My Top 5 Leadership Tenets

One of my favorite topics to read and learn about is leadership. During the course of my studies, I have chosen 5 aspects that I find most compelling. In this post, I will discuss my thoughts on each aspect and share lessons learned. This is where the true joy of blogging comes into play. Imagine reading this post 10 years from now! Heck, I may think differently next week! My thoughts will likely change as will the themes found in popular educational readings. It is about embracing a growth mindset and being dedicated to learning!

1.  Service:  Being service oriented is a must for effective leaders. If its the CEO of a billion dollar company, rubbing shoulders with the crew of workers on the assembly line, or the school principal mopping the floor in the cafeteria, there is huge value when the leader of an organization has the ability to roll up his/her sleeves and do work. When leaders show their team that they are willing to perform the tasks that they ask of others, a certain respect is shown. Also, stakeholders appreciate and respect leaders who are visible and involved in the daily tasks of school life. Some of the best school leaders I know are at car pool everyday opening doors and directing traffic or in the bus parking lot unloading the buses. They are connected and present. I will never be a disconnected leader who rules from his office. One's office is not where the real work lies. It is not where the magic happens! Walking the halls and interacting with everyone allows you to keep a pulse of the school. How can you expect to understand the culture of your building if you are not out and about in the building?

2. Humility: Leaders must embrace that they are not always the smartest person in the room. One of my mentors often states, "I may not be the smartest person in this building, but no one will out work me." He also said, "I don't need to walk around the school and tell people that I am the principal of this school." The messages conveyed in this leader's everyday actions show that he is humble and that no one person on the team is more important than another. The message he sends is clear: no one is more important than what is good for everyone. It is not about me, it is about WE! The buildings we work in can survive without us. We are all replaceable. The day that we put our papers in to move on, we will be replaced. Our schools WILL go on without us. The roofs will not cave in when we are gone. It is not about us!

3. Positivity: Leaders must be positive at all times, especially when facing adversity. Through life lessons I have thoroughly learned that being negative, having a temper, and becoming upset are all pointless. Someday a parent will come into your office and bless you out. Everyone within listening distance will be able to hear. You cannot control this. You will likely not be to blame. Do your thing. Listen to the individual. Hear their issue and deal with it. The look on your face when the drama unfolds is what you can control. It is also how you can impact the culture of your building. Grin and bear it! By showing your team that all is good, all will be good! We cannot control what life throws at us, we can only control how we react. Reacting with a smiling, positive outlook is by far the best approach. I was once advised by a veteran school leader to always smile when you are on the phone with a stakeholder, especially a parent. This has proven to be very valuable advice over the years. By simply smiling, you go into the conversation with a positive attitude. During the course of these challenging conversations, we have the ability to do so much good. We may not be able to immediately resolve someones' issue but we can speak with them in a positive manner, allow them to be heard, and begin upon a path of mutual understanding. Another one of my mentors is always able to make challenging opportunities into positive experiences. Human resource opportunities are positive. Issues are communicated and so are expectations, but most importantly the target of the issue feels understood and supported. It is not US vs THEM. It is, this is how we are going to help YOU. Administrators can best yield their power through support and coaching, not through intimidation or an "I got you" attitude.

4. Empowering: Having the ability to raise others up is very powerful. Sharing leadership and responsibility are mutually beneficial for a leader and his/her team. Schools function at their best when key stakeholders have a true voice in the decision-making. I have been in several situations where the leading bodies of a school in reality had little say so. Too often, school administrators keep the "important" decision making to themselves. This denies others input and is effectively a dictatorship.  Granted there are many situations where a committee is not needed for both time and simplicity, but for the most part gathering input from the important stakeholders surrounding a situation is the way to go. We > Me!

5. Vision: A school's vision is not just the principal's vision, it is the school's vision. This must involve an exchange of information, a decision of what is important, and what speaks for a community. The leader definitely needs to have an impact on what the school is focusing on but it cannot be based solely on what the leader thinks. It matters greatly what the students think. It matters what the parents and staff think. A school's vision is a collective agreement on what is important and what will be focused on. Once established, this vision should guide what the school leaders design for the students of the school. This shared vision, should be what the community is able to rally and focus on. Once established, a school's vision should hold all stakeholders accountable and focused on the mutually embraced set of values. It should be what everyone is working towards. One of my mentors does an excellent job of hitting stakeholders upside the head with the vision of his organization. He consistently shares his vision regardless if he is speaking to a group of district administrators, parents, or community members. It doesn't matter who it is, the message and focus stays the same.

I cannot wait to learn and experience more in my leadership journey. For now, I step forward expecting good things and am determined to bring about great results. Our future is so bright, we only need to work together to obtain it.

Mid-Year Tune-Up

Time flies. It seems that just yesterday it was August and we were gearing up for the start of school. Now here we are at Christmas Break. In the blink of an eye, the second half of the year will be gone, too. Luckily, for educators we have a little quiet time before Christmas and after New Years. Take time for yourself. Find balance. Your family and health must come first. Now is the perfect opportunity for reflection and self-improvement.  

Here are some of the questions that we all need to be asking ourselves:

What is working? What has been successful? What goals have been met? Is this the educator that I want to be? What should I do more of?  What has been difficult? What has not gone as well as it could have? Where can I improve? What practices do I need to stop using immediately? What is my mid-year grade? 

Humor me with an exercise. Close your eyes. Wait a minute if you close your eyes you cannot continue to read my intriguing and life-changing blog (ha ha!). Don't close your eyes. Anyway, think of the educator you signed up to be. Think about the educator you dreamed of being. Think about the educator you want to be on January 3rd (or whenever your classes resume).  Is the educator you are envisioning comparable to the actual version? Surely you did not become a teacher to breed compliance, be boring, or suck the excitement out of children. Hopefully, you did not picture yourself as someone as captivating as Ben Stein's character in the 80's classic, Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Most likely your dream was to be something similar to a teacher like Ron Clark, Dave Burgess, or Jaime Escalante. We hold these wonderful educators in high regard and they deserve our admiration. But the truth is we can all be like them. We can be our own version of them. I think that their secret isn't God given talent. Their secret is hard work, dedication, focus, and passion. These are all things we can emulate if we make that choice.  

So I encourage you to answer a few of the italicized questions above. Make a simple plan to improve in a few areas. Sharpen your saw. Stop doing the things you are not so proud of. Start doing more of the things that you are the most proud of. Be more animated. Smile and laugh more while you are teaching. Bring your passions into your classroom. Seize the attention of your students. Rock your classroom. Finish the year striving to be the teacher of your wildest dreams.

A Student's "Why"

A recent conversation I had with a student taught me a very important lesson.

The lesson was sparked from reflecting upon the "sentencing" faze of a discipline issue. I was working with a student whom I had worked with quite extensively at the beginning of the school year. Over the last few months, the student has made great progress. He has been making better choices thus seeing his assistant principal much less formally. He has been a success story. On this particular occasion, he had not made too bad of a decision. He had engaged in some horse-playing but luckily his actions had not been intentional or malicious. He accidentally hit another student, luckily the other student was uninjured. He was merely looking at a time out. After sharing this news with him he was visibly upset. He held his head low and nonchalantly wiped at his eyes. I first thought he was worried about what his parents would say when we contacted them. I assumed there was some privilege at home he was going to lose or maybe a punishment. This was not the case at all. He was upset because he thought that he was going to be kicked out of the science club. He said, "I want to still be a part of my group." I explained to him that I did not think the science club sponsor would kick him out based on the circumstances. I told him that she would understand and since he had not done anything "mean" on purpose that he would be able to continue with his club. This seemed to help lessen his concerns slightly. Later in the day, the science club sponsor stopped by and affirmed for him that his status in science club was okay. When he heard the news from her, the weight was truly off of his shoulders.

The reason this conversation resonated with me is that it highlights the importance of getting connected with our students' "why". We need to know what motivates our students if we want to best reach them. In this young man's case the science club seems to be what makes coming to school worthwhile. Being a member of the science club is what makes him excited to come to school each week. I am not sure if he is motivated by the content, the energetic teacher who sponsors the club, or if he likes his teammates. It may be a combination of those factors or others. I do know it is one thing he seriously looks forward to. I believe being a member of the science team has been a major part of his turn around.  It is his "why".

Our schools, our classrooms, and our individual relationships can all benefit from becoming more attuned to what motivates our students. Knowing this information can lead us on so many right paths. Knowing the "why" can tell us what extracurricular activities to offer and which students to offer them to. Knowing the "why" can give us important information for designing our instruction. Ultimately, knowing our students "why" makes us better educators. Invest time getting to know your students as individuals so you can be a better educator for them.

Big Man Makes an Assist

Today, as I was coaching my son's undefeated basketball team (2-0 baby!), I saw a former student of mine. He was actually a player on the opposing team. After the game, we shared a brief moment. It was special and warmed my heart. Moments like this are precious and add fuel to the fire that is my passion for education. On special occasions, our acts of kindness and love we give students comes back to us. It was one of the most rewarding experiences of my career thus far.

I have not seen this young man in over 5 years. I remember him for his charisma, intelligence, and warm personality. We spent a LOT of time together. I was his assistant principal, so you can infer what that means. We interacted quite often. There were many difficult episodes. However, his charisma still made him a student that regardless of his behavior the adults at school all loved him. When he got in trouble, it was emotional for the school staff as well. We all wanted to see him do well and it pained us to see him have such a hard time. During the game, someone pointed him out to me and told me who he was. It was hard for me to place him because he has literally grown at least 2 feet since the last time I saw him. In today's game he proved himself to be a solid big guy in a league of 11-12 year-old's. He owned the glass and dropped in several put backs. He was by far the best player on his team. I noticed he played with composure and a level-head. His teammates looked up to him. Kids on my team knew him and respected him. I know it was basketball but I definitely got the sense that he has matured and is on a good path.

After the game I went up to him and shook his hand and told him who I was and the school where I once worked. It took a second, but then he did recognize me. After he remembered who I was, the handshake turned into a hug initiated by him. Between that and the smile on his face, my soul was given a dose of pride. This is why I do what I do! I know he remembers me in a positive light. That feeling is so rewarding. It also tells me to keep fighting the good fight. Keep giving extra attention to the most difficult kids. No matter how hard it is, show all your students that you care. Never give up on troubled students. These are the students we must champion! I wish that every educator that reads this is one day rewarded with a moment like this one. What we do makes a difference!

Perspective

This fall I have participated in a professional development course that's been an interactive book study of George Couros' The Innovator's Mindset. One of our assignments of the book student was to shadow a student and reflect upon the experience. This past Friday, I shadowed a randomly selected 5th grader.


This was a very interesting experience. I had to remind myself that I was there to seek out the student perspective and not observe/evaluate a teacher. As an administrator, observations and evaluations can become very routine and instinctual. I wasn't there to evaluate I was there for the experience of viewing school through the eyes of a student. This experience reminded me that the student perspective is by far the most important. I was able to see how students perceived different parts of their days. I could infer which classes they enjoy. They bounced to the parts of their day that excited them and basically dragged themselves to the unfavorable parts.

Our day started in Art Class. The students seemed to be very comfortable here. They thrived on the routine. Art class seemed therapeutic for students. The painting and sketching came natural for them. They were relaxed and clearly enjoyed the opportunity to engage in casual conversations as they worked. Maybe it is because there is little pressure as far as grading is concerned. 

The most powerful moment of the experience occurred during this period of the day.  During art, the students at the table I was located at were working and talking. The casual banter began with the students asking me why I was there. I explained and they began offering me their thoughts on school. About this time, the fourth student at our table arrived to school. After explaining why I was there, the conversation continued. I asked her if she was late to school because she missed the bus. I was expecting an answer like, "we overslept" or something else typical. Her answer surprised me immensely. The family issue she cited and explained so casually blew me away. I am not going into details out of respect of her privacy. However, I will stress it was an example of the unbelievable amount of baggage our students often come to us with. Many of our students have such challenging home lives. The rest of the day I couldn't help but notice how normal she acted. I couldn't get over how she focused on her work. It was amazing to see her act like the other students. She was kind to her classmates and well-behaved. I couldn't help but think on how she could have acted. She didn't act as if she was mad at the world. This child has grit. She overcomes daily struggles that are extremely difficult for adults to deal with and for the most part no one around her would ever guess!   
Other topics that this honest conversation covered were also eye-opening. Two of the kids at the table loved everything about school. One girl in particular said that school is fun and that she wants to get a good education so she can get a good job and not have to work in fast food. The student with the family issue referred to it as being like "jail". When I asked her to expand her thoughts, she offered because "we can't do what we want to do." The fourth child said that the best part of school is the free lunch. I also heard: "The only thing I like about school is seeing my friends. I don't like learning. It's boring and it's hard." The student did go on to add, "even though it's hard and boring I have to do good on my EOG's so I can make it to 6th grade." Another student added her opinion that, "I think students should be able to have their phones in their back pockets." I pretty much agree with her statement.  

Of the four kids at the table, two kids have attended 5 schools during their elementary careers (in 6 years!). The remaining two have attended 2 and 3 different schools. Lesson here: teach the students you have to the fullest of your ability, we never know how long we will have them. We might not have another chance other than today to make a difference in their lives. 

Recess was another highlight of the shadowing experience. The student I was shadowing played kickball, so I joined in the game. I was all-time pitcher. It was another opportunity to see the students in a setting where they obviously seemed more comfortable. There was little pressure. It was fun. They had freedom. They could interact. If kickball got boring they could go slide or play tag. I understand our classrooms cannot be entirely like recess. There needs to be structure but choice and freedom need to be a huge part of our classrooms. 

Students love an animated and excited teacher. They don't care what you are talking about if you are animated. If the teacher is excited about the topic, the students will watch and absorb. If you talk without energy you will bore them. Also, they clearly like to be included in the lesson. Insert a discussion part to your lessons. Students look forward to it and will gladly participate.

Shadowing a student is a practice I highly encourage all fellow educators to try. Teachers, administrators, and decision-makers can all benefit from taking the opportunity to see things once again from the eyes of a student. 

My final thoughts are that we need to work on developing our "why" in the classroom. There is always room to grow in the relevance and the relationship departments. We must continue to work towards improving our students perceptions towards school. We must work to build better relationships with students. We must make our classrooms important to them. As educators we need to stay grounded to the "why" we teach. We must remember "why" we do what we do. If we remember our "why", our "what" will take care of itself. Our "what" is after all the life-changing business.