We finished our third day of school today. It's amazing how quickly we settle into our routines. How do we re-establish those routines but guard against the complacency of doing things the way we have always done them? How can we start the year with a new set of lenses through which to view our learning community? Can we get in the habit of asking "Why?" so we know our decisions are
meaningful and purposeful?
Today I was strolling around the cafeteria helping students open the juice boxes, milk cartons, and string cheese wrappers when a second grader stopped me as I walked by. He said, "My name is Jaden. I'm new here and who are you?" I love the way he felt comfortable enough to strike up this conversation. I told him my name and that I was the principal. I knew he had transfered from another school in our district and told him that his principal had told me he was coming to our school. We had a brief conversation, and I moved on. I won't forget Jaden's name tomorrow or the next. We have made a connection. My challenge is to make those connections with all the children at our school.
Tomorrow will be the end of our first week of school. We are settling in and making our new friends feel welcome. The hope of the new school year is ahead of us.
Today, June 12, Scott McLeod from Dangerously Irrelevant is holding a blogging Leadership Day. I am really anxious to read what others post.
My thoughts on this Leadership Day ...
For me, it is the power of conversations about learning and teaching and the potential of technology that will move people toward new ways of thinking.
It's having clear expectations that we will enable our students to pursue learning in new ways and that we will give them the privilege and the responsibility to enrich their learning with new technologies.
It's encouraging teachers to discover what new technologies have to offer and to begin a conversation about thoughtful and purposeful technology integration in the classroom.
As a leader, it is about knowing what you stand for. It's about holding onto what you believe about learning and teaching. It certainly isn't simply about technology. For me, it is about the unlimited potential of our children and their future.
My grandson, Zeke, is just learning to pull him self up to stand.
He is a sponge for all the new things he is discovering.
I love the fact that he found some books on his journeys today.
I am exploring ways to collaborate online. There are better ways to collect the thoughts of 50 or so staff members besides gathering them in a room to talk. I am also wondering how we can use collaborative online methods in the classroom.
Our teaching staff has tried Stixyboard as a way to collect people's thoughts on a topic. The Literacy Team has been sending a weekly question out to the staff on email. But the process was somewhat cumbersome. A person had to send the email, collect the responses, and paste all the responses together to share them with the staff. There had to be a better way.So we introduced Stixyboard to the staff. We sent out invitations to respond to a discussion topic. In this case, we wanted to collect people's thoughts on what CHOICE means in an elementary classroom. So we asked, "What does it mean to give kids CHOICE in your classroom as it relates to literacy?"
We asked staff members to respond individually and then continue to revisit the site to watch the number of comments grown and to read what others are thinking about choice in the classroom. Here's what our online collaboration looks like now.
We are excited about using this tool for continued conversations about learning and teaching. It is a format that is easy to use and a very effective way to collect thoughts from a large group of people.
If anyone is using Stixyboard, let me know. It would be good to gather all the creative ways people are finding to use it. And if you use it in the classroom with students, please also share your applications.
Have fun with Stixyboard!
I am working with a group of six kindergarten students who were identified as falling a bit behind in expected development of emergent reading skills. It is a great opportunity for me as a principal to exercise my teaching skills. We meet everyday for an hour.
When we first began to meet, I set out to get to know each one of the children. There were blaring deficiencies and a few strengths to build on. But when I asked one of the children to read something, he too quickly said, "I can't read." It was in that moment that I decided to prove him wrong. So as I work with these six children I will not accept low expectations. I began that day to convince them that they CAN read. It is often in the conversations that we build the confidence in reluctant learners.
It has been a great experience with these children. Yes, they are reading and continue to build their confidence and their skills. I have not heard, "I can't read" in a very long time.
I read a lot of blog posts today and spent some time (way too much) on Twitter. I always take away some new thought or reflection. In a post on Teaching with Technology Steve Kirkpatrick made a statement that made me think. He said,
"At which point did children stop going to school to ask questions and go to school to be given answers to remember?"
What have our schools become? How can we make our schools places where children come to ask questions? In another recent post, Angela Maiers shared a wonderful video of her lesson with first graders about how learners constantly ask questions. Take a moment to watch it.
I am wondering if we ever slow down enough so kids can ask the questions. If we don't take the time to stop and listen, their questions just might stop. That's a very scary thought. I can imagine a school where children walk through the door each day with a "Good morning", a smile to start the day, and a brain filled with questions and inquiries.
"Do you know..."
"I am wondering..."
"What might happen if..."
"How ..."
"Why..."
School would, once again, be a place where children came to ask questions. How would our classroom conversations be different? Would students feel differently about school? How would learning look and sound? I would like to find out.
I have been spending so much time on the internet lately that I feel like I have lost some balance in my life. Don't get me wrong. I am learning so much and growing my Professional Learning Network (PLN). It is difficult to even explain how my learning has changed. But I admit that I am somewhat addicted to time online.
So when I read the recent blog post by The Cool Cat Teacher I was reminded that while our lives continue to move forward "like a speeding bullet" we should "Do What We Can" and "Share What We Can." My blog posts are few and far between. Yet each day I am learning, doing and sharing in many ways. Unfortunately, I am spending less time on writing blog posts and more time on teacher evaluations, school newsletters, writing grants, learning, school wikis, twitter and such. Some of this I truly enjoy and some of it just needs to get finished and off my plate. So I am doing and sharing in many ways. In the quiet moments of my days, I slow down to connect with my new grandson, Zeke, who is truly a joy.
Sometime soon, I hope, there will be time to reflect, post on my blog, write a book and the endless other things on my "to do" list. For now, I am doing and sharing what I can.
We finished our third day of school today. It's amazing how quickly we settle into our routines. How do we re-establish those routines but guard against the complacency of doing things the way we have always done them? How can we start the year with a new set of lenses through which to view our learning community? Can we get in the habit of asking "Why?" so we know our decisions are
