Mrs. Cromer: Leading & Learning

Twenty-four days into the new year and I have finally narrowed it down to #oneword. I love words, quotes, and all of the wonderful blog posts that members of my PLN have written sharing their #oneword for 2015.  I appreciate  the thought and effort that went into those posts and the wheels that turned in my head as a result. I appreciate  the fact that I am just now reflecting on my own word because it means that my life is full of activities that keep me busy. I appreciate the phone messages on my desk, students and teachers waiting outside my door, and the emails that steadily poor in because it means that people are interested in what I have to say. I appreciate the noise in the Cafeteria because it means our students are happy and enjoying the time with their classmates. I appreciate the mud in the hallway because it means it was warm enough outdoors for our students to enjoy recess. Throughout 2015, my goal is to pause and appreciate more.  It is...

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...

This post has been in "draft" form for almost two months.  I'm officially declaring myself the worst blogger ever. I would use the excuse that it's summer, but that would mean I regularly update this blog during the school year. It is summer though and I hope that everyone is finding some time to relax and renew their spirit.  If you are like most educators (at least this one), your job is your passion and it can suck every drop of life out of you.  Summer is a time to reconnect with yourself and those that you love.  Take advantage of the slower pace. Of course, summer is no time to rest all of your laurels.  There is still A LOT of work to do in preparation for the upcoming year, the urgency level is just slightly lower than it is when teachers and students are in the building. I have thoroughly enjoyed the additional time at home and on the farm.  I have also managed to get in some reading, although my book pile is growing at a faster rate than I...

Whoa, what's that in your newsfeed?  A new blogpost from @MrsJCromer?! Its only been since February people, don't be so surprised. I've been just a little busy with my first year running a school and have not been the best blogger.  But have no fear - all of the learning I've experienced over the past year has made for a pretty decent blog post for all of the new administrators out there. Here are five truths that you need to acknowledge as a new principal and five ways I have found to help digest the reality of school administration: You do not control your day.   You might as well get used to a full calendar.  And by full, I really mean overflowing.  While it is nice to not write lesson plans, the sad reality is that you don't really plan anything anymore.  Everyone needs you in a meeting, needs to ask you a "quick question," needs you to call them back, and needs you to just BE THERE.  You have a huge to-do list, and it seems the whole wor...