Student Orientations

The 6B student orientations took place yesterday for a couple hours. It was the first time in seven weeks or so that a large number of students were back in the building. In thinking on the event I thought of the following:

1. Working with students is very tiring. I came home much more tired than I have for most of the summer. Part of this is due to walking around most of the day. The other part is in being there for students. This requires concentrated focus much of the time and answering many, many questions. To me, this separates school jobs from private sector jobs. Being there for students means you are always on, even when you are not teaching or have scheduled breaks.

2. Students make schools come alive. I saw it at the orientation. Bay Trail halls look great all summer but are fairly quiet. 120 students changed that. The halls came to life, the way they should. I sensed the excitement and nervousness of starting a new school year. Eighth grade students took on leadership roles in helping the sixth graders. They were eager to do so and this was genuine.

3. Penfield students are fantastic. Working with the new students, I thought how well adjusted the students seemed to be. Every now and then I hear some negative talk about students in the school. Do not believe it.
By and large, the students are courteous, respectful, and here to learn. Being middle schoolers, they need some reminders from time to time but this is typical given the age. I am impressed with what I see from students on a daily basis.Take it from someone who works with them each day.

4. Custodial staff earns their money. The school looks great and this is not by accident. The summer is their busy season and I have seen them bust it for a couple months. Having a clean, safe environment makes learning that much easier as it eliminates distractions.

Two weeks and counting until the start of school. Enjoy the last days of unofficial summer.

What's in an interview?

One task administrators perform over the summer months is to take part in staff interviews. It is a task I really enjoy as I realize the importance of bringing in the right people. A collection of right or wrong choices can make or break a school. The interview team typically consists of two to five people for most teaching positions. What do I look for in a middle school candidate? Many items sometimes weighing differently depending on the position we are hiring for. Enthusiasm for the middle school student is a must. Yes, I want them to know the content well but can they teach middle schoolers? Do they understand students developmentally at this age? Do they have the attitude, desire, passion, commitment to make a difference in the lives of kids? Can I pick up on these items in an interview? I believe so. Love of their content and ways to make it interesting to students is important for me to hear. How are students going to be actively engaged during lessons? Will technology tools be used to help engage students and enhance learning? The ability to work with others weighs heavily in my decision. The profession has very much moved to collaborative based and it is critical new teachers are willing to work with staff members including administrators. I want to hear a candidate talk about individualizing the learning and trying to meet the learning needs for each students. This involves using multiple data points. Do I think the candidate will be flexible? They need to be as the profession will test their flexibility and inflexible persons often struggle at this level. I look for candidates I think will not just meet the expectations but will exceed them and be leaders in the future. This means being willing to continue to learn. Will they communicate well with staff members, students, parents? The need to as communication is critical. Seems simple enough, doesn't it? 

Teaching, Learning, and Technology Conference -

Are you willing to be part of the conversation?

Summer provides more time than the academic school year to focus on my learning and reflect on where I am in my educational journey. Last week I attended the TLT conference for a few days to take in some sessions on how certain technology tools can engage students in the classroom and assist me in my job as House Principal. I also was given the opportunity to present a session with Winton Buddington, Bay Trail Principal, on administration 2.0. We detailed our respective journeys with 2.0 to date and also discussed how we are using these tools at Bay Trail. Both the consuming and presenting portions went well and it was nice to see a number of other Bay Trail and Penfield staff there. What I have learned more than anything in going to these "technology" conferences is that it is not always about knowing the latest technology or being comfortable with it. The critical piece is to be willing to be part of the conversation about how technology tools can be used to better engage students and improve learning. So, how willing are you to be part of that conversation?