Monday Minute, Feb. 15, 2021

Now that we educators are several weeks into the second semester, I challenge you to take a few moments and reflect. What went well first semester? How do I know it went well? What data do I have to support this? Think about the students and teachers. Think about the constantly changing policies and guidance from SC DHEC and the CDC that you have lead your school through since August. Now take a deep breath. Focus on those things within your control. Of those things you can control, what is working well and needs to continue into second semester?

You have just mentally noted what works. Stop and jot those things down. Please take a few minutes this week to share those celebrations with your staff. They need to know that what they are doing is working and is appreciated.

This post comes to you at the start of winter break for many educators. In this post, I am taking just a paragraph to remind you to take care of yourselves over this break. School leaders, teachers, and other educators, like many other professions, have continued to work and innovate during a global pandemic. The last nine months have forced changed in many ways in the education world. Each educator’s mind, body and soul needs to recharge. Do you what brings you joy and comfort over this holiday season.

Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday, Dr. B.

Whether in person, in writing, in social media, in a staff meeting, or via virtual meeting, school leaders communicate almost nonstop each day. Even when you’re silent, there may be nonverbal signals that others “hear”. It is vital that communication with stakeholders be clear, concise, effective and efficient. Keep in mind what is clear to one stakeholder may be confusing to another. Let’s look at some tips for communicating with different stakeholder groups.

Communication with teachers and staff occurs more frequently than with other stakeholder groups. These are the people school leaders encounter all day, five days a week for a minimum of eight hours. Emails, hallway conversations, newsletters, staff meetings, etc. are part of school life. With all the verbal communication, also comes nonverbal communication. As leaders, controlling words may be easier than controlling nonverbal communication, such as those faces being made; body language indicting boredom, excitement, engagement or even frustration; and the checking of the watch. Just a reminder, as a leader you set the tone for acceptable verbal and nonverbal communication, so be cognizant of both. Just an example from personal experience: Once upon a time, a teacher stopped me in the hall and asked for a moment of my time, which I really couldn’t spare at that exact moment. I stopped, acknowledged the request and asked that she send me an email to remind me to come back her. Simple process, took a few seconds and I made sure to follow up. As a leader, keep in mind that communication is vital to the success of the school.

Communication with parents occurs with great frequency for a school leader. Using websites is a wonderful tool as long as someone is responsible for keeping it up to date. Today there are different apps that allow teachers and parents to communicate without sharing phone numbers. One example is Class Dojo, which works much like Facebook except that a parent can only see the school story, the class story (of his/her child) and their child’s digital portfolio of work. In addition, this app has a message feature allowing the teacher and parent to message one another in real time. School leaders can also be messaged using this app. When I was a principal, I found this app to be indispensable especially during our Covid closure. There are the more traditional methods of communication such as weekly folders, monthly newsletters, and billboards. Having a school calendar available in multiple forms also helps parents as they plan for the school year. Remember when communicating with parents to be clear and concise, while resisting the use of language that only fellow educators understand. In short, tell parents what they want and need to know in terms that are clear.

Finally, communication with the community is part of your responsibility as a school leader. Again, use your website but keep it up to date. Local media outlets (newspapers and/or webpages) can be another way to get your message out. Word of caution: What they publish is up to them. Most schools and districts have a social media presence. Often districts have a preferred platform to use. For example, in two districts I’ve worked in, one preferred Facebook and the other Twitter. As a school leader, you may want to be in charge of the school’s social media presence or designate a staff member or team for this. No matter which platform, follow the guidelines of the district and the platform while keeping the community informed of your school’s events and news.

Monday Minute – 11/2/2020

We have now been in school for two to two and half months, I would like to take today’s Monday Minute to remind educators to take care of themselves. This school year has brought about new procedures, policies, and pedagogical methods for most educators if for no other reason than the pandemic. Many educators are finding their stride while others are in ever-changing environments. No matter your situation, I would like to recommend that all educators do a few things for self-care. You can’t fill others if your bucket is empty.

For starters, set yourself a work day (times) whether you are working remotely or in the building. You still need time to be alone and with loved ones, so please set your work day and hold to it as best as possible. If you do this, it will make taking care of yourself easier.

There are also the simple but often overlooked normal self care tips: eat a well-balanced diet, exercise, drink water, get enough sleep. Educator friends please take care of yourselves

Education has been through a lot of change in the last six months. We’ve shut down and reopened during a pandemic. Hats off to educators at all levels for what you’ve accomplished. With schools reopening, districts have made choices from completely virtual, to completely face to face, and everything in between. No matter the decision, new policies and procedures have been written and are now being implemented.

With the new policies and procedures, it is vital that these be communicated with teachers, students, parents and the community. Since the guidance schools receive regarding Covid-19 changes often, be sure those changes are shared with stakeholders. It’s one of the things that school leaders can control, so communicate with your stakeholders. With social media, school webpages, and even good old paper newsletters, get the word out. If location, location, location is the mantra for real estate, let’s have communication, communication, communication in our schools and with our stakeholders.

Wishing you all a safe week of leading, teaching, and learning, Dr. B

Monday Minute – July 20, 2020

As I write this post, schools across the country are planning and revising plans to “reopen” schools this fall. Just the term “reopening” seems an odd choice to me. The school buildings may have closed in March but teaching and learning continued until the end of the school year. The beginning of the year for 20-21 will be unlike anything I have experienced in my lifetime.

Here in South Carolina, many districts are planning to offer parents a choice of hybrid instruction or online learning to start the school year. Some districts are offering face to face for all students five days a week or all online learning. With either option, parents, students, and community members have questions, concerns, and often strong opinions. As a school leader, I have allowed myself to get bogged down in the opinions of others. Several times I had a wise man remind to stop worrying about things beyond my control, and focus on the things I can control. I really appreciate him keeping me grounded. Below are some ways that I worked on following this advice.

As a school leader, I can control:

*My attitude

*My response to others, especially how and when I respond

*How I communicate information to my staff, parents and the community

*How I prepare my staff and myself for the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year

*How I treat others

*What I read and watch

For the 2020-2021 school year, my plan is to keep the golden rule as my mantra “treat others like you want to be treated.” Sending positive thoughts to my fellow school leaders are we finalize and revise plans for the upcoming school year, Dr. B.

I hope this post finds you all well. Now that we are technically in the 2020-2021 school year, I’d like to take a moment to share that reopening schools during a pandemic is uncharted territory for all of us, principals, district leaders, teachers, parents and most importantly our students. Remember to extend grace to yourself and all those you encounter as we plan for re-opening, whatever it may look like.

Monday Minute: May 4, 2020

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week! With schools being closed, many of the traditional celebrations simply won’t work. Thanks to PTO and my assistant principal, we will still show our teachers that we appreciate all they do for our students. Signs will be posted in each staff member’s yard, and we will do a social media celebration. Below are the posts that will be made each day on the school’s social media page. There may be slight changes and of course some images.

May the Force be with You Monday – It’s teacher Appreciation Week! We have a different post planned for each day this week for the community to celebrate what a positive force our teachers / educators are in the community!

“Taco” Tuesday – Let’s “taco-bout” (talk about) teachers who’ve inspired us. For example, I’d like to send a shout out to Mrs. ———-! She is an amazing assistant principal who is dedicated to the students, staff and community.

Wondering Wednesday – Have you ever wondered why a teacher chose this career? Reach out to a teacher / educator to ask them why they chose education. You may just be surprised at the various answers!

Dress Up Thursday – Dress like one of your teachers and share the picture in the comments!

Share your Face Friday – Thank you teachers and staff for all you’ve done this year year for our students. This one is for you: Share a picture of yourself at the same age (or close) as the students you are teaching this school year. Here’s my kindergarten school picture.

Thank you educators everywhere for all you’re doing during an pandemic to keep students learning and supported academically and beyond!

Monday Minute, April 20, 2020

As I write this post, schools here in South Carolina have been closed since March 16 by executive order of the governor due to Covid-19. The transition occurred overnight. The announcement came on a Sunday that students were not returning the next day. That was almost one month ago. As of today, we are scheduled to reopen May 1st.

Google meet has continued to be how we meet as a staff. I’ve learned a few new features and have used them, hopefully to the advantage of my staff. It’s a way for us to stay connected and maintain relationships. I’ve written before about the importance of relationships and it’s more important now than before to maintain positive relationships with staff. Everyone handles “work from home” differently. As a school leader, I try to support each person’s unique needs while continuing to lead from home. I’m fortunate that my assistant principal is amazing and steps up & in wherever she is needed. Her support has been invaluable during this closure.

I miss seeing my students and staff. Building and maintaining relationships is simpler when you physically see people regularly. At this point I will continue to have google meets, weekly newsletters and emails as needed to keep my staff informed. I hope this post finds you all well and healthy.