Learning as I go

I've often joked with my students and staff that I'd rather be a student than a principal.

Now I find that I can be both.

Sections of the Teacher Quality Standard and Principal Quality Standard deals with being a lifelong learner. This is the best part of my job. I can learn as I go.

This year I am taking two leadership courses: one through the Northern Tier Leadership Group and one through my district principal's group. It's amazing how they dovetail one another. Just this last month, I've had the good fortune to be part of a classroom walkthrough at a colleague's school through our principal's group and the tools we are using in that group are enhancing the work we are doing with Northern Tier.

This last meeting I had with one of my Northern Tier leadership facilitators gave me the opportunity to reflect on what I have learned lately. I have not come to these learnings overnight. I would say that it is a culmination of what has been going on these last few months since I made a conscious decision to take time to reflect and write about what I am doing as leader. These are my key learnings so far:
1) Getting into the classrooms is key
2) Discussions about learning help me grow as a leader and give me the opportunities to let staff know what is important to me as leader
3) Staff meetings should be run like a lesson plan, with the essential ingredients: a beginning set, list of outcomes, connections to previous learnings, good questions, time for staff to come up with solutions, time for staff to think and share with each other, time for staff to reflect on what is being decided, a next steps plan, and closure.
4) Key messages need to come out of every important meeting and these messages need to go to all stakeholders
5) The professional development needs to come first, then the every day business.
6) My role as principal is to serve my students and staff.

I know I have much more to learn. I would, however, like to take this time to thank my administrators and my staff for supporting me in my own learning and allowing me to take opportunities to practice what I have learned. I would also like to thank two exemplary teachers that have facilitated my learning and growth this year: Bill Hoppins with Northern Tier Leadership and Shirley Styles with the principal's leadership group. I hope they don't mind me using their names here. I'm almost positive that there are others out there that are having the same learning experiences I am having as leader of instruction at my school.

It's because of the support of our district administrative team and the learning opportunities I have experienced these past two years, expecially in the last few months, that I have become more confident and happier in my role as principal.