Advice for New Administrators

As we continue embarking on Connected Educators Month, I would like to take some time to share what I've learned as a school administrator over the past five years.

When I got out of college, I began teaching English to 10th-12th graders at a private Christian high school. After five years of teaching and leading the English department, I was asked to step into a Vice Principal role. My reaction was still from my teacher mind: "Why on earth do they need another administrator? They don't appear to do any work all day!" However, after significant thinking and praying about it, I took the job. Walking into my first year as an administrator filled me with fear. I had no idea what I was doing.

Fast forward five years and I am here to tell you I love my job. Are there difficulties and frustrations? Absolutely!!! Are there times I disagree with decisions made by the administration team? Certainly! However, I have grown immensely both personally and professionally.

If you are stepping into an administrative role this coming school year, allow me to pass on some treasures I've learned over the past five years.

1. Keep the focus in the proper place. Schools are about the students!!! Teachers, staff, and other adults are secondary. All decisions need to be made with the students' needs in mind.

2. Remember what the life of a teacher entails. Don't ever forget the struggles and frustrations as well as the desires you had while you were a teacher. Teachers cannot understand the role of administrators, but an administrator who forgets the life of a teacher becomes ineffective. I enjoy encouraging teachers and motivating them towards growth. This even requires me sometimes to step in and cover lunch duty so a teacher can go make those last minute copies, find upcoming learning opportunities for your teachers and share with them, write an encouraging note, etc.

3. Paperwork and phone calls are a never-ending part of the job of an administrator. However, during the hours that the teachers and students are in the building, try your best to be out of your office. I actually create appointments in my calendar to go to the cafeteria and eat with the students, meet with teachers in the teacher lounge, walk the halls, and visit classrooms. In order to be the best administrator I can be, I need to build these relationships with these interactions. If I am in my office, I have an open door policy where teachers and students alike know they are always welcome to stop in and chat.

4. Be a life-long learner. Not only will this improve your own skills, but it models what we desire for our students and teachers as well. After I entered administration, I went back to school and received my Masters Degree in Educational Administration. I continue to grow by attending various webinars and developing my Personal Learning Network (PLN). I read many books, articles, blog, etc to see what is going on in education beyond my school's walls. This is vital to me personally and professionally.

5. Be ready to apologize. Unless you know something I don't, we are all human and therefore we make mistakes. Our judgement is not always the best. We often have the best intentions, but our actions and reactions can get in the way. I have found that it is best to dismiss the pride and apologize - whether it be to a fellow administrator, teacher, staff person, student, parent, or community member. Be sincere in the apology and watch the relationships heal and grow over time.

Recommended Reading:
I am a prolific reader. Here are some books that have helped develop my leadership abilities as an administrator.

1. What Great Principals Do Differently: 18 Things That Matter Most by Todd Whitaker. (Also follow him on Twitter @ToddWhitaker. He is a great resource for your PLN) A quick read encouraging Principals to be their best and keep proper perspective.

2. If You Don't Feed the Teachers They Eat the Students: Guide to Success for Administrators and Teachers by Neila A. Connors. This book has specific suggestions on how to encourage teachers and keep them positive.If you do, the students benefit.

3. Looking Forward to Monday Mornings: Ideas for Recognition and Appreciation Activities and Fun Things to Do at Work for Educators by Diane Hodges. This also has specific ways to make the work environment more encouraging and fun for the teachers.

Questions for you: If you are already an administrator, what else can you add to assist our new cohorts in the roles in their schools?  If you are entering a role of administrator, what fears do you have? Perhaps we can assist each other along the path.

Add me to your PLN. Twitter: @monicahawk1

It's August - Hold Onto Your Hats!!!

I am learning all the time. The tombstone will be my diploma. ~Eartha Kitt

Despite it still being "summer vacation", August 1st brings the busyness for me. There are so many wonderful opportunities this month for my own personal and professional growth. My Google Calendar is full (often double-booked) but I am excited about each opportunity to learn and implement this new knowledge into my life.

1. Author Laurie Halse Anderson has her 5th annual "Write 15 Minutes A Day Challenge!" As an English teacher, this thought invigorates me. I do not take enough time and effort in my busy schedule to write - either for professional or personal purposes. This challenge will encourage me to write and hopefully will give me the writing energy needed to keep going into the school year. Check out her blog for more details. http://madwomanintheforest.com/wfmad-day-1-welcome-to-the-write-fifteen-minutes-a-day-challenge/

2. It is CONNECTED EDUCATORS MONTH!!! "The U.S. Department of Education’s Connected Educators initiative is launching Connected Educator Month in August 2012. Throughout August, there will be coordinated opportunities to participate in events and activities in dozens of online locations to develop skills and enhance one’s personal learning network." Included are a number of webinars, renowned keynote speakers and panelists, book clubs, and other opportunities for teachers to connect. I will be attending a number of their offerings and tweeting about them using hashtag #ce12. Check it out at http://connectededucators.org/cem/.

3. On August 3, I will attend a webinar from the Powerful Learning Practice on Project Based Learning. I am toying with implementing some project based learning into my AP English Literature class, but want to learn more. I am very excited about this webinar. Check it out at http://plpnetwork.com/2012/07/26/free-webinar-project-based-learning-2/.

4. I am considering using Edmodo in my classroom and want to learn about this resource more. So, I will attend Edmodocon on August 8. During this day teachers will share and inspire by telling how they have successfully used Edmodo in the classroom. Again this is a free day of learning. Learn more at http://www.edmodocon.com/.

5. For the third year, I will be attending WillowCreek's Global Leadership Summit on August 9-10. I attend at my church, Bethel - the Church at Franklin Mills (www.fmchurch.net). This summit brings together various leaders from both the Christian and secular communities. This year's featured faculty includes Condeleezza Rice, Jim Collins, Geoffrey Canada, John Ortberg, and Patrick Lencioni. More information available at http://www.willowcreek.com/events/leadership/. I will also be tweeting about my learning there and you can follow the summit by following @wcagls.

6. I will be attending various free webinars through SimpleK12. Some of the topics I will be learning about include: How Admins can Model, Motivate, and Manage with Mobile Devices; Google Apps for Streamlining Tasks: An Administrator's Guide; Innovative Professional Development. These webinars are short and provide wonderful resources for me to implement and/or share. Check out their resources at www.simplek12.com. Follow them on twitter at #sk12.

So, as you see, my August is filled with personal and professional development opportunities. I am beyond excited!!! I challenge you to check into these or other learning opportunities to further develop your own personal and professional lives.

Happy Learning!!!

Attempting to Break the Stereotype

You've heard the jokes and been privy to the stereotypes. If you want an "easy" job, become a teacher so you get to have a million vacations and summers off.

I do not fit into the stereotype. Rather I'm counting down to the beginning of the school year.

Granted, with the first day of school comes a limited freedom for me and exceptional more work. I enjoy my summers with my two children. I use much of my summer to educate myself attending various webinars and reading a plethora of articles.  I take pleasure in being able to sleep later than the sunrise and indulge in a television show here or there.

However, my teacher-heart lives for the 180 days I get to interact with teachers and students in the hallways and classrooms. The end-of-summer advertised school supply specials make me feel invigorated. Something about starting with a clean slate for both the teacher and student exhilarates me.

In the ten years I've been an educator, I have encountered a number in the profession who view the summer vacation as a time to recharge, reflect, and renew just like me. The 2 months off are a great time to improve in the craft of teaching. Unfortunately, I have met plenty of other types of teachers who live from one vacation/break to the next simply enduring the teaching days in between. In my opinion, this attitude will impact the classrooms involved in spreading a general negativity.

Is there anything I can do as an educational leader to help encourage the drive and desire to grow and change and then enjoy the days of teaching? What steps can be taken to make school fun for both teachers and students? How can we change the stereotype the world has about the education profession? What can we do to ensure that the students become life-long learners?

If You Don't Feed the Teachers, They Eat the Students!

For the past four summers, I have read the same book. It is my go-to book for self-evaluation and reassessment as a school administrator. If You Don't Feed the Teachers, They Eat the Students! by Neila A. Connors, Ph.D. allows me to accomplish both of these tasks. The premise of the book is that administrators need to be active in their encouragement and nurturing of teachers or the entire school and student body will suffer.

By way of a "book review" I will say that Connors is a creative writer, always connecting her concepts back to a restaurant environment. The advice is very practical yet poignant. There are times I feel that Connors tries too hard to force the restaurant theme by creating acronyms for everything. The fact that there is a glossary for the acronyms is evidence that there may be too many. However, since I've read the book now four times, I obviously value the messages therein.

During this summer's reading, I came to several realizations. 

1. I am only responsible for myself. I cannot change the overall vision or mission of the school where I work. I cannot change every aspect of how things are done. However, I can change my outlook, attitude, and the way I personally do my job.

2. I need to hold true to what I personally value as I interact with the teachers in our school rather than allowing my frustrations and busyness to interfere.

While reevaluating my role and job, I set eight goals for the 2012-2013 school year. Many of these are frequent goals for several years, but I need to put forth more energy into accomplishing them and remaining consistent.

1. Spend more time in the classrooms and hallways... less time in my office.

2. Find creative ways to encourage the teachers and staff for a job well done.

3. Plan at least two fun faculty outings during the school year.

4. Take time to care for myself - physically, spiritually, emotionally, mentally.

5. Find 2-3 manageable meaningful tasks to complete each day.

6. Communicate more often and more clearly with faculty and staff.

7. Create (and abide by) a personal organization plan.

8. Schedule on the first day of every month a time to reflect on my goals and accomplishments from the previous month. Then adjust! 

Fellow administrators - I highly encourage you to read this book. What are some of your goals for the upcoming school year?

Test Scores

Well, the scores are in. All five of my AP English Literature students passed the exam with a 3 or higher. I am very proud of them and quite relieved.

I admit I've had butterflies in my stomach leading up to the release of scores. Which got me thinking...

I am blessed that my job does not depend upon my students' scores. But what if, like so many educators in schools around this nation, it did?

I attempted to prepare my students for the exam as much as humanly possible. I admit it was difficult at times due to several factors: scheduling, the constant fight against senioritis, and an overall relaxed academic environment. I pushed, and they pushed back. When test day came, I knew what scores each student was most capable of receiving, but I couldn't enter the exam room with them. They were on their own.

When there are so many factors, why is it that the value of teachers is solely judged by test scores? I long for a change in the system that puts the needs of students first and judges the teacher by various criterion...which includes test scores but also encompasses so much more. Any human being would want to be judged on more than just one aspect of a job, position, interaction, etc. Teachers deserve an opportunity to prove themselves in various ways.