Small Victories

A friend, who also happens to be a teacher, has recently had a serious decision to make - to walk out or to walk in.  It has been a gut wrenching decision for my friend to make, and it is not one that I relish.  While my friend's circumstances are very different from mine, they speak to my heart as an educator.  What we do for each and every student takes a tole on the heart and body, and like my friend I often find that I lose myself in the weeds of tasks and duties at times.  I don't think I am alone in this; most educators get mired in the muck at times.  We lose sight of our vision or mission, especially when we encounter struggle.  So, it is nice when small things seem to catch our attention.  Maybe it is that moment when a student with an IEP is moved to itinerant status or when a teacher tweets about a successful lesson.  These small victories matter; they can refocus us onto what really matters - the growth of students and staff in our buildings.  Recently, this was highlighted in my recent reflection around an inquiry cycle with a team of English language arts teachers.  Before I thoroughly studied the data we had collected about student performance, my gut interpretation of anecdotal evidence indicated that our work to improve instruction had not been effective.  However, the Star360 data we reviewed indicated that students had improved in reading comprehension since the fall.  The growth was not as consistent as I had hoped, but six of seven students scored high enough to move out of the urgent intervention zone during some point in the spring.  This is definitely a small victory to celebrate, particularly when I reflect on where these students started.  First, how does this affect me as a leader?  Well, it reminds me that I must celebrate the small victories for teachers because they are often too busy to do so.  Second, it reminds me that first impressions of data are not always accurate.  Third, my focus can be on success or on what is not going well.  Which of these outlooks is going to help me to be the most effective educator and principal?  Well, positive thinking should of course!  Maybe the key to focusing on the positive is public affirmation of the small victories.  By doing so, we honor each step in the right and positive direction.  And, that is definitely the direction in which we will want to get stuck!

A Commitment, Not A Promise

In a past Radical Candor podcast, Laraway and Scott (n.d.) discussed the difference between obtaining a commitment versus a promise from your boss when it comes to scheduling time for a feedback session.  When I first heard their explanation of the difference between the two, I sat back and had a "hmmm" moment.  What seemed like semantics really is not.  When you make a commitment, there is an extra layer of onus that you place on yourself to complete the task or support the work.  A promise is simply words.  If you choose to, you can slip out of a promise.  There is not set deadline or job to be done.  In essence, a promise is completely bound by your word, but a commitment... Now that is completely bound by your actions.

So, in reflection I thought about the commitments I have made and want to make as a school administrator.  Some of them were placed upon me while others were of my choosing, but in the end I am honor bound to fulfill every commitment to the best of my ability.  However, there is one promise that I want to "re-commit" to, and it is all around the "10 Things Challenge." In a previous post, I spoke about the ten things educators should say more often.  The phrases above are the promises I make to demonstrate my vision for education and leadership - to notice and respond in love.

However, if I am to move beyond these words, beyond just the promise, I felt I needed to make a serious commitment to action.  It was with a seeking spirit that I encountered the meme below and in turn had another moment of clarity.  Here were solid commitments to back up the promises I was making to my school family!  And, this is what I am challenging myself to do as our school moves into what I believe is the toughest part of the school year for students and teachers.  

So, everyday I am committing to do as many of these things as I can.  Just imagine how my focus will change because I am choosing to ruminate on the positive rather than the hectic pace of the testing season, and imagine how my teachers' outlooks may change if they see me modeling and encouraging supportive and inspiring conversation.  I truly believe a leader's behavior,  or his or her words and actions, truly set the tone for the end of year.  In fact, a leader's outlook can be characterized in these last months; it can be a powerful force towards love or towards the minutia of tasks.  So in this space and time, I plan to commit to love - one student and teacher at a time.   Do you plan to join me?

Reference

Scott, K. & Laraway, R. (n.d.). How to get feedback from your boss [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from
https://www.radicalcandor.com/blog/podcast-episode-7/