Picking Your Battles

                One of the things that I have learned from my time in a middle school is to pick your battles. As a teacher it was very easy to control your own classroom. The students knew you, knew the procedures, and it was all in your control. If someone stepped out of line in my room they knew exactly what would happen. As an administrative intern I tried to be just as consistent but it quickly became apparent to me that the way I reacted in my classroom would not work in my new role.

                In my classroom I felt that I needed to address any behavior issue immediately, as an administrator this is not the case.  I have found that I needed to not only pick my battles strategically but also be very aware of where the battles will take place. For example, if a student walked out of my classroom as a teacher when they were supposed to be in the room I would immediately track them down and bring them back to the classroom. As an administrator when a student walks away from me in the cafeteria, it is not the best idea to immediately chase them down and deal with the issue.

Middle school students like a show and they like to be the star. If an administrator chases a student down in the cafeteria to bring them to their office that student has just put on and starred in their own cafeteria soap opera. The student decides how big the production will be and the principal is just along for the ride.

There are other options than being part of the spectacle. You must pick when and where your conversation with the student will happen. This may mean waiting until there aren’t other students around to speak with a student about their behavior. By waiting until you can have a calm conversation and without other students watching you can have a meaningful conversation that will not become a show for the cafeteria.

I know that this seems like a very easy concept, but the first time a student says “F*** you” to you in front of all their friends it becomes very difficult to think strategically. The key is to control yourself so you can control your situation. Pick your battles, don’t let them pick you.

- Erik 

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

Searching for Support

As I have been traveling this path toward administration, I have found most of my experiences to be fascinating and challenging, frightening and fun. I haven’t done everything perfectly by any means, but I feel good about the choices I’ve made and the manner in which I have conducted myself. So far, I have been able to share these experiences with my family, my cohort members and my coworkers. As a person who functions and thrives on relationships, one of the most disconcerting pieces of information that has been brought forth continually throughout the program is the idea that administrators lead a lonely, isolated life. 

You are no longer the teachers’ friend, you are their boss. Silences will ensue when you walk into the faculty room. As the one who evaluates them, they will never fully be able to trust you again. I’ll admit that this type of admonition has caused me to second guess whether or not this is the right trajectory for me. Rather than give in and accept this isolation as inevitable, I decided to pay very close attention while working at my internship sites to see how the various administrators handle this challenge. I have been encouraged to see that there are apparently many ways in which administrators can build connections and support systems in their leadership roles.

In my district, new administrators are put in a cohort and meet periodically throughout the year to discuss the challenges and victories they experience throughout the year. As my principal was questioning whom to talk to about a particular conundrum, she went first to the junior high director. When she couldn’t reach him, her second go-to person was a fellow administrator and then a cohort member. The fact that most administrators get to work as a part of a team can be immensely helpful. The other administrators can be sounding boards, and can add their strengths to your weaknesses. 

I’ve also noticed that when administrators come together to supervise athletic events, they tend to capitalize on the opportunity to discuss how to handle various issues in school, from budgets to teachers to student achievement and climate. Several of the leaders I have observed have also made allies (if not friends) with several key teacher leaders in their school, and take advantage of their insider knowledge and different perspective when making decisions that affect the school. 

Therefore, I have decided not to let a lack of friendship and support be a concern any more. I think any job can be isolating if you let it. After all, we know that working collaboratively with our colleagues is the ideal way to improve student achievement as well as job satisfaction, yet how many of us know educators who still want to close their door and teach in isolation? This seems to me an area where we can make the choice to reach out until we find a pod to join that will be our sanity supporting refuge.

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

Parent Teacher Conference Mindset

After attending parent teacher conferences at both a Jr. high and elementary setting, it was heartbreaking to see the shift in mindset.  A student goes to their elementary conferences with their head held high as they skip through the front doors ready to show off what they have accomplished to their parent/guardian.  Fast forward a few years and the student comes into the secondary school with their head down while they follow their parent/guardian, who holds a look of disappointment and anger, from class to class.  I was saddened to think that at some point during this difficult transition time in our student's lives we go from being positive, motivating educators to negative and impersonal.  

The elementary school where I was interning was creating an amazing experience for the parents as well as the students who came to conferences.  While teachers, parents, and students discussed the student's challenges, it was done in a manner that the parents understood the concerns but were also shown positive contributions their student had in the class.  The teachers had students as young as 3rd grade creating their own PowerPoint that they would then stand up and present to their parents just as a teacher.  Each PowerPoint would have scores, sample work, and then on the last slide the student would state the goals that they had made for themselves.  I was so impressed that teachers took the time to teach these young students technology skills that they would use for the rest of their lives.  Teachers were also building their confidence when they had the students present their slide show.  It was very powerful for them to create their own goals and explain to their parent/guardian why they chose that goal.  

Unfortunately when these students reach secondary school we tend to go away from the uplifting and supportive model and turn to lecture as a means for communication.  Students walk into the classroom with their parent/guardian with their head down, ready for the reason their parents will be upset with them as soon as they leave.  I am concerned that students are not reminded of all of the great things they offer the class.  Feedback on such things as attendance, missing work, and behavior, is a piece of the the pie that parents should be eating at conferences but they are all to often missing the most delicious part that makes one come back for more, the positive attributes the student offers.

Perhaps if we can make secondary parent teacher conferences an uplifting experience we would get the attendance of an elementary conference.  The atmosphere at parent teacher conferences contributes to the way the parents feel about the school.  It is important to a school's climate and parental involvement to make every experience at the school as positive as possible.  I am left asking myself, what is the purpose and goal of parent teacher conference and are we accomplishing it?

Nichole

The Kids are Alright

Drinking, Lying, Back Talk, Cheating, Sex, Drugs, Rock n' Roll, Risky Behavior, Entitled, Breaking Curfew, Swearing. These are just some of the words associated with teenagers these days. If you've watched the news you've seen negative reports about teenagers.

While there are the occasional bad apples out there, the vast majority of teenagers are doing great. During my Secondary Ed experiences over the last couple months I've been impressed with the young people I've worked with. Many of them arrive before 7:00am to participate in sports or the arts. Many come early for tutoring or work on college applications.

I'm encouraged by their inclusiveness. When I see them congregate in the lunchroom they sit with no regard to ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, or sex. I'm most encouraged by the way they treat the special needs students. They don't treat them with a patronizing demeanor but genuinely seek to help them around the building and make their lives easier.

Not only are teenagers doing alright, they often do it with fewer resources than the adults around them. Getting to school at 7:00am is admirable but getting there at 7:00 without a car is another. It is often necessary for them to work to help support their families with less than desirable jobs. Almost all of the students I talk to struggle to balance 10-14 hour days.

Relax everyone, the kids are alright.

Building Relationships is Key

Have you ever looked at a student and wondered what their home life is like? If they had been successful in school at a younger age? If they were at a different school, had different friends they would be more successful? I know many of us have had an experience with a student who just needs a little something to get back on track while others need a little more. Finally, there are some who no matter how much you do you can't reach. The only way to know who needs what and how much is to KNOW the students in your school.

I was able to have an experience at a high school and it has been an amazing time. This school has been going through a lot of changes with administrators and teachers. The first step in coming into a new school or being in a school with a lot of change is to start building relationships.

One student I was able to work with is a junior in high school with 5 out of 27 credits needed to graduate (he should have 16). When I began talking to him asking him what he wanted to do after high school his response began as being unanswered then as I began building a relationship with him through humor he finally started to answer and it was, "I dunno". After continuing to talk with him throughout my time we realized that the chances of him making up the 11 deficient credits while earning the 8 for the current year was going to be a hard battle. After discussing this with him, his councilor, mom, and another administrator it was decided that he would have better success at an alternative high school where he can focus on credit recovery in smaller classes while receiving credits for his current year in school.

I was sad to see him leave the high school but I know that it is in his best interest to try at an alternative school. Not all students are the same or need the same type of education. We need to build relationships with our students to know what they need to be successful.

-Megan