Skip to main content

The First Step

Image
By
jumping-dog.jpg
Source: jumpintheair.com


Here it goes.  I'm jumping in.

Next week marks the "official" start of my tenure as the Lead Learner at Check Elementary School. Although I have been the principal there since July, it will become real when I stand before the faculty on Tuesday.

When I completed my Ed Leadership studies, I never planned on becoming a school leader.  In fact, each class I completed only cemented my belief that being a middle school social studies teacher was the best job ever.

Fast forward four years and I still fondly reminisce about my classroom days. But now I have fond memories of many classrooms.  I have an opportunity to mold the minds of students and adults alike. Is there any other job that is more exciting and terrifying at the same time?

I can't wait.

I'm also jumping into blogging.  Social media has had an immeasurable impact on my journey as a leader.  Since joining Twitter in May of 2012, I have had the pleasure of building one of the greatest PLNs in existence.

But they are also kind of scary.

I have been paralyzed by my fear of not having as much "greatness" to share with the blogging world as they do.

But today I am jumping in and I hope that I can be as inspiring to the faculty at Check Elementary and the members of my PLN as they have all been to me.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Busy Epidemic

By
The same conversation plays out numerous times per day, with a very predictable script: “Hi! How are you?” “Doing well, just busy, how are you doing?” “I understand, I’m very busy over here too.” It’s like there is an underground competition to show that we are the busiest, most overworked professional within our spheres.   “I worked all weekend on (insert project here).” “I can’t meet today, I’m just too busy with (insert another project here).” Guess what? WE’RE ALL BUSY. It may look different for each of us, but we are all overwhelmed with to-do lists that are a mile long. Why do we feel the need to showcase that we are working ourselves to exhaustion? It's as if we have to defend the use of our time. I am a big believer that our words shape our mindset and demonstrate our belief system.  I don't want to believe in the system of "busy."  My work should speak for itself without me having to explain all of my tasks to everyon...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Principal Reads

By
There is a familiar excitement in the air and the school is filled with students and staff who are optimistic about the coming year. If you are an educator, you know the feeling well and it never gets old. I am beginning this year similar to how I have the past three - sharing a book with each class.  Scheduling time to read to each class gives me the opportunity to get to know our new students, give teachers a brief break from teaching during the exhausting first weeks of school, set the expectation for when I enter classrooms, and, most importantly, share my love of books. Literacy has been the focus in our division for a year now and we are happily kicking that into high gear at CES.  Sharing a love of books and reading aloud to students is an easy way administrators can model the importance of enjoying a good book. A few of my favorite beginning of the year reads are: Have You Filled a Bucket Today?: A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids How Full is Your...
Post a Comment
Read more

Time and Priority #SAVMP

By
As you can see from the blog archive to the left, perhaps managing time is not my strong suit.  At least when it comes to blogging.  :) The problem with managing your time as a school administrator is you never know what your day will be like. There is no scheduling who will walk through your door or what issue is waiting on your voice mail or Inbox.  Anticipating the day's events is part of the excitement of being a school leader, it just wreaks havoc on your to-do list. Everyone is busy.  We all have items that need our immediate attention, items that we are excited to tackle, and items that we put off until the very last minute. The difficulty with time is that it is limited.  The to-do list is never completed, we just chunk away at it a little more each day. I saw the quote below on a blog several years ago and I frequently refer back to it as I am deciding which task to tackle. Everyone is busy.  (It was worth repeating.) But our jobs are f...
Post a Comment
Read more