Step Outside Your School

This week in New Jersey educators had Thursday and Friday off to attend the Teachers' Convention in Atlantic City.  I believe this is something New Jersey gets right!  Giving teachers two days to develop their craft, learn new strategies, collaborate with colleagues, and maybe even have some fun in A.C. at the same time.  I am addicted to learning new things, but I did not attend the Convention this year.  Instead I took Tony Sinanis up on his offer to see his school, Cantiague Elementary, in action.  I connected with Tony on Twitter over a year ago, was able to meet him at Joe Mazza's #ParentCamp, and he is now my mentor via George Couros and his #SAVMP project.  Tony currently holds the title of Elementary Principal of the Year from the Bammy Awards, and his school was a National Blue Ribbon Award winner.  That is a lot of hardware for a school and I wanted to see what made Cantiague so great.  

1. Student Choice 

Students had amazing opportunities when it came to choice.  When visiting Reading Workshop classes the teacher used authentic texts to instruct and then every student had books to choose from.  As I traveled from room to room students were excited about reading and eager to discuss their books with Mr. Sinanis.  In kindergarten students were able to fill their bags with short books for them to practice their reading.  In other grades there were projects that were allowed to be completed many different ways.  From posters, and models to PowerPoints, and Prezis it was clear the students were given many choices along the way.   

2. Rigor

Yes, I know this is the trendy word now in education and I have to admit every time I hear it I picture kids sweating over a worksheet.  In Tony's school there was rigor because the teachers had such high expectations.  In a fourth grade Reading Workshop lessons the teachers and students were having a back and forth conversation about symbolism.  As Tony gave new parents a tour of the school, the parents were amazed by the reading taking place.  As they entered a new room they saw students independently devouring books and the mom said to Tony, "So ... this is second grade?"  Tony politely corrected her and told her they were actually in a kindergarten class.  

3. Teaching Philosophy

The teachers at Cantiague all worked towards teaching in small groups or teaching 1:1.  In most classes the lessons were set up in a way where the teacher taught a new concept to the students in about 10-15 minutes, then visited students to work with them in a smaller setting.  As teachers met with the students they were constantly taking notes, most of them on iPads, using programs like Evernote and Google Docs to document the learning taking place.  I saw teachers who had the conferencing part down to a science, they would meet with student for about seven minutes, gain some insight into how the student was doing with a specific skill, offer some helpful hints, take notes, and move on to the next student.  It felt like I was watching a doctor do medical rounds, I was amazed.  I believe the school has this practice down so well because it's Instructional Leader still takes part in the lessons.  He will sit on the floor with students to read and ask questions, and he practices what he preaches.  

4. Allignment

Every class had recently published their Writing Workshop pieces and displayed them for everyone to see.  There was no class that was Going Rogue, or marching to the beat of a different drummer.  The teachers know they have a tremendously important role to play in a student's education.  But at Cantiague they see the bigger picture.  The teachers see how when everyone in the school picks up the same rope and pulls in the same direction they have a greater impact on a student than just one year, they are setting up that student to have great success year after year after year.

                          

5. Love

I have a feeling many administrators are trying to do the things Tony has accomplished.  They are trying to align their curriculum in a meaningful way, they are trying to have all teachers agree on the same basic principals of a teaching philosophy, and trying to have rigor added to the curriculum.  What separates Tony from most principals is his love of his students and of his teachers.  The teachers know when he introduces a change he is doing it with the best interest of his students in mind.  They can see how he greats students and finds out about their personal lives.  Tony is a resource to his teachers so when he has an idea he goes into their classroom and models what it could look like.  As we walked from room to room there was never a time when a teacher tensed-up because the principal was in the room.  It is such a common practice for Tony to enter classrooms the learning just continued.  Teachers also indicated to me how nice it was to get notes from him when he visits.  The only time Tony was in his office the entire time I visited the school was to film one of his school videos.  He loves his school so much he needs to be immersed in it everyday.  Tony's nurturing, loving quality is what has allowed his school to become great.

I'd like to thank Tony for allowing me to step into his school and learn about the wonderful things going on at Cantiauge.  While I know I missed the New Jersey Teachers' Convention, I left inspired by what I saw at Cantiague.  As an administrator is difficult to step outside of your own school and see how things could be done differently in another school.  While it is not easy, I encourage others to find a school you respect greatly, and go there.  Not for a lesson or two, but for as much of the day as you can, to discover how it became great.  

How Many Windows Does Your School Have?

One of the things I am most passionate about is trying to make our schools as transparent as possible.  We live in a world where you can start your car from 1,000 miles away (still not sure why you would need to do this), answer emails anywhere you can receive a cell signal, and check your bank account 24/7 and know the exact balance to the penny.  With all of these new technologies we need to leverage some of them to help parents stay more informed about their most prized possession, their children.  We need to create virtual windows where parents can connect with the school on their phone or computer.  Here are three ways to try and make your school more transparent.  


1. Weekly Newsletter
Traditionally parents have received a weekly newsletter from schools keeping them informed about the learning that takes place in the building.  There were two problems with this.  1st many students would lose the newsletter before they walked in the door to show mom and dad.  2nd it is from an adult perspective, not one of the students who are the experts about what is happening in school.  Students are the ones living it every day and we should consult them.  To address this problem I tried to emulate Tony Sinanis and contact a weekly podcast to keep parents informed.  The feedback from parents has been very positive, they love being informed and seeing the students front and center is what makes the videos amazing.  

2. Window into the Classroom
When I sent out our first video I asked parents for any feedback they could give me.  I thank them for getting back to me with two suggestions.  #1:  Fix the camera angle so the viewer doesn't feel like they are looking up the entire video.  That will be an easy fix, no problem there.  #2: Parents would like to see images of students in action as they are learning.  While I will not be able to incorporate those action shots into the Weekly Podcast we send out, we do have an idea to help parents see students in action.  Our administration is hoping our Board of Education will allow us to take pictures of the students in action and then use Twitter to share those images of students with parents.  At the end of the week we will send out an email via Storify to show the parents action shots of the students.  By creating this window into the classrooms we are hoping to change the conversation at home.  As students come home from school the question is no longer, "What did you do in school today?" It is now, "Tell me more about that science experiment I saw you working on today."  It allows parents to stay engaged and have much more meaningful conversations with their students.  



3. Phone Calls Home
While new technologies are great, a phone call home is necessary to communicate with parents on a more personal level.  This year we have our grade level teams to reach out and contact parents at least once by phone before our Back to School Night.  The teachers who have done this have received positive feedback from parents.  Teachers said parents were so surprised to get a phone call when their son or daughter was doing well.  I have tried once a week to make a positive phone call home to at least one student this year.  There are weeks where I have been able to call up to five and weeks where I only called one.  As an administrator I need to do a better job calling parents about the positive, our school has so many fantastic students it is not difficult to find some to highlight.  I just need to do a better job balancing my time to make this possible.  

I am hopeful these three windows, along with traditional ones, will keep parents better informed about what is happening in our schools.  In our community most families have two parents who are at work during the day.  When they come home at night they are busy with so many things from making dinner, to driving to lacrosse practice, to helping with homework, they don't always have time to take a breath and have a long conversation about what happened in school.  Most parents do have a phone however, and if we can push out meaningful information to a parent's phone they can look at that information at a time that is convenient for them.  Parents are our most valuable allies, and we need to do everything we can to keep them informed, breakdown the walls of the school, and get them involved.  I'd like to thank Amber Teamann for reminding me that regardless of family income or background, students with involved parents are more likely to:   

• Earn higher grades and test scores, and enroll in higher-level programs
• Be promoted, pass their classes, and earn credits
• Hve better social skills, show improved behavior, and adapt well to school
• Graduate and go on to postsecondary education. (Henderson & Mapp 2002)

I am a new administrator, and I realize I have a great deal to learn.  If you have other ideas on how to 'Add More Windows' into your school, help keep parents informed,  and become more involved in the school I would love to hear them.

5 Things My Professional Learning Workshops Should Include

Recently my school district had an all day Professional Learning Day.  The administrative team was looking to do something different than just lecture at the teachers for a whole day and I was more than happy to help.  These were the 5 things I tried to do to ensure this Professional Learning Day was meaningful for the teachers in my school district.

1. Show the Teachers You Care
To show the teachers how much we care about them we provided them with a breakfast we thought would start the day off right.  As the teachers came in I made sure they had hot pancakes I was making on a large griddle I brought from home.  I am not a cook by any means, and getting eggs and flour over myself was a definite possibility so I took the easy way out and bought Shake - N - Pour pancake mix.  All I had to do was add water, shake, and flip pancakes.  So yes, I did cheat a little with how I made them, but I thought it was important to provide the teachers with something to eat before I asked them to join us in a day of learning.

2. Choice
Weeks before the Professional Learning Day we sent out a Google Form together input as to what the teachers would like to learn about.  We then sent out a Google Spreadsheet to everyone with a maximum of 25 seats in session.  Student  - teacher ratios are always important, no one should have to learn in a room of 50 people.  Each session was an hour long and some only appeared once, while others that were more popular appeared 4 times on the schedule.

3. Connect with Experts
We then found teachers who were experts in these categories to teach the teachers.  I am always amazed at how willing our staff is to share their expertise with others in a meaningful way.  I ran a session on Flipped Classroom and shared what I did as a teacher for about half of the session.  I wanted to make sure the teachers did not leave my session without getting to talk with other experts who have Flipped their classroom because so many people have ideas and tips that I would have left out.  I went to my PLN and found three of the most knowledgable Flipped Classroom teachers I could have asked for  to join me.  Delia Bush, Stacy Lovdahl, and Dayson Pasion joined us via Google Hangout for about 20 minutes.  I am beyond grateful to these three educators who gave up their own valuable time on a Monday to join our session and provide valuable insight.  They did things like give up their prep and ask their principal to if they could rearrange their schedule just to help other educators learn how to improve their craft. The insight was powerful and motivating for the teachers in this session, and the conversations I could hear from teachers later that day were all about the guests that were brought in.

For the last 10 minutes a teacher who had begun laying the ground work for Flipping her class, Amanda McPeek, showed the steps she had already taken to begin Flipping her classroom.  The teachers were impressed by Amanda, but it also showed the teachers it could be done by someone locally.  She was able to help take the fear of trying something new out of the room.

4. Focus on Relationships
Our campus has two schools across the street from one another, one is a K-4 building and the other is 5-8.  We wanted to close with some fun activities that bring the teachers from the two buildings together.  So when the teachers gathered in the cafeteria for the end of the day they had to have half the table made up of elementary teachers  and the other half middle school teachers.  Once we did that we played three team building games.

• Yank Me
• Wet Ball
• Suck it Up

These games gave the teachers a chance to problem solve, talk, and most important laugh with one another.  After a full day of learning it was important for me to send them off with a smile on their face.

5. Reflection
The next day we sent out another Google Form where the teachers reflected on each session they went to and rated it (thanks for the help Brad Currie).  We will be sharing that feedback with the teachers who presented so they can hear the great things the teachers have to say about their sessions, or learn how to improve for next time.

I know I still want to do improve, for example I didn't record the Google Hangout session I had with those Flipped Class experts and I know I should have.  If anyone out there knows how to schedule an event in Google Plus and have it record please let me know.  This was by no means a perfect Professional Learning Day, but it is one I was proud of.

Introducing Connected Education

Source: http://nickapedia.com/2010/09/30/vision-of-a-creator-the-silent-revolution-in-technology/

Recently I had my first Back to School Night as an administrator and I was excited about a few minor changes that were taking place. (Click here to read about this in a previous post.)   One of the changes I was most excited about having our first ever Student Ambassadors be a part of our back to school night.  The students were to introduce teachers and discuss how they overcame difficulties during a class or talk about a challenging and exciting project students should be looking out for.  When these students were selected they were extremely excited.  They were filled with pride and smiled ear to ear as they entered my office and I handed them a permission slip that needed to be signed by their parents.  At the bottom of the permission slip I made it a requirement for the students to reflect on their experience.  I did this for three reasons, to reflect, connect, and inspire.

Student Reflection:
Most of the time we ask students to reflect after they have done something wrong, we rarely ask them to stop and take a few minutes to reflect after being successful.  All of our students were extremely successful, they shared favorite moments from last year in school, they provided parents with helpful hints on how to navigate a new grade level successfully, and even provided a laugh with an inside story about a teacher.  Many of the students wrote down what they would say and practiced several times at home in front of parents or even in front of a mirror and I wanted them to see how this hard-work and preparation lead to success.  I was hopeful they would come to realize that even if they were nervous they are capable of controlling their fear and overcome it.

Student Connection:
My school is a place where students and teachers are passionate about learning and growing.  It is a place where you will see teachers go out of their way to help students on both a personal and academic level.  It is a place where once new ideas are shared teachers and students are both eager to try something new.  I realize how lucky I am to be in a school that values new ideas, and I want to help both the staff and students see beyond the walls of the classroom.  A first step in accomplishing this goal was to post Student Ambassador reflections below.  I am asking readers to please leave comments for these tremendous students to show them how powerful it can be to connect with educators and students outside of their school.  They have not had much experience connecting with 'outsiders' and I would be grateful for them to have this experience.

Student Inspiration:
Once students realize they have an audience outside of the school that is interested in his/her Student Ambassador experience, I am hoping a few students become inspired to share something they are personally passionate about online.  Connecting about a school assignment the Assistant-Principal assigned is one thing, but connecting with others about your passion is quite another.  I am hopeful students are inspired to share their passion with others in a positive way online.  If they are able to do so it will change the way they learn and grow exponentially, I know it did for me.

Skyler's Reflection

Mikey's Reflection

Grace's Reflection

An's Reflection

Jack's Reflection

Dayton's Reflection

Dayton's reflection on Back to School Night

     
      Hello, my name is Dayton. I recently was chosen as student ambassador, for back to school night at Byram Intermediate. When one of my former teachers had told me that I was chosen, I was actually a little confused. Our school has never done this before! But once my teacher explained what we were going to do, I was so excited! As student ambassador, my job was to talk about a few of the teachers I had the year prior. I had to describe my experience, my favorite things that I did, and give a few tips! That night after I was chosen I immediately began to work on my summaries of the year I had with certain teachers! It was pretty fun to sum up my year for other parents and students to hear about.
     
    Once back to school night arrived, I was super excited! I was very eager to share my experiences with the parents and students. A few of the other ambassadors were nervous, but I got past my nerves and was ready to share. When I was called up to speak I read in a microphone, which was pretty fun! I had talked three different times that night. The first was about my math teacher, then my social studies, and lastly my Spanish teacher! The parents seemed to enjoy having a student talk about the teachers, instead of always having the teachers always talking. I enjoyed it too!    Overall, my experience as student ambassador was awesome! I really enjoyed it and felt proud of myself that I was chosen to do it. I really had a great time, and I think it was a great idea that my school decided to do this!
                                                                                                                                          


Thank You,
                                                                                                                                                              Dayton

An's Reflection on Back to School Night

     My name is An, and  I am in six grade at Byram Intermediate School of New Jersey.  At first, I would like to say thank you to the principals and the teachers who had come up the Student Ambassador Program.  I also would like to send a special thanks to Mr. Morris and Mrs. Garrity who had been chosen me to be Student Ambassador for back to school night.  I was very honor to be in it.  I felt great when I can be able to share all of my experience to the new fifth graders parent.  At that moment, I was nervous and  overwhelmed to be in front of everybody.  It took me a few seconds to be calm and then  I ready to speak.  I was so excited about it and proud of myself to be able to speak in front of the fifth grade parents.  I am so glad I did it.  If I can do it, so can everyone.  I really have a great experience being student ambassador.  I hope that everyone will be working hard and having a lot of fun.

Grace's Reflection on Back to School Night

Dear Mr. Fritzky,

The moment I found out I was selected to be Student Ambassador, I was honored and thrilled. I felt honored because my teachers selected me, out of all the students in my grade, to speak on their behalf. I was also happy because I loved my new title, Ambassador. 

Over the weekend I had to write my speeches. At first I had no clue what to write. Then, I just started to remember what I learned from each teacher and all the fun projects we were assigned. After that, writing each speech was a breeze and I completed the task quickly. When we got back to school, we had to share our speeches with the other ambassadors and teachers. I felt very comfortable and confident speaking in front of them. The day before back to school night, I practiced in front of my family. I stuttered on some words, but practiced more and got the hang of it. 

Finally, it was back to school night. As I made my way to school, I started to worry about everything that could go wrong. Maybe I would mess up or make a mistake. When I looked out into the crowd and saw all the eyes waiting for me to speak, I had some butterflies. Each teacher we wrote about spoke first and then introduced us. I heard my name called and I stood up. I took the microphone and started to speak. With every word, I became more comfortable and confident. By the end of the night, I had finished my speeches and I was proud of myself. I loved being Student Ambassador and I hope I will be asked to do it again next year.

Mikey's Reflection on Back to School Night

     First, I want to thank the principals and the fifth grade staff for picking me to be an ambassador.  I think this is a great idea because it shows fifth grade student's parents the school and examples of great students the year before and what their children should do right. It is an amazing experience getting picked to be an ambassador.  It also showed me that my hard work paid off. To me it felt like getting an award.  Again I want to thank the fifth grade staff for picking me.  I think B.I.S.should continue this program for a long time.

Jack's Reflection on Back to School Night

Dear Mr. Fritzky,

 I’m writing this to tell you about my experiences as a student ambassador at Back to School Night. First of all, I had a wonderful and awesome time working at the event. When I first talked to Mr. Best and was asked to do this, I was a little nervous. He told me that I was assigned to speak about Mr. Mendez, Mrs. Boyer, and him. I started to feel a little better after being told this because those were the three teachers I knew the most about. When it came to Back to School Night I got really nervous! I wasn’t the first one to speak but when I did speak I just let it go and said my speech and I was so happy that I did it. It turns out that it was a very fun experience and I think the parents in the audience liked it too. This program was a very good idea because it gave parents a good idea of what students thought about the teachers and also tips on how to succeed in that grade.  I would definitely recommend doing this again next year. Thank you again for letting me be a part of this.

                                                                        Sincerely,

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Jack 

Skylar's Reflection on Back to School Night

“I’d love to do it!” These 5 words started it all. Mrs. Garrity and Mr. Morris called An and I out of Mr. Vogel’s room and they told us they wanted us to be student ambassadors and I felt so honored that they had chosen me as one of 4 kids in the whole grade! Being a student ambassador was an amazing experience for me and will be for many more kids to come. This was one of the most amazing things that had ever happened to me.

              Being a student ambassador was really a great experience. The Tuesday that was 2 days before back to school night Josh, Mikey, An, and I all went into Mr. Morris’s room to talk. We talked and chose the topics we were going to do at back to school night. We decided that we were going to go up in pairs so it would be less scary than going up alone one at a time. My partner was An. Our 3 topics were the 5th grade teachers, before and after school activities, and the field trip. We both decided to write our speeches on Wednesday before we met again on Thursday the day of Back to School Night.

              It was Thursday the day of back to school night and we were all in Mrs. Garrity’s talking about our speeches. Mrs. Garrity took An and I to work with and Mr. Morris took Josh and Mikey to work with.  An and I decided to do our speech so that I would say the opening I made, read my part, An reads her part, and so on. An made a closing for our speech and I thought it was really cool. I was very nervous to be speaking in front of all of these parents.

              It was the actual night of back to school night and I was SUPER nervous. My mom said just to relax. I knew that I shouldn’t be so nervous because I am very used to speaking in front of people. I walked into the gym and saw An and Mikey. They both looked so dressed up. All we were waiting for was for Josh to arrive. Josh finally came so we could all practice now. The boys went first and then the girls went. We all did amazing. Then, when it was the real thing NONE of us messed up! I was still very shocked that I could do that. I am so honored that I got to be one of the first people to ever do that! Thank you Mr. Morris and Mrs. Garrity for choosing me to be able to be one of the first ever School Ambassadors!

3 Changes to Back to School Night

I recently helped to organize my first Back to School Night as a Vice-Principal.  As my principal, Fran Schlenoff (an amazing leader), and I began to plan for the night we looked at what was done previously and didn't want to change things that worked in years past, but there were changes we wanted to make.

In the past all the parents met in the school auditorium where the principal greeted and welcomed them.  Once everyone was seated the principal spoke, the PTA president said a few words, and then our Education Association president made some remarks before.  Parents were then dismissed to meet with the teachers of their student as a grade level team.

Highlight the Teachers
Our principal thought it was important to recognize our staff with all the parents present.   To do this we arranged seats for them in the auditorium facing the other parents.  When their name was called they quietly stood so all parents could see them.  I know this might seem like a small step however, I think it sends a powerful message. These teachers are here to be recognized for their efforts in the school, and they deserve to be a part of this large group gathering.  It was important to face the audience so when they do stand all the parents can see who it is.  I had never thought of this before but most of the time when a teacher is introduced so many parents just see the back of the teacher's head.

Student Highlight Reel
I wanted to provide parents with a window into our school so they could see the students in the halls with friends, working in small groups on science experiments, and actively engaged in learning in every subject area.  I emailed the teachers and told them I was putting together a highlight-film to show the parents at back to school night, if they had something they wanted me to see please email me and I would do my best to make it into their room.  Being a new administrator I was afraid many of the teachers would be reluctant to invite me into the classroom, but I was wrong.  Many of the teachers wanted a chance to share what they were doing, and were excited to have an administrator take note of their great work.

I went into the classrooms armed with my iPhone and took pictures and short video clips from every grade level and many different subject areas.  I clipped the images and videos together using iMovie and had "Home" by Phillip Phillips as the background music.  At our Back to School Night we played the video and received a round of applause from the parents who were there.  I learned whenever possible highlight the students in action because it is the students everyone wants to see.

Student Ambassadors
The next change we made involving students was our Student Ambassadors.  Each grade level in our school addresses parents after meeting in the auditorium.  We asked each grade to choose about three students from the previous year's class to introduce teachers, share memorable experiences, and provide advice for parents on how to help.  These Student Ambassadors were a huge hit, they came dressed professionally to our Back to School Night, and were able to explain things through the eyes of a student.  It is one thing for a teacher to say, "This year will be challenging, but your son/daughter will grow a lot this year."  It is quite another to hear a student say, "I had a really difficult time learning how to be a good writer at the beginning of 5th grade, but with the help of my teachers, I can now say I am a great writer."  Both parents and teachers provided us with positive feedback about the student ambassadors, and it is something that will be part of our Back to School Night routine next year.

By recognizing our teachers and placing students at the center of our Back to School Night I believe we made some significant improvements, however there is still more work to be done.  For example, next year I want to provide child-care for parents, I do not want the lack of childcare to be an obstacle for parents to have to overcome.  I'm sure there are many other ways to make our Back to School Night experience a better one.  I would love to hear other suggestions educators, parents or administrators have that has made your Back to School Night a success.

Trust #SAVMP

As I enter my first year as an administrator I realize how important trust is in a school system.  It is what holds us together, and allows us to build something great.  There are so many relationships within a school that rely on trust.  The trust that exists, or does not exist between parents, teachers, and administration lays the groundwork for success.  I do not believe that just because there is trust a school will automatically be successful, but without a strong, trusting relationship there can be no success.

As I was beginning to learn about my new school, I quickly learned something went wrong last year.  Both myself, and the principal are new.  The old administration of principal and vice-principal only lasted a year.  I'm sure there was a list of reasons why the administration had to be changed after only a year, and I would guarantee a lack of trust was extremely high on the list.

Knowing this I wanted to start off on the right foot, and get to know the teachers' strengths.  So the first thing I did was make sure I knew as much as I could about each staff member.  I read through all their past observations and was amazed at the talent that lies within this school.  I started taking notes about amazing things these educators are doing and I have tried to commit them to memory, but honestly the list seems to go on and on and I don't think I will have them memorized by the time school starts.

To let the staff begin to know me, I called them at home.  I just wanted to introduce myself as the new Assistant Principal, and let them know if they ever needed anything throughout the year they could always come and see me.  I told them how I excited I was to see their lessons in person.  I said thank you for some of the things they have done for the district in the past, and while I was not there to observe these accomplishments, they no doubt made our school and community stronger.  

I know I have a long way to go, that trust is not something you can snap your fingers and earn. I hope by reaching out to the staff we have begun the process of building a relationship where we can trust each other.  I know there will be difficult times that arise throughout the year, but if I can trust the teachers, and they can trust me, we can work together to do what is best for the students.

What is Your Vision for Your School? #SAVMP

As part of the School Administration Virtual Mentorship Program the question I was asked was: "What is your vision for your school?"  I feel as though when I think about what I want my school to be, there is way too much  My vision can be broken down into three parts for teachers and students:

Be kinder than necessary

Find what excites or motivations you and go for it.

Don't settle, for OK, make yourself amazing.

As I was sitting down to write this post I saw what Jason Markey was doing as he welcomed his freshman to his school for the first time.  If you haven't seen the welcome video his staff and students created you should watch it here.  This is definitely something I would like to do next year.  Towards the end of the video he asks three things of his students:

Be kind

Find your passion

Commit to Excellence

I quickly realized that Jason's had a much cleaner way of delivering that same message and it is important this message be clear and repeatable, so I will be using some of his phrases as I explain my vision.

Be Kinder Than Necessary

Middle school is a tough place, and I believe it is difficult because students are trying to learn who they are, what they should be like.  As they attempt to figure this out they will undoubtably try on many hats, and that is a good thing, to find their true voice, to find who they really are and the people that make them happy.  However, I want to deliver the message that no matter who you decide to be, no matter what group of people you surround yourself with, we all need to be kinder than necessary.   As many of you know I am stealing the phrase from the book Wonder, about a 5th grade student entering middle school for the first time.  No matter what level of education you are involved with, if kindness is an important message you want to deliver you need to read this book. Being kind to one another allows students to open up and be themselves, it allows them to take risks, it allows them to focus on school instead of worrying about what someone else is going to do or say to them.

Find Your Passion

I want my school to be a place where students are excited to learn.  While it is true that every student cannot be excited about every single lesson, I believe it is up to every school and every student to develop their passions.  We loose too many students, and I believe a great number of boys, through our belief in what school should be.  I want to encourage teachers to take calculated risks, to allow students to develop their interests.  While I would not make it mandatory, I would encourage teachers to create their own Genius Hour, or develop their own Innovation Day to help students develop these passions.  Seth Godin struck a cord with me when he said, "If it is work, they try to figure out how to do less, if it is art, they try to figure out how to do more."   I want to help the teachers make learning as authentic as they can to help drive our education to become more like art.  If school is supposed to be for the students, shouldn't we at least discover what they students are passionate about?

Commit to Excellence

Being good at something is easy, achieving excellence is hard.  I want my school to be a place where everyone realizes their is a price for greatness.  To be great you must, you must first acknowledge there are things you need to work on and improve.  That self-reflection can be scary the first time you do it, and if the school is not a kind place to be, it will never happen.  Next you must commit to fighting through tough times.  We must let students and staff know there will be times during the year when you are having difficulty, how are we going to handle it?  We need to persevere and keep moving forward to develop our grit.  I am in agreement with Angela Lee Duckworth when she says that IQ scores, and socioeconomic status are not the best predictors of success outside of school, it is a students Grit, that is the best predictor.  How do they respond to adversity?  What happens when they fail?  How do they get up and keep working?  We need to all commit to excellence, develop our Grit, and keep moving forward.

This is the vision I have for my school.

Why Lead? #SAVMP

George Couros asked this question as part of his School Administrators Virtual Mentor Program, or #SAVMP, which I feel lucky enough to be a part of.  The reason I chose to be in a leadership position was because I feel as though teaching is difficult work.  It takes tremendous patience, determination, creativity, intelligence, and empathy to be a teacher.  On top of that, teachers are being pulled in many different directions lately with the sweeping changes that have come across the board.  In New Jersey over the last year teachers have had to adjust the three enormous changes:

• Become fluent with Common Core State Standards
• Adjust to a new assessment model through which they will be observed
• Deal with the continuing pressures of high-stakes testing

While I understand why these changes were made, and do not disagree with their potential positive impact on student learning, I feel teachers can become overwhelmed by them and not have the time to develop their passion.  

I read a story recently where President Kennedy was in a meeting with Charlie Luce Booth, a political advisor, who had some advice for the President.  He told the President his ideas were too scattered, and he wasn't focused enough on one or two things he was passionate about.  That he couldn't make a real impact and be remembered if did re-focus his energy.  Booth said:  

"A great man is a sentence.  'He preserved the union and freed the slaves ... or He lifted us out of  the Great Depression and helped win a World War'  A great man is a sentence.  What is yours Mr. President?"  

I want to help teachers to find their sentence.  For the last few years I have noticed teachers becoming so overwhelmed by what they must do, that they have a difficult time developing lessons they are passionate about.  Teachers are at their best when they can stand in front of a class excited about the lesson they are about to teach.  Students learn best from an engaging teacher who is completely engulfed in what he or she is teaching.  As a leader, I want to help teachers rediscover their passion and  develop their own sentence about who they are as a teacher.  I feel this will allow the teachers to inspire students to do great work instead of requiring work to be submitted.   Your thoughts?