Source: www.success.com

I was recently sent the Hechinger Report article titled, “Wanted: More Gutsy Leaders to Drive Schools Into a Digital Age.” I found the article well-written, inspiring, and very necessary! There were some really good challenges embedded in the article. Unfortunately, as I thought about all of the aspiring educational administrators who are looking to find that “dream” job the realness of the education landscape set in. The aspiring admins get charged up while in Graduate School, or through reading about exceptional leaders who make lasting change…. Then….. what happens?

The truth is that most school districts do not want Gutsy Leaders, Digital Leaders, or even Inspirational Leaders. I have talked with aspiring administrators throughout the country who continue to be passed up for known commodities (insiders), ed reformers, or people who are the right fit (translation: the district wants the same). Honestly, most aspects of education are very traditional and it is no surprise that it hasn’t changed much over the last 100 years….. and the more important question is why? Why change?

Those districts who are succeeding on standardized assessments do not want some Gutsy Leader to come in and tip over the apple cart. It may mean a lot of extra work for both upper administration and the teachers… Those districts who are on the brink of state takeover for poor performance are looking for ed reformers to carry out the privatization/charter agenda. These districts want results, but they also want you to subscribe to their reform niche that may make an investor lots of money…. Then, there is the culture of hiring “our own.” Most districts want to take care of people who are accustomed to how things are run, and it can be extremely difficult for an “outsider” to get a chance. So it looks daunting for the Gutsy, Digital or Inspirational Leaders… But not impossible!

Thoughts?

Dwight Carter

This Sunday, June 8 at 9:30 PM est on the Principalcast Team hosts Dwight Carter. He will be talking about Classroom Spaces in the 21st Century. When he was at Gahanna Lincoln High School, he lead the charge to build a 21st century high school (Clark Hall). Clark Hall will certainly re-think educational spaces!

According to his website, Dwight was named a one of three 2013 NASSP Digital Principals of the Year. The recent addition to GLHS, Clark Hall, helped the district earn 2012 Best In Tech by Scholastic Administrator magazine. His mission is to positively change lives and impact futures. He believes in the power of collaboration, continuous learning, hard work, and celebrating progress and achievement of students and Staffulty (staff and faculty). He was inducted into the Jostens Renaissance Educator Hall of Fame in July, 2010. He is passionate about creating the best possible learning environment for all stakeholders to be successful. Dwight recently wrote the Foreword to Dr. Judy Brunner’s most recent book, Now I Get It! Differentiate, Engage, and Read for Deeper Meaning.

Tune into Teachercast at 9:30 PM EST on June 8 to connect with Dwight! Be sure to follow #principalcast for live tweeting!

Each parent will receive the photo we took 🙂

Yesterday we hosted the incoming Kindergartners. We wanted to make the day day special for them and their parents. In order to do this we talked about some ideas and agreed to get the new bears familiar with our brand…. Along their tour they received Bacon Stickers (with our hashtag), pencils, and bracelets. When they visited the Kindergarten classrooms, each student received a stuffed teddy bear with a message “Future Bacon Bear” on it. At the conclusion of their tour, we took a picture of each child with the sign “Future Bacon Bear.” We thought they really liked their visit.

Then, we heard back from the Child Family Center where all the students currently attend and the Bears were the buzz of the school! The teachers remarked about how awesome they thought the idea was and what an impact it had on the students. Even our current students mentioned how they wished that they had received a Bear entering Kindergarten!

Source: www.businessreviewusa.com

What challenges you? What is it about life that makes you get up in the morning to face the day? Recently I have been thinking about these questions, and I usually end up with the same answer! If it is easy (and not a challenge) then I really do not want to be part of it!

For instance, being a principal is a demanding job (as I am sure most jobs are) but cowering away from challenges and obstacles should not be part of our vocabulary. We have too much responsibility to the students, community, and other educators throughout the world to not face up to our challenges.

There are many challenges in education….

• Technology?
• Personnel?
• Curriculum?
• Time?
• Feedback?
• Assessment?

What challenges you?

The recess kickball legend

The Principalcast crew recently interviewed Curt Rees about the end of the school year. He offered suggestions and tips for ending the school year on a positive note. He suggests that principals get as much information to the teachers as possible before leaving for the summer. He works very hard to get the schedule, class lists, and as much other planning for the new school year completed.

Curt encourages teachers and administrators to learn as much as possible over the summer. As for Curt, he will be continuing his Doctoral program at University of Kentucky, participating in chats through twitter, and doing lots of reading. He also suggests that educators spend time eating correctly and exercising to avoid the “end of the school year” burn out.

Check out the podcast in its entirety:

I have been writing a lot lately about our Alumni Night…. I can’t help myself! It was such an awesome event. One of the things we did to honor the past was to make an animoto using Green Day’s “Time of your life” song. I have always loved that song and it fit so well with what we were trying to capture. The Alumni were so gracious to bring in their yearbooks, photos and other memorabilia. We wanted a way to capture the images and that is why we did the animoto.

Here is the animoto we used for the Alumni Night

Established in 1929

Last night the RM Bacon School put another idea into action… our First Annual Alumni Night. We are blessed to be working at a school that has been serving the students in Millville, NJ since 1929 and we wanted to welcome them back. This event was part of our system action plan to improve our community relationship.

We transformed the infamous Bacon Gym into a scene from history. In honoring the alumni, we decorated the gym with memorabilia from the 1930’s. 1940’s and 1950’s. Alumni were able to connect with each other, enjoy great food, and reminisce. We copied photos, yearbooks, and even some of the artwork we could find to make everyone feel comfortable. Throughout the evening, we read the alumni’s favorite memories from their time at our school. As I read them for all to hear, I joked that our current students are really no different…. They value teachers who care, love to dance, and love the activities.

Prior to honoring 4 outstanding Alumni, I made a presentation of the current situation at Bacon School. I talked with the Alumni about how serious we are about honoring the past through providing the best, 21st century learning opportunities to the current and future students. I showed them a video of the current students engaged in learning, fun, and of course…. dancing! It was truly a memorable evening!

Planning becomes action through teamwork!

Whenever we have big events at my school (and we make everything big!) I notice a certain change in people. For instance, tonight is our Alumni Night and we have been preparing for this for the past 4 months. It is a group  effort because one person could not do it all. So how does it come together? It’s simple… Teamwork!

I see staff working together to help out the overall “cause.” It seems that those who help, despite their busy schedule, will continue to ask the same question, “How can I help?” Ironically, it could be the same person who is just helping with one event, ends up coordinating another event. Then everyone asks them, “What can I do to help?”

I hope that the students see how the teachers work together to achieve awesomeness… It really is a great lesson for them to see firsthand!

As I was checking my twitter feed the other day I came across a tweet from Justin Tarte. He said this “This 1906 prison picture looks very similar to many classrooms in 2014.”

source: Justin Tarte

So, have the classrooms changed? How has your classroom changed? How has your classroom stayed the same?

The PrincipalCast interviewed Brad Gustafson to gather ideas about making the most out of the last few of school. During the podcast, Brad talked about how his school has embraced Augmented Reality to help tell their story. He also suggested professional development opportunities for educators to engage in this summer. He is leading the charge for educators to take the Digital Leadership Challenge.

Here is the podcast….. enjoy!