Just say yes...

Today as I was visiting classrooms and taking notes to provide feedback, one of our students who is new to our school asked me if I'd read what she was writing.  As it was only minutes from lunch and recess duty, I had a choice to make- sit down and read her story or tell her that I didn't have time now but I would read it later.  I just said yes, sat down next to her, and read her story.  She watched my face as I was reading and smiled when I reacted as she had hoped.  She followed up tonight with an email asking me to read over the story again after she made some changes.  I'll be speaking with her again tomorrow about her changes and I can't wait for our conversation.

Why am I telling you this story?  Because sometimes I think we say no when we should just say yes.  As a principal, there are times when I have to say no but most often it's a choice I get to make.  Although I have a daily calendar and a schedule of meetings and responsibilities I cannot ignore, I also have the ability to visit any classroom I want during those times in my day that aren't scheduled.  I urge all of you who are school level or district level administrators to just say yes.

Say yes to-

• a high five.
• an invitation to read with or to a student.
• a fist bump.
• solving a math problem together.
• kickball at recess.
• joining a Science experiment.
• riding a bus home with the kids.
• playing a vocabulary game.
• a positive phone call home.
• a conversation with a staff member.
• a celebration of a job well done.
• a birthday treat.
• a hug.
• a run with the cross country team.
• playing music at recess.

What are some things you'll say yes to tomorrow?