How are you making connections with the kids? It is that time of year when discipline starts to pick up, parents start questioning things, report card time, P/T conferences, and all the other “management” issues start arising.
Scott Elias and I have a bi-weekly podcast and we were asked the following questions by a future administrator, “What do you spend most of your time doing? What would you like to spend most of your time doing?” Wow! That really made me think and actually kept me up last night. We all get stuck behind our desk in our offices for periods of time but last week was a real downer when it came to working behind my desk.
I love to be out and about in my school, as do most principals. The excitement in the morning. (After the teachers have had their coffee, chocolate, or pop. AND after I have had my Starbucks!:):):):) The kids are excited right out of the gate. Truth be told, the teacher enjoy each others company too but it is a job to them and to the kids, they think it is social time. We try to sneak some learning in on them. I don’t think I have missed morning bus “doodie” (We call it all doodie at my building since that is how many of feel about it) except for days I have been absent from school. I also like to make my way around the building in the morning just to check in on everyone. It was tough last week because I had so much handed down to me to take care of that I didn’t get around as much as I like.
The connection with the kids is very important to me. Teachers can send students to my office for positive referrals and I try to call a parent or relative of their choice to brag on them. Not only is the student beaming but it gives me something to feel good about as well. It’s important for me to check in on some of my challenging students. God love ’em! They are the ones that need us the most. There are quite a few that have stories to tell every morning when they meet me at the door. I look forward to those times. I like to keep the connections with the kids.
So, how are you making connections with your students? Especially as the year really starts to get busy. Send me some links! Share any ideas! I can take care of all the behind the scenes work quietly but I just need some student connections to keep me going!
Good stuff. We had a discussion about this yesterday with our admin team and I plan to talk about it today at my monthly lunch with our n00bs. (They can’t turn down free Chipotle burritos so I have a captive audience…)
It just seems to me that some teachers and admins are missing the boat on building relationships. They’re so intently focused on rules/consequences (or, more euphemistically ‘expectations/corrective actions’) that they miss the point.
Meaningful, bell-to-bell instruction and solid, personal relationships trump any discipline plan I’ve ever seen.
So smile at your kids. Greet them at the door. Ask them about their lives. Get to know ’em.
Melinda, I hope I didn’t cause you to lose too much sleep. 😉
That is a question I like to ask as many administrators as I can. It’s like asking couples how they met each other… you can really learn some interesting things about people and get a good insight into how they work.
This question is not just good for administrators, it is also a good question to ask teachers, support staff, district personnel… even your spouse. It speaks to time management, systems management, even (when looked at more “globally”) life’s goals and expectations. I think how we spend our time is one of the most important aspects to our life. We all know we have to work; and, we have chosen the most amazing profession on the planet. So how do we make the most of our work and the most of our lives at the same time?
OK, I’m starting to wax philosophical so I’ll go now.
I enjoyed our conversation the other night and look forward to many more.