I admit to you (but don’t tell anyone) that I am the worst kind of gift giver and I certainly would not win first prize in the thoughtfulness competition. I do love to acknowledge people but I tend to go a long way in between my acknowledgements and celebrations of hard work around the building and in my family. It was something that started to slip through the cracks because everything mattered and therefore nothing got done. It wasn’t until I made a list of the things that would boost culture the most that I realized I was really overlooking some crucial components that aren’t that hard to put back into my schedule and into my A+ effort list. I thought I would share the things that became important to me (once again), that have really made a difference in other people’s lives and in my own leadership.
First things first, before I get started on some game changers for culture, I need to tell you if you have been following along on my journey for awhile, then you know how much I love a calendar and brain dumping all of my ideas and then sorting them into columns of A+ effort, B+ effort, Delegate, Upcoming, and Trash. I think these columns explain themselves but here is the Cole’s notes version:
The A+ Column: This is where my top priorities live. They get my best effort, best time of day, and are something that I work towards every single day. So for me, these jobs include team teaching times with teachers, professional learning staff meetings, working out, eating right, specific activities with the kids, etc.
The B+ Column: These things are items that have to get done but are not necessarily top priority and don’t need all my attention and focus. These are things like administrative tasks, teacher reports, emails, etc.
The Delegate Column: You do not have to do everything all of the time. You will burn out and you will never be as productive and efficient. Outsource whatever you can and whatever you can afford…Therefore, look at your jobs list and look at what you can delegate with support. In fact, I have a whole blog about how to delegate that you should definitely check out! Delegating with support means looking at things on your to do list and developing systems and operating procedures like how tos, instructions, dashboards, templates, etc that you can hand over to someone to show them how to get the job done without you being there. Delegate and outsource whatever you can! I know I said this already but it changes everything. I promise it is worth it. I delegate things like organizing, technology help, sub organizing, etc. For me personally, I delegate and outsource cleaning my house, having meals delivered three times a week, and certain chores to my family.
The Upcoming Column: This one has all the things that I know are not necessarily important right now but will come up fast if I don’t start to acknowledge and plan for them now. In other words, it is everything that is coming up but not important right now. Sitting in this column right now is the student/teacher Faith Week coming up in January and the schoolwide Survivor challenge that starts later this month. They are big events that I need to start to dabble with now so that I am not caught scrambling later.
The Trash Pile: This one is my favorite. I used to have everything on my to do list, I mean literally everything. I gave my all to it all and it just wasn’t working. So that is where all of these columns came about and it helped me to prioritize. However, I realized that I have a lot of crap on my list too. Stuff that needs no attention at all and so I say trash it. Get rid of it. Delete it. And move on and never look back. This, my friend, is the epitome of prioritizing. I hoarded things to slam onto my to do list and seriously I put things on for no reason at all. Don’t get me wrong, I still put those things on in my initial brain dump, but I do not let them live there. I get rid of those things. So for me, some of the things on my trash it list right now are buying a new Christmas tree. I don’t need to do that right now, maybe next year, but not right now. Another thing on my list is purchasing some new books for Assessment for Learning for the teachers. It is just not in our budget right now or at the top of our priority list at this moment so I am not worrying about it or planning a pd on it.
So now that you know how I sort my priorities and set intentions, it is time to look at where I want to put my A+ effort to make the biggest impact within our school. One of the top priorities on my A+ list is team teaching and being visible inside of the classrooms. And so….I always make sure I carve out space for that in my calendar. I have a four phase visibility system that I have set up to meet the needs of teachers of all styles, desires, and levels. Phase one is an active observation where I sit among the kids and join in as a student in the classroom rather than sit at the back and just observe. Phase two is where I cover for a teacher so they can go and team teach with another colleague. Phase three occurs when the teacher and I team teach together. We plan a lesson, set a date, and then learn and figure out a top priority right in front of the students. This is a huge success in our school! Phase 4 is the admin/teacher team teach week and this is when admin team teaches with a teacher for an hour each day for a week working on a series of consecutive lessons. If you want to learn more about exactly how I do these four phases, I do have a digital course called School Administrator’s Academy and the doors for this course will be opening in January 2022 so stay tuned! The visibility in the classroom priority is always in my A+ column because it is ongoing all year, however, it does ebb and flow. There are seasons for all of these lists. There are times when it goes to my upcoming column if there are other priorities that need to happen more.
Another item that is in my A+ column at certain times of the year is staff recognition. I used to let this one go alot. I know now that that was not the best idea. I would put it off and put it off and never actually get to it. So I had to put it back into my calendar at certain times throughout the year. Some ways that I celebrate our community is that I put pictures, videos, work samples, noticings, etc. on a schoolwide google classroom. Teachers can access it whenever they want but I always make sure I highlight their work super quickly at monthly staff meetings. Our admin team also has a running list of their favorite things and throughout the year we set an intention to go out and get them one thing off that list and leave it on their desk. We also have certain days where we treat them. In February we always cook them a crepe breakfast before school and they can come with their kids and hang out. Pre-covid we had pot luck monthly staff breakfasts and these were such a treat for all of us. Writing notes and cards have also become a top priority on my list and I make sure I set a few days each year to write thank you cards. All of this takes a lot of time and effort but it makes the biggest impact because people feel noticed and appreciated and that always goes a long way.
Seeing as it is almost Christmas, schoolwide challenges are at the top of my priority list. I know that having a little fun can make such an impact on the culture of a school. For example, every year, about two weeks before Christmas, we do a Schoolwide Survivor challenge. Each class has their name put into Survivor Island and we play the music and themed announcements each day. If their name gets pulled, they have 24 hours to vi for immunity to get back into the game. The challenge usually consists of pranking another class. The entire school goes bananas over this challenge and we look forward to it every year. The last three classes pulled are the winners and get some class parties and goodies. Schoolwide challenges are definitely on my A+ list a few times a year to boost our joy, fun, and culture. However, the season of challenges comes and goes too.
At this time of the year, Christmas time, these are a few of the items on my A+ list. It is a great time of year to celebrate, spend time with people, and give and so that is why I make sure to carve out space for these things.
Be sure to share what is on your lists in our private facebook group called Principals and Leadership! I also have a free guide that teaches you how to set up a system for starting up and shutting down your day. You can download it here!
Even If You Miss..... 