I returned home yesterday after a three day 800+ mile road trip. My husband and I visited The Junk Ranch in Prairie Grove, Arkansas and drove all the back roads taking in the beauty of the "natural state". We had an amazing time exploring, laughing and enjoying the "junk" that an open flea market provides.
As I prepared to grocery shop this morning, I stepped outside to find a flat tire. This should have royally "ticked" me off as the tires are only 2 months old, but instead of being upset, I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude. Thankful that the flat tire had not happened just a few hours earlier on the side of Interstate 40 where we, less that 12 hours earlier, experienced heavy rain showers and stifling heat.
Perspective is such a powerful part of who we are as individuals. How we see the proverbial "glass" has a direct impact on our daily lives. Perspective determines how we act, interact and/or react in any given situation and with any given person. It also plays an role in how we are seen and treated by others.
I have determined that perspective shapes how my day goes. I am going to work diligently to view things as they are instead of how I think they should be. Clearly, when I walked out of my door this morning my tire should have been full of air, but that was not my reality today. To help keep things in perspective I am dedicated to asking myself the following questions: 1. Is this a life altering event? 2. Why did this occur? 3. How can I quickly find a solution? 4. How can I keep it from happening again? (clearly I will have another flat tire in my lifetime) Today, I am glad my view from the sidewalk was a flat tire. It gave me the opportunity to reflect on perspective and how I react to situations. May seem like a small thing to some, but according to Thomas Edison, "perspective is everything."
I hope the view from your sidewalk is NOT a flat tire! Until next time.... Karen
Lessons from Coach - Armed with a whistle, determination and pure grit "the coach" walks onto the field not only ready, but expecting to win. As an educator, I have learned so many valuable lessons from a coach. Lessons in how to work as and with a team, how to remain positive and persevere and how to build a professional learning network. As I watched my oldest child pay football since he was in third grade, I knew he was destined to coach. His love of the game, desire to improve and dedication to his team has always amazed me. I had no idea the impact watching him play and now, watching him coach, would have on my teaching, leading and learning.
Working as and With a Team - Teamwork makes the dream work! Winning is a team sport in this profession. Of course, the ultimate winners are our students but to catapult them to the winners circle teams meet, educate, inspire and encourage them throughout their school career. Building on the strength of each team member requires trust, courage and transparency. Coaches do this on and off the field daily in an effort to put the best players in the game. Depending on the offense, the defense may change. The team is in a constant state of evolving with the main goal of getting better. Persevering and Remaining Positive -
"Nothing is impossible to achieve through hard work and dedication. Everyone loses but it's what you do with that loss that will determine whether you're a champion or not." - Drew Morais
Professional Learning Network - Coaches were networking well before the term Professional Learning Network (PLN) was ever coined. Sharing film, talking "shop", sharing plays and strategies, all in an attempt to create a better, stronger team. A team that was well conditioned, well versed in strategies and had a deep loyalty to the game. PLNs have evolved from simple phone calls to Skyping and sending tweets to potentially thousands of "team" members worldwide. The possibilities are endless when it comes to seeking and sharing ideas. Ideas that can strengthen and build teams that impact a different generation of learners. Make the dream work through teamwork! Until next time, enjoy the view from your own sidewalk (or bleachers)! Karen
Watching young children solve mathematical problems certainly looks different than it did just 10 years ago. The use of "tools" whether a ruler or a paper clip is common place in every classroom in my building. As a long time math instructional facilitator, I have had the opportunity to watch students develop mathematical thinking that takes them beyond the numbers and to a level of thinking that challenges the best math student. It is a joy to have students come to my office to "share their strategies". I am often amazed not only at how the problem is solved, but also how it is explained. Taking students beyond the numbers requires dedication, planning and a deep level of mathematical understanding on the part of the teacher. Teachers must be diligent in NO more drill and kill, listening to strategies, asking questions that will scaffold learning, nurturing notation and encouraging risk taking during problem solving. Death of the "Drill and Kill" There is no skill in memorizing math facts. Memorizing does not allow for manipulation of numbers to make them fit patterns or to develop fluency. It is time to do away with the drill and kill of yesterday and embrace the problem solving approach to mathematics. Listen to the Strategy While this may sound odd, it is a vital piece to the mathematical puzzle of taking students beyond the numbers. Looking at a students written work tells a lot about what the child is thinking, but allowing the student to orally explain the strategy he/she chose gives the teacher an insight that the paper pencil version does not. Requiring the student to put into words his thinking helps the teacher develop questions to stretch thinking. Ask Questions Before deep, thought provoking questions can be asked effectively, a no fail environment must be established. Students must gain confidence to explain their thinking with peers in small and large group settings. As they become more comfortable with the process the questions should be strategically asked in an effort to stretch student thinking and scaffold learning. Nurture Notation Helping to move a student from the abstract, direct modeling stage of mathematical thinking to the more concrete notation state requires skilled questioning and a lot of patience. Helping students build a solid foundation in number sense is critical before moving to the notation stage. If students start with solving equations they never truly move past the numbers. The math is not meaningful or relevant. Deep understanding of number sense will allow students to manipulate numbers by composing and decomposing numbers through their daily interaction with mathematics. Watching students solve problems and think beyond the numbers is one of the highlights of this job. `
Until next time, enjoy the view from your own sidewalk! --Karen
Developing a culture of shared leadership has been my goal since becoming a school leader. I didn't realize how difficult an endeavor this would be or what barriers I would face. I also didn't realize how vastly rewarding it would prove to be. As I work along side my team, I can't help but be proud of where we are and how far we have come to get here. We still have work to do, but I can say that we are moving forward everyday. Even in the times of failure I am seeing an attitude of "fail forward"....learning from the not so successful events with a spirit of we are not going to let this beat us. This culture is so different than just a year ago. As we continue to grow and develop as a team, I believe we must work on the work every day, in every way through shared leadership.
What is shared leadership?
-Building the vision together It is important that the team have one vision, one voice and one process.
- Walk the talk. Believe the vision, speak it, walk it, talk it.
- Support your team and validate their ideas. Work to lift each other up. Team members want leaders who share responsibilities, resources and recognize results.
- Build Community Everyone wants to be apart. Communities are built on caring, communication and collaboration.
Leading from the back provides an amazing view. One that sheds light on those reaching goals, stretching their "comfort zones" and working for change. It is almost as good as my view from the sidewalk!
Until next time, enjoy the view from your own sidewalk.
Here it is my first dedicated blog entry as an elementary principal. By that, I mean I have started about 10 blogs but they remain in draft mode on some website I can't remember with some log-in I have long forgotten. I have suppressed this inaugural launch for multiple reasons including that nagging little voice of self doubt telling me that no one wants to hear what this gal from central Arkansas has to say about education. I am stepping out on faith and holding tight to my one word for 2K15....BELIEVE. If I have learned anything through my professional journey it is the fact that educators are the most valuable resource to other educators ... MVR if you will. If I can serve as a MVR to one person and help them, encourage them, inspire them isn't that enough? Who cares if I'm not the most eloquent of writers or that I make an occasional spelling/grammar error. Is that really going to stand in my way? NO it is not. Time to kick self doubt to the curb!
So as I reflect on this idea of MVR I can't help but think back to those people that served as my Most Valuable Resources throughout my career and the traits they had/have in common. Through this reflective process, I realized the following about my MVRs and I am devoted to developing and refining these traits in myself.
Traits of a Most Valuable Resource:
1. Be honest. When someone comes to you for help be honest. If it is a bad idea...don't pretend it is a good one. Ask critical questions to help get a clear plan and define the true goal.
2. Be a good listener. Serving as a MVR requires strong listening skills .... don't try to solve everyone's problems. Most people already own a solution but need a critical friend to help clarify.
3. Share what you know without sounding like you know it all.
4. Network with other MVRs (develop and build a strong PLN)
5. Believe in the good of mankind and be POSITIVE.
6. Talk in solution mode, not in problem mode. Problems appear bigger than they are if that is all you focus on.
Most Valuable Resource.... be someone's today!
Until next time, enjoy the view from your own sidewalk!