No Excuses

It's been over a year since I've last written a blog post.

I have four drafts since last August, but I haven't completed them. I did get around to developing titles for them, though.

• Seven Months in an  Affluent School - Lessons Learned
• My Fourth Middle School in Three Years
• The Importance of Building Relationships
• Lessons Learned

In addition, I keep making excuses for why I haven't written any posts. The vast majority of them all come down to time. This past year, I devoted a large amount of time to working in my building; including working 12+ hour days, and spending countless weekends with school-related stuff spread out all over my dining room table. I know many educators would respond with, "That's just how it is, especially when working with high risk populations of students."

It really shouldn't be that way, though. I've worked with high risk populations the majority of my career and managed to find a reasonable work/family balance. In addition, I always had a small amount of time to think outside the box to develop solutions to pressing problems. I've also made time to keep up to date with trends in education through the Marshall Memo, EdWeek, ASCD, MindShift and of course my absolute favorite PLN, Twitter!

Once again, I didn't do any of that this year, though; and I suffered for it. I feel I worked very hard this past year, but not nearly as smart as I should have.

That's why this post is entitled "No Excuses". I don't have a valid excuse for not posting this past year..or not doing any of the things which energize me on a professional level. Yes, I had a challenging year, and yes, I didn't use my time as wisely as I should have. Just as I have done in past years, I am making my "New Year Resolution"  at the beginning of a new school year.

Don't let school get in the way of my education. 

Sound familiar? Mark Twain said something similar. Of course, he meant for us not to let going to school get in the way of learning about the world around us.  My biggest strength is to look at a problem and take creative measures to develop and implement a solution. I'm taking Mr. Twain's thought a little more literally. If I let myself get bogged down with the everyday issues I have to tackle in my building, I will not be good to anyone. If you are feeling overwhelmed, take a moment to center yourself again. Do something that gets your creative juices flowing. Need an idea on what to do? Here's a REALLY COOL INFOGRAPHIC with 40 of them.
 
I'm approaching this school year with a really different mindset than last year, and I know I will be better for my students and staff because of it.  I challenge you to do the same!

What Book Are You Reading?

Tis the season to interview teachers,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.

Yup, its that time of year again. Time to sit in the conference room and interview prospective teachers. Individuals who are going to help drive the learning process of what could potentially be generations of students within your building. This is NOT a subject that should be taken lightly.

Having worked almost ten years as an administrator, I've seen it all when it comes to job interviews. I've also learned a lot, like which interview questions have the greatest impact. A couple of years ago, our school division administrators participated in a summer read of Donnalyn Miller's The Book Whisperer. In that book she mentions job interviews and asking prospective teachers, "what book have you read recently"?

After reading her book, I tried this while interviewing a potential language arts teacher. Her response: "I haven't read anything recently. It's summer vacation!" Ironically, if she hadn't answered that single question in the way she had, she would have gotten the job.

To say the least, I now ask this simple question to every single person I interview for teaching positions. I do this for a couple of reasons. First, I do this to avoid hiring people who answer questions in the manner answered above. Second, I often learn something new. The answer to this question may give me insight to the person I'm about to hire. Frankly, I don't necessarily care what someone reads over the summer, as long as they are reading something, and they are passionate about what they share.

In addition, asking someone what they have read recently may also give me a lead on my own next summer read! From interviews, I've learned about Daniel Pink's Drive, about Tony Dungy's Uncommon and about Jim Knight's Instructional Coaching. The information I gained from these books have been worth so much to me.

The next time you are interviewing possible teacher candidates, ask this question. You may take away more from that question than you do from the entire interview!

By the way, I just finished up Janet Evanovich's Top Seceret Twenty-One and I enjoyed EVERY minute of it!

Don't Forget Where You Come From

On Monday night, one of my favorite Twitter chats #vachat was cancelled, so I went through my followers to see what else they were jumping in on that night. One of the people I follow, Jayme Linton, hosts a chat called #edteach. #Edteach is a site primarily for new and aspiring teachers, but I decided to jump on. The topic for the evening was all about the importance of relationships; and being new to a school this year, it's been a topic at the forefront of many conversations I've had this year.

I really appreciated this chat for several reasons: The questions were posted ahead of time, the facilitator provided guidance to those who were new to "Tweeting as a professional", and the questions and answers were extremely thoughtful.

What I appreciated most was the extreme positive vibe I was getting from being a participant. Though it has been over 15 years since I watched my very first set of students walk in my classroom door, I remember that day like it was yesterday. I also remember the extreme feeling of completely untarnished optimism I had. While I remain optimistic of the profession I have chosen, I've had to become adept at navigating those obstacles which can prevent us as educators from making the impact we desire.

These new and aspiring teachers (and some veterans) were also able to offer one another some sage advice that we can sometimes forget in our day-to-day pursuits of educational excellence.

• @mj_maher - Be genuinely interested in all of your students. Especially those who seem out of place. 
• @ruralteacher - Be careful of the negative view some people have of others. Form your own opinions, especially with students. You may be their shining light!
• @lfarnsworth12 - Show them that you care about them inside and outside of the classroom. 

My mother, who is a retired educator, has always told me to make sure that your professional development experiences are not strictly centered around being an educational leader. Participate in some of the same PD sessions teachers participate in. It's profound advice. Not only will you learn something new, your educational foundation will strengthen. If you participate in some of the same PD sessions as YOUR OWN teachers, you will strengthen your relationship with them as well.

Remember, as long as you are an educator, never get so far from the classroom that you are unable to make your way back.