On Saturday, I saw this tweet from John Gunnell (@gunnellAP), "Stop treating Special Ed students like they're someone else's responsibility. All kids deserve teachers who are dedicated to their learning." It really struck me as I remember at one of my first staff meetings five years ago I had stated something that was nearly identical. After those five years, I wonder if they are just words. Is there any action that I have taken to make sure that the words come to life? How can I make sure that the staff believes these words as much as I do?
In Wisconsin, as I'm sure is the case in all states, all staff are going to be judged by how much progress each of our students makes. It makes no difference if they have a label (gifted and talented, learning disabled, or others) or not. We will be judged by the progress that is made. I think back to another quote, it takes a village to raise a child, and the notion that one person cannot raise a child. In the same vane, it takes more than one person to help a child progress. We, as educators, are responsible to do all that we can to make this happen. It can't be the classroom teacher alone, the special educator alone, the gifted and talented coordinator alone, or any other staff member alone. We must all work together to meet the needs of each of our students.
Please don't think that I'm naive when discussing this. There is so much that each teacher and staff member must accomplish each and every day with our students. Working solo or in a silo is a very lonely way of trying to meet the needs of all students, and it limits the opportunities for meeting these needs. It is important to find the time to collaborate as a team to find the best ways to meet the needs of every child. Time is available before school, at lunch, after school, during specials or electives, or with the help of a staff member providing the necessary classroom coverage to meet. Finding the time is important and necessary.
My hope in writing this post is to gather suggestions for assisting with sharing the responsibility of educating all of our students. Your thoughts and ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Family
I have the distinct honor and pleasure of working with a great staff. I also work with great students and a supportive community, but there is another time for a blog about them. This blog is all about the staff at Merton Intermediate School, my second family, my Merton family.
Over the last year or so, many changes have come to our little school in Merton, Wisconsin. Actually, there are too many changes to even mention. Through all of these changes, I have seen nothing but the highest degree of professionalism from the staff. If there are topics that need to be discussed, we discuss them face to face in small groups or individually. Never have we discussed these topics in front of our students. These topics are handled like a family.
As with any family, there is a hierarchy and I guess, based on my current position as the principal, that kind of makes me the father. Being the father means that I ultimately make the final decision on current topics. I gather as much input as I can, from as many people as I can, and then make the best decision possible. Above all, decisions are made based upon the best interest of our students. But sometimes the best decisions don't work out as well as we had planned. At these times we meet again to discuss and determine a different plan.
On Monday night I was involved in #vachat (chat for teachers in Virginia even though I live in Wisconsin) about school climate and culture. I saw a tweet from @philgriffins, an AP in Virginia, that said "reason why I start all of my emails Norge Family". After thinking about the tweet, I realized that I have another family, my Merton family, that I actually spend more waking hours with than my "real family". My Merton family has gone through many highs and lows but we always know that we can count on one another.
This morning my Merton family had a brief meeting with math as our topic. As the staff was coming in, I was playing this video about perseverance. It is our main math topic, but it also describes the great people I work with who are all a part of my Merton family. My wife, bless her heart, made some great pumpkin cookies for us this morning. She knows how much the Merton family is a part of me, and it's growing on her, too.
May you all find the joy of family outside of school and within your school.
Over the last year or so, many changes have come to our little school in Merton, Wisconsin. Actually, there are too many changes to even mention. Through all of these changes, I have seen nothing but the highest degree of professionalism from the staff. If there are topics that need to be discussed, we discuss them face to face in small groups or individually. Never have we discussed these topics in front of our students. These topics are handled like a family.
As with any family, there is a hierarchy and I guess, based on my current position as the principal, that kind of makes me the father. Being the father means that I ultimately make the final decision on current topics. I gather as much input as I can, from as many people as I can, and then make the best decision possible. Above all, decisions are made based upon the best interest of our students. But sometimes the best decisions don't work out as well as we had planned. At these times we meet again to discuss and determine a different plan.
On Monday night I was involved in #vachat (chat for teachers in Virginia even though I live in Wisconsin) about school climate and culture. I saw a tweet from @philgriffins, an AP in Virginia, that said "reason why I start all of my emails Norge Family". After thinking about the tweet, I realized that I have another family, my Merton family, that I actually spend more waking hours with than my "real family". My Merton family has gone through many highs and lows but we always know that we can count on one another.
This morning my Merton family had a brief meeting with math as our topic. As the staff was coming in, I was playing this video about perseverance. It is our main math topic, but it also describes the great people I work with who are all a part of my Merton family. My wife, bless her heart, made some great pumpkin cookies for us this morning. She knows how much the Merton family is a part of me, and it's growing on her, too.
May you all find the joy of family outside of school and within your school.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
RtI Wednesdays
Today we had our first RtI Wednesday of the year at Merton Intermediate School. I must admit, it is one of my favorite days of the month. Due to a variety of reasons, we have lost common planning time for our teachers. We could look at this as a problem or as a challenge. The principal of Merton Primary School, Mike Budisch (@headlearner) and I developed a way to make sure that our staff would have at least one hour and 15 minutes a month with no responsibilities for students. The students arrive at their regular time but instead of heading to class, they come to the gym in the Intermediate School or the cafeteria in the Primary School. Mike and I, with the support of some of our teaching assistants take around 500 students for a 30-minute assembly. We have a short staff meeting and then the staff goes to work using data to develop RtI groupings of students. The staff determine who would have targeted, selected, universal, or extension groups and then they plan activities, especially for the universal groups as these tend to be the largest. This morning the staff meeting was 10 minutes as I "flipped" the meeting, sending the staff a google presentation in advance (Staff RtI Wednesday 9.12.12). The staff left the meeting, went to collaborate, and I made sure, one more time, that I was ready for the students. I met the students outside and brought them into the gym for their assembly (Student RtI Wednesday 9.12.12). As is normally the case for these assemblies, I plan way more than I can get through, but it's always good to have something extra in case a link works at home but doesn't work at school. Today the assembly ended a bit differently as I had the staff come in to sit with their classes for the last 15 minutes. We celebrated the great start of both the students and the staff including an amazing statistic that still blows me away. I must admit, I was nervous the first time, but the personal stories I have been able to share with the students in these assemblies have helped the students see me more as a teacher and not just the person in the office who speaks with the "naughty" kids. If you're looking for a way to provide uninterrupted planning time for your staff, I encourage you to give this a try.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Striving to be the BEST
When I started as principal in Merton in 2007, I introduced a theme to the entire district. We discussed making Merton the BEST, which stands for Believe, Encourage, Share, Trust. As I think about the changes in the landscape of education in Wisconsin, and around the nation, I believe that I need to review and reinforce this theme and the four sub-themes.
Merton is the BEST. We have great students, a committed staff, and involved parents. Our students perform well in class, represent our school in the community, and perform well on placement tests and WKCE tests. The three groups- students, staff, and parents- have allowed Merton to strive to be the BEST. But we can always strive to be better. We can do this by concentrating on the sub-themes of BEST.
Believe- We need to believe in each other and in our students. We need to believe that we are all doing what is best for kids. It says that right on the bottom of our district letterhead. The morale of the staff is declining based on a number of factors, but we must still believe in one another. We can increase our belief in one another by sharing ideas, visiting classrooms to discover new learning techniques, and focusing on the great things that our students are creating in our school every day.
Encourage- We need to encourage each other more now than ever before. There are those not in education who don't see the valuable work that we are doing with students every day. We need to encourage each other to take risks, develop relationships with each other and our students, and to look for the best in every situation. This can't be done with words alone. It must be done with actions, as well.
Share- We need to share more with each other, and not just the "school stuff". When we share, we really get to know each other on another level. We can share about our personal lives, but with each other and with the students. This sharing really helps develop stronger relationships. We need to share what we do in classrooms, what we have learned from conferences or conventions, what we have learned from our PLN, and what we have learned from each other. As educators, we don't do this enough, but to really be the BEST, we need to share.
Trust- We need to trust each other more. How can we further develop this trust? That is a big question, but I think that trust can be built by believing in one another, encouraging one another, and sharing with one another. If, as a staff, we trust one another, we can truly be the BEST.
Your comments, thoughts, and suggestions would be appreciated.
Merton is the BEST. We have great students, a committed staff, and involved parents. Our students perform well in class, represent our school in the community, and perform well on placement tests and WKCE tests. The three groups- students, staff, and parents- have allowed Merton to strive to be the BEST. But we can always strive to be better. We can do this by concentrating on the sub-themes of BEST.
Believe- We need to believe in each other and in our students. We need to believe that we are all doing what is best for kids. It says that right on the bottom of our district letterhead. The morale of the staff is declining based on a number of factors, but we must still believe in one another. We can increase our belief in one another by sharing ideas, visiting classrooms to discover new learning techniques, and focusing on the great things that our students are creating in our school every day.
Encourage- We need to encourage each other more now than ever before. There are those not in education who don't see the valuable work that we are doing with students every day. We need to encourage each other to take risks, develop relationships with each other and our students, and to look for the best in every situation. This can't be done with words alone. It must be done with actions, as well.
Share- We need to share more with each other, and not just the "school stuff". When we share, we really get to know each other on another level. We can share about our personal lives, but with each other and with the students. This sharing really helps develop stronger relationships. We need to share what we do in classrooms, what we have learned from conferences or conventions, what we have learned from our PLN, and what we have learned from each other. As educators, we don't do this enough, but to really be the BEST, we need to share.
Trust- We need to trust each other more. How can we further develop this trust? That is a big question, but I think that trust can be built by believing in one another, encouraging one another, and sharing with one another. If, as a staff, we trust one another, we can truly be the BEST.
Your comments, thoughts, and suggestions would be appreciated.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
It's the little things
Over the last five school days, and because of some reflection time during Thanksgiving and hanging out on twitter, I realized that it's the little things that we do in education that really matter. I realize in watching these little things just how much education has changed since when I was in school. I watch as students assist and collaborate with one another in classrooms. Students assisting and collaborating used to be considered cheating. Now it's just the way we do education. I watch staff interact with students and each other in a cooperative way. There is still some work to do, especially in providing more time to collaborate to make this cooperation more a part of the every day workings of a school. It used to be so much more competitive but we're moving more toward "coopetition", the combining of cooperation and competition, because who doesn't want to be the best? Cooperation will allow all of us, staff and students alike, to be more successful. These two items are pretty big, but here are the little things I have seen in the last few school days.
- Staff greeting students and each other in the hallways, at the classroom door, and in the cafeteria.
- Two new students being accepted for who they are and other students befriending them with no hidden agendas.
- Staff stopping in the cafeteria to speak with the students about nothing really related to school.
- Students assisting one another when someone has dropped their books or their lunch tray.
- A former student coming in to share information about his high school marketing class, and every teacher allowing him to spend time in the classroom.
- Coaches putting in hours of preparation before and after school to provide better opportunities for success.
- Staff attending meetings before and after school to make the school an even better place to learn.
- Anonymous donors providing funds for expanding technology access.
- A former superintendent sharing his volunteer work in Sudan with all of our students.
- Parents coming in to cheer on their child during basketball games.
- Behind the scenes technology work to get the entire school on board with google apps for education.
- Conversations with staff about the difficulties in school with a change in the topic to what is good in school.
- Watching a back channel chat in a social studies classroom, and seeing everyone engaged in the discussion.
- Learning with a student how to use a color Nook for the first time.
- Having pie, an example of a treat, in the teachers' lounge.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Captain of the team
Over the last two months of school, I've been reflecting upon the leadership in our school. There are many leaders in our building who are a part of teams or committees, but oftentimes their leadership stops there. These leaders often don't extend beyond these specific groups. I've begun to wonder how I can facilitate theses leaders so that they can see that they are a bigger part of our school team. Everyone in a school has specific responsibilities and adding leadership to these responsibilities should not be seen as an extra duty. It's a part of our jobs as educators to lead within our classrooms, our grade levels or content areas, our school, and our district. Having one leader who is the only "go to" person, in my opinion, isn't practical. We are all educational leaders whether we have a title or not.
I had a great discussion about this with one of my teachers the other day and came up with an analogy that rang true for us as we have both coached basketball. We discussed the difference between a coach and a captain. I equated a coach to the way that principals used to be perceived in schools. They were in charge of any and every decision. We felt that principals now play more of the role of a captain. The captain on the basketball team knows what every player is supposed to be doing and directs them while they are on the court. They don't tell everyone what to do, but they do expect the players to know their job and to do it to the best of their ability. They also cannot play everyone's position, either due to height, quickness, court vision, or a variety of other reasons. The captain knows a good basketball play when they see one.
The principal in a school is like the captain of a basketball team in the same regard. He or she expects the teachers to do their job to the best of their ability. They can't teach every class or content area but they know a good teacher when they see one.
I struggle from time to time when the teachers who work with me call me boss. For some reason the term boss has a negative connotation for me. I always remind our staff that I am a co-worker. I'm responsible for everything that goes on in our school but I also rely upon each one of the teachers and staff members I work with every day. We all have to work together to be successful, just like the players on a basketball team. If everyone on a basketball team plays to the best of their ability, the team has a much better chance of being successful. The captain is there to make sure that the team is all going in the same direction.
The same is true of a school. Everyone has a role to play in our school and they all do their best. I am there to make sure that the teachers are all working toward the same goal of educating every child, just like the captain on a basketball team. I am hopeful that the staff I work with considers me more of a basketball captain than an old time basketball coach.
I had a great discussion about this with one of my teachers the other day and came up with an analogy that rang true for us as we have both coached basketball. We discussed the difference between a coach and a captain. I equated a coach to the way that principals used to be perceived in schools. They were in charge of any and every decision. We felt that principals now play more of the role of a captain. The captain on the basketball team knows what every player is supposed to be doing and directs them while they are on the court. They don't tell everyone what to do, but they do expect the players to know their job and to do it to the best of their ability. They also cannot play everyone's position, either due to height, quickness, court vision, or a variety of other reasons. The captain knows a good basketball play when they see one.
The principal in a school is like the captain of a basketball team in the same regard. He or she expects the teachers to do their job to the best of their ability. They can't teach every class or content area but they know a good teacher when they see one.
I struggle from time to time when the teachers who work with me call me boss. For some reason the term boss has a negative connotation for me. I always remind our staff that I am a co-worker. I'm responsible for everything that goes on in our school but I also rely upon each one of the teachers and staff members I work with every day. We all have to work together to be successful, just like the players on a basketball team. If everyone on a basketball team plays to the best of their ability, the team has a much better chance of being successful. The captain is there to make sure that the team is all going in the same direction.
The same is true of a school. Everyone has a role to play in our school and they all do their best. I am there to make sure that the teachers are all working toward the same goal of educating every child, just like the captain on a basketball team. I am hopeful that the staff I work with considers me more of a basketball captain than an old time basketball coach.
Friday, November 4, 2011
What took so long?
It's been quite a while since I wrote my last blog post. It took being at the the AWSA Principals' Conference and the Midwest Google Summit to remind me of what I had been missing. I was missing the chance to reflect on what I do as a principal and what I am as a principal. What you do and what you are can be two very different things. I sure hope that I do what I am as a principal. Now a bit about the conference and the summit.
At the AWSA conference I was a co-presenter with two incredible Wisconsin principals, Curt Rees and Jessica Johnson, on the benefits of twitter for administrators. They were actually the presenters and I was more of a lurker, adding points once in a while and helping out those new to twitter. It was a great experience and came about due to the connection I made with Curt and Jessica on twitter. I had met Curt before the conference but Jessica and I met face to face the day before our presentation. It was a bit scary but those who attended the session came away excited about the connections they began making on twitter during the last half our of our session. My PLN has grown because of this great opportunity.
At the Google Summit, I had a chance to learn about google, obviously, but also to make connections with the staff who attended with me and other educators in Wisconsin and many other states. Although some of the sessions were more "techy" than I understand, I came away with some great things to share with my staff. More importantly, the staff has come away with great things to share with their colleagues. That is the expectation. In a future blog I'll let you know how that goes. The Google Summit showed me the possibilities of all things google in our school. I can't wait to see how it works out.
At the AWSA conference I was a co-presenter with two incredible Wisconsin principals, Curt Rees and Jessica Johnson, on the benefits of twitter for administrators. They were actually the presenters and I was more of a lurker, adding points once in a while and helping out those new to twitter. It was a great experience and came about due to the connection I made with Curt and Jessica on twitter. I had met Curt before the conference but Jessica and I met face to face the day before our presentation. It was a bit scary but those who attended the session came away excited about the connections they began making on twitter during the last half our of our session. My PLN has grown because of this great opportunity.
At the Google Summit, I had a chance to learn about google, obviously, but also to make connections with the staff who attended with me and other educators in Wisconsin and many other states. Although some of the sessions were more "techy" than I understand, I came away with some great things to share with my staff. More importantly, the staff has come away with great things to share with their colleagues. That is the expectation. In a future blog I'll let you know how that goes. The Google Summit showed me the possibilities of all things google in our school. I can't wait to see how it works out.
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