Enjoy Your Time

In the longest period of uncertainty in my (and almost everyone else's) life, today I'm able to happily reflect on multiple moments. We continue to live in a pandemic, where everything can be up in the air at a moment's notice. Where you live dictates how you live and what you are allowed and restricted to do. Our school district is so very fortunate to be able to celebrate being able to teach and learn in person for almost the entire first semester of the school year now. There are so many things we need to take a minute to enjoy.

Each week, our staff starts Friday with a faculty meeting in a huge circle in the gym. We spend just 20 minutes reflecting on the week and sharing news. I have learned more about our staff in these short meetings this year, than in the three previous years combined. I cherish this time when people are able to share something special that stuck out to them during the week, either personal or professional. We have to enjoy the time we have talking with colleagues, we are all important to each other.

I love being in classrooms for various reasons. One is to connect with kids and see them in their learning environment. Another is to be there for teachers, and show that they don't have to track me down in the office to talk to me. The reason I loved being in classrooms this week was because teachers never cease to impress me. I want to spend more time with kids because our teachers make it look so easy and they engage kids in ways that excite and inspire every learner. From giving kids opportunities to create and share their learning with others, to helping kids learn to love reading, and encouraging them to sit and savor their reading, our classrooms are full of moments we need to sit back and enjoy.

If I can't be in classrooms, recess is another great option. Walking around a large field on a brisk December day, I am glad I was able to enjoy watching kids have fun. They played their own invented games where they enjoyed competition and laughter, they sang Christmas carols with a song sheet that one child brought to recess, and they sat in circles and played alternative duck duck goose and catch games. They have so much fun when they are together.

Our world may be different than what we had been used to. We don't know when things will change, but let's take a cue from our children. Find ways to have fun, look for the positive and enjoy your time. We all deserve it.

A Success So Far...

Every new school year brings its fair share of challenges. The fall of 2020 is completely different for everyone. We have now completed 13 days in person at our elementary school. We have adjusted, worked to be as conscious about health as possible, and continued to put kids first. While many things have changed, we are finding success in several aspects of this year's start of school.

As a school, reading and book access are extremely important to us. Teachers and our librarian have worked to find ways keep books in the hands of kids in a safe manner. Our 4th grade teachers found creative ways to continue to have Book Tastings in person and virtually in the first few days of school. Our librarian is being creative to continue to provide book choice to kids in their weekly library visits.

Our teachers have taken advantage of the amazing weather we have been having by teaching outside. Kids love having the extra space to move around, and of course love taking mask breaks. Learning outside is just as meaningful as inside the building and at times, even more fun! Kudos to our teachers for trying new things!

Recess posed a big challenge to us as we planned for kids to return to the building. Luckily, we have an abundance of outside space. We created four quadrants for recess and each class is assigned a quadrant for a week time period. They can enjoy their recess in this space with their class and then will rotate through the other quadrants each week. Splitting up 100 kids into four quadrants has created some positive change. Kids have more space to play. Kids are making new friends and playing with others that they wouldn't have played with before. Kids are getting along better and using all of their time for fun when outside! That's a big win in our book!

The beginning of the school year is not complete without our #GoodNewsCalloftheDay program! Although you can't see our lips smiling, you can hopefully tell in our eyes that we are still celebrating great kids each and every day!

Who's your Biggest Fan?

Life is crazy and busy. We get wrapped up in the world, (especially with everything going on right now) and fly through each day. In education, we are focused on so many questions, worries, fears and other unknowns. Have you stopped for 5 minutes to think about who cheers you on each day from behind the scenes?

Your biggest fan might be a child that has no idea what you do for work. What they do recognize is how much they love you and how much fun it is to be around you. In the eyes of a child, it is your personality that shines and your dedication to that child. When you are with them, they are your biggest fan because you value them and the time you spend together.

You biggest fan might be a parent or adult older than you. This person has seen you grow personally and professionally. They have seen you evolve into the person you are today and they respect what you do and the dedication you have towards your passions. An adult might be your biggest fan because they know that you have struggled, overcome and been a better person because of everything you have conquered. It is likely this person is your biggest fan because they are proud of you.

Your biggest fan might be beside you each and every day. You may take this person for granted because you go through everything together. This person may know you best and can expect how you will react to almost any situation before you react. This person is there for your ups and downs and always knows what to say. Your biggest fan may not often tell you how they feel, but that doesn't make them support you and cheer for you any less.

Remember that we all have a Biggest Fan. Some of us may have more than one. Remember that they will always support you and maybe when you least expect it, they will remind you with a text that says... You are amazing, I'm so proud of you and will support you. You know I'm your biggest fan. (Thank you Kari!! Love you more)

Take an Ice Cream Break

School buildings are still closed and eerily quiet. I make a trip or two to the building each week to retrieve items for staff members or families, or to assist with meal distribution. Nothing is the same and just seeing a familiar smiling face in the car waving to you is enough to light up your world.

Last Friday was the same, I was going through the same motions and feeling strange at school in the quiet and dark hallways. We served many meals to families that drove up, and I was happy to see people I knew from our school and the community. I collected my belongings when we finished, closed things up, and headed to the door. Before I excited the building, I noticed a car parked about twenty feed from mine, facing the building (the same way I had parked). I hoped they hadn't come for meal pick up, as we had already run out. I paused before I proceeded to exit the building.

During this pandemic, I often feel guilty talking to people, feeling like I am not supposed to. People aren't as comfortable being friendly right now. I walked to my car, and looked over toward the unknown car while I put my backpack in the backseat. A blonde head popped up into the back window of that car, a very familiar kindergarten face! I waved, excited to see him, and got into my vehicle and prepared to drive away. The driver of the car waved me over, so I pulled up next to them. The driver introduced himself as the grandpa to my student in the backseat. The backseat window rolled down and I excitedly greeted the student, told him how much I miss him, complimented his long hair and asked what he had been doing at home. He gave me a couple short answers, paired with his contagious laugh. Grandpa jumped in and added that the boy wanted to get some ice cream, so they had just done that. The next thing grandpa said, I was not prepared to hear.

"We're parked here, because after we got our ice cream, he said he wanted to come see his classroom."

I don't even remember what I said next. That comment pulled my heart strings. I told the boy it was great to see him, thanked the grandparents for bringing him to see his classroom and I drove away. It is funny how things happen to you that cause you to stop and reflect. To think that this child, who had many rough days in school, wanted to see his classroom because he missed it that much, tells me WE are doing something right.

ps. So are those amazing grandparents.

Investment

It has been too long since I have written. It has been too long since we've seen our kids. We are going on week 6 out of school and eLearning. Our district was preparing to implement eLearning days during inclement weather for the next school year. All of a sudden, we are doing it four days a week, teaching and learning in our homes, with computers, as best as we all can. Although we cannot be with each other, we can still celebrate our kids, and today I was able to do that with a parent.

Rewind to three years ago when I entered the district as a principal. You quickly learn as much as you can about the students in your building, and even quicker, you learn about kids you will work with daily. Some kids, at different times in their lives, require different types of attention from the school staff. This is where my involvement in his story begins. I met a young student who needed additional supports throughout his day. He had a hard time focusing and completing basic requests, given by the teacher. Often, the class would be working in one part of the room, and he'd be in another part of the room, not participating. This particular school year went on, with not much change, as we tried to help him be more successful with different supports.

The next year began with very little change. We began to wrap our arms around this student with supports in the classroom, in resource classrooms, in communication with parents, and with our mentor program. We would see little glimpses of success, but not very often. One thing about being the leader of a building that is beneficial, is knowing kids from year to year and being able to build the relationship. For more kids than we realize, having a new teacher each year is a hardship, because they have to start building a relationship that relies on trust and understanding every single year. For me, I was able to connect with this student and pick up where we left off the prior year. Together as a staff, we built on those little successes and tried to understand our student as best as we could, including what he needed academically, emotionally and socially.

Fast forward to today. It's April, and we are supposed to say goodbye to our 4th graders in a few weeks. We cannot see them, hug them, high five them, and tell them how proud we are of them (in person). This kid has come so far! He shares his emotions and tells us when he's overwhelmed. He wants to be at school, he told mom about staff members he misses. This is amazing. This is so different from the kid we knew three years ago.

On a conference call with mom, before we hung up, I had to share. (Mind you, I've had a ton of conversations with mom in person and on the phone over the last three years. Many of the conversations involved sharing info with mom that she was not excited about. We have had a couple of great phone calls to brag about him to mom this year, which he loved.) I laid it out for mom and said, "I hate that I can't hug him. I hate that I can't say goodbye to him. I hate that I can't tell him how amazing of a school year he had and how proud I am of him. Tell him I will find him at the Middle School in the fall."

Invest in your kids, they are the best investment you'll ever make.

The Little Things

It's easy to get caught up in life. We all go about our daily routines and often forget how much the little things we do have an impact. I was recently reminded of how important it is to focus on the little things in our daily work. While we may not be told daily, or even often, the little things matter and often make the biggest impact.

What is your focus in your life or your work? I strive daily to be positive and have a positive impact on those around me. No matter what is going on behind the scenes, I make a conscious effort to lead with an upbeat, positive attitude. The environment we create makes a difference for everyone that "lives" in it or just visits for short periods of time. People that are happy and positive are motivated to work toward common goals and help those around them. It is important to me, to keep this focus.

In addition to leading with positivity, I focus on small details. I do this for the organization and because details make a difference to people. Some may think that some details aren't as important, or can take a back seat. In a school setting, everything is connected and one decision effects ten things that will come next. Details matter and efforts have to be made to focus on the smallest detail in our daily work.

One of the littlest things we do is making an extra effort. This is not easy and it is often overlooked. The average person is okay with status quo and fulfilling typical expectations. If you want more and expect more of those around you, you make an extra effort. An extra effort to be positive, to teach and lead, to develop relationships and to build something bigger around you.

Little things count, and it is important to keep our focus on them. Knowing that the little things we do make a difference is the only reminder we need.