the fuel to my fire to want to be a principal. I have experienced the overwhelming joy of helping students, families, and teachers in their educational journey. I like to problem solve and evaluate the different opinions presented and make decisions that I feel are in the best interest of those involved.  

This past year I made a very difficult decision. I decided to take some time off from my internship and stay home to be the primary caregiver to my new baby. I had many feelings of guilt…  I worried that I was staying home to help one child, while I could be at work helping 500! Timing and change is hard for me. I feel that being a principal is a lifelong career and right now my excitement, time, and energy is at home with my daughter. I honestly evaluated myself and know that if I was to jump into full time administration I would be concerned of where my time, energy and concerns would be. Would I honestly be there for the students, parents and faculty in my school? Could I give the job the professional attention I feel it needs? I would hate to start into the positon to have faculty, students, and parents feel that I am not ready due to where I know my heart and attention is.

Timing. I love the quote I included in this post. It sums up my feelings perfectly. I know that jobs will always be positing for positions, and when I am ready to step back into the position I will be ready with the time, energy, and dedication the position needs! My internship experience really has shown me the desire I have to become a full time administrator and because of that the timing in which I take on that role needs to be such that I can take it and run with it!

Even though I am wrapping up with my education in our program. I will need to work on staying current and in the loop of education so that I can make the transition back into the field. So even though we are wrapping up with our program we are really never finished... I am a "Lifelong Learner!"
-Alisha 

The Scarlet A Is Real

The Scarlet A Is Real

“… she perchance underwent an agony from every footstep of those that thronged to see her, as if her heart had been flung in the street for them all to spurn and trample upon.” – The Scarlet Letter

      We have been told, warned, and told again that administration is the loneliest of professions. I’m here to tell you, it’s true… but it doesn’t have to be. As soon as you step in the door as an administrator you are already perceived as being an “other” a “them” before you even get a chance to smile. Teachers no longer talk to you just to get to know you, they talk to you to judge whether you will make it or not.
      As an Assistant Principal you are constantly under a microscope, your every move is watched and it can get in your head. You are left asking questions like “Did I do that right? Was I too hard on the kid? Was I too soft on the kid? Did I maintain that relationship with the teacher? What should I have done differently?” and unfortunately, you really have no one to talk these questions through. Sure you can journal and contemplate, but sometimes you really need to hash this thinking out in a non-judgmental zone.
      The great thing is, we have each other. I never knew how important the friendships I have made in our cohort were until I put on my Scarlet A and became an “Other”. I realize now that we have to stick together as we each crossover. Especially after April when we no longer have classes to attend where we can naturally let it all out. I look forward to maintaining these friendships and see us grow and become the leaders we were trained to be.

Adulting

What do you do when you are the adultiest adult in the room?  Right now in all of our positions if we don't have the answer, we can say "I'll check with the principal and get back to you", but that road is quickly coming to a dead end.  What happens when we ARE the principal, the boss, the leader, the one with the answers?  Who do we check with then?  Because let's face it, we won't always have the answers right away.  This is an intimidating thought about leadership. 

One thing I have learned so far is that it's okay to not have all of the answers.  As Frank Shaw taught us, our go to phrase is: "Let me look into that and I will get back to you in 24 hours".  I've observed several administrators throughout my internship use a derivative of this phrase.  However, this is a fine line we walk.  We want to maintain control and confidence but still be transparent and admit when we don't have the answer and be savvy enough to know where to find it.  

I think it's key that we always remember to walk that line with a moral conscience and do the best we can, because at the end of the day, we are still learning how to be the adultier adult. 

-Michelle

When Valuable Staff Leave

It is never easy when you lose tremendous staff at your school.  I'm sure everyone can think of that staff assistant who genuinely cares about the school and students to a degree that is difficult to match.  They are the adult that the students gravitate to for academic and social support because of their kind heart and caring personality.

This past week we had this special type of staff assistant resign at our school.  This was a very difficult decision for her.  As acting administrator I was required to be with her as she was cleaning out her office.  It was difficult emotionally to see her pack up her belongings, some of which were thank you notes from students.  While my first instinct was to think of the students and how sad they were going to be when they realized that she was no longer with us, the administrator side began to think of the logistics.  I began to worry about how we were going to cover for all of the duties that she was tasked.  This is a difficult thing for an administrator that I never really understood until this experience.  

As a school counselor I was always surprised to see how administrators would act after excellent staff would leave the school for whatever reason.  It almost would seem as if they did not care.  Now I realize that is not the case.  Administrators are required to continuously have the entire school's best interest in mind and that may entail the quick posting of a position to ensure that the gap is as minimal as possible.  Of course they do not wish to lose incredible assets and do not look forward to the process of trying to fill the position.  There comes a point where you must be professional and put the priorities of the school above the emotions one may feel.  It is shocking sometimes when we begin to realize that we are starting to think as administrators in various situations.

Growing Leadership

BLOG POST # 3 Growing Leadership

“Leadership is communicating to people their worth and potential so clearly that they are inspired to see it in themselves” –Stephen R. Covey.

I have always loved this quote, because I truly feel that I am in the leadership role I am in today, because I had a leader see potential in me that at the time I didn’t see in myself.  I believe that good leaders build leadership in those within whom they work and interact with.

As I think about the position I hold and the future role as a principal. I think and reflect on this quote and the role I will now be taking in building leadership in those around me. I feel that it is important to a school for the school leader to know their faculty so well that you can see your faculties’ potential and begin to inspire and grow leadership within your organization.

This past week I was able to do some teacher observations. I observed new teachers and veteran teachers. I had to remember to put on my administrative eyes and observe these teachers with their effectiveness and delivery. This was interesting to me as I was no longer watching them for ideas for my own classroom. I had to make sure that I wasn’t being critical of how they spoke or delivered the lesson with my own ideas of how I would change or use things for my own teaching. As I went through my notes and comments on my observation forms. I began to think about my position as a leader and how am I supporting and growing leadership with the faculty in my school. I have an amazing leader who has been a great mentor and friend and I can truly say that because of her leadership strengths she is able to see the potential of her staff members and really takes the time to reflect on what it is she can be doing to help grow her teachers as leaders. She then takes those reflections and incorporates them into her post-conference observation discussions.

I know that this is an area that I need to develop. It is so easy during observations to be so critical of what teachers are doing or not doing. We may not be viewing the potential that our teachers have, or be providing support or opportunities for them to grow and develop them. It was really an eye opening experience for me.

-Alisha 

The Art of Balance

As I sit here writing this blog 4 days late, I find myself thinking about the art of balance.  Right now we are all balancing jobs, masters courses, internship hours, upcoming interviews, families, and friendships.  How do we make it work?  How do we get through each day making sure that our families know that although we are busy, we love them very much, and that although we are spending time with our families our job still needs to and will get done?  It's a hard lesson in life that I think we are all learning right now and it's important to keep in mind, that when we become administrators, it won't slow down. 
So the question is, where do we find this balance?  I think that this venture towards administration is as much a career move as it is a soul searching journey.  It's important that we find the peace within so that we can constantly be moving forward and maintain the balance.  For me, it's appreciating and taking in the little things, the mundane, every day, take advantage of things.
One of my favorite moments of the week is Saturday morning yoga and grocery shopping.  My husband and I go to yoga at 7:30am, this gives me an hour of no technology, just me and my mind.  After, we go to the grocery store.  It's empty still at 8:30 and I find myself enjoying the quiet calm of getting coffee, walking the aisles, and just talking.  We don't have the distractions of t.v., Facebook, work emails and household tasks, it's just us, walking and talking.
So my question is, what is your balance?  What is it that you do to make sure you get it all done without letting the rocks that are all of our responsibilities fall?
-Michelle

Beggars by Trade

In my internship experience this summer, one of the first tasks I was asked to complete was soliciting donations for meals for professional development. When the principal asked, my heart sank. The idea of calling businesses and asking for something for free was so completely out of my comfort zone. I asked my mentor for some guidance of where to start and began calling. 

As I dialed the first number, I was totally expecting to hear "no." But, to my surprise the very first business I called said yes! I was elated, it made my confidence shoot in the air, "I am amazing," I thought! However, after the business said yes, they wanted to know exactly what I wanted from them...in detail. 

Because I started the task expecting to hear no after no from the businesses I called, I had no idea what exactly I wanted from the potential business partners. I knew I needed food for forty people, but I had not thought about what that entailed. Luckily, I had a very patient business manager working with me. I told him I wasn't sure and that I just needed to feed 40 people breakfast, he asked me to look at their catering menu and to give him a call back. 

I was very embarrassed by this situation because in my nervous excitement to start this task  I had not taken the time to think about what it would entail. I had the opportunity to find three additional donated meals for the two-day professional development. I was turned down by many businesses, but by the end I had found all of the donations and gained a lot of confidence in how to approach a business to make a potential donation contact. So, to save any other future donation solicitor the embarrassment I faced I offer three pieces of advice. 

First,  if you are going to ask a business to partner with your school, you need a clear vision of what you need and a well thought out presentation that you can quickly put across. .  I learned quickly that I needed to research what the company had or could potentially provide and then ask for those specific products or services. I needed to make it easier for the business owner to say “yes” instead of “no.”

Second, going along with the first is to create a relationship of mutual respect. A big part of this is being organized, efficient, and professional in your dealings with the local business which have expressed an interest in helping the school.  Being well prepared for meetings with community partners is of utmost importance. Both parties in the partnership, the school leadership and the local businesspeople, have many commitments and like to feel that their time is not being wasted.

 Finally, It is important to establish the most appropriate methods of communication. Communication breakdowns can cause frustration and bad feelings on both sides of the partnership.  Having a plan for communication and a clear understanding of the best ways and times to be in touch with your business partner makes the relationship effective, convenient, and more beneficial to both parties.

Schools need community and business partners for many things. School leaders often have the task of “selling” their school, program or idea in order to gain support for it. Business partnerships and donations from the community are a way to help support the students and programs at the school. Creating these avenues of communication with businesses can create long term partnerships that can benefit both the school and the community.  

Happy Soliciting!

-Ellen