Feedback: What doesn't kill you makes you stronger!

It's like that.

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. And bears, well, they could kill you. Asking for feedback? Whether it's me asking for feedback from my teachers about my leadership, or teachers asking for feedback about their classrooms, it is truly an act of bravery to put yourself out there and ask for input.

It's scary!

I've been so inspired by Brene Brown's book Daring Greatly - about putting ourselves out there and being vulnerable, and the Teddy Roosevelt quote the book is named after.

This is my second year asking for feedback from my teachers about my leadership style, and our second year asking for school-wide and classroom feedback. (I blogged about it here.) I've been inspired by others, like Eric Saibel, who bravely ask for feedback, and follow up with honest, public reflection, regardless of the thoughts shared.

The topic of today's monthly staff meeting was feedback- I had asked for school-wide and leadership feedback in the last few weeks, and shared some of the results. We also read Eric Saibel's two blog posts (Hold My Hand Through The Scary Parts and Life In A Glass House ) to start the meeting, discussing a quote in small groups.

For fun, we also watched a throwback video that followed our feedback theme! Are you old enough to remember this song? Some of us sang along!

Here's the quote I loved from Eric's post:

And these from Bill Gates:

For me, it was really important to model the process for asking for and reflecting on feedback, even though it's terrifying in many ways. But there is also a lot to celebrate!

Here are a few responses from my leadership and school-wide family feedback forms:

A mixed review

Hot and cold. All valuable.

After sharing my results, our teachers got to work creating their forms to send out, and shared the response form with me. So brave! One grade level even sent theirs as a team! Here are their questions- and they also had the opportunity to add their own.

The results are starting to come in. Scary. Exciting. And some unexpected responses. After sending out the feedback survey, one teacher received this email from a family:

"I've been meaning to send you some positive feedback. [Our child] has really had a transformation this year after moving to Star Academy and I think you are the reason! [She] has always been an [unmotivated] student, I think because she has been bored. Her previous teachers were focused on getting everyone on the same level and passing the standardized tests. There was only one year that [she] did not have a long term sub (including this year before moving to Star), which hasn't helped.

I think it is difficult to be able to teach to each student's ability (I know I certainly could not do it), but it seems you really have a knack for it. On [her] first day of school you had mentioned that everyone learns differently and recognizing that puts you leaps and bounds over many of the educators that my girls have had over the years.

One of the big transformations for [our child]: she likes to read now! Introducing her to the Harry Potter series has her in her room with the door shut actually enjoying to read. This has been huge because getting her to read before now has been a struggle.

And thanks so much for including [her] on the math team. She really, really wanted to make the team and is super excited about 'more math homework.'

After [her] first day, she missed her friends and mentioned that moving to Star may have been a mistake. I asked her a few weeks later if she had any regrets moving. The response, "My only regret is not moving sooner!"

THANK YOU for being such a great influence on [her] We will always remember you as the teacher that was able to change [our child] from being [unmotivated] to interested in school!"

Amazing things can happen if we are willing to step into the arena.
Why not start with asking for feedback?

1,2,3,4,5 Challenge #bringiton

Thanks, Jeff Kubiak @principalkubiak for bringing the 1,2,3,4,5  challenge my way! So thankful to be connected to so many school leaders who inspire me and challenge me to be better every day!

1. What has been your ONE biggest struggle during this school year?

This year has been both exciting and challenging because our new campus is under construction and scheduled to open with 220 more students in August 2016. It's been awesome to be able to design a school from the beginning and dream up a new space for amazing kids. But planning for a new school and growth has meant working on this year and next simultaneously-- selecting furniture, working on hiring 9 new teachers, bell schedules and more while trying to be present every day at school for kids, families and teachers. I like to be out and about as much as possible and I'm definitely feeling less available and visible than I'd like to be. I'm looking forward to being settled in our new school next year!

2. Share TWO accomplishments that you are proud of from this school year.

#Balance

In my third year as a principal, I'm finally feeling good about having more balance between school and work. The #struggleisreal. Before becoming a principal I used to run about 25 miles a week. I ran three half marathons and even a marathon. But nothing in the way of balance or fitness until this year. Powered by a school-wide goal to be happy and healthy, (read more about it here) we started 15 minutes of dancing 4 days a week, and have Workout Wednesdays where everyone wears workout gear to school- me, the teachers, everyone! It's been a great change in our school, and I've been able to really focus on being more mindful and balanced myself. I have a fantastic and supportive Work. Life. Balance. group on Voxer who helps me practice this and not feel so alone.  In January I started running again. I've lost 30 pounds. I'm scheduled to run my first half marathon in March since becoming a principal. Becoming more balanced and healthy allows me to bring my best energy to my work and my family.

#StarInMotion

We start almost every school day with dancing. It's amazing. Kids and teachers spinning, kicking, smiling. Just 15 minutes. But it's been the best change. I love watching the kids (and teachers), and can't believe the difference 15 minutes of physical activity and a positive start to the day has made for kids. It's a rare day that I have a discipline problem. Kids and teachers are happy. And healthy. We are having fun! Isn't that what school's all about?

3. What are THREE things you wish to accomplish before the end of the school year?

• Hire 9 awesome new teachers for our new school! 
• Finish writing our Star Academy signature practices so we can share what makes our school special with anyone who asks. We all know what makes our school special, people who visit talk about it, but we don't have it written anywhere. It's going to be important with new staff, families, and kids that we can articulate it. We've chosen three things to define: a Connected School Community, Project Based Learning, and Assessment (of all kinds) to write and develop as a school.
• Have an ESPN style announcement for our 2016-17 staff. Like this!

4. Give FOUR reasons why you remain in education in today’s rough culture.

One: The kids. They need us to make school awesome! Every day I can't wait to see the kids. Drop off is my favorite!

Dancers at drop off. EVERY DAY!

This.

Two: Amazing educators who inspire me every day! From the hallways at my school to the teachers and school leaders I'm connected to via Voxer and Twitter. I have hope. Many people have big dreams for re-imagining school. I can't wait to see what we can create together!
Three: I love it. I cannot imagine doing anything else. My work is my passion! I have the best job ever! 
Four: People who say it can't be done. A school without textbooks? Let me show you how awesome it can be! First graders with Google accounts? The BEST. YouTube unblocked for students? As it should be. Every initiative does not come in a box. Little kids can do big things. Trust teachers and kids and AMAZING things will happen. Say YES as often as you can.

First graders rocking tech.

5. Which FIVE people do you hope will the take the challenge of answering these questions.
These five are just a few who inspire me every day!

Joe Wood @ucdjoe 
Jessica Cabeen @JessicaCabeen 
Brandon Blom @brandonkblom 
Tracey Allen @PrincipalTallen
Rick Rubino @GUSDSUPT 

I also want to challenge Katie Gustafson @mrsgustafson who I am so lucky to work with as part of the #SAVMP program!

Let's share the AMAZING! #savmp

I love being part of the School Administrators Virtual Mentor Program and each month we have a blogging prompt. This month we're sharing what makes our school amazing! Here's the prompt:

What is it that makes YOUR school amazing? What do YOU have to offer your community? What is happening in your school that the whole world should know? It is ALWAYS the perfect time to share how amazing your school, teachers, and students are.

I decided to post the question in our family Facebook group. Here's what they had to say:

"Some of the things that I think make a difference:
1. Parents are involved in all processes, decision making, how funds are spent, what's important to us.
2. Social media presence allows us to see what the kid are doing all day and engage them in conversation about it.
3. Not teaching by text books or worksheets
4. The freedom given to our teachers
5. Administrators make a huge difference, they support our teachers and know our families
6. Realizing the importance of physical activity in keeping kids engaged and healthy
7. An emphasis on incorporating technology wherever possible
8. Changes do not have to be high cost, we do it on a budget
9. Finding places for parents and families to be involved wherever they can, in and out of the classroom

10. Not stifled from making decisions by burdensome bureaucracy.
11. Not afraid to try new things, tweak them, and try again
12. Nothing we are doing is too hard to replicate anywhere else!
I could keep going, but there's a start!"

"The teachers are amazing. They take learning to levels that most teachers dare not go. Why? Because it requires work. Not the kind of work that requires grading papers after hours, but work that requires teachers to interact with their students to see what students know and inquire when they don't know. It doesn't stop there. The best teaching come from the love that they have for their students. Not every student comes from perfect families. Shoot as adults, we don't come from perfect families. However, every child deserves to learn. This school and these teachers set the tone for learning. This school is simply amazing!"

"It seems to me that teachers at STAR are encouraged and allowed to be risk takers. It may sound like a small thing to non-educators, but having the professional freedom to do what you think is best for your students rather than follow a textbook or a top-down curriculum is a big deal."

"1. I love that the teachers and administrators are always looking for innovative ways to teach and help the kids learn. 

2. The teachers and staff are accessible 

3. The focus on physical activity is great 

4. The view that education is more than reading, writing, and arithmetic. It's teaching good character, having an environment where it is safe to take risks, serving our community, looking for ways to be inclusive etc.
4. The focus on creating a classroom design that helps kids learn the best way 

5. I love that parental involvement is encouraged 

6. The love of reading instilled in the children is amazing. Reading is viewed as "cool" by everyone. 7. Willingness to think outside the box."

"While wearing my parent hat - A dedicated focus on helping each kid grow from their current set of skills whether it be academic or socio-emotional.
While wearing my colleague hat - A community of learners (students, families, teachers, staff) that always inspires me to innovate and try new things."

"What I love about Star is the way the teachers and administrators inspire our kids to do better and be better not just inside the classroom but everyday life. It's not just about what they learn in their heads but instilling lessons for their hearts that make me love the school. I love the kind program and love kids in motion. Because these kinds of programs in addition to the great teachers make our children THRIVE because we are teaching kids lessons for their mind body and soul!"

"I agree with the other comments. The teachers/staff lead by example which makes all the difference. They don't tell the students to "do this" or "try this" but instead they participate on a daily basis which makes learning new things more fun and builds an atmosphere of belonging. Also, countless opportunities for parent involvement and communication contributes to a school that always feels safe and welcoming. We have no doubts that our children are in good and competent hands. The teachers are supportive and encouraging and understand the value of positive reinforcement."

Thank you to everyone for sharing your thoughts! I LOVE coming to school every day and being part of a school community where everyone is a learner and focused on what makes a difference for kids!

Book Club Picks 2016

Drum roll, please! Announcing our Book Club picks for 2016!

February

Short Stories

March

War Stories: Fiction & Non-Fiction

April

Books Being Made Into Movies in 2016 

(Click for 28 titles coming to a theater near you this year!)

May

Laughable Autobiographies

June

Life

July

Memoir

August

East Coast Women

September

Intrigue With an Eastern Connection

October

Historical Fiction: WWII

November

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

December

Reflection: Passion, Creativity, & Courage

Reader's Choice

The Mindful School Leader Chapter 4 #worklifebalance

Full disclosure. I read chapter 3, and just never got my blog post together. Why does this matter? I'm sharing because I'm trying to be mindful about my mindfulness. Trying not to obsess or be a perfectionist. So I read chapter 3. And now I'm blogging about chapter 4 and I am GOOD with that! 

Onward and forward.

This chapter was focused on being mindful in communication and connections. So many great quotes in this chapter, and this chapter also references several other books that I either need to read or highly recommend.

The opening quote for this chapter comes from a must read book that I read this past summer: Fierce Conversations. 

"Our work and our relationships succeed or fail one conversation at a time." 

This is so true. In this chapter, the author refers to conversations as "mini-mindfulness moments", where we can focus, listen, breathe before replying, and truly be present. Conversations should should allow space for quiet and reflection.

And as leaders, we have to have hard conversations. Fierce Conversations is a great read- and has really helped me this year to build better relationships and say the hard things- which are really difficult from this girl who loves to roll in sparkle and celebrate mode most of the time. I love the following quote in this chapter by Brene Brown in Daring Greatly- a book I need to read.

"To reignite creativity, innovation, and learning, leaders must re-humanize education and work. This means understanding how scarcity is affecting the way we lead and work, learning how to engage with vulnerability, and recognizing and combating shame. Make no mistake: honest conversations about vulnerability and shame are disruptive. The reason that we’re not having these conversations in our organizations is that they shine light in dark corners. Once there is language, awareness, and understanding, turning back is almost impossible and carries with it severe consequences."

- Brene Brown, Daring Greatly 2012

Finally, something I loved in this chapter is the idea that we need to hardwire ourselves for happiness and consciously build moments of happiness into our daily lives.

"Every day you have countless opportunities to create good in your life, and these can be very simple." Some examples include:

• complimenting someone
• greeting another person (I'm thinking drop off and pick up every day!)
• giving a small gift (I thought of thank you cards or notes of appreciation)
• gazing at a flower (or clouds, or the sunset, or faces, or the sky)
• listening to beautiful music

What I'm loving about this book is how much I am noticing everything. I've been so busy that I've been missing a lot. 

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