Our School’s 12 Days Before Winter Break

This year I was inspired to lead a 12 Days before winter break for my staff by many of the great leaders I am connected to on Twitter and Voxer. I spent weeks gathering ideas before landing on the sequence you will find below. I spent hours preparing for the various tasks that required assembly or setup. It was a labor of love.

Why did I take the time to plan and carry out these 12 Days of Christmas? Because I was able. Because I want my staff to know how important they are. Because we need a little joy during this stressful time of year! I shared out the ideas on the Friday before the week began through our weekly staff bulletin and I have to say it was a success! If you ever feel the need to lighten the load for your staff an event like this is truly worth it.

“This year, beginning Tuesday, December 6th through the last day of work December 22nd, we want to show our gratitude and thanks for being such an amazing staff by celebrating the “12 Days Before Winter Break” goodies and fun. We appreciate each and every one of you for all that you do to make MMS a family. We hope that you enjoy your 12 days of fun!”      

On the 11th day before winter break my principals gave to me…

On the 10th day before winter break my principals gave to me…

“We are so grateful for all that you do! We know that this is an insanely tough job, but appreciate all that you do to not only get your kids better, but to become better yourselves. The hardest part of being a teacher is knowing that you never truly know that full impact of what you do. You make a difference!”   

On the 9th day before winter break my principals gave to me…

On the 8th day before winter break my principals gave to me…

On the 7th day before winter break my principals gave to me…

On the 6th day before winter break my principals gave to me…

On the 5th day before winter break my principals gave to me…

On the 4th day before winter break my principals gave to me…

On the 3rd day before winter break my principals gave to me…

On the 2nd day before winter break my principals gave to me…

On the day before winter break my principals gave to me…

Reflecting on this process, in an effort to learn from the experience, I know that the staff really enjoyed the “spirit days” where they could wear jeans. The best part about that is it is free! The coffee, tea, hot cocoa bar was a HUGE hit, especially since it happened to fall on a frigid morning that forced us to have a late start! Ugly Sweater Day was full of smiles and I am going to add a competitive edge to it next year (thanks to @GustafsonBrad). However, when the dust cleared and everyone left for their break my favorite day was handing out the thank you notes. I connected with each of my staff members, the half that I wrote the notes too, and personally thanked them as well as wished each of them a Merry Christmas. People came back to me throughout the day thanking me for taking the time to write such meaningful notes. Each was personal and took some time, but it was well worth it. My bucket if full going into this winter break and I believe my staff’s buckets are full too!

 

Thankful

I am truly blessed. I work with amazing people everyday. I am able to see students shine everyday. I am able to connect with amazing, passionate educators from across the country everyday. I am able to spread the positivity everyday. I am able to ask questions. I am able to model. I am truly blessed.

I am thankful for a career that I am passionate about and co-workers who are like minded and believe in improvement. I so appreciate my partner in crime, Matt, who is not afraid to ask the tough questions. Who is willing to look at current practice and wonder how it can be better. Who is willing to try and model different approaches to challenging student behavior. I am grateful for Crystal, who always is calm and collected. Who models kindness and empathy during the most volatile times. Who knows just what to say to de-escalate both students and staff. I am thankful for Joe, who persists through difficult situations. Who is willing to have tough conversations with staff and parents about their students. Who bridges the divide between school and home. I am thankful for our team!

I am thankful for our amazing and passionate support staff. They ensure that the office is a welcome place for all who enter. Every customer is an provided absolutely top notch interaction and if the answer is not available, they investigate and promptly follow up with parents, students and staff. I am grateful for Emily, who is a master coordinator. Who remains positive through stressful times. Who understands the importance of perception and does everything in her power to model what is expected of office staff. I appreciate Elizabeth, who always makes you feel just like the person she wants to see. Who truly embodies the adage “service with a smile.” Who is passionate about providing a welcoming environment to all who enter. I am thankful for our team!

I am truly blessed. I appreciate working with others who are service oriented. I am grateful for our collective attitude of how can we make each other’s jobs easier. I am thankful for our team!

Borrowed Space, Borrowed Time

What is your favorite part of the beginning of the school year? Is it taking the time to paint your classroom in the color scheme of your choice? Or is it planning for the first few days of setting the tone and building classroom community? Is it creating new bulletin boards that indicate your theme for the year? Or is it labelling your organizational system so that students can easily find materials? Take a moment and think of your favorite task. Now ask yourself why it is your favorite task?

So?

Is it your favorite because you are making the space your own? Personalizing it if you will. Is it your favorite because you get to let your personality shine? That sense of complete ownership and accomplishment is fulfilling in and of itself. Now you feel ready to welcome in the kids! You probably enjoy walking into the space you have created for yourself and your students everyday.

Now take a moment to imagine how you would feel walking into the unknown? You are a middle school student who needs to learn new routines, expectations and locations of your classes for 8 different periods a day. You may have changed classrooms some in elementary school, but you never had to travel by yourself to the opposite end of a building! Now you need to keep track of 8 different notebooks and folders and make sure that you have a pen or pencil for every period. “What about my calculator? Do I need that today?” You worry about getting the different teacher’s rules mixed up. Worry about losing your pencil and being scolded for not having it. Worry about disappointing your teacher because you are not prepared. That sounds stressful! My heart is racing just typing this scenario and to be honest, I would still have challenges, as an adult!

So, why do we do this to ourselves? To our kids? How is this system like any other that they will experience outside of their time in public education? How is this preparing our charges for the challenges that they will face in life. Regardless of the fact that the United States public education system is the single slowest system in our country to change, we can do better.

We can support our learners as they adjust to the transitions that they need to make during their educational careers. We can be kind. We can be empathetic. We can ask the kids how we can make this experience better for them. We can reach out to parents for insight about their child. We can provide the same environment we hope is provided everyday for our own children. We can bring the joy to learning and let go of the details that get in our way.

It must be hard to feel like you are just passing through. It must be hard to feel like you are just borrowing a chair, desk or table space. I must be hard to view school as time you are borrowing.

So, let’s change that perception. Let’s be the kind, empathetic, and supportive educators we see ourselves to be. Let’s bring the joy, everyday to every child we encounter. Let’s create opportunities for students to have ownership over their space and time. It will be time well spent.

 

Choose Messy

Students joined staff this week to kick off the 2016-2017 school year. The energy in the building was palpable! Teachers shared a little bit about who they are as a person and a learner with their classes. Students worked through ice breakers and team-building activities, setting each group on its unique journey to becoming a team. Students high-fived me in the hallways. Smiles were infectious. Positivity strummed through the building.

I know the beginning of the year is shiny and new, but I started wondering how we can we ride this momentum into the best year yet? What was it that made these first few days special?

Was it the focus on relationships first, knowing the rest will come?

Was it the staff community joining forces to share a unified message?

Was it the fact that everyone stepped out of their comfort zones to do what’s best for kids?

Whatever it was I was loving it! As I moved about the building taking it all in, I started noticing something. I had a blast joining in the I like People Who and The Big Question activities, learning commonalities that I shared with students. Both ice breakers being interactive and energetic. The kids were smiling and their was 100% engagement, a win-win! So what made these first few days special? I think that if we remember that these four choices are choices we make, directly or indirectly, when planning each of our lessons, we can ride this momentum throughout this school year.

If you have to choose between silence and discussion

CHOOSE DISCUSSION

If you have to choose between seated and standing

CHOOSE STANDING

If you have to choose between messy and neat

CHOOSE MESSY

If you have to choose between quiet and noisy

CHOOSE NOISY

Life is messy, loud and in constant motion

Let’s make sure our schools mimic real life.

Isn’t that what we are preparing them for?