A little over two years ago was my last blog post where I shared the 10 lessons I learned from being an interim principal for about 9 weeks. I ended that post with this:
“Real talk. The first 4 weeks, if someone had asked me, do you want to be a principal…it would have been a real hard pass. These last two weeks I have been shown what being a principal could look like and that I can do it. Will this be my calling? Perhaps. If it is, I’m ready and if it isn’t, this was an important and memorable part of my journey.”

Life sure does have an interesting way of putting you exactly where you need to be when you least expect it. After my last post I went back to being an instructional coach unsure of my path and feeling more lost than any other year. I had applied for some principal jobs but it hadn’t worked out. However, I learned very quickly just how much neighboring districts talk. My name was shared and last June a superintendent called asking me if I would consider applying for a principal job in his K-8 building. I almost didn’t apply it was for Kindergarten through 8th grade and shhh don’t tell anyone but middle school made me nervous. I almost didn’t hit submit because the several other times I had tried elsewhere, I was told thank you but not this time. I had convinced myself that the principal book cover was not for me. I had convinced myself not to turn the page based on the words: not this time.

Here’s the thing though, I had to ask myself, what will I regret more: turning the page or putting it back on the shelf. Spoiler alert, I turned the page and in a surprising turn of events I cannot imagine my life without being the LW principal. I am now a part of something I didn’t know I needed but am so glad that I found.

I recently wrapped up my first year as a K-8 principal with 192 students and roughly 20 staff members. There were highlight reels, work in progress moments and everything in between. From Day 1 to day 210 it was a journey that I will cherish always.

I have been reflecting a lot on this last year as I get ready to start year 2 and here were my biggest takeaways:

Takeaway #1
You can leave a district you have taught at your whole life and reestablish yourself

My first 15 years in education were in the same school district which just so happened to be the same one I had attended as a student since 5th grade. My history there ran deep and that was one of the reasons why taking the leap was one of the hardest decisions. I am here to tell you though trust your heart when it tries to tell you it is time for a new adventure. It is ok if it is time to go and it is ok if it is time to make a change. Especially if that change supports your family and your mental health. When you put building relationships and kids at the heart of everything you do it will show. It will establish yourself in the light you want it to be.

Takeaway #2
Chocolate milkshakes are more than just chocolate milkshakes

Every once in a while when I least expected it and perhaps when I needed it the most, my superintendent would deliver a chocolate milkshake to my office along with one for the secretary and the bookkeeper. Upon first glance this seems like something so small and so simple but I learned 5 important lessons from this small act:
1. Surprise gestures of thoughtfulness do not have to be large, elaborate, or expensive.
2. One simple thing can foster and promote a positive culture and climate.
3. When you show that you genuinely value others everyone feels more inclined to roll up their sleeves and dive into the hard work.
4. Building relationships is the single most important job of a leader.
5. Work for a superintendent who delivers chocolate milkshakes.

Takeaway #3
If you have to delete and retype a sentence more than 3 times…call and/or walk down the hall to chat

I have always felt that in person is best but sometimes typing email feels easier and/or more efficient. The above sound advice came from my school counselor and it has been a game changer. It even has become my guide as I communicate with everyone in my school community. It not only helped me to ensure there is no miscommunication, but also had bigger impacts than I could have imagined. Is it harder sometimes? Absolutely. Does it open yourself up to be more vulnerable? Heck yes. But at the end of the day it is more personal and helps you strengthen and maintain positive relationships.

Takeaway #4
Share your calm vs. join the chaos

This is a work in progress for me for sure. It is very easy to get all riled up because sometimes the person coming to you is all riled up. You can get lost in their feelings making it more difficult to see the big picture and encourage steps forward. I found listening, note taking, and simple words such as what do you need to move forward make all the difference when dealing with numerous situations.

Takeaway #5
Read books to kids during lunch

This was absolutely one of my favorite things from the year. It all started because I missed reading aloud to kids. I missed getting lost in conversations about books. I read picture books to grades K-5 and first chapters to 6th-8th. It quickly became my thing and the book joy the grew over the course of the year was rewarding to watch. It was the perfect way to bond and get to know my students. It was also fun to deliver books to classrooms where they could be enjoyed again and again. What started as an idea and one book turned into me reading 50 picture books and 20 first chapters. What turned into maybe a one time thing became a weekly thing that I plan on continuing for many years to come. It also reminded me you are never to old to be read aloud to and that one should never underestimate the power of books!

Takeaway #6
Social stories and rain sounds are powerful tools when it comes to regulating emotions

I always knew what social stories were but honestly I didn’t fully understand their value nor had I seen them implemented effectively. My special education teacher taught me that students need to learn strategies and immediately practice when they are in a more regulated state of mind. Social stories cannot just be saved for when we are in crisis mode. They need to be read, listened to, and discussed when we are regulated. If we are only accessing these when a child is experiencing emotional dysregulation, the strategies may not work in the way in which we intended. Also by weaving these into instruction when students are in a more regulated environment, we can increase the successful application of these strategies. Rain sounds was also a tool that I used when students needed a moment to find their calm, take deep breaths, and/or reset before moving forward. When a student was sent to my office in a state of distress, they knew I would give them 5-10 minutes to listen to the rain before we would talk. I ended up putting a shortcut on my phone where I could quickly access it from any place in the building.

Takeaway #7
Your to do list is never 100% cleared

This is one piece of advice I had received from one of my mentors before entering my first year and boy did it ever ring true. I learned very quickly that what my mind had thought would be on the docket for the day ended up changing 5 if not more times as the day unfolded. It reminds me of the Golden Gate Bridge method Donalyn Miller (author of The Book Whisperer) references when speaking about conferring with kids. The Golden Gate Bridge is always being painted. They start at one end and work toward the other. When they are done the process starts all over again. It is never-ending but an important job that preserves the bridge and ensures it can be used safely. A principal’s to do list is very much like that which means you must show yourself grace if something doesn’t get checked off. Again if kids are at the heart of it all, it was a successful day. Prioritize your list and show yourself flexibility.

Takeaway #8
Work for a superintendent who believes in you, encourages you, supports you, centers you, challenges you, mentors you, gets to know you, notices the little things, has time for you, has your back 110%, and puts kids at the heart of decisions

This. Is. Essential. This allows you to set boundaries in your work/life balance that are healthy because it is encouraged and modeled for you. I truly hit the jackpot when it comes to working for a school leader who was exactly what I needed at this point in my career. I think what I learned most is that when the above happens on a regular basis the worst day in the world can be reset the following day. When the above happens every day, you can be at your best.

First year in the admin books achievement unlocked 🔓👊

✌️Year One! Thank you for being exactly what I needed at exactly the time I needed it. Being a Limestone Walters Rocket is pretty great.

New year. New hat. New lessons.

Here we are a little over a month into the 2020-2021 school year. I’m entering my 15th year as an educator and I know I have been quieter than normal. I’ve been wearing a new hat momentarily and been working on finding my footing. The haziness is starting to clear a bit though so here is what I’ve been up to.

Last year before the end of the year, I was offered the opportunity to be principal for Dunlap Grade School during the 1st quarter of the 2020-2021 school year. This position was available so that the current principal could take maternity leave. I remember being completely flattered to even be considered and also thinking this would be a tremendous opportunity. I would be able to gain first hand experience opening up a school so if a principal job presented itself, I would be that much more prepared. I of course said yes.

Enter the pandemic.

I think in my mind I never imagined that would affect how the new school would begin. However, here we are, navigating waters of uncertainty, while trying to maintain a positive outlook that will keep everyone safe. This is without a doubt a school year where I have never seen or experienced stress of this magnitude. While I do think some stems from the unknown as well as the high learning curve that accompanies stepping outside your comfort zone, I still feel this stress is valid, deserved, and real though. It is also of the utmost importance that we continue to show one another grace and understanding as we learn to cope and address concerns that are unique to a pandemic. At the end of the day we are all doing are very best with the information we have at the time.

I am now entering week 8 of being a principal, 6 of these weeks with 215 in person learners in the building and 32 remote learners. There have been highs, lows, and everything in between. It has both felt like 8 years and 5 seconds all at the same time. Despite feeling as if I have 8,000 tabs open in my brain on a consistent basis, I have grown so much as an educator in ways I never even thought that I would! I am learning lessons daily if not minute-ly. 😉 Now that the ground is starting to feel more level beneath my feet here are my top 10 lessons thus far:

Lesson #1
Start and end each day with a song

You set your tone for the day and you chose how to process and let go. I realize of course everyone has their drive to and from work routines, but for me it involves music and signing at the top of my lungs. I start each day with my Drive Spotify playlist. I then choose the most upbeat song to play at full volume on my phone as I walk into the office. The secretaries are often already there and I have found it helps us put a smile on the face in order to conquer whatever comes our way. At the end of the day, I am working on a playlist to help me process, unwind, and let it go. Being someone who wears their heart on their sleeve, I have learned drive home music is crucial in order to unwind and focus on wearing my hats at home.

Lesson #2
Calendars are EVERYTHING!

Organization is key. Luckily I stepped into a building with an administrator who lives and breathes by her calendar. She had set up so many things for me or left notes of who to call to schedule things such as fire and safety drills. I have learned though you must schedule yourself a lunch otherwise it is 3pm and you can’t remember what you ate that day. I also have learned that the staff lives and breathes by that calendar too. If you have to change something, let them know so everyone can be on the same page. Being on the teacher end of calendar invites, I never understood why I would get them so far in advance…lesson 2 in a half learned. When you have the time, you take advantage by trying to get ahead. You never know as a principal when your schedule will change.

Lesson #3
Read, Reply, Delete

Man I thought that making the transition from teacher to instructional coach did a number on my inbox…now I just think oh well wasn’t that cute. It was definitely one of those you think you know…but you have no idea moments. Now my situation is slightly unique in that my district had three instructional coaches and two of them resigned to fulfill new positions outside of our district. The decision was made to not rehire so that left only me. However, I am currently serving in this principal position. Needless to say for awhile it felt as if I would never get a handle on emails. One 2 hour period could often bring in 200 some emails at once. I definitely had to take a moment and remember the best advice I had ever received –> Read, reply, and then delete. If you don’t know the answer reply with you are looking in to it or you will touch base with them at a later time. If you need to save something, move it to a folder. Also you can break the reply all chain…I have faith in you. I feel you need to know though the quest is long and often lonely…but I support you.

Lesson #4
Previous avoidance to orange flavored anything is no longer a thing…

Being a principal means you will step outside of your comfort zone right out of the gate. People want answers and they want them from you.  I have learned the value of silence, listening, and taking notes. It is important to validate the perspectives of others but being solution focused allows for us to support the kids, which is why we are here. You also may do things you said you would never do as an administrator. *gasp* I know. It’s  like that moment when you are a teenager and you swear up and down you will never do that or say that when you have kids…then you do and say those things to your kids. It hurts. You have feelings about it. After these moments, shut your door, take a deep breath, find whatever candy you have (even orange flavored) and eat it. You’ve earned it. Also orange flavored candy isn’t so bad if it’s the only candy you have and you need some candy. It’s all about perspective and letting staff know if they too need an orange flavored candy moment…you are there.

Lesson #5
Speak up!

Being new at something doesn’t mean you can’t ask for help when you need it. Man just typing that made me nervous because asking for help is really hard for me to do. It’s not because I don’t think others can’t help me but it’s because I don’t want to burden anyone with my problems or give the impression that I can’t handle by business. It is something I really work on as I know trying to do all the things isn’t sustainable. I have found it helps to have a go to person that you can reach out to for advice, guidance, and support. When you have a go to person that means they check in on you too. Sometimes you don’t know what questions to ask but they are there to remind that you aren’t alone.

*Full disclosure* this continues to be something I work on daily and there are times I am better at it than others. Being a principal though has given me more chances to practice, which is key to moving forward.

Lesson #6
Short. Sweet. To the point.

If you know me, you know that summarizing is not my forte. I am dramatic and love to give all of the itsy bitty details so I can set the scene for you. Being a principal though often means you have 5 minutes to talk to a parent, a student, or a staff member and you have to make those 5 minutes count. Keep it short, sweet, and to the point. This lets them know that you value their time too. That doesn’t mean that conversations should only be 5 minutes. 🙂 I have definitely learned that sometimes less is more.

*Full disclosure* this is still a HUGE work in progress for me as I feel the need to talk about all of the things…however, being a principal has given me a lot of opportunities to practice this lesson in emails, phone calls, and meetings.

Lesson #7
It’s the little things

Just when you think you have hit the proverbial brick wall…the message you need to hear will show itself. It often comes when you least expect it and it won’t always look the way you think it should. The timing is a lesson within it self, that you can’t always be in control. When the message makes its way to you though, it will be that courage you need to move forward. The reassurance that despite the loud few, the positives are out there and they are trying to be heard. Happiness can be found in the darkest of times…if one only remembers to turn on the light!

Lesson #8
Find a daily peak-end ritual that works for you

While decompressing from the day in song is perfect for the drive home, sometimes the weight of it all comes back or is too much. Over the summer, I read The Burnout Cure: Learning to Love Teaching Again by Chase Mielke. (FANTASTIC READ…every educator should pause reading this and go buy it or check it out from your library) One of my takeaways was creating a peak end ritual. “The peak-end rule states that if your last class or lesson goes well, you leave thinking it was a good day. If you end with chaos , you may go home feeling terrible. Due to the peak-end rule, recency and resolution matter for our memory and satisfaction. A peak-end ritual is a positive end to an otherwise challenging day.”

Journaling would be an example of a peak-end ritual. It allows you to collect things that get you thinking was it a bad day or just a bad 5 minutes. In order to do this I started journaling the same three prompts every day: goals, gratitude, remember. I have done this every day since August 1, 2020. I’m here to tell you it really does work. First the prompts are manageable so journaling feels less like a chore. I purchased an undated journal so skipping a day doesn’t feel like a failure.  (although I now see that as a challenge and haven’t skipped a day yet) Despite what your day brings…there is always something to be grateful for. This little 5 minute habit right before bed keeps me organized, grounded, and allows me to positively reset for the upcoming day. Peak-end rituals don’t have to be journaling that just happened to be the one that worked for me.

Lesson #9
Don’t make long term decisions based on short term situations

Real talk. The first 4 weeks, if someone had asked me, do you want to be a principal…it would have been a real hard pass. While I love the staff and students in my building (not sure how I could have done this without them), the stress of following pandemic protocols as a brand new admin were so high that it felt as if I had been given an impossible task. I couldn’t see the light in that moment leading me to believe that being a principal was like this even in non pandemic times. I tend to be dramatic and sometimes need a moment to let the dust settle.  I have since learned, that the ground does start to even out. Opening a school during a pandemic is unique but I did it. I’m still here. Now the day to day situations that occur don’t seem as impossible. These last two weeks I have been shown what being a principal could look like and that I can do it. Will this be my calling? Perhaps. If it is, I’m ready and if it isn’t, this was an important and memorable part of my journey.

Lesson #10
BE YOU!

This lesson is so important. Whenever you walk into a new role, expectations are there. You feel that pressure to do all of the things done before you perfectly. I have learned that at the end of the day you can still be amazing but you can be amazing being you. Take what you need to find your footing and it is ok if that footing is different from someone else. You can’t be someone you aren’t but you can be someone that everyone needs. You can still be you while acknowledging past awesomeness. Trust yourself and lead from your heart.

Administrators, I see you and you are juggling way more plates than I ever thought possible. You do it in such a way that looks planned, controlled, and flawless. I still have so much to learn but this lens into your world has taught me lessons I will carry with me always! If anything I have learned I can do hard things…in fact I can do super hard things. The principal hat isn’t always glamorous but it is always important in ensuring schools continue to be places that create lifelong learners.

Instructional Coaching during a Pandemic…check

Thats a wrap on year 14 as an educator as it is officially summer. As I sit here thinking about this past year, I find it difficult to come up with the right words to explain all that entailed. This year certainly tested me in more ways than one. My perseverance, strength, confidence, and positivity were definitely put to a test. This year was one for the record books. There were good days, bad days, and all the days in between.

Highlights: leading the elementary writing instruction committee (a dream of mine since becoming a coach), getting to teach writing model lessons for 2 weeks or a month long genre studies in 9 classrooms throughout our district (one kindergarten, four 1st grades, three 4th grades, one 5th grade…2nd and 3rd were coming but then remote learning happened), learning a TON more about best practices in guided reading instruction in order to support 3 elementary school sin our district, having 446 learning appoints this year (highest to date), attending 4 conferences to make sure we are up to date on best practices so we can not only bring it all back to share with our district but also so we can lead out current professional development, representing DUnlap by presenting at 2 conferences (one of them we were able to lead an entire interactive area for all attendees), and finally helping to create a plan for our district to go from face to face learning to digital learning in 3 days time…then all the support/revisions throughout the last two months.

Work in Progress Moments: I had my fair share of moments this year in learning how to navigate my emotions, conquering difficult situations, and not letting the loud few get me down. I wish I had blogged more and visit more classrooms. I only wrote 20/50 blog posts for the year and due to COVID-19 I had to adapt my goal of visiting 50 classrooms to 34 instead.  I also missed one day of making a daily video recap of the school day.

At the end of the day though, the highlights out number the ehh moments and I’m choosing to focus on how much I learned and grew not only as an educator but as a person! I mean just look at these stats:
I’m thankful for an amazing team who lift me up, support my wild ideas, and who work tirelessly to support everyone in out schools! Peace out year 14 and look out year 15…I’m coming for ya!

Click the image below to watch my end of the year video reflection:

5 Things that Made Me Smile this Week
-finalized our summer PD plans
-we are in the home stretch of remote learning for this school year
-working on virtual summer PD Canvas courses
-being able to offer 3 book studies
-our book study selections look like they will be fantastic reads

4 Words to Describe My Week
purposeful, sunny, productive, positive

3 Things I Plan to Do This Weekend
-enjoy family time
-think about if a vacation this summer is possible
-spend more time outside

2 Things I Learned This Week
-virtual summer PD is possible
-I can clear out my inbox if I make time to do so

1 Goal I Have For Next Week
-end the 2019-2020 school year on a positive note

5 Things that Made Me Smile this Week
-teachers reaching out over their break for support with remote learning
-having time off to take it all in
-movie nights with my family
-my youngest getting really into his ABCs
-reading the series of unfortunate events with my eldest son

4 Words to Describe My Week
slower, off balance, hard, heart-warming

3 Things I Plan to Do This Weekend
-gear up for next week
-not check my email
-come up with a remote learning/teaching plan for our home

2 Things I Learned This Week
-the home/life balance is going to be harder than ever
-setting boundaries will be crucial

1 Goal I Have For Next Week
-trying to balance my teacher, mom, and wife hats

This year marks my 14th year as an educator and also an evaluation year. I don’t know if you are like me, but often times I find that when I go to upload my evidence, I am scrolling through my camera roll, searching my laptop, and searching social media feeds for the picture I swear I remember taking. There had to be an easier way.

Don Sturm to the rescue. I came across his blog post about personalized hashtags and it was a game changer. You can find his blog post here: https://schoolscanbebetter.com/2019/02/05/personalized-hashtags/

Essentially, you create personalized hashtags on Twitter that corresponds to a component of the Danielson Framework. You would make the hashtag start with your last name then 2a or 4b (Ex. #Pitzer2a). I do recommend seeing if anyone else has posted to this hashtag first and if others are tweeting to that for whatever reason. Then you can change yours to be more personalized to you.

Since hashtags work as a file folder in a way, you or your evaluator then can click on that hashtag and see the evidence. All of it is timestamped and organized in one place. When it comes time to submit your evidence then, you can simply upload the link to that hashtag on Twitter. (For example: https://twitter.com/hashtag/ (include your hashtag without the # sign after that last backslash). Not only will you feel way more organized come time to submit your evidence, but you can also gain ongoing feedback throughout the year from any member of your PLC. 

I decided to take this one step further and create a Google Drawing HyperDoc. This would house all of the links to every component of the Danielson Framework. This way I share one link evaluator. I also chose to share it back in August. This way, they could provide me with feedback throughout the year too.

This was a complete game changer for me. No more trying to remember what folder I had saved something and/or what date I took that picture. Not to mention since I worked on this year round, before I knew it the domains were memorized! A big thank you to Don for this amazing idea!

To view my Evidence HyperDoc click on the image below:

Check out my Twitter reflection by clicking on the image below:

5 Things that Made Me Smile this Week
-curating a newsletter to support teachers with e-learning resources
-top 3 challenge from a teacher in my district
-collaboration across our K-12 district
-teacher’s jumping in with things outside their comfort zone
-seeing my child’s learning firsthand

4 Words to Describe My Week
new, historical, nerve racking, successful

3 Things I Plan to Do This Weekend
-try not to check my email
-have a popcorn and movie night with my family
-eat chocolate

2 Things I Learned This Week
-breaks are important for kids AND adults
-the importance of instructional coaching positions

1 Goal I Have For Next Week
-trying to enjoy spring break

Our e-learning plan started today. I cannot even begin to express how proud I am to work for the curriculum department. We have worked tirelessly on a plan to best support teachers, students, and parents during this time. While it will be a work and progress for sure, it feels good to be ready to go during this historical pandemic.

Yesterday, students K-3 were able to go to their home school and pick up their school issued Chromebooks from 3pm-5pm. Grades 4-12 take their devices home, so we wanted to make sure all students had access to technology.

As instructional coaches, we decided that since there were so many emails coming in this week, that we would each take a day to be “in charge”. We have a group email account and so if it was our day, we would be the main one responding. We of course could reach out to each other if one of us was better suited to respond.

In terms of life at home during this time, my husband is still able to go into the office and my youngest could go to daycare. This really did allow for me to work remotely AND assist my oldest son in his e-learning activities. After our first day we realized two things:
1.) Making a to do list helps ensure we have completed everything we need to for the day
2.) Schedule breaks and lunch is important so we don’t forget

While it may not have been perfect, it was a pretty successful day one of e-learning. Here’s also to turning 38!

Check out my day one reflection post by clicking on the image below:

Check out my video reflection by clicking on the image below:

5 Things that Made Me Smile this Week
-being asked to help the superintendent in an e-learning plan
-working with an amazing team of people
-having a district wide LMS
-the power of having a PLN to lean on and reach out to
-caffeinated beverages

4 Words to Describe My Week
chaotic, unprecedented, difficult, emotional,

3 Things I Plan to Do This Weekend
-relax
-appreciate and spend time with my family
-celebrate my 38th birthday with friends

2 Things I Learned This Week
-importance of relying on others
-that I can summarize if I put my mind to it 😉

1 Goal I Have For Next Week
-trying to remain calm during this unprecedented time

When you get an email request from the superintendent that reads, cancel all of your appointments and meetings for the day and come to the district office at 11am….it is going to be a day. This is the message the curriculum department received today and it definitely threw us all for a loop. It turned out that word on the street was the Governor was going to close school for the next few weeks due to the spread of COVID-19. Our superintendent wanted us to be all hands on deck for the next three days should this go into effect. Best case scenario was a week of e-learning, then spring break, then back to school. Worst case scenario was longer but to come up with a plan that could transition into longer if needed. It was a lot to process.

Now it was go time. We determined since we were a Canvas school that this LMS (learning management system) would be our main source of communication. Teachers could utilize Google tools and/or Seesaw but everything had to be housed in Canvas. This would streamline communication for everyone. We knew that we would need to analyze where staff was with Canvas and also create video tutorials to support teachers that could be watched during PLC today. We also had directions that it was only to be reviewing and no introduction of new content was to occur.

For elementary it was determined there would be a choice board. Each grade level at each school would create a choice board where students were encouraged to complete at least one activity per row. PLC time would be a great time for teachers to begin filling out their choice boards and have the opportunity to see what other grade level teachers at other schools were doing too. Secondary would just need to make sure to have items located on Canvas for students to review.

Finally, we decided that we would be available at one of the schools from 1:30pm-4pm for teachers to come and get help and/or ask questions during PLC today.

PHEW! It was then dividing and conquering, typing up emails, creating templates, finding/creating examples, recording tutorials, and checking Canvas pages. I am so proud of how well we worked together to come up with a plan to best support teachers, students, and parents during this time. It also felt good to be recognized as someone who will be vital to helping and assisting our school community.

Tomorrow, we are continuing to reach out to other schools and members of our PLN for advice/resources, checking Canvas pages, coming up with what other video tutorials need to be created, thinking of how to communicate the plan out to families, and checking in with teachers who may need support. We got this!