Resilient Leader

As I navigate the evolving role of the principal, it is important to remain resilient.  Criticism, defamation, and destructive forces will accompany any decision, mission, and/or direction.  Boards change, directors change, superintendents and principals change, and so forth, and this change causes both an opportunity for new and refreshing ideas and the uncomfort of changing the course(s).

I know parents, teachers, and administrators want the best for their students and their schools.  Boards want to be proud of the accomplishments and direction of the school community.  Employers and colleges want students ready to solve problems and work in teams.  Are you serving these expectations?  Do you help support ideas in which foster the development of problems solvers, critical thinkers, and collaborators?  These questions must be considered throughout the year.  Furthermore, the essential questions which guide your leadership and decision making should be obvious to the students and staff in your building.  Not because you tell them, but instead because you consistently use them to influence your decisions.

Remain resilient and steadfast to your core beliefs and mission.  Some will try to bring you down.  You are human and the criticism will impact you.  "If you want to walk fast, walk alone.  If you want to walk far, walk with others." - Burkina Faso.  Use the people around you to make sure you are in this for the entire journey.  We need you to lead and we need you to stay.  Be resilient!

Legacy

I never set out to leave a legacy, merely impact people positively each and every day.  Recently, I was asked to reflect on the legacy of my leadership.  Being one to serve others, it is difficult to think of my influence on the people in which I am employed to lead.  I think of the relationships I have with so many people and the structural changes we have made in our organization.  It is through the numerous students I run into years after they graduate I am reminded of my leadership.  Former students reminiscing about great times within the walls of the school and they never fail to ask about their favorite teachers.   I'm always impressed with their level of success and maturity at such young ages.

What will people say of your legacy?  Have you thought about your influence on your organization and the people within?  I know I haven't given it much thought, but I will from this point forward.  It will be my measure to ensure I am serving others.

Pressure Cooker

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.

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:

• 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.

Have a restful summer!

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.

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.

Merry Christmas!

The holiday break is among us, and as a building administrator work must go on. Well, it isn't much work when everyone is gone. It is time to clean the office, and let the custodians clean the building. I found myself today filing all of the articles, journals, phone logs, meeting notes, discipline files, medical notes, etc. It looks like my desk drawers had babies in the forms of piled high papers.

It is hard to stay on top of all the paper work that an administrator must do. How do you maintain order in a building and cannot maintain order in the office? I go home frustrated that I didn't get done what needed to be done. Only to return the next day to an office that isn't organized to maximize my day. So, I am using the break to create an environment that will keep me in the mindset to perform efficiently and effectively.

That leads to my New Year's resolution.

To keep my office organized--to bad my administrative assistant doesn't know this :). It will be just as much her duty as it is mine.

Here's to your year being great, and the second half of the school year full of professional growth and student achievement!