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Graduating? Good. You SHOULD Be Graduating.

The following is the text of my Principal’s Address to the High School Graduates of 2013.

globe_gradIt is a pleasure to address you on this, your graduation day.  You should be proud of an accomplishment that marks a milestone in your life.  The comfortable routine to which you have grown accustomed will now significantly change.  You will observe life becoming different for you now that you are graduating from high school.

When I think about where we live and the riches we enjoy as Canadians, I can’t help but think: you should be graduating.  With the advantages we enjoy,  I fully expect all Canadian youth to earn their high school diploma. That is not to say people do not face their challenges in life.  Of course they do.  It is just that we have been given this wonderful opportunity by virtue of where we live.

One thing is clear however: the reason you are graduating has a lot to do with what you are and what you are not.

Let’s start with what you are:

  • We hear about politically unstable countries all the time.  The last political uprising in Canada took place in 1837 – well before Canada was even a country.  You are a citizen of one of the most politically stable nations in the world.
  • Only 15 percent of countries in this world enjoy full democracy. Canada is one of them.  It is difficult if not impossible to rank countries based on how democratic they are, but Canadians enjoy not only fundamental freedoms, but the right to vote, to live and work where they want, and equal benefit of the law without discrimination. You are a citizen of one of the most democratic countries of the world.
  • According to the International Monetary Fund’s ranking of 187 nations from richest to poorest, Canada ranks number 9.  You are a citizen of a tremendously wealthy nation.
  • The wealthiest nations tend to also be the most educated ones as well. Where does Canada rank on this list?  Number one.  You are a citizen of the most educated nation in the world.

Now, let’s consider what you are not:

  • Half of the children in this world live in poverty.  You are not one of them.
  • In the developing world, 1 in 3 children do not have access to adequate shelter,1 in 5 children to not have access to safe drinking water, and 1 in 7 children have no access to health service.  You are not one of them.
  • There are 121 million children worldwide who are not taking part in a program of basic education.  You are not one of them
  • Approximately half the world’s population now live in cities and towns. In 2005, one out of three urban dwellers, or approximately 1 billion people, was living in slum conditions.  You are not one of them.
  • 1.6 billion people — that is about a quarter of the entire world population — live without electricity.  You are not one of them.
  • Approximatley 790 million people in the developing world are chronically undernourished.  You are not one of them
  • There are nearly a billion people in this world unable to read or even write their own names.  You are not one of them.
  • Right now, children are being recruited to fight as soldiers.  In fact, there are presently an estimated 300,000 child soldiers in at least twenty countries.  You are not one of them.

We live in a world that is very unfair.  Where you were born has a tremendous impact on what life has in store for you.  You are living a life of wealth and opportunity that countless people your age cannot imagine or ever hope to experience.

What are you prepared to do about that?  What role will you play in providing for others the opportunities that you yourselves have enjoyed?

You are graduating from high school – as you should be. But I hope that you realize that this is about more than simply graduating from high school. You see, you are also graduating to a higher level of obligation, a higher level of expectation and a higher level of responsibility to improve our world.

I stated at the beginning of this speech that you will observe life becoming different for you now that you are leaving high school. What will be your contribution in making things different for others?

Sources:

The World’s Most Politically Stable Countries and Most Politically Unstable Countries

International Monetary Fund

Time News Feed: And the World’s Most Educated Country Is…

Global rate of adult literacy: 84 per cent, but 775 million people still can’t read KATE HAMMER EDUCATION REPORTER Globe and Mail

Warchild.ca

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5 Things All Principals Must Do at Summer Break

lawn chairsIt is the end of the last day of school.  The students have left, staff is trickling out the door, and you can hear the school custodians hard at work moving furniture from the classrooms as they prepare for summertime cleaning.

What happens next is up to you.   You must be  fully prepared to provide leadership to make the upcoming school year a success.  To be able to do that, you need to take some important steps which should include the following.  As principal, what do you have planned for tomorrow?

1. Go home.

I know of school administrators who spend the first week or so of the summer break back at the school tending to duties associated with wrapping up the school year.  They will tell you that the lack of distraction in a generally empty building helps them to concentrate and be more productive.  However, I say that those tasks can and should be dealt with in the weeks and months leading up to the end of the school year.

Inefficient use of time during the school year can indeed contribute to a backlog of activities at the end of June.  Working into the summer is a poor solution to this.  Administrators should instead examine their own practice and make the necessary adjustments to ensure that the tasks they need to complete are done so in a timely fashion.

2. Avoid “drive-by” professional development.

Principals will frequently use the summer months to take a university course or attend a professional development seminar on a topic of interest to them.  That is a reasonable use of time as long as it is targeted PD related to their professional growth plan.

We are frequently presented with PD opportunities that are not directly related to our identified needs.  Sometimes, a PD activity simply sounds interesting. Is that enough reason to pursue such an opportunity?  If you are yearning for an activity, consider bringing balance to your life by engaging in something related to your own personal interests.  Never neglect your own wellness.

3. Disconnect.

Do you check and respond to work related email over the summer?  If so, consider the impact of breaking that electronic tether.

At the end of each school year, I respond to any email and leave the workplace with an empty inbox.  I am largely incommunicado over the summer, and when I return to start the new school year, I inevitably find that inbox to have collected an incredible number of messages.  My strategy is to move every single summertime message into a folder without reading a single one.  In each year that I have done that, I may have had one or two people referencing a message they sent over the summer which I then easily retrieve.  The rest did not seem to make a difference.

Consider the alternative of dealing with work related e-mail every other day over the summer.  If they do not make a difference, why would you allow them to divert attention from your summer break and interfere with your personal time?

4. Recharge.

Some people recharge by getting together with family and friends.  Others revel in the quiet comfort of solitude.  Most people fit somewhere along that continuum.  It is important that you determine what works for you and allow yourself the time to replenish your energy and rest your mind.

5. Plan your return.

Prior to the end of the school year, examine the calendar and pick a date for your return.  Be reasonable, and pick a date that is early enough to give you the time to adequately prepare for the new school year, but late enough to allow you to take full advantage of the summer break.  Selecting a reasonable target date helps you to clearly separate your summer break activities from your work activities.

Never underestimate the importance of life-work balance.

Your summer break is yours to use as you see fit, but do not think for a moment that you are more productive if you keep the focus on school administration over the summer.  There is no evidence to suggest working through the summer makes you more effective.  On the contrary, the most effective administrators are those that have established a healthy life-work balance and respect their own personal wellness.

That is an ideal that should be modelled for all.

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Concluding the School Year: The Devil is in the Details

June_Calendar1I write “The Principal in Practice” to share what experience has taught. This is one topic you will not find in a textbook or typically offered as a  professional development opportunity: how to provide effective administrative management in ending the school year.

It is difficult, if not impossible, to create the definitive list of nut and bolt items that need to be addressed as June comes to a close, let alone how to clearly communicate the associated details to the people that need to be informed. That list would not make for particularly engaging reading, and perhaps that is why the topic receives little attention. Yet, overseeing the conclusion of the school year involves critical routine administrative tasks and as Principal, they are your responsibility. What procedures do you have in place to address functions like those listed below, and how do you ensure they are carried out?

Let’s get this cleaned up.

Pick a day and provide a flexible window in which to have teachers take their classes to carry out a locker and classroom cleanup. Co-ordinate this thoughtfully. Do not even consider having every student in the school go out at the same time and start cleaning his or her locker.  That is a recipe for pandemonium. Consult with your school custodians when planning activities related to cleanup and the collection and storage of learning resources.  They will thank you for it.

Streamlining school property management.

Every school likely has some kind of a system to collecting school property and comparing the inventory to that which was distributed earlier in the school year. If you don’t have a system, you are probably spending money to replace lost and damaged resources when those funds should be spent on something related to student learning. We have a system where lost or damaged items are accounted for and the details are sent to a staff member responsible for creating invoices that are in turn sent to parents. My experience is that an invoice for $200 worth of textbooks frequently results in the prompt return of said textbooks and significant relief for the school’s Learning Resources budget.

Dates, deadlines and who is responsible for what.

There are literally hundreds of tasks that need to be completed in winding down the school year. It is not possible to list every one of them, but a general calendar of activities keeps things on track.

Let’s examine one activity that all schools are required to do: reporting marks to the Department of Education at the end of the school year. To do this, office admin staff has to import and process data. That data is generated by teachers who carry out assessments. Those assessment need to be completed by a certain time in order to allow all of this to happen. I am in the habit of identifying specific dates and times for things to happen. It is not unreasonable to require that all teachers have entered all marks and comments into the reporting system by a certain time on a certain day. That timeline needs to be clearly articulated.

A word of advice: give yourself enough time to deal with the inevitable glitches. If your data is housed on a remote server that is also hosting data from numerous other school divisions, know that the server may be operating slowly at the end of June as it processes all that data. Also, remember that when things go wrong you will be on a waiting list for tech support. Factor such delays into your planning.

Let’s be perfectly clear on assessment.

Ideally, you are having ongoing conversations about student assessment and this topic accounts for at least a part of your school based professional development activities. However every school division has a policy around student assessment and you should draw teachers’ attention to it not only at the start of the year but just prior to each reporting period as well. There are so many procedures that teachers need to remember; a quick review of the expectations around student assessment prior to the generation of reports provides clarification and ensures implementation of proper procedure.

How to plan surprise-free graduation and awards ceremonies.

Whether you are planning a high school graduation ceremony or a school based awards night, someone is ultimately responsible for ensuring things happen as they should. As principal, you need to clearly articulate the tasks for which you are taking active responsibility and those which you are delegating to others. However, make sure you have some sort of accountability process in place for those tasks you delegate – some mechanism to assure yourself that the critical functions associated with planning these types of events are fulfilled.  Be aware that delegated tasks that are not attended to in a timely fashion will come back to you for action.  Assign tasks, attach detailed timelines, and follow up to provide support and address challenges as they arise.

Details, details, details: School Supplies and Fees lists.

Who has responsibility for updating and generating these lists? Does your school supplies list include obsolete items? Parents won’t know this and will purchase what you have placed on the list. Don’t waste their time and money by distributing a dated list.

Do parents know students may need things like headphones or data storage devices? Do they have any idea what cloud storage is and how to access it? I recommend your school supplies list is hotlinked to samples so that people have a clear idea as to what they should be purchasing.  The school supplies list is also a place to include your school division’s policy on “Bring Your Own Device” so that people who are purchasing technology for student use are making informed decisions.

Does your school division have a policy on school fees? Are there user fees for consumable items in courses like Home Economics or Industrial Arts? Is the fee schedule current? These things can change from year to year, so consult with your staff so that parents receive accurate information.

This is not a meeting item!

I am a firm believer that anything that can be dealt with in a memo should be dealt with in that fashion. Do not waste valuable staff meeting time talking about any of the above, unless it is a matter that requires a discussion or a decision.

My practice has been to distribute a lengthy memo about 8 weeks prior to the end of the school year that deals with all the “administrivia” that is a necessary part of effective school management. Prefaced by a modest apology about the length that follows, it contains specific details related to year end procedures. Not only does it include critical dates and deadlines, but it clearly states who is responsible for what, to whom reports and documents are to be submitted, and where to find the resources to carry out assigned tasks. During those 8 weeks, I make notations about what worked and what did not, and use that as the basis for revisions that are implemented in subsequent years.

Deliberate attention = good practice.

Efficient practice is critical in saving time and bringing clarity to the complex task of successfully concluding the school year. As Principal, one ideally wants to spend one’s time on matters related to instructional leadership. However, there is more than one dimension to the principalship. Efficient practice will provide you with the time to focus on your priorities.

Ironically, it is the absence of sound planning that draws attention. Deliberate attention on effective school management where roles and responsibilities are clearly articulated contributes to a positive atmosphere and a successful end to the school year.

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The Right Tools for the Job: Exploiting Technology for Effective School Administration

In his Diffusion of Innovation theory,  Everett M. Rogers identified the characteristics of groups of people based on how rapidly they embraced an innovation.  Though his research was based on agricultural innovation, his theory holds true across disciplines.  Rogers’ five groups of adopters, from the most enthusiastic to the slowest to adopt included: innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards.

Yes, there are laggards in school administration, though I don’t particularly like the connotations associated with that word.  In most cases, those who are slow to apply new educational technologies have been so not because of any lack of skill or talent, but simply because in the complex world of educational administration, competing demands for time can place technology skill development well down the priority list.

Go with what you know…?

“Go with what you know“ can be a comforting concept.  It frequently occurs that we rely on our tried and true skill set.  Ironically, setting aside a portion of the day to become more proficient at exploiting technology for educational administration has the potential to free up valuable hours for the very functions that school administrators often feel they do not have enough time for.

Email overload, and what do do about it.

Take the wonderful world of email. How often to school administrators rely on this as the sole means of communication with staff and colleagues?  While email is an effective tool, it is woefully inefficient as a means of fostering dialogue amongst a group of people.  Yet because it is the tool we all know, it is frequently over utilized as a means of communication.

Ask a group of school administrators if they would like to reduce the volume of incoming email they face each day. The majority would likely indicate a desire to do that.  Show that same group how to use a discussion board however and only a handful, if any, will embrace and enthusiastically exploit this tool.  Whether it be the anxiety associated with trying something new, the comfort that comes with simply using what you already know, or a combination of those two factors, people will generally resort to their current practice unless the new practice is seen as simple and the advantages are made clear.  Unfortunately, not everything is presented in such a manner.

One highly underutlized resource is the above mentioned discussion board.  This tool is far superior to e-mail communication when the focus is on discussion or collaboration.  In a discussion board, all members can see the contributions and replies of all members.  A question posted on the board has the potential to generate multiple responses which frequently build upon each other to create a rich dialogue.

Discussion boards are also the place to post “information only” items.  I am in the practice of posting all in school memos on a discussion board that is accessible only to school staff.   It is my experience that such items frequently generate questions that I did not forsee.  One can be sure that if one person poses a question or seeks clarity about an information item, others were likely thinking the same thing.

We are frequently sent emails from the school district office with the directive to “forward to Science teachers”, or “forward to staff that you feel may be interested in this topic”.  I don’t have the time to do that, and neither does anyone else in my school need to take time to selectively redirect such messages.  We simply place them on the discussion board where the people that need to see such items may do so.

Also underutilized is the simple tool of instant messaging.  This is effective when you are seeking a quick answer to a direct question.  Whether it is by using a web based system that is frequently built in as part of a school district’s communications system or by text messaging with a cell phone, it is one of the most efficient ways to exchange a dozen or so words with someone with whom you need to connect.  It is immediate and avoids placing yet another email in someone’s inbox – an email that may or may not receive the time sensitive attention it deserves.

I realize that discussion boards and instant messaging are neither new nor cutting edge.  Yet I am frequently surprised to observe the extent to which people continue to rely on what they know and fail to use such simple yet effective resources such as these. Email is a great tool, but if it is the only one in your toolbox, you are likely not exploiting readily available communication technology resources as efficiently as you could be.

It takes more than a single hammer to build a house.  Likewise, a variety of tools are required for effective workplace communication.

Take time to make time.

School administrators should not be afraid to try out new resources as they become available.  One needs to critically analyze how any particular resource can impact on the task at hand and to understand that exploring the resource will take time.  However, investing that time has the potential to pay off in the long run.  Developing a repertoire with regard to technology resources will ensure that regardless of the situation, you will have the right tools for the job.

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Intangible Leadership: 5 Ways to Provide “Soft Support” to School Staff

As principal, one has the potential to exert a tremendous amount of influence on the climate of the school.  An effective school administrator is keenly aware of the factors that can impact upon school climate that are too numerous to address here. Instead my  focus is on an overlooked factor to which I refer as “soft support” for school staff.

What I mean by this is that there are subtle ways that a principal can show school staff that they are valued and supported. I believe that many of these things are simply second nature for effective leaders.  Yet, there is value to taking the time to consciously reflect upon our own day to day actions with a view to improving the way we provide support to those with whom we work every day.

The best way for a school leader to provide such support depends a great deal on personal leadership style, as what works for one person may not work for the next.  However, these five would undoubtedly form a sound foundation:

  1.  Be visible. If you walk into a classroom and are noticed, that should be sign to you that you are not making anywhere near the number of informal visits that you should be making.  What should you do when you visit a classroom?  Ideally, you should go through all the steps of a “walkthrough” that is better described in other books and articles.  At the very least, you should connect with a student by asking what he or she is learning today.  Or acknowledge something that the teacher is doing and make a clear connection to student learning.  Ideally, people should be more surprised to see you in your office than in a classroom or the hallway.
  2. Listen.  If you have developed a good rapport with your teachers, you will likely find that they do not hesitate to seek you out to share something that is on their mind.  In my experience, this may be classroom related, but not necessarily.  Over the course of my long career, I have had staff members come to speak to me to discuss topics about which I never imagined they might seek my consultation.  I have always found that they don’t necessarily need answers from me, so I don’t usually offer them up.  Instead, I employ all the reflective listening strategies I have learned over the years and more often than not simply help the person answer his or her own questions.
  3. Do what’s right.  One Friday afternoon, I had a support staff member come to see me about her pay cheque.  It seems the employer miscalculated – an honest error that resulted in a cheque payable for slightly less than she had earned.  Being  late afternoon on a Friday, she meekly suggested she would wait to resolve the matter after the weekend.  I remember her reaction when I stated that this was simply not acceptable as she was entitled to the full amount right then and there. We immediately got down to the business of correcting the error.  She later told me that  making this issue my immediate priority showed her that her work was valued.  To me it was just the right thing to do.
  4. Find out what people are passionate about, then fund it.  I have had numerous conversations with teachers either beginning a new assignment or starting up a new program.  They invariably come to me full of creative ideas and a question: “What kind of a budget would I have to do this?”  My answer has always been: “Your job is to create phenomenal learning experiences for students, my job is to figure out how to help you make them happen.”  Nothing stymies passionate energy like a fixed dollar figure.  There is always a way to make the things that should happen a reality and when teachers are assured that they have your support for this, they are free to let learning, rather than budget, be the focus.  When you can channel that passionate energy into the classroom and teachers know they have your support in making things happen, everyone wins.
  5. Seize the moment.  From time to time there will arise opportunities for you to do some simple thing that speaks volumes about what you stand for.  The challenge is to recognize and act upon them.  I have always said that I will never ask anyone to do something that I myself was not prepared to do.  Whether it is recognizing how to stand by a teacher who is dealing with a classroom management issue, when to provide supervision support, or when to offer to be a silent observer at a parent-teacher meeting, experience teaches us not only what to do and when and how to do it.  Above all, never underestimate the power of the small gesture.

Leaders who believe that their role is to provide support to those around them tend to understand that they are only as effective as the people around them. It is through bringing out the best in others that we bring out the best in ourselves.

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Student-Teacher Relationships: Just One Side of the Coin

There has been a great deal of focus on the impact of building positive relationships in the classroom.  Who can argue that building interpersonal connections is going to do anything but strengthen one’s ability to reach students in a meaningful way?

One does not have to look very hard to discover a wealth of research and literature on this topic.  The link between student-teacher relationship and student learning is clear.  Wonderful things can happen in the classroom where positive relationships occur in concert with high quality instruction,.

The school is a social place, and school organizations are complex webs of personnel.  Every interaction impacts upon individuals who in turn interact with another, and so on. Yet teachers are expected to build positive student relationships despite the environment in which they find themselves.

The principal is central to establishing a positive school climate which sets the tone for interactions throughout the school.  The rapport he or she establishes with the teachers is echoed in the classroom.  Creating a climate of climate of support, encouragement and commitment to learning amongst staff lays the foundation for classrooms that foster student learning.

Most of a student’s time is spent interacting with people other than teachers.  Educational assistants, counsellors, secretaries, custodians and bus drivers are all part of a student’s day.  Of course most of a student’s time is spent interacting with other students.  So what of these relationships?  If they all impact on the student and by extension the classroom as well, what is the role of the principal in not only facilitating positive student-teacher relationships, but a climate and culture that builds positive relationships at every level?

Some of the most important ways to facilitate this may indirect and not immediately apparent.  Building up an “emotional bank account” with people is really not all that difficult to do.  How long does it take to give a meaningful greeting now and then to each bus driver as he or she pulls into the school yard?  Or to engage a custodian in a conversation where you actively listen to what that person has to say?  You can be certain that engaging in positive interactions with everyone in the workplace will have a ripple effect.

And where does the principal find the foundation on which to build? A culture of positive relationships at the district level where school administrators find the support they need from senior administrators and others.    Of course, the only person that one has any control over is one’s self.  Therefore, as a principal the biggest impact you can have on your school is to build relationships with everyone. Setting the tone will resonate at many levels and can positively in ways that you may never have considered.

While it is important to focus on student-teacher relationships, it needs to be said that that is only one side of the coin.  To facilitate the development of these, the principal  must cultivate relationships at every level and at every opportunity.  Example is the best precept.

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Late for Class…Again

Few things are as frustrating for a teacher than to have a student casually stroll into the classroom well after the lesson has begun. The key to effectively managing late arriving students is to address the behaviour with minimum impact on instruction.  This takes some advance planning, but can be effectively dealt with by teaching the students a routine that they are expected to follow.

Sometimes the first reaction is to prevent a student from entering the class.  Don’t do this.  It withholds instruction from the student and is certain to turn into an issue related to power and control.  Invite students to enter the classroom, even if they are late.  However, teach them how they are to enter and establish a routine as to what they should do.

Here are some suggestions for teachers:

•    Teach them how to enter without drawing unnecessary attention to themselves.  Role play what it should look like.  Be firm.  If they seek attention when they enter, quietly correct them and remind them of the proper way to enter.  Follow up with a conversation about alternate ways to meet needs for attention.
•    Continue your lesson as the student arrives.  Do not interrupt learning.
•    Develop a routine.  For example, if a student enters late, he or she writes both  name and time of arrival on a clipboard or  whiteboard. This will help track just who it is you need to follow up with.  It is also a simple way to collect data to help you identify patterns and to inform your intervention strategies.
•    Consider designating late arrival seating – near the front of the room where disruption is minimized.
•    Prepare a “what I missed” sheet or something similar.  Place the onus on the student to complete it and to show it to the teacher so that it is clear that the student has caught up on the instruction that occurred.  The student may then keep this in his / her notebook.
•    Never engage in power strategies such as locking your classroom door, requiring students to wait a long period of time, or barring admittance outright.  These approaches send the message that students are not welcome in the classroom and do not contribute to an inclusive atmosphere.

Chronic lateness is a learned behavior.  The bad news is that if it has been ingrained in a student’s upbringing, it can cause a lot of frustration as you try to help the student understand that this is unacceptable.  The good news is that a learned behavior can be modified, though it takes patience and a caring non-judgemental approach.

Of course, we want students to avoid arriving late, but when they do it is our response that will nurture responsible behaviour.