Anti Micro Manager!

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If you're looking for deep profound thought in a blog posting, this probably isn't the one. I'm just wondering how to accomplish a shift in my leadership for the next school year. Recently I was faced with the possibility of missing a report deadline. As I worked through the process I had previously delegated, I thought back to when I was still in the classroom. Fortunately, I never worked for a principal who was a micro manager. I heard the stories of colleagues who did and they made me grateful that my principals placed a lot of trust in me. I worked hard not to let them down. When it was my turn to sit in the 'big chair', I was excited about the opportunity to 'pay it forward' with those I was honored to lead.

I am not by nature a micro manager and I have always responded favorably to leaders who lacked the need to watch over every step I made. In his article about not becoming a micro manager, Kevin Eikenberry gives six preventative steps to avoid being a micro manager. A part of my leadership reflection this summer will be about how to effectively lead those who need to be managed closely. My need to do everything possible to meet the expectations of those who lead me, should be aligned with those I am charged to lead. It is not my intent to make anyone feel as if I don't trust them or question their dependability. I'm just looking for success with everyone involved - or world peace. Whatever comes first is fine with me. Here's to summer thinking!

Principal – How Did You Do?

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The school year has ended and as principal you very often find yourself faced with the question from your colleagues, “How did you do?” Usually it’s a question asking about standardized test score results. Your answer to a question like this depends on how you as the instructional leader of your campus define success.

On the last day for staff, the last step in our check out system for teachers is my signature on their forms. As teachers came into my office I was able to say goodbye to each of them and wish them well for the summer. As they entered, I looked into their faces and I began to ask questions of them that only I could hear:

• · Did you get everything you needed from me?
• · Was this the best year of your career or the worst?
• · How often did I get into your classroom?
• · How often did we talk about you and your family?
• · Did I remember to acknowledge your birthday?
• · What don’t I know that you wish I did?

One by one the unspoken Q & A in my head with each person helped me to begin assessing my effectiveness as principal. Think back to the type of questions you were asked when interviewing for the position of principal. The questions were used to determine if you were going to be a good instructional leader for staff and students. My questions are answered by my conscious and gut feelings in the most honest way possible to determine success in the areas that are also important. One particular staff member walked into the office to check out and I knew she had a rough time with the passing of her father in the middle of the school year. As I signed her check out sheet I wondered if I had done enough to support her and her students during such a difficult time. Should I have done more after attending the funeral was the question I asked myself? Did she feel supported while grieving?

What questions do you ask yourself that only you can answer? What I know for sure is that the answers aren’t found in test score results but instead in the faces of those who call you principal. So, how did you do?

Feedback Please!

Every summer I choose an area for my own personal growth. Two years ago I chose technology and my life literally changed. Twitter opened a world that allows me to be “connected” to administrators and professional development experiences that have made me better in ways I never expected. Last summer I chose feedback as my leadership area of growth. In an effort to make teachers feel valued, I chose to focus on providing teachers with timely and authentic feedback throughout the school year.

No matter what level an educator may reach, all can remember how it felt to have their principal walk into their classroom unannounced. “You can walk into my classroom at anytime because what I’m doing is what I do all the time!” Even though I’ve said this right along with many of my colleagues, deep down we all knew it wasn’t exactly true. Of course we wanted our principals to see us at our best when they came into our classrooms. One of our biggest fears was to have our principal ask one of our students, “What are you learning?” only to have them answer, “I don’t know.” We kept teaching when they entered while at the same time, we tried to “read” their facial expressions to learn what they were thinking. When the principal left we breathed a sigh of relief and then checked later with our colleagues to see if they had received a visit too.

A colleague told me about Tap Forms and the app helped me to create forms to provide teachers with instant feedback by emailing them my completed walk through form before leaving their classroom. I have been able to include pictures and/or videos of the instruction and student performance in the body of the walk through form. Teachers have been able to spend less time wondering about my thoughts during the visit and more time enjoying the recognition received or giving immediate attention to areas needing improvement. Our school’s leadership team has been able to provide the same timely feedback. The feedback from the math, reading and science specialists has not been evaluative but meant to help teachers maximize the learning experience of students in that particular subject area.

I like to think that this year we have been able to “feed” the professional souls of teachers while at the same time pour “back” into the teaching and learning journey. That’s certainly what my Twitter colleagues have done for me…and I’m grateful.

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What Are Your ABC's?

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Two years ago I made the decision to have self-contained classes only on our K-5 campus. Prior to this grade 3-5 were blocked for math and science. Here are the ABC’s on how I came to that decision.

A. Accountability

We all know how much is expected of teachers every time they stand on the ‘stage’ in front of their students. Despite the challenges teachers face in order to teach students to learn and the challenges students face in order to learn – when ‘ACTION’ is called, the performance must begin. So what do you do when the magic doesn’t happen for students/teachers in blocked classrooms? The impact of low level student performance in two different classrooms can be hard to absorb in terms of overall school achievement. When faced with this reality two years ago, I evaluated all of the avenues chosen to try and reach our goals. After several courageous conversations with staff and stakeholders, I chose to support and tap into the strengths of teachers who had previous years of self-contained experience, multiple years teaching in the district and a depth of knowledge about the state’s standardized test.

B. Bullying

Bullying is an issue that receives more attention in schools than it ever has. Teachers are expected to know what’s going on in the classroom at all times. It’s a hard order to fill. Whenever something happens with a student and before it can be fully explained, parents often interrupt with the question, “Where was the teacher when this happened?” Teachers are looked to for answers they may not have because a child’s reluctance to ‘report’ mistreatment is a mountain that to climb requires a tool built from strong student/teacher relationships. Two years ago, I felt it was better for teachers to face an average of twenty-two mountains verses an average of forty-four.

C. Curriculum

A teacher’s knowledge of the curriculum, pacing flexibility, and the monitoring of student responses to interventions are major parts of the foundation upon which instruction is built. Moving from blocked to self-contained requires more instructionally of a teacher. However, vertical alignment and true professional collaboration are two determinants of success. A third is administrative support for teachers to be recognized when they soar because of their instructional strengths and guided when they need to conquer their areas of instructional growth.

This year is moving fast towards the last day of school. Teachers are beginning to ask a familiar end of the year question about being self-contained again next year. Some have grown professionally and built relationships with their students that reduced discipline infractions and increased their academic performance. I have watched teachers become experts not just in subject matter but experts about their students and parents. I don’t know if we’ll continue with self-contained. The state has raised accountability (AYP included) and it’s time to re-evaluate all reasoning and approaches for reaching the highest levels of student achievement, student safety and instructional excellence.

What are your ABC’s?

Do We Know Enough to Do Better?

In our last Leadership Team meeting, we discussed data. It's a normal topic for our team and we approached it as usual. When we discuss data we always talk about how to make being informed about student progress in a timely manner, relevant and useful for teachers. We talk about the challenges we face sometimes when teachers view the sharing of data as punitive instead of necessary for improving the learning of their students. At one time or another, members of the team have felt like the ‘messenger’ killed by the data they tried to share with colleagues. In these cases I’ve had to resuscitate them, put on bandages of knowledge and send them back out armed with the power to uphold the banner of achievement.

Students First

'Students First' is my educational mantra. It is the compass I use for all decisions. If the decisions we’re making and the actions we’re taking don’t benefit students first, then re-evaluation is a must. Keeping students first is a constant reminder that it is their education, not ours. It is our job to make sure they get a good one because they will build a life upon whatever educational foundation they have.

Maya Angelou Knows Best

During a countless number of shows Oprah quoted Maya Angelou by telling her guests, ‘When you know better, you do better.’ I think of this whenever I’m trying to explain why we’re data driven or better yet, Data-Informed, Not Data –Driven according to Beth Kanter in her September blog post. In the context of education, I do believe that when we know better about student learning and performance, we can ‘do’ better with improving both. The question I believe we have to ask ourselves is ‘Do we know enough to do better?’ The answer to the question directly impacts the education we are committed to providing. The purpose of the question is to drive us to action based on data we should know well.

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State of the School

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Every January I welcome the staff back from the winter break in the following way:

Being Tardy for this Party is OK!
Our first day back is for staff development. Our students return the following day. I haven’t had anyone complain about being able to come in thirty minutes late on the first day back! I have always found that teachers appreciate having the extra time to face the reality of returning to work and getting their mornings back in order.

Chat and Chew Breakfast!
Breakfast is provided for the staff to kick off the new semester. This gives everyone an opportunity to come in, sit down to talk and share their latest life events.

Who has News?
Using a cordless microphone, I circulate amongst the staff asking who has news to share. This has turned out to be a very special time for all of us. We learn so much about each other and we see one another in a different way. We’ve celebrated anniversaries, the births of grandchildren, graduations, new love and so much more.

State of the School
One night a few years back, as I sat and watched the president at that time deliver his State of the Union address to the country; I thought of school leadership. The State of the Union annual address gives the president an opportunity to report on the condition of the nation, share his plans for the future and ask for help in accomplishing the goals he outlines during his speech. As I watched I thought of my role as principal and began that year giving a State of the School speech to the faculty and staff. Each January I stand before them and report on the condition of our school, share my vision for moving forward and ask for their continued efforts in reaching our goals.

Every year I feel the weight of the moment I stand at the podium and the room is quiet in anticipation of what will be said. I welcome that moment and the responsibility it brings. It is a time to unite the staff around the calling we all share. It is a time for recommitment to our collective purpose and goals. It is a time to celebrate the wealth of talent I see in the people sitting before me. I look forward each year to formally saying thank you for the challenges and obstacles we’ve experienced. We’ve learned from both. It is a time for all of us to remember that education is a matter of life and death and we all have a responsibility to make sure the children we serve get one that will make their lives matter to the world. Here’s to keeping the fire burning!

Leaders, Check Your Vision

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The holiday break is when I make time for an annual vision check. It’s not an assessment of what I see with my eyes. Instead, it is an assessment of the vision I communicated to my staff at the beginning of the school year. It’s the vision for excellence in teaching and learning that I've been committed to as their leader. It’s the vision I've asked them to embrace and make plain in everything they say and do. Now is my time for reflection and reassessment. At this time each year I ask myself this reflective question, ‘Is the vision clear and can others still see it?’

I believe one of the most important things a leader can do when trying to sustain a vision, is to first reassess the vision for effectiveness. Being honest about leadership successes and short comings is essential to the continued efforts of all school stakeholders and to collective future successes. I evaluate my leadership and its alignment with the vision I communicated to the staff at the beginning of school. If the vision has become fuzzy for the leader then it has also become fuzzy for those depending on its clarity. This is the time for making sure the lens is still powerful enough to accommodate those whose sight is near and those whose sight is far. I encourage all leaders to take time during the break to check in with the vision you have for your school and reflect on its clarity.