Ding, Ding, Ding...Round 5

Ding, Ding, Ding...Round 5. No, I'm not talking about boxing. After living with Robert Burr for the past 20 years, he would say the only sports I should be talking about would be football, girls basketball and golf. Actually, he would say I didn't need to be talking about any sports at all and he's right, so I'll stick to education.  When I say Round 5, I'm referring to the NEE evaluation cycle Mr. Phillps and I are completing this month.  We are in our fifth round. We have jumped into high gear. On an average, the system likes to see 6 or 7 cycles completed in a year, and that's typically what we try to do. This year is different, though. Together, we have completed 129 observations so far. We have been in every teacher's classroom almost weekly and, for us, it's been eye opening. We were having a conversation about our teachers just a few weeks ago. He said, "Everyone is just....". I finished his sentence for him by saying, "Better". We know the teaching is better, because we see it firsthand A LOT. Being in classrooms so often has allowed us to see more, hear more and know more. A presenter years ago, told us all in attendance to be visible, to be in the classrooms, to save your paperwork until after school.  That is often easier said than done, but this year we have made it a priority to be in classrooms observing weekly and we are succeeding.  As I left a classroom the other day, I reflected on how evaluations have changed since I became a principal.

Sixteen years ago, principals were expected to script all of their evaluations.  Alma Stipp showed me how she folded her paper in half and wrote word for word what every teacher had to say.  Her handwriting was so beautiful, too. Mine. Not so much. She was the best, so I did exactly as I was taught.  During those years you stayed for the entire lesson.  If it took an hour, you scripted for an hour.  You also only went 3 times into classrooms all year, unless teachers were tenured, and then you only went one time. It wasn't a true picture of what went on day to day. That seems absurd now. Those were the days we used the Madaline Hunter system. There were aspects of if I loved though, and still expect to see.  Guided practice and independent practice are a must, along with modeling.  Lots and lots of modeling. Madaline had great points, but like everything else, change was inevitable.  I remember our superintendent at the time, Dr. Mark Mitchell, had me speak to his night class students who were working on their administrative degrees. Three of his students were  Melissa Massy,  Lance Massey, and Jim Cummins. I remember Jim asking about evaluations. He asked if I  preferred to stay an hour and only go once or twice a year or if I would prefere to go several times for shorter amounts of time.  Without thinking about it, I immediately answered, "stay for an hour."  I remember him saying, "I would think you would learn more if you went in more often."  I thought he was crazy and look now.  He's a superintendent and hundreds of school districts in Missouri have adopted the NEE. He's a wise man, that Dr. Cummins.   

I honestly don't know how principals can speak about procedures, classroom management, the kids, the curriculum, etc., if they are not in the classrooms watching teaching unfold on a regular basis. I know so much more by being in there. I know Mrs. Miller is using youtube videos to help teach 3-digt subtraction. I know Mrs. Watkins is using the ReadWorks Article-A-Day to teach reading skills. I know Mrs. Allen is setting the stage to engage every week by dressing up on Mondays. I know Mrs. Branscum had her students complete a science experiment with goggles and lab shirts. I know what Moby Max  has to offer because I sit beside students as they work in stations. I know I have heard Turn and Talk and Slant (and know what it means) from every teacher teaching the First 20 days. The list goes on and on and on. I know Mrs. Cook is using sensory tubs in speech.  I know Mrs. Farkas is using Plickers to assess in math. I know Mrs. Buckner likes the audio portion of Storyworks and Mrs. Smith does not. See. I really could go on and on. I know the kids better as well.  I see who might excel and who might struggle.  I know who is quiet and who is outgoing.  The best part, though, is that they see us more in their classrooms.  I don't remember seeing Mr. Dye, my principal in elementary, except in the hallway.  That's just how it was as a principal in the 70's. I prefer being more visible in 2017 and I believe the kids do too. 

As I look back now  on those early years of my principalship,  I don't remember what I spent my time doing each and every day.  Observing is a must on our plate almost EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. It's simply one of our priorities. Everyone is used to it. Well almost everyone.  Mrs. Mittag still wants to run the other way when she sees us coming with our ipad. I always felt like I knew what was happening in the classrooms, but I know so much more now and that is a great feeling.  When I talk to colleagues or parents, I can speak with confidence when asked if I know what our teachers are doing. So ask yourself what are your priorities at work?  Is everyone aware of what those are? Do you make time for what is important? Are you as knowledgeable as you should be? My answers this school year are different than what they would have been in the past.  I love knowing more about the day to day teaching going on at Carver. So this week, we'll be back in the classrooms seeing more teaching and becoming more knowledgeable about every aspect of the teaching process and if you listen closely you might just hear a bell ringing. DING, DING, DING...Round 5.

Wake Up Wednesday

GOOOOOD MORNING, KIDS!!!! That's how 9 of Carver's finest greeted the kids on Buses 24 and 48 last Wednesday morning starting at 6:45 a.m. That's right. We all got up extra early to surprise the kids on those buses.  What were we thinking you might be asking.  Well...let me explain.

I heard a teacher at the Ron Clark Academy mention a book called KIDS DESERVE IT as I was in a session hosted by Kim Bearden (co-founder of RCA). The teacher was saying that the author encouraged principals to make positive phone calls home and Kim mentioned that she and the author, Todd Nesloney, were friends.  I made a mental note of the book but hadn't done anything about reading it, until a week ago. I was already making positive phone calls home, but I thought I might get another great idea, so I downloaded it on my Kindle app. I read the section on positive phone calls home, smiled to myself,  and kept reading. I came across a section that talked about riding the bus with kids.  I read it with pride knowing I had already done that last year when I participated in Shadow a Student. I had ended my day shadowing the third grader, Tanner, home on the school bus.  As I kept reading though, I realized Todd Nesloney and Adam Welcome weren't talking about riding the bus home. They were talking about riding the bus to school. He was encouraging his readers (me) to pick the kids up...in the morning...the very early morning.   I thought about it for a minute and decided I was going to do it.  I mean, seriously, I had ridden the bus myself as a child and had to be at the bus stop early, so why not.  I could do this. I immediately sent an email to the Carver team with the subject line Crazy Idea.  I thought maybe 1 or 2 of them would want to ride with me, but I was pleasantly surprised when 8 of my colleagues quickly replied to me and were willing to make the early morning trip as well. I called our transportation director who was totally on board and excited too.  We were all set.

As my alarm went off at 5:30 a.m. and I left the house in the dark, I told my husband I didn't know how people left this early to go to work every single day.  I admire them all. My mom did it for more than 40 years, but I was never a morning person.  That trait goes to my little brother.  He was so annoying as we would get ready for school all those years ago and I'm betting his wife would say he still is. We all arrived at 6:10 a.m., trying to act like we were wide awake.  I had asked them to bring pom poms, megaphones, etc., to greet the kids so we were fully prepared to brighten their morning.  We divided up, and after singing Happy Birthday to one of our second grade teachers, and going Facebook Live to let everyone know what we were doing, we loaded our buses.  We were so excited (or sleepy) we forgot to take a group picture of all of us "early birds".

It took Bus 48 approximately 15 minutes to get to our first stop. The kids didn't know what to think as they walked up the steps onto the bus and heard all of us shout GOOOOD MORNING!  There was shock on many faces or no expresson at all.  Once the kids realized what was happening, though, we got many smiles and hugs.  One little boy said, "This is fantastic". We even welcomed the middle school, junior high and high school kids.  They were definitely not as impressed as our elementary kids, or at least, they didn't want to act like they were. After several stops, the entire bus of kids (minus the junior high and high school) began shouting GOOOOD MORNING with us as student after student loaded.   The feeling on the bus was one of energy and fun.  The kids were loving it. We sung a verse of The Wheels On The Bus, and of course, we took this opportunity to recite all of the House Chants.  The kids wanted to know if we were going to do this every day and if we were going to be on the bus to take them home that afternoon.

At the end of the day, I thnk the kids would tell you we made their day, when in reality they made ours. The next day, as I was walking down the hall and passed a class of students,  I heard one of the kids telling her friend, "Hey, she rode my bus yesterday". I knew right then and there, it made a difference.  When I pass a Bus 48 kid in the hall now, we look at each other a little differently.  There is a new connection that wasn't there before. Just like the connection Tanner and I made after I shadowed him last year.  I also had other teachers and staff asking if we were going again, because they wanted to go.  I can honestly say, I didn't think I would be getting up again at 5:30 a.m. to meet the buses at the Neosho School District's bus barn, but I'm ready and willing to make another trip. A big shout out to the Carver team who led the way on our first WAKE UP WEDNESDAY.  Tiffany Rea, Kacie Barratt, Ashley Gilion, Michelle Allen, Renee Cummins, Shawndel Rainwater, Trina Leaf and Hannah Farkas did a great job and they truly Made A Difference on Buses 24 and 48. Ask yourselves what you are going to do this week to make a difference or will it just be status quo. Will you make the effort or will you even give it another thought? Will you make someone's day by a simple act of kindness?  I know this Wednesday there will definitely be another group of kids who will be surprised when those doors open and they climb up the stairs and are greeted with GOOOOOD MORNING, KIDS!