Teacher Joy
Teacher Joy! I love it when teachers are shown appreciation for the tremendous job that they do! I had the pleasure of being involved in a day of camaraderie and school spirit before the chaos of the first day of students. Five days of professional development can become pretty intense with curriculum updates, district agendas, classroom preparations and planning. My hope was to give our teachers the much needed opportunity to enjoy a day of building positive school culture and climate. "Invest in your people" was the agenda of the day (Pirate style, of course)!
I planned this day for weeks and it couldn't have turned out any better! The professional development focus was a kick-off of our school-wide book study of Teach Like a Pirate by Dave Burgess. The atmosphere was set with pirate music, pirate names, decorations, costumes and treasure boxes! We even had a ukulele lesson by our music teacher!
Teachers were engaged in activities that united us as a school and built positive relationships. Each teacher individually took the 5 word GPS challenge and then we combined our responses in a word cloud for a school GPS challenge! I got chills! It was a powerful moment and we all wanted to create a poster of this to display in the hall. We had set our course as a faculty!
Even the pictures couldn't capture all the excitement of the day. Our students are going to be in for an amazing year with this kind of energy and positivity. Mission Accomplished!
So here are my five takeaways (lessons learned) from our first PD day together as a faculty and consequently, my five commitments for the year as an instructional coach.
Takeaway #1- Teachers deserve and need to be shown appreciation, not just on special occasions but throughout the year. It's awesome to get a treasure box of "teacher goodies" and a new classroom I-pad, but recognizing the little things will keep the positivity strong all year.
Commitment #1- I commit to getting to know ALL our teachers. I want to know their passions, their dreams, and even their fears, so that I can build trust and rapport and show appreciation. I will listen more and talk less. I want to learn more FROM our teachers.
Takeaway #2- Teachers need to build trust and rapport with each other. When tough times or problems arise, this can save a sinking ship or a career.
Commitment #2 - I commit to sharing the stories of our school. It is hard for teachers to get down the hall and see the amazing things going on in their co-workers' classrooms. I also want to offer PD minis- small, bite size tutorials given after school by any teacher who would like to share a new strategy, idea, or even a passion they have. I want to start with a PD mini on getting connected on Twitter and building a Professional Learning Network. It's a game changer.
Takeaway #3 - Enthusiasm is contagious. Close quarters can spread whatever you're putting out there- good or bad.
Commitment #3- I commit to being positive every day in every way. That sounds simple but we all know how easy it is to let it slip. Having a smile on my face, giving small gestures of appreciation, listening, and being accessible are all important to building coaching relationships. I commit to never saying "I'm too busy".
Takeaway #4 - To get everyone on the same ship, they need to help build it. Team building was an important part of the day. Teacher choice and voice was valued. Teachers know their passions and how they can contribute, so let's ask them their ideas and let them take action.
Commitment #4- I commit to asking for input and feedback from teachers. I commit to being a real team player. I commit to giving teachers the opportunity to coach each other because they are truly the experts and have so much to offer. I commit to making our ship sink proof!
Takeaway #5 - Stay the course! With great effort, comes great reward.
Commitment #5- I commit to keeping the momentum going all year. I commit to encouraging those who have already jumped in and tried new things. I commit to rolling snowballs (Thanks, Dave Burgess). I commit to celebrating success in all teachers. I commit to continuing my own professional learning and staying connected with other educators outside of my island. I have the saying, "Work Hard and Be Nice to People" hanging on my office wall to remind me daily of this awesome opportunity and responsibility.
A side note: Writing this blog is my personal commitment to myself! It was scary at first to put my thoughts and ideas out there, but it's been one of the most rewarding things I've ever done professionally and personally. Building an awesome Professional Learning Network (PLN) gave me the confidence to try something new and take this risk. They are my educational super heroes! I believe everyone needs this kind of support in their career.
It's finally time to set sail...
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| The Leadership Team (that's me on the right) |
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| Teacher Joy |
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| Photo booth fun |
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| Playing the ukulele is challenging but fun |
Teachers were engaged in activities that united us as a school and built positive relationships. Each teacher individually took the 5 word GPS challenge and then we combined our responses in a word cloud for a school GPS challenge! I got chills! It was a powerful moment and we all wanted to create a poster of this to display in the hall. We had set our course as a faculty!
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| Taking the 5 word GPS challenge |
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| Our school's 5 word GPS challenge |
Even the pictures couldn't capture all the excitement of the day. Our students are going to be in for an amazing year with this kind of energy and positivity. Mission Accomplished!
So here are my five takeaways (lessons learned) from our first PD day together as a faculty and consequently, my five commitments for the year as an instructional coach.
Takeaway #1- Teachers deserve and need to be shown appreciation, not just on special occasions but throughout the year. It's awesome to get a treasure box of "teacher goodies" and a new classroom I-pad, but recognizing the little things will keep the positivity strong all year.
Commitment #1- I commit to getting to know ALL our teachers. I want to know their passions, their dreams, and even their fears, so that I can build trust and rapport and show appreciation. I will listen more and talk less. I want to learn more FROM our teachers.
Takeaway #2- Teachers need to build trust and rapport with each other. When tough times or problems arise, this can save a sinking ship or a career.
Commitment #2 - I commit to sharing the stories of our school. It is hard for teachers to get down the hall and see the amazing things going on in their co-workers' classrooms. I also want to offer PD minis- small, bite size tutorials given after school by any teacher who would like to share a new strategy, idea, or even a passion they have. I want to start with a PD mini on getting connected on Twitter and building a Professional Learning Network. It's a game changer.
Takeaway #3 - Enthusiasm is contagious. Close quarters can spread whatever you're putting out there- good or bad.
Commitment #3- I commit to being positive every day in every way. That sounds simple but we all know how easy it is to let it slip. Having a smile on my face, giving small gestures of appreciation, listening, and being accessible are all important to building coaching relationships. I commit to never saying "I'm too busy".
Takeaway #4 - To get everyone on the same ship, they need to help build it. Team building was an important part of the day. Teacher choice and voice was valued. Teachers know their passions and how they can contribute, so let's ask them their ideas and let them take action.
Commitment #4- I commit to asking for input and feedback from teachers. I commit to being a real team player. I commit to giving teachers the opportunity to coach each other because they are truly the experts and have so much to offer. I commit to making our ship sink proof!
Takeaway #5 - Stay the course! With great effort, comes great reward.
Commitment #5- I commit to keeping the momentum going all year. I commit to encouraging those who have already jumped in and tried new things. I commit to rolling snowballs (Thanks, Dave Burgess). I commit to celebrating success in all teachers. I commit to continuing my own professional learning and staying connected with other educators outside of my island. I have the saying, "Work Hard and Be Nice to People" hanging on my office wall to remind me daily of this awesome opportunity and responsibility.
A side note: Writing this blog is my personal commitment to myself! It was scary at first to put my thoughts and ideas out there, but it's been one of the most rewarding things I've ever done professionally and personally. Building an awesome Professional Learning Network (PLN) gave me the confidence to try something new and take this risk. They are my educational super heroes! I believe everyone needs this kind of support in their career.
It's finally time to set sail...
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