Things I’m Loving Friday, Volume 2

Posted on March 7, 2014 by Amy's Reflections

This is my leadership and learning spin on a popular post (here and here). Volume One can be found here.

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Things I’m Loving Right Now:

  • Protocols:  I have been using pre-made and self-developed protocols for looking at student work, designing learning tasks, and discussing professional readings with colleagues lately. While protocols can feel stiff and impersonal, with the right introduction and support, they actually provide an important structure in which productive, professional, collaborative work can take place. Resources for protocols I’ve used include: National School Reform Faculty website, The Art of Coaching by Elena Aguilar, The Power of Protocols by McDonald, Mohr, Dichter, and McDonald, and Tools for Leaders by Marjorie Larner.
  • Intelligent, hard-working colleagues:  I work with some amazing people! We worked hard to design a collaborative, transparent Common Core implementation plan. While the work is not easy, it is so worthwhile to see how far we’ve come and to celebrate our successes. In spite of the struggles happening across the country due to (in my opinion) poor, weak, or disorganized implementations, we know that our system is learning what alignment looks and sounds like each and every day.
  • Reading to students: This week I participated in Read Across America at one of our schools by reading to two classes of students. It is so nice to stop and read, for pure pleasure, with students. The looks of joy and amusement on their faces make all the hard work and stress worthwhile. Because really, why are we here if not for our students?
  • Slice of Life blogs: I had never heard of the Slice of Life blog challenge until about a month ago. When I stumbled upon it, I spent about 4 seconds considering if I could make the time to participate, but I was wise enough to convince myself that my dissertation writing was what needed to take priority at this time. Nonetheless, I am enjoying how many of the bloggers I follow regularly are participating in the challenge this month. You can see some recent posts by some bloggers I admire here, here and here.

 

What are you loving right now?

What is rocking your learning and leading worlds?

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[Abecedary of Reflection] Instinct

Posted on March 5, 2014 by Amy's Reflections

I: Instinct

I believe that so much of leadership is about instinct.   

CCC licensed by simple.wikipedia.org

CCC licensed by simple.wikipedia.org

Good leaders must be proactive and visionary, but prepared to react effectively and efficiently in emergencies and crises. So many of these traits cannot be taught in an administrative preparation classroom. Instincts are inherited, not learned. However, leadership traits can be honed through practice experiences and job-embedded professional development.

Though I am not a fan of role playing, due to my introverted nature, I do find value in the process. So often as a leader, we don’t know how we will react to situations until we encounter them. Role playing helps us imagine a scenario and practice our response. The more practice we have, the more supportive we will be in a crisis situation.

Reflective questions to consider:

  • What instincts do you have that help you be a strong, supportive leader?
  • What instincts do you admire in other leaders?
  • How can you continue to develop your own leadership traits to support your work and that of the people and organizations you lead?
  • What other “I” words come to mind when you think of reflection?
  • How do you develop job-embedded professional development for leaders to hone their instincts?

 

Abecedary of Reflection:

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Professional Job Seekers Wanted

Posted on March 1, 2014 by Amy's Reflections

In my current role, as well as my former role as a principal, I participate in many interview panels for various positions. I am always amazed at the level of preparation evident (or not evident) during interviews. I have been keeping a running list of the advice I wish to give job seekers. Before applying for a new job or entering an interview, here are my top tips:

  • Do your research! Get to know the position/ site/ district. With all the resources available online these days, there is no excuse not to know the basics.
  • Read the actual job description. Seriously. Be prepared to demonstrate how you are qualified for the specific job to which you are applying.
  • Personalize your letter of introduction so it appears you actually know the job/ school/ district and you didn’t just fill in a few blanks on a form letter.
  • Ensure that your letters of recommendation are as current as possible and are relevant to the position to which you are applying.
  • Know your strengths and be able to articulate them.
  • Provide details- don’t assume we know exactly what you mean, even if you are using a common acronym, phrase, or idea.
  • Always have a question and/or a final statement about yourself prepared.
  • Dress professionally.
  • Express your passion for the work!
  • Make it clear that you are a learner and listener (and not an expert in all areas!) as well as a leader.
  • Demonstrate why you want the job with well-chosen words and actions.

I’ve seen a number of other posts pop up recently, as the season of changing jobs approaches. What advice would you give to potential employees hoping to join your team?

Licensed for use on cc.org by webentrepreneur.ws

Licensed for use on cc.org by webentrepreneur.ws

 

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[Abecedary of Reflection] Habit

Posted on February 19, 2014 by Amy's Reflections

H: Habit 

Talking about building a habit for reflection is not new to me or this blog. I wrote about it here and here. I continue to follow the steps I outlined in the first link, using the book and quotes to guide my not-quite-daily reflection. I continue to look for ways to slow myself down and give myself permission to stop and reflect; to be generous with my time. One of the reasons this abecedary journey has a focus on reflection is to give myself more opportunities to reflect on leadership and learning. As I mentioned when I began, I learn about myself through my writing and this journey is a written copy of my reflection.

CCC work by jaynealinternational.ws

CCC work by jaynealinternational.ws

When I think about building habits, I think about the healthy habits that I’ve developed over the last three years. I work out daily, making the time to exercise for my health. I track my food through a variety of online apps. I drink water every day (a LOT!). I prepare my food for the week on Sunday so I have no excuse not to eat well during a busy week. I also remind myself how important moderation is- I’m not looking for perfection, but for a balance of more good/healthy days than not-so-good days/meals/choices.

But I also think about how hard it has been to develop other habits, such as putting my fork down after every bite, or putting away my laundry as soon as it is clean. Different activities take different skills to become habits.  

Reflective questions to consider:

  • What habits are you proud to have in your repertoire?
  • What habit do you wish to improve upon in your life?
  • How do you build a new habit?
  • What habits do you think are crucial for a successful leader?

Abecedary of Reflection:

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Exhausted

Posted on February 13, 2014 by Amy's Reflections

I am exhausted.  

Image

Photo by Jessica M. for http://www.examiner.com, licensed under Creative Commons

For awhile I felt guilty thinking this, much less writing it. But then I actually stopped and thought about all I am doing lately and I got exhausted just making the mental list. I thought that if I put it out in the world, to others who do even more than I do on a daily basis, I might not feel alone in my exhaustion. I’m allowing myself to be generous about my time.

Lately, here is what I’m doing:

  • Getting up at 5 am to workout for an hour every work day
  • Working a full day in a mentally challenging (and therefore often taxing position!), which could be a blog post in and of itself, as a district leader in a district fully implementing the ELA Common Core State Standards, leading professional development, coaching, and learning every day
  • Working out with a personal trainer two days a week for an hour each session
  • Working on my doctoral program which right now involves attending two classes this semester (EVERY. Saturday.), doing the required homework, working on a practicum requirement for a third class, and preparing for a presentation of my first three chapters and the work to get IRB approval
  • Visiting with family and friends once in a while (in person, on the phone, or through social media)!
  • Remembering to do the laundry, clean the house, get the car repairs on time, etc.
  • Trying to squeeze in at least one yoga class a week for my physical and mental stability
  • Going to a chiropractor and a masseuse every other week to work on my chronic back pain
  • Trying to write 1-2 blog posts a week, not because I have to, but because I enjoy writing
  • Checking my fitbit status on the leaderboard to see if I even came close to an average of 8-10,000 steps a day
  • Reading for additional information personally, professionally, etc.
  • Trying to remember to STOP. REFLECT. RELAX. PAUSE.

I am very grateful for the four-day weekend I am about to begin. I am giving myself a lot of permission to rest, in between workouts and homework, of course!

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[Abecedary of Reflection] Generous

Posted on February 12, 2014 by Amy's Reflections

[Abecedary of Reflection] G: Generous

CC licensed work by jimmartin.typepad.com

CC licensed work by jimmartin.typepad.com

Are you a generous person? Are you generous with your celebrations? Are you generous with your time? Do you give yourself permission to take the time necessary for reflection?

We give so much praise when individuals are generous with their time, money, and resources, giving and sharing above and beyond the norm. But how often due we allow ourselves to be generous with our own time. This journey of reflection makes me stop and pause about our beliefs in time. Taking time for ourselves. Honoring the time necessary for true reflection. I hope to be more generous with myself, building in the reflection time I need to stay balanced. I also hope to honor when my colleagues are generous with me and with themselves, in the hopes of greater reflection!

Reflective questions to consider:

  • How can be more generous with your words, actions, and with yourself?
  • How do you make time for reflection?

Abecedary of Reflection:

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[Mentor Text Monday] Blogs & Pictures

Posted on February 10, 2014 by Amy's Reflections

I’m taking this mentor text in a different direction today. Since this is a blog post, I’m going to demonstrate how I use another writer’s blog as a mentor text for my own blog post. Barb’s post on using pictures as mentor texts really inspired me to try on her ideas so, here goes! Using a blog post, about using pictures as a mentor text, as a mentor text.

© 2014 Fascinating Pics

© 2014 Fascinating Pics

 Barb’s post asks us to first write what we notice in the picture, or to “read” the photo.  Here is what I first notice:

boat, huge wave, no people present

Setting

  • The settings appears to be on water, a large body of water such as an ocean, to produce such a large amount of water surrounding the boat.

Point of View

  • The picture seems to have been taken by someone standing on a level higher than the deck about to be submerged in water.
  • It is also possible that the end of the boat on which the photographer was standing was higher (as if in the air) while the front end of the boat was dipping down, or diving, into the water.
  • It doesn’t feel like the photographer is in danger of the water.

Plot

  • Right before this, I imagine that the people on board the boat heard a warning sound and were able to run to safety at the other end of the boat.
  • Right after this picture was taken, I imagine the waves making direct contact with the boat. This would lead to unimaginable damage and chaos, as wood is crushed, people and objects are thrown into the air and submerged under churning waters.

Characterization

  • With no “characters” present in the photo, I’m left to wonder about the photographer’s presence in this scene and whether or not anyone else is around.

Wonderings

  • Did the photographer put him or herself in danger?
  • Where was this photo taken?
  • What happened to the boat?
  • Could someone survive something like this?

As I dissect each of these elements, following along with the model of my mentor text, my brain is churning with story ideas. I could easily use this picture to create a narrative. I could also use this as a springboard for research about tidal waves, tsunamis, or boating incidents, leading to some sort of informative writing. Armed with such information, I might be able to write an argumentative piece about boat safety. Wow! Hitting all three of the main text types called out in the Common Core State Standards just from one picture. Imaging what students could do with this?

  • Have you used pictures as mentor texts with students?
  • What other websites or resources do you recommend for finding engaging, writing-worthy pictures?
  • What stories do you notice in the pictures below (the last one is one of my favorites!)?
    From @Perspective_pic

    From @Perspective_pic

    Rabbit Dreams from @Perspective_Pic

    Rabbit Dreams from @Perspective_Pic

    mirror

     

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I Want to Hold Your Hand

Posted on February 9, 2014 by Amy's Reflections

As I drove home from a nice visit with my father (Hi Dad!), on the weekend that is the 50th anniversary of the Beatles arrival in the U.S., I sang every word to every Beatles song I own. Literally. Every. Word.

Beatles songs

How is this possible, you ask. Well, my parents get most of the credit! Every road trip we took during my childhood (and we took a lot!), we listened to my parents’ music until it became our music. My brother and I are huge fans of much of the music of the 50’s and 60’s, which always made our parents proud. In fact, my father, brother and I exchanged group texts about the Beatles tonight, sharing which special we might watch and what we were listening to!

But it’s not just those decades. I know all the words to MANY songs from a wide variety of years. How? How does my brain retain all those words and melodies when I can’t remember any date I ever had to memorize in a history class? And it’s not just music. I know the words to certain poems, stories, and texts that I’ve loved over the years. Of course, my favorite line from A Midsummer Night’s Dream was memorized by watching Dead Poets Society over and over again!

So why do music and poetry lyrics come so easily to me? Why are those the words I remember? The things I never learned in school, but in other learning experiences…

This all makes me wonder about a typical school’s definition of learning. What are we doing to tap into the passions and interests of our students? In what ways are we sharing our passions with our students? How are we redefining learning to address multiple learning styles and modalities? What will our students know and use in 30 years that they learned with us?

And will I still know all these lyrics in 30 more years?!

What is your favorite Beatles song?!

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[Abecedary of Reflection] Failure

Posted on February 5, 2014 by Amy's Reflections

F: Failure

CCC work by 123rf.com

CCC work by 123rf.com

Such a negative word.

So often teachers live in fear of failure. Failing our students, failing administrator’s evaluations, failing the state or the federal government’s requirements. Feeling like a failure.

Students do everything in their power to impress us and avoid failure.

But what is failure really? I believe that failure provides us with opportunities to learn and improve. I feel that if we redefined failure, we would give ourselves the chance to become more reflective about our practice and more willing to start over again.

As I have worked on this post and reflected on my thoughts about failure, I came across this article on ASCD about changing our perspective on failure in the classroom. This article and my reflections on failure remind me of an experience with my mom at the beach one summer day. My mom and I were watching a dad play with his three young children- running in and out of the ocean, building sand castles, and having a great time. When one of the kids fell down, the father reacted by smiling and saying something like, “Okay, let’s try again!”. The child smiled and hopped up, ready to play some more. My mom and discussed how we often observed mothers react by saying, “Oh no, are you okay?” which led to a child crying and feeling sad or upset, as if they had failed and could not fix their mistake. This example isn’t meant to be a lesson in parenting (or even a commentary on the different styles of men and women!), but to help us reflect on our attitudes and beliefs about failure.

I recently created a board on Pinterest called “Learning from Mistakes” to go along with a source set I was creating to fit the theme of “If at first you don’t succeed…”. The pins on this board are examples of the lessons we can take from failures. To me, this is all part of a journey of learning- we are all working to become “our next best selves,” as one of my professor recently said.

Reflective questions to consider:

  • How can your mistakes, or failures, help you become better tomorrow than you were yesterday?
  • How can we change the definition of failure for students in schools?  What about for teachers?
  • What have you succeeded at, after an initial failure?
  • How can redefining failure develop a growth mindset?

Abecedary of Reflection:

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[Mentor Text Monday] Byrd Baylor

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Amy's Reflections

For today’s mentor text I’m going to share two of my favorite picture books by Byrd Baylor, illustrated by Peter Parnall.

The-Table-Where-Rich-People-Sit-Baylor-Byrd-9780689820083 byrd_baylor_2

Not only are both of these books incredibly sweet stories with beautiful illustrations, but they lend themselves to an author’s craft study of poetry. Baylor’s stories are told through free verse poetry. Often, each sentence is its own paragraph or stanza on the page. The minimal dialogue that is included is often poignant and so purposeful to the story. Students could study one page, noting how and when the author chose to create new paragraphs/ stanzas, discussing why those choices were important to the story.

Baylor’s writing could also be used as a mentor text to study author’s use of parentheses. In both of these books, Baylor uses parentheses as a way to show the narrator’s thoughts throughout the story. These inner thoughts allow the reader to better understand the narrator and her perspective, making it even more personal.

” Otherwise, I count it just an average day.  (I told you I was choosy.)” – I’m in Charge of Celebrations, Byrd, 1986.

Have you read any of Byrd Baylor’s books?  Have your students used any of her writings as mentor texts?

Previous Mentor Text posts:

– Percy Jackson

– Love That Dog

– Divergent Dashes

– The Mysteries of Harris Burdick

– This is Not My Hat

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