3 Lessons Learned in 2014

As we look forward to new goals for 2015, I also like to look back and reflect on what I have learned about leadership this past year.  Here goes:

Lesson #1 - Hire Learners

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When interviewing possible candidates, I have always wanted to find the most qualified, compassionate teachers.  I have long searched for experts, teachers who know how to manage classrooms, design creative lessons, and engage students.  Often I have looked for teachers with many years of experience, as I expect they can jump right into the fray.  Some can (and do).  Others, though, cannot.  What I have learned is it is more important to hire educators who see themselves as learners first than it is to hire a pedagogy expert.  If they are deeply committed to their own professional growth and recognize that we are all always a works-in-progress, then they are teachers I want on my staff.

While my interview questions continue to include inquiries about content, pedagogy and management, I also include some about their professional goals and (most importantly) their plans for achieving them.  Now I ask, "What is the best critical feedback you have received, and how are you working to improve in this area?"  I ask, "What professional journals do you read regularly?  What article intrigued you most and why?  How have/would you use the ideas in your classroom?"  I ask, "What workshops have you attended because they interested you?  What were your takeaways?  How have they influenced your teaching?"  These answers tell me a lot about candidates' commitment to themselves, their students and the profession.

Lesson #2 - Make Time for Paperwork (and Protect It)
Gosh, I have been terrible at this one for many years.  I have had good intentions of carving out time to complete reports, curriculum documents, etc., even blocking out time on my calendar to catch up on the paperwork.  And yet, I would fall prey to meeting requests and schedule them during these paperwork time slots.  I'd open my e-mail and spend the entire hour writing responses rather than observations.  Thus, I'd be stuck with looming deadlines to submit all the required documents on time.  Can you say stress?  Ugh...it was terrible and paralyzing.  Well, no more.

This year I dedicated time for paperwork and stuck to it (with some exceptions, of course).  I allotted time each morning and afternoon to e-mail, shutting it down for long periods in the middle of the day.  I let the phone go to voicemail and said no to less-than-urgent meetings so that I could dedicate whatever time I had blocked out during the day (whether 15 minutes or 1 hour) to complete paperwork.  I even closed my office door and plugged myself into headphones to help me stay focused on the task at hand.  I protected paperwork time as best as I could.  Did it eliminate all work at home?  Of course not.  But it has greatly lessened it and my stress.  

Lesson #3 - Be a Cheerleader
I often say I am the luckiest supervisor on the planet (because I am).  I work with smart, motivated educators who are passionate about literacy and their students' learning.  And they are so, so talented.   Last year, I realized, though, I wasn't doing a good job at encouraging my teachers to travel beyond their classroom walls to attend professional workshops and to share their ideas with others.

Now I make time to find workshops that interest my teachers and advocate for them to attend.  I encourage them to submit session proposals for conferences and to compose articles for professional journals.  I even invited a few teachers to lead a Twitter chat on independent reading at the secondary level.  Truth be told, I have one or two teachers who would do this anyway.  But I now view it as an important part of my job to make sure I encourage my teachers get out of the building, learn from their peers and to share their good work with others.  Some people just a little push, a little "Hey, Hey, you can do it if you put your mind to it."  It has been great watching many of them from the sidelines as they experience all our profession has to offer.  

I can't wait to see what lessons are in store for me in 2015!