Some Of The Elephants In The Room That Exist In School Leadership

Disclaimer: No elephants were harmed in this blog post…:). It is just a figure of speech….but you knew that already…

Desmond Tutu once wisely said that “there is only one way to eat an elephant: a bite at a time.” What he meant by this is that everything in life that seems daunting, overwhelming, and even impossible can be accomplished gradually by taking on just a little at a time. But what do we do if we feel like there are a whole lot of elephants in the room? Elephants that can take you right out of the game and make you want to quit….if you let that happen. However, the elephants are also what can help us find opportunities to grow. They are there to activate something. They are there to challenge you to a second wind and to encourage you to snatch your power back with presence and purpose. The elephants are the hard and uncomfortable stuff… but they also represent the moments where perhaps, your game changes.

As I thought about the elephants in the room, I took a look at who those elephants might be. What questions might they represent? How am I tackling them? And yes, it is one bite at a time. That is the only way. Using grit and grace and constant checkins with my mindset I have realized that what is important is that I make progress. It is also with the realization that all strong leaders have had some elephants they have had to tackle. In fact, I have never met an interesting person with an easy life. You have to be willing to work on a weakness until it becomes a strength. The thing to also remember is that some things are not something you are going to achieve. It is simply a process that moves the needle forward.

The elephant can represent two things, a problem/obstacle that can’t be solved – something that is too hard, and so you avoid it or quit altogether. Or it could also be an opportunity, an open door, an open passage to choose your own adventure. You just have to start – one bite at a time.

Here are some of the elephants in my world (as a school administrator) that I have been taking bites out of for quite some time. And you know what? I am starting to move the needle forward a little each day.

Elephant #1 – I struggled with trying to motivate and inspire teachers. That was the story in my head that kept going around and around my brain. Here’s how I tackled it one bite at a time:

• We co-constructed criteria with teachers on burning questions. Next, we set deadlines and action steps to implement so that things actually happen. There was more engagement and clarity because they had ownership in the expectations and could clearly see the next step.
• We tackled less and focused on one bigger pain point.
• Shortened staff meetings and strived to be more articulate and efficient. People have lives and they don’t want to be in a meeting that rambles on and on. Neither do we.
• Workshopped our meetings instead of running ‘sit and get’ meetings. I have a free guide to workshopping your meetings if you are interested in learning how to do this. The goal was to inspire and motivate teachers by getting them to do more of the thinking, talking, and doing on a topic that they need.
• Validated the work they are doing and dedicated time to be more visible in their classrooms.

Elephant #2 – Balancing being more visible in the classroom and administrative duties. The bites I am taking to tackle this elephant are:

• I carved out time in my calendar for class visits.
• Set three top priorities to get done each day instead of having an endless to do list.
• Batched my duties. I started to batch my time in classrooms instead of keeping it random. For me, I set one batching time a week to dedicate to being visible in classrooms rather than just trying to jump in when I have time. This way it actually happens and I am focused on only this task rather than trying to do a little bit of everything and never getting anywhere. Less is more. I also batch administrative duties as well so that I am more productive and efficient.
• Set up team teaching times.
• Set up a start up and shut down routine to my day. I have one that you can download here for free!

Elephant #3 – Figuring out how to build a growth minded culture of people who have passion and purpose.

• I shortened meetings and went for quicker and clear messaging
• We built more leaders within the teachers
• We set up a system for teachers to choose their own top priority and set up a roadmap of support – I have a digital course called School Administrator’s Academy that shows you exactly how to do this. Doors open in June 2022! Email me at jacealynh@gmail.com if you want to get in on the wait list.
• We dedicated time for having fun and setting up some school improvement activities.
• Sometimes we did not have an agenda and allowed time for conversation and connection.
• We set clearer expectations, deadlines which create urgency, and roadmaps for clarity.

Elephant #4 – Finding effective and meaningful ways to measure progress.

• We taught the teachers how to analyze work samples, data, and the most effective types of evidence to gather
• We modelled everything alongside them.
• We provided time and space to reflect on work and validate it
• We set check in points for teachers to coach each other and share progress
• We developed criteria and sentence starters on how to have reflective conversations on evidence

Elephant #5 – How do I avoid burnout?

• I now have a Sunday sit down session to box out my week and set up boundaries
• I set up a start up and shut down system to your day. Here’s the link to a free guide.
• I Automated everything I can into system operating procedures. If it is a job that can be repeated, set up a system for it that can be automated so you never have to start from scratch again.
• I only tackled three major things a day and then I go home at a designated hour rather than trying to get it all done burning the midnight oil.
• I decluttered space and made sure everything had a home.
• I talk to a psychologist
• I take time for myself
• I try to eat foods from the earth and move for at least 20 minutes a day. And yes…..I now get some sleep too! I know…you know this already but this is the most effective way to avoid burnout. You just have to do it and stop making excuses. Five minutes into exercise, eating greens, and sleeping, you already feel better. So trust that and just do it.

Elephant #6 – How do I build leaders in our school and what do I teach them?

• We co-constructed expectations with them
• We helped them develop a meeting template that isn’t stuffed with endless to do lists. I have a free meeting template for developing teacher leaders here!
• We taught them how to reach and build influence
• We have engaging activities that teach them about leadership inside of our team meetings. It is always a work in progress…
• We sit with them in meetings at times.
• We taught them how to lead. Again…this is a never ending learning curve.

Elephant #7 – Teachers are overwhelmed, how do I help them?

• We set up automated systems wherever we could – Check out my course that is coming out in June 14 to learn exactly how to do this! If you want to get on the wait list, email jacealynh@gmail.com.
• We shortened meetings
• We chose one top priority instead of many and set up a roadmap for the year of big rocks they can tackle. My course called School Administrator’s Academy (doors open June 14) will take you through how to do this step by step.
• We Validated the work that they are doing and visit their classroom
• This one is something we hope to dive into next year. We want to set up professional learning that teaches them how to organize their time. For example, how to set up a digital file system, how to organize and declutter, time management tips, healthy habits, etc.

Elephant #8 – How do I improve student engagement and learning?

• We taught teachers about the seven actions of assessment for learning. I learned these actions from Sandra Herbst. I have a guide of how I do this that you can download here.
• We taught teachers how to include students in gathering their own assessment and evidence of learning.
• We taught teachers how to co-construct success criteria with their kids.
• We focused on effective strategies for engaging students during professional learning instead of learning about the latest and greatest program.
• We set up weekly grade team and monthly vertical team meetings during the assignable hours so teachers have time to gather, coach and align practices with each other.
• We set up a workshop structure that includes short mini lessons and more of the students doing the thinking and learning through being immersed in literature and mathematics.

So there you have it! A glimpse into who my elephants are and how I have tackled them one bite at a time. Come to think of it….I might change my obstacles from elephants in the room to mosquitos…I have no problem tackling those little pests. In all seriousness, the best advice I have to tackle the elephants, is to set up a plan for the first one and start. When Faith is tested, endurance and strength grows. Now start tackling those elephants, one bite at a time.