Lessons from 28 days of writing

27 days have passed. What have I learned from the +Tom Barrett challenge of writing each day for 28 days?

1. I do not stick with things. 15 posts. Not 28. It has however doubled my number of posts in total.
2. I like to post.
3. I don't have to worry about being an expert to blog. I am entitled to talk my work and my thoughts.
4. It helps me clarify my thinking when I blog.
5. There are a number of like minded people writing about similar things.
6. It doesn't matter what school you are at. There are incredible things happening almost everywhere it seems.
7. I like the connections I make through blogging. I have made some new contacts via Twitter, such as @GarethGilmour and +BridgeeNZ  thanks to this 28 day challenge and through posting.
8. I still have so much to learn.
9. I will continue to post.

So that's it. I'm not likely to post tomorrow for the final day due to a family gathering. I'm about to visit some schools as part of my sabbatical so there'll be plenty of ideas to post about.
If, like me, you're not a frequent writer, I hope you keep going to. It's a great record for yourself and you never know who might gain inspiration from you.

Preparing for my school visits

As frequent readers of my blog and those who follow me on Twitter know, I am on sabbatical. I mention it frequently. I'm not showing off. I'm using it as an excuse. My day is vastly different to the usual routine. My  mind is still whirring away but it's not worrying about the day to day stuff of running our school. Instead it has been replaced with painting windows!

In the background, I've been organising visits to some schools. I'm wanting to visit schools that are making learning personal at all levels of the school. I'd hoped to get to Myross Bush School - but flights into Invercargill or sporadic and expensive and it just didn't happen - a real shame becaise I know Tim and team are doing some awesome things. I was particularly interested in visiting smaller schools like my own - not necessarily doing the MLE thing, but still MLP in a single cell class.

I've been overwhelmed by people's offers to host me and every school I approached was more than happy to host me. Aren't we lucky in education-people are so happy to share their work. There's nothing in it for them. This is all about me learning. Maybe I'll be able to offer something back - it'll be great to talk with like minded people who are personalising learning.

I'm visiting lots of local schools.Wellington.  Hopefully some in Hawkes Bay and a quick trip to Christchurch too. 10-12 schools and I'll be profiling their approach and then synthesising what I've seen and heard about. Hopefully my report will be a useful doc for those starting out their journey and looking for ideas etc.

I'm really fortunate to have this time. My work is almost ready to start. I'm about to develop guiding questions to ask at each school. I need a wet day soon to get this done so I don't want to paint.

Does a school need a Principal?

Last night I started to write this - there was no way I could articulate what I wanted to express in just 28 minutes, so here's version two.

Initially I'd convinced myself that I might be superfluous - a scary reality. Am I necessary?

I'd managed to reroute admin jobs and saw the BOT taking a larger role in the development of the charter and that type of thing. I even had in independent appraiser working across schools to carry out staff appraisal. Yes it would be a major system change, but it was possible. That's  what I thought.

I looked across the room to the voice of reason, my wife, and told her I'd created a little ripple on Twitter by putting my post idea out there. Her reaction was to ask me who would synthesise everything and provide the direction of the school. That was her immediate reaction. Not - who would parents complain to, not who would run staff meetings or do the bus roster or any of those routine jobs. Synthesising and leading.

And of course, she's right. That's what Principal's do. Through listening to others they're able to bring all the ideas of the students, staff and community together and provide the direction that the school needs.  

So, while there's always a mountain of other tasks to do to keep the school ticking over, there are higher order tasks required. Creating a place that everyone loves being part of is a challenging and rewarding occupation. 

I've convinced myself again. Schools do need Principals. 

Now, what type of Principal does a school need?

Meat and 3 veg in week 4 of the term.

I was raised on meat and three veg. It's what I know. When the daily question arises, "What shall we have tonight?" my mind automatically goes to meat and three veg. I can cook other meals. I prefer to cook other meals. Especially one pot meals. Sometimes I go to cookbooks for inspiration. We have lots of cookbooks. We like the way they look. Some of the recipes are really good and work well. Others have been attempted and failed and not tried again.
I go through phases. I look through the books. Get inspired. Buy fresh new ingredients and go for it. Then it's back to meat and three veg again. Hurumph. What's happened here? I was going well with the new dishes. They were well received and were relatively easy to make. But before I know it, I'm back in the old routine, peeling spuds and carrots. I like spuds. I like carrots. Peas. Meat. No problem, it's just the tediousness of it all. Plus, there's not enough variety. Not to mention you don't have to have meat everyday anyway. But change is hard right. This is what my Dad likes so Mum cooks it. I learned by watching Mum. I cook similarly.  It's engrained in us. What we see we become. How we ate is how we eat. How we were trained to cook is how we cook. And when I run out of ideas, or just can't be bothered, this is what I revert to.

Ooops, just realised that I'm meant to be writing about teaching. Have a great week 4. Avoid the meat and 3 veg ok.

A salute, or a nod, to those who blog

So, we've had 13 days of this 28 days of writing. I've missed some days along the way. I'm sorry that I'm not sorry. Like everything in my life, I do it all in moderation. I've had interruptions, like my parents staying and I've placed that ahead of posting. Are my priorities straight? Yes.
So, fellow bloggers, if you are taking part in the 28 day challenge and you feel like a night off after a rough day at school, or you've prioritised something else, cut yourself some slack. Just be. The sun will come up tomorrow.
I admire so much those of you who have managed to generate worthwhile posts each day. I've loved connecting with new people and being challenged by their thoughts. I've enjoyed reading some beautifully crafted and clever writing. I've even enjoyed writing myself and having others comment or respond to me.
It's the weekend. Enjoy your time off. Enjoy your families and friends. Take a few deep breaths and smile. Do something just for you. You'll be better for it.

Remembering the person in the people.

I attended a funeral today of a lady who I met while teaching at College Street Normal School here in Palmerston North. She had been teaching longer than I'd been alive. She was already partly retired back in 2000. Today we paid tribute and remembered someone who was truly remarkable. My current school library is named after her - a fitting tribute for someone who taught so many the love of reading.
Today made me remember the person in the people.
I've been so fortunate in my career to meet some incredibly inspiring teachers who moulded me into what I am today.
As a beginning teacher I was fortunate to work in an open plan space with my tutor teacher. Every day after school I'd make her a cup of tea and we'd sit and go over that day, the next day and how we would work together each afternoon. This wasn't an MLE. We did our own thing through until lunch and then brought our classes together after lunch for theme work. But being in that open space, I was able to see and hear what was going on and quickly learned a lot about effective literacy teaching and classroom management. Margaret made a lasting impression on me. She taught me about resiliency, fun and collegiality.
When I joined College Street Normal School in 2000 I was in the senior team and my Team Leader was also the DP. A teaching DP in a school of 500. Peter was a workaholic. He knew everything! I was in awe of him. My teaching transformed while working with him. I knew exactly what to do, when to do it and usually how thanks to the meticulous long term plan and unit plans handed to me.
A third person to make an impact on me was a colleague from Riverdale School. We shared an office space. We had the best chats most days and usually solved, not only all the education problems, but pretty much any problem in the world. We talked widely. I would rate Terri as one of the best teachers I've ever worked with. Her relationships with students were like nothing I'd ever seen before. She ran her class in such a different way. Together we trialled our take on self-directed learning. This was in 2007 - my last year teaching in my own class. The first year I did something non-traditional.

What is it about these 3 people that has made me single them out from other colleagues who have impacted on me? They were interested in the person in me. Yes, we were great colleagues and we learned together, but these people were also interested in me and my life.

What lesson can I learn when I think back? In the crazy busy that is school, it's about people. People and relationships. This isn't about becoming besties with everyone. It's about remembering to be human and caring on a personal level.

At the funeral today, Margaret's sister stood to speak about her. That's right! She was a sister, a wife, a Mum, a Nana. And a daughter. She was a child once too.
Let's look at each other and remember in the crazy busy that there are people all about us and in each of them a person.

What's in a name?

Some schools have made the change. It's radical. It's cutting edge. It's hip. Students calling teachers by their first name. How can a relationship based on respect be expected when a student, not only knows your name, but is actually allowed to call you by it? Surely anarchy must follow?
I just don't know. I really don't.
With a name like Bede, which most people assume is a nickname, there could be problems. I for one am big on names. I've had years of people mishearing, mispronouncing and replacing my name. I'm Steve, Pete or Bedee to some over the phone. Because of that I'm big on names. I'm good with names too. I make it a point to know parents by first name. I call colleagues by their name, "Hi Peter, " I would say. I find it interesting that some reply to me without using my name. I'm not asking for a Mr Gilmore, just some recognition that it's me you're talking to you. The power of the name. It can be a weapon, silence someone in one word, or bring personal praise when used in different ways.
I'm Mr Gilmore at the moment. We are all on that formal name basis. There's a big part of me that would like to change. After all, I'm Bede. Mr Gilmore is my father. I like being Bede. My name suits me. Mr Gilmore has a whole other layer to it in my opinion. It's formal. It carries mystique - you may not know my real name. What's the big secret?
I'm not sure what your school does and does it really matter? Would it make a difference to a student's learning if they could call me Bede?
I understand it's a culture thing. It's about breaking down barriers. Respect can and perhaps should be earned other ways. I dunno. I grew up calling my friends' parents Mr and Mrs. Not by their first name. Have times changed? Have they changed enough?

I'd be interested to hear from you about this. What have I missed? Are you going by first name at your school?
If you do reply, please call me Mr Gilmore though. Show some respect, please.