Mrs. Cromer: Leading & Learning

Thank you for venturing into the digital world for our book study!  After reading pages 33-71, take a moment to reflect on the questions below.*  Comment on the post with your answer to one, two, or all of the questions - even add to a comment by a colleague!   "I can't do that.  I'm not as creative as you are."  Dave Burgess suggests that creativity is calculated and learned.  Is he right? What are the "right questions" we should be asking ourselves when lesson planning?  Ex. Can this lesson be delivered outside? Have you developed a system to capture your creative ideas?  Digital, pen and paper? What is your ideal classroom vision? What can you do THIS WEEK that will set that vision in motion? Do you have any lessons that you could sell tickets for?   "If you do nothing else but ramp up your enthusiasm, you will be far ahead of the game." How can your enthusiasm transform the class? "When we model enthusiasm it rubs off on everyone...

As a first year principal, I am always hungry to learn about new resources and strategies.  So when I heard that my favorite educational leader was publishing a new book, of course I pre-ordered a copy. www.tower.com The Secret Solution: How One Principal Discovered the Path to Success is a fictional tale that follows "Roger Rookie" through his first year as principal.  Along the way he encounters the typical school characters and undergoes several leadership transformations. The Secret Solution is an easy read and administrators are sure to identify with Rookie as he faces familiar issues with faculty, staff, and parents.  Although the struggles were simplified, the message was clear; the path to success is a mix of climate and accountability.  Oh, and the illustrations were a nice bonus. I would recommend this book to any current or aspiring administrator.  As a collector of Todd Whitaker books, it was nice to see his concepts put into practice, ev...

There is nothing better than a great professional development session.  One that really ignites your passion and sets your wheels spinning about how it will impact students. There is also nothing worse than bad professional development.  Everyone knows what I'm talking about and unfortunately everyone has experienced their fair share of bad PD. thecornerstoneforteachers.com As a new principal, I want to take advantage of every moment that my staff is gathered together.  The days are so busy and our time together is a precious commodity.  Below are a few ways that I try to keep staff development relevant and inspiring for my teachers. Flipped Faculty Meetings I had some success with flipping meetings in my previous position and knew that I would utilize this strategy at my new school.  At least one week before our scheduled monthly meetings, I send out all of the pertinent announcements in a presentation video.  (I've used Screenr and Screencast...

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!

I love meeting educators.  I love being inspired.  I love attending conferences. So I was pretty excited to attend the Virginia ASCD conference last week. I brought back numerous resources for my faculty and a fresh pack of inspiration for myself.  My learning can be summarized into four main takeaways: What's green will grow, whats ripe will rot. This quote by Dave Weber sums up my feelings about professional growth.  While we would hope that all educators would be committed to lifelong learning, sadly we know that is not the case.  We can all think of someone who finds fault and makes every excuse for not moving forward.  The negativity broadcast by these individuals spreads like a rotten banana in your fruit basket. As a young administrator, sometimes I struggle with being perceived as too "green" to be a principal.  This quote reminded me that there is nothing wrong with being green.  As long as I remain committed to growth, I will ...

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...

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...