The First Week: A Roller Coaster

This first week has been an absolute roller coaster of emotions. The high of the first day of school and all of the promise that it brings was tempered by some very sobering realities throughout the rest of the first week.
I have been in education long enough to realize that the first week of school is always one of the most difficult. Everything cannot and will not go the way you would like. We plan all summer for the beginning of the year and things never turn out the way we would like them to. The first day is usually great, and mine was, but then the realities begin to settle in.
Dealing with buses has never been a great issue for me. Thankfully, I do not have to do too much with them because my assistant principal does a great job. However an aspect that is new is the amount of buses. In my previous school, we had three buses. One for special needs students and two for the general population. At my new school, we have one special needs bus and seven for all other students. The amount of kids riding the bus is triple what I am used to. To compound the problem, we have a lot of kids who ride one bus to school, but a different one home or they ride different buses depending on the day of the week. We have "tagged" our younger riders to ensure they get on the right bus. There still seem to be problems each day. The problems generally occur when a student fails to get off at the correct stop or they do not have a parent waiting for them at the stop. The bus company then returns them to school and we have to call for a parent. I was at school until almost 6 o'clock one day waiting for a parent to come and get their child. To top that, many parents have not updated their phone numbers and we have trouble getting in contact. We continue to work around these issues to do what is best for our kids.
This week has truly been a roller coaster for me in more ways that I cannot go into detail about. I hope that week number two is less centered on highs and lows and more about enjoying the ride. I do know that I have learned more about what it takes to run a school successfully in the past week than I had in much of my previous experience combined.
Week number two starts in 10 hours!

My First Official Day...with kids!

Monday the 18th was the first official day with students. When I first started in July, we had some students at the school for summer school and I was able to meet some kids. But on Monday, they all came. We had a first day enrollment of 465 kids, which was below projections. This number has risen by 5% in the first three days.
The night before school, I went around to check out each classroom and I gave each teacher a little note entitled, "Our Workplace". My 3 year old son helped me go around to each classroom and office to give these out to all staff members. A few folks commented that they appreciated the gesture. I hope that they will take the words to heart and partner with one another this school year.
We had a number of folks register their kids first thing in the morning on Monday. Alot of parents came in to find out who their child's teacher was because they were not able to come to the Back To School Event. The office was a busy place. I have met many new folks, but it will take a while to get to know the kids and parents. School started on time and we had very few issues. I took the time to walk around to each classroom and greet the teachers (this has become my new daily routine - the idea was introduced to me by a former Assistant Superintendant - "Thanks for the suggestion, Dr. Howard"). The teachers were all enthusiastic with their welcoming of all students. The rest of the school day went on without any incidences. There was a visit from the director of student services and also from my Academic Improvement officer. Both ladies commented that everything appeared to be going well.
We made it to dismissal...
I was worried because about 3 quarters of our students ride the bus home, many for the first time. My assistant principal and the rest of the staff did a great job getting kids to the buses and on the correct buses. We had a few students returned to schools because they missed their stop or had gotten on the wrong bus. By 5:00 everyone had been returned home or picked up. Not bad for the first day (since school gets out at 3:30 and buses didn't leave until almost 4:00).
I am thoroughly enjoying my time as principal. Things are definitely more stressful when you realize that there is no one else to look towards, but working with a great staff has helped keep the stress to a minimum! 1 day down, 179 to go!!!

Back To School Night

Last night was Back to School Night for our families and staff. We had a pretty successful evening. Staff members that had been at the school in previous years commented that there were more in attendance than in year's past. I hope that sending postcards to the kids and welcoming them back to school played a part in the increased participation!
The day started with all of the staff traveling to a high school in the district to have a district-wide pep rally. There was a keynote speaker who did a great job in providing inspiration to the group (I'll write more on this later), the district provided lunch for all of us and then had a number of in-service opportunities for all staff members to attend. Even though the day was long and the bus trip was hot, I believe that it was a great event that helped to get the staff ready for the new school year.
The staff all ate pizza together and then the families all started to arrive...
We gathered in the multi-purpose room and had some community members representing different areas (fire department, a local chiropractor, optometrist, etc.) there providing information for families. Staff members helped to give each child a book, some made ice cream sundaes and teachers met parents in there classrooms. The staff all performed a song for the parents and students. It was an original composition written by my music teacher. It was a great way to start the year.
After a time of introducing all the staff, we allowed parents to go to classrooms to drop off supplies and meet the teachers.
It was a good night and gave me chance to meet many of our parents and students. I am thankful for a great staff that organized this event and helped make it so successful!
Students come back in less than 48 hours...

A mile wide and an inch deep...or an inch wide and a mile deep?

I recently read an article (Math Meltdown by Patrick Welsh) sent to me by my superintendent about math instruction in the US. The basic premise of the article is whether or not math instruction tries to cover too much material at the risk of not allowing students time to learn all the basic facts really well. The author asserts that across all subject areas, instruction now focuses on conceptual thinking rather than some basic memorization. So students are being "trained" to think about big pictures and problem solving at the risk of not having basic skills. Welsh believes that it is necessary to put more emphasis on teaching kids basic skills - addition, subtraction, fractions, whole numbers, etc. - in the early grades and leave the conceptual thinking until kids are teenagers and have a better ability to think abstractly.
This has been a great dilemna recently. I felt the pull as a classroom teacher myself. I had so many standards to cover to prepare my kids for the state test (PACT) that I felt like I had to cover every standard to make sure that kids would be able to attempt every question on the test. What I didn't realize is that by covering the surface of everything, that I probably didn't do a great job of teaching most things. I was going an inch deep with most math skills, enough for students to give it back to me successfully on an assessment, and covering a million areas.
I look at it now and see that it is probably more important to cover less topics (an inch wide) and go deeper to make sure that kids truly understand the skill that is to be learned.
This approach to teaching takes great skill, because with a heterogeneous classroom, some students will be ready to move on well before others. This requires a teacher to differentiate the curriculum to make sure that all students' needs are being met.
However, in SC, we still test students at the end of the year on a "million" topics covering all of the standards. Maybe we will get to the point where we decide to have fewer standards in order to cover them more deeply. Our district has adopted a math program (Everyday Counts Math) that promises to strike a balance between conceptual thinking and basic skills (memorization). I don't know if we will ever get to the point where we can cover math skills a mile deep until math standards are rewritten to include fewer skills and are more age appropriate.

First Staff Meeting...The Review

Well, my first staff meeting is over...
From all accounts, things seemed to go well and our southern breakfast of shrimp and grits, eggs, fruit, juice and coffee was fabulous. (Sorry you missed the shrimp and grits, Lynn) I started out by reading "First Day Jitters" by Julie Danneberg. I believe that it is important that every teacher read aloud to their students each day. Not just for content, but for the enjoyment of reading. The best way to get this accomplished is to model the behavior. This book set the mood for the meeting!
We took a good deal of time to get to know one another. Folks drew a specific shape when they entered the room and then had to find the other person with the same shape and they introduced each other to the group. We have about 15 new staff members (25% of total staff) and I believe that this time was crucial for us all to find at least one person that we connected with during the day. My AP, Ms. Porter, took some time to introduce herself and then I took some time to talk about myself on a personal and professional level.
Then the real meeting began. There are always so many things to cover that I feel like nothing got covered really well. I hope the handbook - which took weeks to edit and narrow down - is sufficient to answer many questions. I did realize that I forgot to number the pages; that will be corrected next year. There was a schedule glitch that needed to be fixed. Overall, everything seemed to go well. I heard many positive comments from staff members throughout the day.
The nervousness that I was experiencing was not overwhelming, but just enough to help me focus on what needed to be completed.
Last night, we had a number of staff members gather at Outback Steakhouse for a time of fellowship and getting to know one another a little better. We had about 35 staff members, some with spouses, come to the meeting. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves for the 2 hours that we were together. Again, it is always well worth the time spent to get to know your staff outside of school.
I am so excited about the upcoming school year and the enthusiasm that the staff has brought back with them is contagious. We look forward to a great year in the lowcountry!

One Minute Management

One of the most practical pieces of advice that I received from the Principal Induction Program is One Minute Management. This is used to deal with an employee who has done something wrong, but it is not a habitual or grievous offense.
It follows three simple steps:
1 - Praise the employee for all the good they normally do.
2 - Reprimand them for the error
3 - Set a new goal for how they should handle the situation in the future.

Seems pretty easy. I am one who does not seek confrontation, but this gives me an easy plan to deal with some of those daily problems that are a bit insignificant, but still need to be addressed.

First Staff Meeting...The Preview

Teachers and assistants all return to school on Monday! Our first meeting will include everyone from the school. To tell the truth, I am pretty nervous about the whole event. I have everything planned and believe that it will be a great meeting, but the nervousness keeps creeping in. My family and I headed back to our previous home to spend time with family and friends, in part, so I could get away from the school and leave some of the anxiousness behind. Not to mention, there was a huge storm that knocked power out at our house!
I have heard so many principals and former principals talk about setting the tone when you arrive at a new school. Many have said that you need to walk in and establish that you are in charge and there is a list of rules to be followed. My personality will not allow me to do that. I believe that I must give everyone a chance to get to know me and understand what I believe about the way school should "work". We are in an elementary school, so coming in and "laying the smack-down" on everyone seems counter-intuitive to how I want the school to operate. I want my teachers to take time to let their students get to know them, so I should model that same behavior. I also want my teachers to develop relationships with kids, so, again, I need to model that behavior with them. I will do this, not with ulterior motives, but because I believe that if you develop relationships with those you work with, then the improved work atmosphere will benefit the kids.
It was asked of Mike Rutherford (http://www.rutherfordlg.com/) if he would rather have his staff love him or respect him? He stated that if they respected you, then staff would do what you ask out of obligation. But, if they love you, they will do what you ask because they want to; and they'll often go above and beyond for you. I know that there is a balance that must be struck between the love and respect. There are going to be staff members who may not even like you, let alone love you, but they should all, at minimum, respect you.
This is what has me the most nervous about meeting the staff and getting together as a group for the first time. I want them to get to know me and see that I do have the best intentions for kids. I want them to believe that the choices that we make have the best interest of the kids in mind. Sometimes, this is not best for the adults in the building, but all decisions should benefit the kids.
I want my staff to respect me at the beginning, but grow to love me as a leader that is looking out for all kids. I know that in meeting them, I have respect for them because of what they have chosen to do with their lives. I hope that I grow to love them as educators.
3 days and counting...

New Employee Orientation

Yesterday was the New Employee Orientation for all employees in our district. I was able to attend with 10 of my new teachers and teacher assistants. I was asked by multiple people at the district level why I had come for the whole day and I responded that I needed a chance to get to know some of my staff. I was able to attend breakout sessions, eat lunch, go on a district bus tour and attend general sessions with all of my new teachers. I also had the opportunity to drive six of the staff members to and from the orientation. It took place about 25 miles from our school so we decided to ride together.
I knew that it would give them a chance to get to know each other better and bond a little. I heard many conversations taking place throughout the ride and know that they like and trust each other more. Everyone is from such different backgrounds, that the time they used to get to know each other was so beneficial. I am glad that I got to talk to them informally get to know them better. It makes everyone feel much more comfortable!
We had a chance to ride around, on a bus, through our school's attendance area. It gave everyone a chance to see where our kids come from. It also allows us all to have a better understanding of the area and how the kids live. Now, if a child doesn't have homework, we may be little more quick to forgive understanding what they go home to each afternoon.
I would urge new principals to take every opportunity to develop relationships with staff members. I have met individually with all of my returning staff, and now I have built relationships with my new staff members.
There are 3 days until all staff members return...

Are you a Saint Bernard, Fox or a Lion?

This week at the Principal's Induction Program (PIP), we did alot of activities to help make us more aware of our leadership styles and how we handle conflict. Most people in the group had a firm understanding of how we lead. Dr. Willis Ham led us in a discussion of how we perceive ourselves. We had to decide if we were Saint Bernards, Foxes or Lions. Those were three pretty interesting choices. We had to decide which animal's characteristics fit how we viewed ourselves. There were about 25 of us in the PIP group and most folks went to either the Saint Bernard or the fox group. A few ladies went to the lion group. As a group, we talked about the positive qualities of each animal and why we put ourselves in the groups. We (the Saint Bernards) had an easy time coming up with all of the positive qualities of the dog and why we thought they would be helpful in leadership (ideas like - loyal, worked hard to complete tasks, brought the drinks :O), etc.). We wondered why others chose the other animals as we only looked at the negative qualities of the fox and lion. The groups then shared their opinions about the other animals and why we thought ours was the best! This got a little heated as everyone wanted to defend their choice...luckily everyone ended up friends in the end.
We were all able to see the positives in the end of each group - lions (you knew they were in charge), foxes (unpredictable when needed), and Saint Bernards (loyal and helpful).
The previous night, we had been asked to complete a skills inventory and rate ourselves in a number of areas. We didn't realize it at the time, but the ratings that we gave ourselves correlated to one of the aforementioned animals. As we sat back down, I commented to the person next to me that someone will feel bad if they chose the wrong animal earlier and their test shows that they are another. Well...guess what? That person was me! What I didn't realize was that I scored the same in all three areas. As Dr. Ham explained, I can easily move from the personality of one animal to another as the situation warrants. He stated that moving between the animal characteristics is a skill that is helpful when working in a school. Different situations necessitate a different demeanor. Moving between the personalities will be a skill feels natural to me, but I look forward to developing this more throughout this year!
So, which animal do you think you most closely resemble? What about in times of conflict?