Reflections on the value of a PLN

Posted on March 22, 2016 by Amy's Reflections

My first year of teaching I was blessed to work in a middle school where we worked on true interdisciplinary teams.  I was the Spanish and Civics teacher on the team and my colleagues taught Math, Science, and English; we all shared the same group of students and had a common prep period.  My Apollo team colleagues not only supported me, the brand new teacher straight out of college, but they also taught me the value of a Professional Learning Network (PLN).  We used our common prep period to collaborate on a wide variety of issues, but this was years before I was introduce to the DuFours’ work around Professional Learning Communities (PLC). At the time, my naive 21-year-old self had no idea how lucky she was to have a built in PLC handed to her during her first year of teaching.

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Since that time, my PLN has evolved from the colleagues at my own site, to the colleagues I met at workshops and conferences within my district and across the country.  I am currently working in my fourth district in San Diego and that has been a blessing to my PLN.  With each successive move, I have carried with me amazing contacts who continue to challenge my thinking, enhance my practice, and encourage my work.  I am a better educator because of the people who are a part of my PLN, near and far.

When it comes to Social Media, Twitter is the main way that I have added people to my PLN.  I avoided using Voxer for a long time.  But every once in awhile someone I respect would mention a valuable conversation they had through a Voxer chat, and my interest would be piqued.  I recently joined a Voxer group associated with the #educoach chat.

One of the common trends I’ve noticed is that many of the participants appear to have jobs where they are very isolated. I don’t mean isolated as in rural versus urban setting.  I mean isolated as in they are the sole instructional coach in a building, district, city, or region. There are various positions that have been created without training or support. When I think about these people, a Voxer group dedicated to sharing best practices in coaching makes sense.  Not only do you have a built-in PLN to share ideas and ask questions, but you create a support system for yourself across the country.

I am so happy that these folks have found one another and are able to find the support they need and deserve.  This leads me to wonder about others… the people who are thrown into a coaching position with no training or support. I believe very strongly that any initiative (such as adding instructional coaching to a system) should be collaboratively planned, based on research and a theory of action, with supports and accountability measurements to check on the progress of said initiative.  While it may be time and labor-intensive at the beginning, I guarantee that the time spent up front will save you time in the long run.  With proper planning and support, you will have less turnover, less stress, and more productivity. I hope that the coaches out there with less structure and support are able to build their own PLN, to surround themselves with colleagues who can guide and assist their new learning.

Reflective thoughts to ponder:

  • Do you use Voxer?
  • How do you interact with and grow your PLN? 
  • Does your school, district, or system have positions that were created without a system of support? 

 

 

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Five: A Survey

Posted on March 21, 2016 by Amy's Reflections

I read a number of healthy blogs.  Many of the bloggers I follow are friends and colleagues. When one of them publishes a cute blog survey, others quickly follow.  I have now read 4-5 versions of this survey and finally decided to add my own thoughts, with a leadership and learning twist.  Feel free to play along in the comments with your leadership or personal answers!

Five Places I’m Dying To Visit

  • A school district with a positive culture and climate that has equity as a central focus, where students and adults thrive in a fun, supportive learning community
  • A school district (other than my own!) where the Superintendent is a true Instructional Leader
  • A university-based teacher education program that prepares teachers for the realities of teaching in an urban setting in the 21st Century (and ditto for leaders!)
  • A local EdCamp in my own district, co-created by an amazing team of teacher leaders!
  • An upcoming Learning Forward conference!

Five Tasks I Do Every Day

  • Journal for personal leadership reflection
  • Check and response to email
  • Speak to my colleagues
  • Read Twitter for educational inspiration
  • Smile- this work is fun!

Five Talents I Wish I Had

  • Change-easer- the ability to help educators navigate through complex change painlessly
  • Balancer – the ability to seamlessly find balance between work and personal life
  • Cheerleader – the ability to cheer for people all around our system- acknowledging their efforts, approximations, successes, and repeated attempts!
  • Sharer – the ability to share the great things happening in our schools with everyone around the world as they happen (Social Media makes this more possible than in the past, but it’s not a perfect system yet) and interact with others about our work
  • De-hoarder – the ability to help educators minizing their hoarding tendencies, limit the amount of paper we hold onto, and help others organize their work spaces and lives

Five Leaders I Wish I Could Work With

  • Elena Aguilar – a leader in coaching and supporting the work of coaches
  • Dr. Anthony Muhammad – A leader in the field of culture and climate
  • My friend and former colleague Shelley Burgess– anytime anywhere!
  • My friend and a member of my doctoral committee Dr. Leighangela Brady – a passionate leader focused on innovative ideas to personalize learning for all students
  • My friend and former colleague Pauline Leavitt – another passionate leader focused on the learning success of all students while creating a professional environment that supports her staff

Five Twitter Hashtags I Love

  • #LeadLAP – Lead Like a Pirate, created by Shelley Burgess and Beth Houf – I can’t read their book!
  • #educoach – Created by Kathy Perret, Jessica Johnson and Shira Leibowitz – the chat takes place every Wednesday evening
  • #satchatwc – This is a west coast spin off of an east coast original chat.  I was once  a co-moderator.  Now I love spending my Saturday morning being inspired by the positive, uplifting topics!
  • #Read16in16 – This inspired me in 2015 and this year to blog about all of the books I’m reading and to share them with others.
  • #tcrwp – Teacher’s College Reading and Writing Project – I’ve written about my love of this work before and it will always have a special place in my heart (the feed is FULL of classroom examples of amazing literacy instruction!).

Five Blogs I Love To Read

Five Phrases I Have On Repeat 

  • Voice and choice matter in student AND adult learning
  • What can we celebrate from that classroom/ meeting/ workshop?  What is going well for students?
  • What do YOU think?
  • Have you explored Twitter?
  • We are creating personalized professional growth pathways

Five Books On My To-Be-Read List

  • Explore Like a Pirate by Michael Matera
  • Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
  • Fostering Resilient Learners: Strategies for Creating a Trauma-Sensitive Classroom by Kristin Souers with Pete Hall
  • The Multigenerational Workplace by Jennifer Abrams
  • The Art of Coaching Teams by Elena Aguilar

 

What five things are important to your leadership and learning?

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Presume Positive Intentions

Posted on March 18, 2016 by Amy's Reflections

“If you look for the bad in mankind expecting to find it, you surely will.”

– Abraham Lincoln 

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Teaching and leading are incredible jobs!  The days are long, but the rewards are great (when we have the patience to wait for them!).  As educators, we must be staunch defenders of our amazing profession; this vocation that called to us and that keeps us coming back despite the many challenges.  Too often, we allow the judgments and criticisms of others, or worse, our own negative self-doubt, to tarnish the work we do. To combat that, I am embracing the idea of presuming positive intentions.

I don’t know a single teacher  or counselor or support staff member who gets up in the morning determined to ruin the lives of children.

I don’t know a single administrator who gets up and skips into work, hoping to torture the adults or students with whom he or she works.  

I’ve heard many versions of the statements above.  By presuming positive intentions, I  can “shut out the mental noise of judgment,” as Carolyn McKanders says in this Learning Forward article.  I can take time to build relationships with my fellow educators so that when I don’t understand their actions, I can empathize with them instead of criticizing.

When I visit classrooms with fellow administrators, coaches, or teachers, I like to begin any debrief by asking, “What can we celebrate?”  So often we are quick to jump to conclusions and make statements that appear judgmental and negative after viewing just a few short minutes of someone’s hard work.  When we see a very small window of a much larger landscape, we are wise to remind ourselves and our colleagues to presume positive intentions.  Even if we, as visitors don’t know, understand, or agree with what we observed, when we begin with celebrations we come from a positive, strength-based stance.

If we can celebrate our work from within, some of that enthusiasm is bound to sneak out to the public.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful to open a newspaper or magazine and read positive, uplifting stories about the incredible work being done in schools all across America?

I encourage you, as educational leaders, to presume positive intentions when working with your staff, your students, and your colleagues.  Help make the message positive! Tell OUR story OUR way (instead of the way many non-educator journalists often do).

 

 

 

 

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My Beautiful Question

Posted on March 16, 2016 by Amy's Reflections

As I wrote about earlier this week, we are now in the middle of Question Week.  One of the resources for individuals to consider is this article by Warren Berger, about forgetting a new years resolution and writing a beautiful question instead.  As I read Berger’s advice, it connected so nicely with Elizabeth Gilbert’s advice in Big Magic, which I reflected on here, as well as on my focus word of the year.

Rejuvenate 2016

Can I turn my focus word, rejuvenate, into a beautiful question that will impact my creativity this year?

Here are some initial drafts:

  • How can writing help me rejuvenate my mind and my soul this year?
  • How can I use my strengths and my passions to rejuvenate me?
  • How do I focus on rejuvenation throughout my day?
  • Is what I am choosing to do helping me rejuvenate?
  • Does this ____ (friendship, activity, task, event, choice) provide an opportunity for rejuvenation?
  •  What opportunities am I creating for rejuvenation?

Through my brainstorming, I was able to come up with a number of question that all get at the same idea, with a slightly different connotation.  I think my final question is the one that resonates with me the most.  It’s all about me- my choices, and the opportunities I create for myself.  I like the positive nature of opportunities and the empowerment of creating.  Therefore, my beautiful question for 2016 is:

What opportunities am I creating for rejuvenation? 

What is your beautiful question? 

Previous posts on rejuvenate:

Rejuvinate

My Word of 2016

Previous posts on questioning:

The Art of Questioning

Facilitating Learning by Questioning

Reflective questions

 

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Question Week

Posted on March 13, 2016 by Amy's Reflections

Mark 13-19 is Question Week, according to Warren Berger.

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I appreciate that the site’s goal is to elevate the art of questioning, because “asking good questions helps us identify the right problem and generate creative solutions”.  There are some fun resources for educators, parents, students, and companies about questions on the site.  In honor of question week, the remainder of this post will only use questions (in a bulleted list, because I never need an excuse to make a bulleted list!).

  • Why are questions so easy for young children?
  • When do we lose that natural curiosity?
  • How can teachers turn over the questioning to students?
  • How does asking our own questions impact our learning?
  • Are inquiry projects successful because student questions drive the learning?
  • If the person who talks the most, learns the most, who is doing the most learning in your classroom?
  • How will you share Question Week in your site or district?
  • When you visit classrooms, do you track the number of questions asked by teachers and/or students?
  • Who asks the most questions in your class or school?
  • What makes a good question?
  • What is the best interview question you have been asked?
  • Which type of question do you dread in interviews?
  • Where do you curate your own inquiries?
  • Why isn’t every week question week?
  • Could you write a blog entirely in questions?
  • Have you ever had a conversation using only questions?
  • Does this list feel as random to you as it does to me?
  • What questions are floating around in your mind right now?
  • Where do you go to answer your own questions?
  • How do you share your new learning?
  • Will you comment on this blog?
  • How will you share this post with others?
  • How can I thank you for reading and sharing my questions today?

 

 

 

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Things I’m Loving Friday, Volume 17

Posted on March 11, 2016 by Amy's Reflections

On Fridays I enjoy sharing some of the ideas, tools, or books that help my leadership and learning.  Please comment with the things you are loving lately!.

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  • Google Forms for Data Collection:  I recently created a Google Form to help me collect data while visiting classrooms across my district.  I put the form on the home-screen of my phone for easy access.  During the month of February I visited 83 classrooms.  My Google form allows me to break that data further into sites, content areas, and evidence of big ideas within our district.  In the process of using my form, I taught a principal how to create her own and helped her develop it.  She, in turn, taught one of her teachers how to do something similar for data collection on students’ IEP goals.  I love how one tool can be adapted to meet three very different professionals’ needs.

 

  • Plickers: In one of the 83 classrooms mentioned above, I saw a teacher assessing EVERY student in the classroom using this app.  I was so fascinated I had to ask him about it.  The teacher shared that he loved it for the simplicity, and for the immediate formative data he received everytime he used it.  The teacher provides the students with a code (similar to a QR code) that they hold up to demonstrate their answer.  He then scans the room, using his iPad, and can see every students’ answer, along with a list of names of students who were incorrect.  While this only works for multiple choice questions, it is a simple way to gather that data from students quickly.  Mere days later, one of my good friends texted me to check out this app, because she had just started using it her classroom (of course, because she is amazing!).

 

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  • Instagram: I recently decided to use my Instagram for a daily dose of happiness.  By following only accounts which post pictures that make me happy (gorgeous sunsets, kittens, nature scenes, friends and family, etc.).  Taking a few minutes to scroll through my feed gives me a quick burst of happiness.  I often do this while eating breakfast, then again during lunch, and as a wind down after a day of work. I love pictures and appreciating the photography talents of others, but more importantly this is giving me a sense of peace and calmness.  This is a social media outlet that I have kept positive (avoiding the trolls and negative comments on so many places).

 

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More Quotes That Resonate

Posted on March 9, 2016 by Amy's Reflections

As I read, I love to highlight lines that stand out to me.  I shared a collection of quotes that resonated with me here.   The quotes below have jumped off their pages and into my mind, bouncing off the walls, making me come back to them over and over again.  I hope some of them resonate with you as well.

But this issue of “Who gets to ask the questions in class?” touches on purpose, power, control, and, arguably, even race and social class. – “A More Beautiful Question” by Warren Berger

For the last few years, one of the primary aspects of a classroom that stands out to me is who is doing the most talking.  I am constantly seeking ways that teachers allow the students to own their learning, through their speaking and writing.  This quote pushes my thinking into the inquiry work I did with a group of dedicated teachers, who were brave enough to turn the questioning over to their young students.

“Argue for your limitations and you get to keep them.” ~ Elizabeth Gilbert in Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear

Wow.  This strikes me every time I read it.  We can focus on our weaknesses, our limitations, forever.  Or we can celebrate our strengths and move towards something bigger and better!

“Captivated, invested readers make time to read.” ~ Donalyn Miller in Reading in the Wild: The Book Whisperer’s Keys to Cultivating Lifelong Reading Habits

Another wow.  As I read this, though it resonated for me thinking about young readers in our schools, it also struck a chord as I thought about adult learners.  So often I think about the reading habits of the adults with whom I work, and now I wonder if anyone ever helped them cultivate lifelong reading habits.  I also wonder if we ever tap into what captivates our adult learners, ensuring they are invested in the reading that matters.

“In a dialogue, we must say what we think. However, advocacy without inquiry is anti-dialogical; it leads to a competition of wills where the loudest or most aggressive arguer wins.  Dialogue is a partnership activity in which two or more people communicate not to win, but to achieve mutual understanding.” ~ Jim Knight in Better Conversations: Coaching Ourselves and Each Other to be More Credible, Caring, and Connected

“Advocacy without inquiry is anti-dialogical.” I love this statement.  As an introvert, I often sit quietly in large group meetings, letting others battle it out to be heard over one another.  I marvel out the way some people skip the inquiry, or the listening, during what is supposed to be a dialogue.  I also marvel at those people who are able to do both so skillfully, listen with intent and engage in an equal dialogue that leads to greater understanding.

What quotes have resonated with you lately? 

 

 

 

 

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Find Your Big Magic

Posted on March 7, 2016 by Amy's Reflections

After reading Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, I was inspired to create more.  My preferred form of creativity is writing. Just as Gilbert advises, I write for me, because I love writing and writing loves me.  I am not writing as a career, but as a passion, a creative outlet.

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CCC licensed work

Throughout the book, Gilbert provides advice and a general push for everyone to be creative every day.  Whatever your preferred form of creativity, find it and do it!  She describes the big magic as those times when you are creating and a great idea hits (inspiration for a plot line, a subject for a painting, a design, etc.) and you can’t stop the momentum.

In a time where so many people struggle to find a work/ home life balance, I think it is more important than ever to encourage one another to find our big magic.  The world could use a little more creativity (in varied forms!).  I know that for me, writing makes me happier.  I know others who love creating through music, sewing, quilting, coloring, drawing, taking photos, painting, or home decorating.  When I picture the faces of my friends as they are creating, I see a lot of concentration, but also a sense of peace.  Maybe not laugh-out-loud smiles, but an overwhelming calmness that is often lacking during the stressful moments at work or while running errands in our busy lives.

During creation, we are often in our calmest state of being.  Mindful of the moment. Living in the present and enjoying each second.

So go out today and find your big magic, or practice creating so that your big magic can find you!  And encourage friends, family and colleagues to do the same – for all of our peace of mind.

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February Reading Update

Posted on March 1, 2016 by Amy's Reflections

This year I am sharing the experience I have reading (or listening to audio versions!) a variety of books.  In January I read six books.  Here is what I read in February.

  1. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman- I must admit, this is the first book I struggled to finish in a long time.  I started it, and kept reading, because Melanie recommended it to me, and I have LOVED everything she has ever suggested… until now.  After persevering through the slow parts, before I began to like and appreciate the main character, I finally began to enjoy the story itself.  Eventually, I did want to know how the story ended, and I admit there were tears by the end.  I haven’t had to force myself to keep reading a story in awhile, so this was really a different experience for me.
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  2. Dumplin‘ by Julie Murphy – I forget where I heard about this YA book, but I enjoyed listening to the audio version.  It is a sweet story, with touching and sad and funny parts, about a young girl’s struggles with self image.  The characters were amusing, but I did grow tired of the never-ending teenage angst.  I think because so many of my recent YA reads have been Dystopian novels, this was a little less thrilling than I have been used to.                                                                                              31T0PSMqzLL._AA160_
  3. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell – This was another odd reading experience for me.  This YA book was highly recommended on a lot of lists last year, and I enjoyed Eleanor and Park by the author, so I was excited to read Carry On.  However, for the first 100 pages (at least!), I was ANNOYED. This was such a blatant imitation of Harry Potter that I was offended.  I began to keep a list of all the similarities just to amuse myself, since I was committed to finishing the book.  It did eventually change and was fun in a silly sort of way, but it wasn’t one of my favorites.                                                             search
  4. Fish in a Tree by Lynda Hunt- I listened to this YA story and really enjoyed it!  Not only were there some good lessons about treating people kindly and different learning styles, but the teacher was a nice, normal role model and the characters were fun to get to know.                                                                                                          search-1
  5. Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes -I really enjoyed listening to this being read by the author, who also happens to be the creative genius behind some amazing Thursday night TV!  I had read a variety of mixed reviews about this book, but I was impressed with the overall message- say yes to new experiences, say yes when you’ve said no in the past, say yes to saying no when it is necessary, and be yourself.  Shonda’s message is one of woman empowerment and positivity!  I can imagine the power of a year of yes in my life, and in those around me.  It’s left me reflecting on lot, which is great.                                                                                                                                                  url-1
  6. Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll – I believe this book was a recommendation from The Skimm, which should always remind me that the story will be dramatic, fluffy, somewhat annoying and mildly entertaining.  I enjoyed the way the author jumped forward and backwards in time to tell the story more dramatically.                     url
  7. It’s All Your Fault by Paul Rudnick – My dad recently gave me a bag full of YA books, and this was the first one I pulled out to read.  I loved the fast-paced storytelling, the outlandish scenarios, and the humorous characters!    This was a fun, quick read!          51l2iBUYBzL._SX339_BO1,204,203,200_
  8. Raising Ryland by Hillary Whittington – I saw a random tweet about this book and it caught my attention enough to read more about the family, their viral video, and the book telling the story of their child, born identified as a girl, but who grew to communicate that he was a boy.  The moving story of how this family loved, accepted, and advocated for their young transgender child is one that every parent and educator should hear.  I hope that as more families bravely tell their stories, not only will this seem more common to each of us, but we will build a more loving, accepting world that celebrates all of our many wonderful differences.  For more information, please watch their video here.                                                                      aclk

January Reading Update

What I Read in 2015

 

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Turning Talents into Strengths

Posted on February 24, 2016 by Amy's Reflections

Strengths are becoming a new theme on this blog.  Three years ago I wrote Coming from a place of strengths, about my reflections on my first Strength Finder experience.  A month ago I wrote Using your strengths at work .  When I wrote that post, I knew that I would be attending a Strength-Based Institute the following month, so I was reflecting on how I was already using my strengths.

Now that I’ve attended that two-day institute, I am reflecting on all that I didn’t know and what I can now do with my new knowledge.

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Around 2005, my strengths were:

  • Strategic
  • Input
  • Learner
  • Achiever
  • Self-Assurance

In 2013, my strengths were:

  • Learner
  • Input
  • Achiever
  • Deliberate
  • Strategic

In 2016 my talents are:

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Some of the key take-aways I learned last week included the fact that the Strength-Finder assessment ranks and shares your top five talents.  Only when you “Name, Claim, and Aim” your talents do they become strengths.  We all have elements of the 34 talents within us, but your top 5-10 are the ones you should claim and aim for success.  My top three are clearly Input, Learner, and Achiever, since they keep showing up no matter what position I’m in when I take the assessment.  The other talents have changed based on where I am in my life.

Knowing your talents is one thing, but focusing on them helps you take your raw talents and turn them into mature strengths that benefit your life (whether personally or professionally).  Knowing the talents of others, especially those on your teams, helps you better empathize with others, understand various perspectives, and create a well-rounded team.  Our facilitators shared that Gallup’s Strength Finder is about knowing yourself well, and creating well-rounded teams, not well-rounded individuals.  We can’t all be good at everything.  But if I hone my talents and I surround myself with diverse colleagues we can ensure our team is well-rounded.

The talents are divided up into four domains of team strength:

  • Executing
  • Influencing
  • Relationship Building
  • Strategic Thinking

My talents fall within Executing and Strategic Thinking.  This aligns with my feelings about myself as an introvert.  However, it also reinforces the fact that I realize that relationship building is not my strength, but something I must consciously work at. Relationship are critical to building trust, which the only way to make positive changes happen on behalf of students.  That is why I also declared myself an ambivert, because I cam draw out my extroverted side when necessary.  I also know to seek out colleagues who have more talents in the Influencing and Relationship Building areas when creating teams.

I’m excited to apply my knowledge about talents and strengths and I look forward to more of our district colleagues joining the strenghth movement.  I’ve already added my talents to my email signature for a reminder for me and information for others.

Thoughts to ponder:

  • Have you taken Gallup’s Strength-Finder assessment?  If so, what are your talents?
  • Can you articulate your own strengths?
  • How do you strategically use your strengths to enhance your professional work?
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