Remember the Past, But Always Be Present

I absolutely LOVE working with kids because it gives me a legitimate reason to keep up with pop culture. If it wasn't for children, I may very well have succumbed to a life of "90s music stations and watching NCIS years ago. Not that there is anything wrong with either...

Today was one of those days that I was happy to be living in Virginia...71 and sunny at it's highpoint...at the beginning of February. I paid homage to the Beetle convertible sitting in the garage by washing her off, shining her up, and driving her around town with the top down in this GLORIOUS weather. At one point, Wil Smith's "Summertime" came on the radio, and it almost felt like summer (if you could forget about the fact that all the trees were bare). I have to admit that I probably did turn up the volume to a slightly obnoxious level at one point today. 

I bring this up because while I enjoy a '90's moment like that from time to time, I also work very hard to live in the present. Why? Because it is what the kids I work with on a daily basis are living in ALL THE TIME.  

It makes me cringe sometimes when teachers and staff members I work with reminisce on old materials they worked with, and wonder why they can't work with them anymore. Living in the now is a very important concept when working with children. It's all they know. The past is "old school" to them, and they treat it as history as opposed to nostalgia. While it is OK to be nostalgic about Cole Porter, Frank Sintra, The Beatles, Aerosmith, NKOTB, or Britney Spears...yes, Britney Spears; as educators, it is so important to have the ability to acknowledge the past, but live in the present. Your students live in the present. You need to be able to relate to them. There are actually organizations in corporate America that encourage it's staff members to to read People magazine. 

Take time this week to truly relate to your kids and the world they live in. You may actually enjoy it! 

When to Favorite, and When to Reply

Everyone loves a good list. Though I had been on Twitter for a few years, I didn’t become a regular at “Tweeting” until this past year. It was a New Year’s resolution to do so, and I did a pretty good job of sticking with it. One of the things I had to get the hang of has to do with favoriting things. I have over 1200 favorites on my Twitter feed, and I don’t know why I favorite half of them. Upon reflection, I have actually been able to put my Tweets into three categories

• “Thank You” Favorites – For those times when I clicked on that star as an acknowledgement of a comment or a mention.
•  “Great Point” Favorites – Given when someone made a great comment or point.
• “Purposeful” Favorites – Given when I came across a Tweet that contained an awesome quote, picture, or link. Something I would want to save for later.

That being said, I would like to share five of my favorites for this year. To see all of my favorites, follow me @JaimeStacy.

#5 – Quote by Rick Dufour. While I feel it is absolutely essential for educators to believe that all students can learn, I believe it is important for teachers to build and sustain a toolbox they can draw from to work with students who aren’t learning. https://twitter.com/edunators/status/306820940120088576/photo/1

"Don't tell me you believe all students can learn. Tell me what you do when they don't." Rick DuFour

#4 – A Quote by Sir Ken Robinson "If you sit kids down doing low grade clerical work, don't be surprised if they fidget a bit."

                  If you haven’t seen his “Schools Kill Creativity” TED Talk, you need to. I still see too many worksheets being used where a different activity could be substituted.

#3 – A great representation of the theory of innovation for educators. I especially like the part about the “wood”.
http://theasideblog.blogspot.com/2014/08/resource-roundup-pencil-metaphor-point.html

#2 – From Edweek – Tips for giving feedback. http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/coaching_teachers/2014/03/tips_for_giving_feedback.html

These came out near the end of the school year, right at a time when I was giving year-end evals. There were some great suggestions here.

#1 – “Be More Dog” Video – This is a great video to show when you want to encourage people to get out of their comfort zone. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMzgl0nFj3s&sns=tw

Now that I’ve gotten the hang of Tweeting, I am going to be a little more discriminating with that little gold star. I will only favorite something that I truly want to save. Basically, that means I will only save my "Purposeful" favorites. However, that does NOT mean I’m going to stop acknowledging the “Thank You” or “Great Point” favorites. Instead, I plan on replying to that individual to acknowledge their comment. After all, if someone took the time to think about something I said or posted, I owe it to them to respond in kind. Of course, I may have to rethink that if I get a zillion replies!

Personal Professional Goals

At the beginning of each school year, I have to write a professional growth plan based on the goals of our school and school division. In addition to these goals, I also choose some personal professional goals to reach.

I had made a resolution at the beginning of the new year to maintain a Personal Learning Network (PLN) through Twitter. Prior to that point, I had done very little with Twitter or Personal Learning Networks, and I knew I really needed to. In the months to come, a whole new world of FREE professional development opportunities opened up to me. In fact, my personal professional goals for this year come directly from ideas generated through my PLN.

Goal 1: Maintain Regular "No Office" Days.

I am sincerely worried about the amount of change we are asking of our teachers this year. In addition to working with a new student database system which includes a new electronic grade book and method for posting assignments, we are also giving each one of their students a Chromebook. One evening, a member of #cmsk12chat mentioned the concept of "no office" days. Basically, select days to work outside the office. I'm hoping that in doing this, I will have a better idea of what is going on in classrooms. I'm hoping that by spending more times with teachers and students, I will be better equipped to accomplish my second goal.

Goal 2: Make Sure Those I Work With Experience Personalized Learning

As our school division implements so many new initiatives this year, there will be teachers who will embrace them and instantly thrive in their new teaching environment. Others will need some guidance to be more successful. There will also be a group who will struggle, who will need intensive support and coaching. Using "no office" days will allow me to gain a greater understanding of what our teachers need. I can then seek out resources to help provide them with professional development or coaching that fits their individual needs. I'm willing to bet I could pair them up with a PLN that would help them grow like I have. I know there will also be some tough conversations that will take place as a result of what I see, and that is why my final goal is so important.

Goal 3: Maintain Authenticity

One of my absolute favorite chats, #leadwithgiants, takes place on Monday nights at 7:00 p.m. They discuss trends in leadership. Back in June the topic was centered around authenticity. Being new to a building last year, I was afraid that I had lost some of who I was trying to fit in with the culture there. What I ended up realizing is that in order to best serve those I work alongside, I need to be true to myself.  I am at my most confident when I am true to myself. The teachers, students, and staff members I work along side deserve the very best from me, and I need to be at my best in order to give my best.

As you reflect on your upcoming year, be sure sure that the goals you set help your school and your division. However, make sure to set some goals which help grow yourself as well; because If you stop learning, those you work alongside aren't going to learn very much either.