Tis The Season…

As the Christmas season approaches, fast approaches I might add, we often pause to reflect on the year, loved ones we have lost, friends and family living at a distance, just to name a few. As educators, we may even think about those students we know do not live in ideal situations. At least, I do. As a school administrator, I even take time to think about my faculty and staff that I know are struggling financially, personally or with loss. I reflect upon my own actions as an educator and leader.

This holiday season take time to pause and say a prayer to remember those that may be struggling this holiday season.  If you really think about it, I think we all struggle a little during the holidays. After all, we have all experienced loss, struggles, challenges, and disappointments. We may have even been the cause of other people’s pain. All you need is to have a Facebook account, or turn on the television, to know that many, many people are struggling this holiday season.

So, take a moment today to stop and think of your co-workers and students during this holiday season, send good thoughts their way, followed by a prayer. After all, we can all use good cheer and prayers this time of the year, and every time of the year for that matter. Take a moment to pray for your own peace and renewal. None of us are perfect, but as people, and especially as educators, we need to remember that it is ok to be imperfect.

My prayer for all this season is health, happiness, and peace now and in the new year ahead. God bless and Merry Christmas!

Are We Preparing Students For The World, Or A Test?

Education has become a high stakes testing driven profession. Now, standardized tests have been around for what seems like forever, and valuable information comes from those assessments. So, how did we go from utilizing assessments to gain valuable information, to determining whether a student can move to another grade, graduate, how a teacher is measured, how well a school performs, whether a school gets additional funding, and the list goes on and on?

Again, I am not against standardized testing; however, because of all that is attached to those assessments we now are assessing students from the moment they enter school. We are progress monitoring continually, and anxiety levels have risen in our teachers, students and our students’ parents. Society as a whole is seeing a rise in mental health issues, and our school systems deal with societal woes on a daily basis. Schools are a microcosm of what is happening on a larger scale in society. That is not ever taken into consideration; however, when looking at the overall performance of education. As I have stated in previous blogs, teachers deal with every aspect of a student. In order for a student to be prepared to learn they must first be in the correct frame of mind…simply put, their basic needs met.

Some of our students live in cars, hotels, with other family members, in foster care, a different place month to month, are even hungry, with a lack of basic hygiene understanding. Basically, they face stresses at early ages that some of us may or may not ever face. In turn, teachers are facing situations they must address and handle that may be out of their comfort zone as well. Relationships are key to student performance. Teachers must have relationships with their students, and parents, and what I mean by that is trust, respect, knowledge of their student and their life. Teachers don’t need to be invasive to obtain information, simply know the circumstances of the student’s life. With high stakes testing; however, many teachers are put in a position where building relationships with their students is sacrificed because of the constant push for performance on tests.

High stakes testing has driven education to become assessment based, a constant monitoring of student performance. Students in pre-k are being assessed as well,  multiple times throughout the year. We are screening in-coming Kindergarten students before they even have their first day of school.  Seriously! I understand having standards, and I understand rigor, however, students also need time to socially develop and learn to interact with one another. Some of our societal woes could be addressed if we paid as much attention to our students’ social-emotional health, as we do their ability to read, write and do mathematics

The cry from educators and students’ parents is to stop all of the assessments. Progress monitoring and constant assessing is not going to go away until all that is attached to standardized tests lessens. Again, it is not about doing away with standardized tests, as we need them. It is about looking at the whole-child and the whole-teacher to determine performance. We, as educators and students, are more than a test snapshot.

This brings me to the type of testing we are utilizing for our snapshot. Pick one! A test should not be constantly changing from year to year. A good assessment of course needs to be normed, but quit moving the target. Educators need to know the standards, teach the standards, and the standards need to be assessed in a very simple way, with a consistent standardized test that is testing a student’s skill level…period. Legislators must evaluate all that has become attached to standardized testing. Until everything attached to high stakes testing lessens, constant assessing throughout the school year will continue, as schools will have no choice.

My goodness, education is more than assessments…they are supposed to be preparing students to function in the world, a global world. In order to function in a global world students must be able to problem-solve, interact and work with others, be emotionally healthy, and physically healthy, understand diversity…not necessarily know how to take and perform on a test. Education is more than a test, so are educators and students.

The Teachers are Coming! The Teachers are Coming!

‘Twas the night before teachers return and all through the school, the floors were all shiny, cleaned with a custodial tool. The walls freshly painted, and textbooks brand new. My, oh my, how the summer flew!
The administration had prepared for their return with great care, still asking…is everything ready? Is everything prepared?
With schedules and rosters, and binders anew, we are ready to greet them, so excited too!

As my little attempt at a poem above states…it is the night before the teachers arrive. I am truly excited! I am filled with nervous energy ready to see them, and excited about the wonderful opportunities the upcoming school year holds. As we meet in the cafeteria, I love listening to the conversations that take place as our teachers get acquainted with one another again, as well as greet the new members of our school family. It is almost like a family reunion after a long absence.

My job as a Principal consists of many favorites, and a favorite time of the year for me is welcoming everyone back. I love to develop a theme with my administrative team. Prepare everything, and plan a surprise or two. Shhhh! I can’t even share what surprise I have in store for my faculty with you, because they may be reading this too.

I love greeting our students as they return, and seeing their smiles as they meet us with enthusiasm. The beauty of our career is every year, you get to start anew, do things differently, get to know new students, parents, and peers. So different from so many careers out there.

As an educator, never lose your enthusiasm for the beginning of the school year. Bouquets of pencils, the smell of new paper, and a rainbow of crayons in each classroom… Yes, I am at an elementary school. Each year, is a chance to make a difference, a positive impact in a child’s life. A chance to make a positive difference in your school community as well.

The teachers are coming! The teachers are coming! A new school year is about to start!

Reflect, Recharge, Renew…Get Ready!

I love summer! Now, don’t get me wrong my favorite time of the year is fall, but summer as an educator, more specifically a Principal, allows me to re-group and get ready to set the tone for the upcoming school year. I love this time of the year! Oh, I already said that, right? Summer is a bustling time of the year for school Principals and their Assistant Principals. We are deciding on the upcoming theme for the year, preparing for the week of pre-planning…the activities and meetings we will have, decorating the building and making sure it is all clean to welcome our team back to school.

Unless one has taken part in preparing the school for the upcoming school year, I do not think they can truly understand the planning and thought that goes into making sure the teachers feel appreciated and valued as they return. The other area of concern is making sure our students and their parents are welcomed back to an exciting school year with clear and consistent communication and expectations.

I consider myself the coach of a great team. I have to set the tone and deliver a message of inspiration, as well as set the focus for the upcoming game, which for me is a school year. Questions I ask myself constantly…what do I say? How do I say it? What visuals do I include? How do I need to deliver it? My mind just swirls and swirls with thoughts and ideas. All the time I have to remember that I cannot overwhelm my team either. I must prepare for the perfect balance. Sounds a little stressful, doesn’t it? Well, it is, but I love it. I love to prepare surprises to deliver as well. As a principal, I think it is important to give…your time, feedback, and also resources to make sure my team can do their jobs to the best of their ability.

Now, great teachers are also going through this process preparing for their students to return. Their role is similar to mine just in a slightly different capacity, but not very different really. They are the coach of their team, which is their class. Teachers must reflect, plan and prepare for their team to return as well. Teachers should be reading professional books, articles, blogs, connecting with other educators, rejuvenating themselves with new ideas and projects for their class. One teacher came to see me yesterday and she is doing just that. She has been meeting with other educators discussing projects and focuses for next year, even writing a grant. That is awesome! It is exactly what educators should be doing.

Now, I am not saying taking time to go to the beach, travel, and relax are not important…they are! Educators most certainly are prone to burn out, and knowing when to step back and turn it off is imperative. That being said, it can be relaxing and refreshing to plan new projects and ideas for your class that will be new. This will insure the  school year will not be just a varied repeat of each year prior. Educators need to shake up what they teach too. It keeps us fresh and engaged in our profession. Each year our students change, but we don’t. We need to keep teaching exciting for our students, and ourselves. So, take some time and get out there and connect with other educators, do some professional reading, Get your creative juices flowing by planning  new and exciting projects for your class. In other words …recharge and get ready! The new school year will be starting soon…make it great!

Learning Takes Place in the Struggle

The statement above is so true, yet I think as educators it is hard for us to let students struggle. What I mean is that it is easier to pose a problem and provide the answer, instead of posing a problem and allowing the students to WORK to find the answer. When I watch my son play with his Legos, if something becomes slightly difficult, he will come to me or his dad to help him. Typically, the task is truly not that difficult, and he could handle it with a little work. My husband and I have really tried to start letting him work through the struggle. Encourage and provide guidance but allow him to solve the problem.

I think our classrooms are similar. We provide an activity or project, and it isn’t long before the hands go up that our students need help. It is as that moment we determine the direction of the lesson.  Do we provide the answer? Do we give so many clues which have basically provided the answer? Do we encourage them to get back into the struggle?

We MUST encourage them to get back into the struggle. We facilitate the learning, have them talk with one another, we pose questions that probe and guide them to work through the struggle.

It is imperative that our students become problem solvers, goal setters, and are active participants in their learning. I think the time for working backward is here…I think it HAS been here, really. More classrooms need to encompass students being handed a project where they discover the purpose…the lesson. Our students are not the same as they were 30 years, 20 years, even 10 years ago…even 5 years ago. We MUST work to make our students self-reliant, critical thinkers that are able to accept the challenge of problem solving with endurance and enthusiasm. That requires educator that are the same way. We must be problem solvers and critical thinkers who work to make the lesson in our classes exciting, fun, and meaningful.

I have heard educators state that things have gotten overwhelming, too much is being required, education is not what it used to be, I just want to come to work and teach. I understand these statements; however, passion for your career must truly come from within, no one can provide that for you. Teaching has never been easy! There have always been demands placed that reach further than the classroom. We have always had students that have come from difficult home situations, come to school hungry and tired, not engaged, the list goes on and on. As educators it is our responsibility to do our very best to educate our students no matter the challenge. We must push through the struggle, just as we need to begin asking our students to do.

We need students prepared for a challenging future. Our students must be equipped to function in a fast-paced, highly evolving, always changing world. This will require our students to be able have skills far beyond a textbook and a worksheet, or even a test. Our students must know how to work together, problem solve, stand up for oneself, give back to their community, have empathy, initiative, work ethic, and the list goes on and on. If our students are going to need the skills listed above, then the individuals doing the educating must also have the skills listed above.

Our students need us to help them learn the skills to be prepared for the world they live in. Our job as educators is more important that I think we even truly understand. I truly believe that if we do not do our part as educators, our world’s future will truly be impacted. Now, I am not saying parents do not have a role here, and that the decisions they make will not impact the future. As a matter of fact, parents have the biggest impact! That being said, we can only control what we can control, and that is the learning in our classrooms. So, let’s come together and push through the struggle, let’s push our students to push through the struggle. We can do this, after all WE ARE EDUCATORS, and our students deserve it, no, they require it!

Is There a Test for That?

I love being an educator! There is no other job quite as important as being an educator. It is our responsibility as educators to educate our students to be thinkers in a globalized world. Now that is a tough job to tackle! We have new standards…Common Core, and quite frankly I am thrilled to have standards that are common around the country. As a mobile student growing up, I have gaps in my education because the standards were not common from state to state. Now, onto testing…we know we need standardized testing, and let’s face it we have always had standardized testing. A lot of great information can come from reviewing testing data, and great teachers analyze their data and make decisions about their teaching based upon their findings.

Accountability is needed. We need to know if teachers are performing adequately in the classroom. We need to know if a program is working adequately when utilized correctly. We need to know if our students are performing on par with their peers; however, we have gone completely overboard! To hold teachers accountable we not only have standardized tests, but now we have End of Course exams starting in Kindergarten! Seriously! My Kindergarten son will be taking an End of Course exam in key subject areas, as well as PE, Music, Science, Computers, and Art…10 hours of testing administered over a course of days, but my child is 6 years old! End of Course exams simply to give teachers a Value Added score on their evaluation. One word for this…unnecessary!

Why can’t teachers be held accountable as a school, for the entire school’s overall performance…I am, as the Principal. I just do not understand the need to test, test, and more test our students. School should be a fun time for students in which they are engaged in learning that develops them completely…academically, socially, globally. Our teachers are going to have a hard time planning engaging lessons with their focus on testing, testing, testing. We want our teachers to stop teaching to a test, but then again, which test exactly? How can we have them stop focusing on a test and make learning fun, when all we seem to do is schedule tests, prepare for tests, and on and on?

Our students deserve the best teachers…absolutely! Accountability must happen…absolutely! However, not by testing, testing, and testing our students. The testing philosophy has gotten way out of hand…what are your thoughts?

Love it or Leave it

Teaching takes endurance and a positive attitude. Teaching is not about excuses. We can get frustrated with various mandates set forth by folks that are not in the profession, and yes, that can be frustrating. That being said, as a teacher we must focus on the students…always. Some of the mandates have been put in place to insure that our students are receiving the best education possible. Now, I am not an advocate for testing students constantly, but I am an advocate for knowing where your students are and having a plan as to how to move them educationally. Standardized testing is a tool for us to make a plan. The testing debate can be had another day, but that is just a brief touch on the topic.
The point of this writing, is to say that regardless of the mandates (every profession has them by the way), teachers must come to work with a positive attitude. An attitude that says “my job is to teach to every student’s ability level”. Debating the mandates and fighting the changes in education do nothing to support student achievement. As I like to say “no one forced you to become a teacher, you selected this career willingly. No one lied about the pay or the work that would be required, and no one said the career would be easy. If someone said otherwise, you need to go back and have a visit with them”.
Knowing that you chose this profession, also gives you the ability to choose to leave it when your heart is not with it anymore. It is important that you recognize when it is time to make a career change not only for yourself, but for your students. Our students deserve to come to school and be met with a teacher that is preparing them for a global world, and pushing them to achieve as much as possible. They need teachers that will fight for them, not lower the expectation for them because it is easier. This does not help them be prepared for the global world.
Now, let me please say that teachers can not do it all alone. They must receive professional development, they must have supportive administrators, they must have the tools available to get the job done (this is not to say they will not have to work on providing those tools), and parents must take responsiblity to take part in their child’s education. Parents are a child’s first teacher, and they must take part in the education process of their child. This does not mean volunteering at the school per se, but it does mean reading to/with your child, checking their folder/agenda, asking them about their day,and communication with their child’s teacher(s). Education is a team effort.
Education requires heart, positive attitudes, and a willingness to change and adapt so that our students are prepared for an always changing world. Teachers must be risk-takers, willing to think outside of the box, and administrators must be willing to support the risk-takers, and be risk-takers themselves. Our future depends on the education our students receive, so take a moment, look in the mirror and decide to return to work in 2015 with renewed spirit and energy to get the job done.

Always Have a Plan…

With any career you need to plan…plan your day, plan your week, plan, plan, plan. Teaching is the profession in which planning is crucial. Lesson planning templates are available on sites such as Teachers Pay Teachers. These lesson plans allow you to simply enter your lesson information and then click on a drop down menu and the standard appears. A lot simpler than going through the standards checklist, and handwriting them in a lesson plan book. With the ease of templates today, I wonder why it is some teachers don’t plan?

I find planning critical to laying out the upcoming week, not only for the students, but for me as the professional. It allows a teacher the opportunity to truly process where their students currently are, and the direction they need to be going. Teachers need to evaluate their student data when lesson planning, as well as take in the different levels of their students. I truly believe that if 80% of your students have not mastered a skill it is pointless to move on…it is time to re-teach.

When a teacher takes time to lesson plan they are getting themselves prepared for the week ahead. Our students deserve to have us plan and prepare for them. After all, it is our job to be prepared for our students, not come in to work and just “shoot from the hip” so to speak, or “just wing it”. Take out the accountability demands, and the testing requirements, because while they are a reality in education, they are not why we do what we do. We are teachers to teach our students skills that will prepare them to be contributing citizens in a global world. We cannot possibly do our job to the best of our ability without sitting down and evaluating our students, the standards, and then setting the course of the year one week at a time unless we plan.

Many teachers collaboratively plan…this does save time; however, just plugging what our peer has for lesson plans into our own lesson plans so we can check that off of our “to do” list is not effective planning, nor is it what our students deserve. When teachers, in the same grade-level, have the exact same lesson plans day after day I often wonder how this is even possible? I already know the answer..it isn’t. No class in a school is going to be on the same page on the same day throughout an entire year…no way. Our classes are made up with individual students with individual needs, and each teacher delivers instruction differently, so, collaborative planning for sharing purposes is fine, sharing just so you can check your lesson plans off without giving them much of a thought…that won’t work, nor is it doing our students justice.

If you want to be an effective teacher and truly grow your students academically, you must lesson plan effectively, so set the course for your students and for yourself…make sure to plan! Let’s face it, if you have a plan, know the materials you will need for the upcoming week’s lessons, you can organize yourself accordingly which in the long run will ease your stress. “Winging it” is not known to help lower stress. I always felt more in control and ready for the week when I had my plans ready and my materials in order. As educators, it is always nice to feel ready for the upcoming week, because we all know life is unpredictable enough!

Get Connected

Educators must “get connected”. It is imperative that we connect with one another within our building and outside of our building. As an educator you need to have connections with others in the profession. The reason? Well, besides just helping you maintain your sanity, they will reassure you that you are on the “right track”, and they can also serve as guides to show you back to the “right track” should you happen to deviate.
The support of key educators within my school have provided me with guidance and feedback about upcoming decisions I need to make, and decisions I have made. I value the relationships I have developed within my very own school; however, it is not just relationships and connections within our school that matter. We must get connected with other educators outside of our building, outside of our district, community…we must get connected with other educators in other states, even other countries. The best way to do this? Social Media. Now, I caution my teachers about social media because when not used wisely it can get an educator into trouble, but when used wisely your network of educators will be vast.
Twitter is just one of those ways that you can easily connect with educators throughout your local community and world. I have found amazing articles, graphics, quotes, chat opportunities, all of which I can share with my own faculty and staff. I have received amazing ideas from Twitter, many of which I have shared, and some of which have been implemented at my school.
I encourage all educators to “get connected”…don’t be afraid! Just five months ago I set up my Twitter account. I thought is was just a place for famous people to make statements and share about their life. I had no idea the wealth of information that would await me once I took the plunge and “got connected” Twitter style. Now, I love it…I am a proud educator and “tweep”! Are you ready to “get connected”? Come on, you can do it…there is a whole world out there just a Twitter account away. I am @PrincipalWatts…send me a tweet!

Appearances do matter…

Environment is important, and yet I think it is underestimated when it comes to its importance. What do I mean by environment? I mean the culture of the classroom, yes; however, in this instance I am referring to the overall environment of the classroom appearance.

How does your classroom feel and look when you walk into it? Is it sterile with very little decor or is it welcoming and student friendly? Does it show your personality and that of your class? Is student work displayed like works of art for all to see? These are just a few questions you should ask yourself when creating your classroom environment.

As an administrator, I have been able to observe the impact the classroom environment has on students. I can tell you it has been my experience that the classroom that is inviting, comfortable and decorated with student work does play a role in creating better student engagement. Now, the reason for this, based upon my own observations, is that the teacher that takes time to be concerned with creating an environment that is all of the above is also an educator that takes their time in every facet of their job.

Now, I am sure there are exceptions, as a matter of fact I can guarantee there are; however, in my years as an administrator the look of the classroom does play into the student achievement of the students and how happy they are being in a particular teacher’s class. Let’s face it, the parents are typically happy too when they enter a classroom that looks as if the teacher has taken time to set up the classroom environment. Parents love to see their child’s work displayed too!

I have teachers who have created reading areas in the classrooms, they have lamps, curtains, the decor matches, and student work is displayed inside and out of the classroom. They have not just decorated with store-bought teacher decorations. I have never understood why a teacher needed to buy a bunch of pre-made decorations, when they have a class full of artists just waiting to create work to put on display. Students love to see their work displayed even more than their parents!

The point of this blog is to tell you to take time to put together your classroom. Bring in a lamp or too, maybe even a bean bag or two (fire inspection ready), Put up some curtains, put some thought into the decorating of your classroom environment. Let’s face it, you and your students will be spending a great majority of your time there so shouldn’t it be comfortable and inviting, a place you and they want to spend time? Display that student work, more specifically, exemplary student work, and I am not talking about only work with an “A” attached to it. I mean work that shows progression and growth in your students.

As much as we would love to think they don’t, appearances do matter.