You care to much...

A phrase used to criticise me this week from professional agencies.
Of all the things I do or don't in my professional life I never imagined being told that I care too much.

Two incidents involving students have rocked my world this week. Both situations have literally made my stomach churn and my mind spin.

What counts though is how we as educators deal with the care and protection of those students, our staff who also have their worlds rocked, the agencies and legal side of the situation, the school and wider community and of course ourselves.

Over the course of the week I have spoken to various NZ agencies who are responsible for the care and well being of our young. In two situations I have been told that I need to be more objective and turn off from the situation.

I believe I have a care of duty to do the best I can for the children in my care. That does not mean turning off a 5pm because my day is over. 

In discussing this situation with other professionals, I am saddened and disturbed that this is such a common occurrence within schools and that many have become used to and hardened to circumstances beyond our control.

  

Are you a communicator or lurker?

I think we have all been lurkers at various times.   More and more I lurk on facebook because it is a social media site that I am becoming almost disinterested in (no offence to the people for whom FB is our common ground and sharing point - all 50 of you - its the other 400 odd I wonder about)

Its all about receive, read and respond.  It sounds simple but just how good are we at making sure emails are getting to the right place.  

I regularly check my emails - it is how I make it through a day - to open my inbox and see 60 unread messages would cause heart palpitations.  And in honesty I am good at responding to people there and then.   If I don't use this system then the file is 'lost' in my mind and inbox.

Are we installing the same diligence with our students both in the classroom and online?

We are all good at receiving marking.  The truely diligent of us are good at not only reading but responding through feedforward and comments but ... do we expect that same of our students.  Are we training them to receive the feedback, read and understand the comments and respond in some way - either by fixing up and altering or just acknowledging that they have understood our intentions.     Are we at times encouraging students to be lurkers in their own learning?

My reading this week about communication talked about 3 levels of student engagement when it comes to communication and collaboration

1.  The engaged student who gets things done and is making progress

2. The procrastinator 

3. The disengaged.

Which one are you?  Does it change depending on the type of communication?   Where do your students fit into this.

I read an awesome blog in the weekend about student blogging and the purpose for the exercise.   It made me think about the disengaged student in relation to my own disengagement.  I have had a twitter account for a few years - it was a requirement of the FTP programme. So I opened an account, used it once or twice and left it at that - I didn't get it - I couldn't see the point and so I was totally disengaged.   

It wasn't until by choice I saw how much collaboration and communication was right there at my fingertips that I began to see and understand the value of twitter.  Suddenly I am actively communication and responding, I am widening my circle and challenging my ideas.   This is having a profound effect on my teaching - daily 5 for one, blogging, collaboration, debate.  But I needed to see the purpose and I think that this is true of many students.   

If I can empower in my students the need to communicate and share with others in their learning the tools will become irrelevant.   As my students leave our school I want them to be able to communicate effectively using voice, on paper and on-line.   The ability to communicate and articulate ideas is key.

In our world today

90% of people watch but don't actively participate

9% show some form of communication

1% create and collaborate content.

Which percentage are you?    Which percentage are your students?

Communication is everything

As educators many of us are great at communicating with parents and students - it is what we do on a daily basis.   But how do we communicate?  What messages are we sending to our students and parents?   Is it enough?

As a principal and a teacher I am currently taking part in the Incredible years teaching programme.  The first session has challenged my thinking and really made me think about what i do with each 'hat'.

My principal hat is great at communicating with parents  through newsletters, facebook, emails etc but not so my teacher hat.  Sure I talk to parents and share their child's learning but I have realised that those messages aren't personal or often enough.

Many of my interactions with students while positive are not messages that easily get home to parents. 

For some parents the interactions I have with them are more negative than positive given the child and the issues.  

So over the last few weeks I have implemented small changes within the classroom to increase the positive messages they are hearing about their children.

• Happy grams - such a simple concept and I don't know why I never thought of it before - a certificate on coloured paper that I can stick into children's homework books to share with parents about something great their child did.   It is a great way of focusing on the simple but has such a positive power on our students and parents.   

• What's happening - we are great at communicating and sending home notices but sometimes the message gets lost in translation - so each week I am writing specifically to parents about a couple of great things from the week before and what's happening in the classroom this week.   Again such a simple task but one that includes parents in the classroom. 

With students I have focused on non verbal forms of communication that convey the desired message.  Like most teachers I definitely  have the 'look' when it comes to discouraging behaviour but not some much for encouraging behaviour.    High 5's are back in and the kids are loving it.  Why did I stop doing it in the first place?  

Communication is about the little things - remembering something that a child was doing and talking about it with them. Sitting next to a child and having lunch with them. It is as simple as saying Good morning and reinforcing every day to every child that they are wanted and needed in our classrooms and schools.

Parents deserve to hear when their children are good, not just when they have made bad judgements. 

Teachers can make a big difference to a child's future when they spend the extra time nurturing positive relationships.  It is not always an easy task and requires consistent commitment...."  Incredible teachers pg 87

Sometimes we communicate so much that we lose the value of what we are communicating and what messages parents and students receive.

 

Priorities

Sometimes in the madness it is easy to forget what our priorities are or more importantly which ones come first. There are times when the lines blur and I have made it my mission this year to think, evaluate and go with my priority.


This week I had some tough decisions to make around my own priorities between students needs, staff needs and parent needs.

On Tuesday morning when I opened the final sue report I actually cried. Between the previous Thursday and the phone calls that followed the Sue report had not improved and had actually worsened... The need to sort this for staff was huge but so to was my personal belief system of attending sports events. They are a great opportunity to communicate with parents and encourage our kids. A coffee later and my priority re checked I spent a great day watching our juniors in the pool and seniors take part in a leadership day.

The parent issue was not so easy but again I knew that my priority was with the children and their need for an advocate. It certainly won't 'win' me any friends but it will make a difference in the lives of those we serve and for that I offer no apologies.

There are so many times in the day and week when educators have to make decisions and prioritise. Often we are not thanked for the decisions we make and at times this hurts, but it is about holding your head high, hand on heart knowing that you made the best decision open to you at that moment.

For me it is about the kids. It will always be about the kids ... They are my priority. One teacher can make a difference and I will be that one!


On a personal level I am a people pleaser but in a leadership role that is not always possible. I have to be thick skinned and know that my friends are my friends and my job is my job.


So what is your priority and how do you stick to it?

All work and no play....

Makes me a very narrow minded person. But there is just so much to do and a very small window of opportunity to achieve it all.
It was with relief last week that I spoke with a group of principals who were feeling much like me.. A sea of paperwork, an ever growing list and the feeling of exhaustion so early in the term..

Breaking my leg has not helped matters as by 4pm I am almost unable to process any thoughts rationally, the pain killers definitely dull the brain and it takes so much effort to do the simplest of tasks.

I briefly questioned my decision to study and the time spent on that vs time for management ... However I am enjoying formal learning again and ultimately it will have an impact on my leadership.

The big problem has been that I am so immobile and that has made it difficult to relax and escape the thoughts in my head.
Rather than allow time to tackle the paper war it seems to have added to my lists, compounded my frustration and feeling of inadequacy and has hindered my ability to switch off..

ENOUGH - yes I am a professional, yes I have big responsibilities on my shoulders but I am still a human and need to have a life...

So this weekend I spent all of Saturday fighting the compulsion to work and study. I gave in at 3pm and did some readings and study but not direct school work...
I forceably put my laptop, iPad, iPhone etc in another room and spent the evening watching movies with my kids ... I relaxed, I was tired and I was asleep by 10:30pm and slept most of the night. ( a rarity)

Leg wise movement is not pleasant and really I should be at home with my leg up but this morning I went and watched the trial bike ride... It was lovely to sit in the sun, have a sausage and drink with my kids and friends. Those three hours felt like weeks and again I feel relaxed and Sunday afternoon sleepy...
( often I wish to be tied to the couch but as soon as you are if becomes the last place you want to be!!!)

I am teaching tomorrow and yes I know what I am doing, I have things in place for kids to be learning .. I do not need to spend 6 hours today getting it sorted.

When did this happen? Why should teachers and leaders feel so much guilt for actually wanting to take their weekends...

It is time to make some changes and make sure that teachers are getting time out from being teachers and leaders and time to be themselves.

So heres to having a glimpse of a life and to re establishing and developing programmes within classrooms that allow teachers to be both teachers and real people ...

All rest and no play means my kids and family miss out
All rest and no play doesn't not make me better at my job