A quick way to find out what you’re passionate about is when you take on a task you didn’t even know you wanted. I have always believed that teachers and all educators DESERVE relevant professional development and learning. As educators we need to keep learning… we’re in the business of learning and we shouldn’t stop learning if we want to teach kids. Education is always changing.
One of the most frustrating things for me as a teacher was when professional development was planned for us by administration, but administration wouldn’t even attend the PD. Some of this PD was how to implement a new program or curriculum the administration would want us to use and they wouldn’t be able to help us because they didn’t even attend the PD they arranged for us… That’s frustration number one. The second frustration was while I was a guidance counselor, and as everyone knows- PD is usually NOT relevant for specialists or other certified non-teaching staff…. And so you usually leave the full PD day thinking “those are 6 hours I’d love to have back”. I’ve been on the professional development committee in every district I’ve worked (ok, maybe this really was a passion of mine before I even realized it!!!) My goal- make the PD relevant and have something for everyone! We all need to learn- administrators, teachers, nurses, guidance counselors, art & music teachers. I made it a priority for any PD that I was involved in planning to make sure it met these criteria. I want participants leaving feeling they got something out of it and often it’s not hard to make it better than their last PD day…. Fast forward to my current position…. I have a lot of autonomy as a Catholic School principal. I’ve worked really hard to make learning relevant for my teachers and something they can use in their classrooms. I’ve also invited other schools in to learn with us. Here’s the sticking point- we have ONE day a school year, just one day that ALL of the teachers in our Diocese come together to learn together and connect. These have been some of the most excruciating days for our teachers. Now, I’m not putting down the people planning the PD as this has simply been a case of doing what they’ve always done and not knowing how to make it different…. So I ‘volunteered’, yes volunteered to help plan this year’s PD Day. I wanted this ONE day we come together to be VALUABLE and INSPIRATIONAL for our teachers. I also want time for our teachers to connect… they don’t even know each other or who the other same grade teachers are they could reach out to if they wanted. The teachers want this too… I became a ‘connected’ educator over a year ago and have met lots of amazing administrators and educators through Twitter and was able to use my new found ‘friends’ and learning to start planning. Who better to Keynote a day like this than fellow pirate and principal in action- Adam Welcome! I pitched my idea to the Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent and an idea was born. Our Teachers don’t do a lot of reading (GASP) so a “Kids Deserve It” Day was born. With Adam as our keynote, we decided to give EVERY teacher a copy of his co-authored book with Todd Nesloney, Kids Deserve It. I wanted to make sure their learning continued after the day ended. For anyone that has planned a PD Day for 400 teachers… most of which you have never met…. And ‘recruited’ teachers to facilitate sessions, well maybe not even recruited but ‘voluntold’ a few of your own staff who have amazing things to share so you could fill the schedule… you know how much work this is (I have notes so that I can get more help with the planning and execution next year)… Friday, October 5th was the BIG Day… it was like a Wedding day where you’ve done all of your planning and now whatever happens- happens. I have to be honest, I was soooo nervous… wait, what’s a word that’s more nervous than that? That’s what I was. I knew Adam was going to be amazing (we even had a few of my principal pals that ‘crashed’ the keynote because who wouldn’t want to hear Adam speak), but this was something completely NEW to everyone sitting in the Holy Name High School auditorium. What I didn’t mention is that we always start our day together as a Diocese with Mass with the Bishop- and during his Homily he talked about a ‘traditional’ Catholic education experience right down to discipline and I’m thinking ‘uh oh’ what have I gotten into. However, from the success of my little school, I know that you can have a strong Catholic Identity AND be innovative and do what’s best for kids to prepare them for jobs that don’t even exist yet. Adam was amazing! He made us laugh, cry, reflect and create an energy you could feel through the entire auditorium. I think the teachers could have listened to him all day. I don’t think they were anxious to get to the coffee and Danish. They were listening to every word… and this was evident when they gave him a standing ovation- I say this because it’s a BIG DEAL- not just for Adam (who’s message EVERY educator should hear) but because when those teachers stood up and continued clapping, I felt relief and PRIDE… I did that- I brought Adam here to share his message and the teachers responded, they wanted to hear that message, they want to do what’s best for kids, they want to talk their language, they want to be fearless learners. I’d love to end my blog post here… but you need to know the rest of the day went just as well. After their much needed coffee & Danish, the teachers met in grade alike groups. We just put all teachers who teach the same thing in a room… they didn’t know what to do!! They were waiting for someone to facilitate or to tell them what to talk about…. For some it took over 5 minutes until they just started talking and someone to get the conversation going, in other rooms, they needed to encourage some of the teachers to join in. This was a brand new concept for them, even though it’s something they’ve asked for. The following break out sessions led by teachers in the Diocese were equally well received. The Thank you’s I received throughout the day were vast and many saying the same thing “this was the best PD day I ever attended”, one even added in 22 years. Teachers were rolling down their windows and saying the same thing as they left the parking lot I am thankful and blessed that I was able to use my passion to plan something for the teachers and everyone else that stepped up, took a risk, and dove in head first to be part of this amazing day. I write this post to share my experience with you in hopes that if you have the opportunity to plan a professional development opportunity for 400 or 40 that you take into consideration what the staff needs? Is it relevant? Do they have some choice and voice? Can they take the message and/or ideas back to their schools and classrooms? Our Teachers Deserve it!
0 Comments
I was recently in a #PIAChat on Twitter and Kelley McCall (@mccall_kelley) shared a quote "Vulnerability is the essence of connection and connection is the essence of existence" by Leo Christopher to go with a question about vulnerability. Principals in my PLN openly shared their vulnerabilities. I quickly realized that I was not alone and that many of use wear our emotions on our sleeves in our jobs every day. I wear my emotions on my sleeve every day and I think that's ok! It's who I am... and my feelings are real and right there every single time! My friend, Jay Posick said "Never hide who you truly are". I've thought a lot about that this week which has led to this blog post.... I was given a necklace for my birthday that week from a student // It was exactly what I needed- b. u. How often are we someone else? How often is it hard to be who you truly are? The role of the leader of a school can be lonely and rewarding at the same time. Most of us take on these responsibilities because we care about kids. I care about kids so much, I cry. A lot. Sometimes I cry when I'm talking with students because I have empathy for what they are going through. Sometimes I cry with parents because I am compassionate for their children and what they are going through. Sometimes I cry because I'm not sure I can take any more. Sometimes I cry because there was nothing I could do to help. Sometimes I cry because these kids make me so happy. I've always been somewhat embarrassed by having emotions at the very edge of my being and that the wet eyes come so easily. This is who I am. I care and love deeply. I feel others pain and feel compassion. This is truly who I am. I am me and I am going to be me. I am also a strong woman and will wear this necklace proudly to remind myself that it is ok to be me! I was very motivate to choose my #oneword this year as I read other posts and participated in the Principals In Action chat (#PIAChat). I love the idea of one word to keep me focused throughout the year instead of a lofty resolution I probably won't be able to keep any way. I am also looking forward to reading Jon Gordon's book "One Word that Will Change Your Life" which has led this #oneword movement. As I read other's words and thought about what I wanted 2018 to be for me, I went through a few words but knew the right word would choose me. I thought about wanting to prioritize and focus on specific tasks each day. I want to focus on developing relationships and continue to motivate my staff and create a positive school culture. I want to focus on myself and my family and take time to unplug. It didn't take long to realize that my word would be FOCUS! There's so much to do at home and school each day and sometimes I feel like I've spent the day doing a lot and not accomplishing much. I need to FOCUS. I need to find my priorities for the day and FOCUS what is most important to get done. I have a new system for creating and keeping my 'to do' list which will let me FOCUS on the 3 most important tasks for the day between home and school. This will allow me to get into classrooms on a more regular basis. My goal for 2018 is to Focus on coaching my teachers to be the best instructional leaders they can be in the classroom. They need my support to become #Pirates who do what's best for kids. Focusing on relationships that I build each day with students, staff, colleagues, families and community members is another priority. I want to take time to slow down and listen to the those around me. I want to be intentional and present in conversations I have with students and my teachers. I want them to know that I care about them. I'm going focus more on my 2/10 conversations- choosing a student (or teacher) to have a 2 minute conversation with for 10 days in a row. 2018 will be a year of Focus and intentional planning, listening and coaching of my teachers. I hope you all have your #oneword to guide you through 2018. No matter what word we choose, the process of choosing our words has already made an impact on our goals for the year. Good Luck with your #oneword and here's to a great 2018! This summer I joined the Principal Principles Leadership Group by Stephanie McConnell. I was excited to become part of this group to share ideas. I did not know that this would be the first step in growing what would become my PLN. Through this group, I followed a recommendation (probably several endorsements) to read "Lead Like A Pirate" by Beth Houf and Shelley Burgess. I was so eager to read the book, I downloaded it on my Kindle so I could start reading it right away. The benefit of the kindle edition, was being able to click on the links. Many of these links brought me to Twitter posts. The more and more I began to see what was happening on Twitter (a platform I had avoided until this point)- I decided to DIVE in Headfirst! I created my Twitter handle.... (note my first choice @PrincipalFrench was obviously taken...which would become my first connection to someone in my new PLN) and @BobbieFrench became my PLN persona. I began following people that I knew and before I knew it people were following me. I have to be honest, I felt overwhelmed and intimidated. People who began following me were 'famous' authors and wrote books... BOOKS! There was pressure to post 'important and relevant' educational information and school happenings.
Fast forward two months and I'm now connecting with my PLN on Twitter almost daily, participating in chats (wow there can be a lot of them and we need some East Coast chats at reasonable times!). I've been reading more and more books. One leads to another and want to read them all at once. And let's not forget my newly created Voxer account! This blog post is the result of a challenge to take a risk from the #PIAChat this past week and a little tweet from @sheehyrw (Ryan Sheehy)... "You can do it! We all have a story to tell". I don't consider myself a writer, but I wanted to become a better reflector to become an even better Principal. This blog is the perfect opportunity and vehicle for my weekly reflections. If only I had started it years ago, before blogs were a thing- with all the things we hear, see, do in the world of education. I would surely be one of the published authors I'd want to follow! I am excited to continue on this journey. I have already made lasting connections with other principals and no longer feel like I'm on an island. I love the ideas I get from these different groups and my morning commute goes by much quicker with Voxer chats to energize me for the day ahead. My staff may think differently and threaten to take my technology away... but they are growing too and have begun using @Flipgrid & @Kahoot in their classrooms, we did a @Goosechase for our back to school staff meeting, and many of them have began their Google Classrooms. I am excited for our new groove (and avoiding the rut... thanks Jay)... Thank you Ryan, Jay, Mark and Kelley for the "Risky Business" #PIAChat on Tuesday that launched this blog... wow.. I think that also accounts for my #LeadLAP challenge to thank someone in my PLN this week! |
AuthorBobbie is an Educational Leader who has been inspired by others to share with you celebrations, challenges, and thoughts along her journey. Archives
May 2021
|