A New Learning Journey-Feeling Greater Accountability and Liking It!

As I started this school year, the second at my school, I felt excited and ready to continue working with my staff. Many of the faces remained the same, but there were a couple of new ones, which prompted me to think about what to do at our first staff meeting. I decided I would start the same as last year with stating my values and my expectations of the staff. By doing this, I had to look at my values and make sure they were still the same and they were, as were my expectations. I believe that sharing these two with my staff is an exercise in vulnerability, but I did this last year and I believe it has made for better relationships and hopefully less assumptions. Here is what I shared with my staff:

1.     My Core Beliefs And Values (In No Particular Order)

                                                                 i.     Reflection-learning from mistakes

                                                               ii.     Continuous learning - we are all learners, experts and leaders

                                                              iii.     All children can learn and be successful

                                                              iv.     Relationships are everything

                                                               v.     Start with the end in mind - where are we going and how will we know when we get there? Share this with the students; it’s not a secret!

                                                              vi.     The students are our purpose, what is best for them is at the core of what we do.

                                                            vii.     Honest and open communication - my door is always open

                                                           viii.     Technology can be our friend

                                                              ix.     Parents send us their best kid(s)

2.    Some Basic Expectations I Have Of All Staff

                                                                 i.     We may disagree, but we never argue or yell.

                                                               ii.     Check email once a day. Both your personal mailbox and lee discussions. This is how I prefer to communicate.

- use “reply sender” as opposed to “reply”

                                                              iii.     Please don’t make assumptions about my actions. If you have a question, just ask.

                                                              iv.     No surprises for parents or me.

                                                               v.     Step up.

                                                              vi.     Invite me in.

I am also asking that people complete a goal planning sheet for themselves this year. To introduce the activity, I shared the following video with them and ask them to think about the theme of "Shake the Dust" as they completed their goal planning sheet. 

Most people have filled in and handed in their goal sheets and true to my word, I did not look at them; I just pinned them to my bulletin board where they will remain until June when we look at them again.