TL;DR: The transformation of a caterpillar to a butterfly is comparable to the development of an aspiring leader. Do not be afraid to ask to experience new and different leadership tasks. Be available to help and support at any moment there is an opportunity. Go beyond and outside of your campus to gain leadership experience. A year ago, we bought … Read More
4 Steps to Create and Market Your School’s Brand
TL;DR: Plan and execute a strategic process for creating and communicating your school’s brand. Create a brand you want people to hear, see, and feel when they interact with your school district. Your school’s brand is how you do things. It is your culture. It is the WHY that drives you. And it’s the WAY you achieve your goals. Create … Read More
3 Suggestions to Make Evaluation More Meaningful
TL;DR: Reduce the teacher evaluation pressure by investing in more conversations and more time in classrooms. See tips for how to make a pre-conference more meaningful. Praise heaping, rating justification, and point proving are three conference styles. The best solution is to give 2-3 key goals for improvement. If anything, last year seemed to be EVERYTHING. I like to say … Read More
3 Steps to Overcome Feeling Burned Out
TL;DR: Overcome feeling burned out by keeping it real, getting uncomfortable, and setting positive goals. Be an active participant in your mental and spiritual health. Spend some time to reflect. Dive deeper into the who, what, when, why, and how of your situation. Burnout requires a jump start. Consider whether you need to work on your mental, emotional, physical, or … Read More
5 Tips for Better Grading
TL;DR: Grade better by aligning all of your assessments and creating clear feedback measures. Eliminate unnecessary assignments and involve students in the process. Use tech tools and verbal feedback whenever possible. Coming back to school means many things: students in our rooms, interacting and building relationships in person, learning to instruct in person and online simultaneously. But it also means … Read More