[Abecedary of Reflection] Voice

Posted on June 11, 2014 by Amy's Reflections

V: Voice

One of the best parts about blogging is that it provides me with a chance to find my voice as a writer. I’ve written before about how important I think it is for for learners (both children and adults!) to have a voice and choice in their learning paths.

Each time I sit down to draft a blog post (or read someone else’s post) I learn something.

  • I learn about myself as a reader, writer, thinker, and analyzer.
  • I learn about topics that interest me.
  • I learn how much I don’t know about certain topics.
  • I ask questions and add to my lists of future blog post ideas.
  • I wonder who will read the post.
  • I think about how to expand my voice.
  • I consider how to make a blog post that is more interactive, more like a conversation than a lecture.
CCC licensed work by flckr user Howard Lake

CCC licensed work by flckr user Howard Lake

One aspect of finding your voice is recognizing your audience. Writers write for a variety of purposes and audiences. Well-known writers are recognized by their strong, authentic voice, the craft that makes them unique in a sea of books, articles, and blogs. Unknown writers use their craft to ensure that their voice matches their audience. This is not an easy task for a blogger who sends words out into the void, never sure who might be reading on the other end.

It’s not easy for young writers either, but author’s craft is important to honor in all writers. Voice and choice are important when teaching writing too!

Reflective questions to consider:

  • What is your leadership voice?
  • How do you help others find their voice as leaders?
  • What writers do you admire and why?

Abecedary of Reflection

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Photo Challenge, Week 1

Posted on June 8, 2014 by Amy's Reflections

I’ve been participating in the #30summerdays photo challenge, which I learned about from two of the healthy living bloggers I follow (Tina and Julie). I’ve been posting my pictures on my personal Instagram account, but wanted to do a round up of the first week here on the blog. Below are the prompts for the photo challenge, which was started by Staples for a new camera campaign (no affiliation here).

staples.com

staples.com

 

lucky red

June 1- What brings me luck? Red shoes!

Monday fuel

June 2- Monday’s fuel

student reading 2

June 3- What made me smile? Hearing students reading and collaborating!

 

June 4: Look up!

June 4: Look up!

June 5: TBT to last summer's fun!

June 5: TBT to last summer’s fun!

June 6- No donuts here!

June 6- No donuts here!

 

June 6: How I spent my Saturday

June 7:  How I spent my Saturday

 

How have you spent the first week of June? Are you participating in the #30summerdays? Is summer here yet?!

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[Abecedary of Reflection] Unwritten & Unspoken

Posted on June 4, 2014 by Amy's Reflections

U: Unwritten & Unspoken

CCC licensed work commons.wikimedia.org

CCC licensed work commons.wikimedia.org

One of the ideas I have been reflecting on are the rules and norms in our communities that are unwritten or unspoken. Whenever you accept a new job, building relationships and learning the culture of your new community is an important first step. Some aspects you can learn by reading documents (district/ site plans, meeting minutes, agendas, etc.) and others you can learn by listening and observing in as many situations as possible.

Despite all of those options, there are still cultural aspects you cannot learn right away, at least not explicitly. The unwritten and unspoken norms. Sometimes these become the elephants in the room. That-which-we-shall-not-discuss.

To me, strong leaders address the unwritten norms that hurt a culture. True leaders recognize the unspoken agreements that hold back a school from moving forward for the benefit of all students.

While it may not be easy, it is important. When I think about the values I hold for social justice in our school system, I think about the unspoken norms I have seen in some communities- the unwritten belief that not all students can learn, or that not all students deserve a full, rich, engaging educational experience each and every day.

So now I think about how we, as leaders, can cultivate a growth mindset culture. How we can support systems that expect the best from everyone- students, staff, parents, and leaders. What can we do to address the unwritten or unspoken norms that are holding us back?

Reflective questions to consider:

  • How do you learn and address unwritten or unspoken norms?
  • What examples of unwritten norms have you experienced?
  • How are you infusing growth mindset into your work?

Abecedary of Reflection

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Happy File

Posted on May 29, 2014 by Amy's Reflections

happy writer

Do you have a happy file? What is in your happy file?

To me, a happy file is a collection of positive notes, emails, records, and pictures that celebrate the work I’ve done, the ways I’ve been appreciated or thanked by others, and the reasons that I am in the career I am in, with the passion that I have. Somewhere in the middle of my first year of teaching, when I was having a rough time with some student behavior, a colleague told me to start a happy file. There were times during my years of teaching that I would need to look through my happy file… just to get reconnected, reminded of my vision, and refocused on the positive despite some random negative of the day.

As a principal, my happy file grew quickly- an elementary principal is a rock star to young children, so I was never without cute thank you notes and pictures telling me how beautiful I am. 😉 There were some lonely, dark nights in my office when that happy file truly helped me be happy within the darkness.

Sunflower

After a recent stretch of some disheartening stress, I realized I hadn’t thought about my happy file in a LONG TIME. I love the work I do and have been blessed with an amazing experience over the last two and half years! There have literally been so many good moments and positive experiences that they have easily overshadowed a random bad meeting here and there. I work with a great team of hard-working, dedicated, smart leaders whom I admire greatly.

But every once in awhile, the negative can creep in slowly over time until it becomes a dark cloud over you that taints the overall picture you have every day. When I realize I have hit that point, I know it’s time to take out the happy file. Today, part of my happy file includes some outside leadership inspiration- quotes, articles, stories, blogs, books, pins- from other leaders who have overcome adversity or challenging times. It also includes pictures that just make me happy.

I will close with some of my happiness inspiration. I’d love to hear some from you too!

Confront Issues and Challenges – Not Each Other.
                                                                  – Suzanne Mayo Frindt

Accept the challenges so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory.                                                                                     – George S. Patton 

The difference between the impossible and possible lies in a person’s determination.

 

create your own sunshine Vessel quote

 

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[Abecedary of Reflection] Think Time

Posted on May 28, 2014 by Amy's Reflections

T: Think Time

Why pick one “t” word when you can pick two?!

CCC licensed work from Pixaby by geralt

CCC licensed work from Pixaby by geralt

As I move towards the end of this reflective journal, I am reminded of how fast time flies. There is never enough of it when you really need it. [Yet Mondays often seem to crawl, don’t they?!] I have written about time in relation to reflection before:

In S: “There is never enough time. We all have the same 60 minutes in an hour, 24 hours in a day, and 7 days in a week.” Then I reminded myself to SLOW DOWN!

In O: “Often when I hear people talk about the reasons [or excuses] they do not reflect much, time is mentioned.” I went on to share how I organize my calendar to provide time for reflection.  

In M: “We can only truly think about our own thinking if we take the time.” 

In L: I mention the need to take time to truly listen to others.

In C: I discussed the need to make time to reflect, especially during times of change, which are often stressful.

In A: “I think it is important to take the time to stop, be grateful for what you have, and appreciate the hard work YOU put into getting to this point.”

Clearly, I have been repetitive over the last five months! But I think it is important to note that when you are trying to focus on reflection, you must consider time. Making the time to reflect, finding the time to close the door and read/write/ view/ think in order to enhance your leadership and learning. Regardless of whether I am blogging, writing in my private journal, or reflecting with colleagues, I will continue to add “Think time” to my “To do list”.

Reflective questions to consider:

  • How do you build in think time?
  • When you feel short on time, how do you prioritize?

Abecedary of Reflection

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What I’m Reading (Volume 4)

Posted on May 26, 2014 by Amy's Reflections

I love reading. I started these updates at the beginning of my doctoral journey, mostly to ease my personal guilt about having no time to read fiction or read for fun. Now my typical reading has expanded in so many ways.

Here is a round up of what I’ve been reading lately:

  • Twitter: I just discovered two hashtags that I am loving: #titletalk and #growthmindset. No matter the time of day, I can find wisdom and inspiration from colleagues near and far on these hashtags! Plus I FINALLY got myself onto Tweetdeck, which makes participating in chats SO much easier! Who knew it was a google app on Chrome?!
  • Collective Bargaining Agreements (aka contracts between unions and school districts): For my current HR doctoral class, we have to do an in-depth analysis of both the Certificated and Classified CBAs of our district. If you have never read an entire contract from front to back, it’s fascinating reading! If you are a site or district leader, it is necessary reading. I don’t recommend you ever go into a meeting with a teacher who knows the contract better than you.
  • Pinterest: I am a Pinterest fanatic! I love the pictures and quotes and inspiration I can find just in a few moments of  viewing. One of my favorite boards to add to lately is a board simply called “learning”.

never stop learning

  • The Boy on the Porch by Sharon Creech: After seeing someone tweet about this on #titletalk, I knew I wanted to read it. I love everything Creech writes and Memorial Day weekend was the perfect time for a quick, YA novel. This is a sweet story told in very short chapters that often include very long, detailed, elaborate sentences. When I finished it, I was happy and yet I wanted more, which is a sign of a great story to me!
  • Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate Dicamillo: Another author whose work I love, this book won the 2014 Newbery Medal and caught my eye as I was searching for another young book to enjoy. My cape-wearing friend Barb will love the superhero idea within this fun story.

What are you reading these days?  Any recommendations?

 

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When Worlds Collide

Posted on May 24, 2014 by Amy's Reflections

This summer I am taking two non Curriculum and Instruction (C & I) courses in my doctoral program. We are studying Human Resources and School Law and Finance. When I took similar classes in my Master’s program, I had a focused interested: learn the basics of what a principal needs to know to run a school. Now that I’m in a different position in my career and my studies, with new aspirations for my future, I have a very different focus. I want to learn how to bring these worlds together.

Most districts are split up into some version of three areas: C & I, HR, and Business. Working at the district level, I now know how important it is to have your HR and your Business departments work in collaboration with your Curriculum department. Curriculum leaders often feel like the stars of the world- making key decisions about what and how student learning will occur, improve, and change. But if we do not have the support of our HR department, to ensure we have high quality teachers and leaders in our schools, we cannot be as successful. In addition, without the financial support from the Business department, curricular goals cannot be met.

I believe that a Superintendent plays a critical role in ensuring that her (or his) Cabinet members work together in conjunction, all in support of a common vision centered on equitable educational success for all students.

I’m looking forward to a summer of learning more about leadership in HR and Law/Finance.

Scales of balance

  • Have you ever considered a leadership role in HR or Business?
  • How are these departments connected and supportive of one another in your school district?
  • How important is it for a Superintendent to have knowledge and experience in all of these areas?
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Things I’m Loving Friday, Volume 5

Posted on May 23, 2014 by Amy's Reflections

I enjoy sharing a quick list of the learning and leading (and some fun) “things” that are capturing my attention, sparking my curiosity, or pushing my thinking. I love reading Barb’s versions as well! I would love it if you would play along by adding the things you are loving this week in the comments section.

This week, here are the things I am loving:

Firefighters: I live in Southern California, and though I was not directly affected by all of the wildfires that broke out last week, they still impacted me. The pictures were frightening, the idea of arsonsists disheartening, but the bravery of firefighters… outstanding! During 100+degree heat, with 9 fires raging across our county, firefighters from all over came to fight these fires and save homes and lives. I know I speak for so many when I say THANK YOU!

 

Twitter: I have spoken of my love of Twitter before. This week, I love that Twitter helped me get immediate information about the SD wildfires quicker than any other outlet. I also love that a Twitter chat with my colleagues sparked some recent tweets by them. In addition, I continue to be pleasantly surprised by the connections I make through Twitter. Whether I’m tweeting about blogging or my dissertation or social justice, I can find a colleague near or far to expand my thinking in new ways. I’m still trying to convince others (colleagues and professors, most recently) to find their own professional value in Twitter.

Feedly: I was very sad when Google took away the Reader feature. I thought my favorite daily blog reading would disappear or get lost in the shuffle. Once I made the transition to Feedly, my sadness disappeared. It’s been a long time, but I still love how easy Feedly is to use.

  • What are you loving lately?
  • What blogs are in your daily must read lists?

Previous Things I’m Loving Friday posts:

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[Abecedary of Reflection] Slow Down

Posted on May 21, 2014 by Amy's Reflections

S: Slow Down

As I get closer to the end of the alphabet and this abecedary journey, I am reminding myself of the power and importance of slowing down. While I had a list of possible “s” words ready for this post awhile ago (share, strength, success, systems), the idea of slowing down is most important to me at this moment of reflection.

There is never enough time. We all have the same 60 minutes in an hour, 24 hours in a day, and 7 days in a week.  What we choose to do within those minutes, hours, and days is what counts in the long run. And sometimes the best thing I can do with my time is slow down and reflect on where I’ve been and where I want to go next.

Bryce Canyon, UT

On a recent hiking trip to Zion and Bryce Canyon in Utah (with two of my loyal blog readers & relatives!), I had the opportunity to slow down. We were hiking every day (and reaching 25,000 steps a day!) and it felt like we were moving all the time. However, out in nature, without the daily stresses of work, school, and life, my mind was able to slow down. It is rare that my mind’s warp speed (similar to my speech speed!) decelerates. Not only was I able to recognize this rare feeling, but I was able to reflect on the benefits.

  • My back pain was surprisingly non-existent throughout our entire trip.
  • I slept better than usual (I must attribute this more to the physical work I was doing than the mental reflections!).
  • My daily allergy cough was not its usual bother.
  • I had an amazing time, in both the beautiful weather of Zion and the snow, hail, and 32 degree weather that surprised us in Bryce!

Now if only I could build in vacations more often… 😉  For now, I will add reminders in my calendar to “slow down” as I do to “reflect”.

Zion- Top of Angel's Landing

Reflective questions to consider:

  • How do you slow down?
  • What do you notice about yourself when you are able to slow down?
  • How do you quiet your mind to help with deeper reflection?

Abecedary of Reflection

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[Mentor Text Monday] Tweets

Posted on May 19, 2014 by Amy's Reflections

I haven’t posted a Mentor Text post in a while, due to most of my reading being dense research articles. I remind my readers that research articles are not the type of writing you want students or teachers, or most normal adults, to use as models of great, intriguing writing. However, I have also been reading a lot of tweets lately.

A study of how tweets are written would be beneficial for anyone new to twitter. 14o characters does not provide you a lot of space in which to share a powerful message. But there are ways it can be done.

Take this tweet for example:

This person, who I had never heard of before she was retweeted by someone I follow, has a show on the OWN network called “Fix My Life”. Notice how she turned her show title into a hashtag (that is a phrase following the # sign) at the end of her tweet. Her use of capitalization calls attention to her point. You can also tell that she was running out of space because there are no excess spaces after punctuation!

Here is another tweet:

Love how this promotes a GROWTH MINDSET! “This is helpful” via @RCNowellVP #geniushour #edchat #edreform #sd36learn pic.twitter.com/aCx2lfrJGZ

What I like about this tweet is how much information is crammed into such a tiny space. First there is the author’s opinion, including CAPS for emphasis (and FYI, growth mindset was a trigger for me to read this one closely!). Then he gives credit to @RCNowellVP who obviously shared the original picture (which didn’t show up when I embedded the tweet above, but which is seen when you are viewing this directly on twitter). Next the author adds in four hashtags to clue in others he feels might find this information useful. Finally, the picture is attached for all to see.

And here is a more personal tweet in response to one of my own:

@DirectorAmy 🙂 Made my day! Happy discussing to all!

Elena Aguilar is the author of The Art of Coaching, a book I have been using as a professional resource with the coaches with whom I work. Whenever we have a twitter chat about our reading, I reference her at least once. It is still a thrill when she responds. But to read her genuine, authentic response above, with no ego or agenda, made my day right back. 😉

Tweets can include:

  • words
  • phrases
  • hashtags
  • pictures
  • graphics
  • links to blogs, articles, references, sources
  • lots of meaning
  • lots of fluff

What kinds of tweets do you enjoy reading?  Please find me on Twitter (@AmyLIllingworth) so we can discuss mentor tweets more!

Does your classroom, school, or district have a Twitter account?

How do you teach students and teachers about valuable Twitter messages?

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