The Hungry Educator

1. "It's just the kids and I." After my last post in February, I set out to make some changes because I realized that the staff did not feel empowered  and that change was necessary in order to move forward. As I searched for ways to empower the staff it became evident that some teacher's strengths were being overlooked. The methodology and pedagogy behind technology in the classroom are new to many teachers in my school.  It turns out that there are several staff members that can give digital literacy & pedagogy workshops to their colleagues. Their willingness to do so provided opportunities for staff to feel empowered and proved to be successful. Why did I bring this up? Well, it opened the lines of communication amongst staff members and enabled them to collaborate. Unit planning no longer takes place in isolation; collaboration is becoming more common place. If someone would have asked me if this kind of collaboration could occur two years ago I would have ...

This month's question was "What are ways that you are INTENTIONAL in allowing your staff to feel empowered?" To be honest, I have not spent much time thinking about that previous to this post. My days seem to be filled with putting out 'fires', making plans for students/staff/parents, and supporting learning from one moment to the next. So I asked a few staff members what they thought. Two questions came to mind: 1) Do you ever feel empowered? If yes, when? How do you use the power or leadership opportunity that has been made possible? 2) What can I do to facilitate opportunities for staff to feel that they are empowered? Interestingly enough, the majority of the responses for #1 stated that they do not feel empowered. The responses were sad, but sadly not shocking. I thought that I had given a few staff members opportunities to assert themselves as leaders, but this did not come across from their perspectives. A hard pill to swallow, but definitely food fo...

As a new administrator I keep wondering, "How can I do all that needs to be done in the hours that I have? Is it possible to get everything done? How do others do it?" Late hours, lack of sleep, and paper work seem to pile up. I am sure that many of you have been in this position at one time or another. Making lists, scheduling activities, and doing work during non-student hours are great strategies but, in the end I was still unable to achieved all that I set out to do by the end of the day. I then decided to refelct on how I spend my time. I quickly realized that I was becoming a "Yes-How-Can-I-Help-You-Right-Away-Leader". This was the main reason that I was not achieving my daily goals. I needed to come up with a better system that did not require me to do everything, all the time, right away. This means that I would need to look beyond the list to come up with a viable solution. Basically a prioritizing system that is basic enough for me to put into practice...

Why should I give you a chance? Can I rely on you? Why should I trust you? Have you ever felt like those questions were/are the unsaid or unheard 'elephant in the room'? Over the past 3 and a half years I have been on a journey to build credibility with my staff and colleagues. I entered the school not only as a new addition to the staff, but new to the position. It seemed like I would never get to a place where people could trust me or feel like I was able to help support the staff effectively. I have to say that this has been a difficult blog for me to write. I am not sure if I have figured out the formula for credibility. At this stage in my career I find myself reflecting on my practices weekly and wondering what areas need to change. With all the recent changes,  my credibility is definitely on my mind. The more articles I read and the more people I spoke to, made me realize that I need to hone in on specific areas if I want to grow in terms of my leadership. I ...

This year I want to focus on enhancing my pedagogical development and learning how to encourage positive change within my school. Just like my first teaching post, I entered administration excited and feeling like I could help everyone all the time. Then, reality set in and I realized that I could only affect change with the students, teachers, and parents who wanted to accept my help. My second realization is that positive change (in terms of school climate) does not necessarily mean big impressive projects or initiatives. So I asked myself, what is the backbone of change? There are so many components that make effect change effective within a school. I narrowed down three that I thought that I could work on this year. 1. Consistency. This means no surprises. Staff, students, and parents should have a general idea of what decisions will be made based on their rights, responsibilities, and agreed on school guidelines. The  school community should expect me to be equi...

Since my friends became acquainted with Google Apps For Education, I couldn't help but become enchanted with the idea of exploring Google and taking my digital education to new heights. I was encouraged to attend a Google Summit and that was it. I contracted the Google bug. From there things seemed to go Google crazy. My school jumped on the 1:1 bandwagon and Chromebooks became part of the classroom. Although I had a learnt a little over the years, it became apparent that it was not enough. I need to learn more if I am going to continually challenge students and staff to venture out and do the same. Happily for me several members of the staff at my school have graciously agreed to come on a Google journey with me. Our first step is to take the 'Learn the Basics' lessons and tests. Step two, become 'Google Educators' and perhaps move on to step 3, which is becoming 'Google Certified Trainers'. Fasten your seat belts because we are about to go for a ride....

I  have been extremely fortunate this year. My work has provided me with opportunity to learn abroad on two occasions. I went to an IB Conference in New Orleans and got to network with incredible people. I was also afforded the opportunity to tour a bit of New Orleans, what an experience. My second opportunity to learn abroad just came to an end. I was asked to chaperone a student exchange to China. I just got back from a 16 day adventure. You can check out my travel blog (you can't use Blogger in China). Browse the text and check out the neat pictures and videos and let me know what you think. http://blog.travelpod.com/members/tashatales

It’s that time of year and once again I simply didn't know what to do… How can we (the admin team at our school) show the teachers we appreciate them? I scoured the internet for ideas. Many were too expensive, too time consuming, or simply not possible with the manpower available. In the end ideas were obtained with the help  of Pintrest  and a some incredible office staff members input.  Below is the result of our efforts. Day 1: A few sweets, for our sweet staff! Day 2: Our staff are always "bringing the kids to the water"... so we thought we would help quench their thirst as well. And our students couldn't resist showering them with flowers. Day 3: They are always encouraging the students and are continually promoting school spirit. A little something to tell everyone how wonderful they are! Day 4: Who says that food is not the way to the heart? Any suggestions for the year to co...

I have to confess, upon receiving this blog challenge I resorted to research. There was a lot of literature about why parents should get involved. There were also suggestions given as to how you can get parents from middle-upper  class communities involved. Gaining parent involvement in a low socioeconomic community has always been a challenge for me (and my research did not result successfully in this area). I have been very fortunate to work with an incredible staff. Our staff continually forges relationships with the students and their parents. Keeping the lines of communication open through positive feedback and social media seems to have increased parental awareness of school information and activities. It is great to have parents commenting on facebook posts of activities in the school or even ask questions about school life. This has proven to be an open door to communication. In order to further forge relationships with parents we had to get creative. We invit...

I use to dread serious conversations with staff. I always felt like I needed to handle everything right away. I have learnt that time is not always my enemy. I can report an incident to a parent and explain that I will call them back when I have fully investigated; only then will I come to a final decision on the matter at hand. In the same respect I can let a staff member know that I will be addressing the issue at a later time so that they can reflect on what took place. I find that this helps me achieve the best outcome possible. Another misconception I had was that administrators operate in isolation. Brainstorm solutions to tricky/uncomfortable situations with other administrators. Doing the latter has allowed me to tap into   wisdom, knowledge, and experience that have been invaluable. In most circumstances others have faced similar situations or can give a different perspective because they are looking in from the outside. When it finally comes t...

Professional development can be a sticky issue at times. Many teachers and administrators want to enhance their best practices, but there a plethora of obstacles that tend to get in the way. Time is a major one that many people concern themselves with. On occasion something special/interesting crosses my path (e.g. I just got back from the Google Summit in Montreal #gafesummit) and all I want to do is continue the Google training... But when? The second major obstacle is the professional development itself. If I manage to obtain a few sacred hours or a day or two(if i am really lucky), my expectations of the training are high. I want to walk away with a new idea/thought that I can use to further my growth and the growth of others around me. With time and relevance setting the mood,  I try to place myself in my teachers shoes. I wonder, 'Why would/should teachers journey with me down the professional development path?' Today I am trying to enhance myself as a digital ...