There are three topics in chapters 5 and 6 of Beyond the Bake Sale that resonated with me. The first of these is bias. I have been involved in training for a new teacher effectiveness system and the instructional coaches, principal, and superintendent I work with have spent the better part of the last two days watching videos of teachers we don't know and calibrating their abilities within the classroom. Bias comes into play in each one of these videos as we "meet" the teachers and students in these videos for the first time. We know our own teachers and students and whether we'd like to admit it or not, we have bias regarding our own staff and teachers. We all can name the teachers and students that provide us with a positive mindset when we encounter them. And, unfortunately, we all can name the teachers and students that occasionally provide us with a negative mindset when we encounter them. The same can be true of families and our bias toward them, both good and bad. I recently read a blog post by Lori Desautels entitled Perspective: A Game Changer in the Classroom and in Our Lives that speaks to bias and how we might be able to change our thinking. Her three main points, in case you don't have time to read the entire post are as follows:
1. Recognize Triggers and Challenges
2. Show a Different View
3. Offer a Fresh Start
We must keep these points in mind, especially offering a fresh start. I do my best to provide a fresh start for all students, staff, and families each day. It isn't easy, but it can be done.
The second topic, found on page 115, is that "all families, no matter what their income, race, education, language, or culture, want their children to do well in school- and can make an important contribution to their children's learning." I think that we often lose sight of this, especially when families don't visit the school very often. But all families, whether we realize it or not, want what's best for their child. And they'll do anything they can to help make sure that they are successful. It's all about building relationships and learning how families and schools can support one another. I recently read a blog post by Jennifer Hogan that would be great to share with all of our staff and have them be honest in answering. The blog post, entitled How Would Your School or District Answer These 5 Questions About Relationships?, is a wonderful place to start this discussion.
The third topic, found on page 125, is that, "We can't go in with this single vision...of what parent involvement looks like or we miss the fact that all parents want to be involved. There just may be a different script for how they do it." We all have some families who are involved at school with everything and anything. They rarely say no to a request. We all have some families who are never involved at school because of a variety of factors- work schedule, their own school experiences, feeling that the school is asking for them but for someone else to be involved. And then there is everything in between. In our recent Voxer chats, we have heard the constant reminder of the variety of ways families can be involved. We must reach out, not just with an email, an updated website, a tweet, or a blog. We must meet them at the door, both before and after school, or pick up the phone and give them a call. It's difficult to say no to someone when they ask you in person.
So what does this post have to do with dealing with issues of race, class, and culture? Knowing your biases, building relationships, and involving families are the best ways of dealing with these issues. We must remember that our families give us their best children and are doing their best to support their children. We must do whatever we can to support our families in this venture. That's when this partnership will succeed.
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Monday, July 7, 2014
Living the core beliefs, with trust #ptcamp
I must start with this- I love the conversations we are having on Voxer. Although I haven't added much too far due to being on a family vacation, I have listened to and read every Vox. When I have been able, I have even commented a time or two. Reading Beyond the Bake Sale has provided us all a common language and allowed for us to share all of the great things we are doing in our schools. It has also helped me put more of a focus on the best ways for our school to partner with parents. Thank you for stretching my thinking as well as validating my thoughts. And now on with the assignment.
Core belief 1- All Parents Have Dreams for Their Children and Want the Best for Them
This is my favorite of the core beliefs. I have never met a parent who didn't have a dream for their child. Being a father, I want my daughter's life to be better than mine. At times I push her a little further than maybe I should, but it is because I love her and want her to live up to her potential. I guess you could say I'm just like any other parent. And that's what I remember every time I speak with a parent about their child and the concerns they might have. Now I'll remember to include this question in every conversation- What are your dreams for your child?
Core belief 2- All Parents Have the Capacity to Support Their Children's Learning
I think we sometimes forget this about our parents. They are all doing the best that they can do for their child. They might not attend every school function, including conferences, but they are all there to support their child. I know that I need to provide more information to parents about our curriculum, but I don't know how best to do this. We have had parent nights for math and Readers' and Writers' Workshop, but they haven't been very well attended. Some of the ideas I have heard in our Voxer conversation will hopefully spark more attendance and conversation to help our parents provide more support for their children.
Core belief 3- Parents and School Staff Should Be Equal Partners
This is a belief I hold but I have work to do to help all of our staff believe this as well. I work with a great staff but sometimes their is a fear of parents that comes from previous experiences. I'm hopeful to develop a Parent Advisory Committee this year to help foster this partnership.
Core belief 4- The Responsibility for Building Partnerships Between School and Home Rests Primarily with School Staff, Especially School Leaders
I truly believe that in order for a partnership between school staff and parents, I must make it a priority for both the staff and parents to develop this partnership. I know that I can't do it alone, but there are many great parents and staff in our district who I'm sure share this same belief. I will be having a table at Open House to try to get this started, but I know that a personal invitation will be much more successful in getting this started.
The three-point joining process seems simple enough, but each of the three points involves trust. Building trust is not an easy thing to do. And once trust has been broken, it is even more difficult to rebuild the trust than when it was initially developed.
1. Welcome parents into the school.
We all welcome parents into the school, but do they really feel welcome? How they are greeted when they enter the school is just one facet of this point. It goes beyond this, though. Parents need to feel welcomed at any time, whether its to volunteer in a classroom or the library or during parent meetings or conferences. I love the idea of having the children invite their parents or significant adults into their classrooms. This seems like a great way to start making our parents feel more welcome in our schools.
2. Honor parents' participation
I know that our teachers and staff thank parents regularly for their participation, but we still can do this much more often. We have a volunteer breakfast, but this is no more than a one-time event. We need to make sure that we honor parents' participation more than just once. We should honor what they do on a more consistent basis. A personal phone call would be a great start.
3. Connect with parents through a focus on the children and their learning
Right now, we do this only during parent/teacher conferences or when there is a concern about progress. Why don't we do this when students have done something well? That would definitely help foster parent communication and engagement. My favorite phone calls are those that I make with a student when they have been successful. There is always apprehension on the other end of the call as, unfortunately, I don't make these kind of phone calls often enough. Maybe I need to take the lead and make more of these phone calls to show staff and parents the benefits or positive communication in building trust.
I guess I have just reiterated Core belief #4- The Responsibility for Building Partnerships Between School and Home Rests Primarily with School Staff, Especially School Leaders. Let the new partnership begin!
Core belief 1- All Parents Have Dreams for Their Children and Want the Best for Them
This is my favorite of the core beliefs. I have never met a parent who didn't have a dream for their child. Being a father, I want my daughter's life to be better than mine. At times I push her a little further than maybe I should, but it is because I love her and want her to live up to her potential. I guess you could say I'm just like any other parent. And that's what I remember every time I speak with a parent about their child and the concerns they might have. Now I'll remember to include this question in every conversation- What are your dreams for your child?
Core belief 2- All Parents Have the Capacity to Support Their Children's Learning
I think we sometimes forget this about our parents. They are all doing the best that they can do for their child. They might not attend every school function, including conferences, but they are all there to support their child. I know that I need to provide more information to parents about our curriculum, but I don't know how best to do this. We have had parent nights for math and Readers' and Writers' Workshop, but they haven't been very well attended. Some of the ideas I have heard in our Voxer conversation will hopefully spark more attendance and conversation to help our parents provide more support for their children.
Core belief 3- Parents and School Staff Should Be Equal Partners
This is a belief I hold but I have work to do to help all of our staff believe this as well. I work with a great staff but sometimes their is a fear of parents that comes from previous experiences. I'm hopeful to develop a Parent Advisory Committee this year to help foster this partnership.
Core belief 4- The Responsibility for Building Partnerships Between School and Home Rests Primarily with School Staff, Especially School Leaders
I truly believe that in order for a partnership between school staff and parents, I must make it a priority for both the staff and parents to develop this partnership. I know that I can't do it alone, but there are many great parents and staff in our district who I'm sure share this same belief. I will be having a table at Open House to try to get this started, but I know that a personal invitation will be much more successful in getting this started.
The three-point joining process seems simple enough, but each of the three points involves trust. Building trust is not an easy thing to do. And once trust has been broken, it is even more difficult to rebuild the trust than when it was initially developed.
1. Welcome parents into the school.
We all welcome parents into the school, but do they really feel welcome? How they are greeted when they enter the school is just one facet of this point. It goes beyond this, though. Parents need to feel welcomed at any time, whether its to volunteer in a classroom or the library or during parent meetings or conferences. I love the idea of having the children invite their parents or significant adults into their classrooms. This seems like a great way to start making our parents feel more welcome in our schools.
2. Honor parents' participation
I know that our teachers and staff thank parents regularly for their participation, but we still can do this much more often. We have a volunteer breakfast, but this is no more than a one-time event. We need to make sure that we honor parents' participation more than just once. We should honor what they do on a more consistent basis. A personal phone call would be a great start.
3. Connect with parents through a focus on the children and their learning
Right now, we do this only during parent/teacher conferences or when there is a concern about progress. Why don't we do this when students have done something well? That would definitely help foster parent communication and engagement. My favorite phone calls are those that I make with a student when they have been successful. There is always apprehension on the other end of the call as, unfortunately, I don't make these kind of phone calls often enough. Maybe I need to take the lead and make more of these phone calls to show staff and parents the benefits or positive communication in building trust.
I guess I have just reiterated Core belief #4- The Responsibility for Building Partnerships Between School and Home Rests Primarily with School Staff, Especially School Leaders. Let the new partnership begin!
Patience- Where can I find some?
Patience is a virtue. Until I read the definition on Wikipedia, I had no idea that it came from Psychomachia, a poem written in the fifth century. Fortunately my internet was working well so I didn't have to be too patient to find the definition. It may be that I do have patience, but I don't know if I exhibit it often enough. When I want something to happen, I want it to happen sooner rather than later. With everything that I've learned from my PLN on Twitter and Voxer, I sometimes just need to stop and make things a priority. So that's where my patience needs to begin.
I enjoyed a post from Joe Sanfelippo (@Joesanfelippofc) recently entitled Learning to Lead that made me think about my lack of patience. It also caused me to determine the three things I will work on this year.
1. Celebrate a risk with a staff member or student.
2. Model energy and excitement.
3. Share out the great things our Merton family is doing.
I truly believe this will help me with being more patient. Everything that I do as a principal every day can be done with my focus on these goals.
Celebration of risk is a great way to show the importance of learning something new. Modeling energy and excitement may seem contrary to patience, but if I choose a few items to focus on (Readers' Workshop and family engagement come to mind), hopefully the staff and students will focus on these items as well. Having fewer things to focus on will help me maintain some semblance of patience. Sharing out as much as a I can about all that we do in Merton will help me to pause and be involved in classrooms, allowing me to be more patient.
As many of my friends and co-workers will tell you, I can't stay seated for very long. I always need to be doing something. I just spent the last week in Myrtle Beach and couldn't just relax on the beach without jumping in and going boogie boarding every 15 minutes. But I can feel my patience increasing while writing this post. I was able to sit for 15 minutes to write on my Chromebook. Maybe I can be patient after all.
The idea behind this post came from my Voxer family. Here are posts from some of them.
Jessica Johnson
Melinda Miller
Tony Sinanis
I enjoyed a post from Joe Sanfelippo (@Joesanfelippofc) recently entitled Learning to Lead that made me think about my lack of patience. It also caused me to determine the three things I will work on this year.
1. Celebrate a risk with a staff member or student.
2. Model energy and excitement.
3. Share out the great things our Merton family is doing.
I truly believe this will help me with being more patient. Everything that I do as a principal every day can be done with my focus on these goals.
Celebration of risk is a great way to show the importance of learning something new. Modeling energy and excitement may seem contrary to patience, but if I choose a few items to focus on (Readers' Workshop and family engagement come to mind), hopefully the staff and students will focus on these items as well. Having fewer things to focus on will help me maintain some semblance of patience. Sharing out as much as a I can about all that we do in Merton will help me to pause and be involved in classrooms, allowing me to be more patient.
As many of my friends and co-workers will tell you, I can't stay seated for very long. I always need to be doing something. I just spent the last week in Myrtle Beach and couldn't just relax on the beach without jumping in and going boogie boarding every 15 minutes. But I can feel my patience increasing while writing this post. I was able to sit for 15 minutes to write on my Chromebook. Maybe I can be patient after all.
The idea behind this post came from my Voxer family. Here are posts from some of them.
Jessica Johnson
Melinda Miller
Tony Sinanis
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Principals are people, too.
As I sit in a condo in Myrtle Beach today, watching my daughter and her friends fix their hair and makeup for a dance competition, I realize that I am just a normal person who is a principal. Now I always felt that way, but some things just bring the realization into more clarity. Being a dad at a dance competition is one of those things. So are mowing the lawn, snow blowing the driveway, grocery shopping, and going on vacation. It's at these times that we are most human to our students and parents because they see us in a different way than when we are at school. My wife and friends joke about how long it will take until I see a current or former student. I was given a hat by our real estate agent that just says "NEIGHBOR" on it that I wear to subdivision parties. And you know what? I think it's great that students and parents see me as just a regular person.
What do regular people do? They do great things for and with each other. They take risks and fail. They take risks and succeed. They agree. They disagree. They come together. They ask questions. They determine next steps. When regular people have a focus, like what is best for a school, imagine what can happen. So is it bad for me to be just a regular person? I think it's the best thing for our kids and our school.
The idea for this post came from my Voxer family. Here are some of their posts.
Jessica Johnson
Melinda Miller
Curt Rees
Joe Sanfelippo
Tony Sinanis
Amber Teamann
Leah Whitford
Tom Whitford
Tim Lauer
What do regular people do? They do great things for and with each other. They take risks and fail. They take risks and succeed. They agree. They disagree. They come together. They ask questions. They determine next steps. When regular people have a focus, like what is best for a school, imagine what can happen. So is it bad for me to be just a regular person? I think it's the best thing for our kids and our school.
The idea for this post came from my Voxer family. Here are some of their posts.
Jessica Johnson
Melinda Miller
Curt Rees
Joe Sanfelippo
Tony Sinanis
Amber Teamann
Leah Whitford
Tom Whitford
Tim Lauer
Monday, June 30, 2014
We need partnerships, so what's next? #ptcamp
The opportunity of #ptcamp could not have come at a better time for our school. I have wanted to have more parents and community members join in the celebrations, and struggles, that we have as a school. I have reached out a link on our school's website (http://www.merton.k12.wi.us/faculty/PosickJ/) which includes a weekly smore (http://www.merton.k12.wi.us/faculty/PosickJ/fridayparentemails.cfm) that I send out in an email using our student information system. There is also a link to the school's twitter account (http://www.merton.k12.wi.us/intermediate/) so that parents don't need a twitter account but can still see pictures of students and staff in action. The unfortunate thing about each of these communication tools is that they are one way, just information from me to parents so no conversation actually occurs. Aside from my one way communication with parents, our staff does a very good job communicating with parents, but I know that we can all do much more.
As I read chapter two and "ranked" our school, I realized it was just my perspective and that I need to involve many more people- staff, students, and parents- to really do a better job with this. That being said, as I looked at the rubric, I noticed that we have elements of each of the schools, from the PTA in a Partnership school to a security clearance mentality in a Fortress school. Overall, we fall somewhere between an Open-Door school and a Come-If-We-Call school. Now, I need to involve staff, students, and families in taking us to the next level. In the weeks to come this summer, I plan on sending out a smore to all parents to invite them in to speak with me about what we can do, together, to improve family engagement throughout all aspects of our school. I plan on having a couple of group meetings but also want to invite parents to stop in for individual face to face meetings. My hope is that providing these opportunities will spread the word that we are trying to involve and include all of our parents in conversations that will improve all that we do for our kids. Would't you agree that is the most important reason to develop partnerships?
As I read chapter two and "ranked" our school, I realized it was just my perspective and that I need to involve many more people- staff, students, and parents- to really do a better job with this. That being said, as I looked at the rubric, I noticed that we have elements of each of the schools, from the PTA in a Partnership school to a security clearance mentality in a Fortress school. Overall, we fall somewhere between an Open-Door school and a Come-If-We-Call school. Now, I need to involve staff, students, and families in taking us to the next level. In the weeks to come this summer, I plan on sending out a smore to all parents to invite them in to speak with me about what we can do, together, to improve family engagement throughout all aspects of our school. I plan on having a couple of group meetings but also want to invite parents to stop in for individual face to face meetings. My hope is that providing these opportunities will spread the word that we are trying to involve and include all of our parents in conversations that will improve all that we do for our kids. Would't you agree that is the most important reason to develop partnerships?
Friday, June 20, 2014
Thanks to all #SAVMP participants
I remember being fortunate enough to be on Twitter when I saw George's post about the virtual mentoring program. I was excited to become a part of a dynamic group of people who were more than willing to share their thoughts and ideas about all things education. I cannot believe how much I learned, on my own time, from each and every one of you. When I was notified of a new blog, I made it a point to read it as soon as I had a spare moment. I didn't comment on each of the blogs, but I did read every word. The messages that you blogged about touched me in ways that attending a graduate class could never have done.
I look forward to staying connected and continuing learning with and from each of you. Thanks to George and Amber for their leadership with this endeavor. They were both willing to share their expertise at no cost to any of us.
May you all have a summer that gets you recharged and excited about your next school year.
Jay
I look forward to staying connected and continuing learning with and from each of you. Thanks to George and Amber for their leadership with this endeavor. They were both willing to share their expertise at no cost to any of us.
May you all have a summer that gets you recharged and excited about your next school year.
Jay
Friday, May 2, 2014
It's the little things...
In our work with students, we sometimes forget to provide them a voice into what we do with and for them every day. Due to some excellent art teachers, we have been able to change the look of our entryway and our commons/cafeteria to show off student work and students in action.
Our library became a place that students helped to design and enjoy coming to at all hours of the school day, and even before and after school.
Our students are also able to express their thoughts and ideas with me as part of a Principal's Advisory Team. We meet monthly to discuss what is going well, and what isn't, and to allow them to help guide the decisions that we make.
One other thing that is bigger for me than it might be for the students is my ability to be with all of the students for lunch and lunch recess. It has become an integral part of my day and I cherish the time I am able to spend with the students, walking around and speaking with them, and being their referee when needed. I learn an awful lot about the kids by watching them interact at lunch and on the playground.
One other thing that is bigger for me than it might be for the students is my ability to be with all of the students for lunch and lunch recess. It has become an integral part of my day and I cherish the time I am able to spend with the students, walking around and speaking with them, and being their referee when needed. I learn an awful lot about the kids by watching them interact at lunch and on the playground.
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