So, you can imagine my surprise when I read the link posted on LeaderTalk.  It was nice to envision someone taking time and recharging the batteries in preparation of another school year.  My last post stressed the importance of making the most of my time and really savoring life’s little moments and not let work be the only thing I enjoy.  It seems there is a pattern amongst leaders this time of the year.  We are excited about summer, and yet, there is ALWAYS something to do.  I am not talking just about principals and central administration.  Even teacher leaders find themselves booked through the summer. 

Case in point, I just spent an hour with a teacher leader from our school. She and I are co-teaching our summer Mentoring class which begins tomorrow.  So, she has given up three days this week (two for the class and 1 for today).  She is also meeting with me and two others at the end of July to work on our New Teacher Induction Program. That is going to take three full days. And it is not just her. Tomorrow, I meet with another teacher leader to prep for the hiring of our Teacher Center Director, and I meet with her later this month to also work on the New Teacher Induction Program.

So, I find myself wondering what we are doing and why we are doing it.  I also find myself wondering how we can cultivate more leaders, so that the ones that are naturals do not get stressed and stretched so thin. Recently, our Teacher Centers conducted a survey for all teachers and administrators in the region to see if and what they desire in leadership.  The questionnaire was wondering what type of investment teachers are willing to make to broaden their leadership capabilities.  I don’t remember all of the survey, but I know it was asking about types of courses and length of courses. 

I was perplexed about what they would be doing with this information.  I am very excited that they are collecting data on the desires of what teachers need and want in order to continue to grow professionally.  Will they desire to take courses about leadership?  Do they desire more than the classroom?  Do they perceive that leadership = more work?  I speak to so many good teachers who look forward to teaching every day and then enjoying the summer.  I am not saying there is anything wrong with that.  What I am wondering is if these good teachers are desiring more, and I am hoping the Teachers’ Center Survey will begin to give us good data about the teachers and their own perceptions and expectations about leadership.  Hopefully, the data will begin to cause us to ask more questions about tapping into the potential of the leadership abilities in our schools.

Do you think that we are missing opportunities to grow more leaders?  If so, how is do we do this?  How do we tap into potential? 

So, how many times to you get the question, “What do you do all summer?”  I always smile to myself. Schools are so different than the rest of the workforce, and I do understand why so many ask that question.  Even after 8 years in administration, my mother still asks what I do all summer. 

Every season is so busy, and I have found myself in quite a quandary today.  I still have not used up my vacation days and I have to decide to use them or roll them over.  I find myself in this situation almost every year regardless of my position.  I really feel the need to take some time off, and I can’t help but wonder why I am failing to plan ahead for some summer fun.  July is almost completely booked with work!

Reflecting on the death of Tim Russert has caused me to really pay attention to my work and my life.  I dare say that I do love my work; I don’t mind that July is almost totally booked. I often am not sure people realize how much I love what I do.  I think that Tim Russert shared with us an energy and enthusiasm that we rarely come across in the educational profession.  I am not sure if you heard the quote on  Morning Joe where it was noted that Tim Russert said to a colleague on a commercial break, “Can you really believe that we get paid to talk about this stuff?”  How often do any of us say something like that?  How often do you really enjoy the fact that we get paid to do something this great? 

Tim Russert also shared a passion and energy for family.  I saw my mother this past weekend for her birthday, saw my brother and saw my father for Father’s Day.  I sat around the table and tried to savor the moments more so than ever.  I think I have always appreciated family get togethers, but it certainly took on new meaning. 

Today I am making a promise to myself to share my energy and enthusiasm more outwardly.  Today I am making a promise to make sure that work is not the only thing that I enjoy. 

Next week, I have the benefit of sharing with our Board of Education the highlights of the 2007-2008 school year.  I struggle with end-of-the-year reports.  Every other month, I share with the Board of Education the highlights of the work that I accomplish and projects that are next in line.  So, how do you take all that you accomplish and say in a nutshell, “Here is what I do?”  This year, I worked with a colleague to create an iMovie.  The results are GOOD!  The efforts on the part of the teachers and principals were GREAT! I videotaped different teacher leaders and principals from our district as they shared their proudest moments about professional development, curriculum, committee work, and leadership.  I had 60 minutes of footage, and that 60 minutes became an 8-minute movie.  And I have to say that this is one of my proudest moments since starting this job one year ago. 

I think I am most proud of this project because there were so many things that made all of this come together. 

1.  Teachers and Principals – Teachers and principals eagerly agreed to be a part of this project.  We all really don’t like seeing ourselves on camera, but they volunteered in a heartbeat.  I am lucky to work with such a great group of educators.

2.  Technology – I love what we can do with technology.  I dreaded creating a PowerPoint for this end-of-the-year report and realized that this yearly task could be a fun way to showcase the teachers, principals and technology we have in our district as well as set the bar for teachers and students alike to do the something similar. 

3.  Fun – It is fun to create.  Even though I personally do not have a Mac Computer (at work or at home), I worked with a colleague who had a Mac, and it was fun to collaborate with someone on this project.  I find that I often work best when I can bounce ideas off someone else.  His technology assistance made this project much better than I imagined.

4.  Superintendent – My superintendent supports every risk that I take. This is a non-traditional approach to end-of-the-year reports, yet she embraces my attempts, gives me feedback and tells me awesome when I need to hear it the most.  How is that for the best job ever?

5.  Challenge- I am already thinking what could be fun for next year.  Any ideas? 

So, I was really tired this weekend.  It could have been the heat.  It could have been the end of a very long week (lots of evening meetings along with jam-packed days).  It could have been the fact that I have lost balance amongst my personal, spiritual and work lives.  It seems so odd to compartmentalize these ‘lives.’  Yet, we all know what this means.  How often do you find yourself with your family yet your mind is racing and worry about something at work?  Or better yet, how often do we find ourselves at work thinking about all that is needed to be done at home?  And let’s talk about our spiritual growth.  I find that my spiritual growth is the last on my list and yet I know that when I take the time to reflect on my spiritual journey in some way, it is when I find myself most at peace.  And talk about last on the list!  I moved to a new city 6 months ago, and I still have not found a new church.  It is on the list, and I keep moving it to ‘next weekend.’  (Yes, I know that a church is not the only place for spiritual growth, but having a place to go, to be quiet, to listen and to reflect sure helps me!)

Our brain is a problem-solving device.  It is a natural part of what we do.  It is looking for resolution in a moment of chaos and it does not easily rest with an issue that is unresolved.  Loose ends are not good for our brains.

I was extremely inspired by the recent post of Pete Reilly.  Although I know that there are many life experiences that impact my daily decision making, I also know that it is when I lose balance that I feel the least “grounded” and the least “at peace.”  What I find really hard to do is to get back to that place where I keep my mind from “racing and worrying and reacting to others with emotion minus good judgment. ”

The positive thing amidst all this chaos is that I notice when I am slipping down the slide of emotion.  I know when I am there.  I tell my colleagues that I am reacting with emotion.  I just don’t always know how to find the balance to get back to my purpose.

I find it interesting that Peter Reilly reminds us that, “Being effective in the midst of chaos requires that we have trained ourselves to stay grounded…”  WOW! How do I do that?  How do I train myself to be stay grounded?  How do I let things slowly unravel around me without being emotional? 

In the last year, I have really taken to heart the message of, “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff.”  No, I have never read the book, but the main message makes sense to me.  AND that is how I let things roll!  I remind myself what is important in my life and my job.  I remind myself of my purpose and then I go eat some really good ice cream.  J 

And next time, we really should talk about the importance of good food and exercise in our lives. 

So, I am in the craziness of June like all other teachers and administrators in New York State, and I can’t help but wonder if there is ever a “slow time” any more for any of us.  I vaguely recall the day that June and the beginning of September were my times to catch up, my times to reflect and my time to clean up my desk and finish last minute projects.  Instead, I find this time as a time to write plans and grants, to monitor state education web sites for our ELA and math data, to search for information on writing Consolidate Apps for the first time, preparing for a Teacher Center course that I am teaching, and prepping for staff development days next year and our Leadership Retreat in July.  I could go on and on. (Keep adding to the list!)

Well, today, I am choosing to reflect.  The Board of Education Report and updates on my goals will just have to wait a bit.  J

I met this morning at 7:00 a.m. with a Kindergarten teacher from our school. (Yes, we met at 7 a.m. because it was the only time in this whole week that we weren’t working or sleeping.) She and I will be co-teaching our Mentor Training class in just a few weeks.  I have taught this course several times, and I LOVE teaching this course.  She and I will be co-teaching together for the first time, and I am very excited about this opportunity.  In our planning, not only did she honor the work I have done in the past, but she has added another layer to the course that is going to be great for our participants. 

You can not dismiss the value of experience.  I have experience teaching this course, and SHE has the experience of mentoring for years, creating Alden’s Mentor Teacher Internship Program Handbook and being a member of our Mentor Steering Committee since its inception.  It is going to be a great combo.  We will both learn from each other and offer a great value to our mentors-to-be. 

Experience tells me that this will be a lot of work collaborating together, and experience tells me that it will be well worth the effort.  Experience tells me that I will have to work harder to make sure that I live up to the expectations of co-teaching, sacrificing the pieces that “I have always done” for something that  sounds better for our participants.  Experience tells me that this, too, will not be a wasted effort.  In fact, it doesn’t even feel like a sacrifice.  Carrie came up with GREAT ideas to add to this course, and after that brief one hour meeting, I feel less stale and more invigorated to teach this course.  It is going to fun…Thanks, Carrie.

I have been an active blogger for the two years, yet have I?  I read blogs almost daily.  I respond to other blogs almost weekly.  YET, I have not been able to start and sustain a blog.  I KNOW how to do this with students.  I know how important this is for teachers.  YET, I have not been able to start and sustain a blog. 

And so it begins…..

Tomorrow’s topic – Heads up!  It is June!