The Challenge

Every educator, from classroom teacher to district administrator share the same challenge in education. A challenge that is daunting, a challenge that keeps educators up at night, a challenge that pushes educators to take risks, and a challenge that requires educators to never stop learning… Our challenge is this: We as educators need to ensure EVERY child reaches his or her greatest heights.

The challenge? We must push every child forward, ensure every child receives the very best education, and create a culture built on the belief that every child will succeed. Make no mistake, this is no easy task. Why? Simply put, because every child is different, every child needs something unique, and there isn’t a one-size-fits-all program to accomplish this.

Imagine you work for an auto company as a vehicle designer. You are brilliant, and you pride yourself on the ability to get people from one location to another safely, quickly, and effectively. One day your boss comes into your office and asks you to custom design a vehicle that can get a person from one city to another. Seems simple, but then she lists a wide range of challenges that will require the vehicle to have specific additions to complete the trip safely - things like icy roads, steep angles, and rocky terrain. You smile as you are already imagining larger tires with heavy traction, four wheel drive, a high ground clearance, 300 horsepower, and the ability to turn on a dime...yet before you can finish putting the ideas together in your head your boss says - alright, that’s one. She then describes the need for another customized vehicle that must tackle all new challenges. Then another, and another, and another, and another...until in total you are required to create plans for 147 different vehicles. Oh, and you need to be able to complete this by next week. You may be brilliant, but you are only human,

Being an educator may not be like designing cars, but the challenge of customizing an education to the needs of 147 students on the secondary level is very real. Whether you teach on the elementary or secondary level, the challenge of ensuring each child receives the very best, and reaches his/her greatest heights, is not taken lightly.

Tomorrow morning we are going to welcome over 700 elementary students into our building for the first time this school-year. Together, we are going to do all we can to ensure that each and every child is successful, safe, and challenged. Why take on such a difficult challenge with open arms? Because we are committed to creating a culture where we collaboratively design a rigorous learning opportunity for every child. We believe our students deserve the best, and it's only together that this can happen.

You see, there is one major difference between the example of the auto designer and an educator - we are not alone.

So, how do you meet a challenge that can sometimes seem impossible? You tackle it as a team. So to all those gearing up for, or just beginning, this year’s challenge of ensuring the success of every child let me remind you - you are not alone, we are in this together, and you have those on your campus, and even within your #PLN, ready to help you tackle a challenge that will change the world one child at a time.

Before the Year Begins

Teachers,

Before this year begins I want to share something with you…

You are about to start a new year, see new faces, welcome new challenges, and start once again on a one-year journey of student success. You are about to meet a child who will challenge you, push you, and may even go against the grain. You are about to meet a child who needs you more than you will ever know. You are about to meet a child who has failed more times than succeeded. You are about to meet a child who doesn’t get breakfast at home, and dinner is often a hit or miss experience. You are about to meet a child who already knows over half of what you are supposed to teach, but desperately needs you to push him forward. You are about to meet a child who doesn't understand how to make friends, communicate effectively, or work within a group...but is so amazingly smart. You are about to meet an overbearing parent, a parent who doesn’t want to hear from you, and a parent who will do anything to support you.

Every child you meet in a few weeks will be different. Every child will have different needs, different goals, and different past experiences both good and bad. But here is the thing I need you to remember...every child you meet needs you, whether they realize it or not.

Teaching is such a challenging profession....it's not a job, it’s a calling, and one that is not answered easily.

Before this year begins I want to share something with you…

You matter, you make a difference, you have a purpose, and you can change the course of a child’s life. Think about that...how many professions afford the opportunity to change a life? But remember this...it can be for good or bad.

One year makes a difference...A child who fails over and over again is likely to stop trying. A child who fails to move forward for one year is likely never to fully catch up. A child who feels unloved, unwanted, or unnoticed for one year is likely going to struggle finding self-worth in the future. Understand the power you hold...it’s not just about teaching the subject...its about making a difference in a child’s life.

One year makes a difference...A child who feels loved every day for one year can build a sense of self-worth that will last a lifetime. A child who feels successful each day for one year can find self-efficacy that can sustain the trials ahead. A child who learns the value of working hard, persevering, and understands learning is about the process - not just the product, will build a foundation for a lifetime of success.

Before this year begins I want to share something with you…

I love and appreciate you. Teachers in all areas, paraprofessionals, custodians, food and nutrition services, coaches, and parent volunteers. I love that you chose to come to school and change lives, make a difference, and give children the chance to feel successful. I love that you work hard, tackle challenges, and refuse to give up when it would be easy to do so.

You are about to meet many new children, children who need you, children who will love you, and children who will know more tomorrow because you worked hard preparing something new and exciting today. Let’s change the world one child at a time...and let's do this together.

Why #EdSlowChat?

It’s hard for me to believe I have only been building my PLN for a year. One short year...yet in that time I have formed relationships, found guidance from brilliant people I never dreamed I would meet, and have learned more about education, dreams, and student success at a higher rate than ever before.

Twitter, Voxer, and Blogs… The big three, these three are the main sources for my PLN, three sources that never seem to stop giving me new ideas, encouragement to change, and support when mistakes are made.

Twitter was the beginning - I started by following any well-known educator I could find. From there I joined in on the #TxEduChat and #IAEdChat each week…then from there I found new EdChat after EdChat...to name a few: #LeadUpChat, #Sunchat, #Fledchat, #ChristianEducators, #EdChat, #SatChat, #PISDEdChat, and #PPAEdChat.

Yet for me, something wasn’t right...While I truly enjoyed the fast pace and people I met during the one-hour EdChats, I found I was only able to follow so many posts and read so many ideas shared. In one hour hundreds of ideas were shared, yet I was truly unable to capture it all. On top of that, I began to find it was becoming more and more challenging to make each EdChat, be a part of each discussion, and make the starting times each night...especially since they tended to occur around dinner or story time with my daughter...I didn’t have an answer, but I was beginning to feel anxious trying to balance it all.

Here is what I knew - I loved reading other’s ideas and thoughts in their blogs, had formed strong professional relationships on Voxer, and I was learning at the speed of light on Twitter...yet, I wasn’t able to balance it all. I was struggling to participate in everything I enjoyed being a part of...and I was trying to figure out how I could model digital leadership yet ballance my life at home.

It was around this time that I was invited to participate in a Voxer group of school leaders. Since I was struggling with balancing the time, I threw out the following question to the group - “How do you balance it all?”

It took about five minutes for me to realize that I clearly wasn’t alone in the struggles to balance my life and PLN - I was amazed to see not only was I not alone in this issue, but others were trying to find ways to schedule, prioritize, and figure out compromises in life to make both work. It was then the idea of a slowchat was offered as a - what if? What if there could be an educational chat that focused on one question per week? What if you could jump on when you wanted to? What if you could have time to read and reflect? Enter... #EdSlowChat

Each Sunday morning I ask a new question, one that allows for ideas and multiple answers…

In order to help explain the idea I worked with @artwithbailey, @NancyWTech, @techclara, @techknowleah, and @mike_svatek to make this video:

I also created the following Google Doc so others could share the questions they would love to see asked: Click Here

It has been amazing for me to see #EdSlowChat grow. While I still read as many blogs as I can, continue conversations on Voxer, and do the best I can to participate in as many EdChats as possible, one thing's for sure...

#EdSlowChat was created for someone like me...I want to learn, I want to share ideas, I want to get to know others in the educational community, I just need a little more time and flexibility to join, think, share, and reflect. It is my hope that you have been able to jump in as well -

A First Year Principal's Reflection

I can’t count the number of lessons I have learned this year - 2014/15 Marked the first year I was a school principal, and as this year comes to a close there is something that sticks out above all the rest...my desire to be and do everything fell short.

Here is what I know...I want more than anything to be everything for my teachers and students. I want to have all the answers, know how to jump every hurdle, take all the right risks, and avoid all the mistakes...I did my best, I fought the good fight, I ran a good race, but in the end I learned a valuable lesson - I am only human. As it turns out...there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

You see, luckily, being human doesn't mean I am a failure, it just means I am not perfect...of course, as I wrote in a previous post, perfection means the learning stops, so it’s not all bad -

The learning curve that exists for a new principal is like nothing I have experienced before. As a teacher I would carry the weight of my students’ success on my shoulders - in elementary it was all 26 or 27, in middle school that number jumped to over 100 students...but as a principal, well...I now carry the success of both the teachers and students, a combined 820 people - all of whom I give my all to every single day.

In a previous blog post I shared how each day I work with teachers, students, and parents. Three separate groups, all with different needs, ideas, questions, and time needed. While I truly love working with all three parties, it’s not uncommon in one day to think about: Student success, teacher success, campus progress, changes coming, ideas to move forward, parental support, strength of the PTA, district and state testing, teacher needs, classroom management, student management, instructional coaching, professional learning, school budget, campus needs, building facilities, and so much more. Learning how to serve all three groups as a first year principal was quite a challenge...an amazing experience, but a challenge.

This year I had the privilege to experience wonderful moments of celebration, I felt the pain of heartbreak when mistakes were made, and I tried to focus on the success stories both small and large...I did my best, I gave it all I had, and yet...I can’t help but wonder if I could have done better or completed even more...

The year ended with what-if questions like: What if I could have found a way to spend more time with the students? What if I modeled the use of technology for professional learning even more? What if I had more time set aside for meetings? What if I didn’t take that risk and tried something different instead?

Of course, playing the game of “What If” only leaves doubt and angst - The truth is, while I may be only human, and lack any sort of true perfection - I was able to learn a ton, love my teachers unconditionally, support each teacher in his/her strive to be better, and offered encouragement and excitement each day.

While I may not have reached every goal I set in one year, there is no doubt this year was a success - not only did I learn a ton, not only did each one of our students get an amazing year of learning under their belts, not only did I build relationships with the amazing teachers I work with each day, not only did I begin to form a bond with my wonderful community and parents...I was also blessed to see 820 amazing, wonderful, brilliant faces come to school and learn together.

In the end - I look at it like this: One great year of learning down...and here is to praying for many more to come!

What Learning Should Look Like

This past week Christie Elementary had our very first Engineer Expo -

Imagine this...Kindergarten all the way through fifth grade spent two weeks tackling interesting challenges all based on one state standard of the teacher’s choosing…The teacher chose the guiding instructional standard, the students created the driving question, and while in collaborative groups the students engineered and presented products that amazed us all. It was a much-needed reminder that authentic student-owned learning is NOT measured by circling the correct letter choice.

In kindergarten they knew their four steps...Together they created marble runs, designed multi-leveled boats to carry passengers across flooding waters, and created a safe place for Humpty Dumpty to land so he wouldn't crack.

First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth - Every grade level, filled with collaborative groups engineering all types of products: Dog Massager, Sink Mechanical Systems, Instruments, Cars and Ramps with Limited Friction, Freezers, and SO MUCH MORE -

One day...two weeks in the making - and it was one amazing learning moment after another. Student after student excitedly shared with community members, teachers, parents, district leaders, and other students the creative things they designed and built together….

Students were collaborators, readers, designers, engineers, re-designers, learners from failure, writers, researchers, innovators, partners, friends, and public speakers to name just a few...what they weren’t? Letter bubblers...Why? Because The Engineer Expo started with one goal in mind...for students to own their learning, and I have never seen more engagement! I can’t think of a single time as a teacher, or administrator, where students were handed a multiple choice test and they cheered excitedly, talked about it at home, spent every waking hour working on it because they just didn’t want to stop, or made mistakes along the way as authentic learning opportunities...but that is exactly what I saw during the engineering process from EVERY student.

At the end of the day the students and teachers were equally tired, yet smiles were everywhere. I couldn’t help but think one thing...Now that is what learning should look like.

The Problem with Perfection

When I was in school there was always one objective - get the right answer.

Seemed simple enough...want to seem smart? Be successful? Make your parents happy? Go to college? Well then...get the answers right, be as perfect as possible in each subject, each day.

Needless to say...I wasn’t a huge fan of school. There were times I tried to cheat, especially in Spanish class. There were times that I would fake being sick...always on a test day. There were times I was stressed, times I was bored, and most of the time I just wasn’t interested in what was being shared at the front of the room...Why? Because I wasn’t perfect at school, and I didn't want to be either.

I love to learn, I love to make mistakes and then learn from them...that’s why I loved the game Mario Brothers as a child...yes, the first one...because it was the mistakes I made and the “Game Over” screen that drove me to continue and start all over again. Somehow, the way I loved to learn as a child through making mistakes didn’t seem to translate to success at school. It was as if mistakes made were not acceptable, only perfection was….but here is the thing: There is a key problem with perfection...it means the learning stops.

I am not saying there is anything wrong with getting that perfect grade, or getting all the math problems right...but what I am saying is that it is in the moments of perfection that we are no longer required to learn and grow. So while as educators we push our students to find the right answer, I have to ask, how can we also create an environment that encourages mistakes to be made for real learning opportunities to take place?

In an educational world filled with the next big thing, it’s important to remember the little things we can already do in our classrooms today. Creating an environment rich with learning from mistakes all starts with this one word: “Why?” It’s then followed up with phrases/questions like: “What do you want to learn about?” - “It’s alright if you're wrong, it just means we get to try a new strategy.” - “How can we make that?” - “How ever will you solve that?” - “What are you interested in?” - “Looks like you have a great plan, but what if…” -

So often teaching sounds like this: “Alright class, to solve this problem...first you do this, then this, enter this formula, cut this paper on this line, cross out the wrong answer, then you have your answer...alright, your turn.”

Why do we do this? Don’t get me wrong, I am all for modeling, and I fully recognize there is a time and place for direct instruction...but let me throw out a challenge...just once, try having a lesson sound like this: “Alright fourth grade, I have a problem, and I am hoping you all can help me. My daughter wants a dog so bad, and I would love to get her one, but...I don’t know what kind to get. I need a dog that doesn’t shed as I am allergic, and it can’t be larger than 30 pounds. I also will need to build a house for it outside and need to figure out the design, as well as all the materials needed. Plus, I found this website with all kinds of items and prices for things I will need from the pet store, but I don’t know what all I need to buy or how much it will cost...do you think you all could help me? I was thinking if you all were in groups of four you could work together to get this puzzle solved. I need to find the right type of dog, materials and design for a home, and find the right items and total cost for all the supplies I will need.”

Now, there are a ton of better examples out there I am sure for a problem to be solved...but notice something...in order to be successful students will need to be able to read, comprehend, research, write, design, calculate angles/money/amounts, collaborate, engineer, and the best part of all...there isn’t one perfect answer.

Practice may lead to perfection, but learning comes from the mistakes we make along the way. If you can create an environment where mistakes are celebrated as part of the process of learning...well, you might just capture the imagination of your students, and from there...who knows, maybe they might actually take a risk, make a mistake, and learn from it -

What if we allowed students to solve problems they are interested in? What if we focused on the process and expected great results along the way? What if we gave our students the power to own their learning? What if we stopped looking for perfection in everything, and celebrated the moments we fall forward? What if...

Loved, Supported, and Appreciated

As a principal, it never ceases to amaze me just how many things I think about each day…Of course, it only makes sense...after all, how many jobs require three separate groups of people to all funnel through one office? Each day I work with teachers, students, and parents. Three separate groups, all with different needs, ideas, questions, and time needed. While I truly love working with all three parties, it’s not uncommon in one day to think about: Student success, teacher success, campus progress, changes coming, ideas to move forward, parental support, strength of the PTA, district and state testing, teacher needs, classroom management, student management, instructional coaching, professional learning, school budget, campus needs, building facilities, and so much more...but the one question I always go back to is this: Do my teachers feel loved, supported, and appreciated?

It’s hard being human. As much as I wish I could be...I am just not perfect. Sadly, not even close. I make mistakes, I change my mind, and while I try - I know there are days when I just can’t seem to find enough time to meet everyone’s needs...but I do my very best. My hope however, is even though I am not perfect, each teacher at Christie knows I love them, I truly support them, and I appreciate all they do for our kids.

So to each of my amazing teachers please allow me say:

I love you - I really do. I love that you work so hard to reach each and every child. I love your passion, your willingness to change, and to take risks. I love that you learn from your mistakes, model lifelong learning, and support your team no matter what. I love that you don’t come to work for the money, but rather to change one life at a time. I love that you never give up, never make excuses, and always try to improve. I love that you correct my grammatical errors in my emails, challenge me to be the best leader I can be, and provide moments in your classroom that amaze me when I walk through. I love your heart, I love your desire, I love your perseverance, and most of all - I love that even though you leave exhausted at the end of each day...you come back ready to do it all over again.

I am here for you - You have my support, and I will catch you when you fall...I am here to encourage you, to watch as you take risks, make mistakes, and model for your kids what learning really looks like. I am behind you 100 percent, even when you're not perfect...because I would never expect you to be, and neither do your students. I am here to listen, here to help, here to offer a shoulder or a pep-talk. I am here at every hour of every day, and I am here to serve you - for it is you who is making the difference. I am here to celebrate your successes both the small and large, because I am your biggest cheerleader, and I am so very proud of you.

I appreciate you - truly. Don’t think I don’t notice your car is still in the parking lot when I leave at 6. I see you coming in early and staying late...jumping on EdChats and updating blogs. Please know this...what you do each day, it’s noticed and appreciated more than I could ever express. I appreciate the time you put in, the tears, the frustration, and the triumphs. I appreciate how you are willing to help your team, parents, and students. I appreciate how you handle discipline problems, work to solve problems that come up, and carry the burden of others when you can. I appreciate how you always greet your students in the morning, cover for your teammate who is running late, and welcome that new student even though we are almost done for the year. I appreciate your willingness to follow my lead, even when it might seem a bit crazy. Most of all, I appreciate you for being you, and for choosing a profession that is often thankless.

Teachers...You change lives. You make a difference each day. You perform miracles. You provide hope. You build character. You give kids the power to make better choices. You change the course of history one child at a time. You are amazing...and it’s to each and every teacher that I say...from the bottom of my heart...thank you.