Management in the real world (school)

After our discussion today about scheduling and management issues principals have to deal with, I was left with some new ideas and questions. I wonder how easy it is, especially starting out as an administrator, to delegate tasks and what tasks to delegate. I'm sure this comes through simple trial and error, but I can see how frustrating a day as a principal would be when you have things on a schedule and there are people counting on you to be at a certain place at a certain time. I almost think it would be easier to not have a schedule at all, but a to do list. A to do list would be easier, in my mind, to prioritize and manage. I don't think I would feel like I was letting people down as much. If there is something on my 'to do list' I'm going to do it, it just might not be now or today. If I miss something on a schedule, I've missed it! Being the dean, I have literally had days as a principal and every single day but one, I had zero free time the entire day. I was called from one room to another, dealing with substitutes, or dealing with meetings with parents and those are not even a fraction of what our administrator has to deal with when he is in the building. There were a few days last year that I was able to go into classrooms and observe, and it was so much fun. I can imagine that observations would be one of my favorite parts of being an administrator. After days like I had last week, though, I feel like observations would also be one of my biggest frustrations, especially if there is a 'quota' that has to be meet.

Another idea I do not want to forget, is the idea of putting a schedule on the outside of my office door. If I have something that has to be scheduled it would be on a calendar. I think it would be an accountability piece for any administrator, if everyone is going to see you are unavailable one might think harder about the importance of the issue. I think that sometimes administrators can get a sense of freedom and loose sight of the fact of how many people are counting on them. I also think that doing this allows openness with the staff and a sense of even playing field, if you will. If it is okay for staff members to leave a little early for appointments, the expectation for the administrator should be the same. Yet, at my school, I hear people complaining when our principal is out of the building early, and it doesn't happen much, and they are the ones that are late every morning or the ones that leave early all the time. Frustrating!

Leader and buzzwords

I just read an article that I saw on twitter, @edutopia http://bit.ly/tVOlj1 about innovation in schools. I was interested by the title and it sucked me in! I am and always have been very concerned with people using buzzwords and jumping on bandwagons simply because it's what is new. I hate it! I have always been open to sharing my concerns and opinions on this issue. I am so glad that there is someone out there that feels the same way. I have made people unhappy at my school because going with the grain is not always for me. I go against the grain when I need to, and I'm not ashamed to do so. I will always and forever go after what is best for children and if someone is going to tell me that a certain initiative is 'best practice' they better be able to back it up with research. I refuse to follow for the simple fact of following.

I think, as leaders, we need to be very concerned with the difference between buzzwords and what is best for children. I want to be a leader that makes a difference, not that follows to simply satisfy the people above me, or to progress in my profession. I want to be a leader that is known for being different, relevant and on the edge. I think that if everything that I do, say and act on goes back to what is best for students, I will have people that will follow me. I also believe that it won't be easy, I will have to ask hard questions and initiate difficult discussions. In doing this, people will feel uncomfortable but they will also be challenged to think differently and more deeply. I think that when we begin to ask those difficult questions and thinking deeper, we grow and become more innovative. (not sure I should use that word...)

Weekend 2

I was very interested in the discussion we had this morning with Jason Glass. I was intrigued by a couple of things. First of all, I was pleasantly surprised to hear him say that the Blueprint was simply a list of ideas. I think that a lot of people are extremely concerned due to the fact they think it's his end all be all. I had this same perception and I was very concerned, although after today's discussion I felt much better. He seems to be very open and wanting suggestions, so that is encouraging. I am hoping that the discussion from today is not just smoking blowing, but honest. If the discussion was honest, I think Mr. Glass is getting a bad rap simply because people are not understanding the purpose of the Blueprint.

I also appreciated the discussion with principal from St. Francis. It was interesting hearing him talk about discipline and behavior in his school and how he handles it. Things are so drastically different in his environment than in mine. So, when he talked about having to keep himself and his staff in check with their perceptions on behaviors, he gained further respect from me. I was very happy to hear that even though he is in a school where he has middle and middle to upper class clientele, he is very aware that he has it good in response to behavior issues that occur. I think that so many people loose that perception of the 'rest of the world' and get so focused on their own problems they can't see past their own issues. I know that it is easy to do, because even though I am in a difficult school, I do the same thing. I don't want to get to the point that I can't learn from others because I think, "They have no idea what it's like in MY school." We all have to keep an open mind and our perceptions in check.

Hard conversations

So, in our PD on Wednesday we watched a video about technology and how it's changing. The video also went into how our schools are not changing at the same rate as technology. We then entered a discussion into wether this is the road we should take in education. I do agree that technology needs to be looked at and implemented into classrooms, but like I said on Wednesday, "I need to see the data." We, as an educational system, are all about data but who is asking about the data that supports technology in the classroom. It was really awesome to see our staff get riled up about something, it doesn't happen much and the majority of the staff was really engaged. I think that a lot more discussions need to happen like this in order for worth while things to come...but people are so scared of the hard discussions! We grow from disagreement, in my opinion. Is it weird that I thoroughly love to watch and be involved in these conversations? I hope what it says about me, is I like positive and worthwhile change. Also, that I am not easily swayed by the 'current talk' but rather what is best for children, even if it's hard deciding what the best is.

Technology...WOW!

I am overwhelmed after this weekend of class. I have so many questions. Is it more important to integrate technology into classrooms and have that to be accountable for, or first hold teachers accountable for their teaching abilities and achievement? Do we integrate technology or spend that money on teacher resources that will increase test scores? I think that technology has a place in classrooms, but how do we decide how big that place is and how do we decide if, when and how we hold accountability for that? Like everything else, there is a need for balance when deciding on a new initiative for a school and I am concerned with the amount of people asking or thinking about those deeper questions and ideas. I am leaning more toward technology being part of an administrator's vision than anything else, but I am still so unsure that I don't think I can really take a stand one way or the other.