The First Few Weeks

Hiking around King Mountain, Larkspur, CA

Two and a half weeks in as Principal. Welcome back dinner and popsicles, hundreds of kids and families, lost soccer balls, iPads deployed, Back to School Night, parent data entry, yard duty, carline duty, garden meetings, after school enrichment meetings. Check, check, check. Kids? Check. Teachers and staff? Check. The first few weeks have been busy, but I didn't really expect anything different. I expected twists and turns, and I have truly loved and embraced them all.

Yes, I'm a little more tired than usual - no big deal. Being a new Principal isn't all twists and turns, I have many perks. For instance, settling into the TK classes to play with the dinosaurs, or perhaps talk to a kiddo about which animal should be yellow ("All of them!"). There are more perks, too. I have the unique opportunity to work with a Mentor Principal (I'm technically an Intern) who is guiding and supporting, asking me questions along the way and co-principaling the heck out of this school with me on a daily basis. He's basically like an octopus with super powers, quick to smile and amazing with the kids. On top of this, I have the Dream Team... One click on #Voxer minutes later a challenge is solved. A quick text starts another conversation. The team might be spread all across Petaluma City Schools, but we are all just a click away.

The first few weeks are in and I have learned a lot thus far. 1) Think big and question the status quo. If people aren't saying, "I don't know about that - seems a little out there" I'm not doing my job in trying to push and innovate to change education. 2) Make the vision as visible as possible. I love carline. I love being out front and surprising families as I open the door with a smile. I love when I look over and staff members are doing the same. Smiles are contagious and make learning better. 3) It's all about the kids. Sounded cliche months ago, but I have had the opportunity to say 'yes' and 'no' to several ideas based on the needs of all our students. When it's all about the kids, tough conversations and decisions are a little easier to handle.

There will be more learning each day at McKinley School, and, probably some failing. That's ok, we try our best to 'fail up', so that no experience is ever devoid of learning.

My Last Email & New Adventures

I've been a little busy, focusing on learning, growing as a professional, interviewing and ultimately getting an amazing new position as an Intern Principal in Petaluma City Schools. Below is my final email to classroom families. It was my way of saying, 'thank you', reflecting and acknowledging the hard work that each child took part in throughout the year. I may or may not have shed a tear while writing...

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What a wild ride. A huge thank you to Jessica and all the families who helped make today happen, but also for helping to make all the days even more bright for the kids. Field trip drivers and chaperons, volunteers, general helpful people and coffee bringers helped make our class a very special place. 

A few reoccurring thoughts came up during our last appreciation circle: 

1. The kids liked being pushed academically, with Maker and Project Based Learning.

2. They really appreciated each other for "being there for me" and "being helpful when I needed help". There was an overwhelmingly strong sense of community.

3. Many kids mentioned they were grateful for their families. 

Evie said it well when she said that, "It just doesn't seem like it's over." A few tears were shed (me), but for this group of kids, it's not over. Learning never takes a summer vacation. Just because it's break, learning doesn't stop, it's just another day in June. Stay curious, always. 

I mentioned that this group of children were the testers, rather than kids that were tested upon. Each child had the chance to test the curriculum, test how they learned, how they thought about challenges and how they worked with each other. They are beta-testers, always excited to ideate with post-its and move along to the next big idea. They are an action-biased group, not over thinking a problem or solution, but ready to try and fail, learn and move on. "Done is better than perfect" became a montra in the classroom. 

This is a special group of children who need to nudge future teachers and ask, "When is our first Maker time? What about PBL? When do we get to collaborate with another classroom??" I've been sharing with the kids all year that I think education is ok, but it needs to get better. This is where the kids come into play. They get to be the change agents. I'm going to let Dr. Seuss drive home the point better than I can- "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." (The Lorax) 

Thank you for all the love, support, smiles, tears and hugs. 

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This class was incredibly special to me and each other. They taught me to "fail up", practice compassion each minute of the day, focus on growing as a learner and to really enjoy and love what I do. 

#teamkid #studentfirst #petk12 

Communication, Listening and Relationships

Phone? Email? Remind 101? Text? Messenger Pigeon? Face to Face? Chat? What do you do and when??

In the last 36 hours I've been thinking big about communication and had several thoughts. These thoughts came both from my masters classes, reading Michael Fullan, The Principal, 3 Keys to Maximizing Success and Gardening in the Minefield

Email is great. It's fast, mobile, to the point. Not very emotive. Probably should be used less frequently and as a conveyance for information, rather than as a way to communicate. 


Remind 101 (and similar) is quick, mobile, one way, easy to use and perfect for a blast to a group. Not going to send a Remind about Suzy chipping her tooth, but for whole group info, it's solid

Text is also quick and very convenient to use when sending a Yes or No message to a family or colleague. Watch what you type, especially if you have big thumbs. 

Phone home for really good news, not just the news you don't want to email. Kids should be excited about getting a call home from an educator who wants to brag about how awesome that kid was in class. 

Messenger Pigeon sounds silly, but really, sometimes a hand written note is just the thing. A parent went above and beyond to help at the school, send a card. A kid went out of her way to help the school with a big project- send a card. 

We are a #GAFE school, so we all have access to GChat. Imagine if everyone on staff sent a chat to ask if they can borrow that one dongle instead of an email? One less in the inbox is a victory. 

As a teacher or administrator, talking Face to Face is the best way to create a relationship, the best way to share great news or bad news, and generally much more exciting than an email. Smile, listen, be honest and wise with your words, and listen. Did I mention listen?Schools, and really all organizations are all about relationships and the connections we foster. 

As educators and learners, we need to foster and cultivate positive relationships daily, and for me, this starts with effective communication and listening. Did I mention listening?

Lead Learners, Tech and Beyond (EDAD 713)

What is one of the best way to engage and lead a group of people who are being asked to change or transform the way they do something? Join them in the fray and lead. I recently read an article from Leadership, titled 5 Tech Leadership Lessons by Bobbie Plough. Considering this article is for my Masters program in Educational Administration, it seemed rather relevant. Technology in our schools is as important as ever, and strong leadership that is driving the use of technology is just as important.

Transforming a school from “industrial to digital” (p. 8) often comes as an after thought, but what if we turned that notion around. What if moving a school towards digital was an issue that was grounded in a stated purpose? Milpitas Unified School District created this purpose as they were pulling their school towards a blended-learning model. The purpose of all the spending, professional development and change according to the Milpitas Superintendent Cary Matsuoka, was to “increase student success by actively engaging all students in their learning, and inform teachers with data to improve instruction” (p. 9).

With this purpose clearly defined, leaders need to allow for autonomy within each school and classroom. Each school and teacher is ready for a different amount of technology infusion and there is no ‘one size fits all’ set of tips and tools. This autonomy will allow for teachers and leaders to “determine the best model(s) and implementation timeline for their individual school sites” (p. 9) and explore on their own to make this system work. Each teacher is ready for a different level of technology infusion, so why have one style of professional development? Leaders should differentiate these learning opportunities in order to honor each teacher's professional growth. Administrators should be ready to offer training and resources to teachers who are eager and ready to learn more, so long as these training sessions match the purpose of the technology push.  

Communication with stakeholders is always at the forefront of any organizational transformation. Superintendent Matsuoka made it a point to deliver communication that was well conceived and deliberately timed. Giving this information to the board, principals, parents, teachers and students was important. Each stakeholder needed to know what was happening, the sequence of events and what to expect next. A key component to communicating the transformation was for each leader to be part of it. This was a chance for the principals and school leaders to show that they were really the ‘lead learners’ of the schools. These leaders became “technology “pioneers” in tandem with teachers” (p. 9).

For a digital transformation to really work, the infrastructure must be in place. Leaders must hire staff who are capable of managing resources, growing ideas and growing the wireless capacity of the district. Milpitas went from “15 wireless access points to 650 in less than two years” (p. 10). Also, these tech leaders must have a plan to roll out new resources, manage devices and be ready to help in order to move towards the main purpose of the technology.

Suggestions for Future (and current) Educational Leaders:

• Foster curiosity and autonomy within staff. People want to attain mastery in their chosen subject area. Curious staff ask questions to push their learning. This drive to grow will lead to more success for the individual and the organization. Watch this video by RSA Animate featuring Daniel Pink explaining how autonomy, mastery and purpose will lead to a driven individual.  

• We differentiate for our kids, we need to differentiate for our staff, too. Professional development should be timely and specific for each staff member. This could mean youtube videos, magazine articles or an EdCamp style professional development.
• Give the change a purpose. Call it a vision or a purpose, but make sure the technology infusion is backed up by a solid understanding that these purchases will support student growth, engagement and achievement
• Communicate with all stakeholders in a timely fashion. Share with a clearly planned effort and timeline. Since we are growing a tech model, perhaps a podcast, youtube video or AudioBoo.
• Hire the right people who believe in the mission. Get the infrastructure plan in place, both people and hardware.

"Leadership magazine Jan/Feb 2015 V 44 No 3 - Page 5." 2015. 3 Mar. 2015 <http://www.joomag.com/magazine/leadership-magazine-jan-feb-2015-v-44-no-3/0783907001420484509?page=5>

Post #gafesummit Thoughts and Tinker Time

I love these weekends. I love being in a place where everyone is fired up. I love being in Napa. I love hanging with old friends, meeting new friends and secretly planning on creating our own sweet new school. A few quick thoughts from GAFE Summit Napa...
The main takeaways:

1. Engage children all the time.
Each session I was in as a learner, this concept came up. Engage them from the moment they enter the classroom. Better yet, engage them the day before for the next day. Get your students to try and break in your door, then you're good. Move forward from here with excellent content and high quality teaching and we are on the right track.

2. Push towards inquiry based models whenever possible.
Leave the kids hanging. Ask them what they wonder, what they are curious about, what inspires them. Inspiring curiosity through questions, content and media is a good thing.

3. GAFE Summits aren't all about technology. It's mostly about people, ideas, friendships, learning and students. Yes, the WiFi is important, and I tweeted all afternoon, but that wasn't the point. The point was to open up old eyes to new tricks and new eyes to what is possible. Sergio Villegas (@coach_sv) and I were chatting at lunch, "two years ago people didn't know or care about a lot of these big ideas," he said. "Being more connected has opened people up to big ideas.

Tinker Time

I am fired up to get back with my students and share new ideas with them. We will sketch, build, design, iterate and explore. We will also be using Makey Makey's for the first time ever. More on this in just a few hours.....