Culture Anyone?

Culture Anyone?

Blog Post #2. Here we go! I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year and are ready to get back to educating our kids. It didn't take me long to decide what my next blog should be about. The past few years our district has focused on CULTURE. We've conducted book studies, sent out surveys and spent a great deal of time reflecting on our own culture. Culture makes or breaks a building and I believe Carver has a student focused, team driven, positive, intentional culture. As I began this blog writing journey, I immediately went to Beth Houf's blog. She is a principal I have followed on twitter and I knew she would most likely have an amazing blog to read. I was right! The first one I came across happened to focus on CULTURE and she posed some questions I thought we all should ask ourselves as we start the second semester. I believe reflection is key to growing and we NEVER stop growing. Take a minute and think about the following questions and where you fall into each of them.

• Am I being solution-oriented instead of complaint-driven?
• Am I truly following our norms in our team meetings?
• Am I bringing my coworkers down by my body language, complaining or gossip?
• Am I taking time to think out engaging lessons for students that will minimize behaviors and actually get our students enjoying school? As an administrator, am I doing the same for staff?
• Am I pushing myself to take risks to add to the culture of growth mindset?
• What practices do I have set up to celebrate students, staff and families?
• How am I confronting behaviors that toxify the school culture?
• Is what I am projecting worth spreading to the whole school?
• What can I do the very first thing on Monday morning to make a positive difference in our school culture?

I would challenge all of us to ask ourselves what are we intentionally doing the week we return after break to continue making the culture at Carver the best around.

On a side note, remember we will be focusing on kindness the last week in January. I sent you all an email about some exciting activities planned this month. If you have any suggestions for the students or staff, please KINDLY share those. Also, there will be a padlet set up again. This time, be sure and add a comment about something you plan to do in your classroom this semester that is something you have never tried before. One of mine is obviously going to be starting a blog. I look forward to seeing you all and catching up this week!

Look! I'm a Blogger!

Welcome to my very first blog! I have wanted to start this adventure for a couple years now, but never took the time to look into exactly how to do it.  Mandy Lybeck, the district's Instructional Technology Specialist came to Carver to help and we got distracted with setting her up with Marco Polo (I highly recommend that app by the way).   Then last week, after reading the blog of a wonderful friend, Jim Cummins,  I became motivated again.  So tonight, I came to my dear friend/neighbor/librarian Tamie William's house and she has helped me set it all up. She is much more technological than me.  The sophomore typing award I received in 1986 hasn't helped me much.  

My purpose with blogging originally was to communicate more with the parents of Carver, but after more thought and looking into other principal's blogs, I've decided to also have this as a place of reflection for teachers and staff at Carver.  This will be a way for everyone involved in our Carver community to see the amazing work going on at our school throughout the year.   

I plan to post a blog at least once a month. The focus of my next post will be SCHOOL CULTURE.  I challenge the teachers and staff at Carver to reflect on how you are adding to the culture of our organization.  Stay tuned for more of Mrs. Burr's BURR-illiant Blog!