What I Wish for You

December is the last month of the year.  In teacher world, we often think it's June.  Unfortunately, the holidays have a funny way of making things unusually hectic and causing people (myself included) to always keep looking ahead for "What's next?"

In terms of leadership this week, I've been seeing clues everywhere telling me to slow down, to stop looking ahead of the curve and instead, take time to enjoy the moment.  So in a time that prompts anxiety to get everything done, here are lessons that called out to me.

1) This is a photo I often stare at in the Guidance Office of my school:  "Between stimulus and response, there is a space.  In that space is our power to choose our response."  - Victor Frankel

Amazing. 

I often think about how many unexpected incidents that arise in our daily schedules as educators and I notice how hard it must be for administrators to be given a role of being held accountable to situations that are beyond their control.  My big take away from this quote is simply believing that the one constant is how we can always control the way we respond to each situation.

2) In closing out this year, I saw a quote from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl that embodies the spirit of being open-minded... and to "watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places."  

Take time to slow down, look around, and actively search for the secrets hidden in the most unlikely places.  Recently, I have felt that these treasures are not all that "hidden" and have always been right there in plain sight.

My stake in the ground: "Those who don't believe in magic will never find it."  This applies to everything in leadership.  Open your eyes, your ears, and your mind.  Opportunity is right there for you.  Once you see it, muster up the courage to seize it. You will never regret trying. 

3) Lastly, the most important lesson I learned this week is "Greatness is not what you have, but what you give."  Servant Leadership at its best is not thinking twice to give your time and effort to others.  This year, I am extremely grateful for those who gave me their time thus making me stronger and kinder.  For that, I am eternally grateful.  

 So as we close out the last month of the year, my wish for you is to have more opportunities.  More opportunities to enjoy the moment.  More opportunities to find those hidden treasures and most of all, more opportunities to experience the joy of giving during this holiday season.  

Have a wonderful Holiday Season and here's to a New Year of even more possibilities.

The Necessary Balance~ Consensus vs. Capacity Building

My colleague and I were discussing the difference and importance of capacity building versus consensus building; both of which are wholly important to leadership.

Upon reflection, I am struck at how each plays such an important part in establishing and maintaining a balance in the culture of any organization.

Jimmy Casa's words come to mind:

Consensus

What I took away from this tweet is that in establishing the mission, the vision, the values, and goals of the school/ district, the process must engage all stakeholders (consensus building).

In order to sustain this vision, however, there must be fidelity to allocating resources and strategies that will enable the group to move forward towards that mission (capacity building).

As a Teacher Leader, I find that making decisions that support the mission and the vision often yields results that stand the test of time.  This process of sifting is what will sustain the work and propel the team to perform at a much higher level.

For me, the following questions I find to be useful to keep in mind are: What attitudes, behaviors, and commitments will we need to promote, protect, and defend if we are going to fulfill our mission?  

1. To what do we allocate our resources? 

2. What behaviors are we modeling and willing to confront? 

3. What do we monitor and celebrate?

These questions are what focuses my PLC work.  Richard Dufour mentions quite often in many of his books at how easy it is to get sidetracked or take shortcuts. For my reflections this weekend, I hope to become a stronger leader by keeping this balance in mind.

Leaders are Readers

My PLN friend David Guerin (@davidguerin) once tweeted to me that "Leaders are Readers."  The phrase has stuck with me ever since.  Just this past summer, I set a goal for myself to read 5,500 pages because, after years of being sidetracked having children and life in general, I desperately needed to get back into the groove of becoming an avid reader once again.

As I read book after book, I found myself learning more about myself.  Some of the many important "stakes in the ground" are these:

1.  Reading strengthens you as a professional.  It is undeniable that many of us get stuck in the day-to-day managerial tasks that push us away from reading.  It is, however, our moral imperative to read as much as possible and to be constant learners.  Our children deserve this.

2.  Reading exponentially increases your empathy.  I read countless numbers of fiction among the stack of PD books to mix it up.  I found strength in strong characters that morally stood up against evil but on another hand found myself angry at how often atrocities repeat itself throughout history.

This empathy made me approach people and situations with softer mannerisms.  Reading taught me kindness and to first seek to understand people without judging them.  Everyone is carrying a weight on their own shoulder.

3. Reading gave me many hidden lessons in leadership.  After reading so many books, I found that what I might find to be trivial, could mean the whole world to someone else.  As a leader, it is important to validate every person's concern.  What to you might seem like a small problem, could mean a bigger issue for someone else.

4. Reading made me appreciate what I have. Many protagonists in novels that I read dealt with so much trauma, had so little and dealt with it all with grace.  This made me reflect on the importance of striking a balance in all aspects of my life and made me be more grateful for every opportunity offered to me. 

5. Reading grows your creativity as a problem-solver.  I take comfort in reading and consider it as my superpower.  Every book I read was a gem that helped shape my way of thinking and has helped me developed and grow my creativity.  I am hoping to instill this in my students.  This year, I am including books to have them read for pleasure and am having them blog as a reflective tool.  It is my sincere wish that they too secretly find the world of reading to be immensely fulfilling.

To end this post, I am continuing the challenge to myself to read more and grow as a leader.  The two books that I want to read is Rethinking Homework (2nd Ed.) by Cathy Vatterott.  I find the debate about homework fascinating and hope to learn more about it.  Many stressors arise from homework and I feel it necessary to learn more about the issue as an entry point to examining the bigger picture of assessment and curriculum.

Second is a bit of a heavier "textbook" read, called The Principal's Guide to Special Education (3rd Ed) by Bateman.  This book I chose in particular after I attended a conference where students spoke openly about how frustrated they were in not being able to understand their accommodations.  To me, we have to do better.

In conclusion, please tweet me book suggestions to add to my ever growing lists of books to read.  I absolutely love recommendations.  Below are a few books that I have ordered and hope to dive into in the near future.  Happy Reading!

Building Capacity of Teacher Leaders

The definition of Teacher Leadership is multifaceted.  The point of this blog is to encourage fellow educators to continue their work in extending themselves to be leaders inside and outside of their classroom.

Teacher Leaders have an influence on students, other teacher leaders, and administrators.  Work must be done to develop and sustain them.

 There is no answer to build capacity that is wholesale.  You must be patient in your work to understand that persistence will get you to where you want to be; consistency will allow you to sustain the work or mindset that you hope to impart.

The approach that I have learned to build a capacity of Teacher Leaders is one teacher at a time.

I think a lot about this, especially when I see how easy it is to take shortcuts.  If you truly want to sustain the mindset overtime and exponentially build capacity, expecting everyone to "immediately subscribe" to your vision is not a goal to have in mind.

Instead, look to grow the tree and not focus on how many leaves are on your limbs.  Yes, growing a tree takes time.  Often, many give up or lose focus because of the lack of instantaneous acceptance of the mission.

Success, failure, and relationships are often words that are most readily used in Educational Leadership.  But I argue, that patience, consistency, and discipline are often key components that will allow you to build a strong foundation to build a capacity of Teacher Leaders. 

From The Man Who Planted Trees 

From Brainy Quotes

What have we accomplished this year that helped others grow?

This month, the #CompelledTribe theme is about ways to renew, recharge, or rejuvenate relationships with students and/or staff during the last quarter of the school year. 

This theme took me a long time to think through because it made me reflect on my own professional growth this year and it made me sad to think that the scholastic year is coming to a close.   It's bittersweet to think that in just two months I am going to have to take a break.  

Yes, breaks are great.  Summer is awesome.  However, in my thirteenth year of teaching, I know that having an "amazing year" does not come too often.  

This year is one that I pushed myself to grow professionally and personally.  I credit my accomplishments to having joined Twitter and made connections with amazing groups of leaders, educators, and authors who fueled my passion for reading and learning.  

I understand that the year-end does not necessarily mean I have to stop learning and growing but I am going to frame it as a time to allow me to reflect and celebrate my accomplishments and gear up for the work that needs to be done for next year. 

I do acknowledge that maybe not everyone is having a great year and there are people who are looking forward to summer break as a way to disconnect and recharge.  That's ok.  There is nothing wrong with wanting that at the end of the year.  

What I do hope that happens, however, is that we deliberately ask ourselves-- What have we accomplished this year that allowed others around us to grow?  What has brought us joy this year and what have we done that can be celebrated?  

Even those students and teachers who struggle academically, personally, and professionally would benefit from thinking introspectively about their own growth.  

In "Start. Right. Now" a book by Whitaker, Casas, and Zoul, they write about the influence you have to make those around you feel inspired.  In addition to thinking about your own growth, I challenge you to think about how you contributed to the growth of others by the attitude you chose to have.  Everyone has the capacity to lead and I hope that as a result of your reflection, you push yourself to make more positive and deliberate changes to the people and environment around you. 

The act of celebrating is something that should be done to put a closure to the end of the year.  I look forward to having conversations with students and colleagues to celebrate their positive accomplishments, large or small.  Although I am not looking to end the year yet, I have to say that this year goes down in my book as one of my favorites.  I hope that it is the same for you as well.  Keep being great and have a wonderful end of the year. 

Teacher Burnout and Finding a Balance

The struggle between teacher burnout and finding a balance is an absolute constant in this profession.

With the unrealistic demands made on teachers and leaders alike, (oversized classes, grading, paperwork, and duties, etc.) the need to find ways to cope with how to spend our time and energy needs to be brought to the forefront when we examine school culture.

Teacher-student relationships are jeopardized when teacher burnout is apparent.  Our mood affects the culture of our classrooms and school, so this balance is imperative to find.  Most important, we must examine the real issue and not just apply bandage solutions. If, for example, grading burns you out, then a close examination of pedagogy is what needs to be addressed. 

While each situation is different for each person, the fight against burnout can be curbed through a diligent prioritizing of keeping students at the core of our practice.  One who finds this balance is compelled to work beyond proposed limits.

Dr. Amy Fast's (@fastcrayon) book "It's the Mission, Not the Mandates," echoes this statement when she advocates knowing your "why" so that your work becomes meaningful and purposeful; Consequently, those who know their "why" are those who do not regard their role as a vocation, but an avocation and have heightened resilience to burnout.

The truth behind this post, however, is that the chase for this balance is the same as the pursuit of happiness.  You have to work at it constantly and consistently to procure and sustain it.

Below are two great comments that contribute to the discussion of balance:

1) Teacher Kareem Farah (@kareenfarah) tweeted, "Teacher burnout can be a consequence of exhaustion but also a result of stagnation.  It is critical that districts develop teacher leadership that keeps great teachers in the classroom but allows them to elevate and scale their expertise."

Yes, the notion of teacher leadership hits home for me.  On any given staff, there are always the race boats, the sailboats, and the anchors.  Giving others too little to do is just as harmful as giving others too much to do.

2) "Give teachers their planning time.  We NEED that uninterrupted time every day.  There's so much pressure for technology-rich lessons, parent/ community contact, and relationship building, but there's no time to do it all in one day." (Kaitlyn Yvonne, @MrsEdMath)

These two tweets summarize the dichotomy within a culture that can be found in every school.  As teachers and leaders, we are those who care for others.  Therefore, we must be cognizant that we take care of ourselves first and foremost before we are able to effectively take care of others.


Personal Resiliency and The Basics of Self-Care

A question was posed in an #Edutopiachat on how you would approach a teacher who is burnt out. My answer is "approach with empathy and an open ear, some coffee and a nonjudgmental attitude," but what I neglected to add was patience.

It is my hope that we retain the great teachers in this field.  There is so much to do and we need teachers to fight the good fight.  Don't give up.

Below is a list to help you achieve this balance: 

Eat
Sleep
Drink water
Move
Connect
Pause
Acknowledge
Reflect
(Repeat)

2 hours ago