EdCamp Vermont Reflections #SummerBlog12 #VtEd

#8 in the Summer 2012 Blogging Challenge, #Summerblog12

 

In April, 2012, I led the Vermont ASCD's first effort at an "unconference." EdCamp Vermont had its roots in another place and another time.

In the fall of 2010, I was driving to some EdCamp with Dan Callahan, when he brought up the idea of EdCamp Boston. He had come up with a date and a venue with some other folks and was ready to add to the organizing committee. I jumped at the chance. Through the winter, I did my part working with an amazing committee to put together the first EdCamp Boston in April 2011.

Shortly before EdCamp Boston, I accepted the position as principal of Wolcott Elementary School in Vermont. I was thrilled to have the position in place before EdCamp. When I told Dan that I got the job and would be moving to Vermont, the first thing he said was, "When is EdCamp Vermont?" I laughed him off figuring that in my first year in a new state there was no way I'd be able to organize an EdCamp.

As I settled into my new house and job, I was asked to join the newly reconstituted board of the Vermont ASCD. The new president, Ned Kirsch, had been a twitter contact for a while. I accepted.

 

At one of the first meetings, I mentioned EdCamp. Ned and the board were intrigued, and we decided to make Vermont's first EdCamp part of the VTASCD revival. I was thrilled. Organizing an EdCamp as part of an existing organization is super easy. We didn't have to set up a bank account or search for sponsors. We kept our plans small. You see, Vermont is very rural and spread out.

 

So, on a Saturday morning wedged between the vacation weeks of various parts of the state, about 40 educators showed up for a classic-style EdCamp. We had participants from all over the state, from as far as Boston, and even over the border from Canada. Even with a small crowd, we filled the session board and even added a fourth room. As usual with an EdCamp, the conversations were wonderful.

 

Now that we've held one EdCamp, VTASCD will surely hold another. Stay tuned for more information.

 

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#Summerblog12 Another Blogging Challenge

Here we go again; another blogging challenge. This time Bill Carozza gets credit for getting us started,

"I have a goal beginning July 1…two blog posts a week. Anyone up for that challenge?"

In related news, @Principalj is right, I have thrown her and @mmiller7571 under the bus for other blogging challenges. In some crazy way, it is my way of thanking them for giving me so many good ideas and motivation during the last few years. Here is how @principalj started her challenge:

2012 Summer Blogging Challenge

 

Bill Carozza (@wcarozza) over at "Principal Reflections" snuck in a blog challenge in his post "5 Reasons Educators Should Blog." Then my twitter friend @fliegs threw @mmiller7571 and I under the bus in a tweet to get us in on the challenge (now that I think about it, I think he has done this to us every year!) I have a hard time saying no to anything so I'm in (even if it means that this first post is this simple--it is also my first attempt at using the blogger app on my iPad, so I have no idea what it will look like and have found I can't add any links into my post.)

 

Now I'm off to start thinking of my next blog post...

So who wants to join us? Only 2 posts a week, come on we can all commit to at least 2.

 

Posted by PrincipalJ.

So, after very little blogging since early February, I am back. I will start now, instead of waiting until July 1. I've got several topics and started posts waiting to be written. Check back soon.

Thanks.

 

P.S. The image has nothing to do with the post. I include only because my daughter made the sign last week for her first sleepover at our house.

Related articles

• #SummerBlog12

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• 2012 Summer Blog Challenge Throw Down!

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• 5 Ways to Increase Hits On A Blog Post

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14 in February Blogging Challenge 2012 Edition (#14inFeb)

It is February again. I returned from Educon last week (not sure that is relevant this time) where I met Maureen who claims that last year's challenges got her blogging. I guess if it worked last year, why not try again this year.

So, time for a little repeat. This is what I posted last year:

So, I got back from Educon last night, and I started thinking that I need to rev up my blogging engine again.

You see, while at Educon, the topic of blogging came up in at least two of the sessions that I attended. In both cases folks were talking about how to get more administrators to blog and be involved in online education discussions.

I mentioned that I have drafts of many blog posts already started, but that I am waiting for more fully formed writing before I publish. The consensus in the rooms was that I, and others, should publish now and not worry about our outdated print publication standards. Blog. Blog now and often the teachers and administrators were saying. Blog to share ideas; blog to develop ideas; blog to communicate vision, blog to engage the community. Blog.

So, I remembered back to June 2010 and the Spilling Ink Challenge. I have now created the

14 in February Blogging Challenge 

for any educator (or really anyone who might read this).

Since February 14 is an easily remembered day (except for at least half the men I know), I figure that number will do.

Create and share 14 Blog Posts in February. Write about your school/classroom, education reform, cool resources you've used, neato gadgets you have or covet, or whatever is on your mind. When you do, send out a tweet with the hashtag #14inFeb and add a comment here with a link to your blog.

I am especially challenging Melinda Miller and Jessica Johnson to blog with me again like we did in June.

And for crying out loud, help all the men in your life to remember the number 14 in February.

I hear-by challenge you all to meet or beat 14 blog posts in February. Come on, you can do it. I'm going to.

EduCon Again

In a few days, I am going to EduCon in Philadelphia. I am excited to attend this gathering of educators for a weekend of discussion of education politics, pedagogy, distributed leadership, and where to have dinner (more on that later).

Last year, when I attended EduCon for the first time, I was in a strange place in my life (for more on this, see this post). I let myself get psyched out. I didn't engage in the discussions in the way that I usually like to. I'd been accepted to present at Hacienda, but dropped out a few days prior. Since I was in between, I had trouble enjoying the learning.

These are the sessions that I attended:

1. Reimagining Leadership
2. District, School and Classroom Structures to Support Learning
3. Diversifying Your Rolodex
4. A Call for Action. How do we get more "Connected Principals"
5. Rubric for School Innovation: Assessing Your 21C School (seemed like a commercial so I left)
5a. Ctrl+Alt+PD:Shifting School Culture with Technology and Collaborative Professional Development

The highlights last year were purely social. I drove down from Massachusetts and roomed with Dan C. I enjoyed talking to PLN folks that I’d met at other events. I enjoyed meeting many others for the first time. I always love talking to students so that was cool. The only social downside was letting George C. choose the restaurant on Friday night (Applebee's, really).

This year, my story is so very different. I am "back in the saddle" as a principal. I am more focused. I am flying from Vermont instead of driving. I am, again, rooming with Dan C.

I have only glanced at the schedule of conversations so I will have to choose at the last minute. I am eager to go. I am eager to have fun and learn tons. I am eager for EduCon again.

Office Closed - K-2 For the Day. #NoOfficeDay

Last week was International No Office Day for principals around the world (well, at least a few of us). Shira Leibowitz started a wiki for those of us involved. Here is my experience.

So I decided to start by asking the K-2 teachers to schedule me for the day on Wednesday, September 14. principalj does a great job telling how we each explained the day to the staff.

My day started with a few minutes in my office to put my things down. Then off I went.

Here is my schedule for the day with some notes thrown in for good measure.


7:45-9:15 Kindergarten

• Some students were at breakfast, some still filtering in. I tried to engage 'Bill' to no avail until the teacher suggested that we use the blocks. Things took off from there. We built towers that hardly stood long enough to admire. When some other boys arrived, I referee'd the use and temporary ownership of the blocks. For a few minutes, I talked with some other students as they were drawing.
• Once everyone arrived, the teacher began the morning meeting. She reviewed the calendar before singing the good morning song.
• From there we moved onto a Fundations lesson introducing three letters. While not surprising, I was awed at the sheer breadth of student readiness and the teacher's ability to work with 15 squirmy five-year-olds.

School was only 75-minutes old, and I was already a bit tired.

9:15-10:45 1st Grade

• The first grade class was wrapping up a math lesson when I arrived. I wandered from kid to kid helping with writing number sentences and their turn-around equations. It was exciting to watch one student that I know in a disciplinary sort of way work on the math and really get it.
• At this point, the teacher asked me to participate in the next lesson as a student, not an educator. She asked me to sit between two kids that struggle with letters. We began the Fundations lesson by reviewing the letters covered the day before. At this point, many kids started getting pretty excited about the activity to come. The teacher had Baby Echo come out to help kids practice the sound of certain letters. Then, we all became skywriters. Cool, I love planes. We worked on tracing the letters in the air to help us learn the shapes.

2 hours, 45 minutes into the day: I was really tired.

11:00-12:00 2nd Grade

• The second grade teacher had asked me a few days earlier to teach a lesson so she could finish some assessments with a couple of students. So, I entered the room armed with the National Geographic Weekly Reader from May about butterflies, my iPad, and three different worksheets from the Reader teacher's guide. Just then, one student and the teacher looked at a book about bugs and declared that it was wrong. There was an error in a book! Goodness! The teacher grabbed the moment and told kids that they would need to write to the publisher to point out the error. Nice.
• So, I scrapped half of my lesson right there on the spot. Once the teacher left, I turned on the document camera, fired up the iPad, and searched for info about monarch caterpillars to double check the error in that book. We found tons of fantastic images and information and still the book looked wrong. We also found some really fugly caterpillars.

40 minutes, many butterfly facts, and tons of informational-text-features later, I was pooped.

12:00-1:00 Lunch, Recess

• I admit that I cheated slightly here. I spent about 15 minutes at my desk before joining the kids for lunch. I have eaten lunch with the students many times already this year so I think it is ok.

1:00-1:20 2nd Grade

• After Lunch/Recess, I hung out with 2nd grade again and listened to the teacher read to the class. I love to be read to.

My original schedule from this point on was:

• 1:20-1:50 PE w/ 1st
• 1:50-2:20 Music w/ 1st
• 2:20-2:50 PE w/ 2nd

Instead, the librarian was out so we needed someone to cover three, thirty minute library read-aloud sessions. OK, I am your man. Turns out that K, 1, 2 students can get a little wiggly towards the end of the day. Who knew?

Between managing the group, I was able to read a few pages of a book to each class. They tested my patience and I passed the test!

I have been an administrator since 2003, I know what means to have a long, busy day. That said, I am in awe of the staff who do this with primary grade students day in and day out. I learned (re-learned?) that I am one of the luckiest principals in the world. I have a small, safe school with an amazing, dedicated, high-endurance faculty.

Cool.

Related articles

• International No Office Day (pairadimes.davidtruss.com)
• International No Office Day (connectedprincipals.com)
• Jon's #NoOfficeDay (mjgds.org)
• No Office Day (principalj.blogspot.com)
• My Version of No Office Day (agreenblatt.blogspot.com)

Great Questions for Library/Tech Integration (#tlchat)

Image via WikipediaA few days ago, it became clear that I would be searching for a combination Library Media and Technology Integration Specialist for my new school. We use SchoolSpring.com for all applications, and I considered adding a short essay question to the application. But what to ask?


PLN to the rescue. I sent out the following tweet:

If you could ask a Lib Media/Tech Integration candidate 1 Q, what would it be?

Right away, Dan Callahan (dancallahan), my former limo service client, retweeted my request. In short order, I started receiving great questions.

Without further ado, here is the list of questions (in the order received):

1. What is the difference between a librarian and a library media specialist?
2. What's your definition of tech integration?
3. What activities do envision to support critical thinking skills? How will you enable student presentations, curation, info eval.?
4. Tell us how you plan to support free choice reading and book discovery in all formats?
5. How do you plan to involve students in the working of the library? In collection development? How will you model wondering?
6. What are some online tools you like or plan to try? Do you know of good sources for copyright-friendly images, music?
7. How will you promote booktalks, discussions? What kind of personal learning do you seek, outside of system offerings?
8. What is the purpose of a library; how would you implement & advance this purpose?
9. Explain how the ever changing landscape of info has changed the role of research, and where does lib fit in.
10. What is your strategy in getting reluctant faculty to collaborate with you?
11. What's the one thing people get wrong about you?
12. Explain roles/relationship of library-media and tech-integrator so they are cooperating roles instead of opposing roles.
13. How would you define transliteracy, creative commons, & the mixup mashup culture?

I'd like to thank the following folks for their suggestions.
gwynethjones 

ldelia 

cathyjo 

dmcordell 

mtechman 

j_allen

PrincipalJ 


BTW, if you are interested and qualified, I might be able to arrange for you to be paid in Ben & Jerry's ice cream instead of money.

Related articles

• Is a Digital Library in Your School's Future? (ofprincipalconcern-educationworld.blogspot.com)
• The future of the library (sethgodin.typepad.com)

#Apr13 Blogging Challenge

OK, I admit, I barely completed the Ides of March Blogging Challenge and the number of bloggers participating dwindled to just a few.

I don't care (said Pierre). I am pleased to announce the latest Fliegs sponsored blogging challenge. In honor of both my wedding anniversary and the birthday of my second child, I present to you:

The April 13 Blogging Challenge

Just write thirteen blog posts this month, tweet them out with the tag #apr13, and share with the world. I will read and retweet them all.

Maureen, Tom, Pam, Pete and others, I am counting on you to make this April the bloggiest of my life. If not for me, then for my marriage and my child!

For my part, I promise to meet the challenge head on with topics including the principal job search, my own status report, ed reform, admin best practices, teaching ideas, and more.

Oh, on April 13, huge prize (or lots of thanks and smiles) to anyone who sends birthday wishes to Manny or anniversary flowers to my wife, Jennifer.

Thank you.


photo credit: flickr user Admit One CC

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

The Ides of March Blogging Challenge is Over (#idesmar)

Well, here it is just before midnight and I am writing one more blog post in order to meet my own Blogging Challenge: the Ides of March. This is post #15. I did it (with only stretching the non-existent rules).

I am so glad that there are several educators who  accepted the challenge. It has been great reading what they have to say. One teacher told me that the challenge has really gotten her to write like never before. Me too!

Well, since I am enjoying this, I will post tomorrow with the challenge for April. Stay tuned.

Thanks.

Related articles

• From St. Valentine to Julius Caesar 14of14 #14inFeb #idesmar (principalspov.blogspot.com)

Strong Community Needs to Be Built (#idesmar)

Another question I was recently asked to write about: How would you strengthen community among students, teachers, parents and other educational stakeholders? 


A strong sense of community at school does not happen by accident; community needs to be cultivated by the principal. Each stakeholder has different needs.

Students need to feel a sense of belonging at school. Establishing a school-wide program such as Steps to Respect provides an avenue for students to feel heard and respected. This is followed by a common behavior code so everyone knows the expectations. I worked with faculty to create a positive behavior recognition (but not reward) program, so students feel appreciated for the good they do. The combination of a pro-respect program with a recognition program laid a foundation for our community.

To build on the foundation we need to gather the students on a regular basis. During my favorite gathering, held on day one, I introduce the entire staff to the students, while the students cheer for each adult. Everyone starts the year with a smile. I gradually turn over the responsibility for the assemblies to Student Council. We gather to learn, to perform and watch, and to celebrate.

The Student Council is my primary way to listen to students and to give them some control. I encourage the student council to listen to their classmates and to ask me to make changes. When they ask, I listen and consider. Some of the best initiatives to come out of Student Council are community service projects that engage the whole community toward a common goal. When we respect students and give them some control over their environment, the community is strengthened.

I am visible and involved in the classrooms, bus lane, lunchroom, playground, and evening events. Parents need to know that I am accessible and responsive, so I make sure to return calls the same day or have the secretary schedule a meeting. I also create a Public Relations plan to get information out to parents and the broader community. Most importantly, I strengthen the community by treating people with respect.

However, access to the principal and information about the school are not enough to engage the parents and the community. The volunteer coordinator starts with a small group willing to help with general tasks. The parent council creates a database of parent skills and interests that we can draw on. Finally, I invite parents and others to school to share their knowledge or skills, to volunteer, or to be the audience. I love watching the crowd at the Senior Citizen Luncheon and Concert. Of course, once we invite them, we feed them, as nothing attracts people better than children and food.

School staff love to eat as well; people who break bread together form strong groups. Since social events are vital to the health of the community, we create a regular schedule of staff parties. Teachers deserve some time enjoying themselves, so faculty meetings and professional development sessions always begin with social time and food.

Just as access and information are not enough for the parent community, food and laughter are not enough for the staff. They also need to be part of a learning community. The staff needs to work together to decide what they need to learn, because people will be most productive if given autonomy, time, and a sense of purpose. I often encourage teachers to work with other staff besides their teammates. There is a lot to learn all around the building.

Eating, laughing, and learning are building blocks of strong community. There is another component at school: shared leadership. To bring as much staff into the decision making process as possible, I created a Faculty Advisory Council, a Leadership Council, and other groups. So staff know what their role is, I use a tool called “Patterns of Participation Matrix” to be explicit whether I want staff to initiate, collaborate, advise, or support. The staff needs to feel belonging and ownership at school.

Building a strong sense of community among the students, staff, parents, and others is among the most vital work in which a principal engages.

Those are my ideas. What do you think? What are some ways that YOU can strengthen our school?

Elevator Statement Challenge (#idesmar)

A few weeks ago, Tom Schimmer challenged us to create our elevator statements about 21st Century Learning.

With all of the talk about Personalized Learning for the 21st Century, I thought this might be a fun challenge and way for all of us to refine our messages and learn from each other. I am a big believer in making messages simple and accessible, which is why I think this challenge is so relevant. It’s very easy to kill a good idea with a poorly constructed message, especially early in the implementation/exploration phase.

So….here is your assignment, should you choose to accept it:

“You are attending a conference on 21st Century Learning (yes, I see the irony!) At the end of the first day you step into the elevator at the hotel in which the conference is being held with someone who is NOT attending the conference and is NOT an educator. They turn to you, notice your name badge, and say as the doors are closing, “You’re attending that conference on 21st Century Leanring, right? What’s that all about anyway?”

You have 4 floors (3-5 sentences) to explain to this stranger what 21st Century learning is and give one example of what would be different. Can you do it? How would you respond?

Good luck! This message will never self-destruct so send it to every educator you know!!

So, here is something that I wrote for a principal job application. I would convert it from written language to spoken, but the ideas are the same.

The 21st century is an exciting time for education. Never before have there been so many ways to gather information, create content, make global connections, and meet student needs. We need to teach media literacy so that students can be discerning consumers of information. Students can be writers and artists with an authentic, online audience. Instead of just reading about a place, we can Skype with students there to learn even more. Using technology, we can tailor learning for individuals. 21st century education can be summarized with four words: inform, create, connect, and personalize.

What is your elevator statement?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

7 Sound Bites for Ed Reform (#idesmar)

In January, Rick Hess allowed guest blogger, Roxanna Elden, to present "What We're Trying to Say Here..." Media Training Tips for Teachers.

As I have written and presented throughout out this year, I believe strongly that we educators need to do a better job talking about all of the good that our public schools really do. Over the next several posts, I will use Roxana's article to share some ideas.

A couple of weeks ago, I asked my PLN for a phrase that educators could use when talking about education reform. I got the idea from this part of Roxana's article:

Principle #3: Find your "quotable quote."
Teachers prepare students for academic discussions, but television's short attention span for each issue doesn't give us time to build logical points based on evidence. Politicians, on the other hand, know they have to boil down points to manageable sound bites that are easy to quote and hard to take out of context. (And hard to argue against without sounding like a jerk.) They will often lead with statements like, "Teachers are the most important factors in our children's education," then pause for applause. Meanwhile, we're waiting for the conversation to turn toward issues like over-emphasis on questionable test scores. What we don't realize is a savvy politician is unlikely to say the word "test" at any point during an event full of teachers. He or she is more likely to employ a series of practiced sound bites about how "children, especially in this vibrant community that I am so happy to be visiting today, deserve only the best education," followed by some generic comment about the importance of identifying outstanding educators. If teachers want our points to get equal airtime, we need to take our own main points and condense them into equally media-friendly phrases. Come up with three different succinct ways to express each of the three main points on your list. Also remember your audience is not the people you see every day who already agree with you, but fair-minded people who may not know basic facts that insiders take for granted.

I got a few fantastic ideas through twitter.

@slaleman Edu is about giving EVERYONE a shot at the Amer. dream, not just those with money or connections. Edu can be great equalizer

@QZLPatriotHawk: Simply put...Hope and Equality for ALL.

@Akevy613 Helping students succeed. Giving our students tools to be successful in life. Facilitating the growth of tomorrows leaders

@j_allen: Passionate

@walterASCD: We teach the future! (old slogan)

@walterASCD fueling the engine of our information economy by preparing students for the opportunities that lay in the century ahead

@ericjuli we are an opportunity to end the cycle of poverty for kids with dreams @myen


Go ahead, come up with your own quotable quote. Share it here in the comments and on twitter.


- Posted using BlogPress from an iPad

NT Camp Burlington (#14inFeb)

Today, the education unconference movement made its Massachusetts debut with NTCamp held at Burlington High School. Although the crowd was small, I learned much and had great conversations.

First, like any conference that comes out of my twitter PLN, it was great to see so many familiar faces: Patrick Larkin, Andy Marcinek, Lyn Hilt, Eric Juli, Dan Callahan, Kathy Brophy, Elizabeth Peterson, Karen Janowski.

Second, it was great to meet a few new teachers who are really passionate about teaching and improving their craft.

I started the day by sitting on a Connected Principals panel with Patrick, Lyn, and Eric. We talked about social media and administrators connecting with new teachers. I think this was my first panel discussion. During most of the panel discussions that I have witnessed, it seems that every member of the panel feels compelled to weigh in on every question - even if they have nothing new to add. I decided not to do that. Since there were only a few questions, I made sure to sit out for one. I could have said something (I always have something to say). I just didn’t.

Once the panel ended it was time for the first session. I chose a session about lesson planning. It was led by a fifth year teacher and his teammate who has been teaching for only a few weeks. We had a great discussion about planning and teaching and students. I found it hard to resist the urge to try to answer every question, and there were two new teachers there who hardly spoke at first. Finally, someone asked one of them a direct question. These two teachers had a lot to say and a lot to ask. I stopped talking (for a while, at least).

I knew that I’d be able to start talking again when the second session started because I signed up to lead it. I chose to have a discussion about classroom management. I framed the initial part of the discussion with the following three words: engagement, procedures, and respect. I will write a blog post about this really soon. Anyway, after talking about this for a few minutes, the conversation began to shift into the realities of discipline in an urban, poor, ninth grade class filled with immigrants. We were out of my comfort zone and area of “expertise.” The conversation was fantastic, though. Turns out, it was the same two new teachers from the first session. These are two to watch, filled with ideas and passion.

Lunch followed and was long and conversation filled. Tasty food, too.

For the third session, I chose a conversation about the three ways to get people on board with social media in schools. Very interesting conversation with a variety of opinions in a small group. I think the two new teachers from the morning were stalking me.

The last session a smackdown. There were three resources mentioned that I am interested in exploring:

The UDL Toolkit udltechtoolkit.wikispaces.com

https://join.me

PaperRater.com

All told, it was a fun day. Like all edcamp-type events, I learned. Most important though, I connected.

Change is the only constant (#14inFeb)

Image via WikipediaYesterday, I challenged readers to participate in the 14 in February Blogging Challenge. I am very excited that eleven educators have mentioned that they are up for the challenge.

I was inspired to create the challenge after attending Educon 2.3 in Philadelphia this past weekend. That wonderful weekend of professional development and networking will give me lots to write about. Since I want to publish something right away and frequently, I will not write a thorough review of my experience. Instead, I will write several small posts discussing something from EduCon. Here it goes.

At the Friday night panel on innovation, the facilitator started things off with some quotes. Several caught my attention, including this:

When you're finished changing, you're finished. Ben Franklin

There is much written about lifelong learning and about change being the only constant. As an educator, this important for obvious reasons. More personally, I find that my thinking and outlook are in constant flux - especially since creating my twitter PLN (e.g. much of what I believe about Effective Leadership has changed in the last couple years). At the same time, many of my ideals have remained the same for years (e.g. my Philosophy of Education has been consistent since 1996).

The take-away here and from the innovation panel discussion is that change and innovation are necessary in our lives and in our schools. It is the only constant.

Related articles

• 14 in February Blogging Challenge (#14inFeb) (principalspov.blogspot.com)
• Why Blog? (principalj.blogspot.com)
• 21st Century Skills in Action (akevy613.posterous.com)
• Day One FETC - Florida Education Technology Conference (weprincipal.blogspot.com)
• Sharpening the Axe (transleadership.net)
• EduCon Reflection - Seriously Silly (practicaltheory.org)

14 in February Blogging Challenge (#14inFeb)

So, I got back from Educon last night, and I started thinking that I need to rev up my blogging engine again.

You see, while at Educon, the topic of blogging came up in at least two of the sessions that I attended. In both cases folks were talking about how to get more administrators to blog and be involved in online education discussions.

I mentioned that I have drafts of many blog posts already started, but that I am waiting for more fully formed writing before I publish. The consensus in the rooms was that I, and others, should publish now and not worry about our outdated print publication standards. Blog. Blog now and often the teachers and administrators were saying. Blog to share ideas; blog to develop ideas; blog to communicate vision, blog to engage the community. Blog.

So, I remembered back to June 2010 and the Spilling Ink Challenge. I have now created the

14 in February Blogging Challenge 

for any educator (or really anyone who might read this).

Since February 14 is an easily remembered day (except for at least half the men I know), I figure that number will do.

Create and share 14 Blog Posts in February. Write about your school/classroom, education reform, cool resources you've used, neato gadgets you have or covet, or whatever is on your mind. When you do, send out a tweet with the hashtag #14inFeb and add a comment here with a link to your blog.

I am especially challenging Melinda Miller and Jessica Johnson to blog with me again like we did in June.

And for crying out loud, help all the men in your life to remember the number 14 in February.

Top 100 School Administrators Blogs

Principal's Point of View has been included in a list of the top 100 school admin blogs. One of the other admins on the list, Jeff Delp, did a great job saying what I was thinking. So, here is what Jeff said about being included:

Top 100 School Administrators Blogs by azjd

Molehills out of Mountains was recently mentioned in the article Top 100 School Administrators Blogs.  This was certainly an unexpected honor, and I  am appreciative of the mention–especially considering the company I have on the list.

If you are an educator, a school administrator – or aspiring to be either – I would encourage you to review this list and begin following the blogs that grab your attention.  There are many sites mentioned that have served as inspiration for me – as an educator, and as a writer.  Use the list as an opportunity to expand your Personal Learning Network.  Read on.

Top 100 School Administrators Blogs

Thank you!

I second that thanks and add one to Jeff.

Can't you just follow your passions on the weekend?

Velvety Passion Flower. Image via Wikipedia"Can't you just follow your passions on the weekend?"

I overheard this comment from two women talking about a slacker husband. Really? Does she really want her husband to have passion only two days each week? Doesn't she see that life would be so much better if her husband lived passionately every day? Of course, I am sure there is more to the story (I only heard a little of the conversation, fortunately), but educators have always known that when students are passionate about their activities, there can be no stopping them.

This talk of passion reminds me of an awesome event that illustrates what passion can do for teaching. I was attending a curriculum breakfast to hear the chief data guy from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education speak about the new growth model for looking at student achievement (politics aside for a minute as this post is about Passion, not Ed Reform). With this topic, there was little chance that I would be anything but bored.

Then, the guy started going through the powerpoint slides. He get very excited as he presented. He fidgeted like a little kid who wants us to "watch me, daddy." He even giggled at least once. As I watched and listened, I realized that I was getting sucked in to this man's passion for data. What he lacked in presentation skills, he more than compensated for by letting his passion fly. By the end of his talk, I actually felt excited for the statistical work that the data guy had done to make the growth model something useful. I understood the growth model (at least I was well on my way to understanding it).

Thank goodness the DESE data guy didn't follow his passion on the weekend only.

Now, go make sure you are following your passions every day.

Related articles

• Passion: PASS It ON (teacherbootcamp.edublogs.org)
• The Passionate Leader (brandimpact.wordpress.com)
• #PassionDriven Conversations: Guest Blogger - Patrick Larkin (angelamaiers.com). The whole series here.
• The Passion Driven Leader (thepassiondrivenleader.wordpress.com/)
• Rhymes with P and That Stands For...PLN (connectedprincipals.com)

Rhymes with P and That Stands For...PLN

Image via Wikipedia

Shortly after EdCamp NYC, Hadley wrote a great recap of the day on her blog post, Saturdays for Learning. Towards the end of the post, Hadley described the event this way:

Each new session was filled with teachers and administrators who wanted to grow, who wanted to share their best practices and find solutions to their doldrums. These were teachers who willingly gave up their off-duty time to come together. They were often people who considered the others there part of their PLN, their Personal or Professional or Passionate Learning Network. 

In the comments, I wrote:

I love the idea of changing my P in PLN...  Thank you for posting your thoughts about a great day.

In the week since, I have been thinking about the P in PLN. I like Personal, but maybe there is a better P. Hadley's suggestion of Professional is good, but feels somewhat cold. Passionate is a good choice but may be too hot (temperature not withstanding, I like the word passionate as a descriptor of an educator. When I hire, I look for signs of passion as much as specific teaching skills. Angela Maiers and Amy Sandvold have lots to say about Passion in education). 

There are so many great adjectives that start with P, I had to consider them all. First I list several candidates.

• Parallel - not only parallel learning, also synchronous and asynchronous;
• Perfect - I'd love to claim that my PLN is perfect but my wife isn't part of it;
• Peppy - sometimes, the PLN provides some pep as there are lots of very Positive folks;
• Perky - I'm not looking to describe a dog or a hairdo, also see peppy;
• Partial - OK, this works because the Network will never be complete as I mix online and F2F; 

• Participatory - Oooh. This is good. Those who only lurk in the PLN will not learn enough. Must share;
• Plausible - and so easy to get started (see links below for ways to start a PLN) ;
• Patient - Lucky for me, my PLN has many patient people (esp. Connected Principals George and Lyn when it comes to adding pics);
• Powerful - Well, obviously. A PLN is able to leap tall buildings and lift enormous stuff. And totally, radically change the thinking of so many educators;
• Peaceful - Not sure how this applies, but I couldn’t put it in the next list;

• Personable - My PLN has been very friendly to me;
• Playful - Lots of laughs among the serious tweets and articles. Must laugh or die;
• Poignant - Totally. Just the other day, a blog post from within my PLN brought me to tears (manly tears, of course);
• Popular - It is all about how many followers we each have, right?
• Precious & priceless - My PLN is worth its weight in gold (or some Pithy saying like that).

Of course, there are many P words that don't even come close. However, since many are funny to contemplate, I have listed a bunch here:

• Prejudiced, 
• Painful, 
• Prying, 
• Palatial, 
• Polite, 
• Paleo (?!), 

• Palatable, 
• Papery - Duh, it is all electronic, 
• Paradisal, 
• Paradoxical, 
• Parental, 
• Parisian - Ooh La La, 

• Parochial - Au contraire, 
• Perilous, 
• Patriotic, 
• Parsleyed - or served with a nice Chianti,
• Pareve - for those who keep kosher among us, 
• Passable, 
• Passé - maybe some day we will look back at our PLN and chuckle, but not now,

• Passive, 
• Pastoral, 
• Pasty - from too much late night blogging and not enough sun?, 
• Paternal, 
• Pathogenic - I hope I don't catch anything from my PLN, 
• Pretty, 

• Proficient, 
• Prominent, 
• Proper, 
• Prosperous - none of us does this for the money, 
• Proud, 
• Placid, 
• Pure

At the final analysis, after much deliberation, I have decided to stick with Personal as my main P. I have begun a new Program, or is it a Paradigm shift, of alternating Professional and Passionate into conversation about my PLN - my Personal, Professional, Passionate Learning Network.

N.B. Few electrons were harmed in the writing of this post as I read through the P section of my dictionary - the printed, papery, paleo kind - then later found the adjectives website listed below.

Cross posted at Connected Principals.

Related articles

• This Principal Needs a PLN (principalspov.blogspot.com) 
• A PLN Quick Start Guide (esheninger.blogspot.com)
• The Innovative Educator's EdCampNYC Recap (theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com)
• #EdcampNYC Thoughts (thenerdyteacher.com)
• An #edcamp experience (principalposts.edublogs.org)
• EdCamp NYC, Fliegs' Index* (principalspov.blogspot.com)
• #EdCampKC PLN F2F/IRL (principalspov.blogspot.com)
• Adjectives That Start with P (www.your.dictionary.com)

EdCamp NYC, Fliegs' Index*

Image by SpecialKRB via Flickr

Yesterday, I attended EdCampNYC with a couple hundred passionate educators mostly from the metropolitan New York area. Since I used to read Harper's Magazine and loved the Index most of all, I thought this would be an awesome (or lazy, you decide) way to fill you all in.

The Fliegs' Index

Miles Driven: ~500

Hours away from home: 34

Members of my PLN I met face to face for the first time: 9 **

Members of my PLN I met face-to-face for the second time: 1 ***

Cool people I met who were not going to EdCamp: 1 ****

New people added to my PLN: at least 15

Hours spent with Dan Callahan: 33 (including time asleep)

Hours sleeping: 4.5

Hours talking education: 27 ʶ

Glasses of wine consumed at the Club602Camp pre-gathering: classified °
Things to think about: 30 hundred ʶʶ

Intriguing ideas added to my file for future reference: 31 hundred
Sessions attended as participant: 2 ⁺

Sessions planned before arriving in NYC: 1 ⁺⁺

Sessions planned during the 20 minutes prior to the session: 1 ⁺⁺⁺

Number of oxtails eaten by thenerdyteacher: 1

Number of beer runs completed by thenerdyteacher during lunch: 1

Number of people who shared thenerdyteacher's beer: 6

Number of people who shared thenerdyteacher's oxtail: 0

* with apologies to Harper's Magazine

** Dan Callahan, Mary Beth Hertz, Kevin Jarrett, Lyn Hilt, Tom Whitby, Rob Griffith, Paul Bogush, Kim Sivick, Lisa Nielson

*** Nick Provenzano

**** Kate

ʶ Really
° Lisa is an amazing host. Thank you.

ʶʶ Number provided by 5-year old daughter

⁺ Standards-Based Grading: A Better System w/ @arosey, @fnoschese, @21stcenturychem and Things that Suck w/ Dan Callahan 

⁺⁺ Ed Reform: A Call to Action

⁺⁺⁺ Talk Back to Administrators! w/ Lyn Hilt

#EdCampKC PLN F2F/IRL

Now that EdCamp Kansas City has passed by with sufficient time for some thinking, I hereby present my initial thoughts and my ten day later reflections (I will not identify which thoughts are which category). While this sounds rather high-brow, the real reason that I waited is that the cold that had me nearly voiceless in Kansas City turned into a nasty sinus infection that has totally drained me. I am only just now getting my energy back (very slowly). So, here it goes...

Like so many others I've read, this post will begin with how cool it was to meet some of my PLN (Personal Learning Network) F2F (face-to-face) or, as one woman I met put it, IRL (In Real Life).

During the Friday night tweetup, the person I was sitting with asked me why I thought people came to EdCampKC. My answer was immediate and emphatic: this kind of conference is really for meeting and talking with people rather than the content or skills acquired. Chris wrote a fantastic post about this conversation. Read it now. I'll wait...

I was floored when I read his comments. I knew that we'd connected during the day on Saturday (even he was "that guy in the back"); I knew that we had a great time with a group of EdCampers at dinner on Saturday night.  I had no idea that I said something to change his thinking. If for no other reason, EdCampKC was a resounding success for me by making this strong connection with Chris. After all, as one of my core values states, It's All About Relationships. Don't get me wrong there was an enormous amount of learning going on. It's just that everything taught there could likely be learned online or something. No, there is great power in coming together. Someone reminded us that we are genetically programed to be together, to be social. EdCampKC was really just an extension of our genetic programming.

EdCampKC was also great for meeting all sorts of new folks. I met a bunch of the extended PLN and folded them into my PLN. I also met educators new to the online PLN game. One such person is Leslie Joyce. I was sitting next to Leslie during a session and we got to talking about twitter. She said something about how she meant to sign up for twitter and someone at school would show her how. Oh, no no no, said I. Right then and there I turned my laptop in her direction and got her started. So, please show Leslie the power of twitter for educators and follow her. Hopefully, she'll get the bug soon.

I had planned on blogging about all of the cool things that I learned at EdCamp. I still might in the near future. For now suffice it to say:

EdCamp KC is my >>>>>> PLN F2F/IRL

EdCamp is my Personal Learning Network Face to Face and In Real Life 

For more information about EdCamps all over the country, visit the wiki.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T Essential in a High Poverty School

Recently, I was preparing for an interview at a school with relatively high rate of low income families (75%). Since my administrative experience is with middle class and wealthy communities, I asked my PLN for some info. Two administrators came to the rescue: Mike Roberts whose answers are in blue and Doug Green whose answers are in green (bios for Mike and Doug are at the end of this post).

• What are some successful ways you involve parents?

Parent E-mail- I get parents email address at meetings and Open House. I then email the whole school as a whole on Sunday afternoon's with the upcoming week's events. For example: picture day, Masquerade Ball, Field Trips, etc. I think another good way is to take a personal interest in all the kids, but especially your at-risk students. I set down with them one on one and make goals. If they reach their goals, I put a post card in the mail telling their parents that I am proud of their achievements.

Even poor parents come to school if their kids are on stage performing or if you have some kind of event that features free food. We had a carnival in the spring and various dances with teachers as DJ’s and myself monitoring the dance floor.

• Do you have successful alternatives to the standard Principal/Parent Coffee at 9 am?

Most parents are working. I do reading and math nights with minimal turn out. Again email is powerful. I email myself and bcc my parents. This way they don't know each others' email address in case they ever want to grind an axe.

Make home visits. Get out in the hood. Ride a bus and see who is at the bus stops. Give kids rides home who are sick or who miss the bus or who misbehave. Be fair and try to get to a point where the kid tells the parent what he did wrong. That is when you can get the parent working with you. Otherwise you will get an endless version of “why you pickin on my kid.” Remind the parent not to beat the kid. Go out of your way for black and hispanic parents. If you do, the word will get out that you are not a racist. Parents will play the race card so you just have to be better and earn their respect.

• Do you have any ways to counteract the parents' own bad experiences in school?

Just try and have the most positive school you can have for kids. If their kid gets out of bed wanting to come to school, it will make the parents happy.

See 1 and 2.

• What, besides money-related items, is the biggest challenge in working with poor students?

Instilling a sense of hope in some of them. They must see that education is the key to breaking this cycle of poverty. 2 weeks ago I started taking my upper grades students to visit college campuses. Just took my 5th grade to Georgia Tech. My 4th grade visits Jacksonville State University next week. Instill Hope.

Parents don’t generally have the academic background to help with learning and they aren’t able to take kids places for various kinds of enrichment. (Museums, libraries, or even trips out of the neighborhood.) Homes have TV but little or no reading material. This is why poor kids seem to go backwards during the summer and rich kids don’t.

• How do you welcome or induct a new student - assuming your school has a high turnover or churn rate? 

Video Morning Announcements are huge. We do these on closed circuit every morning. We recognize students accomplishments, birthdays, new students, etc. We want the whole school clapping when this occurs.

I had about 37% a year. It was vital that I greeted the parents when they registered the kids and started to get to know them. Where you from? What brings you here? What can you tell me about junior. Act happy to see them and don’t act even a little superior. Act interested in what they have to say. Be empathetic. Even poor parents can smell distain a mile away.

• When you first started at a high poverty school, what were some surprises?

None really. Kids are kids. Poor kids appreciate the things you do for them more than wealthy students. They appreciate the field trips and AR parties. It really means a lot to them. I love being their principal. I'm making a difference.

Kids came to school with emotional problems that steamed from events at home and in the neighborhood. Mommy’s new boy friend was a big negative as it took attention away from the child and he wasn’t dad. The number one abuser was the boy friend. There were always surprises due to unique and crazy situations that came up. It required a lot of problem solving and an excellent sense of humor.

• Finally, any sage advice that I should know?

Read: "Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire" and "There are No Shortcuts" by Rafe Esquith. You have to make it your personal mission statement that the quality of your students' lives are going improve because they were at your school. Don't worry about pleasing the central office crowd. Stay totally focused on making a difference. You will find it very rewarding.

Keep your ego out of situations. If a kid or a parent calls you an m f’er, step back, think, and ask what you can do to help. Don’t yell back or show emotion. This will only throw gas on the fire. If a parent comes into your school yelling, let them know they can yell all they want in your office with the door closed. Otherwise they need to leave. You also need to be fearless. Watch some old Clint Eastwood movies and try to walk like he did with the same expression on your face. Don’t dress like a dork. You don’t need to dress in expensive suits. Just pay attention. If apparel isn’t your strong suit, let your wife dress you. I did. After she died from ALS last year I was proud that she knew that I would be able to dress myself. Kids would tell me, “hey Dr. Green, you look cool.” It wasn’t an accident.


It is interesting, but not at all surprising, to see that so much of what both of these gentlemen had to say centered on showing genuine respect.

What have you done to include/engage parents in schools with high levels of poverty? Please leave comments below.


Cross posted at connectedprincipals.com
Image from flickr user Fabio Ikezaki CC


Our Guest Answerers

Mike Roberts

@mikeroberts1973 view full profile →

West Georgia Principal,devoted father,husband,Christian. Seize the day! http://ies.carrollcountyschools.com

Douglas Green

@drdouggreen view full profile →

Endicott, New York Blogger DrDougGreen.Com - Retired Principal - Former caregiver for wife with Lou Gehrig's disease http://drdouggreen.com