Mrs. Cromer: Leading & Learning

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...

My paternal grandfather was an amazing man.  He and my dad hunted and collected "Indian Rocks" which he displayed in a "museum" that he built in his yard.  The community would come for tours as well as students from the nearby elementary school. My sisters and I with my Pa Ted on Easter Sunday in Kentucky. My Pa Ted was an extremely religious man.  He loved Jesus, his country, and his family dearly.  He was a pillar in his small community - serving on the fire department for 60 years.  He was a Kentucky Colonel and grew one of the grandest vegetable gardens in the southeastern United States.  He has been gone for three years this December and I miss him so much. We often quote his pearls of wisdom since my dad relayed many of them to us as we grew up.  In high school, I remember complaining about having to go to work and my Dad correcting me to say, "No, you get to go to work today."  He had experienced the same correction from my grandfa...

We all know those people who never respond to the question you ask, almost never return an email unless you hit them up a second (or third) time, and generally do not follow through on their statements.   There are a million reasons why these questions go unanswered and emails do not get a response, but the bottom line is that it is frustrating for those of us who are trying to accomplish the many tasks at hand.   While organization has always been one of my strengths, as an educational leader organization has now become paramount to my very survival.  The days are too hectic to spend time searching for that lost paper or to read two emails from a teacher because I forgot to respond to the first one.   If you are struggling with the never-ending demands of the job, I strongly encourage you to do two things.  First, sign-up for the Instructional Leadership Challenge .  The suggestions offered are simple, easy to implement tools that will giv...

Last Wednesday Education Week ( @educationweek ) showcased the daily activities of building administrators by encouraging principals to tweet and post images to Instagram about their day using the hashtag #APrincipalsDay .  Here is a sampling of the photos from my day:     It was hard to remember to photograph or document all of the things that were happening that day. Just like any other day as a building administrator, multitasking is the norm and many actions could not be shared with a tweet or photograph.  Student discipline, IEP meetings, phone calls to and from parents/central office/maintenance/transportation (LOTS of phone calls fill a principal's day), and a truckload of emails are just a few of the activities that were not shared Reviewing the posts from that day it was awesome to see the many similarities to my day in rural southwest Virginia.  Although hundreds of principals are in my PLN, I enjoyed the glimpse into their daily routines...

The word "vision" was prevalent throughout my educational leadership coursework.  I actually got quite sick of hearing it and could not understand why it seemed to be something every professor wanted to talk about.  At the time I was finding lots of success in the classroom of a school that lacked a vision.  I couldn't quite grasp why it was so important that a vision be present, much less "shared." Fast forward four years and it is all I can think about. Vision, vision, vision, vision. Such a small word that means so much for schools, businesses, organizations, even families.  Where are you headed?  What direction should you take?  What do you stand for?  How will you grow and get better?  What unites us?  How do we move forward together?  What's our target? I frequently wake up in the middle of the night wondering if I am taking our school in the right direction.  Have I made sure every...

The extra hour of sleep over the weekend gave me just enough time to finish Eric Sheninger's book, Digital Leadership .   For me, the book affirmed by beliefs about technology use in education. I was inspired by the story of New Milford High School and encouraged by the struggles of other educational leaders that were highlighted in the book.  The book is a wonderful start for those educators who are not yet sold on the idea of digital leadership.  Eric does a great job of explaining the need for change in our schools while keeping the focus on sound pedagogy and student learning.   "It has nothing to do with devices and has everything to do with rethinking what our students need to prepare them for the rapidly changing real world behind school walls." - Sheninger The book is also jam-packed with resources to get you started or to further your efforts to become a digital leader.  I would highly recommend it to any educational leader and will b...

Connected Educator Month has came and went and to no one's surprise, not a single post has been added to this blog since July. But that doesn't mean I am not connected. I'm what you call a lurker.  Not in the creepy sort of way, but in a shy, cautious sort of way. When I participated in my first Twitter Chat way back in 2012 (it was an #edfocus chat where Todd Whitaker joined in), a member of my newly created PLN sent me a direct message to encourage my increased participation.  He said, "Take your time, lurking is learning." Those words have stuck with me as I am still "lurking and learning" two years later. That's what makes Twitter so amazing.  We can all connect in a way that is comfortable to us.  While I don't regularly participate in Twitter chats or reflect on my experiences on my blog, I do regularly check-in on my Twitter feed and Feedly reader to learn from educators who are sharing the great things they do everyday. Althou...

Merry Christmas PLN!  Thank you all for the gift that truly keeps on giving.  You have shared so many thoughts, ideas, and resources this past year - all of which have had an impact on my journey as an educational leader. I hope you are all taking some time to relax, be with those you love, and of course remembering the reason for the season! Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2014!

My cup runneth over. As I reflect on all that I have to be thankful for, I am amazed. It is also amazing how easily we tend to forget all that we are thankful for. I'm not saying it is easy to keep an attitude of thanksgiving all year.  There are many days I quickly complain about a problem and forget about the many blessings I have been given. So how can you maintain an attitude of thanksgiving throughout the year? It is easier for some.  By nature I am a positive, happy person.  I attribute that to a few awesome people in my life.  On the occasion that I am getting too caught up in "life" as I know it, I think of my grandpa and remember to be thankful. My "Pa" grew up extremely poor in the foothills of Kentucky.  He fought in the Korean War, worked his way up to manager of a textile plant, chief of his local fire department, survived cancer and is now battling the blinding effects of macular degeneration all while keeping his same calm, positive...

While completing my educational leadership studies several years ago, I got tired of hearing about creating a "vision" for your school.  Real tired. Now that I am an administrator...I can't stop thinking about my vision for our school. In Dave Burgess' best-selling book, Teach Like a Pirate , he details an exercise that encourages teachers to write about how their class is viewed by students. Change the topic to the broader topic of school and this experience can be equally as telling and inspiring to administrators. When I walk through the doors of Check Elementary School, I feel safe and accepted.  Learning is fun at CES and most days I don't even know that I am learning standardized content because the teachers do such a great job of crafting engaging lessons.  Their passion for learning is obvious and so contagious it has infected the entire atmosphere surrounding our school.  I wake up excited to come to school and see what exciting projec...