Trimester Two

March came in like a lion; the month began with a snowstorm and we also started giving the required state tests. It seems premature- testing students to determine proficiency in a grade level, having completed only two thirds of the year. Teachers are trying to stay positive, but definitely feel the pressure of high stakes accountability. Plus, the district and teachers' union are negotiating a new contract. Budget woes, deficits, and media coverage of  Wisconsin politics chip away at moral. As we head into the last trimester and look ahead toward next year, uncertainty looms...
So, my job is to build confidence, stay positive, and keep the staff and students moving forward.


Trimester Two Reflections


Successes

• We're implementing a schoolwide behavior plan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxipAyKwWqA&feature=player_embedded

• Professional development is a focus for staff. Recently, a dozen teachers spent 8 hours working on strategies to implement instructional technology. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xunx2AxrjXs&feature=player_embedded

• I have completed many formal observations and should have all teacher evaluations completed on time. 

• My primary goal was to build relationships with staff, students and parents. I feel I am on the right track, especially with staff and students. I am still working on getting to know parents. A couple of weeks ago, I watched as our superintendent walked through the building. He greeted everyone and was naturally so welcoming. As I watched him, I realized that I don't do that well.... It's something I need to work on.

Challenges

• Keeping my desk clean and getting to the bottom of each pile.

• Focusing on what's important. Although I'm in classrooms every day and have completed the required observations, I don't feel like I have had the time to really debrief with everyone. I also wish all teachers used some kind of electronic lesson planner. That way, I'd have a better idea of the day to day pacing, instructional  practices, etc. 

• Connecting with other principals.

Goals for the rest of the year

1. Celebrate and recognize quality work.
2. Create a schedule for next year with common reading blocks, math blocks, and planning time for grade level teams.
3. Work with staff to redo the handbook.
4. Find $ for document cameras (5) and computers for an intervention lab (6-12).
5. Create a professional development plan for next year. Recently, our Title team surveyed the staff and the results should contain information regarding professional development needs.

So much to do... Still learning... Just taking it a day, week, month at a time!

Sooo mad!

He is mad, but at school he usually keeps those feelings under control. At times though, his anger comes to the surface. Unable to keep it in, he lashes out using his fists or by flashing a look of disgust or power. To take charge of his life, he tries to take power over others. On the playground and on the street- he leads, usually through intimidation or the threat of force. 

He's smart and when he applies himself, he can keep up with the students at the top of his class. He says he likes school. And although nobody in his family has been to college, he has aspirations to be either a professional wrestler  :)  or a pediatrician. 
After spending many hours with him in in-school suspension, I think I know WHY he bullies. His mom works at night, usually until 2AM. She is not home in the evenings, so he is home alone with two older siblings. They wander the streets or the mall. He often tags along with one of the older brothers and high school friends. I'm certain he hears and sees things inappropriate for a fifth grader. He doesn't have a schedule or support for homework or extra curricular activities. Because he's not supervised, he is unaccustomed to structure. He's not used to any kind of follow through, and when someone follows up on him, he is uncomfortable.  Life is tough at home, and he takes charge of his life by trying to take charge of others.
He lashed out at his teacher. His classmates are tired of his behavior. So he has been with me for several days. When he goes to class, I'm with him. If he goes outside for a break, an adult is with him. The plan is to separate him from his peers for awhile and help him relearn the behavior expectations. He'll need to work things out with his teacher before he returns to class full time. I know he's been bored with this new routine, but he's kept his cool so far. I'm surprised he hasn't acted out toward me. And actually, we've had some pretty honest discussions. 
I like this angry kid. I hope our work will stick and our voices will become a part of his conscience. Down the road, when he has to make a choice, I hope he'll stop...think...and decide to do the right thing.

A little New Year Humor

The new year began with the usual parade of students in and out of the office...

A little boy sat at the table near the office late one morning wearing his coat and backpack. As I approached him he said, "Gotta go home! I'm a pooper!". It turns out he had diarrhea.

One morning a 3rd grader who is learning English came to tell me that his sister would not be in school that day.
"Is she sick?" I asked.
He nodded, yes.
"What is wrong?"
He hesitated, thinking about how to describe her illness. Then he made a motion near his mouth. "She blew up," he answered.

Hills, no. MOUNTAINS to climb!

We all have faced challenges in our lives. But today, as I talked to a fifth grade boy, I  tried to remember when I realized I had real challenges to overcome. I know I wasn't ten.

Jamie has been in my office a couple of times this year. His name comes up occasionally as I talk to other kids. He can be rough, and he uses foul language at times. His last name is notorious in the neighborhood as his older brothers are often in trouble and are suspected vandals. Because they're left alone, they get into mischief.  But Jamie is a likable kid. He has bright eyes and owns up to his mistakes. His grades are good, mostly B's, and he is learning to play the cello.

Yesterday, Jamie was disrespectful to staff and had to spend lunch and recess with me today. As we ate lunch together, I found out a little more about Jamie's life. They are being evicted and as of today didn't have a plan for living arrangements. One of the older boys will go and live with "real" dad. Jamie does not want to do that. He's hoping to be able to stay with step dad. Mom has talked about possibly going to stay with a friend or relative. Jamie does not want to do that as he'd have to change schools. He's been at our school for most of his elementary years. Things at home are stressful.

But, I know there are things I cannot change. So we talked about making choices and controlling anger... And then I told Jamie that I knew his teacher really liked him. He looked me right in the eye. I said, "You know, she thinks you have potential. Do you know what potential means?" He shook his head. "Well, it means she thinks you're smart and can be a good student and go to college after high school."  We talked about his grades and what he liked about school. He told me about  his step dad who had his own business, but is back in school and wants to be an engineer.
Then, Jamie said, "My dad graduated from high school. But he didn't really do anything after that. He kind of turned into a bum."

Imagine realizing your dad is a bum. Imagine not knowing where you're going to live. Imagine not being able to count on your parents for support and having to leave the only people you can count on and the routine that you can depend on. Imagine having no control over what will happen. It's more than most of us have ever had to deal with. But, it's what some of our students deal with daily.

Real Math Reform

On the recent snow day, I had time to watch the TED talk by Conrad Wolfram: Teaching kids real math with computers . He recommends that we make math in school connect to math in real life. To do this he suggests focusing less on computation and more on critical thinking and problem solving in the real world. Wolfram says that because of technology, math has been liberated from computing. 


http://www.ted.com/talks/conrad_wolfram_teaching_kids_real_math_with_computers.html


Could we really turn math education upside down? Could we make programming a part of math instruction? Are we ready to teach without teaching the basics first????

Snow

Yesterday was the first day of winter at school. Opening day occurs on the day snow covers the grassy field and the blacktop becomes a slippery surface for sliding. At our school there are two snow rules.
1. Snow stays on the ground. If a snowball is thrown, the thrower will have to stand by wall.
2.The teacher on duty has the right to determine if a child is unsafe on the ice or equipment.

It was a joyful day for the children. Throughout the morning, from inside their classrooms, they watched snowflakes fall. When it was time for recess they bundled up and ran outside to play in the snow. And they ran, and they slid, and caught snowflakes on their mittens.  Fun!

Two six year olds couldn't resist temptation and had a snowball fight. When asked to stop, they couldn't quite hear the duty's direction, so they were escorted to my office. I asked them if they remembered their teacher's snow rules. "Yeah," one boy said, "I remembered. But it was the wind."
"The wind?"
"The wind blew into my ear and said 'Thhhhhhrrrrooooowww snnnnoooow'!"

Darned old wind!

Bullying

Definition
Bully 
One who is habitually cruel or overbearing, especially to smaller or weaker people. noun
To be cruel or over bearing, especially to smaller or weaker people. verb

Is This Bullying?

According to the Institute for Educational Research and Service, bullying is intentional, repeated, one-sided (a child who bullied is not remorseful, child who is bullied gets hurt) and involves the abuse of power. It is sometimes direct and can involve hitting, pushing, property damage, name calling or verbal abuse, or the use of obscene gestures. Indirect bullying can involve spreading rumors, exclusion, or getting another person to do the dirty work. Cyber bullying can be direct or indirect. 


The Institute for Educational Research and Service also clearly states that there is a difference between normal peer conflict and bullying. Because of recent media obsession with the topic, the line between normal peer conflict and bullying has blurred, and it seems some people believe all conflict between children at school involves bullying. 


I totally understand the hysteria. I mean, gosh, just look at poor Demi Lovato. The Disney star was recently on tour with the Jonas Brothers and snapped. Unable to control her anger, she hit a dancer.  It seems she's had a troubled past and needs to go into a treatment program. According to a CNN program, the root of her problems is not that she is an indulged child star, but that she was bullied. These days, news stories related to bullying are everywhere- from our local newspaper to People magazine.  


About a month into the school year, a group of kindergarteners got into a scuffle at recess. They all wanted to climb on a piece of play equipment and instead of taking turns, they all tried to climb it at the same time. They pushed, pulled, and one girl kicked. The teacher on duty sent the group to my office. Each child told their version of the incident, and in the end it was clear that this was a teachable moment. This group of students, new to school and the playground, needed some strategies for group play. We discussed and practiced making better choices and taking turns. We practiced using I statements and going to get help. We role played. Then I went into each kindergarten class and taught a short lesson.


The next day, I got a call from an angry parent who wanted to know what I was going to do about the bullying in kindergarten. The parent read the district's bullying policy and then described what had happened on the playground. Consequences were necessary, and parents should have been notified... I just listened and then explained what had actually occurred. I was told that what we'd done was not satisfactory and that if her child was ever involved in any kind of conflict, she needed to be notified. 


I encourage and appreciate parent involvement, but honestly, that was over the top. 


Problem solving, resolving conflict, and strategies for dealing with bullying are a part of the school curriculum. All teachers and the school counselor are working to help teach those important life skills. And because of the publicity, we're being more explicit and direct as we teach the skills. We can do a better job, and we're working on it. Our school is a safe and caring place. Is there some bullying? Yes. But we're working to deal with it. And we want and NEED parent support. But if Johnny is being bullied at home by an angry dad, he might come to school and do just what he's learned at home. We need to teach him strategies to cope with anger and conflict. 


So, for now, we're encouraging a team approach to this issue. Everyone needs to work together- the school, the parents, and the children. And the team needs to be educated to be able to separate bullying from normal peer conflict. Because conflict is a part of life. We all have to deal with it and it comes in many different levels and from many sources.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7RPCFfudmU