Lately, many days have felt like being in a pressure cooker. And more times than not, I feel as if I put myself in the cooker without the aid of anyone else. Being the principal of a large suburban/urban high school comes with a certain level of political pressure, social concerns, and moral conflicts. Add these to the daily struggle to make sure every student is given opportunities to grow and learn, and it is easy to see where the stress comes into play.
A few days ago I took a step back and decided I needed to relax. The rate in which I am pushing myself and others around me isn't good leadership if it is merely pushing. You have to push with purpose AND support. Trust me, I am not saying to lower your standards, but instead I suggest that a little patience and a few smiles are needed to get a school to grow and change. Now, if I can maintain this attitude and not revert back to the pressure cooker, then I think I can make some positive gains with myself and my staff. After all, it is the people in the classroom that make the biggest difference, and if they are not happy with their jobs, we all lose.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Year One Completed
Finishing the first year at the helm has been a roller coaster ride. Enjoyable, stressful, satisfying, and fun. Learning that not every question needs a response, not every situation is in need of immediate attention, and some people will never be satisfied all have been the valuable gains made by myself and the administrative team.
Getting into administration early seemed to be regrettable. I felt as if I wasn't seasoned enough to handle the various situations which occur, and my inexperience would manifest itself with irrational decisions. However, I found a way to use it to my advantage and turned a seemingly disadvantage into a benefit.
My advice to a first year administrator or first year principal would be:
Getting into administration early seemed to be regrettable. I felt as if I wasn't seasoned enough to handle the various situations which occur, and my inexperience would manifest itself with irrational decisions. However, I found a way to use it to my advantage and turned a seemingly disadvantage into a benefit.
My advice to a first year administrator or first year principal would be:
- Time is precious and your friend. There isn't enough of it, but since time flies be sure to use it when a tough decision is needed. Don't think the answer needs to be immediate. Pause!
- Find a sounding board. Befriend someone and use them to be the pulse of the school. Ask them to take off the friend hat and put on the critical friend hat. They will steer you right.
- Building problems. Most were there well before you and took time to become a problem and will take time to improve. Don't rush a solution, give it time to work and monitor it for effectiveness.
- Find your best programs, classes, etc. When you are down go visit them, it is therapeutic.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Are We Responsible For Grades?
The last few days our administrative team has met with the the 9th grade academy teachers. We discussed the use of intervention, scheduling, and semester grades. Much of the time was spent on the resources that are being allocated to the freshmen, and the expected results.
Grade distributions were given to teachers based on their students' grades, the grade in relation to the team, the grades in relation to the subject area, and the grades in relation to the 9th grade class. Grades are an obvious way to measure the success of a program. It is equivalent to grading the football team based on wins-loses. But, is there such a thing a quality loss? If students continue to fail, but are referred to the office less frequently, then can it be deemed that the 9th grade academy is successful?
Students are not motivated and don't come to school. This is why they fail. However, students are not motivated to do worksheets and listen to talk, and as a result don't come to school. Right? I think our students are smarter now and traditional teaching methods are ineffective. The "I talk and you listen" model cannot hold the attention of a digital native. The are used to watching television, listen to a mp3 player, and posting on facebook all at the same time. What is the value of listening to a lecture, when the topic can be googled in a millisecond? They can search a lesson on YouTube and have it delivered right to their computer.
I don't have all the answers, but I do know that creating one (1) lesson plan for six (6) classes isn't effective. Now, we must create six (6) lesson plan for (1) class in order to ensure that all students are engaged and learning. This puts a lot of pressure on the teacher to be knowledgeable and skillful in content and pedagogy.
Grade distributions were given to teachers based on their students' grades, the grade in relation to the team, the grades in relation to the subject area, and the grades in relation to the 9th grade class. Grades are an obvious way to measure the success of a program. It is equivalent to grading the football team based on wins-loses. But, is there such a thing a quality loss? If students continue to fail, but are referred to the office less frequently, then can it be deemed that the 9th grade academy is successful?
Students are not motivated and don't come to school. This is why they fail. However, students are not motivated to do worksheets and listen to talk, and as a result don't come to school. Right? I think our students are smarter now and traditional teaching methods are ineffective. The "I talk and you listen" model cannot hold the attention of a digital native. The are used to watching television, listen to a mp3 player, and posting on facebook all at the same time. What is the value of listening to a lecture, when the topic can be googled in a millisecond? They can search a lesson on YouTube and have it delivered right to their computer.
I don't have all the answers, but I do know that creating one (1) lesson plan for six (6) classes isn't effective. Now, we must create six (6) lesson plan for (1) class in order to ensure that all students are engaged and learning. This puts a lot of pressure on the teacher to be knowledgeable and skillful in content and pedagogy.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
January Push
January is bringing a push to help every senior who hasn't passed the state's graduation test. We are pulling schedules to see what classes can be replaced with preparation geared and aligned to the exams. Here is a look at our plan:
Step 1. Identify the senior students that have not passed one portion of the exam.
Step 2. Print their schedules to see if they are already in a course designed to pass the portion they need.
Step 3. Put them in the library for one period working on computer generated test material.
This will ensure that those that are very close to completing the testing requirement of our state will be learning material needed for their success.
Next, we need to identify the seniors that need to pass more than one portion of the exam. Their intervention will be more complex. We will look at their schedules to see if they are in a class that will prepare them for the exam, but we will also look at how close they have come to passing the state exam. This will let us know how intense the intervention will need to be. Will the regular class meet their need, will there need to be computer software that could get them over the hump, or will they need one-to-one instruction?
Finding ways to get the students to pass the exam is not an exact science. It takes ingenuity and creativity to get the desired results.
Step 1. Identify the senior students that have not passed one portion of the exam.
Step 2. Print their schedules to see if they are already in a course designed to pass the portion they need.
Step 3. Put them in the library for one period working on computer generated test material.
This will ensure that those that are very close to completing the testing requirement of our state will be learning material needed for their success.
Next, we need to identify the seniors that need to pass more than one portion of the exam. Their intervention will be more complex. We will look at their schedules to see if they are in a class that will prepare them for the exam, but we will also look at how close they have come to passing the state exam. This will let us know how intense the intervention will need to be. Will the regular class meet their need, will there need to be computer software that could get them over the hump, or will they need one-to-one instruction?
Finding ways to get the students to pass the exam is not an exact science. It takes ingenuity and creativity to get the desired results.
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