Day 1 Adventures

Here we are, y'all. The beginning of Year 20. I'm embracing the idea of keeping things simple and making sure that the most important things are done first. To that end, I went to Wal-Mart last night and bought about 2000 index cards so that my Advisory Program would have the materials it needed to begin. What's interesting to think about is now I have a class that is going to each student in this school. I was glad that I made the decision to keep the portfolios on paper right now. Who knows, we may end up keeping the portfolios on paper for the majority of the year, or it may just be a model for us to use for the classwork type things they do in Advisory. I think that for it to be able to really transfer effectively from year to year we need the portfolios to be electronic.

So, I was posted in the main faculty workroom. As they collected their schedules, I reminded them about the lessons and materials. People got their folders and their index cards. I made 1200 copies of the text and warm-up for tomorrow, so that's ready to go in the workroom to be picked up. Tomorrow I can make 1200 copies of the materials for Lesson 3 and finish planning the rest of the first ten days. Hopefully if the staff see that they're supported in this, they'll be more willing and likely to complete the necessary tasks because this school-wide program is only going to work if everyone does it.

The other major task right now is tracking down textbooks. Moving forward, I'm going to just make a space for deliveries so that way I'm not trying to track everything down everywhere. This is a big campus with multiple buildings, who knows where the textbooks delivered in June when I wasn't here went. Thankfully, I've been able to track down one class of books that I needed...I'll take my victories where I find them. 

So, that's Day 1. The feedback I've received about Advisory so far has been pretty positive, so I'll take that win as well. I also found a bunch of novels today, so extra fun bonus there. I'm going to go to my meeting and then hopefully have time to run out and take some trash to the dumpster. There might be a coffee involved in there too. I don't think my daily Diet Coke is going to be enough today.

End of Teacher Workdays - 21 August 2026

Closing down the week I can see a few important truths:

1. It's interesting when you see people who can focus on what's important and those who cannot. There are so many examples of educators who just get lost in the sauce. They focus in on the minutia or the smallest detail instead of solidifying the system or the routine. Keep it simple. Focus on what matters most. Be sure that you can do the most important thing. Maybe the issue is that some people just can't prioritize. 

2. People can clearly tell when you're putting in the effort and making things happen. I've had so many teachers say that they can recognize the work that I'm doing and that they appreciate what I did last year for them. I keep saying that it's good that I have a handle on what my role really is at this school. That knowledge ensures that I can actually do what I say and need to do.

3. I'm developing a bit of a followership here. There are people joining my teams, helping with initiatives, and coming on board not because they're forced to but because they want to. That makes me feel good about the work I'm doing. I've determined that this year my main foci are testing, advisory, supporting PLCs, providing professional development, and coaching teachers.

4. Doing what I want and moving forward with my decisions is better than waiting for a mealy-mouthed acceptance. I'm going to stop waiting for others who aren't on my level. If they can't match my pace, they can fall in line and follow.

5. I don't want things to fail. I know that my programs can work and support the teachers and learners at this school. I just need to keep maintaining the system and building the routine. It's going to be messy this year, and far from perfect, but I'm going to maintain my level of support so that it won't fail because of me. 

So, with that, we prepare for Monday and students to arrive. I've sent out the Advisory lessons for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Materials are ready in the supply closet if they're requested. I'll be at my duty spot on Monday morning, and I'll go from there. We had a good meeting for the Advisory Council today, so I can take that to create some of the portfolio tasks that haven't been built out yet. That may end up being my Monday.

Beginning the 2026-2027 School Year

I've decided that I'm going to bring this blog back for this school year. It's a necessary place for me to be able to think and process. I'm currently in a meeting that is a complete trainwreck. It's one of those situations where it's proving the point that the introduction matters. First impressions always matter a lot. The most important thing to do with this session is to lead with the why and the purpose, and we're lost in the weeds. The focus is getting lost. But, I'm not the one running the session, so I'm not the one owning the experience. 

I'm going to continue to send the emails out to the people who should receive them. If they never answer or open the email, then I guess that's on them, isn't it. 

This could have been a lot better. But it is what it is, and it isn't what it isn't. I'm going to keep the blinders on so I can stay focused. I know what I own, so I'll keep working there and building on success.

Closing Out - Semester 1 Reflections

Well, it's been a whole ass semester that I've been doing this job. It's been wild. I feel like the first few weeks of this was like drinking from a fire hose. There seemed to be a new facet of my job that popped up every day and from a different direction. I was having a hard time keeping track, so anxiety and being overwhelmed was a consistent state. Ugh. I pushed through, though, and now I'm feeling pretty good about being in this position and looking ahead to what I have left to do.

Right now we're closing out first semester with testing, and it's been pretty smooth so far. The teachers are getting used to my overcommunication and my preparedness, so I think that they're seeing me as a resource and someone to rely on to make their jobs easier. We've had a few bumps with testing, but nothing too bad or outside of the normal. State testing begins on Friday, and I feel like we're prepared for it. All we need is for the kids (and the teachers) to show up and do the thing.

Speaking of that, chronic absenteeism continues to be an issue. It's always been an issue, but at a school like this, it's a bit more of an issue and concern. I think that the grading and assessment practices that I've been using and researching will have a great impact here to address that issue. I've got a teacher who's moving forward with it into second semester, so let's see what happens with her and her students' performance.

It'll be nice to have a few days coming up soon to relax and recuperate. I need to get through next Friday, and then I can take a bit of a break. The next big testing milestones will be WIDA/ACCESS testing for our EL students and then the ACT/WorkKeys for our juniors and a few seniors. I've already been through ACT and WorkKeys, so the second round shouldn't be too bad. After that, it'll be great to have a few months to really focus on coaching, teacher development, and making the change happen here. 

Time to get the last testing block started for today. Then I can get ready for tomorrow. Hopefully, I'll be able to find some more time to update this blog a bit more regularly.