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.

Closing October and into November

I am so happy that testing season is over. There were a lot of parts of the testing season that went well, and there were plenty of places where I could improve. The good thing is that there will be more testing to come in January, February, and the rest of the spring semester, so I'll have more chances to improve. I think that one of the elements that I hate the most about testing is the anxiety that it triggers in me because of the importance of the data. 

One of the things that I've learned over the past month is who in the building will do what they need to do with little support and whom I need to follow up with and stay with to ensure that they do their part. Getting these testing certificates done was a huge push. I also can do a better job providing more exact training to the staff. I saw where the gaps started to pop up as we met the different platforms to engage in testing. It's nice that in the spring we'll be using all of the same platforms again, so there won't be as much of a learning curve for the staff when it comes to that.

Now that testing is done, it's good to be able to focus on the parts of my job that I really like doing. Bea and I are working together well to create professional learning opportunities for the staff that help drive growth and achievement of our school improvement goals. We're slowly creating better routines and procedures for school-wide actions; there weren't really any of these before. Finding more ways to get more teachers on board with high-impact practices is definitely the way to go. Shifting culture is hard, and it takes a lot of time, but I think that we're laying the foundation to take this work to a valuable place where we can have an impact on student achievement, engagement, and make this school a better place to teach and learn.

So, November becomes a main focus on data based interventions and planning. We've got tested subject data days coming, support from the district, and the next phases of our own professional learning cycle. I'm also doing more work to support teachers, and I like doing that work. Let's just start seeing some of the shifts come out in the practices and in the data that teachers are seeing. Then they'll keep coming back for more. For the next few days, though, I'm taking a break. I think I've earned it after October.

It's Been a Month?!

I suppose that the fact above makes sense when we consider the fact that the last post was made after the district wide CF meeting in September. That was overwhelming as hell. I'm glad that yesterday, when we had our October meeting, I went in with a bit more preparation and a bit more purpose to the day. I knew what I needed to get done, so I focused on doing it. It's also encouraging to see that some of the CFs in the district who have been doing this job for longer than me are feeling some of the same frustrations and feelings as me. 

Overall, I'm happy that I have a bit more of a handle on things now than I did then. It feels more like I know what's happening as opposed to discovering a new element of my job or responsibility that is of the utmost importance.

I've got next week to finish preparing for the next big test event. Given that PSAT went well, I think that we'll be okay moving forward to WorkKeys and PreACT. I'm going to continue to be as present, prepared, and productive as I can be to keep chipping away day by day. I still hate being the School Testing Coordinator.

Progress > Perfection

18 September - A Bit Overwhelmed...

Today has sucked. That is all. I'm going to go home and look forward to the weekend. I have a headache. I'm going to follow my rule of not working at home. I'll just put my all into tomorrow. 

Mid-Week Reflections - Wednesday

Today has been a day focused on grading for substitute teachers, and let me just say that I am feeling pretty brain dead today. I had such a pile of classwork for Latin; I only got through one class worth. I'll devote more time tomorrow to the other class and will finish it up on Friday. I wrote a letter to send home in lieu of a progress report, so at least the parents of the students in those six classes will know that work is being assigned, graded, and learning (of some sort) is happening.

The PSAT has now become a day for just testing. We're going to create a schedule for just tenth and eleventh graders to come to school and test. I think that this going to make planning the day a lot easier. Now if I could just get all of the accommodations processed, I'd be in a good place. There's not too much I can do there, so I'm trying to keep it out of mind in order to stay present where I can have some impact.

I'm going to spend time for the rest of the day preparing for next week's professional development focused on activating strategies. I think I'll focus on a few approaches to opening up class and creating high-interest attention grabbers. I've got a post-observation conference during the last block of the day as well as a conference call. It'll be a busy end to the day. I'll be glad to leave my computer on my desk, run by the grocery store on the way home, and then go for a run.

Ok. I took my time. Back to the mine.

Wrapping Up Week Two

I know that it’s only Thursday, but I’m already wrapping up the week, so I figured that I should go ahead and make my post and write down my reflections. This week marked a big week at school; there were a lot of firsts this week.

I did my first planning period professional development sessions. I ran four sessions on Wednesday focused on personal development plans, goal setting, navigating the online portal where everything needs to be put, and introducing myself to the staff. The sessions went well and were well attended. There was good energy in the room. There were some technical hiccups in the beginning, so I made some edits and we were smooth for the rest of the day. I was happy that a lot of people were on time, and they appreciated that we were able to finish a bit early. I got a lot of support from the rest of the leadership team in running the sessions: they were a presence in the space, they checked people off who had completed the necessary steps, and they chimed in when needed. They didn’t try to run the show or do anything with the content that I had made except to support it. I also received a lot of positive feedback from colleagues during and after the sessions. One person commented on how she could feel my energy through my emails, and she liked meeting me and seeing me in person to see how the energy kept showing up. Overall, I think that I’ve been making good impressions on staff - they’re seeing me as a resource and someone that can help them make their jobs a bit lighter because it’s heavy.

Another fantastic part of this week was today. I had a full day support session with a beginning teacher who is also coming to us as a lateral entry - no education background or experience. Thankfully, the district provides a lot of resources and curriculum, and she’s well educated, so she knows how to put a presentation together. She doesn’t really know how to teach, and she’s not had any practice at all, so here we go running a methods course. Today we did a lot of observations - so there’s another first, I got into classrooms to see instruction and students working. I made a tool for her to use to process and we reflected. We set goals, we reflected on the first week, we went out for lunch, we started a coaching cycle. Her eyes got bit big when I brought up recording her upcoming observation, but she understood the purpose and the explanation. We talked a lot about setting up the classroom space, establishing procedures and routines, lesson and unit planning — all the essentials, really. I’m excited to start a more intensive and focused coaching cycle with her to give her some of the support and skill development that she needs to be a teacher.

Now that we’ve done the good, let’s move on to the not so good.

One element of this role that I do not like is the fact that I have other parallel duties - Testing Coordinator and AP Coordinator. Both of these roles mean that I handle testing for the school, and this is a beast of a job. It used to be its own job, but now I’m doing it. This week on Wednesday I had a meeting related to the school-wide PSAT administration, and let me say that the PSAT is overwhelming me. There are so many things, pieces, portals, and elements, that I got overwhelmed. It’s also ridiculously important. I’m giving myself most of Monday to focus on this. I’ve given the PSAT in the new method, so at least I’m familiar with the platform and process, but my goodness this is going to be a beast of a task. It’ll be good to establish this framework, though, because later when we do the ACT and Pre-ACT we’ll already have a rough plan laid out.

That’s it for Week Two. I’m continuing to be happy in the choice of school and position. Off to turn 41 and enjoy the weekend.

End of Week 1

The first week with students and second week with teachers is now complete. I've learned a lot. I'm still sitting at my desk as I write this because I know that traffic is a mess out there right now. And I parked in the front lot, so I won't be able to get out until closer to 5:00 anyway. 

So, I'll sit and reflect and think my week away to move into the weekend ready for Tuesday.

First, I love it here. A friend of mine commented that I sounded really happy when describing my work, and I am. It's great to be back in a place that feels a bit like home. It's wonderful to work with people who are warm, caring, and want to work with me. I've already had so many positive contacts and some of them related to coaching. Heck, I've already been a contributing member to several teams already. I feel like I'm having the opportunity to do what I wanted to do, which is to make a larger impact beyond the walls of my own classroom. 

I'm supporting substitutes. This has been a side of my responsibilities that I didn't really foresee. Some departments and teams are supporting better than others, but it does give me the chance to be a bit more connected to classrooms. I'm looking at three piles of Latin work and three folders of English III and IV work on my desk for my review. That's for next week. I think that the students who saw me appreciate that someone is going to be reviewing their work and giving some feedback. It appears that departments and substitutes are happy for my support. I might have stepped on a few toes in my forthrightness to provide assessments and lessons for students, but I think that I was diplomatic and apologetic enough in my follow-up that those parties understand what my intentions were.

I've also been enjoying this administration team. It's a small team, and they clearly work well together. The meetings with them run a bit long, but I do a good job of finding my way to excuse myself when it feels as though I don't have anything left to contribute. Again, they're happy for my contributions and see me as a partner. I've been getting consistent feedback and answers to my questions. What more can I ask for.

Next week is a quick week for me, but it's going to be packed. Monday - Labor Day. Birthday week kickoff! Friday - Birthday! I'm 41 and going off to gamble and eat steak. Tuesday - Faculty Meeting. I'm delivering testing training. Wednesday - Planning Period PD for the staff. I'm delivering a session on goal setting and supporting the beginning teachers in their tasks. Thursday - Support Day. Working with a teacher through a day of observation, reflection, and personalized learning.

It's going to be a great week! I also got paid! Everything's coming up Milhouse!

25 August - Day 1

It's the first day with students for the nineteenth time around, and let me just say, I can still find ways to stay busy and get my steps in. At the nearly the end of the day, we're sitting pretty at just shy of 9,000 steps. I'm projecting that I'll get to around 12k by the time I leave campus today.

The day started by showing up early, even so, I still got caught in traffic. Tomorrow, I'll investigate the route on the side streets to the back part of campus. The hallways were full of energy this morning, which was wonderful. There were alumni, parents, students, teachers, administrators, district officials, and a lot of smiles. I was struck by how respectful and polite the students are - a bit of a shift from where I'm coming from. The first day of school is always filled with students who need assistance, don't have a schedule, or don't know where they're going, so morning duty ran a bit late. I did really appreciate the sharing of duty and the presence of my colleagues in the hallways. 

From there, I spent time getting my website put together. I've got some information related to testing, AP, and professional learning here at school. I like how it looks so far. If I can ever get my Canvas page set up and running, then I'll transfer the information. For now, the site is live at this link.

I still need to get office supplies. I figure I'll order them just to keep things simple. This afternoon, I did my lunch duty, ate my lunch, and then met with substitute teachers to provide them lessons and materials for the first week of school. We're not 100% staffed, so getting substitutes support and some instructional materials is key to ensure that learning is happening in all of the classrooms. Hopefully their colleagues will be able to provide more materials and we'll have positions hired soon. I was happy to participate in an interview this morning for a potential Math Coach.

Tomorrow, I'm sure that I'll continue to be busy and find things to do. For now, I'll look ahead to my Leadership Team meeting after school and my eventual return home.

22 August - First Week: Teacher Workdays

Well, it's a bit of a different beast this year. For the first year in nineteen years, I'm starting the school year without a group of students ahead of me. This leaves me feeling a bit different - there's some anxiety for sure but for a whole host of different reasons now. It's going to be a good year as Curriculum Facilitator.

So far, during this opening week of Teacher Workdays, I've been focused on getting to know people, the culture, and the way of doing things at Dudley High School. It's nice to be in a building where there are already some policies and procedures that guide instruction. I'm looking forward to activating those more thoroughly and with more fidelity across the school to support teachers and students. I've also been doing a lot of work so far this year on planning the professional development and learning for the school. It'll be nice to have a focused and aligned plan for the year that focuses on building good instructional habits, collaboration across and within content areas, and that builds capacity for teachers.

I'm happy with what I've been able to do with the space so far. There are some items I still need, but that'll probably be a trip over to Wal-Mart or Office Depot this weekend. Having a calendar and some items for my whiteboard will help a lot, especially when it comes to testing. The Teaching and Learning Center is one that is open for business, and I'm glad that I've been able to have some meetings in the space to begin coaching and collaborating.

The main headache right now is related to technology. I don't have my account for NCEdCloud, so I can't do much on Canvas or any of the other technology services. I've also not received codes that I need from College Board, so completing some of my AP Coordinator tasks is on hold until that is resolved. Like so many, we can't escape the flux that comes at the beginning of the year. I've got my eyes locked on the issues I can impact, and I try to move those outside of my control to the back burner.

I should be able to have a weekend where I'm not focused on work to be ready for Monday. It'll be good to feel the energy of the building with everyone here. Off to year nineteen!

3 June - It's LDOC

English 11

Happy LDOC everyone! Today we met together to close out the year. We did our raffle for prizes, did a little bit of work, and I told you a few answers to some of your burning questions. We'll see each other again next week on Monday the 9th. Be ready for the multiple choice portion of your final exam. Remember that the texts and the ideas of the questions are posted, so prepare as you need to. Bring your Chromebook and be ready to rumble.

If you still have to submit your design challenge, it will be accepted. I will not be on campus the rest of the week since I'm working for College Board as an AP Exam Scoring Leader. Be in touch via email and submit items to Schoology for me to score.

30 May - Almost LDOC - Final Friday!

English 11

Easy day today as we focused on finishing up our tasks for Quarter 4. For many of you, this is your design challenge. I'm really glad to see the way which you're crafting arguments about problems that impact you in some way. This is why we do English class, so that we can craft arguments that convince. That's the main skill.

If you need any additional time to close out Quarter 4, then we have Tuesday - LDOC. The last day of class. Sign up for something to bring for our end of the year gathering and celebration. I'm excited to celebrate a great year and send you off to your futures and senior year. If you haven't yet taken your final exam, then remember that the exam will be on June 6. We're the second exam block that day. You'll need your school computer to take the final, so be sure that you have it!

28 May - Coming Up on LDOC

English 11

Another day complete as we march our way toward summer vacation. I'll have essays from today scored as soon as possible. Check out Schoology for your updated grade by the end of the weekend. If you were absent, I'll be available on Friday during Lion Time. We can also make alternative arrangements if we need to. The next day that I see you - Friday the 30th - is our day for Design Challenge. If you haven't yet submitted your final demonstration - your creation - be sure that you can do that on Friday. Tuesday the 3rd is the very last day of class. Everything should be in and finalized by then.

You'll need your school Chromebook for the MCQ on our Final Exam day - June 9. Let's finish strong. Ask for any help or assistance you may need!

23 May - Friday Feels

English 11

Today was a great day because some of you finished up your grades for English 11. The only thing that we have left to do is our Final Exam which is going to fall on two days - Wednesday the 28th and then June. On Wednesday we'll do our essay. You'll have the whole class period to write. I've already given you the prompts, and I've chosen one. Remember to review your tools for success with writing. You'll be typing your essays to help with scoring.

Outside of that, focus on your design challenge and your final tasks. I'm here to help, but we are running out of time. There are only three class meetings left. If you have items to turn in, get them to me as soon as possible. You have Lion Time on Wednesday and Friday next week. Remember if you're coming in for the early final exam, you'll need to make a pass for Lion Time on Wednesday.

21 May - Wacky Wednesday

English 11

Great days at the end of the year in English 11. Today was a day for us to focus on creating and finalizing some of the evidence we'll need for our design challenge. I am excited to see what you all are creating as you explore a problem and potential solution. As we are closing out the year, be in touch about your grades or any questions. I appreciate that so many of you are using Lion Time now to get extra help that you need.

Next class, Friday, some of you will be presenting your work to me. Others of you will present the week after, the final day to turn in items related to the Design Challenge is the last day of class. Be sure to study for your final vocabulary quiz. We'll vhae it on Friday. It covers list eight. The link to the study materials has been posted. Let's finish strong! We're nearly there!

19 May - Kicking Off the Week

English 11

Whoo! What a day! I love when we have days like today when it feels like everyone is making some forward momentum and progress. We're all in some different places, but that's called life, what matters is that we're all pushing forward in the way that we need to. Our main focus for today's class was focused on our final writing assignment - The Design Challenge - and understanding the requirements for our final exam.

Your Design Challenge could be finished this week. Next class will be a class focused on creating. I'm hoping that we'll be in workshop mode as we make and produce and revise with feedback. The goal is that you can submit your "text" by Friday for us to review together. If you can't make Friday, then you have several other deadlines. The final deadline is June 3. The last day of class.

We also discussed the final examination today. Your essay will fall on May 28. You'll have the whole class to write. If you are planning to take the exam early, you'll need to make a plan for Lion Time to complete the reading portion. I've given and posted the review materials, so prepare as you need to!

As always, reach out with any questions. I'm looking forward to supporting you in your creations on Wednesday. We'll take our Vocabulary Quiz Eight on Friday. Study and prepare! This is the final quiz! I'll see you soon. I'm always here to help!

15 May - End of the Week

English 11

Really good end to the week in English 11 today. I'm really happy with the way that so many of you lauched right into our final assignment. I love the enthusiasm. Be sure that if you didn't complete your Brainstorming today, to do so by the end of the weekend. I'd like to have feedback for you by the next time I see you. That will set you up well for Part 2 - Finding Evidence and Planning Your Text.

After lunch we moved into our choice independent working time. As I explained, some of you need to finish the Drama Project. You can use your choice play or A Raisin in the Sun for this. Prioritize the writing about the speech - this is two major grades. Use SIS and your progress report to help you figure out what to complete. Most of the work is located in Previous Lessons, Unit 4. 

I'm available next week during Lion Time for extra help. We'll also get our final exam materials next week. Be ready for the end! It's coming on apace!

13 May - Rain, Raisin, and Tuesdays

English 11

No recording for today because most of today was spent enjoying A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry. We watched the rest of Act 1, Scene 1 as a class in order to understand the motivations for each of the main characters, the foiling of Walter and Benethea, and the message around the American Dream that is being created by Hansberry in her text. I liked the fact that so many of you were engaged by hearing Hansberry talk about her own work. Please continue to visit that podcast if you'd like to keep listening.

During our independent time, there were several choices. It is important that any missing assignments are submitted as soon as possible. These are final demonstrations of skill. We have one task left which is our final writing task, and we'll start working on that during Thursday's class. If you have any questions or concerns about anything related to your grade or assignments, reach out immediately.

Have a great weekend! Once you have items complete, please submit them. I'll score immediately and update SIS - you can always revise and resubmit tasks as you finalize your grades for the year.

9 May - Victory Day and End of the Week

English 11

It was a good end to the week in English 11. We took time to finish our assignments from Unit 4 to include our formative assignments and our summative assignments. Be sure that you're focused on submitting any assignments this weekend so that I can update the gradebook and send out formal progress reports on Monday. Remember that you've got your summatives (Drama Project and Vocabulary) and then formatives (Game Plan and Reading Bank). Don't get zeroes here at the end of the year, get your work submitted and let me know what I can do to help!

At the end of class, we started A Raisin in the Sun as a means of understanding our final challenge of the year - the design challenge. With this play, Hansberry is designing a solution to a problem. This is a great way for us to prepare and see the way in which we are acting as authors to design solutions with reasoning. We'll keep reading, viewing, and studying across the next few days. 

5 May - Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

English 11

A good start to the week for us today as we worked through WEB DuBois and the end of our preparation for the Reading SOL on Thursday morning. Remember that on the SOL you'll have a lot of passages to read and then to answer questions about. The questions will range in type from vocabulary to literary devices to theme and topic type questions. Over the last few lessons, I've been trying to show you different types of texts and ask you the sorts of questions that you'll see on Thursday. Hopefully, you're well prepared.

On Wednesday, you'll finish your review and submit your two review assignments - The Game Plan and the Review Bank. I've gotten a great guest teacher who will go over strategies and sample items to help prepare you. On Friday, we'll take some time to reflect and review before finishing up our Drama Project work. 

As always, reach out with any questions or concerns. Remember that at the end of the year it is important to not miss any assignments. Make them up as soon as you can! Also, continue to revise assignments as you want to so that you get to the achievement level that you want in this class. See you soon!

1 May - May Already?!

English 11

Great times today in English 11, everyone. I'm glad that some of you were able to complete part of your Drama Project during our working time. Remember that the goal is to have all parts of the project completed by the 12th of May as we start to wrap up this unit. This project will allow you to demonstrate your writing, reading, and your oral communication skills. I've posted the Writing Workshop template and recording for those of you who need it to do your written work about your speech.

Over the weekend, make your priority this work. Try to complete the writing of your speech and the preparation. Remember that you can do a recording of your voice to complete the speech requirement. As you're doing this, process using your SOL Reading bank. You should be nearly done with this assignment.

We ended our day with a vocabulary quiz. If you weren't here to take it, please make an appointment for Monday Lion Time. In the fourth quarter it's important that we finish all assignments as quickly as we can! Next week we'll finish our preparation for the SOL. We've got a last article to read as a class, final work on the SOL Bank, and some sample test items we'll review. I'll be sad to be away on Wednesday for the class before the test, but I've got a good substitute teacher for you. Have a great weekend!