On this episode of The Virtual Principal, we are continuing our series of discussions for Planning For The New School Year. My guest, Erinn Cottman, and I discuss how we approach onboarding new staff so that our teachers are equipped with the tools they need for the school year. 

With over 10 years of experience, Erinn Cottman has served in a variety of roles at KIPP WAYS Academy in Atlanta, Georgia. Currently, she is the Upper School Assistant Principal and coach of Social Studies & ELA. School leadership is Erinn's passion, with an emphasis on coaching and development. 

She is also the owner of Erinn Cottman Teacher Development, a consulting company with a mission to champion educators while helping to create the next generation of leaders. Working with educators to help them identify their teaching superpowers and then using them to ignite the unique gifts of students is Erinn's pride. She helps educators build confidence in their craft and leverage their already present strengths to profoundly impact the education world. She's a mom of an awesome kindergartner and enjoys all things working out, with a side of brunch after!

[01:23]  Erinn Cottman Tells Us About Herself and Her Background

• Ms. Cottman shares her journey into education. On the road to becoming an Assistant Principal, she discovers a passion within herself to coach and develop other leaders. 
• Starting her coaching and consulting company;  Erinn Cottman Teacher Development      

[03:18] Onboarding New Staff and the Importance of Planning for Hiring    

• Define your top 2-4 priorities for the school year
• Know your strategic plan
• Onboarding Rule of Thumb: If it’s not aligned with a priority, there’s no need for it 
• Equip your staff with the tools they need in order to meet the bar you’ve set
• The importance of a data-based onboarding process 
• Don’t neglect post-checks and taking feedback  

[17:56] Establishing School Culture In the Onboarding Process

• Delegating responsibilities to veteran teachers is an opportunity to build school-culture 
• Prioritize team and organic relationship building   

[23:27] Closing Up! 

• Follow Erinn Cottman. Links Below 
• What is your favorite word? 
  • Joy! 
• Desk, room, or car: which do you clean first? 
  • NOT my car!   

 

Key Quotes:

“The first thing is to identify my two to three priorities for the school year. I start with that because that’s influencing my hiring, staffing, and who I’m looking for to bring into my building.” -   Erinn Cottman 

“What do I need to plan and provide for them in order to meet the bar that I have? Because it’s not fair to have a bar and not provide the professional development, the background, or the knowledge and then penalize them for not meeting the bar.”  - Erinn Cottman

“Good leadership has these best practices set in place in order to make their school successful.” - Dr. Angela Draper    

 

Connect with Erinn on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook. Visit her website: https://www.erinncottman.com/

To know more about me and my journey, follow me on Instagram (@thevirtualprincipal).

This season is being produced by Streamlined Podcast, making

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