Red Bull Energy shot for PBIS?

As we draw closer to the end of the year I have to take a step back at and analyze the overall attitude of the school towards PBIS. One thing for sure is that it is here to stay so there is no point in trying to resist the changes taking place. I still see a drastic change in behavior from last year. That change has been a change for the better. The primary reward that students have responded to the best is the free time outside. The Campbell cash distribution has gone up and down over the year. At this point it is at a abysmal low which is why I titled this post "Red Bull Energy Shot for PBIS" because we need something to get teachers back excited about passing out the cash. Realistically, I think call it a wrap since it is only a couple weeks left and just try to go back to the drawing board to figure out what can be done to keep teachers more motivated about it through the entire school term. I think that is a great starting point for next year.

Relationships Matter

For my 2 classes this semester I have been researching the importance of building relationships with students.  I was shocked about how many studies have been done comparing the academic achievement and behavioral differences of students in classes with teachers who may or may not make an effort to build a relationship between the teacher and student.  All of the research comes to the same conclusion.  Teachers who take the time to know their students will see higher levels of academic achievement and will not have as many behavioral concerns as teachers who do not.  I am the PBIS leader in my school and I have been sharing this information with those teachers in my school that seem to struggle building relationships.  Some of the teachers had no idea how important this is.  I am beginning to see some drastic improvements by a few teachers.  Now I am in the process of developing a PD over this topic.  Any ideas?

Something Must Be Done

Something must be done!!!!
T. Braddy

     As a leader in a Title 1 school each year we watch our veteran well trained staff have the choice to transfer to another school.  Each year several of those veteran teachers do choose to transfer to another school  It comes with a list of reasons from I want to be close to home, I need to work the hours of school X or I need a change.  When you talk to them about choosing the option of transferring they are always quick to say, it's not the kids, I love the students here.  I do believe them when they say that.  We have hard-working, compassionate teachers who care about the success of children.  Why does it seem to be such a revolving door at my high-risk, high-poverty school.  I have my own opinions on that and the political climate we are in with the current education policy. While I believe it was designed to help at-risk schools in need, it seems to be missing the mark and truly burdensome for those devoted to making a difference in the lives of children at-risk behaviorally and academically.

     I attended the GCPS school board meeting and a parent from a neighboring Title 1 school stood up and presented to the board that she believes there should be a financial motivator for teachers to remain teaching in a Title 1 school after four years. At my feeder high school they have offered bonuses to come on board at that school.  It just seems to me that misses the mark.  I would welcome an opportunity to provide bonuses to experienced teachers with a proven record of success with at-rsik children but what about keeping the teachers that have done the hard work, grown in their craft and have proven to be successful with the at-risk students in our building.  I know the state has implemented some sort of merit bonus; however, based on my observation those that received the bonus were teachers teaching accelerated or gifted students.  Now my principal receives frequent requests from teachers to teach gifted or accelerated students.

   My question is, is there not a way to reward those strong teachers who choose to work with at-risk children.  The children that are enrolled daily that have come from third-world countries with education systems that do even come close to meeting the standards of American schools.  Those students who come in to their classroom and do not speak the language and by American standards have been under-educated.  How as a leader do I attract and retain teachers to my school where this is what we face daily and then end up receiving sanctions from Race to the Top or which ever policy is in place at the time that we are not "good enough" as a school?

Transitioning

This is the time of the year that teachers transition and we go through the process of new hiring. I am a little concern about our current  teachers  maintaining a sense of urgency for the remaining of the school year. There are 32 more days until the end of the school year. We are in testing season and with high stakes testing comes teacher anxiety, job security, student performance and job evaluation.

The Juggler

The past few weeks have been a struggle to multi-task major projects with deadlines. In my capacity, I am working to complete a feasibility study and application for candidacy for the International Baccalaureate Programme for my school. In addition, I worked on other projects that include robotics, math competitions, gifted programs, IB awareness, design course for PD, and other pop-up projects. At times it became very overwhelming for me to meet expectations. At no point did any project had my full and undivided attention. I kind of felt bad because certain projects where not attended to effectively. I felt like I could have done a better job if I sufficient or more time. Unfortunately, I needed to work on other items given my deadlines. I understand that delegating of task to others would and should help. However, when I delegate a task and the task is not efficiently completed the way I would like, then this becomes a major issue for me. I do not like to relinquish control when I am held solely responsible for the outcome. I have a difficult time trusting others to get the job done the way I would like it to be done. This creates a problem in how I delegate task. However, the past few weeks have demonstrated to me that I needed to improve on how I delegate to others.  Any suggestions on managing and delegating to others? Any strategies on mapping task for completion?

PBIS

My major project is focused on implementing the PBIS program into my school. As a county, all schools are being encouraged to adopt the program but it is not an easy task. As a result, the county has hired a representative to be in charge of assisting all schools with the assimilation process. On a local level, I am the direct contact for my school and I share a major role in insuring that my school successfully implements the program. To date, I have created a website that displays all the rewards, sponsors, and purpose of PBIS. I am also in the process now of trying to determine how to continue to keep students excited about doing the right thing. That includes continuously developing activities that will capture students attention and make them want to earn Campbell cash that will allow them to purchase rewards. Much like last semester a major challenge is to keep teachers motivated with passing out the Campbell cash to students. Data has been collected to show the improvement in school behavior since last year and we will continue to make comparisons of the school climate this year with the previous year.

If Only Teachers Knew.....

This past week as an administrator was a series of learning experiences for me. Our students come to us with so many issues and it is up to us as school leaders to support them academically as well as emotionally. Last week, I had to expel a student, dealt with a student who was so emotionally disturbed he put his fist through a window, breaking the window and bleeding all over the floor, a student who left her class to threaten a student in another class and through all of this, we were undergoing a 2-day instructional audit. I realized that my primary focus as an instructional leader is to keep the teachers and the students focused on teaching and learning. So while my Assistant Principal and I dealt with all the issues, the teachers were able to concentrate on teaching and the students on learning. I realized also that as a leader, I must be able to think fast and provide solutions to situations, even if it is only temporary. Finally, I learned that I cannot save every student, I have to let some of them go and as much as it pains me, I cannot jeopardize the futures of the entire student body for a few. If only teachers knew how much we do to make their jobs easier.....