Oooh...this could be tough, since my present and past administrators may read this post. I'll tread carefully and comment in general and not make any references. :) Yeah, who am I kidding?!?!
But seriously... I have been in the workforce for over 22 years. Granted, only four of these are in teaching, but I equate a manager or supervisor equal to an administrator. And with all of this experience, I certainly have learned what I appreciate in a person who is supervising me.
So, in the spirit of David Letterman, I have created my own top-10 list...
10. If you know the DiSC profile, I prefer to work for a D. (FYI - I am an "I")
9. If you know Ken Blanchard and Situational Leadership, I prefer a servant leader. I also prefer a flexible management style; one who can manage me according to my ability with a task, policy or concept.
8. I need a leader who can provide big-picture structure and flexibility with the details.
7. I need a leader who can remove obstacles (metaphorically) and then get out of my way and let me get the work done.
6. I need a leader support me and the decisions I make... and when I do something that is wrong, give me the support and tools I need to see and understand what I did.
5. I need a leader who has the "stuff" to give me bad news and give me the time to process it. (Story...I worked for a manager once who bought our team two rounds of drinks (our team was traveling on assignment) and then decided to tell me after he'd been drinking that I wasn't getting promoted. Inappropriate!)
4. I want a leader that knows I have a personal life outside of work and who will share their personal life outside of work with the staff/team.
3. I want a leader who isn't a mean person (read: snarky, bitchy, plays favorites blatantly, intentionally degrades or derides people, accuses without evidence, fakes enthusiasm, lies, is nonethical and has no shred of integrity). (And believe me, I have worked for people who fit all of those descriptions...)
2. I need a leader who uses appropriate tone, voice and use of words. (Story...worked for a person that used the "F-bomb" every other sentence.)
1. I need a leader who appreciates my quirkiness and allows me to be me.
Any "perfect" administrator out there?!?!?!?!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Day 7: How can you best promote responsibility in your students?
I had to skip over this day for awhile. I really struggled with the question because I am a firm believer that students don't learn things in a timeline with due dates...and yet, the only answer I could come up with for this question was:
Responsibility = turning in assignments on the assigned due date.
Frankly, I don't care WHEN students hand in assignments - as long as they can demonstrate they learned and the assignment impacted them personally or changed the way they thought about something. (I teach Careers...to clarify the content.)
I am finally able to get past this one answer.
Today was our second day of school in the new year. A practice that I have done each year (and semester now, since I have new students each semester) is that I have my students come up with class norms - rules and behavior statements that we ALL abide by in the classroom. They get to brainstorm in small groups and then we combine the small group list into one group. I find ways to make these rules positive ("Use inside voices" instead of "Don't yell") and combine rules that are similar. I type up the list (actually this year, I used Wordle!) and then the class votes on the norms and the list is posted. If and when there is a possible infraction, I refer the student back to the list. Most of the norms are around responsibility. Here's a sampling of what was suggested this year:
1. Bring supplies to class every day.
2. Come prepared to learn.
3. Push in chairs when you leave.
4. Turn in assignments on time.
5. Give 100% effort.
6. Pick up after ourselves.
They know what responsibility is and what it looks like.
My point here is simple...if students are told WHY and they are in AGREEMENT and best of all, THEY THOUGHT OF IT, then that's how you best promote responsibility in students.
Did I just really say that? And why did it take me so LONG? :)
Responsibility = turning in assignments on the assigned due date.
Frankly, I don't care WHEN students hand in assignments - as long as they can demonstrate they learned and the assignment impacted them personally or changed the way they thought about something. (I teach Careers...to clarify the content.)
I am finally able to get past this one answer.
Today was our second day of school in the new year. A practice that I have done each year (and semester now, since I have new students each semester) is that I have my students come up with class norms - rules and behavior statements that we ALL abide by in the classroom. They get to brainstorm in small groups and then we combine the small group list into one group. I find ways to make these rules positive ("Use inside voices" instead of "Don't yell") and combine rules that are similar. I type up the list (actually this year, I used Wordle!) and then the class votes on the norms and the list is posted. If and when there is a possible infraction, I refer the student back to the list. Most of the norms are around responsibility. Here's a sampling of what was suggested this year:
1. Bring supplies to class every day.
2. Come prepared to learn.
3. Push in chairs when you leave.
4. Turn in assignments on time.
5. Give 100% effort.
6. Pick up after ourselves.
They know what responsibility is and what it looks like.
My point here is simple...if students are told WHY and they are in AGREEMENT and best of all, THEY THOUGHT OF IT, then that's how you best promote responsibility in students.
Did I just really say that? And why did it take me so LONG? :)
Monday, August 8, 2011
Day 14: Who do you turn to for teaching advice and why?
Teaching is one of those professions that I don't know if you ever stop asking for advice. You typically have some new situation each school year that you've never encountered before, regardless of how long you have been teaching - new students, new class numbers, new parents, new room, new curriculum, new administrators, new PLC, etc. Because the situations are endless, I typically ask all sorts of people for advice on my teaching. Depending on the situation or topic, I may ask more than one or two people. Teaching is not the island that it once was. If you aren't turning to someone for advice, you are making things way too hard!!
Here are some situations and who I would turn to...
1. Students: I turn to my PLC, ELP, ELL, SpEd teachers for academic situations; PLC, Deans or Administration for behavior situations (and depending...back to ELP, ELL, or SpEd). I sometimes will turn to our Instructional Coach for advice.
2. Parents: PLC and/or Administration, and teachers who have communicated with parents before (previous year's teachers). If there is a particular tough communication that needs to go out, I either role play the conversation or have an email proof-read.
3. Curriculum: Instructional Coach, Curriculum Facilitator, ELP, ELL and SpEd teachers.
I also observe a lot - I may just pop into a classroom and just watch for awhile. This may be for classroom management techniques for a group of kids or when I want to implement something another teacher is already doing and I want to see how it's working for them. It may be for set up of a station or student work areas or how posters are hung on the walls.
I also turn to the 'experts' (read: books) when I might struggle with a philosophy or to implement a philosophy that I believe in. I turn mostly to Wormeli, O'Connor, and the DuFour's...and whatever my above colleagues recommend.
Sometimes I may ask a question to an unsuspecting friend (who is not a teacher) to seek advice from someone outside the profession. It may sound like this: "So if (your child)'s teacher did (this), what would be your opinion on it? What would you need to know about (it) that would help you be more comfortable?"
What resources am I missing that you turn to?
Here are some situations and who I would turn to...
1. Students: I turn to my PLC, ELP, ELL, SpEd teachers for academic situations; PLC, Deans or Administration for behavior situations (and depending...back to ELP, ELL, or SpEd). I sometimes will turn to our Instructional Coach for advice.
2. Parents: PLC and/or Administration, and teachers who have communicated with parents before (previous year's teachers). If there is a particular tough communication that needs to go out, I either role play the conversation or have an email proof-read.
3. Curriculum: Instructional Coach, Curriculum Facilitator, ELP, ELL and SpEd teachers.
I also observe a lot - I may just pop into a classroom and just watch for awhile. This may be for classroom management techniques for a group of kids or when I want to implement something another teacher is already doing and I want to see how it's working for them. It may be for set up of a station or student work areas or how posters are hung on the walls.
I also turn to the 'experts' (read: books) when I might struggle with a philosophy or to implement a philosophy that I believe in. I turn mostly to Wormeli, O'Connor, and the DuFour's...and whatever my above colleagues recommend.
Sometimes I may ask a question to an unsuspecting friend (who is not a teacher) to seek advice from someone outside the profession. It may sound like this: "So if (your child)'s teacher did (this), what would be your opinion on it? What would you need to know about (it) that would help you be more comfortable?"
What resources am I missing that you turn to?
Friday, August 5, 2011
Day 13: What helpful advice have you heard about dealing with parents?
I have heard these two over and over and over again: Early and Often
Here are some other techniques that I use:
1. Classroom newsletters for each unit.
2. Wiki and Facebook class page
3. All issues are communicated before Parent/Teacher Conferences - no surprises!
4. As a parent, would I want to know about (the situation) regarding my child?
Again, I'd love to hear your suggestions!!
Here are some other techniques that I use:
1. Classroom newsletters for each unit.
2. Wiki and Facebook class page
3. All issues are communicated before Parent/Teacher Conferences - no surprises!
4. As a parent, would I want to know about (the situation) regarding my child?
Again, I'd love to hear your suggestions!!
Day 12: What strategies do you use to keep up with grading?
I've not been teaching long (5 years), but I am on my second subject (moved from Science to Careers) and I've learned a lot about grading and how to grade and WHAT to grade in this time.
Here are my 'rules' for grading...
1. Before you start, what is it that you're grading? What skill/objective are you looking for? Just grade for that.
2. Don't let it pile up. Structure your due dates so that you don't have three hefty assignments coming in at once. And in my classroom, I have suggested due dates, but I really take work at any time (and I have students re-do work all the time), so you want to stay on top of that. Plus, I want to get it back to the student as soon as I can, so they can redo anything they need to.
3. Because I allow re-dos, I grade in different color ink, so that I can keep track of what 'version' I am on with the student.
4. If I'm giving feedback on a new skill or concept, I don't put a score on the assignment. I used to do both and I found that students only focus on the score, ignore the feedback and ask questions that the feedback would have answered had they read it.
5. Give only meaningful assignments, so you're not wasting your time grading fluff.
6. Find different ways to assess skills/concepts, so you're not just grading paper. Pull small groups or individuals and discuss/answer/question.
I'd love your comments, feedback and any other suggestions you have on grading! I learn each year as I go!
Here are my 'rules' for grading...
1. Before you start, what is it that you're grading? What skill/objective are you looking for? Just grade for that.
2. Don't let it pile up. Structure your due dates so that you don't have three hefty assignments coming in at once. And in my classroom, I have suggested due dates, but I really take work at any time (and I have students re-do work all the time), so you want to stay on top of that. Plus, I want to get it back to the student as soon as I can, so they can redo anything they need to.
3. Because I allow re-dos, I grade in different color ink, so that I can keep track of what 'version' I am on with the student.
4. If I'm giving feedback on a new skill or concept, I don't put a score on the assignment. I used to do both and I found that students only focus on the score, ignore the feedback and ask questions that the feedback would have answered had they read it.
5. Give only meaningful assignments, so you're not wasting your time grading fluff.
6. Find different ways to assess skills/concepts, so you're not just grading paper. Pull small groups or individuals and discuss/answer/question.
I'd love your comments, feedback and any other suggestions you have on grading! I learn each year as I go!
Monday, August 1, 2011
Day 9: What do you want out of the “Staff Room”?
Staff room = staff workroom
I would like to see:
1. copiers (notice the 's' for multiple)
2. printers
3. staff supplies (post-its, pens, tape, staples, etc.)
4. waist-high counters (when you stand) for working
5. paper cutter
6. laminator (with a scissors!)
7. library for staff (professional development books to peruse and check out)
8. forms required for building and district (if not available online)
9. motivation posters (our particular staff workroom needs to be painted and there is very little on the walls!)
10. a no-gossip, no-kvetching zone
11. everyone is welcome - not just the teachers - admin, secretaries, associates, custodial staff, visitors
12. especially this year (we've turned over a lot of staff...) pictures and bios of all staff.
That's it! (I think...)
I would like to see:
1. copiers (notice the 's' for multiple)
2. printers
3. staff supplies (post-its, pens, tape, staples, etc.)
4. waist-high counters (when you stand) for working
5. paper cutter
6. laminator (with a scissors!)
7. library for staff (professional development books to peruse and check out)
8. forms required for building and district (if not available online)
9. motivation posters (our particular staff workroom needs to be painted and there is very little on the walls!)
10. a no-gossip, no-kvetching zone
11. everyone is welcome - not just the teachers - admin, secretaries, associates, custodial staff, visitors
12. especially this year (we've turned over a lot of staff...) pictures and bios of all staff.
That's it! (I think...)
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