Acoustic Weekend

As I began my new position as principal of Rossville Middle/Senior High School, I made the conscious decision to be a “connected principal.”  Yes, in my past positions, I was able to keep up with email from a smart phone, send texts, and take phone calls.  I did not realize that being truly connected could be so much more rewarding.  This school year brought a big change to my career, as I had the opportunity to move back to Indiana, the state in which I began teaching.  With that, I wanted my new school to be the most visible, positive, and vibrant place anyone would want to send their children.  I made the choice to be connected.  I wanted the public to have a clear view of the fantastic events that happen every day—math lessons, welding demonstrations, lunch, drama, music, athletics, selfies, selfies, selfies, and selfies.  Yes, I consider myself to be a Twitter-holic.  It is rare that a school day goes by without tweeting a picture or some other school information.  I wanted our brick-and-mortar building to turn transparent.

While a connected principal can be a great asset to his students, parents, staff, and community, it also comes with a challenge to his personal life.  Believe it or not, educators have lives outside of school.  I can remember when I was in third grade (back in the stone ages), I saw my teacher in the grocery store.  It was as though her goddess-like status came crashing down around me.  Teachers are people, too.  Educators also have families—the loving group that supports you day in and day out, through great days and grim, understanding that education is more than an eight-to-five gig. 

I realized something over the past week.  I have been “plugged in” just a little too much lately.  Even when I am home with my family, even when my phone is “put away,” my mind is still vibrating with digital sparks.  I realized that I have been not paying attention to the people that mean the most in my life--my loving, supportive wife and my fantastic children.  This past weekend I made it a point that my phone stayed locked in my car, no computers were used, and no outside connections were made.  It felt good to just sit and talk, grab a Starbucks with my daughter, have a campfire with my son, and reconnect with my wife.  It is rare that I don’t think about school—that is just who I am.  This weekend I made it very quiet in that arena. 

I made the decision to put aside the electronic keyboards, drum machines, and microphones in my garage band life and have an acoustic weekend.  Going off the grid for a couple days may seem unbearable (just ask your teenager to give up their phone for a few hours).  Being disconnected for a weekend (or even a day) brings such clarity to your senses, allowing you to focus on what is most important to you.  Next weekend, take some time to strum a few chords on the old six-string and hum a few bars of your favorite tune (hopefully not your school fight song)—you will never imagine how loud the silence will be, and how much you will actually hear.  Just listen.

source: freehighresolutionimages.org

Leadership From Within: A Spark of Genius

Some people say that leadership is an inherent quality.  Maybe for a few, but the majority of leaders learn how to lead.  Through successes and struggles, leaders cultivate other leaders who, in turn, will inspire other leaders.  The following four characteristics of cultivating leadership are a springboard to empowering others to lead, thus creating a culture of mutual ownership and change in a school.

1.       Surround yourself with genius; you do not have all of the answers.

o   There is absolutely no humanly way possible that any one administrator can know everything about everything.  I was a band director for eighteen years, so I know very little about physics, Spanish, accounting, and welding, but I can write a pretty good marching band show….  Everyone in your organization, whether they share it or not, has a spark of genius.  Allowing those sparks to fuel flames of excitement, professional growth, inspiration, problem solving, and leadership in others creates more motivation than bringing in strangers to attempt the same.

2.       Give others credit for successes; take the blame when things go wrong.

o   The school staff is a team, and teams can both succeed and fail.  While the school leader is ultimately responsible for any success or failure within the building, it is important to give credit where credit is due.  It is not to say that the leader has nothing to do with whatever initiative or issue on the table, but rather that the school leader must empower the staff to fully develop, revise, and implement any programmatic or systematic change for positive influence on students.  They are the ones that are making it happen, so they are the ones who deserve the credit.  On the opposite end of this spectrum, there are times of struggle and even failure.  That is normal.  The leader must take responsibility for the struggle, not assign blame, but then work again with staff to help its success in the future.

3.       Model expectations.

o   If a school leader expects certain actions, he must also model the same action.  This can be said with anything from dress, student interaction, attendance, technology, adherence to deadlines, or response to criticism.  The do as I say and not as I do mentality does not work with students, and it definitely does not work with adults.

4.       Encourage teachers to FAIL and model FAILURE yourself.

o   Failure is not a bad thing (most of the time).  In our district, we use the acronym FAIL to mean First Attempt In Learning.  Through struggles, we strive to improve.  Through improvement, we gain confidence.  Through confidence, we share.  Through sharing, we lead.  We do not expect perfection from our students the first time a topic or skill is introduced; if they did not struggle, how would they grow?  Yes, failure is a tad bitter sometimes, but we all grow from these experiences.  Without my own personal struggles throughout my career, I would not have become the person I am today.  I still have more struggles ahead, and I look forward to continual growth in my leadership and personal life.

Just as students do not care how much you know until they know how much you care, so are the awesome members of your school staff.  Take time find those sparks of genius within those awesome teachers and other staff members at your school.  Give those sparks a chance to start a fire.

The Right Place at the Right Time

Wouldn't it be great if we would be the one-millionth customer at a grocery store and win a $500 shopping spree?  I guess you would need to be at the right place at the right time, right?  Probably.  What about being at a particular location, interacting with a certain person, and somehow influencing his immediate or distant future?

I believe that we are placed in situations that sometimes seem difficult, possibly mundane, or seemingly pointless, yet there is a purpose for us being there.  Being an educator (teacher, administrator, support staff, or other school personnel) is one of the most rewarding professions on the planet, yet at times it is easy to give in, give up, or just float along.  I remember asking myself on several difficult occasions throughout my career, “Why am I here?”  We are here, of course, for all of our wonderful students we teach every day.  Without fail, we provide lessons, guidance, mentoring, and modeling for those shining (and even the not-so-shining) faces.  Even when circumstances seem bleak or overwhelming, there is a purpose for our educational existence. 

Very early in my teaching career, I had the wonderful opportunity to be the band director for a small school district in northern Indiana.  I was responsible for grades 5-12 instrumental music, so I knew practically every student in the entire district, as most were in my class at one point or another.  I had one student who was a bit more difficult than others, and sometimes he made the class (and me) so tense, it would have been easy to simply kick him out of the program.  I persisted, and so did his peers, in making him a contributing member of the class.  He left our school after eighth grade to go to a different high school and I lost track of him.  In 2009, about nine years after he graduated, I received several Facebook friend requests from him, but I declined his invitation several times.  Because of his persistence, I finally accepted his request.  I then received the following personal message from him:

It took me a good long while to realize how important you were in molding me into the man I have become. I was just so hard-headed back then, when all you were trying to do was help no matter how much resistance I put up. I still remember the time you had me and Craig perform the National Anthem for the football game, which was something I would have never done without your championing. It is one of the proudest moments of my life. Thank you for being there for me when it would've been easier not to.

It was one of those moments that made me realize exactly why I love my profession as much as I do.  I responded to him immediately (after wiping the tears from my eyes):

You know, people don't go into teaching for the high salaries or the stellar social status. Teaching is difficult at times, but it is very rewarding to hear that former students have turned out to be wonderful, productive adults. I don't hold any grudges with any students (how can I do that--they are only adolescents and teenagers--they have enough issues that they try to work through every day). Each and every student has affected me in some way to improve not only my teaching, but also who I am as a person. I am proud of all of my students, even those that didn't always accept my teaching methods at the time.

I believe that I was put in this particular school at this particular time for this particular student (and many others).  You never know who you will affect in exactly what way.  The person that will cure cancer may be sitting in your English class right now.  Continue to inspire, lead, mold, and mentor every student in every class.  Educators are always “at the right place at the right time.”

1000 Words

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.  After scrolling through seemingly thousands of pictures tweeted and shared by school principals across America for #APrincipalsDay on January 7 (and beyond), a few came immediately to mind: happy, dedicated, energetic, immersed, student-oriented, fun.  I certainly did not see any frowny-faces (even those who were shoveling snow or fixing copy machines).  We principals truly love what we do. 

Early in my teaching career, administration was usually referred to as the “dark side.”  Teachers who made the jump to administration somehow donned the cloak of evil, forgot everything there was about being in the classroom, and made it their mission to create antagonism.  Even when I made the decision to step out of the classroom after 18 years and enter administration, some of my teacher colleagues used the same phrase for me (in jest).  No offense was taken; I even joked about it myself.  I remember early in my teaching career, I told one of my awesome principals that there would be no way that I would ever sit on the other side of that desk and do what he did--ever.  But, through the encouragement of a few more administrators AND my lovely wife, I took the leap.

You know what?  There really is not another side to the desk.  To be honest, I’m not at my desk long enough during the day to know which side is mine.  Most of us administrators are not the “old school” principals you may remember from ages past.  It really isn’t us vs. them.  We are all still teachers—all in this together (I feel a song coming on, but I will refrain).  We get to work with the most talented, caring, and empowering individuals known to mankind—teachers.  We also have the benefit of being able to influence our youth in a very positive way.  That is why we do what we do.  It is not to get out of teaching, but rather to come along side and support everything about education: tying shoes, reading a book, counting, cursive, long division, nutrition, debate, critical thinking, digital citizenship, technology infusion, state standards, and educator effectiveness.

Seeing those smiling principals, teachers, staff members, and students on the Twitter feed reaffirmed that this is the calling for me.  I do not have to go to work every day; I get to come to school.  Take time to smile every day, say cheese(head), and tweet a selfie.  A picture is worth a thousand words, or maybe just a few.

Stir-crazy

Today was the second consecutive day out of school for weather.  Yesterday was Winter Storm Gorgon that dumped six inches of fluffy snow on us, causing a bit of a conundrum for our county.  Today was the arctic blast that sent wind chills to the -20s.  While there is always something to do on my desk, I went a bit stir crazy today, so I decided to have a little fun in my empty school.  I truly miss all of the students and staff when they are not here.  Yes, I got plenty of paperwork done and emails answered, but that is not the same as working directly with our wonderful kids and awesome teachers.

Hope you enjoy my video....

http://youtu.be/_fOiD2bapo8

Addendum (1-9-2015)
Washington Post article:
http://goo.gl/eAZO7T

Snowed in (or not)

Winter Storm Gorgon is approaching, and I am anxiously awaiting for the predicted six inches of snow that will supposedly cripple central Indiana.  Back in the old country (Wisconsin), six inches of snow is merely an inconvenience--maybe a 2-hour delay if it occurred around 5 in the morning, but never a cancellation.  My wife's family is closely tied to another school district in central Indiana.  For the past 18 years I have made fun of them when their district cancels school for days on end for less than a foot of snow.

Perspective.  It is all a matter of perspective.

Doesn't that account for nearly everything when it comes to teaching and learning?  What seems completely obvious to one, may be utterly confusing to another.  Response to Intervention, academic standards, educator effectiveness, technology infusion, anti-bullying, and mod scheduling each bring different levels of comfort or stress to students, teachers, administrators, and parents.  The biggest obstacle to educational progress is the size of the snowdrifts of misunderstanding.  Maintaining communication among all stakeholders in the educational process is vital; teachers, parents, administration, and students may all have different and valid perspectives on current practices and future goals of a school district.  Successful schools allow for voices to be heard, perspectives to be understood, and the well-being of the students to be visible at all times.

It is my honor and privilege to be a part of the Rossville family.  As I continue my inaugural year as Principal of Rossville Middle-High School, I look forward to grow in the manner I serve the staff, students, and families of this awesome community.

Through the composition of this blog post, Gorgon continues to push her snake-haired head into the area, and I wonder if she will prevent us from holding classes in the morning.  If we do, great learning will continue within these walls.  If we do have a snow day, I will go sledding on the hill next to the playground and frolic on the soccer field.  I hope others will join me.  That is learning, too, donchaknow!

Perspective.  It is all a matter of perspective.

I brought my snow pants and boots from Wisconsin, and I am anxiously waiting to use them here in the Hoosier State.  Meet me at the sledding hill.