Where has the time gone?

Wow! It's hard to believe this is the end of the term. It has been a good ride and I have bittersweet thoughts about the end.

Bittersweet because I am so ready for a break. A break from everything - yet I enjoy the conversations we have during class. The weekly reflection activities really helped me to learn about myself.

Now what will I do?  

Bring on the Challenge

 

Overcoming obstacles can be quite daunting at time, 

but they can also be a stepping stone to something better.  

My mission at school is to create a team that is willing to learn together, and succeed together. It certainly has been a struggle. On the other hand...it has been a positive learning experience. I know that other obstacles will arise, but I am not going to let anything get in the way of my mission! 

So bring it on world and show me what you've got!

Oh! Those Frustrations!

     The last post was about Happiness so I thought I would discuss Frustrations this time. I have talked about attracting the "happiness" attitude. Sometimes things occur in our day that makes us stressed. Take for instance, the other day, I knew my frustration level was peaking. The students were not responding to activities in the expected manner. I thought about this momentarily, then took a deep breath to try to change my attitude and not let my stress show on my face. Honestly, I was trying to get myself to start thinking positively so the stress factor would dissipate.
     During this brief moment of recollecting my positiveness, the student next to me said, "Mrs Haney....if you are frustrated, you should count to 10. If that doesn't work, then count to 100!"  We both chuckled at the same time, and the mood changed. Whether it was because I took a deep breath to change my thoughts, or that the student gave me a light hearted comment, or whether it was a combination of both, I am unsure. This train of thinking works in all aspects of our day.
     There are times when we are frustrated with our colleagues, our friends, and our family. If we could change the negativity into a positive thing or even provide others with an explanation as to why we are frustrated, I think it would go a long way. It is a starting point working toward collaboration...problem solving and working together as a unit.

Happiness

Click here for a little happiness!
Happiness is important for our well being. I chose to be happy today - for the most part anyway. I need to learn to change my attitude when things begin to take a downward turn. Sometimes I forget that I can control how the rest of the day is going to turn out, but upon reflection, I realize that I can easily change my attitude - I just need to put forth that effort, especially on those days that I do not feel so exhuberant.

Applying this principle at school is something I would like to get the students to adopt. Sure, being in a pleasant nature may rub off on others. Generally, my students get so defensive when something, or someone is bothering them, that their mood continues to spiral downward. I want to be able to empower them by showing that they can determine how a typical day would unfold.

Show case your inner spirit, it will rub off on those near you. :)
And if you are having a bad day....put a little Bob Marley in your day and start singing.

The Secret

Lately I have been reading "the Secret." The principles in this book have made me realize that anything is possible if you put yourself in the right frame of mind.

This philosophy can easily be brought into the world of education planning. It is difficult to get people to be excited about planning. However, if you apply the "law of attraction" to your planning, you will get what you seek. If you go about preparing to plan with a dreading persona, then everyone will feed off that attitude, and they too will adopt that "feeling."  Like a spiral, things can get out of hand pretty quickly, unless you are ready to make an effort to change.  If you go into a planning phase by being excited, or at least, have a positive outlook, good things will transpire.

This past year has been a time of adjustment and growth for me. I am new to the administrative position and I am trying to get my staff to change as a school. It has been challenging, yet I go to work each day with the attitude that I am responsible for how I want the day to turn out. For most of the time, the day goes as I plan; I enter the school with a smile on my face and I pass it along. It seems to be working...so I am going go with it!

You are in control of what will happen....

Rules

Rules, rules, rules.

Sometimes I think we have too many rules. When this happens to me, it usually is due to the fact that the rule or rules have become a road block to me in some way. To co-exist in a peaceful manner with one another, we need to adhere to rules. Generally, I can follow rules and be comfortable following them. On occasion I have been known to bend the rules to accommodate the circumstance. Other people may be strict rule followers....is one better than the other?

One rule that I do not steer from in work, school or personal life is the Golden Rule of "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Maybe I have my head in the clouds with this one, but I feel that everyone deserves fair and just treatment. Respect at school has become our focus and something that I am asking kids to stop and think about during an altercation. They need to consider whether the action or comment was necessary or was it hurtful. Sometimes when we put things into perspective by asking ourselves if we would want to be the person on the receiving end of harmful actions, it is enough to initiate reconsideration and approach the problem differently.

As a new principal, I am wary about how I approach things. Leading with my heart and my head together I try to present situations in a manner that is non-threatening, and encourages engagement. Before I approach a situation, I consider how I would feel at the receiving end. Always, it is important that I do things in a non-threatening way. By making an attempt to always focus on a positive helps me build the bridge between principal and teacher and student. Everyone likes to hear about positive things...it makes you feel good.

One final comment on this...

Every situation has its own circumstances, therefore applying strict rules may not be wise. One set of shoes does not fit every person, sometimes adjustments need to be made, so that we can all be comfortable and perform to the best of our abilities. With that being said....I gotta go dig out my extra warm boots....taking my students on a field trip. I will be sure to follow the road rules along the way though.

ripples to waves

Well one activity that we had to do this week was reflect upon a story that created change and consider what made it so special. Once I sat down and the thought came to mind I was able to rattle off quite a story from beginning to end. Upon glancing over it now....I must say things have changed in my world because of one small change.

Its amazing how one ripple in the water can create a wave that is felt all across the bay.

A few years ago I was content just being a mom and a teacher. Sure, I wished I could have worked as a full-time teacher, but it just was not in the cards for me at that time. I had a complacent attitude and thought everything would work out and I would eventually earn my right to be a full-time teacher in my current position.

HAH! Talk about being naive.

My administrator always told me that I should consider different avenues and not expect the current job to be my only choice. That fall, as enrollment would have it, my position was taken by someone with more seniority and I was left looking for another position. Looking back, that is when the change happened.

Since then I have realized I CAN teach other grades. I started out as a nursery school teacher and have taught every grade up to 12 and even adult learners. I also took it upon myself to go back to university and earn the credentials that would make me a bit different than every other k-12 teacher - I wanted to stand out.

Thus began my adventure in the masters program - special ed. Here is where the ripple has slowly changed into that of a bigger wave.  I was satisfied in this new role as a student and mother until a new teaching/administrative position was posted in my school division. Again, I figured...."Nah....I'm only meant to be a teacher."  Well you just never know what the wind will bring in with the wave....I applied and got the job.

Suddenly, my vision had changed...how on Earth would I be able to manage a leadership role. Me? My superintendent gave me a few words of encouragement....he simply told me I was hired because they knew I had the heart and mind to effectively lead this school.  So....after speaking with Ina in the grad office, I added another masters to my journey....educational administration.

It is funny how one person's choice (seniority pushing me out) caused me to take this new road....now I have bigger dreams and step-by-step I am floating closer to becoming what I have set out to do.

Gotta love those waves.