How Lucky Am I to Have Something that Makes Saying Goodbye So Hard
This picture popped up in my Facebook memories this week. It is from two years ago when I left my "home" district that I had spent 12 years growing in. During my time there I served as a classroom teacher, grade leader, and school administrator. The relationships established over those 12 years are something that I will treasure forever. It was and is still so hard to say goodbye to what we shared together. I miss this community every day (probably because I put too much of my heart into my work, but I guess that's what makes me me)! I left my "home" to continue my professional growth and over the past two years I have set my sights high- serving as a building principal in a neighboring district and currently as the assistant director of elementary education in a district a bit farther from home. I'm not 100% sure of where I'm going, but I come to work every day leading with heart and courage, and sometimes it's hard to know the impact of my work.
BUT- it's funny how things work out. I saw this memory on Facebook just before beginning my third day of professional development with some very dedicated educators in my new district on action planning for next year. I decided to use this quote, to begin my work with the end in mind- I want to create an environment for educators (and students) where it is hard to say goodbye. Where we can be honest, vulnerable and trust of one another.
I walked into Day 3 of action planning with this mission. I took a group of educators into a room, shut the doors, and told them that today was a day about honesty. We talked about collective teacher efficacy, articulating our why, and practiced how to use our WHY to create a school-wide mantra and prioritize goals that support our core beliefs.
Here is the school-wide mantra the team created!
It was such a powerful day and it was one step taken to create an environment where it is hard to say goodbye.
Below is a brief video describing the story of our day together.
In addition, here is the slide deck referenced in the video if there are any resources you'd like to use to keep you strong and grounded, whether you're in a new position (like me) or not!
I was asked to record myself reading one of my favorite books for a third grade class in our district. I picked "Hooray for Diffendoofer Day" because it was a book I used to read to my third graders years ago right before the state testing window. As I read the book, I realized that this book really embodies my vision for education- to have JOYFUL schools where teachers are empowered to design learning experiences that help students learn how to think! Our schools need leaders who cultivate a growth mindset culture where everyone is a learner!
Do you have a book, poem or quote that embodies your beliefs about education? I challenge you to share it with your staff and also ask your staff members to share theirs with you.
As educators, we recognize the importance of building relationships- relationships with our students, our colleagues and ourselves. We are in a constant state of learning more about people with every interaction we have. There is always something more to discover about a person- their interests, their learning style, their understandings and more.
It can sometimes feel like we're peeling back the layers of an onion, but there are so many layers we never get to the center. I would like to suggest that each layer is important for us to explore and that is worth committing to!
John Hattie's research helps ground educators in the importance of knowing our students.
Did you know that John Hattie's research uncovered that the accuracy of teachers’ knowledge of students in their class can have a 1.62 effect size on student achievement (an effect size of .40 can stimulate a year’s growth)?
In what ways does this research impact your thinking about students? And more importantly, how can you design your learning environment so that you are constantly able to learn more about your students AND they can learn more about themselves, too?
I truly believe Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a big part of the answer! When we design lessons incorporating the principles of UDL we give all students an equal opportunity to succeed. The principles of UDL tap into the different networks in the brain including the affective network (linked to engagement- the WHY of learning), the recognition network (linked to representation- the WHAT of learning), and the strategic network (linked to action and expression- the HOW of learning).
Last week Katie Novak ("an internationally renowned education consultant ...Assistant Superintendent of Schools in Massachusetts... designs and presents workshops both nationally and internationally focusing on implementation of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and universally designed leadership."- GoodReads) generously gave up her lunch hour to share her UDL wisdom with coaches in my district...and after listening to her equating UDL to offering dinner guests a buffet vs. a casserole (UDL being the buffet), I made the connection to Hattie's research on educators knowing their students. If we lean on the UDL principles, we empower students to know themselves as learners and make choices that are best for them (with teacher support as needed). Knowing every layer of every student can feel impossible, but anticipating barriers for students (based on observations, data, learning style inventories, etc.) and offering options for students to choose from is not. As Katie explains in the video* below, UDL helps students become expert learners (*please note this video is a snippet of the full discussion).
I'm not suggesting teachers stop peeling back the layers of the onion. It is essential that we continue to gather data and use it to inform our practice BUT the barrier removal and student agency is they key with UDL.
Now the challenge is determining the next steps in our schools. How can we help all educators recognize the importance of knowing every student? How can we create structures that allow educators to share strategies that are working? How can we reflect on our current lesson design to be mindful of the UDL principles? Please share all suggestions below!
In education, it feels like we have the benefit of having two new years every year- the start of a new school year, and the start of a new calendar year. We are so fortunate!
In preparation for 2019, I have been doing a lot of celebrating, reflecting and goal-setting! I am excited and inspired to continue my work as an educational leader in 2019. There are two practices that have helped me stay grounded in my work and I am sharing them below in an effort to support YOU as you prepare for 2019!
Practice 1: Start with WHY- Acquaint or reacquaint yourself with Simon Sinek's work on WHY. Here is a recent blog post about his work for your reference. This year I have tried to encourage educators to find their professional WHY and also to support students in identifying their WHY, too. The graphic below was created to keep this thinking at the forefront of our minds and is now being added to professional development slides, communications to staff, guiding questions for lesson planning and more.
How have you/will you use WHY in your work with students and teachers? Click here to share!
Practice 2: Identify your #oneword2019- Four years ago I learned about the one-word initiative Jon Gordon wrote about in his book, "One Word that will Change Your Life" that encourages people to identify one word that will be their driving force for the year (instead of a list of resolutions that are often hard to accomplish/attain).
My one word for 2018 is trust (for just a few more days). I chose this word because I believe that trust is the foundation for all positive relationships, both with others and with myself. I have kept this word in mind every day as a reminder to trust myself, my dreams and my heart. I have kept this word in my mind every day in my work with staff, students and families, with the goal that I am a trusted leader, educator, colleague and someone in whom people can place their confidence. I have looked for examples of trust in different settings and situations in all areas of my life. I have let trust be my focus in 2018.
The video below is a brief 4-minute overview from Jon Gordon that provides the background for "One Word that will Change Your Life."
Over the next few days, I encourage all of you to take some time over the next few days to determine your one word for 2019.
In addition, I suggest looking at this #oneword365 website to connect with people around the globe and to get a list of suggested words!
Lastly, as you pick your one word for 2019, please take a risk and share it on this flipgrid and post your word on Twitter with the hashtag #oneword2019!
Wishing all of my educator colleagues a Happy and Healthy 2019!
Sometimes it is hard to slow ourselves down to reflect on the good things that are happening in our lives as educators, but it is so important. We're heading into Thanksgiving week. Our school year is in full swing. We owe it to ourselves to take time to pause and think about the positives!
One HUGE positive for me this year has been all of the helpers I have been able to find and connect with on Twitter to support the implementation of math workshop in our schools. Check out these helpers! All I had to do was look for them (and ask for help!).
Mark Ellis, Cathery Yeh, Jay Billy, Dr. Nicky Newton, and Chris Dodge are 5 helpers who went the extra mile to support the growth and development of others just because they are GOOD people who care. I am beyond thankful!
I have spent the last few hours reflecting on a meeting I had with literacy coaches in our district yesterday. We were sharing the qualities we want our students, our colleagues and ourselves to have along with the learning stances to cultivate growth.
We debriefed our discussions and realized that the root of our work is directly aligned with a growth mindset. The group raised some very important questions including: Have we cultivated a culture in our schools where students and educators feel trusted and supported? Have we taught all members of our school community about the brain science behind growth mindset and explicit ways to put it into practice?
As a "step 1", I have gathered some resources and created a brief Growth Mindset Overview that could be used with educators and families to begin the discussion and sharing!
I went for a haircut today. I have been going to the same hairdresser for more than 13 years. His name is Khao. I love spending time with him because he is one of the hardest working people I know and because he always has a story to tell. Oftentimes his stories are connected to his childhood in Thailand, where he grew up with very little, but today I asked him to tell me about why he became a hairdresser.
Khao came to America from Thailand when he was twenty-five. He didn't know any English and his first job was working in the kitchen of a Thai restaurant washing dishes and eventually working his way up to cooking food, too. He was thankful to be in America and to be making some money, but he wanted to have a career. Khao started taking English classes at the library and once he had some keywords and phrases down, he enrolled in hairdressing school. While going to school, he continued to work at the restaurant and also found a part-time job sweeping and maintaining a hair salon (the salon that he is still at today). It took him a year to graduate and the rest is history.
Khao's story is really sticking with me today. In education, we know how important it is to build relationships and actively listen. Today I experienced this in the hair salon with Khao. I'm so glad I asked to hear his story and I'm so thankful that he shared it with me. His determination, perseverance, and work ethic are traits to be admired and treasured.
This experience with Khao also reminds me of the video "Racing for 100 Dollar Bill" (included below). Everyone has a story to tell and everyone has different obstacles to face and overcome along the way.
I left the salon with a lot more than a haircut today.
