It’s safe to say that we’ve all been stressed these past few weeks. Some of our stress my have been created by our leaders (wink, wink); some of our stress may just be because of all of the deadlines we have to meet as we close out the school year; and some of it is also because it’s very easy to get so focused on making it to the finish line that we aren’t doing our best to live in the now. No matter what the cause of our stress is, the bottom line is that this time of year we often begin to focus on the things we can’t control. We lose perspective. We forget why we do what we do. We didn’t become teachers so we could have summers “off”. We didn’t become teachers because we want to make a lot of money or become famous. And, we most certainly didn’t become teachers so we could have a class full of students with the highest test scores. Yet, at this time of year we get bogged down by end of year assessments, the prospect of promotions or changing job titles, and trying to make it to the last day.
Today however I was hit with a dose of reality. I was reminded of my why. I was reminded of the reason why I’m an educator and the reason why it is my absolute honor to serve as the leader of this school. Today our staff quite possible saved some children’s lives. One of you noticed something about a child that just didn’t seem right. You spoke up. Other staff members supported you and in the end authorities became involved and as sad as I am about it, these children were taken from a potentially dangerous situation. This is what matters. The reason the children are safe tonight is because of the relationships we built with them throughout the school year. The reason they felt comfortable sharing the truth with us is because we provide a safe place for them every day. When you get stressed and when you find yourself sweating the small stuff I want you to remember how lucky we are to have each other. I want you to remember that the safety and security we provide our students means more than any test score, job interview or deadline that needs to be met. Tonight I was able to put things back into perspective. I’m sad that it took a very serious situation to do that for me. But, I needed this reality check. We are so important in the lives of our students and that is what matters. Here is our staff update for May 4th.
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Lisa Sullivan always tells me “You have to slow down to go fast”. I think that as we move into the month of May, these words are very need to play over and over again in our heads. It’s easy for us to assume that because we have been in school for 150ish days that our kids will behave appropriately, follow routines and procedures and act above the line without reminder. But, I’m sure you all notice that often times, the month of May brings discipline issues and a lot of stress and frustration for teachers. So, I am asking you to “slow down”! Slow down and review routines and procedures. Try hard to keep your schedule as consistent as possible. Take time to praise and positively reinforce the students who are doing what they are supposed to do! As my friend Sharon Esswein says, “Celebrate what you want to see more of!” We can do this! We CAN make it to the finish line. But, in order to get there in one piece we will need to “slow down to go fast”!
Here is the staff update for April 27th! This evening, I found myself scrolling through my past blog posts. As I read the titles and skimmed the posts, I found myself being taken back to exactly how I felt and what I was focusing on at that specific point in time.
I have written a lot of blog posts! One every week for the past two years, in fact, without missing a school week! In order to do this I've disciplined myself to think about events that occur in my life that teach me lessons or make me think. I keep notes in my phone about blog ideas and often compose the entire post in my head throughout the week. As I looked at my notes for this week I noticed that they were all about leadership-reflections on my own leadership; questions I've asked myself about whether propelling all of you into a state of panic about making changes was a terrible idea (totally not my intention at all by the way---I get excited by change and I am realizing that it causes others to stress out! I'm sorry); thoughts about how to grow new leaders; and even more questions about my own leadership. As I continued to scroll through my old posts, I decided to look back at my posts from this time last year. I was very surprised by what I found! Last year, on April 20th, 2017, I wrote a blog called Leadership Lessons in which I shared what I'd learned in my journey as a leader. This made me pause for a few seconds as I stared to think about this time of year. This is the time of year that my leadership is most important. Our patience is wearing thin, we're stressed, we're tired, our kids are antsy, our parents are antsy, there is unknown change coming our way, we have testing, we're planning field trips and art shows and graduation ceremonies and field day and so much more... My leadership is crucial right now which must be why I reflect on it so deeply this time of year. The great thing about finding this pattern in my writing is that I know this time of year will indeed come to an end. Things will settle down and if my blog post pattern continues, we should be moving towards celebration and excitement very soon! I urge you to reread my post called Leadership Lessons, especially if you're hoping for a leadership role in years to come but also because you are all leaders in this building. And, I'd like to add a few more lesson in this 2nd Volume. 12. Leaders are humble-Leaders don't advertise how great they are. They don't boast about all the things they know. Leaders do the work and do so while remaining humble. 13. Leaders are patient (I need to work on this one)-Leaders know when to move quickly and know when to wait. Leaders understand that some people need time to process and others can make decisions quickly. 14. Leaders know their faults-Leaders are honest with themselves about who they are. Leaders are aware of their faults and work to build skill to become the best version of themselves. 15. Leaders seek out mentors who they can learn from-Leaders never stop learning. They search for those who inspire them and who are doing new and innovative things. Leaders are learners and seek out mentors. 16. Leaders ask questions-Leaders know what questions to ask to push the thinking of others. Leaders ask questions of themselves and reflect on their leadership. 17. Leaders don't take themselves too seriously-Leaders know how to have fun. They enjoy their time with the amazing people they work with every day. What skills do you need to work on as a leader? What would you add to the list? Here is your staff update for April 20th. “When you’re through changing, you’re through.” –Neil Pasricha, The Happiness Equation
Currently I am reading The Happiness Equation by Neil Pasricha. I have read and reread the section called “When you’re through changing, you’re through”. This part of the book speaks to me and it causes me to reflect on all of the changes I’ve made throughout my career and how without those changes I wouldn’t be where I am today. I’ve reflected on how without those changes I wouldn’t have made the mistakes along the way that have taught me so much. And, how without those changes I wouldn’t have become the principal as J.W. Reason. I’m not sure if you know this, but I didn’t want to be a principal. I didn’t apply for the job at J.W. I didn’t even have my principal license when I was hired to be the principal here. In fact, I didn’t interview for the job. I sat in Dale McVey’s office and told him all of the reasons why he was crazy to even consider me for such a position. Well, for those of you who know Dale, you know that he is not easily swayed. Dale’s mind was made up and I was going to become the principal a J.W. Reason without a license and with four little kids including 15 month old twins. Six years as the principal of J.W. have flown by. I am forever grateful to Dale for being the catalyst for change for me. I often times find myself thinking about all of the learning I would have missed out on if Dale had listened to all of the reasons why I thought I wasn’t ready. Now, you may be wondering why I’m telling you this story. It’s not because I’m leaving. Instead, I’m telling you this because I want you to know that it is time for many of you to change. There are many of you who have been in the same position for many, many years. And, you are REALLY great at what you do. But, “when you’re through changing, you’re through” and I know that you are not through learning. You are not finished taking risks, making mistakes and feeling uncomfortable. It is my job to keep us all fresh and to push us all to our edges. So, in the coming weeks I will be asking you to have conversations with me about what changes might stretch you and keep you growing. Will everyone move around to new positions and grade levels? NO! But, I am going to help a lot of you try something new. If you have a desire to change grade levels or positions, please let me know. If you don’t want to, well, that’s okay but I want you to remember the story of my “principal interview” with Dale. Sometimes we all need a nudge. Here is your staff update for April 13th! Sometimes I catch myself being annoyed with the mundane parts of my life. Packing lunches, making dinner, doing laundry, checking email, doing lunch duty-I have caught myself thinking how tired I am of doing these things. Then it was like life gave me a wake up call while, for the past week, I have been in bed. Pneumonia was no joke and it left me shivering, coughing and wrapped up in blankets for nearly a week. As I spent hours and days doing absolute nothing, I had plenty of time to think. What I realized was that I take the every day duties of life for granted. As I lay there in my bedroom I actually longed for the opportunity to go to the grocery store or even clean a bathroom! Being sick reminded me of how much I take for granted. It helped me refocus and remember what it really means to find JOY in the little things. Tonight as I made dinner, for the first time in a long time, I actually enjoyed cooking for my family. I was even happy to clean up the dishes without feeling sick and achy. Health is a gift. The duties of every day life are a gift. Remember to appreciate that you get to live your life each day and complete the little tasks that keep us moving through our days. Here is your staff update for April 6th! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT'S APRIL 6th?!?!
I think it's safe to say that we have all learned so much with the addition of World Language to our curriculum! I was so honored to be selected as part of the selection committee for next year's TCLP Arabic teachers. I traveled with two other people from the US to join an interview team made up of employees from the US Embassy in Egypt and the Ministry of Education in Egypt. We spent three days interviewing 46 candidates for TCLP. The interviews were fascinating and opened my eyes to a completely different culture. At the end of the three days we selected 10 candidates and a few alternates! I am still anxiously awaiting an email from the American Councils regarding whether or not we have been selected to host another exchange teacher. I will let you know as soon as I find out! Here are a few pictures from my trip. I visited the Pyramids of Giza (and even went inside one), the Sphinx, rode a camel, went to the Egyptian Museum which was amazing, ate stuffed pigeon, did a lot of shopping, ate Koshari, drank sugarcane juice, rode the subway, took a boat ride on the Nile at Night, visited Cairo Tower and the Citadel. It was fantastic! I learned some Arabic too! Here is your staff update for March 29th. Enjoy your long weekend.
In interviews I always ask teaching candidates what children in poverty need. For years and years, I asked that question and anxiously awaited the answers that potential teachers would provide. I never quite knew what answer I was hoping for and then one day, 3 years ago, Tasha Allen gave me the answer that I didn't even know I was waiting for. She said, "Hope!" In that moment I knew that she was right and from that moment on my mindset about children in poverty changed. Over the past few years, our district has tried to find a tool to help us learn more about our students' social emotional wellness. This year we landed on Panorama, a tool that seems to have the potential to provide us with valuable information about our students' mindsets. After spring break we will embark on our very first Mental Health and Wellness Data Teams in which we will begin to analyze our students Grit, Mindset, Sense of Belonging, Compassion, and Hope! Please take moment to watch this TED Talk by Rick Miller as he discusses HOPE! (At least watch the first 10 minutes!) Here is your STAFF UPDATE for March 16th. We have so much to do right now. This week started out with fail to fills in classrooms, an assembly and continued with sick teachers, OELPA testing, gifted testing, and all of the other typical hubbub of our days at J.W. I have done a lot of BCDing this week. I've caught myself complaining about lots of things: OELPA tests that are developmentally inappropriate Lack of subs Too many tests ...and much more. In those moments of BCD, I lost sight of the good that was happening; the reasons to smile! As I think back on the week I am overcome with pride as I reflect on the teamwork that you all displayed to help each other through the muck and mess that this week was. We gave OELPA tests to 22 kindergarten babies on Monday and Tuesday. Testing kindergartners makes me crazy. But, even though it was painful, the beauty was in the teamwork that was displayed to make it possible. SEVEN, yes SEVEN staff members pitched in and helped Amy get her little friends logged in and help keep them focused for the HOUR LONG testing sessions. We had several fail to fills and EVERYONE of them was covered by a staff member with a smile on his/her face. Jeff, Amanda and I had a great time in Whitney's room on Monday. (You should ask her to show you the slide show she made for her sub! It was amazing and made it so easy to teach in her room.) And on Thursday, in the midst of me throwing what could be considered a "hissy fit," Mrs. Watson stepped up and taught kindergarten on Thursday morning. Then, poor Colleen who spent half a day at the allergist came into school on Thursday afternoon and happily covered kindergarten for the rest of the day. Through all of this, no one complained...except for me! As for too many tests, I haven't seen much of Eric this week, but I am so thankful that he takes such pride in the work he does. He does not hand teachers tests and leave them to muddle through on their own. He stays, he helps, he's all in. Even with all of this craziness we continued to do amazing things for kids! Our first, second and fourth grade teachers planned field trips for their students. This is the first time since I've been the principal at JW that everyone of our grade levels will have gone on a field trip! Jim and friends created a Coding Gallery that was so inspirational! March Book Madness is in full swing and Scott is quite the superstar because of it! Just ask the Prati twins! And, One Word along with #jwreasonstosmile are keeping us focused on becoming the best versions of ourselves. Thank you to Tasha and Whitney for making our ONE WORD hallway display!
It's easy for me to lose sight of why we do what we do. My days are crazy and sometimes I get so caught up in putting out fires that I don't take the time to find the JOY in the little things. (I'm still working on my word!) Today I was visited by some 2nd grade friends who were beyond excited to share their words with me. (Well, actually they came looking for Eric and since he wasn't in the office they settled for me.) Anyway, the excitement in their voices instantly drew me in as they proudly shared their ONE WORDs with me! Each child could explain exactly how they chose their word, why they chose it and how they would live it out! As they were talking to me, I couldn't help but slow down and enJOY the moment. As I spoke to these 2nd graders I could feel that we had made a difference. Think about it! We are responsible for 500 children. We have spent a month teaching them how to be the best versions of themselves. It took me until I was in my 30s to develop a growth mindset and realize that I could become a better person! The skills that we are helping our students build by spending time working on R Factor and Mindset will truly become life changing for them. The thing about teaching is that our impact is measured by generations. It is often years after students have passed through our halls that our impact is felt. But, today, I felt it. So, thank you! Thank you for believing in what we are doing. Thank you for taking the time to slow down and invest in your own mindset and the mindsets of your students. You are making a difference and that difference will be felt for years to come. Here is your staff update for March 2.
My word for this year is JOY. I’ve been working hard to practice living my word. I've worked to find the JOY in things and to bring JOY to others. I've been practicing my word but I definitely have more practicing to do before I get good at my word.
This weekend I noticed that I kept getting a notification on the dashboard of my car that said I needed to add air to my back tire. After doing so and then getting the notification again, I knew that I probably had a slow leak. So, after school on Wednesday I stopped at Tire Discounters. They told me they would fix my tire but it would be about and hour and fifteen minutes before they could have it finished. I called my husband who was busy driving kids here and there so I decided to sit and wait. Soon I got impatient. I started to feel annoyed and my mind was filled with all of the things I had planned on doing when I got home from school -laundry -make dinner -pack lunches -help kids with homework -open mail -and the list went on and on… Then my thoughts shifted to “poor me”. I thought, “Why do I have to be sitting here in this tire store. I’m busy.” In that moment I was practicing a skill that I’d gotten very good at over the years-COMPLAINING. I was doing the opposite of my word. So, I quickly paused my negative self-talk and decided to take a deep breath and find JOY in my situation. Here is the JOY is chose to find: -I was sitting down! I never get to sit and do nothing! -Discount tire was playing country music throughout the store! My favorite! -I had a snack in my bag! Woohoo-protein bar -I had caught the hole in the tire BEFORE ending up with a flat on the side of the road. -The people at Discount Tire are SO nice. -I had put dinner in the crock pot before I left home that morning so Justin could easily scoop food onto plates for everyone! -I was only five minutes from home, so as soon as my tire was fixed, I’d be home in no time. Instantly my stress decreased, I felt calm and I didn’t mind my current situation at all. Was my situation ideal? No, of course not! But, was I able to find some good in it? Absolutely! And that one our and fifteen minutes soon turned into an hour and a half. Many times throughout that ninety minutes my thoughts drifted back to the negative. I had to intentionally control my thoughts. I had a TOUGH practice session on Wednesday, but I'm glad it happened. What do you practice? Take a minute to listen to the words of this wise little boy as he challenges us to consider what we practice.
Here is your staff update for February 24th.
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