Effective Evaluations...How does that work?!

Over the summer, I've had a lot of time to reflect on many things from last school year and try to think about how we can be better this year....for our kids.  One of the things I've come back to a few times is trying to figure out how I can continue to implement RISE in such a way that you all see and feel the benefits of it.  One of my fears with evaluation as we currently know it is that it will break down some of what we do with PLCs.  Let's face it, when one puts a number or a score on something like teaching, it can make things difficult.

As I reflected more, I came to realize that it's not that we're putting a score or a number on teaching that makes things difficult, it's the score itself.  You see, I came to realize that nothing sucks us into a fixed mindset quicker than a score.  When a score is assigned to anything we do, we instantly fall into the trap of wondering if it's good enough.  How did I do compared to my colleagues?  Did I do better than yesterday?  Things can get out of control pretty fast and soon we lose the whole point of the score in the first place.

I was reminded of an experience I had my freshman year of college.  It was my first fall and I was running cross country that year, not because of my sly build and gazelle-like flight-footedness, but because I need to try to stay in shape for track.  The first week was terrible  Even though I trained hard over the summer, I couldn't cut it that first week.  I was running with guys who were way out of my league.  I was struggling to just survive practices, let alone find any value in being on the team.   You see, the "scores" I was getting weren't good...compared to those around me.  I wasn't measuring up to them and I began to wonder what the heck I was even doing on team.

I remembered having this "ah ha" moment, one practice, ...as I was alone, ...on a trail, ....because I was so far behind (I had a lot of time to think back there) and I realized that my purpose on that team wasn't to score a bunch of points and win races.  God had me on that team for another reason.  I didn't know what it was at that time, but I knew there was a reason.  I began to focus on my own "scores" and not worry about those around me.  I stopped looking outside, and begin to look inside.  Guess what happened?  My times started dropping!  Instead of being frustrated that I wasn't near the front of the pack, I started seeing the value in the journey.  I saw how all the hard work, made me better; I focused on my improvement.

Now, I'm not saying this is a perfect analogy with what we're doing with RISE.  What I am saying is that the end of the year was tough with those RISE end of year meetings.  We had to put numbers to what you do everyday, for the first time ever for most of us.  That was tough and uncomfortable.  My fear as a leader was that because not everyone's scores were the same, small cracks of division would begin to break down the firm foundations of PLCs we have here at Jefferson.  I hope and pray that hasn't happened.  What I do know is this, unless we're proactive in standing against that tendency to let the "scores" break us down, we can get into trouble. 

So, how do we fight it?  Well, we have to find our purpose.  What is our purpose for teacher evaluation?  Why do we do it?  Let me be clear about what my purpose is for evaluating you this year....it's twofold:  To help you become a better teacher and to help our students achieve at the highest level possible.  That's it.  I want to support you.  My purpose isn't get anyone in trouble, it isn't to fire anyone, it isn't to make your life harder than it has to be.  It is simply to help you get better so that you can be the best for your kids.  Please know that.  The "scores" that you get are simply to give you specific feedback about how you can get better.  It's not a perfect system by any means, but with the right mindset, we can find value in it.  The evaluation committee has also made some critical changes to RISE over the summer that I believe will help us with having the right mindset.   If we focus on using those "scores" to reflect and improve, rather than wonder about and compare to others, we'll see great value in the feedback.   

It wasn't' until I found my purpose for being on that team that my "scores" in this case, times, began to help me, and it won't be until you understand that the purpose of evaluation is to help you that you begin to see the value in this.  It's tough, I know.  None of us love all the parts of RISE, but if we can begin to think of it in a positive way, it'll do great things for us.  

The good news is, I get to learn with you.  I am evaluated just like you are, just with a slightly different rubric.  I get "dropped in" on and I turn in artifacts, so I'm going to have to put up or shut up with this, and I plan on putting up this year....and getting better.  How about you? 

What is Effective?

This past spring, I was invited to be a part of the Indiana Principal Leadership Institute (IPLI).  There used to be a group called the Indiana Principal Leadership Academy.  A few years ago the DOE got rid of this group, but recently, a group of state education leaders and legislators brought it back, with some key changes, and titled it the IPLI.  Anyway, I am in a cohort of 57 principals from around the state who are taking part in this two year institute. 

            Last week, we got started with our first two days down at Indiana State University.  I’ll be very honest with you, when I first headed down to the institute; I wasn’t in the best frame of mind. I was unsure of what this institute would be, I was concerned about how much work it would add to my plate, and I just wasn’t ready to admit that my summer was winding down.  Two days later, I came away feeling energized, encouraged, excited, and pumped up about IPLI!  It was an incredible two days. 

            On day two of the conference, we were able to listen to a lady named Annette Breaux speak.  Annette is an educational leader who speaks all over the country.  She is an expert in many areas, but she was speaking specifically to us about how good teachers, highly effective teachers, impact their students.  She specifically focused on the positive attitude that teachers must have.  Annette is a great follow on twitter (@AnnetteBreaux).   I wanted to share a few quotes/takeaways from her presentation:

§  If students are unclear about what to do, it’s because directions were probably not given clearly enough.  We need to TELL students what to do, SHOW students what to do, ask students to tell us what they need to do, and then have them show us what to do, before we turn them loose on an activity.

§  Bottom line, you don’t see many worksheets or lectures in effective teachers’ classrooms.

§  Students respond to happy sounding teaching.

§  Why does a teacher have a desk in his/her room?  Because a teacher’s classroom is also their office.  However, that desk should only be used when doing office work, NOT when a teacher is instructing students.  Remember, a physical barrier creates a mental barrier, so if a teacher is teaching from his/her desk, chances are kids aren’t learning because there is a physical barrier between he/she and the students.   Typically, effective teachers are only at their desks when kids aren’t in the room.

§  Effective teachers highly utilize student directed, hands on activities. 

§  Effective teachers are enthusiastic, tell stories, laugh, teach in short (10 minutes) segments all alighted to one objective. 

§  When you scream at your students, you publically admit that you can’t control your emotions.

§  It’s not okay to bring your personal lives into your professional lives.  We wouldn’t want our airline pilot, or surgeon’s performance to suffer because of a tough personal situation, and the same is true for our students.  When it’s tough, JUST SMILE! 

§  Always assume the best from your students.

I know you all know and practice many of the things she said, but they were good reminders for me.  The bottom line is we need to be happy and positive for our students regardless of how we feel about things.  We need to make learning fun for our students. 

Anyway, she gave some great ideas for illustrating these principles that I’ll use throughout the year.  In the meantime, if you have thoughts are reactions to the takeaways; I’d love to discuss them with you.  The great news is we have a staff that exemplifies good teaching and is always looking to get better.   I look forward to growing with you this year.  Enjoy your week!

Dave  

Carry on...

Team,

                Good evening!  Does anyone else find it funny that this as turned in to a Sunday night newsletter for me now instead of Friday morning!  Hey, it’s that time of year!  I hope to keep it on Fridays long term as it gives you time over the weekend to read it, but right now, you just gotta do what you gotta do! 

                Speaking of doing what you have to do to get through something, I was reminded this past week that sometimes, just “carrying on” is enough.  You give it your best, and forget the rest!  We are in the ragged days of the year.  There is so much left to do, and so little time.  If we’re not careful, we can stress ourselves out, wear ourselves down, and even make ourselves sick trying to do it all.  I fell victim to this last week as I got knocked out by a bad sinus infection on Friday.  Thankfully, they make awesome antibiotics and I’m feeling better, but I am concerned for all of you. 

                Last week we talked about identifying a target for the remainder of the year and focusing on only it.  This upcoming week will be critical in hitting that target.  Next week, is a lot of fun.  We have graduations, field trips, field day, and awards day.  It’s a fun week to just be with kids.  While it’s hectic, it’s easy to get through that week.  This week is a different story.  This is the week we have to work to tie up loose ends.  We have to finished end of year assessments (F&P, common core, etc.), we have to finish up grades, and we have so much to do.  For me, I am wrapping up end of year scoring for RISE, interviews for next year, and I begin meeting with all of you.  So, it’s a busy week already!  There is a lot on our plates….

                So last week we talked about picking the target, and aiming only on that.  What’s the key to get through this week?  I believe it is to just carry on.  Survive.  Sometimes, it’s just enough to get through.  I remember when I was in college at the beginning of each semester; my professors would sit down and go through the syllabus with us.  As we worked through it in that first class, all the work and projects I would have to do were discussed.  I felt so overwhelmed by the amount of work that needed done!  But you know what????  Somehow, it always got done!  You may be feeling that way tonight.  You may be looking at all you’ve got left to do between now and the end of the year, and you feel overwhelmed.  You have no idea how it’ll all get down.  I’m here to tell you, don’t worry, carry on, it will get done! 

                There’s a popular song out right now called “Carry On” by a group called Fun.  I like these lines,

“If you’re lost and alone,

or you’re sinking like a stone,

Carry On. 

May your past be the sound,

of your feet upon the ground,

carry on…”

While I certainly don’t endorse all of the lyrics, it’s one of those songs that get stuck in your head (link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7yCLn-O-Y0).  You know what makes “carrying on” do-able?  It goes back to what we talked about last week, being grounded in the right target.  If you’ve properly identified what it is you absolutely got to accomplish before May 30, focusing only on it will help you carry on.  Don’t forget, at the end of the day, we are here to inspire and equip….This is the best job in the world!  (Even when it doesn’t feel like it)

                My hope for you, and for all of us this week is that we carry on.  That we get through this week.  That we bring our best for our kids and that we move closer to our target.  Remember, when you feel overwhelmed this week, CARRY ON!  Don’t worry!  It will get done.  Also please know that I am here for you.  If there is anything, anything I can do to alleviate some of your stress, please let me know.  June 1^st will be here before we know it!  Have a great week!  

On Target....

Good evening!  I hope you've had a relaxing weekend.  These last few weeks are really flying by!  We are certainly in the part of the year where it’s a challenge to stay on top of everything.  Last week felt especially stressful for me as we have a lot of things going on right now.

                So what is the key for success during this busy and stressful time of year?  The most important thing for you to successfully complete this school year is focus.  There are so many things going on, so many field trips, end of year tasks like report cards, assessments, track meets, etc. that it’s hard to know what to focus on.  

I was reminded of this concept last weekend.  One of my hobbies, when I actually get some free time is to go skeet shooting.  My brother has a 6.5 acre farm, and we have a group of friends that bought a machine a few years back that throws the clay pigeons into the air for us.  The last time we went out, I was really struggling.  I couldn't hit many targets and it was getting frustrating, and embarrassing.  What I realized about 30 minutes into things was that I wasn't even aiming.  When the clay pigeon was launched, I would bring my gun up to my chin and then fire almost right away without taking the time to really focus on the target.  I was trying to feel  way through things.   Once I realized what I was doing, I began to take my time, find my aim point, and then hit the target.  In fact, in my last set of targets, I didn't miss one! 

                So, how did I get to the point where I was just pointing my gun and not actually aiming at the clay pigeons?  Well, it’s easy.  There are so many things going on, that sometimes you forget the basics.  I ended up falling back on “feeling my way” through the targets.  That’s what humans do when the cognitive part of us, our mind, is overwhelmed….we fall back on our feelings.  These feelings and instincts are good, especially when they are used in conjunction with our cognition, but when relied on only, they can lead us astray.  One of the biggest factors was the time.  Those clay pigeons are in the air for just a matter of seconds before they float to the ground.  I found that I was rushing myself and not doing a good job focusing on the target.  The same thing happens to us at school.  We’re feeling the pressure to wrap up a school year in the last few weeks of school.  We have an incredible amount of work left to do, and if we try to do it all right now, we lose focus, we lose our aim point.  We end up just trying to hang on, to “feel our way” through the end of the year. 

                So the challenge for you, the challenge for me, the challenge for all of us is decide what the target needs to be for the next three weeks, and focus solely on it.  Our challenge is to take the time to think through what we need to accomplish yet this year.  We have to spend some mental energy to ensure that we don’t just take the remainder of the year as it’s thrown out at us, but that we have a clear purpose for what we do these next three weeks.

So, what should our focus be?  Well, we have a good start already; we have a mission, a purpose.  Our mission is to inspire and equip all students to continuously acquire and apply knowledge and skills while pursuing their dreams and enriching the lives of others.  Our mission is our purpose!  So, the question for you to think about today is, what do I need to do over the next three weeks to inspire and equip my students?  You've already come so far with this!  I can tell you, our students are much more equipped than they were when they entered your class.

                My goal for the remainder of this year is to provide that clear direction for all of us.  I want to alleviate as much stress as possible for you and help you know that you are appreciated.  It’s my goal to clearly communicate in these hectic three weeks.  I don’t want you to be unclear about things like checking out of rooms, etc.  I could come up with a million things to work on over the next three weeks, but my goal is to be the best for you that I can be, so that you can be the best for our kids that you can be. 

                So, anyway, remember the word for this week; the word for the next three weeks is focus!  Have an outstanding day!  

Day 1

Under the encouragement and advisement of those I look up to, I have created this blog.  I am a principal at a K-6 elementary school in Northern Indiana.  Every week I type a newsletter to my staff.  Half the newsletter is meant to encourage them for the upcoming week.  The other half is news and notes.  I get a lot of good feedback on the encouragement part, so I'd like to start sharing it here.  I firmly believe that we lead from within ourselves.  It's my hope that as you read this blog, you might find encouragement for your day....whatever that may look like.