Moses Continues to Wander

I was enjoying a quiet morning catching up on neglected formalities of school administration when Moses entered my office and flopped down in a chair adjacent from my desk.  Moses was enjoying the confines of our In School Suspension program until the supervisor asked him to turn over his iPod and mobile phone.

Being a reasonable principal, I asked Moses a simple question, “Why didn’t you do as the supervisor asked?”  Moses’ reply was less than satisfactory.  He quickly stood up and retorted that he did not need to stay here for this.  As he left my office, I slightly raised my voice.  I wasn’t sure what would happen next.  I peaked around the corner of my office door just in time to see Moses turn abruptly back into my office and toss both items on my desk.  

Moses spent the remainder of the day in our ISS program which is designed to be rehabilitative, not just jail for kids.  

Moses’ behavior makes him unique.  A friend of my maintains another blog and has authored two books.  The title of his second book, The Freak Factor, makes me think that Moses should be provided opportunities to test his loud, abrubt and passionate leadership skills in a productive manner.  We haven’t been able to bridge the gap with Moses, yet.  His leadership potential is off the charts!  I have witnessed other students following Moses’ every move.  His peers are his puppets and he is the puppeteer.  However, many infamous leaders with similar skill have led others down a dark path.  Our buildings goal is to find a place for Moses to use his skills productively and without hinderance.

Each of us unique in our style of leadership as an administrator, teacher, parent, or community member.  My challenge is clear.  I must develop personally and those serving our students to use their “freakness” to be unique in our 21st century.

The Next Generation of Leaders

Each day I go to work I leave a better person.  Sometimes not much better, but better nonetheless.

Thanks 4th Graders for Changing the World!

 

 

Kids have an uncanny ability at teaching us lessons.  It is the unexpected moments in school that impress me the most.  I have written about some of these moments in recent postings.  Take a look.

While reviewing some of my friends tweets on Twitter, I discovered a classroom that is taking a look at making a difference globally.  It really isn’t that difficult, if we all pitch in.  The students on the site make some real good points about making a global difference.  

One of the recurring themes observed from Mrs. Hines’ students is their overwhelming sense of responsibility to our planet’s environment.  It seems like a logical place to start changing the world, in their own backyard.  Imagine all the people, sorry Mr. Lennon, recycling all the products that can be recycled.  Perhaps we should follow their lead and learn through exploration and see if we can make an impact in the world by starting with something simple, recycling.  

Way to go fourth graders!

Principal Vs. Father

 

This school year has been more unique than any other in my career.  My daughter is now one of my students.

 

Father and Daughter

Trying to distinguish between these two roles has proven to be more difficult than I could have imagined. 

 

Last semester, one of my students who demands too much of time for disciplinary issues crossed a line.  While exiting the building in an angry fit, the student kicked my daughter’s books and backpack down the hallway.  This angered me, but I trusted the teachers and our associate principal to handle the situation appropriately and they did.

Only a few short weeks later, the same situation reared its head with the exception being an escalation from books and bags to the kicking of a locker near my daughter’s head and the destruction of her personal belongings.  

Moments later my daughter met me outside as she waited for my wife to pick her up.  My daughter, Cassidy shared the most recent events with me and as she finished I spotted the bully.  I couldn’t wait for the associate principal or other staff members to intercede on my behalf.  I confronted the bully to defend my daughter, but my principal hat blew off in the wind.  

The lesson I learned was valuable.  I learned that I can be an effective principal and still be a loving father.  I hope my daughter also learned that her father will defend her honor as much as required.  I was also reminded that some things must be confronted as a leader.

A friend of mine, Stosh, authors another blog about leadership.  In one of his posts he wrote leaders are often the people willing to do the things that others leave alone.

On occasion, some poor practices are allowed to take place in schools.  Many people know about the poor practice and allow it to continue. It is easier to ignore it than confront it.  Correcting these poor practices is not the responsibility of the principal, but all stakeholders that observe it and know that something better can be done.  

During your next staff meeting, take time to create a list of non-negotiable items.  Don’t make it too long, two to three will suffice.  Build momentum with those items and tackle larger obstacles as a unified, caring group in the future.

As the principal, I will not allow my daughters confidence to be compromised under my watch.  I will also confront poor educational practices in a professional way with tact and care.  

Will you join me?

Good Decision made Bad

 

What will you choose?

Have you ever had a detention?  While growing up, I didn’t push the limits very often and as a result, did not receive negative consequences during the school day.  If I did, I know my parents would have supported the school with every fiber in their body and the consequences doled out at school would be the least of my worries.

A student named Tom finished serving an after school detention and called home to be picked up.  Tom grunted some words into the phone and mumbled a few others and placed the receiver back on the cradle.  Minutes later, my assistant informed me that Tom’s father was on the phone and would like to speak with me.  I knew it wasn’t going to go well.

I greeted Tom’s father pleasantly, but he was less than reciprocal.  Without wasting any time, he clearly stated how unhappy he was with our school’s inability to honor the wish of a parent.  I pleaded with him to give me some background information while he continued to degrade the people that serve his son daily.  He did so willingly, too willingly.  When he completed his barrage of negativity, I discovered the request that we allegedly ignored.  

Tom’s father requested to have his son’s detention moved from Friday to Monday earlier  in the day with the associate principal.  The associate obliged and made the necessary arrangements and alerted our staff.  However, Tom, reported to detention and served it anyway.

By this time, Tom was in my office and I placed his father on speaker phone.  I asked Tom who made him stay after school and to ignore his father’s commands.  Tom retorted, “Nobody, why?”  He further incriminated himself by admitting that he didn’t hear his father tell him to not report to detention as he would talk to the associate principal and get the date switched.  Just a middle school boy mistake, not a big deal.

Tom’s father, however, is a big deal.  Tom’s father was moving detention dates so his son could ride home with another family for a birthday party.  Not really a reason to put aside the consequences for poor behavior.  

I willingly admit, that our schools punishments are sub par and do not, in most cases, re-direct bad behavior, but we are making progress through building strong relationships.  Tom’s father, unfortunately, and others like him are attempting to undermine the authority of our school and the relationships that have been kindled.  These moments provide valuable lessons for students.

Before Tom left my office, I asked him what he thought of the events that had just unfolded.  Tom knew clearly that serving the detention was the right thing to do.  I agreed with Tom and encouraged him to make the right choice in the future even when it may be difficult.  

How can schools better reach the parents of the students enrolled in their buildings?  People are busy and parent meetings after school are not well attended.  Today’s economy has forced many families to find two incomes and their time has become very valuable.  As parents, would you be willing to read blog posts, conference using Skype, sign up to follow our school on Twitter?  All the options previously stated are available at this time.  All of us are seeking the same goal, the best for our students, your children.  

 

Please add comments about the attempts your schools have made to better inform the stakeholders within your schools.

What’s Important?

Take time to do what is most important.

 

 

Leaders need to get wet feet on occasion.  

The daily grind of a principal can be far removed from the student population, too far.  Educators choose their career to serve kids in the learning process.  In recent years, I have allowed my principalship to be attacked by management duties and leaving relationships to be sacrificed.  My office and my desk have seen more of me than I’d care to admit.  Today, forced me to look at myself in the mirror as an educational leader and I didn’t like what I observed.

Kara, one of my 8th grade students, has a tumultuous family life.  Her obstacles outside of school have created such a hard heart making it difficult for others to care for her.  This morning, Kara was sent to the office because she arrived to her first period class tardy.  Her attitude was not one of compliance and her word choice was rather demonstrative when the teacher asked Kara to go to the office and get a pass.

Kara arrived in the office as you would suspect.  Her body was slumped in the chair, legs protruding as far as possible while remaining in the seat, her clothes a bit disheveled, chomping a piece of gum, and sending looks in my direction that left no doubt that she felt wrongly accused.  I stepped out of my office and and called her by name to come to my office so I could take care of this quickly and get on with my tasks.  Surprisingly, she obeyed without resistance.  

Kara and I talked for nearly 45 minutes.  We covered topics from the previous year to the present.  The dialogue was enjoyable and exciting and she agreed to come and see me for help in the future when the anxiety of life becomes too much for her young mind to overcome.  I fought the temptation of looking at my watch while talking to Kara.  I had tasks that needed my attention, so I thought.  

Kara was not on my schedule today.  In fact, my student population has slowly slipped from my schedule without me realizing that I have become out of touch with the people I was hired to serve.  Leading people, students, takes time.  

My “time”ly investment with Kara paid dividends only a few short hours later.  I knew Kara was not going to change her life from our dialogue earlier, but Kara did make one change from the morning’s dialogue as did I to take time for what matters most, people.  

Kara was involved in a scuffle at lunch.  My associate principal handled the situation, but prior to Kara fulfilling her consequence for fighting, she asked to see me.  I walked to the office that Kara was sitting in and she said three words to me, “I’ll do better.”

Life’s Lessons from Lunch

Mike(left), the conductor at the PC Junction poses with Adam.

This past weekend, my friend and I, Shawn, presented to a group of Wisconsin teachers in beautiful Door County.  Some of you may have visited Door County in the summer months with its splendid blossoms, but the freshly falling snow this past weekend provided a sparkling beauty that is missed during the warmer months, for obvious reasons.  During this recent visit, we stumbled upon another treasure that we’d missed during our earlier visits.

Our speaking engagement ended near lunch time on Saturday and we had worked up an appetite.  The locals directed us to a place called PC Junction.  It was described as a  “hole in the wall” with great food.

As we approached PC Junction “hole in the wall” came to mind, but what we found inside was all heart.

We seated ourselves and soon, Mike the day’s conductor, took our order.  The interior was decorated from floor to ceiling with railroad memorabilia.  Our table was near a room that was loaded with toys, puzzles, video games, and school desks to keep the kids busy while moms and dads enjoyed the local fare.  This kid friendly feature is well appreciated by myself, a father of three, but this is not what makes the PC Junction stand out.

While sitting at our table, Mike the conductor could be heard giving a holler from behind a half wall while operating an “O” gauge model train weighted down with drinks and baskets of food being delivered to patrons around the kid friendly tracks on top of the bar.  His voice filled the room and ended with well known conductor speak, “A-l-l-l-l aboard!”

Mike and the owners of the PC Junction have found one thing they do well and have exploited it!  The food was truly good, but the atmosphere created by the staff of PC Junction would have made bad food taste great.  Their joy in serving was contagious!

Every teacher and administrator has talents or strengths that make them unique within their sphere of influence.  Public schools have entered a new world of competition with private schools and open enrollment in Wisconsin.  Door County plays host to a plethora of eateries, but the PC Junction stands out because they have discovered the one thing they do well, customer service.  Schools must find the things they do well and begin to flaunt them like the PC Junction and shout it loudly.

Click the link below for a closer look into the operations of the PC Junction:

An inside look at the PC Junction

Where is your gas?

Weekend Warrior Weapon

It was a hot, summer day and grass mowing was the task that needed to be completed.  I fired up my trusty craftsmen mower, turned the volume up on my iPod and started to cut a perimeter around the yard.

While cutting a perimeter, I trim around and under shrubs as much as possible to save time on the weed whipping later.  One of the shrubs in our yard is rigid and must have snagged a hose.  I yanked the mower from underneath that shrub and the branch severed a tube on the engine of the mower. Then, I noticed a fluid squirting out of the severed tube formerly connected to the carburetor.  Other men may have hit the emergency shut off button, if there is one on a mower, after realizing it was gasoline squirting from the mower.  However, it intrigued me that the mower continued to run even after its fuel supply was severed.

Leaders, teachers are leaders, can often keep their biological engines running on natural talent for a short time, but not for long.  All leaders must continue to feed their minds for growth, to make positive impacts and to accomplish their goals.

The lawn mower only ran for a few seconds with its fuel supply severed.  When the engine stopped, it stopped me from completing my goal of mowing the lawn.  As a leader, don’t cause your organization to stop achieving its goals because you, the leader, cut your fuel supply.

Pick up a book today or read another blog, feed your mind!

This story was adapted from Bill Allison of Cadre Ministries.

What to do at the Summit

Reaching for the Goal

School leadership is very much like hiking.  The excitement of planning an adventure on the trail is identical to planning a new school year.

Planning an adventure on the trail starts with dreams, books, photos, and reading blogs of adventurers before you.  Planning a new school year is filled with reading new literature, perusing educational journals, and following other leaders on Twitter (this is new.  A good adventure and a good school year is the result of good planning.

At one point of the adventure, you will reach the summit.  The views are gorgeous and the hard work that got you there seems worth it, but you are not done.  You must navigate your way down the mountain you just climbed and the decent can be challenging.

During the school year, we face a hypothetical summit, the semester.  This is the halfway point of the school year.  The best schools will take time to reflect on their practices and check progress toward their annual goals.

Once the data is reviewed, the results may indicate that you have left the path.  Educational leaders must analyze the findings and make a decision to get back on the path, stay on the path, or find a new path to the goal.

A well planned adventure doesn’t end at the summit, but in the comfort of my own home with my lovely wife, beautiful kids, and my very comfortable bed.  Stopping to reflect at the semester is great, but its just the summit.  Educational leaders must lead their schools down the mountain year after year and finally the educational adventure ends when the graduating class proudly holds their diploma in their hands.

3 Steps to Customer Service in Education

What does customer service look like in your school?

The realm of education has become very competitive.  Public schools are fighting to recruit and retain students.  I love the challenge, but it isn’t easy!  Public schools are competing against virtual academies that provide computers if you enroll in their program, private schools that serve a special niche (e.g. religion), and in certain states other public schools through the process of open enrollment.  Public schools can compete in this environment if they provide the best customer service.  Follow these three simple steps to improve the culture of your school and retain your student population.

1.  Greet each student BY NAME

Every day, every student must be greeted by name by a caring adult.  This is the easiest of the three steps.  Hearing your name in a greeting provides a level of intimacy and exudes a level of caring that promotes a firm foundation for higher achievement.

2.  Provide Choices

The retail market provides us with choices that blow my mind.  I’ll assume most of the people reading this are adults and have learned the importance of personal hygiene.  The hygiene aisle at my local retailer has an abundance of each type of product.  Each brand of deodorant has a different scent, each brand of toothpaste has a different flavor, and the hair products are too numerous to count.  How many choices do we provide in our schools?

We must, many have, move from the industrial model of the early 20th century where one size fits all to a liberated model of meeting the needs of the individual.  The government is trying to address this issue through legislation RtI (Response to Intervention).  Don’t overhaul your curriculum.  Start small and model how choices are an everyday occurrence in your personal life.  Share stories like the selection of products.  Your class will catch on quickly if you are willing to blaze a new path laden with choices that you can provide in your classroom.

3.  Give Mercy

This is my biggest obstacle to overcome, my wife will attest to that statement.  Mercy is much bigger than student discipline.  It is the paradigm in which I need to approach each situation.

Whether in school or out of school, each of us have been in situations where an individual gets our blood boiling.  In school, we must remember that our customers are juveniles and don’t always handle situations appropriately.  Don’t overreact.

A few years ago, my superintendent provided the administrative team with some statistics for our eyes only.  I broke her confidence and shared the information with a friend that I thought I could trust.  Unfortunately, he broke my trust and the information was leaked to staff members around the district and I was found out as the source.

My gut wrenched over my poor decision.

The next working day, my superintendent paid me a visit.  I saw my career pass before my eyes or at least to have my unblemished personnel record be littered with a letter of reprimand.  We talked for quite awhile about how this type of unprofessional behavior can undermine relationships.  She was not known as a compassionate leader, but that day she emulated compassion.

As she got up from the chair in my office, she said, “Adam, if I can forgive you, you should be able to forgive your friend.”  Mercy at its best.  I didn’t receive any further disciplinary action and learned a valuable lesson about trust and mercy.  I deserved a consequence and all I received was another chance.

The next time you are faced with a student or parent that acts inappropriately give them another chance, you’ll benefit from that investment over time.

Time Still Remains

 

Don't Let Time Slip Through Your Fingers

How do the best teachers and presenters start their lessons or speeches?  Over the course of my professional career, I have had the great pleasure of seeing great speakers command the attention of their audience with anecdotes, examples, and personal stories during the first seconds of their presentation.  They hook your attention and reel it in.  Despite the initial hook, do you remember the conclusions of those lessons?

Great beginnings always start with a great ending planned well in advance, targets.  Each fall, the excitement of bow hunting bubbles from deep within me.  Bow hunters take their sport very seriously and spend countless hours at the practice range reviewing technique.  Each archer is focused on his intended target so when the moment of truth takes place in the forest, a clean harvest can be recorded.  Bow hunters know their target and take time to hone their skills so they can reach their target/goal of harvesting a trophy animal.

2009 is just days away.  New Year’s resolutions are made with the best intentions, but often fall short of becoming reality.  Why should they become reality?  Brian Tracy is an international trainer and author.  Mr. Tracy strives to assist other individuals and businesses attain success through target/goal setting.  He says, “ A goal that is not in writing is not a goal at all. It is merely a wish and it has no energy behind it.”  

Time still remains for you to create targets/goals to set your sights on for 2009, but don’t let time slip through your fingers.  Before the last page of the calendar fades into history, grab a notepad or some electronic version of paper and write your own goals.

 The plan you create should be personal and specific.  My plan for 2009 has 7 categories.  Be sure to create benchmarks along the way to track your progress and celebrate the on-going victories as you close the distance between you and your target like the archers above.

 The best teachers and speakers don’t just start well they finish well.  Make 2009 different and put to paper your own personal growth plan and finish this upcoming year as well as it begins.