We are officially closed for the summer. Honestly I never thought this day would come. This year was like no other year. I have been in the education field for fourteen years but have never encountered a year like this one. There were days that were so long, endless and seemed as though time was lingering. It was hard to keep motivating my staff, it was hard to always be positive when I myself was in the dark!
Tag: leadership
Deadlines!
In high school I was all about meeting the deadlines! I am not a last minute person nor do I procrastinate. I made sure I planned it out and gave myself my own deadline and that was normally 2 days before the original date. There were probably only two times when I was in highschool/university that maybe I couldn’t meet a deadline and asked for an extension and I absolutely hated that. I remember going to my professor and asking him for an extra day, just ONE DAY! I remember I was sweating and couldn’t sleep the night before.
Being in the working world and needing to be organized and having deadlines makes a huge difference. I remember as a Grade Level Leader when I had my meetings I used to give my team 2 days before the original deadline that was given to me by my principal. You are probably wondering why? As a GLL I had to make sure that I had time to go through everything before handing it in to my principal. After all, I was representing the grade 3 team and did not want anyone speaking about us. I wanted to ensure that we got nothing but positive feedback at all times. I remember one of the Grade Level Leader’s asked me once, “How do you manage getting everything in on time or before your deadline?” I simply answered with, “I create a plan for my team, divide it between everyone and then give a deadline 2 days before the original one. This way it gives you time to go through it and turn it in the day before the deadline.” She smiled and applied it on her team and it worked.
Now as an AP this makes more sense than ever and shows your department is on top of everything. I don’t have a team of 7 but a team of 30+ educators. My principal is all about meeting the deadlines and always gives me PLENTY of time to work on my tasks. I remember recently she asked for something and did not give me a deadline to when she needed the documents and when I asked she brushed it off and never gave me an answer. I remember that I felt lost and went crazy, I felt like I was left hanging! So I emailed my staff and gave them my own deadline not knowing if it was too early or late. A simple deadline makes all the difference. It organizes everyone around you and you’re always on top of everything. I give my staff plenty of time to work on a task and never last minute tasks with a deadline. I expect they meet the deadline in a professional manner.
Some might agree with me and some might disagree with me which is fine. But trust me when I say giving your team a deadline makes a huge difference. It shows that you are organized, on top of it and no one slacks off. I assure you that things get done the minute you assign them a deadline. Try it!
Yearly Surveys
Every year a survey goes out to all staff to fill out for each admin. Last year was my first time reading the surveys about myself. Reading the mean comments for the first time didn’t go well obviously. However, I read them several times, I let them sink in, reflected on them and then shredded the papers. As my second year in the role as AP I promised myself that I wouldn’t let these surveys get to me like they did last year. I knew that I was a lot stronger.
This is an opportunity for staff to write whatever they wish, whether it’s positive or negative feedback. I know myself and I know what areas I need to improve in. I really do not need a survey to tell me that. An educator knows their weaknesses and strengths and it’s up to the individual if they choose to work on those areas or to ignore them. Out of 13 comments, I felt that 3 were pretty unfair as I felt that those comments didn’t even describe me as a person. The other 10 comments were great and positive as they knew me inside and out. Last year there were a lot more negative comments than this year. For me, I feel like that’s a HUGE improvement. I felt that those 3 comments didn’t describe me as an administrator, but I read their feedback and will continue to reflect on it.
I know for next year what I need to work on and having my principal pushing me to be a better leader will get me there. There is always room for improvement. No one is perfect. I am already eager to read next year’s feedback in order to see what is said and where I can improve. Until then, I shall continue growing and improving in a few areas that is needed.
Behavior Support Plan (BSP)
One of the very first questions my principal asked me was, “What does ES need after being an AP for a year?” So many things started running through my head and I didn’t know where to begin or what to say. I listed four or five things and then she asked, “Which one is the most important one you think that needs immediate action?” I immediately responded with, “a behavior plan.”
Guest Speaker
A month and a half ago Kimberly from University of Washington found me on Twitter. She reached out to me asking if I would be a guest speaker to talk about about Kuwait’s education, the everyday life in Kuwait and about my personal life. I gasped when I read her email and automatically replied back saying that I would love to. I was very nervous but knew that this would be a great opportunity.
Admin life never ENDS!
I recently tweeted a few weeks ago the following statement: “Admin life does not end on the last day of school.” A few people responded privately saying, “I am glad I am not the only one that thinks this” or “ That is so true!” I smiled as I read them and replied.There is no such thing as a vacation when taking on a role in admin. We might not be on campus but we are surely working, thinking or reading. I am glad I wasn’t the only one feeling or thinking that way.
Professionalism
Recently I tweeted the following statement: “Professionalism is…” A few people responded with their opinions.
What is professionalism in your eyes? How does it look and feel in your school?
Nearly completing my first year as an AP, I have come to wonder how professionalism is seen through other people’s views. I found myself comparing my own professionalism as a teacher for the past 10 years to now as an AP.
A Manager vs. A leader
My dear colleague yet again came to my rescue. He gave me an interesting article to read. It wa
s all about a manager and a leader and the differences between the two and the characteristics of each one. He handed it to me and told me to read it and then we would discuss it and that he would like to hear my feedback. I didn’t understand why he wanted me to do that but I went ahead and read it while I was doing my physiotherapy session.
My 1st Big Event!
We had our National/Liberation day coming up and being a proud Kuwaiti, I wanted to make the day more exciting in ES. I wanted to have a day of activities and not just a parade like we’ve had in the past. My goal was to bring back the spirit. The KG AP and myself came up with a plan. For this day to happen we needed to have a committee. We knew that there was no way we could have pulled it off by ourselves as we simply didn’t have the time. After we planned everything out I sent out an email to staff asking if anyone was interested in joining us. I honestly didn’t expect many staff to volunteer but a couple of them said, “When we read your name we knew it would be an organized event and you are fun to work with. That’s why we wanted to join.” That comment put the biggest smile on my face.
Switch off & reenergize!
Thank God for the weekend. I just had one of the roughest weeks I have ever had. I am glad it’s over. There are so many things going on at once and at times it’s hard to keep up with. Friday is family day, one day out of the week should honestly be dedicated to spending time with your family. I wanted to disconnect from work and not be reached by anyone from work. Is it wrong to feel that way? So I decided to leave my work phone at home. It’s my time, my family, my sanity. I barely see my family during the week so I owe it to them to give them my undivided attention to them without any distraction.