Reflections

One of the members of the #MiddleLeaders voxer group casually asked us to think about our three big rocks. My three big rocks? The idea is you need to identify those priorities first before you fill in with little rocks and sand. For principals with grades in 3-8, this time of year can become the crunch time. It gets overwhelming to think about how fast the state tests are approaching. When you add in the loss of instructional time due to snow delays, snow days, and illness, anyone's jar can fill up fast. On top of that, there's the continued criticism from outside our schools implying administrators and principals aren't doing their jobs correctly. If we let that grow, that could easily become a big rock...maybe even the biggest. I can't control much of what is being criticized by outside voices. I can only continue to do my best each day. My performance will not always be perfect but my intentions will be true. My main job is to continue to support the amazin...

I am a member of the #compelledtribe. We are a blogging group that supports each other and writes in response to posted topics every so often. This week's topic is: Share a story about someone who loved you when you didn't expect it, earn it, or either deserve it. One of my biggest regrets in life is that my grandmother may not have fully known the impact she has had on me. I had the privilege of living next door to her for nearly 5 years. There were rituals she made me do with her. We watched ice skating every Sunday. We watched Wheel of Fortune most nights. On weekends, she sent me around town to different stores, by foot, with a shopping list for deals at each of them (based on the flyers). I had an odd fashion sense then and she was never afraid to tell me if I looked awful. My gram was the lady with the lavender sweater, lavender slacks, and lavender pumps. She matched. I sported a more Boy George inspired look that she never really understood or appreciated.  G...

We held our mid-year awards ceremony for seventh graders today. We had originally planned to have a soloist sing to open our assembly but there turned out to be a scheduling conflict. I knew I could jump right into just presenting the awards but felt I needed to use the time in a better way to speak with our students. What follows is an excerpt from what was shared today: " If you ask our Middle School teachers which grade is sometimes more difficult than most, many would say 7th grade. It’s not the students that make it difficult. Let me say that again. It’s not the students that make it difficult. It’s everything that happens at this age that makes it difficult. There are specific characteristics that apply to 7th graders. How many of our 7th graders are 12? Raise your hand. Ok, let’s listen to see if you can relate to any of these. 12 years olds have loads energy, can be moody at times, feel friendships are very important, sometimes complain to parents about wanting m...

I've written and tweeted before about how much my PLN has impacted me. I'm taking some time again today to revisit the topic. And yes, there will be gushing. Last month, Tony Sinanis tweeted: "My PLN has two rings- inner & outer. I learn from both but the inner ring gives me fuel & keeps me in a positive mindset!" WOW! #edchat — Tony Sinanis (@TonySinanis) January 11, 2015 I am pretty sure the tweet was from a conversation I had with Tony earlier this year. If not, it was similar to a statement I've made. I field a lot of twitter jokes in my district. They get old quickly but they don't deter me from nurturing the connections I have made through twitter. Leaders who are not connected just simply do not understand the power of becoming connected. No, I am not friends with everyone I follow on twitter. And yes, I've been accused of stalking (just) one of my #eduheroes.(I had an accomplice, Christina Luce .) (Although, there was that othe...

If you work in a school, you don't need me to tell you about the extraordinary efforts of teachers and support staff to help all students. For those of us in the schools, our stories are similar. Yet, I am not so sure many outside of our walls know the extent of what is done. We do a poor job of telling our own stories sometimes. My friend, Christina Luce , wrote an open letter to Governor Cuomo about her classroom. I appreciated the openness of her post. There was no angry tone or cheap shots taken within it. I took it as a sincere offer to see, up close and personal, what happens in her classroom. As I reflect on just this past week, I can recall specific actions by incredible people to help students that extends beyond what others not in our schools might expect. These are just a sampling: 1) A teaching assistant who volunteers his time after school to mentor a young man in need of support. 2) A math teacher who spends days after school preparing her students for a Mat...

I've led a pretty predictable life when it comes to acceptance. I'm a middle aged, white female who has not had to personally deal with too much hate. Discrimination? Yes. Hate? No...or at least not that I was ever aware of. Disagreements? Yes. Misunderstandings? Yes. Being underestimated? Yes. Losing loyalty of others? Yes. Hate? No. http://cliffymania.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Definition_hate.png Over the course of the last few years, and even through others' eyes, I have begun to see things differently. I've had it easy in some arenas. I've spent most of my life fitting in the boxes, working hard, and meeting career goals. The same isn't true for some of the other children and adults in my school and personal life. They can not fit into boxes and that confuses people. They see things so differently and that frustrates some on the outside looking in. If I had a nickel for every time someone has said, "If only he/she would act like ...