“It’s the people that make us special.”
“It’s the people that make us special.”
This isn’t something you haven’t already heard and it isn’t revolutionary or groundbreaking.
“People before paper” or “People not programs!”
As administrators, we have all uttered these phrases before. While we believe them, do our actions always match this? If we are not careful, we could fall into the administrative quick stand.
This month, I was meeting with my parent teacher association executive board. We were talking about our campus, our successes, and our challenges. A parent shared, “What we have is the people and traditions that make us stand out.” (Or something very similar). It was those words, at that moment, that helped craft my narrative for our campus this year.
“It’s the people that make us special.”
In a day in age where we are experiencing a teacher shortage, we have to retain the staff we currently have. Let’s face it, teachers are in the driver’s seat and can pick and choose where they work. They are the top free agents on the market and if we are not careful, our best will leave us.
I have created a list of ways that I show my staff that I value and support them.
1). I brew a large industrial sized pot of coffee each morning. The coffee is located right outside my office so that I can interact with the staff members that fill up each day. I have also added a large pot of iced tea each morning. While they will never win awards for taste, they are a small thank you to my staff for working hard each day and helping them save a few dollars.
2). I let the staff wear jeans any day they want. I only ask that if they have a meeting at our central office that they do not wear jeans to the meeting. In the ten years that I have utilized this policy, I have never had to talk to a staff member about the jeans they wore to school. When we treat staff members like professionals, they act like professionals. If we still take a doctor’s guidance and advice while they are in jeans, we can do the same. And you know what, most don’t wear jeans every day. They just like to know they can if they want. This saves staff members a few minutes each night by not having to iron an outfit.
3). I push my leadership team to be seen every day, by every teacher. Doesn’t it break your heart to hear stories from staff members that say they only saw their administrator when they were observed? At Churchill, this will never be the case. I set a goal every day to visit every classroom. Like any good goal, this one is hard to reach. But by being visible, I am able to offer my support to staff members and students throughout the day. Nothing makes me any happier than hearing a student ask me if I am following them because I was in a previous classroom they were in. Visibility also allows me to get to know my staff members and see them doing great things.
4) I work very hard to protect planning time for teachers. I honestly believe that when we give teachers opportunities to work together, to plan, to prescribe, and to accelerate, we can find the answers for any student to be successful. Oftentimes, administrators, me included, take our eyes off the main thing. We ask teachers to do paper work or pile on extra responsibilities that affect professional learning communities opportunities to work together effectively. If we want to truly value the work that our teachers are doing, we have to protect them from “the nonsense” we send their way. Our job is to cut the red tape and ensure they are treated like professionals.
I would love to hear ways that you demonstrate to your staff that you value their time and their professionalism.
It has taken ten years as a principal to realize that I do not need to be the first one into the office or the last one to leave. As a new administrator, this was my red badge of courage.
No longer.
I have started running again prior to school each morning. Even with getting two miles or more in each morning, I am still on campus before most administrators and I have put myself first to start the day. I honestly feel like I can accomplish anything after a good run.
While I have won awards while at school for being halfway decent at what I do, I now want to win awards at home for being a great dad, spouse, and son. These are the most important awards that we should all focus on. Working on my health will hopefully allow me many more years to earn these family awards.
Three random thoughts
Like most folks, I saw the first three Star Wars movies as a kid. I loved them. But I never really got into the new movies or the cartoons. I am sure they are great but they just were not for me. This morning while out running, I started to think about The Clone Wars for some reason. I don’t know why but it made me giggle. Who won The Clone wars? Was it an upset? Did Jar Jar Binks fight in these wars? Any chance that they took place in the Dagobah system? Or on Tatooine?
Is it just me or is everyone quoting The Office now more than ever before
I have never experienced a worse summer than this one. We have had three weeks in a row of over 100 degrees and are excited about a cold front that might pass through San Antonio this week. The cold front might drop us to 95 or 96 for one day. Bus duty at 4:15 PM has been awful. It was 106 on Thursday and 103 on Friday. We haven’t had rain and I long for a cool Fall morning. We probably have about 45 days or more until we feel relief.
I have been working with a few administrators the past few months as I have begun my coaching endeavors. While I have a lot to learn, the administrators that I have been working with have taught me as much about myself as I have taught them.
If you are looking for a coach, please let me know if I can help. You can check out my website at https//:www.toddmbloomer.com . You can also contact me at yankeetodd78216@gmail.com
We are always, #bettertogether