You Don't Wash a Rental Car- Improve Staff Ownership

If you own it, you care for it more.  This principle applies to more than just vehicles but as the saying goes, "You don't wash a rental car."  Why would you? Take the scenic route. Drive through mud. Eat in it.  After all, when you return it, someone else has the unenviable task of cleaning it.

Unfortunately,  the school community is sometimes guilty of adopting this mindset. After all, surely there will be someone there after us to take up the challenges and opportunities that arise. "The new teachers will be in the career longer than me." "There's always a new fad, just a rehash of old ideas or acronyms." "Why do we have to do this?"

The challenge with staff development and professional learning is that too often, teachers have heard the same ideas, movements, etc. through the years too often with little follow up or adequate resources to actually improve learning.  So the heart of the matter is ownership. If faculty/staff do not feel any ownership regarding a movement or a change within the school or district, your buy in and ownership are null. This is why teachers need to be involved in the decision making process and leadership of an initiative or movement.

As a new principal, my plan to achieve buy in and ownership with changes is a simple line of questions.

1. What do our students deserve?
2. How is ______ what is best for kids?
3. What/how will ______ look in my classroom?
4. How will we know that ____ is working?
4. Now what?

I believe the best question is the last one.  It requires the conversation to continue. Administrators and teachers must develop an action and follow up plan.  Resources need to be committed to improving student learning and achievement. By having this discussion with staff when embracing the unknown or new whatever, anxiety is decreased, ownership is increased and best of all, your school culture benefits. You no longer have a "Here's what I think we should do" mindset but a "Here is what we have agreed is needed to ensure success for all" norm for operating.  A little wordier...but it does the job. 

You Don't Know What You Don't Know

I have been a school administrator for about 18 days now.  In these 18 days, I have talked with staff, parents, board members, and students.  I have also connected with former members of my graduate school cohort.  One of the most refreshing things shared with me by one of those former cohort members was a much needed reminder.  I asked her how her first year of being a principal was.  Part of her reply was important for me to grasp, "I didn't know what I didn't know."

Graduate programs prepare fresh batches of administrators with the organizational, theoretical, and experiential foundations necessary for licensure.  However, much like being a first year teacher, being a first year administrator can be daunting. You cannot be prepared for everything.  I have been told that if I am an administrator long enough, nothing will surprise me.  The amount of paperwork already indicates that I will be reading more than I probably have since grad school. Here is what I have learned so far...

ASK FOR HELP...
I have been unclear on some of the acronyms in my new school.  I didn't know where the paperclips were. I wasn't sure what the hours were for the open house. I am still not sure how the fire alarm system works.  So rather than sitting, pondering where the paperclips might be or taking a guess at what the long string of consonants meant, I asked.  Who did I ask?  The school secretary and my predecessor.  Finding people who can help me understand and uncover what I need to know to be effective is critical to my success and happiness as a school leader.  This is also where social media becomes helpful as I work with my PLN through various twitter chats to gain understanding and ask for advice.

BALANCE...
I could have taken July off.  OK, probably not.  Maybe in fifteen years. I wanted to get an early start on figuring out what I don't know and what needs to be taken care of in the weeks leading up to school.  I recognize that this first year will be full of learning.  I plan to take on all that I can but balance is critical to being effective. Seeing my wife and daughter are important to me.  Catching up with friends and former colleagues will be refreshing.  If I have been told one thing repeatedly in my career, it is that balance life and work and happiness will ensue.  Balancing home and career, time for personal and professional growth, and perhaps balancing my diet will allow me to be a better principal and healthier person overall.  We'll see about the diet part.

ADMIT WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW
Since I don't know what I don't know, I will be learning all year.  This is okay.  I have already accepted that I am not Superman.  This is not an admission of failure but a recognition of fact.  There might will be mistakes (hopefully not many) and situations I likely could have handled differently.  If I am honest and admit what I don't know before it gets out of hand, I might just be all right. Recognizing a learning opportunity is something I plan to become skilled at. However, failing to file forms on time and claiming, "I didn't know" will probably result in a fairly short administrative career. Don't rest on "I don't know" but instead recognize and learn what it is that is needed to know and do.

So far...my desk top is fairly organized.  By August 10, I assume that will have changed. All we can do is what is best for kids.  If the desk is cluttered but the school is effective, the staff and students are happy and learning, and I am doing what is right for all- I'm okay with a few piles of paper.