Mid-Year Reflection

It's February already? Seriously, when did that happen? If my blogging pattern is telling in any way, well, I've decided there is a reason for that! (and....now it is March when this is actually getting published...good grief!)

First and foremost, let's celebrate that we have survived half of the school year! My goodness, July seems like forever ago! Yet, here we are, over halfway done, racing towards the end of the year. I'd love to pause and use this time to reflect on the first half. The highs. The lows. The changes. The hopes. The "what's next" feelings of anxiety. This first year certainly has been a whirlwind so far, to say the least. But, honestly, I couldn't be happier. I still love my job!

I tried to put my emotions of the year so far into emoji form. I only completed the months so far, anticipating that in June, I'll finish the rest! Here is what I came up with:

Let's back up and take it month by month:

Holy Lord!! I'm starting this job. It is really happening. Now what? Honestly, I felt completely clueless in July. My school was virtually empty. I had no background knowledge to build upon. It was lonely. It was scary. Things that I am so glad I did:

• Made my office mine: It was a sort of "nesting" experience for me. It was a pretty sterile environment upon entering, so making it feel more like "home" felt great. I'm glad I did this in June/July, because I never would have had time, if I had waited.
• Met with every staff member: This time was so well worth every minute spent! I loved getting to know my new staff. I learned so much about my new school and about them--as people and as educators. 
• Planning: I felt like I was truly planning for the unknown. I guess, in hindsight, I was. I really was looking ahead to August and September, but couldn't see much beyond that yet.
• Establishing relationships with colleagues: I got to work closely and get to know my new administrative team. They were so kind and generous in answering my questions and making me feel welcome and supported.
• Downloaded some awesome checklists for the year. Being a member of AWSA was so helpful this year! Principal Principles also has some awesome ones HERE
• Bought a subscription to SMORE! It is a lifesaver for newsletters!!! I highly recommend. Worth every penny of the $79 a year!! I blogged about it HERE. 

Let the meetings begin! Wow, there sure were a lot of them in August! SO much to get ready for. It felt like July moved at such a snail's pace, and August felt like a whirlwind race to the finish line of the first day of school.  Between "Forms and Fees" and the ramp up to back to school, it was crazy. Crazier still was that even though I've been in education for almost 17 years, this felt like my very first FIRST day of school! I had never experienced "beginning of the year prep" in this way before. Things I am so glad that I did:

• Team-building activities with my new staff
• Took the "Managing to Lead PD" with my secretary...the BEST PD ever to help me start to organize my year, as well as establish my relationship with my admin assistant!!
• Showed them my appreciation for the work they were doing to prepare
• Stayed out of the way as much as I could
• Asked a TON of questions (what traditions do I need to know about, are there special things to do or plan for, etc.)
• Listen more than talk. Everyone had things they wanted to share with me. It was time to LEARN as much as I could!

Talk about starting the year on a HIGH! It was so full of energy and excitement. Everyone was in a good mood and most importantly, on their BEST behaviors! I remember thinking "Wow, this is great! I can *definitely* make it through this year, if it continues like this..." Little did I know.... ;)

Things I am so glad that I did:

• Visited every classroom--EVERY week for this first month! I left positive notes for teachers every time I was there. I blogged about it HERE. They were not used to a principal being in their space...EVER, so I wanted to make it as positive of an experience as possible for them.
• Spent time at every lunch hour and recess to establish tone and learn "hot spots" and kids
• Met with every classroom/grade level and had them help me write the playground/lunch room rules. I then turned them into big posters for EVERYWHERE. Teachers got a copy. Playground supervisors got one. Parents got them, too!
• Started and ended each day at the front of the school--greeting and saying goodbye to kids/families really helped develop relationships and rapport
• Made specific effort to find and start to get to know the "naughty list" kids that I had *heard* about. I wanted to start to build a relationship with them and catch them doing good. It was a great proactive move for the rest of the year.
• Continued to listen and learn as much as I could

October was busy. With parent teacher conferences and school board/district expectations ramping up, I started to realize the evening commitment aspect of this work. I felt like I was away from home...A LOT. This took some home adjustment. My amazing hubby and I had to find some balance and collaboration to figure out child care, etc. There were some growing pains this month around that. Behaviors with kids also started to ramp up. Remember my "naughty list" kids from last month...yep...the honeymoon was over for some of them. I am so glad that I started to build relationships with them early. It made those first discipline encounters that much better.

Things I am so glad that I did:

• Had open, honest conversations with my hubby about time commitments. We got MUCH better about our shared calendar and trying to plan ahead. It was critical to the success.
• Attended as many school events as possible. Being present and visible also helped establish and develop relationships with kids and families.
• Continued to try to catch the "naughty list" of kids doing good
• Dug deeper into my understanding of restorative practices
• Continued to spend time in classrooms and leave positive notes for teachers
• Read through every SLO and gave specific feedback
• Began my "Full" observations of my summative year teachers (I had 26 on summative this year!! aka Baptism By Fire)

Yep...this job is hard. The honeymoon period is long gone, and you are now moving 100 miles per hour--Every. Day. Observations consume your time, and you feel like you have less and less "fun" visits to classrooms. The countdown to the holidays is also beginning...wait?? I need to shop! Not just for my family, but for the staff, too! 

Things I am so glad that I did:

• Continue to schedule time for FUN visits to classrooms. I had my secretary block off times on my calendar to just BE with kids. I needed that positivity in my work life!
• Started to plan out what I was going to give my staff as an easy, inexpensive holiday gift. With a staff of 100, I needed to plan ahead. I ended up making my own version of THESE. I bought cases of flavored hot cocoa from Sam's. Candy canes and marshmallows!
• I wrote each of my staff members a personal thank you note for the week of Thanksgiving, telling them why I was thankful for them. I made them specific and meaningful. It was so well-received by everyone. Sometimes a simple, heartfelt note goes so much further than any other gift. Start EARLY! If your building is like my building...writing 100 notes is hard on the hand!!
• Muscled through more full observations

I remember when I was a teacher how ridiculous December was. Well, being a principal is a magnified version of that. It felt like simply survival mode. So much of my time was consumed by behaviors--and not just kid behaviors. Adult ones, too!! <sigh> Kids struggle with transition and change. Building up to a week+ of school off was exciting for some and dreadful for others. Being as present as possible was mandatory.

Things I am so glad that I did:

• Was as proactive as possible. I spent a ton of time...again...in the lunch room and on playground.
• Made clear, visible snow rules posters (no, throwing snowballs STILL isn't allowed with a new principal ;)
• Date night. I needed to start scheduling these with my hubby. I needed to *try* to find a little balance with work/home.
• Wrote personal thank you notes for every gift I received from staff, kids, and families.
• So much of this month was a blur....

Holy cow!! Half of the year is over! But that still means that we had 1/2 to go! We all came back rejuvenated and refreshed from winter break. There were some growing pains there, too, especially with behaviors transitioning back.

Things I am so glad that I did:

• Continued to be at every evening function that I could
• Wrapped up my full observations of summative year staff members by the end of January
• Got into classrooms as much as I could--just for fun kid time. K4 and K5 were particularly fun hot spots
• Took pictures of kids simply playing in the snow. I needed to remind myself from time to time about the joy of kids being kids. It helped ground me in why we do this work
• Did a mid-year review with my leadership team to look at our building plan and data, and made plans/adjusted goals for the remainder of the year

Again, just like in teaching, February is a draining month. The moral is low. People are tired. there are TONS of weeks until Spring Break (at least it feels that way). Tempers are a little high...with adults and with kids.

• Made an ice cream bar for staff for Valentine's Day
• Continued the tradition of "Fun Fridays" for kids/staff. Something fun every Friday in February (PJ day, Twin Day, game day, etc.)
• Dug into completing mini-observations for everyone. So. Many. Staff members.
• Attended a wonderful leadership conference in Chicago with other EL Education leaders. It was awesome to connect and get excited about future directions
• Began thinking about staffing changes. Retirements were announced. We also had to reduce a section in Kindergarten, so navigating those seas of change were tough
• Leaned heavily on my professional support network. They were so great with guidance and advice.

So...cheers to the end of the year! It will come fast and furious, no doubt.

Yours in Reflecting,

Angela