Once a Bobcat, Always a Bobcat

Over the past few years, I have attended a number of retirement parties for teachers, administrators, and support staff members.  Within these gatherings, I have interpreted a common theme from the comments and speeches centered around what type of legacy has been left by the retiree. As I listened to the various comments in recent weeks, I couldn't help but think about what I would like people to remember about me when my time in education has come to a close. We have all been in a composition or early journalism class where we were given an assignment to write our own eulogy.  I first completed this task in high school and wrote something ridiculous about being a millionaire Major League Baseball player or something along those lines.  I started thinking about this exercise much more seriously after I first read The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by one of my heroes, the late Stephen Covey .  After reading Covey's work in 2007, I realized that my dail...

It's hard to belive that we are down to the final two weeks of the school year.  Time flies, and there is still a great deal to get accomplished in the next ten school days.  This time of year is filled with excitement, but also a fair amount of anxiety, as teachers work diligently to get everything wrapped up. Image Credit: themoatblog.com I have been thinking a lot about many things as this year closes while preparing for 2015-16. Assessment results, leadership teams, Response to Intervention, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, collaboration time, schedules, instructional coaching, staff morale, etc, etc, etc.  All of these items are very important and plans will need to be made to enhance what we're doing to serve kids on a daily basis, but they were not in the front of my mind in later part of last week. Image Credit: lifehacker.com We had two events that truly displayed the power of community, engagement, connection, and pride.   The...

We are entering a very busy time of year that is challenging for just about every educator in the country. Deadlines need to be met, uncertainty is in the air with next year's plans, and teachers are doing all they can to meet the needs of their students in the remaining weeks of the school year. Typically February, March, and April are difficult months with a fair amount of negativity in the air, as educators often ask, "Will winter ever come to an end, where am I going to be teaching next year, or even, will I have a job next year?"  It is easy to get sucked into the end of the year busyness and stress: we sometimes need to be reminded why we are here. Image Credit: Alabama Technology in Motion There is also a certain amount of excitement with upcoming graduations, students finalizing choices for colleges, end of the year activities, and an overall buzz in the air. This year has been no exception at Epworth and Farley Elementary Schools , as students are expandin...

Recently we were given the results of Iowa Assessments (the standardized test in our state) for third and fourth grade students.  I spent some time with teachers reviewing this data while examining areas of strength and opportunities for improvment, a routine exercise that we go through every year.  As I was looking at the data and the blue, green, and red colored cells on the spreadsheets, I couldn't help but think of a conversation that I had with one our instructional coaches a few weeks ago... We are surrounded by data, numbers, targets, and goals that drive our work and decision making each day.  I am a firm believer in data and continuous improvement and feel that we have taken big steps in using the information we have to build on strengths and address deficiencies.  We utilize an assessment wall at Farley Elementary School that takes into consideration all available reading assessements to give the most accurate representation of where our students stan...

I was walking down the hallway of one of my schools the other day and passed three students who all smiled from ear to ear and waved when they saw me.  There is nothing like being the principal of an elementary school; there is so much positive energy and thirst for knowledge.  As I was walking by these students I couldn't help but think of the conversation that I had with one of our staff members just a few hours prior.  We were talking about relationships, student backgrounds, and the fact that everyone in the school setting has a story. Some of our students have everything that they could hope for at home: loving parents, a nice house, lots of toys, food on the table, and a warm bed to sleep in each night.  There are others who come to school and the best two (and sometimes only) meals of the day are served in the Epworth and Farley Elementary School cafeterias.  Some students wear the same clothing multiple times per week, don't have a consistent place ...

A couple of weeks ago, I had a conversation about instructional coaching with an educator outside of my district.  We were talking about the coaching model that we utilize in Western Dubuque, and how we have implemented this in the past seven months.  I was asked how we are able to get teachers engaged and enrolled in the process.  I told her that our instructional coaches wait for teachers to come to them. The look on her face was puzzling, as she asked, "What about the people that really need to improve and others who are struggling?"  She continued to tell me that coaching is mandatory in her district and teacher engagement in the coaching cycle is pretty low. After I left the conversation I continued to think about a quote that Jim Knight shared with me over the summer, "When you insist, they will resist." Participating in instructional coaching is 100% teacher choice in Western Dubuque because we believe that if people truly want to improve, they will reac...

There are many days that I wish my life as principal was simple and decisions were black and white, cut and dry, or whatever you would like to call it.  Unfortunately, this is not reality for school leaders, as complex situations, dynamics, and circumstances have us living in many shades of gray.  We are faced with decisions and situations where simple yes or nos simply do not apply.  We often compromise to meet various people where they are while understanding that not all parties are going to fully "win." When I think about some of the experiences that I have had as an elementary principal in the past three years, I have come to the conclusion that my core beliefs have allowed me to make the best possible decisions for our schools.  In the following paragraphs, I will explain my core beliefs and share how these values have carried me through tough times. It's About People, Not Programs (Thank you to Todd Whitaker) Let's face it, students and educators are livi...