Future Principal

I must admit. I do not know if it is this program has changed my mind of being a school Principal or is it the many responsibilities of the Principal that have altered my decision.Having the position of Assistant Principal is grueling enough, but having the weight of the world on your shoulders of being a school Principal is completely minding blowing. I ask myself when completing these 8 to 10-page papers for our classes, are we learning anything from what we are asked to complete?  In the stage that I am in as a professional and level of education, wouldn’t real world opportunities or application be better suited to build capacity with further building leaders? I understand that building Principals have to be instructional and researched based leaders, but what about things other than instructional practices Principals have to be well versed in knowing. I see myself being an Assistant Principal for awhile with no plans of taking the position of Principal. Building capacity amongst Assistant Principals to be  future Principals is not what it use to be-we’re getting left in the cold!

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2015/01/21/maryland-grooms-assistant-principals-to-take-schools.html

-Copy and paste this link. Very interesting article on how Maryland is building capacity with their Assistant Principals.

Kiska

Summer School-Yeah Right!

The Extended School Year program I facilitated this summer was located at a Atlanta Public School High School this year. This was the first time the North Metro Program was placed in another building for ESY. The transition was not only difficult for our students with Special needs, but also for our staff who were accustomed to the procedures of the program. This blog is not about the difficult transition that took place at the High School, but what I saw at the school. The APS school was a summer site for the district, so many students from all over APS traveled to attend summer school at this particular High school. The very first day was chaotic, to say the least, but that is to be expected. However, as the weeks progressed and the schedules for the students started to streamline; the picture was self-explanatory. I witnessed teachers spending their entire time outside of their classroom in the hallways laughing and talking with their colleagues while the students worked on computers. Now and then, the teacher would assist a student but majority of the time was spent in the hallways making more noise than the students in the classrooms. Where is the instruction? Were students being cheated of real teaching? Moreover, why was this okay from the high school’s administration?  Summer school can be the breaking point for most students but why not make it worth it to the students. It should not matter how and why they needed to re-take the course; all that matters is that they are re-taking the course so they can further their path towards graduation. As a parent, I would be very disappointed in those particular teachers in their non-educational behaviors that were exhibited during summer school. So the question is, is summer school worth it?

By
Kiska Threatt

ISTE 2017

Good Evening, 

Recently I had the opportunity to go to ISTE 2017 in San Antonio.  It was such an amazing opportunity.  Someone I know asked me what sessions did I go to?  Honestly, I do not go to sessions like that when attending a conference like this.  I go to connect with others. I learn people.  I do not go to try to find me next job opportunity, but rather learn from them.  This was my fourth time going and the main point I can make about attending a conference like this is learn the people.  Often times you learn more from the presenter and their craft by networking with them versus going to their session.  Now I did go to a few.  I main explored the poster sessions where you can go and find out information.  I also spent a great deal of time prepping for my own presentations with my co-presenter.  I cannot explain the magnitude to which this trip meant to me.  To find out more about it, please feel free to read my blog on it at Never Stop Learning.  

Math Curriculum Planning

So, over the past few weeks, I have been settling into a new position.  I am currently, the new School Improvement Coach for math at my school.  I am really excited because I feel like I am getting to use my K-5 Math Endorsement at its fullest potential.  While this has been exciting, I did not realize how much I am actually in charge of the instructional infrastructure for mathematics.  I did not realize how much input I have about instructional decisions for mathematics.

I will say that has been very exciting... leading Curriculum Planning.  I have redeveloped the framework, scope and sequenced every unit for K-5 for the year, as well as laid out the structure to help teachers plan for the upcoming year.  We have gone through to learn the CRA model for math, decompose standards to have a better understanding of what the first two units of math are asking, taking the district assessments, revising the assessments, and developing what formative assessments we would like to use during the instructional pieces of the unit.  I am excited about this upcoming year!

Wrong Class

Good Evening,

I am just realizing that I was posting in the wrong section.  I was still under Dr. Hogan's class.  This semester seemed very insightful.  I cannot lie, I wish the Principal course was a tad bit longer.  I thoroughly enjoyed that class.  I think the best thing about it was the case scenario and the discussion about different conversations that related to the true job.  Many other classes in this program to me have felt very theory based, whereas this one did a great job mixing theory with practitioning.  I feel this semester was a great one and one I have learned the most from.

Congenial vs Collegial Dialogue

Collaboration in our schools happens at various levels and this approach to our work is effective.  The article, Leading Deep Conversations in Collaborative Inquiry Groups, extends an invitation for us to examine the type of collaboration that exists in our schools.  Congenial conversations can easily appear to be effective; however, the authors caution about the superficial nature of this type of engagement.  Congenial collaborative groups tend to "preserve the status quo" and teachers often do not challenge each other's thinking which stifles professional growth.  Often, the focus of the collaborative group is conflict avoidance.  Collegial collaboration set in the context of an effective professional learning community can be impactful. Here, teachers understand that when practices are critically examined it is done with the purpose of improving instructional practices and for the benefit of all students. Because conversations are deep, the use of protocols to guide discussions buffers the emotions of the collaborative group. Although groups are congenial and seemly work well together, functional definitions of effective collaboration need to be challenged.  Being congenial and "just working-well together" does not lead to meaningful interactions that exact school improvement. 

The article poses some interesting points about collaboration, inquiry processes, and how to move from congenial to collegial collaboration.

Here is the link: http://www.edugains.ca/resourcesPLC/PLF/2012_Module/Handout5_Nelson2010LeadingDeepConversations.pdf

Nelson, T. H., Deuel, A., Slavit, D., & Kennedy, A. (2010). Leading deep conversations in collaborative inquiry groups. The Clearing House, 83(5), 175-179.

New Year, New Me (Within Reason)

I just finished my first day back for the new school year and I am psyched!! Today and tomorrow, I, along another one of the assistant principals at my school, am hosting the New Teacher Orientation for the teachers at our school. We are going over policies and procedures that are specific to our school and sharing expectations of instruction for our teachers to implement. We have thirteen teachers in attendance. All of the teachers are new to the school, but only five are new to the county. They all share our enthusiasm for the school year to start and are thinking positively about what the 2017-18 school year will offer.

One thing that we talked about today was how each year we try to reflect on the year before and make changes as needed. As the teachers were sharing their ideas, I thought about my own year. Last year was my first year as an assistant principal and my first year at Lilburn so I spent a lot of time stepping back and just measuring the temperature of the school while building relationships. I tried not to change much in terms of procedures unless it was something that was not best practice. This year, a few things may change. These are changes that I feel are necessary based on my experience and some of the knowledge that I've gleaned from this program and research I've conducted based on my major project.

As I go forward in my second year, I am more confident than I was last year. Why wouldn't I be? I have a better idea what to expect in terms of my duties and responsibilities. I've also built solid relationships with my team and the staff and students at the school. This year is going to be great and I'm excited to begin this journey. I wish you all the best and I hope we'll keep in touch. Kiska, Christian, and Lisette: I'll see you in a few weeks.

E + R = O

I am really enjoying the book Above the Line by Urban Meyer. In my 1st blog I talked about what it means to live and be above the line. I also shared the equation:

Event + Response = Outcome

I am going to share with you Urban Meyer's 6 ways to respond to an event so that the outcome is positive. 

1. Press Pause- Give yourself the time to think in order to make the best decision 
2. Get your mind right-Our own inner thoughts can be our downfall. Remember to focus on the positive and productive thoughts. Think of this is more as having a growth mindset. 
3. Step up- We all will face challenges. We cannot run from these challenges and must meet them with above the line thinking. 
4. Adjust and adapt- Change will occur at some point in your life. Life will only get more difficult if you don’t adjust.

5. Make a difference-Make a positive impact on others.

6. Build Skill-Be willing to learn and grow. “Greatnesss is a choice.”

The rubber meets the road when you respond to an event. How you respond will determine who you are and your success.

As I reflect on the 6 R’s, I can say that I have used all six responses. I have also been in situations in which I have done the opposite. When I pause and get my mind right things tend to work out better.

Reflect on an event that did not turn out quite the way you planned. How could exhibiting one of the 6 R’s possibly changed the outcome of that event?

Focus on Leadership 7-17-17

I enjoyed having a book study and reading Focus on Leadership. Loved the themes of simplicity and literacy across the curriculum. I found myself completely buying into these two themes, wishing my schools embraced them, and loving the case studies. There were some parts of the book that surprised me. Two in particular. For one, I thought the type of lessons the author described as being best practice was interesting. As a special education teacher, the lessons seemed very similar to Direct Instruction, which many schools are against. Learning seems to be much more of a constructionist approach at this time in education.  The second piece that surprised me was the author's stance on differentiation. I was surprised to read that he felt if you embraced the evidence-based lesson plans he described that differentiation is not needed in the sense we as educators push for it today. I am curious to know how others felt about these two pieces? I wonder if strong lesson plans and literacy across the board were in place if less differentiation would indeed be needed?

RTI

Response to Intervention

For the 2017-18 school year I will be working with the response to intervention (RTI) process. This is a new role for me as I am now working on prevention of special education rather than the implementation of special education. The RTI process has been very flawed in my district. For the most part, my district just started the process of enforcing RTI. The lack of training to support general education teachers in the implementation of the RTI has been and ongoing issue since the inception of the system. Educators has long felt that the response to intervention strategies creates a process that is tedious and overwhelming. The teachers feel the lack of training creates frustration and low teacher political morale. The positive is that if RTI is implemented with fidelity, it could possibly provide students with the intervention that can help them succeed and ultimately reduce the number of students that are evaluated for special education services.  My principal has indicated that RTI is one of the priorities for the school and will be enforcing implementation with teachers. My goals is to help the teachers with implementation and training so they will not feel frustrated and overwhelmed. Hopefully, this will ensure that students who are referred to special education will truly need the individualized intervention. Wish me luck….. 

School Environment

School Environment

Over the week I watched a documentary on HBO that addressed the economic changes that were happening in San Francisco.  The purpose of the documentary was to review how the economic impact the technology industry has had on the city. One of the components of the documentary addressed how the technology industry attracts the best and brightest of workers throughout the country and overseas to come to San Francisco. The documentary addressed how well the technology companies treat their employees. The employees have a very relaxed working environment, in which they can dress down and most do not wear suits and dresses. They do not have the typical cubbies and stark atmospheres that you typically see in office buildings. In these companies, they have music rooms, full eatery/lounge, game room, and vending machine for computer parts that are free. This the is the new working atmosphere that our students will be become accustomed to. This lends to the question; What type of school environment does your students have?  It is a stark, bare classroom where the students do not have access to technology. It is a friendly environment that is welcoming and students feel comfortable to learn. In our school two of our teachers tried a concept of alternative seating. The teacher moved most of the desk out the classrooms and brought in floor pillows, crates, bar chairs. All of this was done to create a more relaxed environment where the students don’t have the typical seating arrangement.  I am not sure if this contributed to an increase in learning, but it lends to think about since this is how the new working environments are transforming to. 

End of Summer

Well it's officially closing in on the end of summer as my county starts back with pre-planning this Friday (7/21).  Although I enjoy my time off, it's definitely safe to say that I'm ready to start back.  I'm so much more productive it seems during the work calendar.  I'm excited to get back and see the students I know and of course to meet the ones I will be teaching this year.  The one silver lining is that the end of summer also signals the end of this program for me.  Although I've enjoyed the time and experiences with all of you, I'm ready for a break from school.  It seems as if I've been continuously going to school since I started grade school way back when.  I got my master's before I started teaching right after my undergrad and then my specialist after year two of teaching followed by this program after year 7.  I'm going to take some time and take a few breaths before I start the march on my doctorate.  Hope all is well with everyone.

13 Reasons Why

This past school year really seemed to be a tough one for many students. In this school year alone, our 8th-grade class had three students that returned to school after suicide attempts and others that that practiced cutting as a way to deal with emotional trauma, anxiety, or depression.  At the same time, 13 Reasons Why, a Netflix series was taking the class by storm and many students were talking about the series or reading the book.  And, nationally the series sparked much controversy and debate. Some argued that the series glorified suicide and provided an unrealistic representation of depression. Others felt that the series and the book brought light to a subject that is often considered taboo and needed to gain attention. I've read the book and watched the series in one full binge because I wanted to be able to understand both perspectives as well as form my own opinion.  Even after that, I can see why there are such varied perspectives. Many schools are considering and some are going through the process of banning the book and other school districts have sent communication out to parents with regards to the delicate nature of the series and book. At my school, our counselor worked with parents and students that could be considered vulnerable to the messages in both the book and the series but no communication went our school-wide.

I have been alarmed but not surprised at the suicide data both nationally and in our state specifically in our youth considering increases cases of cyberbullying.  In Georgia, suicide is the third leading cause of death for ages 10-24 while in contrast the eleventh leading cause of death amongst all Georgians (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention).  This past May, deputies in Bibb County were able to save a teen who went live with her suicide attempt via Facebook ( New York Daily News, 2017).  According to the Georgia Office of Child Fatality, “Although rates vary somewhat by geographic location, within a typical high school classroom, it is likely that 3 students (1 male and 2 females) have made suicide attempts.

Source: American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

13 Reasons Why, while not appropriate for many teens, in my opinion, does offer an opportunity to open dialogue about teen suicide. I know many parents that are choosing to watch the series or read the book along with their teen to discuss misconceptions or offer space to talk about suicide in a constructive way.

How do we support our youth?
How do we support teachers in being able to identify warning signs and offer continued support?
How do we support our community?

References

"American Foundation For Suicide Prevention." AFSP: Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 July 2017.

Boroff, D. (2017, May 4). Georgia deputies save teen attempting to commit suicide on Facebook Live: 'The right people were watching'. New York Daily News. Retrieved July 10, 2017, from http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/georgia-deputies-save-teen-attempting-suicide-facebook-live-article-1.3136414

Georgia Child Fatality Review Panel Annual Report - Calendar Year2013 (pp. 75-80, Panel Presentation). (n.d.). https://gbi.georgia.gov /sites/gbi.georgia. gov/files/related _files/site_

page/2013%20CFR%20Annual%20Report.pdf

New Look Into a Principal's Job

My twenty-day tenure as the administrator for Summer School for my school gave me the opportunity to get a glimpse of what my principal is responsible for doing 365 days. I've got to tell you: it was pretty daunting. Having everyone looking to me for guidance and my say-so being the last say-so was not something that I was used to; and I never got used to it.

As an Assistant Principal, I make decisions all the time for my department, but I usually run those decisions by my principal first. My principal was around during summer school, but many of the decisions that I had to make were split-second ones and I only had time to tell her about them later. Fortunately, they were all good ones.

Needless to say, I went home exhausted nearly every day and have a new-found respect for the kind of tired that principal's go home with. I had become accustomed to the assistant principal tired and stress that I started with at the beginning of the year and could manage it. This new kind of stress and tired that comes with the role of principal was different. I felt the weight of the summer school program on my shoulders and wanted to make sure the students got what they needed from their teachers and the teachers had the support they needed to complete their jobs. Along with that responsibility came the logistics and organizing of resources for the program; as well as planning for and setting up retesting for the GMAS. It all went well and I got great feedback from the parents, students, and teachers. I enjoyed myself and am able to walk away from the experience knowing that I did everything in my power to ensure its success.

Cell phones...eventually then end of the world?

As I sit at the beach on vacation, I look around and take notice to what everyone is doing.  Now don't get me wrong, my phone is an integral part of my life, but I can definitely say that it does not consume my life.  I'm 31 years old and remember when I was young and when I would be at the beach, it was always continuous activity it seemed.  Playing in the ocean, digging and building in the sand, fishing, or throwing the football or baseball were daily activities for myself, my brother, and my dad.  Looking around now I see the majority of people sitting in their beach chair scrolling through their Facebook or Instagram profiles, uploading pictures, texting, or sitting with their headphones in talking to no one.  The amount of time phones seem to consume people of all ages, but especially school age children, is absolutely terrifying.  Social skills are diminishing almost annually it seems with no improvement in sight.  Maybe it is just me, but consider me worried.