source:www.kaastrupandersen.dk

Do you know how absurd this statement is? We are building a plane as we fly it. What industry would approve of this? Unfortunately, all too often it’s education…

Something tells me that the businesses that we hail as successful, and that we are attempting to prepare our students to be part of, would never build a plane while flying it. I have had the opportunity to study organizations and organizational leadership and have found that the most successful have been systemic, innovative, and committed to continuous improvement through multiple measures. For instance, I highly doubt that executives at Toyota, one of the most successful car manufacture in the world, would discuss changes with their organization and say, “We are building the plane as we fly it.” (or building the car as we drive it)

I have been to countless meetings in my 13 years as an educator, and all too often (especially in the last few years) I have heard state officials describe the current assessment, curriculum or evaluation procedures with the phrase “we are building the plane as we fly it.” I’ve talked to educators in other states through social media and sure enough they’ve heard it too. Why?

Why? If those in education are experiencing such difficulties in managing the change, or even implementing the change, then why not take a step back. Why not take a bold step to the side?  Then, they could take the time to ensure that an initiative is properly deployed. Just a thought. Maybe the new mantra for a year or two could be that they are taking a step back, analyzing the situation, working with small teams, or maybe even reconsider the direction based on data.

Maybe, just maybe, the reason why we are experiencing so much turbulence with the changes in education and we are always “hurrying up” is because education has become so political. Our elected officials only have so much time. So a moratorium or a pause would help us out, but certainly not those who are constantly looking at the clock, the re-election schedule, or their next political move. How has education become so intertwined with the political cycle? When did we as educators give up the control?

In reflecting on the theme of this post I am left with a few items for everyone to consider:

• What is the direction of public education in this country?
• Who owns the vision? And how long will they own it?
• Is the change we are experiencing linked to the election cycles and outcomes? How can we change this process? How can we improve it?
• Would you feel safe, no matter your occupation, if someone was building a plane why you were in it….flying?

ASCD is venturing into a new market through their arias publications. These books are designed for the busy professional that can be read in less than an hour, but can provide resources for improvement well beyond the time spent reading. Short on Time: How do I make time to lead and learn as a principal? by Bill Sterrett was a great read! It took me about 38 minutes to read it. I found myself hooked from the beginning.

Short on Time will help you with the following:

– Help you take action and realize change in school and professional life
– Gain insights into specific steps that you can apply to your situation
– These action steps involve teaching, innovating, and leading which will require planning, action, and reflection

Sterrett developed a  4 point acronym DISC (District, Instruction, School, Community) to help educational leaders manage their professional schedule. Each of these areas require the educational leader to determine their own allocation of time, but all are important. According to Sterrett, all of the DISC activities should be placed in your master schedule, which should be accessible to key stakeholders.

• District – Any requirements from your central administration such as BOE meetings, presentations, or meetings 
• Instruction – Referred to as the heart and soul of your job, these activities include walk-throughs, faculty meetings, school level meetings
• School – School activities can make the school the center of the community
• Community – These activities include developing and managing partnerships external from the school

In addition to providing tips and resources for the educational leader’s own time, Sterrett spends a considerable time discussing the importance of maximizing instructional time for students and teachers. He suggests leaders develop a collaborative scheduling team to examine the master schedule to maximize time for collaboration, reflection, outdoor learning, and time for the whole child.

Sterrett posits that teachers should be provided time for their personalized and school-based learning. In order to use time effectively, leaders should provide time for teachers to improve instruction through meaningful faculty meetings, Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), peer observations, and collaboration.

Understanding that we are all “short on time,” Bill Sterrett provides an amazing resource in this arias book for educators to maximize their time on what matters most. Once you read this book, you will see that becoming organized, communicating effectively, and prioritizing your day is not as hard as you might imagine. Although the book is titled “Short on Time” it is long on resources!

source: www.3birdsmarketing.com

Recently, I was listening to a podcast with renown astronaut  Commander Chris Hadfield. During the podcast Chris said, “There is no problem so bad that you can’t make it worse.” I was immediately struck by the quote. Could we doing just this in education?

It has been documented over and over again that we have problems in education(and it has been documented that we do not have problems). There are achievement gaps, poverty gaps, technology gaps, and even teaching gaps. Some of these gaps get wider, some deeper and all are noticed.

We have also seen countless ideas on how to fix our problems. There are schools that are closed, monitored, given more money, more resources, less money, less resources…. there are increased emphasis on assessments, data, and student out put. We have countless studies informing teachers why they should use whole group instruction, direct instruction, small group instruction, leveled instruction, one -to-one and we debate class sizes, use of technology, co-teaching, departmentalization, integration, private, charter, public, magnet…. not to mention common core, national standards, local standards…. The lists, the contradictions, the hyperbole’s go on and on and on…

Are we making the problem better or worse?

Thoughts?

Ideas?

Suggestions?

There is an old adage I reflect on quite often…  you can’t enjoy the sweet without the sour.

The sweet and sour aspects of leadership.

Recently, my co-hosts on the PrincipalCast  Podcast discussed how being a principal was the greatest job in the world. We were able to spend 45 minutes discussing how awesome it is being a principal, the rewards, and the responsibility.  I’m sure we could have went 45 more minutes discussing this topic. It was easy! But how do we really know the rewards without truly understanding the challenges. The sour aspects of being a principal.

For starters, being a principal is mentally and physically tasking. We work long hours, are required to wear many hats, and deal with a range of stakeholders who all have a say in the direction of the school. We are required to be part of a system, and many struggle with the fact that “our” school is not “our” school. If we are in public schools, then we have a Board of Education, State and Federal Department of Education that have a huge impact on our school. In the private education world, principals have Boards of Trustees, dioceses, and other governing bodies to consider.

It is often understated that principals are dealing with the pride and joy of parents. I’m sure it’s not hard to visualize the parent who couldn’t imagine their son/daughter engaging in behavior that would cause them to end up in your office. Or the parent that has waved the white flag even though their child is only 8 years old. Parents express their concerns with the school in many ways, and I am sure you have hear of the various “you can’t make this up” stories.

Principals are faced with many challenges that require a deeper understanding of the human condition. You never really understand the complexities of this until your sitting at your desk and someone comes in and closes the door because they need to “talk.” These closed door talks could range from needing to get out of work early to classroom management struggles, questions about an observations, or even to cancer, or even death of a family member. Life happens and teachers need the principal to be understanding, and aware of their staff’s situations. It always amazes me the responsibilities that are piled on teachers outside of the school day.

Accidents happen, mistakes are made, disagreements and challenges are thrown are way every day. Many on the outside walk by the principal’s office and say, “I would never want that job” while others say, “I could do that job so much better” and still others say, “I want to do what I can to make their job more enjoyable.”

Still we press on.

Sweet

and

Sour