What a Great Start to the New School Year!

Staying positive is easier when you focus on positive people, positive situations, and positive outcomes. For this blog, I want to focus on some of the positive influences and practices in our district.

First, it is exciting to have many of our initiatives and leadership roles being streamlined. For the first time in years, it feels like we are working smarter and not harder. Our main district initiatives are focused on student achievement through technology integration, curriculum mapping, and data to drive instruction which are all a part of the teacher evaluation systems AND supported by thoughtful professional development. This sets the framework for a successful year.

Second, the right, qualified staff members are falling into place. Starting the year out with three staff members down was a challenge, but I am very excited about the people we have to fill those positions. The building feels ready to tackle the new school year and make the best of it.

Third, staff and students are back with smiling faces. Being happy, having fun, and laughing are all key to being positive and in turn having a successful, rewarding school year. I will continue several initiatives and create new ones to continue to foster a culture of happy, positive employees and students.

• We will continue our "Caught Being Good" student program where teachers submit student names for being good. We recognize them on the PA system and give students a prize.
• We will continue our "Golden Apple Award" for staff who are team players and go above expectations for our students.
• We will continue our "Successory Program" where students submit slips for staff who have helped make them more successful.
• I will pass out positivity cards with personal notes of appreciation.
• I will send home postcards to students who stand out.
• I will encourage staff and students to laugh, enjoy education, and have fun.
• I will model positivity to all.

Here's hoping all those in the field of education have a positive and successful 2014-15 school year! 

Journey to Positivity

According to Merriam-Webster, positivity is "the quality or state of being positive." There are so many road blocks and detours to the destination of a positive outlook. People are more stressed than ever, children and adults alike. Stress and countless demands on us are major road blocks. Other barriers include depression, pain, negative surroundings/people, and shortage of resources just to name a few.

If one were on a journey or treasure hunt to find positivity, what would it take to get there? Obviously hope and confidence are important prior to starting any journey. One needs to believe that he or she can and will get to his or her destination. Others might just need faith. Certain skills are also needed. Some of these might be prior knowledge, but others are learned along the way. A sense of decision making and/or guidance are key for reading and following directions of the map (people and environment). How does a person determine his or her compass? This tool makes for a safer journey.  Resilience to all the obstacles one encounters would be helpful for a quicker and safer journey. For me personally, love and support our vital not only my destination, but my chance to live at positivity rather than just visit from time to time.

Not only is it important for us to achieve our treasure, but how can we go about helping others to positivity too? Just as negativity can spread, we can help positive mindsets breed better surroundings for all. I find it difficult to not get sucked into negativity when I am tired and stressed, and when we get a couple, family, or group of colleagues or students together who are being negative, a great deal of damage can be done. We must remind ourselves and each other not to cave in to this.

Many benefits exist for people who are positive thinkers. Mayo Clinic reports that benefits include increased life span, lower rates of depression, greater resistance to illness, and better coping skills during hardships and times of stress. 

It is important to help each other to overcome barriers and obtain these gems to a better life. Many travelers can exist in this journey of life. Who we chose to be can make a difference. Being the guide, coach, leader, caregiver, lover, supporter, motivator, and/or warrior cannot only get you to your destination, but it can also assist others. Threats along the path can prevent a person from arriving as well as cause others to lose their way. 

I will be trying my best to stay positive, to share my love, to offer support, and to fight evil along the way. Which traveler will you be? 

A Handwritten Thank You Note Can Go a Long Way

I must say that today I was worried when I received an envelop from a teacher. Her student gave it to her to give to me.  There are a few things: a red blinking light on the phone, certain email alerts, and interoffice mail packages that make you hold your breath. However, I was pleasantly surprised to open the envelop to expose a handwritten thank you note.

I was thanked for doing my job. Actually, the way this parent has handled getting her child to learn from his mistakes is quite remarkable. I love it when a student can see the light go off and know why he or she shouldn't have done what he/she did, and most importantly that he or she take responsibility.

The note thanked me for "all" off my help and communication. She expressed her appreciation for my time, kindness, and guidance. She told me that she feels reassured knowing her son has me as his principal and mentor "as its obvious the kids, their welfare and learning is your first priority."  While this is the case, my decisions somethings make students, parents, and even my own staff question that. Not everyone can be happy with all decisions. I will eventually come to terms with this.

However, this note triggered the many tidbits of appreciation I have received: successory slips from the students, emails from parents on how I handled a situation, a text from a peer thanking me for helping out with something, and even a boss's day card with the most reassuring comment are all pick-me-ups. It's sad how much we have lost our ability to write a quick note of appreciation. As I think how helpful they have been to me, I realize that I need to write more. I have several stakeholders that deserve the same courtesy.

We all know that education isn't about the thank you notes, but it is about the smiles, the light bulbs, and the progress made in the lives of the youth we service, but a little thank you note CAN go a long way. It is teacher appreciation week, so don't forget to thank someone in education for all he or she does.  I am going to stop blogging, so I can write a few notes myself.........

Staying Positive

An outlook on school, work, or life in general can really make or break an experience. A friend sent me a picture today that included the saying, "Don't let negative and toxic people rent space in your head. Raise the rent and kick them out."  This is good advice. As a teacher and administrator, I have made decisions that cannot make all parties happy.

When it comes down to the final test, it is trying to keep the student's best interest at heart (sometimes within the financial limitations). For me, it is not about answering the question of who will I make happy, angry, or not effect at all; it's all about answering back to myself and being able to live with the choices that I make.  I would by lying if I said that people's onions didn't matter. People in my line of work have hurt my spirit from time to time. A student who makes a sometimes life-changing mistake, a parent that speaks ill out in the community, or even a staff member that disagrees with every initiative are all hurtful to me even after almost 20 years in the profession. However, it's not about me.

What I do is try and help students obtain the skills and experiences to make them the most successful for the next step in their lives. That means pushing not only them but also their teachers to make
sure that the students are having the best educational experience possible. This is always a work in progress and listening to and receiving feedback are essential. With this, however, is going to come some negatively--some valid and some not-so valid, but it is my job to sift through that to help guide my decisions and practices.

I am passionate and a fighter for what I believe is right. I care about the students and staff I serve. I am not perfect and have a lot of work cut out for me, but I lead with love, respect, and positvity. While negativity may come and visit from time to time like unwelcome company, there is not room for rent. Being an educator and leader is difficult in this age. The profession has lost a great deal of the prestige and respect that it once came with; however, the payoff in a student's face or assisting him or her with a successful future is the best fuel for any endeavor.

Keep trying, lead by example. The profession needs to be vaccinated with positivity.

Starting a Positivity (Successory) Program

While we are using the "Successory" [Suhk-ses-uh-ree] program in the educational setting, it could/should be applied to any organization to promote positivity and recognize people.

During a John Draper's engaging presentation on public schools to county-wide educators (teachers, support staff, and administration), he mentioned that we need to work harder at sharing the positive word. Too many people are talking negatively about our teachers, students, and the institution of public education, and it is our job as public educators to not get sucked into that practice. While we may have difficult, burdensome jobs, we are in it to make a difference. Instead of talking about all the struggles (and we know that legislative reps have added to our burden), we need to focus on sharing the good, positive, and accomplishments that happen each and every day in our classrooms, buildings, and districts. Administrators have the job to be a positive ambassador of the schools/districts, but our teachers are the front men and women that the public find the most creditable.

Last year, we started with a "caught being good" program for our students that helps recognize students who are nice to others or doing something that demonstrates good character. This year, we started the "successory" program for our staff, and it is a wonderful way to recognize all that our teachers, support staff, and even administrators are doing.

Our student council group leads the "successory" program at Manchester Middle School. Student reps went to their advisory classes to explain the program and actually have all students in their class write successory slips to a staff member. The reps defined successory (someone who has helped me on my way to success) and then collected the slips which included the following content: I am:, I want to thank ____ for helping me!, Thank you for:, a signature, and a date. Student council also talked about the drop off boxes and extra slips in the office, media center, and cafeteria where students could complete the slips anytime. For our first delivery, student council reps decorated envelops for the slips and made sure everyone had some. One 5th grade teacher received over 60 from all grades in the building, including from 8th graders! Our office staff, bus drivers, food service, paras, and custodial staff all received slips. I was even quite surprised to receive four slips myself. Student council tries to distribute slips about once a marking period so that everyone can be recognized. The program is very cool, but the effects are even more rewarding.

Many of the slips made staff cry; it was the most appreciated they have felt in years. Even though I and the parent group also try to recognize staff and tell them how much we appreciate them, it was getting the recognition from the students that made the biggest impact. Many staff members hang their slips by their desks to help remind them of their influence and that they are making such an astounding difference. Even staff are completing slips for other staff. HERE IS THE BEST PART, I decided to start spotlighting a staff member on our school Facebook page and include a couple of student comments for that teacher each day. I am advertising all our successes; parents and students are liking and commenting on our staff; and the positivity is spreading. Here's an example of a Facebook update.

I encourage you to implement this program in your building/schools ASAP. Help spread the positivity. 

Sample Form

What are we modeling on social media?

I am not being negative. I am trying point out that people need to do the same. I am growing very concerned with how many people use social media to spread negativity about public education. If someone has a concern, get the entire story before airing opinions that may not even exist if he/she has all the details. Once it's out there, it takes 10 times more positive comments to undo the harm. If you have talked to the proper people and have the sides of all parties involved then air the dirt. Our public educators and leaders have more on their plates than ever before with far less respect than the profession has ever had and deserve the the opportunity to explain why certain decisions are made. Our youth, educators, and the institution need our support, and we can do that by spreading all the successes we have witnessed. Do your part and post about an amazing educator. Many are devoting their lives to our children.  The world would be a better place if we start focusing on positivity.