Graduation is looming

Greetings all...its been a while since I've posted to blogger. Much has happened since 2006 (the year of my last post). For starters, I'm a new dad. Yep, little Yasmeen was born March 12, 2007 and we just celebrated her 2nd birthday. Never a dull moment with her! Also, I'm scheduled to defend my doctoral dissertation this month and if I'm successful, I will graduate in May 2009. I'm excited about that. Finally, check out my internet radio show every Sunday morning at 9:00 AM cst. My friend and I (Kai) host and we talk about a myriad of topics which affect our community. Check the diop and dupe link to see what we have going on.

Write at ya later....

End of the Semester

We are approaching the end of another semester. My first year as a prinicpal has been eye opening to say the least. To all you aspiring administrators let me tell you first hand, that being an Assistant Principal is totally different than being the Principal! Your mindset is different, your sleeping patterns are different, you carry yourself different. Being a principal I have learned to temper justice with mercy. I have learned to listen carefully and speak rarely. Not saying to keep my mouth closed, however being a principal requires listening skills. So many times we want to talk over a parent or a teacher, when in reality they just want to be heard. Since the final decision rests with me, I have to learn to be patient and manage problems before they become "problems". One thing we have done on campus this year is implement common assessments. Every 3 weeks my instructional coordinator creates tests in all core areas. Our student scores have gradually increased each time. I am so proud of our students as they work hard to reach their potential. I want to reward them each and every day for the things they are doing for themselves. I know I will probably never see their final destinations, but I am glad to play a small role in their development.

 

Nov 13

Thanksgiving break is almost here. You can feel the anticipation in the atmoshpere. As I prepare to take my first week-long break I can't help but think how far I have to go as an administrator and leader. So many things come your way in a day, sometimes you want to just close the doors, shut the windows and meditate. That doesn't sound like a bad idea! As I think back, classroom monitoring still rings as key in managing a school. Some teachers will do their very best no matter who the leader is. Others, well they need a little push every now and then. All in all, I am happy with my school. I would like for our teachers to have a little more initiative when it comes to student acheivement, but they do what they are asked to do.
Student acheivement... That is a big dilemma. How does one go about positively affecting student acheivement? For starters, you have to take much. Take much in the way of naysayers. Take much in the way of un-motivated teachers, parents and community members. You have to take all that and mix it in with all the motivated teachers. Stir it all in one pot and hopefully the finished product is student acheivement.
We have begun utilizing our online lesson planner. An invaluable tool for teacher planning. This tool allows me as an administrator to view and comment on lesson plans. I am able to view certain lessons and actually get an idea of what to expect before I enter the classroom. This is the future of education. We have to get on board with technology and teach our students how to manipulate the latest innovations and apply it in their everyday lessons..

Nov 7

This week will be the first week my teachers utilize the new online lesson planner. It is a very useful tool for teachers. I remember when I was a teacher, I tried several electronic lesson plans, none of which was very user friendly. The current software seems to work well. Teachers are required to post their plans weekly. As an administrator I am able to view plans and send instant emails with my comments. As I am going to visit classrooms, I can view what the teacher should be doing when I walk into their rooms. As I have stated before, visiting classrooms is probably the biggest single indicator or predictor of academic success. Constant monitoring is key if you are to effect the type of change you are looking for. I've heard stories of the administrator staying in their office all day and wondering at the end of the year what went wrong. I am striving not to be that type of principal.
Also this week will be my first carnival. Trying to go on field trips and other items needed for students costs money- and a carnival is probably the single biggest fundraiser you can have.

Oct 30 2006

The prevailing theme for our school seems to continue to be our struggles with Math. As I am visiting classrooms, I see the frustration on the faces of some of our students as they struggle with the "new" math. I say new, because students today are required to know more than basic facts. Not only must they answer the "what," they must answer "why"! So many variable go into teaching math. Our teachers have a tremendous responsibility, one that often times goes un-rewarded, but they continue to teach. I am realizing daily that my major focus or task should be visiting and monitoring instruction. As a leader, it is my job to ensure that our teachers remain focused on the task of teaching our students. Also, we must monitor and adjust our instruction where needed.
The subject of departmentalization has been circulated among the staff. As I think on that subject I have my doubts. Departmentalization can work, however I believe the elementary setting is where those personal relationships are formed. When students are contained in one classroom, with one teacher they are able to watch the formation of the child. Students enter one way in August and leave in May a totally different child. Departmentalizing would hinder the effectiveness of the teacher with that growth. Academically, I think it would work if you had the right teacher. A teacher who is strong in Math should be tasked with teaching math. This is an issue I will continue to monitor.

October 23, 2006

Last week ended on a good note. Our 5th grade students participated in a Science competition at one of our local high schools. They were competing against other 5th grade students in areas such as Science vocabulary and Science measurement. Overall, our students won 2nd place. I was happy for them, and proud that they represented our school well. We still have work to do if we plan to reach Exemplary. We are in the 2nd week of the 2nd 9 week grading period. Our focus continues to be in the area of Math, but we are making gains. A preliminary study of our Interim test data shows marked improvement in basic math, which is a prerequisite if our students are to master higher math skills.

I have about 3 books on my reading table right now. Two of them are on the subject of school leadership. The theme or the recommendation all the authors list are the key to effective leadership is monitoring. In this case- being in the classroom. That is the only way you are going to know what is going on, see which teachers are teaching and which need help. It is imperative that I not get bogged down with the non-instructional things and stay in the classrooms. Today, unfortunatley I didn't visit a single classroom. After meeting with my administrative team it seems like the day just flew by. I cannot afford to let that happen. I know we can achieve academically, but I must be the catalyst to monitor and adjust whenever the situation warrants, and the only way I can fully know the situations is to be on the front lines--in the classroom!.