As an educational leader, it often feels like the job is impossible. Tasked with enacting change and while at the same to instructed to provide stability, each day is filled with competing expectations. Innovate but be sure to preserve tradition. Enact provincial mandates while honoring local values. Bring about immediate results but also build long-term…
What to do next? The past few weeks have been somewhat of a blur. Not the “I’m so busy I can’t remember” type of blur. Instead, they’ve been a blur because I’ve been trying to figure out exactly which path to take next. How to Explain This? Like a few other administrators that I…
Over the past three or four years, I’ve wondered if my voice in education really matters. As a principal, my voice has impact within the building where I am and it has impact, to some extent, in the school community where I am. But, really, does it matter? Since I began my career as a…
Rethinking Homework by Cathy Vatterott discusses the place homework has in school life. She explores the beliefs behind homework and then looks at strategies for assisting students with completing homework. I especially found the first portion of the book very helpful. The discussion about the beliefs about homework (p10-24) provided some good information that I…
This post is coming from that feeling one sometimes gets when one knows that something just has to happen. It’s all kind of names – guiding voice, spirit, … – something I’ve been listening more go lately because, really, following my head hasn’t really been working all that well. It is a bit rambling –…
What’s the message? Crossposted at EdAdministrators2.0 The past two and a half years have been difficult as a school leader. We have moved two schools – a K-6 and a 7-12 – into a new building. As we started this process we did a number of team building activities and had staff meetings together. The…
Today I get to watch my daughter play hockey. She’s a goalie. Anyone who hasn’t played that position doesn’t really understand the position. It’s lonely at times, with a great deal of pressure. As I watched her today, it’s amazing how much she has improved from the beginning of the season. Heck, how much she…
Isn’t it becoming a bit redundant to say “21 century” already. I mean, 10 years ago it sounded so “new” and almost futuristic. Today, it’s starting to sound like someone hasn’t quite figured out where they’re living. This is especially true of education where we tend specialize in acronyms and titles. 21st Century Learning/ 21st…
To some, this may come across as a bit whiny, to others, a bit egocentric and to a few in the crowd, it will be , like, WTH. That’s okay. As an administrator, I’ve learned that many people do not see the full picture of what takes place in schools – no matter how transparent…
Having been around twitter and SM for quite awhile, I’ve noticed a shift in content of what people are writing about and the proliferation of “quotable quotes” that seem to fill space. Now, I don’t often write/blog as I find there are other ways to connect and share. (I do have some thoughts on that…