I suppose I’ll chime in, better late than never, on The Manifesto. These are my take-aways from the words of Rhee, Klein, et al.: The widespread policy of “last in, first out” (the teacher with the least seniority is the first to go when cuts have to be made) makes it harder to hold...
If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them. Henry David Thoreau We tell kids every day to reach for the stars and that nothing is impossible. Thoreau’s quote speaks volumes to the approach that schools should take towards...
This was originally posted in my blog on July 1, 2010. Gerry, my mentor during my first year as an administrator, would often say, “Squirrels have squirrels” shortly after certain parents left the school. Most of know this phrase better as, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” I don’t know why Gerry...
I read the following from a fine fellow school-leader on his school’s web-site recently, and I find myself puzzling over it. In this day and age, many schools incorrectly view successful education as an extremely complex process, but… the formula for a really first rate education is relatively simple: put highly qualified, caring faculty,...
I originally published this in my blog on June 28, 2010. In my first year as a principal, I was given some advice that I am now going to share with you all. The set up to this advice giving goes something like this (apologies to Lyle for getting most of the facts wrong...
“Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution. - William Foster I participated in a workshop recently where everyone in the room watched the same videotaped classroom lesson. We were then asked to rate the lesson on a standard A-F scale. The...
I have to admit, I have been having a hard time dealing with the national debate on school reform. I know that things need to change. Change is hard. Change can be messy. At the very least change is very uncomfortable. Change is inevitable, but this past week I was reminded of what is really...
During last night’s #edchat, educators from around the world discussed how teachers are observed by their administrators. The chat led to a discussion on walkthroughs. I have been a principal for seven years now, and each year I have tried to design a walkthrough template that was meaningful to me as an administrator, but...
Effective leadership is about people- always. Without the faith of your followers, a leader you are not... I can't think of a simpler concept in leadership, or one that would be considered more practical and authentic. In the measured contexts of our everyday lives as leaders, all teachers, whether they like it or not,...
Most principals became administrators because they are passionate about education and they love to teach. Why, then, does the system make it so difficult for principals to teach? How can we change the current structures in a way that would encourage principals to have the flexibility to do more of what they love? Last...
In the recent past, I have been reading endless blogs and seeing news headlines (and Oprah shows) that focus on all the problems with the current education system (much of these focus on the US system but there is a relation to the Canadian system). We are bombarded with examples of educators that have...
For an elementary principal, enrolling in a course titled “Secondary Education Seminar” was a bit intimidating. Little kids = Awesome; Big kids = Scary. (Kidding.) But it turns out, learning is learning on any level, and our class spends the majority of our time discussing learning. Last night we explored the topic of “ownership”...
What motivates a person, after a long day of teaching, to spend their evenings coaching, preparing engaging lessons, or creating and planting a beautiful school garden? There is no merit pay. No bonuses. So why do they do it? Desire? Fun? Sense of purpose? Passion? These are a few reasons that keep people intrinsically...
It is has been almost two months since Connected Principals has gone “public” and I have been sitting back and enjoying learning from others. When I first came up with the idea of creating this site, I could not have imagined how beneficial it would be to my own learning. I have enjoyed every...
I had to move to China to see the ‘ladder walk’. A man, standing on an ‘A’ frame ladder, painting a ceiling of an outdoor entrance cover had finished the section he was working on. Instead of stepping down to move the ladder, he stepped up and put one foot over to the other...
Recently Will Richardson shared an article about an upcoming movie called Waiting for “Superman.” This article from New York Magazine really made me think about what I am doing as a building principal to threaten the status quo in public education. I am fortunate that I work in a district in which the first...
As leaders, whether we are administrators, teachers, coaches, parents or students, a skill that is often lost is listening. Too many times we think we need to provide answers or solutions when all we really need to do is listen. Have you ever been in a conversation and not known what the second half...
After hearing about my fellow Connected Principal Bill Brannick heading to the classroom to teach a Web 2.0 class to the students at his high school, I started thinking… Entering my 14th year as an administrator, I feel like I am getting further away each year from the realities that classroom teachers face on...
As the the national push for uniform standards and increased emphasis on standardized testing continues to push out the various electives offered to engage students, I am worried that public schools will lose all relevance for those students that are interested in the trades. You can outsource to far away lands many of the...
Today is opening day for teachers! Exclamation mark! As a teacher as I was always curious about what messages our principal would be sharing with us on opening day. As a principal, I’m always curious about how my teachers will react to the messages I will be sharing with them on opening day. When developing schedules...
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