#taketwo – Connected Principals

5 things a principal can do this summer for 17-18 …also, principal checklists! #leadership

Summer has either already begun for you, or is JUST around the corner. I am sure there are many things a principal can do in the summer, but use your time intentionally to get yourself ready! June is my “close it up month” that I spend wrapping a big red bow around our 16-17 school […]

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By Amber Teamann

Easy treats for teachers!

What do you get when you have teacher appreciation and the week before your standardized test all rolled into one? Easy treats for teacher ideas that don’t stress out the principal! I am not the testing coordinator but I still like to add a lil’something to the testing buckets. This year I just bought Reese’s […]

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Looking for advice or its been given? You can go your own way!

Advice. ədˈvīs/ noun guidance or recommendations concerning prudent future action, typically given by someone regarded as knowledgeable or authoritative. Everyone has advice to offer. Sometimes it’s solicited, sometimes it’s not. Sometimes it is helpful, sometimes it’s not. I always get questions in the spring asking how to handle certain questions or how to prepare for […]

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By Amber Teamann

Why should reading and writing be authentic? #taketwo

At some point, as the adult in the room, we have to recognize that as long as students are reading and writing for a fabricated purpose, there is only so much energy and time that they will commit to the assignment. Churning out students who hate a sub…

By Amber Teamann

It’s spring…how can you support teachers when they’re tired?

This is the time of year I struggle more than any other. Spring in Texas is just hard. The weather is wonky. It’s testing season. My teachers are exhausted. My students are spring fever-ing. Spring break is past, and there’s much to do before we can call it summer. I can’t fix all the things. […]

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By Amber Teamann

All about changes? Remember this… #IMMOOC & an @ASCD giveaway

It’s easy to have great ideas, or energy, or a big grand vision. The hard part is remembering that it is your experiences that led you to a place where those ideas, or big changes you want to make, is your reality. Making changes is not inherently bad, unless it’s at the expense of damaging […]

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By Amber Teamann

Reflection is personal power… & other people might grow too! #LeadLAP #IMMOOC, week 5

I started blogging in 2005. It was something new, something different to engage my 4th graders. I didn’t even contemplate the power that using it for reflection would do later in my career. Permission from my parents was the easy part. More difficult was convincing the technology powers that be that it was safe and […]

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By Amber Teamann

Silencing the Critics as an Innovator #immooc

For this week’s partner blog, I had the opportunity to work with the genius that is Matt Arend. Matt is a principal in a neighboring district and is accomplishing incredible things. While we don’t always agree on everything, we’ve both got a pretty good idea of how to respond to those who are critics on this innovative […]

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By Amber Teamann

Hamilton and the #IMMOOC…what are you waiting for?

Life. Life, ya’ll. You never know what each week will bring. It’s easy to have a couple of days that can shake all that you’re doing or wanting to do in life. It reminds me this week of a stanza from a “Hamilton” song.. [HAMILTON] Hey What are you waiting for? What do you stall […]

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By Amber Teamann

Sometimes leading means…get out of the way. #IMMOOC

While walking around the week before spring break, I had the opportunity to visit a 3rd grade teacher’s classroom. As I watched her model and talk through the writing of an expository composition with our Wolves, and saw the energy in which her students attacked it, I had to stop and ask what the secret […]

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By Amber Teamann

The best way to be happy? Focus on relationships. #IMOOC #IMMOOBC1

I listen to sports radio on the way to work each morning. It is my happy place. Luckily, mixed in all the Cowboys news and such there is a lil’segment they do that highlights different musings. I thought it quite ironic that yesterday’s referenced a study out of Harvard, about happiness. Happiness comes from choosing […]

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By Amber Teamann

Differentiated PD, with a purpose! #taketwo

This week we have an opportunity to meet with our staff while our Wolves have a day off. One of my goals as an administrator is to not waste my teacher’s time. I’ve written before about how I also recognize I need to always be moving them along their own growth path. By providing differentiated […]

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By Amber Teamann

The power of people… #TCEA17 #taketwo

I think I’ve done a top ten or 5 take-away post or a what to do list for every conference I’ve gone to since I’ve been blogging. It typically revolved around a couple of great ideas, ways to grow, and ways to move forward. Post #TCEA17, which was full of great ideas, and even greater […]

By Amber Teamann

Help curb teacher burnout with Fab Fridays in February!

Teacher burnout…it’s a real thing. This stretch in the winter/spring is a LONG chunk of instructional intensity. You’ve got middle of the year data, you have testing awareness creeping up on you, and spring break is just outta reach. The genius of Melinda Miller introduced me to Fab Fridays in February several years ago and […]

By Amber Teamann

Lead like Jimmy, not like Barry…says @TroyAikman & @8amber8

This past week NFL Films released “Troy Aikman: A Football Life”. Obviously, I’ve watched it a number of times now, and keep finding these gems of greatness. One of the themes that jumped out at me was Troy’s issues with Barry Switzer’s coaching style. Switzer was older, relaxed, and felt like as the coach of […]

By Amber Teamann

Last minute gifts that an admin can give…freely! #taketwo

It’s that time of year. Where everyone has their eyes on the holiday break. Where you may tempted to hit snooze just one more time. When maybe what you can gift a class of 30 or a staff of 60 just can’t seem to be found in a store. I have some suggestions that won’t […]

By Amber Teamann

12 days of giving…kindness! Paying it forward, #taketwo

Instead of my usual 12 days of giving, this year I’m taking a page from the ever so smart Matt Arend, and focusing on being kind and paying it forward. There are a million different things you can do to brighten someone;s day and if we can help model that for our students, that would […]

By Amber Teamann

A leader is a team player or…be more like @tonyromo #taketwo #RTIAW

We all know I am a football fan and have written about the parallels between leadership and both the quarterback and coach before. This week I had the parallels opportunity to attend an RTI conference by Solution Tree. One session, by Brian Butler spoke to the need for collaboration of philosophy and resources to support your struggling […]

By Amber Teamann

Ways to keep growing as a leader… #taketwo

I’ve mentioned before that one of the things I think that impacted my leadership last year was that I put all of the “me” things on the back burner, including my own growth as a leader. In years previous, I was very active on twitter leader chats, participating in conversations, I was more involved with my […]

By Amber Teamann

Generic doesn’t count…or why principals should be SPECIFIC! #taketwo

My beast, who is a freshman this year, is taking a heavy course load. She has all Pre-AP or AP classes..has added three clubs to her plate, in addition to playing high school basketball. She is loving it, but… High school is hard ya’ll. I had to get her two different Cliff’s notes to help […]

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