Time to Move On!

I can't believe that 26 years have passed since I finished my student teaching and could hardly wait to find out when I would have my very own classroom and group of students.  What was really unusual is that after a few days, I knew immediately what I ultimately wanted.  I wanted to be an elementary Principal.  I felt that I could help as many people as possible rather than one classroom at a time.  Blink... and here I am ready to let go of all that I have worked so hard for and hoped to accomplish.  But, it is time with all the myriad of changes taking place for 2015-16 to give someone else a chance to take our campus and our kids to the next higher level.
So, how as an aspiring teacher do you get to an administrative position?  Suggestions for those of you who endeavor this goal are as follows:
1. Identify at least one or two types of entry level positions you will pursue.  What is your final goal and how do you plan to make steps to get there?
2. Have a plan.  Applicants who are prepared and ready to pursue opportunities are the ones who get those positions.  Be ready.
3. Research.  Most administrative positions require that you must possess several specific years of teaching.  What does the position require that you are pursuing?
4. Be confident!  Successful teachers with a strong ethic frequently move into administration after just a few years of teaching.
5.  Communicate with others.  Tell others what you are looking for and why.  Getting the word out and networking is instrumental to finding that job you want.   Tell your Principal what your plans are so that they can support you.  And get your Resume ready!   Blog about your profession and goals!
6.  Join a professional organization to learn and grow!
7.  Participate in committees.  It's great experience and you may learn something new! Present at workshops.
8.  Support others...ask your administration if they have any future opportunities where you can learn and demonstrate your ability (i.e. summer school, Saturday School, and more).
9. Last keep records of what/where you have applied.  Keep track of interviews and where you have followed up.  Don't give up, there is a place for us all out there.

And, before you know it, you'll "blink" and it will be 26+ years and you'll be prepared to turn the challenges over to someone new.
I wish you the best of luck in your search and endeavors!

Never Give Up!

This time of year, students are trying teachers more and more, and teachers are thinking to themselves, I think I'll call in tomorrow.  I need a break.  Of course, as an administrator, I'm trying to keep my campus staff attendance % up because when it comes to student success, no one, and I mean no one, is as good as the classroom teacher in working with their students.
In researching some ways that teachers can take care of themselves and still help our students achieve success, I found the following strategies:
1.  Call a trusted colleague and vent, cry, and laugh.  Whatever you enjoy doing that makes you feel good about you.  Everyone even a Teacher of the Year experiences a tough day or two and it is "OK" to feel this way, just don't let it overwhelm you.
2.One of the most simplest things you can do is to breathe.  Almost like meditating, just sit for a minute and practice some slow breathing.
3.  Focus on building a sense of family with your students.  Nothing feels more comforting than seeing your students laugh with you.  Share some personal stories, some fun time, it's okay to step away from the lesson plans for little while to work WITH your students.
4. Prioritize your day.  Do you have a ton of papers to grade, lesson plans to write, and papers to copy?  Make a list (my husband LOVES this strategy) and stick to it.  You'll get ahead a little at a time and realize that you are in control.
5. Take time for you.  Teaching day by day and then taking it home on the weekend creates "Teacher Burnout."  This is a dead end for you and for your students.  Spend some time with your family, friends, or hobbies.  You'll come back energized and looking forward to another week.

Keeping these strategies in mind, will help you the most valuable asset in the classroom, the teacher providing what every student needs, a person who is investing positively in their future.

Using Your Voice to Lead

Whether you are leading a classroom or leading your colleagues, it is important that you use your voice to lead as a professional.  I was reading several professional articles recently when one published by Lolly Daskal of Lead Within caught my eye regarding your professional voice.
Have you ever been in a leadership meeting and the person who is speaking begins to rant, ramble, or raise their voice?  We've probably all been there, and for me personally, I automatically lose respect for the qualities that this leader has demonstrated.  I definitely don't want to be that person.  
I have several teachers who are in the process or recently completed their administrative certification, and learning to speak in front of a group and learning to use your voice is something that takes time and purposeful effort.  As professionals in education, we all go through this to some degree as we return to the classroom from being absent during the summer.  We all go through an adjustment period of learning to use our voice to command the attention of our students at whatever age they may be.
The article by Ms. Daskal was insightful as I reflected upon the many times as an administrator, I have had to learn to use my voice to share my viewpoints, opinions, celebrations, and defend my decisions with other colleagues.  This article really justified my thoughts and self reflection on speaking, and so I thought it would be great to share with others.
Highlights shared and ones that I suggest we all contemplate when using our voice:
1. Don't let others overpower you.  The people who are doing all the talking are not necessarily the smartest in the room.
2. Earn the respect you deserve.  Sometimes, I feel that if I do speak up, others will think I'm bragging, But, in reality, others need to hear from your experiences.
3. Speak up when it's right.  Don't be a chatterbox, it's annoying and others will learn to tune you out.
4. Tact and diplomacy have power.  Don't get emotional or defensive.  I find this at times to be easier said than done.  This is especially true when I am emotionally tied to my profession and results.
5. Be proud and polite.  Don't raise your voice and don't interrupt - it isn't professional.
6. Back it up.  Use your facts and data to support your statements.
7. Be concise.  Everyone dislikes a "rambler."  Be smart and concise - it invents coherence.

Using these 7 tips will help anyone and everyone in demonstrating that what you have to say is valuable and YOU are a valued person.  Good luck!

M - o - t - i - v - a - t - i - o - n

Today I wanted to share with you something that at one time or another each and every teacher has a difficult time in getting students to "buy into" their education.  How do we motivate students to want to learn?
A great example presented itself to me recently.  I had a 5th grade student who had been a regular for behavior serving in-school suspension (ISS) for primarily not completing work which resulted in non-compliance issues.  After placing the student in a daily and hourly monitored behavior plan for over a week, completed BIP with 70% or greater, it was time for him to return to the classroom.  My primary concern was how do we prevent this from occurring again which will result in time to work with him again on the same issue(s), time away from the classroom, and missed instruction?  Lucky for the student AND me, I have a very talented teacher who loves to try new things.  She approached me with an idea she utilizes in working with her ELL students and gifted and talented students.  She provides extensions of learning or various ways to demonstrate mastery of the objectives introduced in the classroom.  This teacher approached me with an idea of providing this challenging student all the instruction needed to master the objectives, but providing him with a choice of projects to demonstrate his knowledge rather than requiring him to perform a specified task.  This approach would provide him the option of having choices and holding him accountable for the work at the same time.  The teacher assured me that communication of the assignment would be emphasized along with accountability.  Hopefully, our goal of motivating the student to want to learn and to stay in class will be achieved- a win-win situation.
I applaud teachers like this who are individualizing learning so that our students are able to achieve success no matter what level they are performing - from gifted and talented to underachievers, they're all our children.

2015 Classroom/Teaching Resolutions

What are your plans to jumpstart your students' learning for 2015?  While you were enjoying a restful two week vacation, so were your students' who most likely were not reading or practicing their math facts.  So, how do you plan to restore the rigor of learning that was ongoing and moving forward in December?  

Great resources to address this issue and more abound on the internet, but knowing which ones are the good ones takes time.  Our campus shares resources at every available opportunity.  It's wonderful for all 67+ staff members to be sharing so that all of our students and staff can benefit.  One of our favorite resources is Teachers Pay Teachers.    A quick look at the internet and this resource provides examples such as:

Something like this might be just what you need in developing those 2015 New Year Classroom/Teaching Resolutions!   You don't have to go it alone, there's so much great information and resources available, you just need to know where to find them.  If you have a resource that you find helpful, blog about it, tweet about it, create a newsletter about it, but whatever you do get the great resources out there for all of us to enjoy!

I hope that your 2015 year is the very best ever, good luck!

"Wait Time" and "Think Time"

I have some very exciting news to share...our Instructional Rounds 2nd visit revealed that what we are doing as a campus is not only working, it's working BIG TIME!  All of the short term and long term goals that were initially set have been exceeded.  I have to give credit to our district administrators for leading us into this endeavor no matter how painful it might be, the evidence is overwhelmingly positive and for me it means that our students are the ones who are receiving the benefits.  Most specifically, higher level learning through planned questions is occurring across the campus, student responses are justified and expanded through a wide variety of personalized techniques that teachers have internalized in their classrooms.  So, for our campus, we will continue to go the course.  One area that could improve that was recognized during our visit, was to increase "wait time" for students to respond, and to provide additional "think time" for students to process.  I searched for relevant information to share with staff on this area and I found several informative articles.
"Wait time" is the period of time that takes place when a teacher provides a question to students and the teacher interrupts or calls on a student.  On average this time is 1.5 seconds in a typical classroom, noted by a study by Mary Budd Rowe (1972).  Her study discovered if teachers allowed at least 3 seconds of "wait time", many positive things happened to students' AND teachers' behaviors and attitudes.  To attain these benefits, teachers were urged to "wait" in silence for 3 seconds or more after their questions, and AFTER students completed their responses.  Further, the teacher should ensure that all students preserve the disturbance-free silence so that both the students and teacher can process the relevant information.  When this occurs, the teacher can claim to be skilled at using "think time."  The skillful use of "think-time" contributes significantly to improved teaching and learning in the classroom.
I eagerly look forward to seeing these continued improvements that our talented teachers are utilizing to increase our students' learning.  Our next Instructional Rounds will take place on January 22nd when we will look forward to our new results.
#ceohgo #castleberryisd

Test S T R E S S !!!!!

It seems like we're always giving a test, taking a test, or grading a test!!!!  No wonder we're all going crazy and stressed out!!!!!
This week at school, we administered our fall semester benchmarks.  No, they were not our first round of tests by any means, BUT these are the BIG ones that everyone looks at.  Not only are the kids stressed out, but the teachers as well.
As a principal, I don't even have to address a staff member about their results before the teacher comes in with tears in their eyes and a big apology about their scores.  I always say, it's just something to give you concrete feedback about your students, use and go forward with it.  And just for fun, we'll do it again in the spring semester!!!
But seriously, there are a lot of de - stressers for students and staff alike!  For example, take a look at http://pbskids.org/itsmylife/school/teststress/
Take a deep breath and try not to stress!  Good luck!