'Cause I'm a Wanderer... I Wander Round, Round, Round

    Walking through the areas is the best part of every principal's day, I think! Well, unless it isn't the best part... and then it might be the most frustrating part.... So I am giving some thought this afternoon to being in the classrooms and making the most of it with specific, relevant feedback to help my teachers grow an dmy students succeed. I am attaching the walkthrough forms we are using this year. We created them last year and liked them so much we are giving them a second turn! I know many principals like the checklists and other quick formats. Personally, I like to sit and stay for a while, then give them written comments. We have three different forms that we use (1 for each of the first 3 quarters of school). These focus on my top three instructional loves: Quantum Learning environment, Love & Logic when dealing with children, and Marzano's High Yield Strategies. Walkthrough 1  Walkthrough 2   Walkthrough 3
     This year I stole a great format from my 1st grade teachers and adapted it for my personal use. They use this for all kinds of documentation. Here is page 1 (my chart is 2 pages).  Catherine's chart Each teacher has a square, and I take this with me whenever I leave my office. I might write memory joggers to myself so I can give praise slips to teachers, I might look for a specific quality (ex. no wasted time at the start of class; technology use; teachers monitoring), or if people catch me ("Do ya have a minute?"), I can remember what they wanted. I typed each grade level in a different font to find them quickly. Feel free to steal from me - er, my first grade teachers - and use it!

This is How We Ning It...

So for my first discussion, I want to comment on communication. We started using the Ning at Hamilton Elementary School last year, which I can best explain as a mix of blogging and facebook. Thanks to Mrs. Cheryl Fisher, that smarty pants principal at Keith Elementary, who shared the site and some basic instructions, my staff and I hit the ground running with it. Staff can upload pictures, videos, comments (all of which can be set as "approved by principal" first); events and appointments are added throughout the day; message broadcasts can be sent out (flashy graphics can be added!), and you can add all sorts of buttons, links, etc. We have uploaded all of our handbooks, forms, information, etc. so the teachers can download and print if needed.

Before we Ning'd, I would save up information for my weekly newsletter, but there would still be daily reminders I would need to email. Now I just post it on the Ning. Did teachers forget to check it? Not after I started randomly posting things like, "Jeans tomorrow for everyone who reads this." or "Comment back to the Ning blog within 2 hours for free soda!" They caught on fast!

So, we are in "real time" with our information at HES, and we love it! Check out the Ning at http://www.ning.com/!

Let the Blogging Begin!

One night I was at home looking on line for some reading resources to use when I work with my first grade daughter. I stumbled upon these fantastic blogsites full of classroom tips, collegial support, and instructional links. I thought I could have been such a great teacher if I'd had these blogs as resources (back in the day!), which led me to think about what a great principal I could be if I had them now! I've been searching the net for some sites full of great ideas, and although I have found a couple here or there, the pool is definitely not deep.

So, I have decided to begin my own blog and to challenge other principals to join me by creating their site, too. We can link them together and share great ideas. I work in a district that has over 50 elementary principals, so we cannot possibly get together just to share our thoughts. My "cluster", which is 7 principals, meets monthly to collaborate. We have a great time stealing each others' ideas, and I know everyone would benefit from some of their thoughts.

Join me and let's go global with the principalship!
Leading and learning with you,
Catherine