Reflections

When I was completing coursework to become an administrator, I saw leadership (and its inherent responsibilities) in an incomplete way. I was certain I was cut out for the job and could do things differently than I was seeing them done around me. If only I could secure that just right position! I will forever be thankful to the first administrator that took a chance on letting me jump from the classroom to a district level position coordinating elementary special education services. I made many mistakes those first few years and still, to this day, remember two of the many lessons he taught me. I had the opportunity to pay forward his advice by sharing it with newer administrators (and administrators in training) this week. His advice from 15 years ago still works. Lesson #1 This work is a marathon, not a sprint. I remember lamenting out loud to anyone that would listen to me in my new role about "all I had to do" and if only "there were more hours in the day...

It was day full of back to back meetings in one of our buildings. I noticed a message pop up on my phone from a teacher asking if I was still in her building. I was and I responded that I would find her when this meeting ended. As we approached each other in the hall, I wondered what she would ask me. As the Assistant Superintendent, I receive a plethora of questions. They range from professional development, policy, our new high school Flex program, special education, enrichment and more. I wasn't fully prepared for this question though. "How do we do it? How do you keep doing it?" With tears in her eyes and a sincere worry in her voice, she shared a personal story about a student she was trying to help. She needed to share what she had done that day to support him and wondered what more she could do. Wondered if what she was doing was enough. Wondered, I suppose, how the work we were requiring him to do within a school even compared to the real work life was ha...

When schools first began the move to all things Google, I challenged myself to try new tools from the suite through the lens of leadership. I tried to model the use of different apps and was even able to find a way to use Google Classroom in my work as a Principal. I also used (and continue to use) Blogger frequently to publish my reflections and observations as a leader. As part of our combined efforts to increase communication and transparency around work we were tackling, my Superintendent and I thought about launching a blog that could capture and share more voice and concrete messages. As we began to build that blog, it became long and felt unorganized. We reached out to our Director of Educational Technology and shared our dilemma. She suggested we look into Google Sites. I remember using Google Sites when it first launched and I was not a fan. So her suggestion met my face of skepticism. She assured me that Google Sites had been updated. I logged in prepared to disregard he...

Recently, I was able to spend time in a new program we have created for some of our most at-risk high school students. The incredible teacher invited me to sit in on part of a discussion and it was something I looked forward to all day. As we read through a document projected on the screen, two of the students began to share parts of their stories. Stories so full of tough lessons and experiences, I wondered how they were able to speak so openly about any of it.  I wondered how they learned  how to show such raw courage in their sharing. I wondered what they thought about our efforts and if it all felt genuine to them. I wondered if it occurred to either of them how inspiring they were.  I wondered if anything we were saying held any fragment of depth comparable to their own words. I wondered how ridiculous we must sometimes look to them, as adults, when we press on about academic expectations within the school right at the same time they are forging through a...

I take my work as a leader and educator seriously. I think about decisions and events and how they impact students. Sometimes, I dice up parts of conversations in quiet reflection and think about what those snippets of information might mean. I wonder if I'm doing my best. I think about all the times I should have said more to certain individuals that are giving so much to all of our students.  I think about the other administrators (at the district and building levels) I work with that have helped me in my own work this year. Do they know how much I have appreciated their support? Do we always agree on every decision every time? No. But, that difference of opinion doesn't change the growing respect I have for them.  It's a bit of a balancing act. I think about the nearly 20 new teachers I had the chance of meeting during the end of August. Talk about a passionate and energetic group! When I listen to new teachers speak of their craft, I am reminded of the reasons ...

There's about a week left before school starts and that very real panic, that I have felt every summer's end of the last 25 years, is settling in. I fret about getting things done on my list and ready for the people that need it to be done. I have some big, important deadlines I need to meet this week.  I'm growing anxious about some loose ends and hoping it all wraps up the way it needs to. I'm not alone in this worry. We each carry around our to do list for ending the summer.  Some of us are reorganizing classroom libraries so that our readers have the best books available. Some of us are redesigning learning spaces so that flexible seating can be utilized. Many of us are writing welcome back letters to staff and students making sure they know we are excited to see them very soon. Quite a few of us have attended summer professional development to improve our skills in a myriad of areas.  And still,  a few of us are working on paperwork and plans that are re...

Summer is often a time of reflection, organization and professional development. Hopefully, and rightfully so, it also includes some periods of down time to just be. Today wasn't one of those days. I spent the better part of 8 hours with an incredible administrative team today. We were assisted by our wonderful Instructional Coaches. In our own version of an Admin Camp, we tackled multiple topics including supporting Reader's and Writers' Workshop and Reading in the Content Area. We began conversations around guiding principles for elementary instruction and secondary instruction. We practiced our skills around look fors within a workshop model. We stepped out of our own zones to share with the group about what we were most proud of instructionally from the past year and where we thought we needed to improve individually and within our buildings. We linked those improvements to domains from the Multidimensional Principal Performance Rubric and gathered ideas from each o...