Week 8 -- Meaningful Professional Development #SAVMP

This week's assignment asks the question...What are some of the ways to create meaningful staff professional development?

To begin with, I believe that meaningful professional development leads to better learning in the classroom. The professional development on our campus has gone through a metamorphosis-- by design, and the change is remarkable.

When I first arrived on campus as the new instructional leader for our school, there were immediate pressing needs. One was the need for infrastructure and systems to fill the void. Unfortunately, that meant that our monthly faculty meetings were committed to rolling out these initiatives and to training faculty and staff on the necessary requirements needed to comply with district initiatives. The second critical need was for our faculty to get to know their new leader and to "roll out" my style and credibility for them. So...over the course of a year I set out to meet those two goals.

Well...leap forward in time to a full year later. My style is one of teacher leadership and distributed leadership among the staff. Our very first faculty meeting of the year, I was committed to making that shift to the teacher-led faculty meeting where WE ALL own the growth made by the school experts--the teachers! A year's worth of work had resulted in a great professional development experience vs. the old style "meeting."

Our first faculty meeting was a success! If I was to use the measure--would I enjoy sitting in one of my faculty meetings? The answer, after this first meeting, was a resounding yes! I began the meeting with a new tradition I had started. The idea had been shared with me by my wise friend. At pre-service training, I brought in a large stuffed Cheetah that I had bought at Toys R Us--the Cheetah is Cherry Street's mascot. At each meeting thereafter, whoever received the Cheetah would have to "pass the torch" to the next Cheetah Champion AND they would have to personalize the Cheetah in some way. I gave the "torch" to one of our teacher leaders who is known for going above and beyond especially with her ability to network with families. I also personalized the Cheetah by adding a BluRay box to his collar. I am a huge science fiction geek, and I added the box for the movie Oblivion.

At this first faculty meeting, it was the teacher leader's opportunity to "pass the torch" and recognize a Champion on our campus. She put on her glasses to read an index card that she had written with notes because she said, "I wanted to make sure I got this right." She then set out to describe a teacher who knows the name of every student in the school, a teacher who takes weekend time to have his family help him clean up the campus, and a teacher who makes a difference with our students. As she shared this information and ultimately the teacher's name, I got chill bumps and a few tears welled up in my eyes. There are so many champions at our school, and now the teachers are stepping up to recognize the champion in each other. The room broke into applause, and as our COACH received the Cheetah that was now covered in chocolate wrappers (the teacher leader's new personal touch), I could swear I saw a tear in his eyes too. That was waaaayyy cool!

Relying on that same teacher leadership model, we moved on to the next part of the meeting which was for one of our campus experts in Kagan to model for the group and then have the group work through some activities as well. Our teacher leader worked with the group to have us create a Kagan team cheer and to spend time in a Kagan team-building activity which allowed us to get to know each other a little better. Some of our cheers were very goofy, but the whole experience was wonderful. In just a few short minutes, we had invested a little time in getting to know each member of our group and hear their story. And, we got to do a little risk-taking by moving outside of our comfort zones and creating something silly and goofy that unified our groups. The room was filled with laughter. Ultimately, the goal is for the groups to take these demonstrated activities and begin to implement them successfully in their classrooms.

Next, we watched ANOTHER teacher leader demonstrate the behavior management program called Classroom Dojo. This program is so accessible that parents can log on during the school day in real time to see how their students are behaving during the school day. Additionally, teachers can use the App for the program to carry hand-held devices with them such as their SmartPhone or their iPad or tablet, and they can track behavior data from any location on campus. One of our kindergarten teachers provided a testimonial about how successful the program had been in her kindergarten classroom. Her feedback was definitely a strong selling point for many folks.

We covered several more items, and the new precedent has been set for our faculty meetings.

And here is where the impact on instruction can be felt from all this DISTRIBUTED LEADERSHIP. 

1. Climate and morale are encouraged and positively promoted when the teachers praise each other.
2. Positive climate is increased ACROSS CAMPUS when the faculty and the students participate in team-building and class-building activities. Discipline referrals typically decrease when Kagan structures are implemented at a school.
3. The effective best practices of one teacher are shared with other faculty members, and WE ALL GET STRONGER.

In my weekly Classroom Walk-Thrus, I have seen the Kagan Structures being used, and I have seen the Class Dojo spread like wild-fire. This type of faculty meeting is less about meeting and more about professional development to impact instruction. AND....I am so glad we are in Year Two. I just can't wait to get to Year Three--the sky is the limit!

Week 7 -- Promoting Critical Conversations #SAVMP

Week 7 -- Promoting Critical Conversations #SAVMP

How Do You Go About Getting Honest Feedback from Your Team?

This is such a great question. I am truly grateful for the thought provoking questions that George has provided us in each week's assignments. These are not easy questions.

Here are my thoughts about promoting critical conversations: 

Critical conversations can only happen in an environment where honest feedback is honored. For the first year at my current school, I have worked diligently to provide an expectation of a positive culture. We have too much to do and too little time to do it in for the adults on campus to focus on things beyond our control or to engage in destructive conversations about our students, parents, the district OR even each other. One of my favorite quotes of all time is where Abraham Lincoln says ... "All my life I have tried to pluck a thistle and plant a flower wherever the flower would grow in thought and mind."   I have ALWAYS tried to be positive in everything I do. Attitude is such a huge part of conquering any obstacle. I recall when my doctor told me I had colon cancer. He was shocked at my reaction which was ridiculously positive. I smiled at him through tear filled eyes and told him, "Okay. I've got cancer. What do I have to do to beat this?" This is how I approach every problem and all of life. So at school, I discourage negativity but.... I encourage problem-solving. I don't want the faculty to be confused that I frown on disagreement or other points of view. These are necessary to make us stronger. I have one teacher at school who is my "go-to" person for real and honest feedback. I call her my "real-talker". She alerts me to things that need to be watched, handled with care, or revamped. So, if any teacher comes to my office and says, "I don't mean to be negative...." I listen to what they have to say, and then I let them know that notifying me of problems in the system is NOT being negative. I always want to hear what they have to say. I honor everyone's opinion. AND, I also ask them to think of resolutions to the problem so that all of us have input in improving OUR school.

Next, I promote a culture of growth and learning by the students and the adults. We are currently undergoing individual data chats at school where I walk all of the teachers through a data activity that analyzes their instructional impact, their student achievement indicators, and the global data that represents our school's impact on student achievement. As all of us reflect on OUR data, we are asking questions like HOW CAN WE DO A BETTER JOB WITH OUR STUDENTS? WHAT CHANGES NEED TO BE MADE TO HELP OUR STUDENTS LEARN WITH MORE EASE AND MORE SPEED? WHAT CAN I DO TO INCREASE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT? WHAT HIGH-YIELD STRATEGIES WILL INCREASE STUDENT LEARNING? HOW CAN WE QUICKLY CLOSE or ERASE ACHIEVEMENT GAPS? To answer these questions, all of us have to reflect and honestly undergo self-actualization in order to make change. These are difficult conversations to have especially in the face of raw student data. I read a book this summer that captures this process beautifully. In Peggy Hinckley's book, Monitoring, she says, "The data is not a personal indictment of you as a teacher. It is the next teaching decision."

To have such honest questions will require difficult and honest answers. If the data shows we are not meeting the needs of our students, we must make changes. We must make these changes with urgency. Accordingly, it is critical conversations and honest analysis that will move us there quickly. 

So, honoring feedback and asking even the adults to grow and learn will promote the critical conversations and reflection required to help us all improve. I will continue looking for less thistles and more flowers..... and, as a few of my previous posts will contend....I will also hug the cactus. We must look at the flawed parts of ourselves in order to repair them and make continued progress!

Week 6 -- Roads to Innovation #SAVMP

Well, for this week's assignment, there were many ways to tackle it. I really didn't even have to BLOG. I could have just commented on someone else's entry, but instead I am trying to build my BLOGGING MUSCLES and blog more often. So I chose to answer the assignment via this question:

How do you go about creating innovative practices in your schools?

Certainly, as a new principal, at a turn-around school, I believe that I have not focused on innovation as much as I would like to; however, I do recognize innovation when I see it, and I know how to support it. 

I believe the easiest way to create innovative practices in our schools is ......simple......
YOU JUST SAY YES!

I have some brilliant and daring faculty who are true innovators. When they come to me and ask, "What do you think about this?" or when they inquire, "Would it be okay if I tried this?" my answer is always YES! YES! YES!

As the experts in the classroom, the teachers need my support when they are feeling courageous and want to branch out, especially in areas connected to technology integration.

I can recall multiple times over the course of the year where a teacher wanted to try something new. I fully supported them, and their idea blossomed, was a success, and it resulted in increased student engagement in learning. Risk-taking leads to innovation which leads to growth and success!

Step 2 for creating innovative practice at our school has been my Promotion and Praise of those who have taken the risks leading to innovation. I have 3 venues where I promote the practices of those who are taking the road to innovation. I promote and praise in my Monday Memo called the Cheetah Chat, in my Friday Focus called the Cheetah PUPdate, and during faculty meetings and/or after-school professional development sessions. The way to continue risk-taking behavior is to make certain it is rewarded. 

Innovation is critical in our ever-changing world. The technology is advancing so quickly that I can hardly keep up, and I am pretty close to the cutting edge of many types of tech. The problem will reach the tipping point  in education when the majority of children entering our schools know more about the technology than the teachers teaching them. In actuality, this might already be true in most high schools and many middle schools. Teachers MUST be innovators and need to embrace the culture of innovation to maintain relevance. I have set a new goal for myself this fall to try a brand new technology that I have not used yet. I am keeping my fingers crossed that I get there next month. May we all be innovators. Our students need it.  

Developing Leadership #SAVMP Week 5

Week 5 – Developing Leadership #SAVMP

How do I develop leadership? I must say this is one of my favorite things to do. However, at the last three schools where I have been able to lead, it was not a natural part of the culture of the school for teacher leadership to succeed. This was a culture that had to be developed over time. Actually, I am involved in year two of creating such a culture at my current school, and nothing pleases me more than watching a teacher begin to lead others. It is vital to distribute the leadership across the entire school or else we will exhaust those few who have been the engine of the school. They will run out of gas, and morale will dip. To prevent this from happening, avoid using an elite few to impact change and rely on every faculty member and their abilities to make the whole team stronger.

How do I do this?

1. Look for those with natural leadership penchants and begin to tap into their talent. At our school, we had no Talented and Gifted program. Weeks after arriving on campus, I identified several teachers who were innovative in their approach to teaching. They also were fearless in their desire to try new things if they believed they would help their students learn. AND, they were highly organized. These teachers began their gifted endorsement coursework, and today the two I challenged are now part of a very successful fledgling enterprise in our new Chee-TAG program! Each of them demonstrates their talents to the faculty at faculty meetings. One recently held two separate sessions on grant writing and earning money to support innovative programs in the classroom. The other is a technology tester, and she recently demonstrated Classroom Dojo to the faculty as a behavior management system. Teacher Leaders Rock!

2.  Look for those who are not leading at all in any way and think of ways to draw them into leadership roles. This tactic is the most fun to watch develop because you have to get teachers to believe in themselves. One of the strongest leaders on campus this year has been a teacher who was so modest she never promoted her own skill sets. She felt this was boastful and was uncomfortable sharing her expertise. Now, she has accepted a role as grade chair, and she is mentoring three new teachers to our school. This teacher was always strong, but she liked to work in the background unnoticed. This may have been a more comfortable existence for her; however, it did not benefit the other teachers on campus. Now, she is leading, and she is a shining star. She is in the kitchen, and she is cooking with gas! 

3. Create systems of teacher leadership. This is critical for leadership development. A Principal needs teams to carry out the vision across the campus. For me, it has been a year-in-the-making developing my leadership teams. I have relied on our grade chair team and our school improvement team. The grade chair team and I will soon engage in a professional learning community where we begin with a book study and conclude with taking our vision of common assessments to the rest of the faculty. Our school improvement team will meet with me once a month to take a status check on all of our improvement initiatives and how they are impacting our students and their learning. I could easily be frustrated trying to push all of these initiatives using a top-down model, but I have locked arms with a strong group of teacher leaders who will fan out and monitor the vision with me.

4. Develop the leadership strengths of those closest to you. The inner circle that surrounds a Principal can bolster or can harm the leadership style of the instructional leader. To ensure they are supporting the leader, I believe it is important to share my vision with those around me and allow them opportunities to practice supporting and investing in the vision. As these leaders maneuver through the growing pains of pseudo leadership roles, I must be careful to monitor progress and protect them from the frustrations that can exasperate developing leaders. This means I will dole out responsibility to those capable of managing it, and I must protect those who carry this heavy load--which sometimes means I need to let them work through their own development of leadership style, even when it gets messy. But when it gets too messy, I have to help these new leaders reflect and regroup.

I could write for ages on this topic because I love to watch new leaders grow. Distributed leadership is, in my humble opinion, the most effective leadership style. I am always analyzing new personnel and thinking about long-term plans for how they will work and lead on our campus. Everyone has talents, and if we repeatedly share our strengths, our system will be STRONG. 

The Importance of Trust #SAVMP

Week 4 – The Importance of Trust #SAVMP

I think it was my parents and the way they raised me that made truth and the search for it such a pillar of my beliefs. Even today, one of my flaws is that I can't even tell the little white lies that make some people so successful. I just can not bring myself to add that layer of duplicity that makes politicians and those who promise things they can't deliver so successful. In turn, I surround myself with other truthmongers, and I value the people who have the skill for discerning a lie quickly. I would love it if.....Liar, liar, pants on fire....would really happen when people told lies. LOL.

I don't know if others value the truth as deeply as I do, but I live my life as if they do. Just a few weeks ago, I encountered a scenario where I had to dig for the truth at work. The digging led to an uncomfortable situation, but the end result has been that I have strengthened a relationship between one of my teacher leaders and myself at school. The interesting thing about the whole story is that the lie was actually just a misunderstanding. A teacher believed that I had not released her from contract to transfer for a job at another school. When I discovered this information was being shared on campus, I quickly located the email from the other principal that confirmed that this was not the case. I also called the teacher in for a chat and explained the damage that could be done to my credibility if her information contradicted mine. At that stage, the faculty who heard both stories would be forced to choose between which story they believe to be true, and this would be confusing to them and unfair to me. When we talked through the facts of the scenario, it turned out that the teacher believed her version of the story. It took the email from the other principal to show her the TRUTH. We came to agreement on how to proceed, and things are 100 times better in our relationship. While it was very difficult to dig deep and have these uncomfortable conversations, it was instrumental in correcting a misconception held by a staff member and in terminating any further confusion for those who tried to understand the facts. The truth had set us free.

Lastly, I stare at the truth about myself often....sometimes too often. I am, what you would call, acutely self-aware. I know my limitations, and I repeatedly measure myself with the truth of those limits. Sometimes this leads to insecurity because--being a perfectionist, I struggle with not being perfect! Age and experience have softened my critical mindset about my skills, and I have come to HUG THE CACTUS many times over so that I can grow and get stronger every year. With a growth mindset, I will use truth to help me improve.

So, truth is very important to me. I have tried to insist on the importance of truth in my friendships, my marriage, my motherhood, etc. I get most frustrated when my children violate my trust, and I love them no matter what, but I relentlessly look for the truth. 

The Vision I Have for School #SAVMP

The Vision I Have for School #SAVMP  

Assignment: 2

Well, it is assignment 2 for #SAVMP, and I am excited to finally sit down and have the time to reflect on this topic. We started school today, and it was a great -- GREAT -- first day. 

So what is my vision for what school should look like? Here goes:

Foremost school should be where Distributed Leadership is the system for all change and for all professional development. I desire to work in an environment where everyone's opinion is honored. We all need honest feedback in order to grow. I often refer to it as "hugging the cactus". Each of us must look at the parts of ourselves that sometimes cause us pain if we are to grow and make progress. I also want our work environment to be one where everyone "owns" and is invested in the processes that shape the school. It is critical that our teacher leaders are involved in guiding the new teachers in their growth. AND, with some practice at this leadership style, everyone on campus is collaborating and creating vs. reacting to someone else's agenda. With this model, eventually, we will become a professional learning community where we are continually looking for ways to improve and to impact learning.

Next, I believe that school should be a place for Ensured Learning on Behalf of Students AND Adults. With the advances in technology and data collection systems, we have precise information at our fingertips that will allow us to analyze, interpret and ultimately, IMPACT student learning. This is the pinnacle of teaching. I believe we need to move beyond awareness of data and use it for calculated measures to improve student learning like never before. However, we must also rally together as adults and insist that we too are continually learning. Brain research and technology are reshaping old paradigms for learning. Teachers need to model life-long learning and commit to polishing and sophisticating their craft at all levels.

Relevant--we must be relevant! Brick and mortar schools are quickly fading away. Our instructors must evolve with the new coaching and/or facilitator models that are presenting themselves or else we will be obsolete. We must bring relevance to our classrooms, whether they be within 4 walls or virtual. Relevance requires authentic assessment, project-based learning, and higher-order questioning. I recently watched a YouTube video of Heidi Hayes-Jacobs where she asked why we were asking students to complete the questions at the end of Chapter 2 when they prefer to create a FaceBook page for Julius Caesar. She asked the provocative question, "Is the 21st century inside or outside the doors of your classroom?"

AND Caring....all the other items are useless without our love for learning and for our pupils. I have frequently throughout my career served under-resourced students. These students come to my classroom with so much baggage and many obstacles to prevent their success. Frequently, one of their obstacles is the missing resource of family....someone to believe in them, to protect them, and to love them. As much as possible, our schools should be that bridge for these students. While we may not be able to cure their ills or give them family, we can certainly, and with fervor, BELIEVE in them, protect them in our school, and love them into learning! We may be their only positive adult role model. We must care and care deeply because they don't care what you know unless they know you care.

There are many other elements that would be a part of my vision for school, but these are the ones that speak to me strongly at this juncture of my journey. I hope this is a school where you would like to send your child. 

Why I Lead #SAVMP

I am very excited about a recent program I joined. I am now a proud member of the #SAVMP program. SAVMP is the School Admin Virtual Mentor Program started up by George Couros. And, now that I have been paired with my mentor and mentee partners, I am most energized by the global perspective I will gain from a mentor outside the U.S. Our perspectives will certainly be varied; however, I imagine the human situation will provide multiple common leadership experiences.

George Couros
Our Fearless Leader

As part of the program, I have several assignments. And, after taking care of the many steps in our first assignment, I must proclaim that I have already learned several things. And.....if you know me......LEARNING IS MY FAVORITE!

Yet, the most daunting part of my assignment is before me now. I am to write a BLOG entry on Why I Lead. Generally, self-reflection is easy for me and probably is why I was such a strong teacher. I spent most of my waking hours trying to revise and fine tune my practice so that my audience (students) were presented with the best lessons  and learning possible. This assignment stumped me--just a little. I have always struggled with the fact that leadership requires me to be in the forefront ALL the time. I have often preferred providing the structures for someone else to lead. I was always comfortable with being #2 or #3. So....when asked the question, why I lead, I had to have that internal deliberation about why I would pursue a career that puts me where I am sometimes uncomfortable.

Here are my conclusions:

1. I have a sharp and clear vision about what GREAT teaching and learning looks like. From the first day I entered the classroom, I had that "with-it-ness" that administrators look for in a new teacher. And within one year, I was seeking every professional development opportunity I could to improve and provide the best for my students. Within 5 years, I was courted by a curriculum resource technology team called the Beacon Learning Center. And at that point, I was then teaching veteran teachers how to wield the power of technology to increase engagement and productivity in the classroom. In addition, Beacon, from the beginning, took a hard-line stance on crafting the finest of lessons--using the backward design model and ONLY standards-driven units and lessons. All lessons went through a rigorous proving ground of peer feedback before being revealed to the public. So.....way back in the 90's I was able to develop a clear vision of what effective teaching is and what to do when the students don't learn....the spiraling of the curriculum. Well, even now, sometimes on a weekly basis I run into teachers (whether it be on the WEB or in real-time) who don't understand the link between CIA (Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment). So, I knew it would require someone to lead others to the power these structures provide for affecting student learning. I can help my talented co-workers work smarter not harder.  :O)

2. I am always on the first wave of all change and innovation. I sat in a workshop last week and heard an experienced teacher tell me the one thing she hates about education is that it is constantly changing. I was running a whole other paradigm through my brain while she said this. What if the physician's practice of 100 years ago had stayed the same and no innovation was allowed? What if our hospitals didn't change with the advances of modern medicine? Our teachers are amazing professionals, and embracing change should be a MUST! Just like a doctor who seeks the right combination of medicines and advancements to cure his patient's ills, we educators must grab and experiment with every change that comes along to see if it helps our students achieve their potential. I think this no-change mindset is one of the greatest obstacles in current educational practices. When our students walk in the door and know more about the computer or how to leverage social media for learning than we do, then it is like the patient knowing more than the doctor. So, I knew it would require someone to lead others to the magnificent capabilities of technology and its impact on student learning. I see fear in the eyes of lots of teachers, and I want to show them change is safe, and it is good, and it will make them and their students better.

3. I have a very strong sense of right and wrong. This is the hardest part of the leadership role. I want the best for our teachers, our students, and our families. So, when I see a professional who is harming our educational family, especially the students, vs. helping them, I take action. This allows me to be the best advocate for the folks I am paid to protect and nurture--my team and my students. A dear friend of mine who has similar proclivities once sent me a quote:  "I always wondered, why didn't somebody do something about that, and then I figured out that "somebody" was me." I was often frustrated as a teacher when I worked with administrators who didn't correct unethical situations swirling in the occasional classroom on our campus. For example, why didn't somebody address the teacher who punished her students with their grades OR the teacher who friended all of her students on FaceBook and partied with them. It was so taxing to come to work and do my very best and work tirelessly for every minute of classroom time while others did not. So, I knew it would require a strong someone to lead and to provide the best learning environments for the entire educational community. Sad but true, this trait sometimes makes for unpopular decisions. But, as my very wise friend also told me....if you want to be loved, "Buy a puppy!"

4. I want to be a servant leader. This is the greatest goal for me personally. I want to always be a respecter of persons, a gentle but firm boss, someone who honors every opinion, and someone who serves to make the lives of everyone I lead a better life. When I make mistakes, I often try to "own" them and ask forgiveness or at least understanding. I want to be a supporter of those who support kids. I want to support, especially, my team of friends who are out there walking the same walk as me--a difficult walk. I want to serve and make everything I touch better in some way. I follow lifestyles of men and women of character with scrutiny so that I can mirror their lives and attempt to gain their same level of effectiveness and impact. Because somewhere out there, it took someone to lead .......me.