Nov

25

Gotta Love the Tech Guys

November 25, 2008 | 2 Comments

I am always amazed at how much easier it is for me to learn something by spending a few minutes with the IT support specialists. Spent about an hour to an hour and a half with Brian Smith and his colleague Tadge and managed to create my Twitter account, invite four friends and send my first [...]

Oct

14

Professional Development Is Tougher Than Teaching

October 14, 2008 | 3 Comments

One hundred sixty one teachers and TA’s plus five administrators and one national presenter. Today was our first superintendent’s conference day on the Thoughtful Classroom strategies, tomorrow is the second. It’s my plan, I stuck my neck out to convince our administrative team and superintendent that this is where we need to go next. I [...]

Jun

26

What We Teach and How

June 26, 2008 | 2 Comments

As administrators, we’re great at manipulating time and space. We think about and make improvements to schedules, facilities, class size, procedures, sequences, requirements, and course offerings. Well, most of us do all of that, the best administrators are always analyzing, researching, reflecting and planning. The worst do little to effect any change at all.
And you [...]

Jun

11

Teachers Learning in the Summer

June 11, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Our teachers and administrators are embarking on curriculum design this summer and I am so excited about the 63 teachers who are coming to concentrate on their own learning in July! That’s 75% of our teachers, with the other 25% completing the work in September. I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it, “the [...]

May

27

Ain’t No Stopping Us Now. . .

May 27, 2008 | 1 Comment

I think that I am literally smarter when things are really cooking around here. Wonder if that’s possible? I’m sharper in problem solving discussions, more productive and happier. When I go right from one meeting and project to another with several deadlines to meet, I’m stoked. The worst thing for me to see is an [...]

Sep

28

Value Added Training

September 28, 2007 | 3 Comments

I am at Erie 2 BOCES today with our elementary principal, Janice Stokes, and our middle school consultant teacher, Diana Palcic. We are here to learn about and implement Value-Added Analysis from Heather T. Adams, facilitator from the Capital Region BOCES. I’m intrigued by the start to this five day training because it isn’t all [...]

Aug

20

Working Together

August 20, 2007 | 4 Comments

Maybe it’s my personal staff development in Thoughtful Classroom training with Harvey Silver this summer. Maybe it’s my own style of management that includes processing ideas in discussions with others and sharing decision making. Maybe it’s all of the reading I’m doing on-line and in educational journals this summer.
I’m more convinced every day that our [...]

Jul

13

What Are We Meant To Do?

July 13, 2007 | 2 Comments

I’m really bothered by the idea of leaving behind the principalship. I love this job, my relationships with students, staff and parents. I look forward to coming to school every day. Heck, walking into the building today, I thought “I love school, everything about it, the activity, the buildings, the safe atmosphere, the PEOPLE.” I [...]

Apr

27

My Own Learning

April 27, 2007 | 1 Comment

The last thing I wanted to do this morning was attend a conference sixty miles away in Niagara Falls.
I was pre-registered and my Title VII friends had paid for my registration fee so I felt obligated to attend. I called my colleague in the middle school who assured me he would handle any “emergencies” and [...]

Feb

25

Are We There Yet?

February 25, 2007 | 10 Comments

Yesterday I posted about invitations that are coming my way based on my work on this blog. Miguel, Brian, Chris and Rick all comment in ways that show they get my question. Miguel and Brian mentioned the possibility that this could lead to something else, something bigger, something beyond principal or superintendent.
I don’t think there is anything bigger. For [...]

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