source: aquasixio.deviantart.com

We all have them. I mean everybody. It’s probably one of the few things that parents, students, teachers, administrators all have in common. What do they mean? Why do we have them and more importantly, what can we learn from them?

Dream Interpretations

There are hundreds of dream interpretation web sites and resources. The results from these sites are mixed. Some people feel that dreams are an important part of your sub-consciousness and others say that they are complete nonsense. I am somewhere in between. There have been times in my life where I have kept a dream journal, and analyzed the dreams for deeper meanings. In the long run, I am not sure how much I got out of the process, but it was interesting. I felt that I remembered more dreams as I used the journal. Like anything else, it takes discipline.

What Happened Last Night? 

As a principal I have had many Back To School dreams. Each summer I will dream about the opening of the school year. Usually, there is something off. Maybe I am not in the correct building, I forgot to wear pants, or someone totally random shows up. I attribute these types of dreams to the anxiety of getting the year started. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to begin the year in the best possible way…. so it makes sense that our dreams would reflect our anxieties.

What Can We Learn From Back to School Dreams?

Since most of my dreams have been about something that didn’t go quite right, I take it as a sign that I have another chance. Honestly, can anything ever go that wrong? Chances are you will not show up to the first faculty in your underwear or at the wrong building. However, the question remains, have you done enough preparation to feel comfortable about the start of the year?

Preparation Is Key

Many people ask me what I do all summer since there are no kids or teachers in the building. I always answer the same way, “Of course it is different without teachers and kids, but there is a lot to do to prepare for the school year.” Here are techniques I use to keep myself focused:

• Month by Month Summer Checklist – Through experience and working with other administrations, I developed a checklist that lists activities, person responsible, approximate date, date of completion and notes. I fill out the boxes (the first three boxes are filled in before the summer begins) when I complete the tasks. I also follow up with those responsible for activities in my building.
• Planning the Monthly Calendar – Prior to the end of the school year I always have the teachers reflect on the year and plan for the upcoming year. This year I tried  the 3-2-1 (see post here for more information). I then take that information and create a yearly calendar in my office. I take that information and also make a digital calendar (using our school calendar) and invite everyone to acknowledge their participation. In the end of the summer, we have another meeting to double check and add/delete as necessary.
• Learn something new – Each summer I learn a few new things and implement them into the school. I almost always get those ideas from my PLN. Educators throughout the world are doing awesome stuff and are always willing to share on Social Media.
• Read, Read and Read– I read a lot. Reading is a huge part of the educational process and I spend time everyday (even at work) reading appropriate material to help the school. This summer I am reading Jim Knight’s High Impact Instruction. I am loving it so far and I highly recommend it. I also read blog posts, and articles about education, innovation, and mindset.
• Scheduling – I spend a lot of time on the Master Schedule. I used to try to get it out before the end of the school year but I found it was too much. This summer, I have literally spent 3 weeks refining the schedule. I feel the schedule needs to be as detailed as possible (even at the elementary level).
• Blog/Write – I blog about the school and my reflections. I maintain the school blog even throughout the summer. I share it with our community each week. Just because kids and teachers are not here doesn’t mean everything stops.

No matter how much I prepare. No matter how I perceive the Back to School dreams, they still pop up. As I said earlier, I take them as they are presented. I learn from them, and I make sure I am spending my waking hours preparing for what is to come. Finally, I make sure, when I leave the house on the first day, that I have all of my clothes on and that I am going to correct place!

What are your Back to School Dreams? Share them in the comments!

Looking for a conference in August that could invigorate your staff, district or most importantly, you? Join an action packed team at the EmpowerED Conference scheduled for August 6-7th.

There are so many awesome presenters that will be gathered at EmpowerED… For instance, the Keynote speaker is George Couros! George Couros is currently a Division Principal of Innovative Teaching and Learning with Parkland School Division, located in Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada, as well as an innovative teaching, learning, and leadership consultant. He is passionate about distributed leadership within my division, and believe that creating a collaborative environment with all stakeholders, will help to ensure that we meet the best needs of all children.

In addition to George, there are dozens of presenters that I learn from everyday! Here are a list of the presenters. These educators are accessible through Social Media, and can easily be part of your Professional Learning Network! Check out the list of presentations and strands where you will learn about:

• Branding your school/district
• Isolation in leadership
• Becoming connected
• Global learning
• 1 to 1
• App fluency
• Flipped leadership
• Empowering student voice
• Transforming your Help Desk with students
• Developing Digital Citizens
• Understanding relevance in technology and leadership

Updates and pricing information:

• $299 per individual
• $274 groups of 5+ (must all register at the same time)
• $25 off for attendees at ISTE, BLC and NAESP (see attached flyers with promo codes listed that they will need to enter at registration in order to receive this price)
• “Bring a Buddy” – attendees already registered will receive a complimentary copy of their choice of a publication from the Connected Educator Series of their choice for referring a friend to attend the conference with them

Want to learn more about the inter-workings of the conference? There are many ways to connect:

• #empower15
• Follow @corwinpress
• Join the facebook event: bit.ly/empower15FB
• Join the google plus event: bit.ly/empower15Gplus

Let’s pack Grafton High School with people excited to connect with each other and learn about integrating technology into our schools and districts!

Source: cram.com

Every student has his or her preferences when it comes to learning. Some get excited about math while others prefer history or astronomy.

The formula for teaching many of these subjects can be pretty straightforward. Review a chapter or lesson in class, take questions, do some sample problems and send students on their way with homework to solidify their knowledge of that day’s lesson. This is a formula that works well when students enjoy the material.

But what can be done when they don’t? How do you motivate individual students without sacrificing the rest of the class? In my experience as the designer of an education technology software, the key is taking a learning tool and expanding it into something that can be used for fun.

When designing out educational product we decided to focus on flashcards because they have been used since the early 19th century and have remained viable through massive changes that have happened over the last 200 years (the invention of the computer, cellular phones, wide spread internet adoption, tablets, etc). Today opportunities for students are better than ever because we can put an almost unlimited number of flashcards in a pocket or backpack by putting them on phones and tablets.

cram.com

When we created our software, Cram.com, our intention was to load it up with features. We thought that turning the flashcards into a practice test, providing options in a lot of languages, allowing you to sort your cards, were all things that students and teachers would want.

What we discovered instead is that kids simply like games (surprise!) and that’s made the biggest difference towards people enjoying our product not just using it. We quickly attached two games to our product. The games not only help make learning fun but the competition aspect behind them helps push learning-adverse students to better themselves and raise their test scores along side their game scores.

With the competition aspect, points are assigned on a continuous spectrum, so every kid will get a different score. Some of our teachers have used that facet to award extra credit or the opportunity for the student with the highest score to skip a test. Even the kids who don’t get the opportunity to skip the test will have competed enough for the top prize that they are much more likely ace the test anyway.

Getting good user feedback has always been among our number one priorities. Through that feedback we’ve been thrilled to learn that when it comes to the internet and mobile apps, a lot of difference can be made in the classroom with a creative teacher willing to embrace a new technology. More importantly, these teachers all understand that learning can and should still be fun.

We’re also excited that Dr. Cook has been showing off our product to our third grade teachers and we thank him for letting us write a guest post on his wonderful blog.
Todd Clemens, Co-Founder Cram.com

A few years ago I took the “plunge” and became connected to other educators throughout the globe through Social Media. I can admit that I have never been the same since taking that plunge. One of the best parts about the connections was the relationship I built with Jessica Johnson and Theresa Stager. We started the PrincipalPLN to help other administrators to become (and more importantly to stay ) connected. Throughout our journey we realized one of the downsides of leadership…. isolation! So we decided to write a book on the topic.

Getting connected is one thing, and many educators are taking the plunge to become connected. Once connected, how does the leader avoid the isolation inherent in leadership? We have learned from conversations with others that many educators need help balancing their connected journey, and working with their peers. We wrote this book to ensure that the leadership wheels do not fall off.

In this book we help the readers understand the importance of being connected to benefit individual professional learning, mindfulness, and avoiding the traps of isolation . We use vignettes of leaders to give a picture of what the connected leader looks like. We also address the common challenges that come with being connected, such as criticism, isolation and battling mindset.

Pre-orders are available by visiting the Corwin site. The book will be released in the fall of 2015.

source: dreamatico.com

In a recent PrincipalPLN podcast, we interviewed Kirsten Olson and Valerie Brown, authors of the book, Mindful School Leader. I highly recommend to check out the book and the podcast. The practice of mindfulness for educators is a relatively new practice. Of course, mindfulness has been around for centuries, but it has often been relegated to eastern philosophies, yoga, and meditation. Yet, Olson and Brown provide research as well as anecdotal information from school leaders throughout the globe who are all practicing the art of mindfulness to combat the stress, sacrifice and malaise that plagues the profession.

During the podcast, I really tried to be mindful. In fact, I didn’t really ask many questions. I just listened. Towards the end, one question popped up in my head, and I asked, “So what would be 3 things we could try this week to practice mindfulness at work?” Without hesitation, Valerie said, “1. Take your lunch and just eat. Don’t do anything but eat, and taste what you are eating. 2. Breathe – Focus on your breathing a few times throughout the day. 3. Look at the sky for one minute each day.”

It’s funny how her first two responses need to actually be mentioned. Yet, how many of us actually focus on breathe, or take 10 minutes to just enjoy our lunch? And looking at the sky? When was the last time you actually looked at the sky for one minute during work? For me, it was never.

So this week I set out to really enjoy my lunch, breathe and look at the sky for a minute each day. I was able to achieve those goals, and I can honestly say that I had a less stressful week. For a school administrator in May that is a real accomplishment.

How about you? What do you do to practice mindfulness?

Source: authorbrandikennedy.blogspot.com

It’s always easier to think that someone else is in charge. It is always easier to think it is someone else’s responsibility. We find it difficult to understand how important we are, and we often leave the work to someone else. Think about this for a minute… what if it came down to you? Guess what? It does come down to you ….. everyday!

There are countless stories of people who have changed the world, invented things, and helped people. We love to revel in those stories, and tell them to our students. Yet, we forget how important everyday decisions are, and how they may have the same impact on the world. You never know who you are going to impact, and more importantly, how.

What if it came down to you to be……

• compassionate
• understanding
• inspiring
• open-minded
• responsible
• positive

You have that opportunity everyday. You never know how it will impact a colleague, a parent, a student, or even an administrator. You never know how much you can impact others.

source: misslwholebrainteaching.blogspot.com

I just finished Spring Break, and it hit me…. the school year is ending soon! Well, honestly we still have over 2 months, but time is of the essence. As school leaders and teachers view the calendar, it is a perfect time to ensure the end of the year goes smoothly. Here are a few suggestions:

1. Is everyone on the same page? Just because the weather is getting warmer and the field trips are blooming, the last thing you want to do is lose focus. As educators, it is important to ensure that the learning process continues to bloom and that students are engaged.

2. Plan for next year. Of course, this is a perfect time to begin talking about the master schedule, class lists, and a focus for next year. These things take time, so use the time in April and May when the staff are not feeling rushed (like what happens in June).

3. Celebrate the learning. As we get closer to the end of the school year, this is a great time to review and celebrate what was learned. How did your Genius Hour go? What did your students create? What did your students solve?

4. Use reflection – admit mistakes! Yes, we all set out to do so much in September, and along the way we made mistakes. I know we don’t always feel comfortable sharing our mistakes, but once you can get over that, reflecting on them is powerful.

5. Avoid countdowns. Nothing causes more stress then the “countdown” to the end of the year. You may be looking forward to Summer Break, but that doesn’t mean your kids are.

6. End of the Year Assessments – In NJ we have another round of the PARCC starting in two weeks. Students need consistency and they need to know that they are supported.

Here are a few resources for end of the year planning:

• End of the year wrap up
• End of School 
• End of the year projects

Did I leave anything out? How are you going to plan for the end of the year?