Staff Newsletter
because it helps to know what's going on
10 Ways to Truly Lead in Your Classroom
They are watching.
Every moment students spend in our rooms, amid the business of the day, the paper pushing and content coverage, amid the set-up and tear-down of projects, they hear everything we say. About ourselves. About the world. About them. They watch how we handle ourselves when we are pressed for time and when we receive gifts and when we screw things up. So yes, deliver your curriculum. Yes, provide rich, hands-on, authentic learning experiences. Offer rigorous academic challenges. Raise the bar. Coach and guide. Nurture. Push. Advise. But also be: To truly lead is to pay attention to who we are in the downtime, in the margins. To help them become the best people they are capable of becoming, we must first be those people. We can do it in these ways:
1. Lead with imperfection.
Try things you're not good at, right in front of them. Demonstrate a spirit of experimentation. Speak of your mistakes without judgment.
2. Lead with assertiveness.
Show them how a self-assured person says no. Show what it looks like to set firm limits, without apology and without hostility.
3. Lead with relationships.
Let them hear you laugh with other teachers, prioritize loved ones, and speak respectfully of your significant other. Let them see what healthy relationships look like.
4. Lead with language.
Use the right words to describe concepts. Avoid dumbing things down. Savor a good word when it presents itself.
5. Lead with self-control.
When a student makes you angry, think of how you tell students to handle their own anger. Then do that.
6. Lead with manners.
Say please and thank you. Avoid cutting people off mid-sentence. Have sensitive conversations in private. Respect other people's time.
7. Lead with quality.
Take a few extra minutes to get something right. Do what you say you're going to do. Proofread.
8. Lead with humor.
Laugh. Be silly. Don't take yourself too seriously. Avoid mocking or ridiculing your students. Mock yourself instead.
9. Lead with enthusiasm.
Share your obsessions. Geek out on the things students think are uncool. Show them that it's possible to fall in love with a forest, a perfect pizza crust, the moment when a song changes key.
10. Lead with humility.
When you don't know something, say so. Allow for the possibility that you might occasionally be wrong. Check your ego. Apologize.
To stand before children—share physical space with them day after day—is a rare privilege. In every minute we spend together, they will learn something. Whatever it is we put before them, they will learn from it.
Let's make it good. ♥ Cult of Pedagogy Podcast Episode 100
Reflections
1. How will you be make a great first impression when you meet your students and parents?
2. Have you reviewed the staff handbook? Did you catch any changes?
3. Have you reviewed the fire, evacuation, and lock down plans/map for your classroom?
4. What activities will you plan to create the culture you want in your classroom?
Upcoming Dates
Aug. 8: First Day with students
Aug. 13: Girl Scouts will speak at lunch
Aug. 13: Tina takes Libby to Purdue :-( Kleenex welcome
Aug. 14: Boy Scouts will speak at lunch
Aug. 20: Mason leaves for Basic Training :-( More Kleenex welcome
Aug. 22: Read Up Training
Aug. 23: Picture Day
Aug. 23: Parent Night (Please advertise Parents Only) 3rd-5:45, 4th-6:45
Aug. 29: Data Team
Aug. 30: Read Up Training
Sept. 6: Read Up Kickoff
Sept. 7: CIC Meeting
Sept. 10: School Board Meeting
Sept. 12: Official Start to Read Up (students attend every Wed. and Thurs.)
Sept. 17: S2S Meetings begin (send Tina a Calendar invite between the 17th and 28th)
Sept. 24: Data Team Meeting
Oct. 1: Kkids 1st meeting
Oct. 5: Book Fair begins
Oct. 8: Parent/Teacher Conferences begin
Oct. 12: End of quarter 1
Oct. 15: Fall Break begins
Oct. 22: "healthy choices week" begins
Social Committee
We appreciate $25 from certified staff and $15 from classified staff.
Jeans
Open House
Representatives from the Transportation Department will be on hand in the cafeteria if parents have questions regarding Bus numbers or pick up times.
Parents may deposit lunch money with food services in the cafeteria.
Kelly or Sarah will be available to help any parents who need to complete the online registration.
Sandy will be available for any parents who need to speak to the nurse.
PTO and the Boy Scouts will have information tables set up.
I will be in the main hall meeting, greeting and helping to direct parents to the classrooms.