Show Description:

I will lead off this episode with a couple apologies:1.     I’ve got a cold and am low energy, so I’m admittedly not bringing my A-game this week. Paraphrasing BB King…2.     I know this episode’s title has a click-bait feel to it, but it is the best I could come up with today (see apology 1 above). The premise for today is that most of you are 4-8 weeks into your school year and should be falling into a routine at this point. It seems like a good time to do some poking around and get some vital signs for your school and your leadership, so we’ll discuss four things you can do to give you insights for your focus for the next month of school.

Celebrations:

I’m celebrating two things:

1.     Monday’s email about my mom’s new Porsche generated a lot of reaction, like “this is your best email ever!” Thanks everyone for letting me know, it helps me keep going on those days when I’m exhausted, overwhelmed, and have a cold.

2.     I’ve just been offered a publishing contract on my book! It has been a long road and I’m excited to be moving forward. Lest you’ve forgotten, the book is about the 6-steps to escaping urgency and becoming a people-centric leader. I imagine as a publication date gets closer I’ll be sharing more and more.

The Big Idea

At this point in the year it is easy to get into a groove. Now, grooves are good, but how do you stop that groove from becoming a rut?

More specifically, how do you make sure you aren’t stuck in the urgent rut? Are you getting into classrooms like you promised yourself you would this year? Or are the discipline referrals already undermining your plans?

Have you been there for your ECT’s? Or are you relying on mentor teachers to take care of them? Guess, what? Your mentor teachers are as busy as you are!

Without further adieu, four things you should do this week:

1.     Check in with your ECTs

2.     Dig into your discipline data to look for patterns to tell you who, where, and when to focus on.

3.     Use the 5-minute coaching tool to conduct an informal culture check

4.     Reflect.

Okay, that’s today’s episode of….

Just kidding. I get goofy when I’m feeling sick and overwhelmed so just laugh with me. Let’s go into a bit more depth:

1.     Check in with your ECTs

a.     Why ECTs and not just first-years?

b.     Why aren’t mentors enough?

c.     3-point check in

                                               i.     Relationships

                                             ii.     Management

                                            iii.     Curriculum

2.     Dig into your discipline data to look for patterns to tell you who, where, and when to focus on.

a.     Who are your high-flyers (you probably already know) and is there a flight pattern? Do you have a morning check-in set up for them?

b.     Where and when do you have spikes? E wing restroom at the beginning of 4th period? Then ask why?

c.     What teachers are sending the most referrals – check their classroom management.

3.     Use the 5-minute coaching tool to conduct an informal culture check

a.     Walk down the hall and catch people in or by their rooms, position yourself side-to-side to lessen power differential, go through the pattern:

                                               i.     X-weeks into the school year, I can’t believe it!

                                             ii.     What’s going well for you so far?

                                            iii.     Have their been any surprises?

                                            iv.     Is there anything you would do differently? You could also ask, “Is there anything WE should do differently?” to focus more on the building.

                                              v.     I appreciate you sharing. I’m looking forward to all the great things you are going to do with kids this year!

4.     Reflect. 

a.     Carve out an hour. Maybe Saturday morning or Sunday afternoon, or Friday night. Whatever works for you. Find a quiet place where you won’t be interrupted, turn off your phone. Use an old-school paper notebook or journal and your favorite pen. If you are too techy, at least use a pad and stylus. The kinesthetic action will help in reflection.

b.     Just begin writing whatever comes into your mind. Be unfiltered. If you need an outline, you could do:

                                               i.     Celebrations

                                             ii.     Things you would do differently

                                            iii.     Frustrations

                                            iv.     Questions

                                              v.     Answers

                                            vi.     List actions that can have impact

                                           vii.     Identify patterns for important things

                                         viii.     Play with your priorities

       ...