The First Day - I Can't Wait!

A new year, a new beginning. 

Most people get to say that on New Year's Day every year, but for me, it also comes in August. The start of a new school year. 

I've been preparing for this school year since the last one. Every time I would do something I'd reflect on ways to change it for the future. I made my list all summer of things I want to do this year. Things with my staff. Things with the kids. I read books, I read blogs, I listened to ideas over Voxer, and I added more to the list. Not only did my list grow, but so did my excitement. 

All of those things inspired me and motivated me to do what's best for kids. It's about them.  

I run into people and I hear the tone in their voice or see the look on their face when they say, "Oh, school starts soon, you have to go back. Sorry." It's said like it's a bad thing, like I should dread it.

I don't dread it, I'm excited.  Yes, it's always a lot of work starting off a new year and I'll miss the time I got to spend with my kids, but that doesn't mean starting school is a bad thing.

I'm excited to see the kids on the first day! I'm excited for the school year!

Let's all be like Nemo :)

To all of you in education- 

May this be the best year yet!  Have a wonderful school year! 

Reading and Learning Together via Voxer

I can easily say I love to learn and I love to read. This summer I had the chance for both as I committed to reading quite a few books, both educational and non-educational. My books were piled high with hopes of getting as much reading done as possible.

Just the educational ones -
forgot to take one of my others. 

No matter which book it was, there was inspiration found everywhere; something to take away for the future. But what inspired me the most was The Book Whisperer and  Hacking Leadership.  These two were different than the others.  They were different because I didn't just read them on my own; I participated in a book club via Voxer. I read The Book Whisperer with teachers at our school and Hacking Leadership with educators across the country. The experience was something that added to the reading; it made it more enjoyable, increased my learning, and made me even more excited for the new school year.

My top reasons for loving my book clubs via Voxer (and why I think everyone needs to be a part of one!):

1. Learning together is better than alone. I could have easily read the books on my own and reflect on next steps, but it's so much better to have someone to talk to and share ideas. Hearing one idea would spark another and we could continue a discussion for multiple days.

2. It's inspirational. Every week I was inspired by listening to our staff share ideas that will benefit the students at our school. Their enthusiasm was evident and I can't wait for the year to begin! Daily the Hacking Leadership group inspired me with their innovative ideas and willingness to try new things.   Unknowingly they pushed me out of my comfort zone and encouraged me to take risks.  Lots of plans were made for the school year. 

3. It creates a common language and network of support. Now on campus I have people I can talk to about The Book Whisperer and refer back to ideas I read and strategies shared.  I can support teachers as they implement new ideas and we can support each other as we try things school wide.  With Hacking Leadership I have connected with other leaders and we continue to brainstorm  ideas on how we can try the hack in our schools. I know we will continue to share our successes and failures as the year goes on.  

4. It's anytime, anywhere.  I'm not good on a set day and a set time to meet for book clubs.  There is always something going on and I miss a date (or more!).  Voxer allowed me to participate when I could no matter what day or time.  There were some days I listened in late at night when the kids were asleep and other days I skipped it all together while I disconnected.  That's the beauty of it.  I could get caught up and join right back in!

After this experience I've decided a book club via Voxer is a must for every summer.  If you haven't been a part of one, I suggest you try! :)

Lessons Learned from the Baseball Field (2 of 2)

Lesson Two - Always Keep a Positive Attitude

As I reflected on notes I took during my son's baseball game, I thought back to a previous coach of his. The coach used to say that he understands if mistakes are made, but there is no excuse about attitude and effort. I have to agree.

Attitude is everything and this time, I'm not referring to the kids, I'm talking about the adults. 

Kids feed off of our emotions and attitude.

Out on the ball field this week, I saw it. We're down by 4 runs and the kids are feeling it. Coach is mad. Clipboard thrown to the ground. Head down and mumbling. 

What does that convey to the kids?
- I'm done?
- I've lost hope?
- We don't have a chance?
- I don't like you anymore?

Can't tell you for sure, but I know it doesn't communicate anything positive. It doesn't help. It doesn't motivate. 

How can this apply to our schools? There are days when the adults are upset on campus. It's been a rough morning at home. Drop off was a nightmare. The students just won't stop talking. The lesson I spent hours on was a disaster. We're upset. We're frustrated. We're angry. We're tired. 

We need to be able to push things aside and be there for the kids.  We're the adults. We need to keep the positive attitude.

As a mom and principal, this is something I need to remember all the time.  My attitude affects those around me, and I want my attitude to have a positive affect on others.

The kids need it.  The kids deserve it!

Lessons Learned from the Baseball Field (1 of 2)

Lesson 1 - Appreciate the Effort 

As I sit here watching my son's baseball game, I feel compelled to write.  We're at the end of the sections tournament and it's quite intense.  Emotions are high and the boys are losing. 

Here's a bit of the current scene:

- Ball hit foul towards first base and my son runs to catch it - "Nice effort!" yells the coach and team in the dugout 

- Pop up to right center, two players run to try and catch the ball.  It's missed. - again you hear "Nice effort!"

In both cases, the coach could have been frustrated with the missed opportunity of an out, but he wasn't.  Maybe he was, but you didn't see it.  Instead, he recognized the effort. 

Whether it's sports, the classroom, or any aspect of life, appreciate the effort. Not only appreciate it but acknowledge it too. 

Not one day have I seen my boy step out on the ball field and give anything less than 100%.  Has he struck out? Yes.  Has he made an error on defense? Yes. But without a doubt he is working hard and trying. 

It's just like the kids in our schools that give their 100% everyday. Are there times they do things we don't want them to?  Yes. Do they miss a problem we've been reviewing for days? Yes. Do they fail a test we thought they would pass? Yes. But it's not for lack of effort.

It's not that they're not trying. I don't know a kid who walks into school and thinks, "I'm going to see how little I can accomplish today." 

These are kids we are working with day in and day out. They're trying. They're making an effort. It's our job to recognize that and validate it.
   

                                     

Isn't It Easy?

As I sit back and reflect about my second year as a principal, I think about the journey: the highs, the lows, the challenges, the things I wish I would have done differently, and everything I still want to do. One thing that stands out to me is comments that have been made from people outside of education.  It usually goes something like this:

Them: You're in your second year?  So it's easy now, right? 

Me: Not sure I would say it's easy. A little different, but not easy. 

Them: But it's your second year, you know what to expect.

Me: Well, I know the paperwork things that have to get done. My site plan, safety plan, scheduling ...things like that.  But there are a lot of things that you can't really plan for.

Them: Well what else do you really have to do?

I usually end up wrapping up the conversation then or switching the subject because I feel like I'm trying to convince someone of something they just can't understand.

Is it easy? No way.  Do I think it's ever really going to be easy? Nope.  But people tend to think that if it's not easy, then I must not like it.  Our jobs aren't something that you can plan out every day and know what to "expect" as people may think.  I can always have my list of things I want to get done, but each day brings something new.  The best planned out day can go sideways from the moment I walk onto campus.

But being easy doesn't equate to enjoyment.  I didn't move into leadership because I thought it would be easy.  I love my job. I get to make a difference every day in the lives of so many.  I get to play, laugh, learn, lead, and be there for so many kids that need me every day.

So although there are days that seem like I don't have a minute to sit down and take a breath, days that I am emotionally exhausted when I get home, and days I can't even think about what I actually accomplished, I wouldn't have it any other way.  There is nothing else that I would rather be doing.

                                                  

The Joy a Book Can Bring

I think sometimes I take for granted that my two boys are avid readers and love to read. Sometimes I wonder how it all happened. What did I do to make them love to read? What did their teachers do to make them love to read?

The thing is, I don't think it was any "one" thing. I think there can be a variety of things that inspire the love of reading, and what inspired one child may not inspire another.  As I look around our house though, I notice something very obvious: we have books everywhere. Since before they were born there were books in the house.

This made me think about some of my students. I can’t help but think that some are going home to houses where the only books they have are the ones brought home from school.  How are they ever going to find that book that sparks their interest or inspires them to keep reading when they don’t have anything to pick up and read?

So I started talking to kids.  

We would sit in my office and talk about books.  Conversations varied depending on the students. Some sounded like this?

Me: Do you like to read?

Student: No

Me: Why not?

Student: It’s boring.

Me: What kind of books do you have at home?

Student: None

Right then I knew that they just haven’t found the right book.  We would continue to talk about their interests in order for me to help figure out a book recommendation.

Two Quick Stories

I’ve been working with a student who has had a similar conversation to the example above.  He always said there was nothing he liked until one day he mentioned that there was one book he liked.  Just one.  And his teacher had it.  He went back to class to get it. He brought it in and we hopped online and ordered six of them. He was so excited. The books came in and he couldn't wait to read them. He was in disbelief when I said he could take them home and they were his to keep.

Just a few of the books the kids picked out 

Two girls came in one day to talk to me in my office. They just wanted to talk. To be honest, they struggle sometimes making positive choices and they follow each other's lead. When one does something, so does the other. One of them saw a new book I had in my office and we started talking about books. One shared that her favorite books were Dr. Seuss. The other one agreed. I asked if they had any at home and they both said no. Actually, they said they don't really have any books at home. So I went online and ordered some books.  Every day they would check in with me to see if they arrived. We sat down and they went through all the books. Their faces lit up! We made a plan. They'd each get a book. Every Friday after that, if they were working hard in their class, they could come pick a book to take home and keep. They literally squealed in delight walking out of my office with books in their hands.

The story doesn't end there. My conversation with many kids turns to books. I always ask about books they have at home and when I hear they don't, we hop online and order, or I find books in my own home, or hit up the local garage sale site on Facebook.

I realized that buying books for kids is something I love to do.  It doesn’t seem like a big deal to me, but the light in their eyes and excitement in their voice is priceless.  From here on out I will always make sure my budget allows for books.  Not just for books in the library or classrooms, but books kids can take home and call their own.  

Will just the simple act of buying books inspire the love of reading?  Maybe, maybe not.  But nothing can deny what I saw and felt in those moments with the kids as they walked away with their own book.

The Last Month Matters

I read How Many Days Left Do You Have to Make a Difference by Dr. Todd Schmidt and it inspired me to share my thoughts. 

As the end of the year approaches there's so much to think about as we wrap up the current year and plan for the text.  And we can't deny that some are daydreaming about time off and upcoming vacations during summer. But I can't help think about our kids. 

                                    

Our kids deserve our very best until the bell rings on the last day of school. Although some are looking forward to the end and moving on into the summer, some are not. 

Some of our students best hours of the day are at school. They look forward to coming to school to learn, to have fun, to be with friends, to find security, to feel loved, to experience calm and structure. 

                                           

So when some people talking about looking forward to the end of the year, some students might be dreading it. Anxiety increases. Fear of the unknown. Sadness hearing about vacations they're not going to take.

This is something I like to keep in mind when we approach a break from school, especially summer.  My hope is we continue to love them up, keep structure and learning in our classrooms, and have fun with them until the last day. Not only do feel they deserve it, but I strongly believe they need it!