It's All About Learning

My Top Ten in Ten Days – Celebrating my 100th Blog Post 2/10

I have been working as a Vice-Principal since August, 2005. I have had the opportunity to work in three very different schools. For my first 2 1/2 years as a Vice-Principal, I was placed in a middle-class school with a high degree of parent involvement. My second school was in a working-class area with a highly multi-cultural community. The school had a high number of English Language Learners.

I started my third school at the beginning of this school year. This school is different from the other two, in that, it is an Inner-City school with a large number of Aboriginal students (the highest of all elementary schools in our large district). While I have learned a great deal at each of the schools I have worked as a Vice-Principal, the learning at an Inner-City school is somewhat different.

10 Things I’ve Learned by Being a Vice Principal of an Inner City SchoolContinue reading “My Top Ten in Ten Days – Celebrating my 100th Blog Post 2/10”

My Top Ten in Ten Days – Celebrating my 100th Blog Post – 1/10

Like I have mentioned, being a mom is the most important thing I do. It always has to come first! I am fortunate to have 3 wonderful kids: Trista (7), Pauli (4), and Carson (1). They brighten my each and every day. I feel so fortunate to have them in my life! I learn something about myself as a parent and about my kids every day. Some things I have recently learned about my kids are included in the list below.

10 Things I’ve Learned Being a Mom

Having three kids has been the most wonderful thing ever.
My daughter has really grown into being the best, most caring “big” sister ever.
Pauli is getting more used to not being the youngest and isn’t showing jealousy signs like he did here.
My daughter has expanded the interesting living things she likes to rats, mice, pigs and worms (as you can see from her school blog posts if you click on the links). Yah, funny little girl! (This is in addition to her love for snakes!)
Pauli continues to be the most loving little boy we could ask for. He will often come up to us, out of the blue, wherever we are, tell us that he loves us and give us a big hug and kiss. Yah, we are very fortunate.
My kids love life and are a pleasure to be around.
Trista has become such a big girl and has shown her interest in a number of things. She is a very good reader. She loves reading and I love that I was a part of making that magic happen. You can hear her reading here. She also loves ballet, as you can see here. She also loves to write. She wrote and read a few poems you can see a video of here.
Pauli continues to have difficulty with his speech and will require some additional support. We are providing it now, but he may need support from a speech therapist. He is a very smart big boy though!
Carson is the loudest baby EVER (I wonder if that comes with being #3?). If you watch Trista’s ballet video, you can hear Carson screaming in the background. Trista was at the opposite end of our house, with the door closed and you can STILL hear him. OH my!
All three of my kids love to have Mommy-Time. It is important for me to schedule time for each of them alone with me regularly.

Here is a recent photo of my three kids. I took a photo of each of them and then used Photoshop Elements to make this collage. Aren’t they the sweetest kids? 🙂

What are some things you’ve learned lately from or about your kids?

100th Blog Post Series

I have been working on my 100th blog post for the last week, between Spring Break activities and sleep. Last night I realized that there was no way that I could post my post the way it was – the length it was. It was way too long! If I left it like this, there is no way anyone would ever read any of it.

As a result, I’ve decided to write my reflections about my blogging over the next 10 posts. Each day I will list 10 things that I have learned or 10 people or tools which have been influenced my learning. Ten days. Ten posts. 100 pieces of my learning over the past 8 months.

First of all, though, here’s a Tagxedo of my blog, representing all the posts in my blog thus far. If you are not familiar with these visual representations, the larger the word, the more times it has been used in the blog.

Now, let’s get on with my series. Here are the topics of my next 10 posts.Continue reading “100th Blog Post Series”

Obsession? or Passion?

For the last 8 months I have been focused on my learning, in an effort to help others, including myself and my colleagues, but, most importantly, the students in my school.

During this time, I have been blogging regularly as a way to make meaning and build connections with many of the things I have been reading on Twitter (and the articles, blogs, and resources I have been pointed to on Twitter). I have also been blogging as a way to reflect on my own practise – as an administrator and as an educator. I believe self-reflection can be the most outstanding professional development there is, if it is done right.

It was a little disturbing however, when someone mentioned, albeit somewhat jokingly (I hope), how I was obsessed with my blog, twitter, and learning. Hmmmmm… It got me reflecting. Could I be obsessing over my learning? My students? My colleagues? My district?Continue reading “Obsession? or Passion?”

Twitter – The Very Basics

Our district has been engaging administrators in a Digital Discovery Series this year. We have had two very powerful sessions. Our last session was just last week, with George Couros speaking to us about Social Media. You can find my blog post about that evening here.

After our session with George, there have been a number of administrators wondering where to start with Twitter. As a result, I thought I would make a very basic blog post for those just getting started.

Interestingly enough, one of the quotes made by George that stood out for many was

“If you are not on Twitter and don’t know what # or @ mean then you are slowly becoming illiterate.”

So, let’s start with the basics:Continue reading “Twitter – The Very Basics”

Transformation with @gcouros

This past Tuesday, March 6, the administrators in our district had our second “Digital Discovery” session. During each session, we learn about different 21st Century Learning tools/strategies or ideas. This session was all about Social Media. There were over 180 administrators who came to our event, excited to be together, but a bit apprehensive about the topic.

Being on the Digital Discovery committee, and volunteering as a coach for my fellow administrators, I must admit, I was a little nervous about the reaction of my colleagues. Social Media can be somewhat strange to some people because they just don’t “get” it and, in my experience, people often judge others who talk about Facebook, Twitter, and other Social Media platforms. And, let’s make this clear, by “judge”, I mean laugh at, make fun of, minimize, and/or question what you are doing and why you are doing it.

So, yah, I was a bit nervous.

Then, things changed.

George Couros (@gcouros) was our speaker for approximately an hour of the evening. He spoke from the heart. At times, I looked around wondering what was going on inside of my colleagues heads, wondering if they were going to “get” it by the end of the night. Concern surfaced in me when George made a joke about something to do with Social Media, and not many people laughed. I don’t think they got the joke. They were, however, listening very intently, trying to make sense of what George was saying in an effort to determine what this would/could/should mean to them as leaders in our district.

Some important quotes/big ideas/messages George presented included:Continue reading “Transformation with @gcouros”

Handling Adversity

It is how you handle yourself in adversity that truly speaks to your strength and character as a leader. Things to remember while handling challenging situations . . .

Photo by Flickr member Christophe Kiciak

Stay Strong. You may want to retreat and stay away from what is upon you, but you must stay strong. Face the adversity.

Look for Joy. There are a lot of great things happening all around you, take time to participate, enjoy, and be a part of the experience. Allow yourself to see and partake in the joy that exists.

Know Who You Are. While it is true that perception is everything, remember you know yourself better than anyone. While you want to understand why people may have the perceptions they have, it is imperative to believe in you. You know yourself better than anyone.

Keep Your Focus. It is important to know your values and beliefs and keep doing what you know to be right. Keep your head up and keep on keeping on, focusing on what is most important.

Open Communication. Communication is key to understanding. Remember to keep good communication at the centre. It is essential to be open and honest about this communication. But also remember, timing is important.

Believe. Believe in the goodness of others. Believe the situation will improve. Believe you are doing the right thing. Believe you are making a difference. Believe you are doing your best in a difficult, challenging situation. Believe in yourself. Believe.

It is challenging to deal with difficult situations and in difficult times, but it is important to realize that these times do ebb and flow. It is important to deal with things the best way you know. Seek out help, if needed.

Things will get better. You are strong. Believe.

How do you deal with adversity? Do you have any recommendations for others?

Learning From My PLN

I am very fortunate to have developed a great PLN over the past 8 months. There are some amazing educators and leaders in education who are always willing to share their thoughts, their feelings, their learning, and their advice with others. While I do not have as much time to read blogs as I would like, when I do, I am always inspired. Blogposts written by others, often spur my own self-reflection.

Today, I read a blogpost by of the members of my PLN, Erin Paynter. She’s a Vice-Principal at an elementary school in Ottawa, Canada. I love reading her blog and chatting with her on occasion.

On February 29, Erin wrote a blog entitled, 29 Things I’ve Learned as an Administrator… So Far… “So Far” is the key …. Erin is always learning, always reflecting, always wanting to improve. I think that is why we seem to ‘click’.

I enjoyed Erin’s post because it made me reflect upon the things I have learned as a Vice-Principal, and, oh my, I have learned a lot. I don’t think a day goes by without learning something new in my job. That’s what makes it so rewarding, I think (and challenging).

#15 in Erin’s list of 29 Things she’s learned really caught my attention: You endorse what you don’t challenge. One of the people who commented on her post agreed, and said, “You promote what you permit.” I agree with this strongly.

#27 of Erin’s lists goes hand-in-hand with the difficult, but important, lesson she described in #15. Don’t be afraid to fail or make mistakes. I think it is imperative to do challenge the status quo, to take risks, and to model this risk-taking for all to see: students, teachers, parents, and fellow-administrators. We are all learning. None of us knows it all (or even close to it all). It is important to learn from these mistakes (not be haunted by them), see them for what they are, and become better as a result.

I would add a couple of things to Erin’s list of other things I have learned (which I am sure she has as well):

* Relationships matter! You will go much farther, quicker, if you develop strong, honest, “real” relationships with people. They need to see you as a person – for who you really are and what you stand for.

* Talk about your beliefs and values. People need to know what you stand for and why.

* Deal with things when needed. If it is important for something to have time before being dealt with then do that, but if it is important to deal with something right away, do it! Do not leave it for a “better time” because there likely won’t be a better time.

* Stand up for what you believe and know to be morally right and in the best interest of our students.

* The students in our building (and district, and province, and country, for that matter) are ALL of our students – not just the students of the particular classroom teacher they may have that school year.

* Don’t sweat the small stuff (or the big stuff, for that matter). Things are what they are and they will work out for the best. They will. You have to believe that. Be positive. There is no use giving extra energy to things you do not have control over and/or are not that big of a deal, in the long run.

I am sure I could continue with my list all night long. Like I said, I have learned a great deal as an administrator and will continue to learn. That is one of wonderful things about being an administrator/educator.

Thank you Erin for the inspiration and the continued reflection. I appreciate you and your learning.

So… if you are reading this, I have a few questions for YOU:

What have you learned lately?

What is the most important thing you have learned as an educator and/or an administrator?

Inspiring Educators and Great Pro-D.

Currently, our school has 10 iPads. We have also ordered another 28 (which I am kind of kicking myself now about since the iPad3 will be out in a matter of days). When these arrive, we will have a full 30-iPad-syncing cart and 8 additional iPads for non-enrolling teachers and support staff. Each of our Learning Support Teachers, our Integration Teacher, and our 2 Child Care Workers will all have access to an iPad each day to use with their students. Considering how many diverse learners we have, the use of these iPads will be very helpful.

As we move into 21st Century Learning and technology use, we had a wonderful opportunity to join another school in an iPad bootcamp tonight. Considering the change in the current job action situation in our province, we were unsure if our staff would want to attend an evening iPad session for 4 hours. Even though they were given the option to postpone the session, they wanted the session to go ahead. They were excited about learning about the iPad together.

playing2 As we started the evening, you could hear the excitement in the room. The buzz was exhilarating. The teachers were engaged, excited, and enthusiastic about coming together in this beautiful facility. We all learned a great deal and were exciting to be there together – as a team – dedicated to a common goal. This is just one demonstration of our teacher’s commitment and dedication to their profession.

Listen to this audioboo and you will hear some of the excitement that was evident throughout the night. The ending of the audioboo is reflective of all the Oooooo’s and Ahhhhhh’s happening throughout the night.

http://abfiles.s3.amazonaws.com/swf/fullsize_player.swf

A number of fellow educators read my tweets during our iPad Bootcamp session and inquired about what we learned. I thought I would use this opportunity to talk about some of the great apps we learned about tonight.

I would also like to share with you a little about how to save student files/projects when working on the iPad. This has been a challenge for us to figure out, so I am very excited that we now have some direction in this area. I hope that this information will help you as well.Continue reading “Inspiring Educators and Great Pro-D.”

It’s Not About Power and Control

Whether you are a mother, father, sister, brother, teacher, administrator, or anyone in management, it is important to understand that trying to exert power and control is usually not very effective. Too often I see and hear about people trying to exert their control and power over another individual(s). Perhaps, they feel that is their purpose. They are “right” and that is all that matters. This attitude, is often welcomed with skepticism and contempt. One certainly can’t influence someone else positively in this manner.

There are so many other, much more important and efficient, ways to influence people.

Here are some ways people can influence people in a positive manner . . . .

– build relationships

– build trust

– understand their perspectives

– sympathize

– develop an understanding that the majority of people (including children) are good and are trying their best.

– try to ensure you are acting with patience

– work together – teamwork is imperative in making a difference and in having any sort of influence.

– people, children or adults may need support in developing an understanding of the above.

Some may need more support than others.

Some may need their learning broken down into smaller pieces to try to deepen this understanding.

Some may actually require more support than you are able to provide. In this case, it is important to know who you need to contact for additional assistance.

Can you influence people by using the “it’s my way or the highway” attitude? Sure you can. Is it going to be effective and positive? Nope! Is it going to get you what you want (especially long-term)? Absolutely not!

In fact, acting in this way, will actually have the opposite effect. It is not about Power and Control. It IS about making a positive difference and influencing people in positive ways – both personally and professionally. This is when you will be able to achieve your goals in the present and the future.

How do you try to influence people? Is your personal influence different from your professional influence? If so, how so?