An Interesting Thing Happened the Other Day...

So we had a staff meeting last Friday and it was a staff meeting like no other I have ever been to.  The staff got yelled at!  Sounds horrible, I know.  But it was well deserved.

Let me explain...

Our climate in the school building has been horrible.  The list of reasons is endless:  constant new administration (I have had a new principal once every couple of years - I think I am on principal #5 in 14 years), new mandates from above (i.e. GRIT program, PBIS, CHAMPS, etc.), NWEA MAP testing and comparing grade levels, common assessment development, new textbook adoption, 1:1 technology, etc.  I could go on, but there is really no need.  Our leadership through all of this has been weak to say the least.  In many instances the leadership has been spearheaded of the programs and rammed them down the throats of people who were already choking. 

Enter another new principal.  She's young.  (Most have been young.  When your reaching 50, everyone starts to look younger than you!)  And her assistant principal is young too.  Wow!   He looks like I just had him as a student only a few short years ago.  This new principal was hired knowing we were having building morale issues.  My school is a strong one - no matter what happened with administration, we always made it through.  We are a tight-knit group!  But we wanted strong leadership.  We needed it.  She heard.  On one of our first institute days she said how her goal was to have a positive year and for us to also.

Well, as far as I know, most of the staff has been very happy with her.  But on Friday I found out she is not so happy with her staff.  At our staff meeting she told us that there were too many people who did not talk nicely to each other.  She understood people were stressed, but that speaking to fellow colleagues in a negative way was unacceptable.  WHAT?!?  I was shocked.  She wanted us to reflect on the last 5 conversations we had with another staff member and decide if it was a positive or negative interaction.  Good strategy I thought. 

I was proud of her for standing up and saying, "Stop it!"  Of course, I had no idea what she was talking about, but it was a good message for all to hear because our staff morale needs to turn around and she was letting us know that.  She has tried so hard to make everything positive (communications, her attitude, etc.) that I think she wanted those people who are attempting to derail the happy train to knock it off.

When walking back to my room, a fellow staff member made a comment that made me pause.  He said that the new principal just didn't understand all that has been piled upon us.  Humph...maybe he was right.  I think the only way the principal could have bettered her already awesome speech would be to have acknowledged all (and name them specifically) that we have been through.  But then immediately afterwards tell us to "Stop" our negativity and board the happy train.  My principal is a leader that I want to follow - finally.  Toot! Toot!

Oh Pencil and Paper, Where Did You Go?

A disclaimer:  My use of technology terminology is so far off base.  If you happen to come across me using the wrong word to describe something, chalk it up to an old lady trying to be hip.

Technology.  At my age it is considered a swear word.  One of those words that makes the heart beat faster - and not because of excitement.  Technology.  It makes me reach for my bottle of Xanax and a glass of water.  Open a Chromebook in front of me and I won't even need that glass of water!  Technology.  Why?  Didn't I learn just fine without it.

Ok, now some of you are reaching for that Xanax.  You think - hey, lady...get with the times.  Chromebooks are not that difficult.  Just give it a try.  There is so much out there for your students and you to use. 

You are right. 

Being a teacher leader means stepping out of your comfort zone and doing what's best for kids.  Then taking what you've learned and teaching it to others.  Domain IV in the Teacher Leader Model Standards suggests that leaders should facilitate improvements in instruction and student learning.  Maybe pencil and paper is not always the best option.  I learned that lesson in the past couple of weeks.  If you've read my previous blog, you'll know I started using Kidblog to have students "talk" about the novel we are currently reading.  How did that happen?  How did I decide to try using a program that was completely foreign to me and out of my comfort zone?  Well, the technology coach at my building wrestled me to the ground and with his knee on my neck made me swear I'd try it out.

Ok, maybe it wasn't quite that violent, but it definitely was an arm twisting and a guilt trip to someone who has a very hard time saying, "No."  I "decided" to join a group the Technology Coach in my building was getting started.  It is a group of six English teachers who meet once every couple of weeks and talk about how we are using technology in our classrooms and/or how we could use technology in our classrooms.  The abilities in the group range from me (scared shitless of technology) to an expert and everywhere in between.  The group is small and the coach is really good, so I feel comfortable listening and asking questions.  One of the teachers in the group was using Kidblog and said she would help me get started.  She did.  I'm using it.  And everything is going well.  Kids are engaged, especially those who don't raise their hand to give their thoughts.  I always struggle with how to get them involved in class conversations in a non-threatening way.

But the important part of my story is that I went to another dinosaur like myself and taught her the program and all the benefits it has in class.  She is going to try it out too.  This would never have happened if it weren't for our school's Technology Coach. 

What's the moral of my story?  I have no idea.  But one thing I do know is that there is a wealth of knowledge in your school's building (or even online -- a great blog for ideas is Ed Tech Geekette - thanks Sami).  Use it!  Find someone who can help you become a better teacher and then help someone else.  Being a leader means not only being a good teacher, but helping someone else be a good teacher too.

Be Kind

My blogs so far have been on the silly side of teaching and leadership...lamenting the woes of what a teacher leader is supposed to do and be, how the hell I got involved in this wild ride, etc....but today I've got a serious topic.  Kindness.  I started thinking about this the other day in my 6th grade gifted English class.  We are currently reading a novel, The View from Saturday, by e.l. konigsburg, about four unlikely friends who bond over their participation in an academic bowl and the teacher who chose them.  It is a uniquely written novel from varying points of view.  The kids are different; they're quirky, and definitely unique compared to their peers at school.  Every year I read this novel my kids moan and groan.  In today's world of nonstop action, this novel of friendship gets the thumbs down.  But it's message is powerful.

So I decided to have students blog about the chapters thinking maybe that would help them enjoy the book more this year.  I pose a question and my students respond to my question and their peer's comments.  It's working wonderfully well.  The students are extremely engaged.  And as I was reading a post by one of my kind-hearted, ever helpful, people-pleasing students it stopped me dead in my tracks.  We talk, as a class, before each posting about THINKing before "speaking".  I found this poster on Google images and so we talk about the posts being helpful, inspiring, and most importantly kind.  You see, the teacher in this novel is a paraplegic and at one point in the story the bully asks her to write higher on the board because he is in the back of the room he can't see what she wrote.  And later he writes the word cripple on the board.  Of course the teacher reacts appropriately, even injecting a little humor.  I had a question in my blog post about the teacher and what kids' impressions were of her.  That kind-hearted boy wrote, "She's a really good teacher for a paraplegic."  I honestly don't think what he wrote came out as he wanted and it didn't register as poor taste with him either.  Some kids picked up on it, but nobody was appalled.  Why?

Hmmm, what's a teacher leader to do in this situation?  Of course, in my usual fashion I addressed it with humor and said to the boy, "Boy, you're pretty smart for an Indian."  I got a bunch of Ohhhh's and Wow's, but the point was made.  Think before you speak.  We talked about how powerful words can be as a class.

I've got a boy in class this year who is difficult.  He believes he is academically far above the rest of his peers (and me) and he makes sure everyone (including me) knows it.  Middle school aged kids + pompous attitude = recipe for disaster.  Needless to say, he doesn't work well with others.  One day this boy, during silent reading time, was walking back and forth in front of the classroom reading his book.  I am pretty lenient on where kids sit and read, but most just stick to their desks.  So this brazen display of, "I'm reading" was only there to make sure he is seen.  Everyone noticed, but said nothing...except this one boy.  He walked back to the classroom library and bent down and whispered to one of his friends about "Ben".  After a few moments, I went up to the boy and said, "I saw you whispering to your friend about "Ben".  Everyone is different.  You need to be kind...you don't have to be friends with him, you just need to be kind."  Blushing, the boy agreed. 

With bullying such a buzz word in today's society - and rightfully so - I think it is just as important to promote kindness.  Teaching Tolerance is an outstanding website for those "big ticket" topics.  I don't want to downplay their importance at all.  But the simple words "be kind" can be powerful.  I found this website the Kind Campaign geared towards girls.  It is worth checking out.

"Marsha, Marsha, Marsha" (thanks Brady Bunch!)

What I really want to say is "Standards, Standards, Standards!"  Wow are there a lot of standards out there.  Common Core State Standards, Social-Emotional Learning Standards, ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) Standards and Teacher Leader Standards.  What's a girl to do?  With so many standards how can you keep them straight?

By now, we are all familiar with the Common Core State Standards and using them to help us make sure our curriculum meets the requirements imposed by the federal government.  It was a bumpy road, but many of us are there.  And how did we jump on this bandwagon - well, we used the standards almost daily in our planning.  When you use something so much it becomes second nature. 

I'm not sure where your school is at with the Social-Emotional Learning standards or the Technology Standards.  The SEL Standards are being addressed at my school, but not anywhere near where they should be.  And after going 1:1 with Chrome books this year, our technology coach has brought up the ISTE standards in a very casual way.   But by no means are we as well versed in those standards as we are in Common Core.

But how about Teacher Leader Standards.  Did you know they existed? (You do if your in a graduate program at Elmhurst College!)  Me?  I never knew they were even out there.  And quite frankly I never even cared.  But upon examining myself and my ability to be a teacher leader I keep referring to those standards.  They represent what a teacher leader looks like.  I've made myself a cheat sheet of the standards and hung it on the bulletin board by my desk.  Do I look at them daily?  No.  But I bet I glance at them more than once a week.  And why?  Well, they make me remember what I'm at my school to do.

So:

1. Foster Collaboration (be a part of and promote it)
2. Use Research to Improve Your Practice
3. Promote Professional Learning
4. Help Others Improve Their Practice
5. Use Assessment Data
6. Contact Families
7. Advocate for Students and Teachers

I realize these are bare bones.  But sometimes bare bones are all you need (or can handle).  Hang them up.  Look at them often.  You will find yourself changing.  I know I am!

#bealeaderdaily

A Teacher Leader's Roles

(Why You Can Be a Teacher Leader!)

Educational Leadership's Sept 2007 issue has an article authored by Cindy Harrison and Joellen Killion that highlights ten roles for teacher leaders.  This was an eye-opener.  I really had no idea what a teacher leader was.  When I started the Elmhurst College program, I started in an awkward place - a class on assessments.  Now, don't get me wrong, this was the ONE class I wanted to take more than any other one.  I knew I needed to write better assessments.  I knew that was one of my major weaknesses I knew my district was starting to talk about PERA (don't get me started on that one...so many of you are already drinking the PERA juice.  My district is still trying to buy the juice maker.)  A huge dilemma: Common Core State Standards + NWEA's MAP test + PERA + district common assessments + my ability to write good assessments = a huge headache and stomachache.  I was not ready.  I needed this class.  It was a huge horse pill I was going to need to swallow, but just what the doctor ordered. 

It wasn't that pill.  It wasn't a class on how I could write better assessments.  It was a class chock full of information for the future teacher leader to stand up and speak intelligently on assessments. 

I was bummed.  I was confused.  I was totally disappointed.  I didn't understand.  I wanted more.  I wanted something else.  I was not a leader.  But...the plethora of information I learned in that class got me thinking...Maybe I was interested in finding out more on the role of a teacher leader. 

Does PERA cause your eyes to roll back into your head?  Does the MAP test make you want to jump off of a bridge?    Maybe you too want to know more about that elusive role of teacher leader...so that you can lead the brigade against....(oh, wait...I'm getting a little ahead of myself.)

Then came along this article by Harrison and Killion, Ten Roles for Teacher Leaders.  These two talk about a teacher leader being: 

1. a resource provider
2. an instructional specialist
3. a curriculum specialist
4. a classroom supporter
5. a learning facilitator
6. a mentor
7. a school leader
8. a data coach,
9. a catalyst for change
10. a learner.

Ohhhh, I think I am beginning to get it...

A teacher leader is a LEARNER (#10) who gathers all she can about NWEA's MAP test (its data, its benefits, its flaws, its ability to aid in designing instruction, its ability to provide student data) and she becomes a DATA COACH (# 8) helping her fellow teachers understand the data and a RESOURCE PROVIDER (#1) and an INSTRUCTINAL SPECIALIST (#2) for her fellow colleagues - showing them just how that test can help their craft. 

She is a LEARNER (#10) learning new techniques that she can share with her colleagues to help those kids become successful. And in doing so she is also a  CLASSROOM SUPPORTER (#4) by helping other teachers implement these new ideas - ideas that will help kids learn. 

I am that.  And I think, dear reader, you are too.  I may need to hone my skills and polish myself (and maybe you do to), but I can do it.  Maybe I can be a teacher leader.  Maybe you can too!

#IthinkIcandothis

What is a Teacher Leader? 

God only knows....And the most hilarious (or sad depending upon how you look at it) part is that I am in a graduate program to get a Teacher Leader endorsement on my teaching certificate.  WHAT??  

Imagine this scenario - a year ago, one friend says to another, "Hey, I'm not going to move on the pay scale and if I don't start taking some graduate courses."  

          The other friend says, "Me too!"  

          Friend #1 makes this grand statement, "Why don't we go to Elmhurst College and go through their Teacher Leadership program?  I saw some advertisement for it.  We can get graduate hours that way and we can get the teacher leader endorsement on our certificates at the same time.  Having that endorsement will look really good for us."  

          "Ok, but do you know what the program is all about?...How much work is it?...I'm not really sure it is for me...you know I'm not a leader!!"

          "It will be just fine. We can do it together."

One year later and three courses under our belts (currently in the 4th class...Issues in Teacher Leadership)...and the one friend (ahem, me -- wink, wink, nudge, nudge) says to the other,  "This teacher leader endorsement thing is not ok!"

So why isn't it ok? 

Well, quite honestly, I don't like my eyes opened for me!  Let me explain...I like trudging along in my classroom, doing my own thing, planning lessons and working my magic in MY classroom.  It's worked just fine for me for a long time.  And then when I hear myself say those words..."it's worked just fine for ME" - I stop dead in my tracks.  Am I one of those teachers I used to look at and think wow, times have changed and that poor teacher really needs to get with the program - there is so much new in education and they are just so old school.  Don't they know that education is not about them?  Am I one of those?  Am I taking points off of papers for not heading it properly?  Am I taking a point off because the student is not using a grading pen when grading?  And why don't they have supplies?  A red pen was one of the supplies listed on the supply list at the start of the year....

Do you know people like that?  I do.  Do you know those teachers who will not change what they are doing because that is what they have always done?  I do.  Do you know of teachers who if you ask if they want to join you and plan a lesson together they are just too busy; they can't seem to find the time to plan?  I do.  I'm not saying these teachers are bad but maybe they could be better. 

And yes, that is me...I rant and rave about kids not having their school supplies.  I am SO busy I can't possibly find the time to plan with others (hey, why would I...what I've been doing has been working great for ME!)

In the courses I've taken at Elmhurst College, in their Teacher Leadership program, I've realized I can be better.  My eyes have opened and I'm not so sure I like what I see.  Is being a teacher really about ME?  (I want to say yes, because if I do my job will be so much easier.)

But here is the thing...it is so hard to change.  Do I have it in me? 

This blog is going to be my rantings and ravings on what teacher leadership really is...it's not only going to be what I learn, but how it applies to the classroom...it's going to be truthful and honest.

#ican'tbelievei'mreallydoingthis  :)